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their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste; then the judgment, the vengeance of God, would strike Israel, bringing them to the verge of destruction. V. 36. For the Lord shall judge His people, and repent Himself for (comfort) His servants, by punishing those who are only outward members of His people, and by saving those who are found true worshipers of Jehovah, when He seeth that their power is gone, when all the earthly props of Israel's power upon which it relied are taken away, and there is none shut up or left, that is, all men, all defenders, both married and single, are taken away. V. 37. And He shall say, when He has thus brought punishment upon His people and avenged Himself upon His enemies in their midst, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted, v. 38. which, namely, the idols of the false Israelites, did eat the fat of their sacrifices, accepting what the foolish Israelites consecrated to them, and drank the wine of their drink-offerings? Let them rise up and help you, and be your protection. Thus the helplessness and vanity of the idols are brought out. V. 39. See now, by contemplating the fate which struck the foolish idolaters, that I, even I, am He, and there is no god with Me; Jehovah alone is the true God. I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; neither is there any that can deliver out of My hand. To Him, as the almighty God, pertains the absolute power over the creatures of His hand. V. 40. For I lift up My hand to heaven, in the gesture of one swearing a solemn oath, and say, I live forever. V. 41. If I whet My glittering sword, in the capacity of champion of His people, and Mine hand take hold on judgment, namely, for the purpose of carrying it out, I will render vengeance to Mine enemies, and will reward them that hate Me, punish all the godless, not only among the heathen, but also among the Israelites. V. 42. I will make Mine arrows drunk with blood, and My sword shall devour flesh, a very strong figure denoting the complete overthrow of the enemies; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy, literally, "from the unbarbered head of the enemy," said of one possessing vigorous strength and exhibiting proud arrogance. V. 43. Rejoice, O ye nations, with His people, since all men are included in God's love; for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and will render vengeance to His adversaries, and will be merciful unto His land and to His people. By the punishment of the bold offenders and by the extirpation of idolatry God intended to expiate the guilt resting upon His people and their country, and thus to consecrate and sanctify both the land and the people, His congregation of believers. Thus Moses, at the end of his song, prophesies

of the Church of the New Testament, which will serve the Lord in righteousness and holiness.

CONCLUSION OF MOSES' ADDRESS. THE LORD'S COMMAND TO HIM.-V. 44. And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, chap. 31, 22, he and Hoshea, the son of Nun, for so Joshua, who probably wrote this account, modestly calls himself. He assisted Moses, and Israel could see that the two were in entire accord. V. 45. And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel, his entire proclamation herewith came to an end; v. 46. and he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, through which I lay down my testimony, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this Law. Note that the obligation to impart the instruction of the Law to the children is here again stressed. V. 47. For it is not a vain thing for you, an empty, meaningless proclamation; because it is your life, chap. 30, 20; and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it. The promise of temporal blessings is again included, but in a manner which points forward to the enjoyment of everlasting happiness, in the life with Him. V. 48. And the Lord spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, v. 49. Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, the range which runs parallel with the Jordan and the Dead Sea, unto Mount Nebo, the highest peak of the range, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession; v. 50. and die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people, an expression which implies the immortality of the soul; as Aaron, thy brother, died in Mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people, Num. 20, 28; v. 51. because ye trespassed against Me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin, Num. 20, 11-13; because ye sanctified Me not in the midst of the children of Israel. Their rebellion had consisted in their expressing a doubt of the Lord's willingness to give water to such a rebellious people, whereas the Lord had intended to make this miracle a proof of His majesty and almighty power. V. 52. Yet thou shalt see the land before thee, namely, from the top of Mount Nebo, where, on a clear day, a view of practically the entire country of Canaan may be obtained; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel. Thus the Lord visits the transgressions of His children with punishments which are often severe, but finally he grants them a blessed end and causes them to be added to the great number of those that died in the faith.

The Blessing of Moses.

CHAPTER 33.

As the aged patriarch Jacob laid his blessing upon his sons in the form of prophecies, so Moses, before being gathered to his people, spoke a prophetic blessing upon the people whose leader he had been for forty years. By the inspiration of God he was able to foretell the fortunes of the individual tribes, both as an encouragement and as a warning to them. V. 1. And this is the blessing wherewith Moses, the man of God, who was distinguished by this honoring title, blessed the children of Israel before his death. V. 2. And he said, The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; He shined forth from Mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints. This is a description of the majesty and glory of God, as He appeared to Israel when He gave them the Law from Mount Sinai. While His majesty was concentrated on the summit of Sinai, the entire surrounding country reflected the wonderful light of His countenance. From Seir, the mountains of the Edomites on the east, to the cliffs of Paran in the west the entire wilderness glowed as at the rising of the sun. The Lord came forth from the midst, and was accompanied by myriads of angels, Acts 7, 53; Heb. 2, 2; Gal. 3, 19. From His right hand went a fiery Law for them, said of the fiery missiles of the bolts of lightning, as they emphasized the giving of the Law. V. 3. Yea, He loved the people, or, How dearly He loved the people! All His saints are in Thy hand; He who has even the angels in His power, to do His will, cherishes a deep affection for all those that are truly His own, that belong to His spiritual Israel. And they sat down at Thy feet, ready to follow wherever the Lord led them; every one shall receive of Thy words, prepared to arise and to serve Him in cheerful obedience. V. 4. Moses, who here enters into the spirit of his blessing so thoroughly as to place himself entirely upon the standpoint of the people, commanded us a Law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob, for the Law was to be the property, the treasure of Israel, to be guarded and observed by them with all faithfulness. V. 5. And He, Jehovah, was King in Jeshurun, the people of righteousness, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together, namely, at Mount Sinai. V. 6. Let Reuben live and not die, and let [not] his men be few. Reuben had forfeited his right of the first-born, Gen. 49, 3. 4, and while his tribe did not become extinct in Israel, it was neither in number nor in power so great as many of the other tribes. Simeon is not mentioned at all, because this tribe, Gen. 49, 7, was divided in Canaan, receiving only a few cities within the boundaries of Judah for an inheritance.

V. 7. And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people, for this tribe, as the champion of the nation, was a leader in the wars and therefore would pray for a safe return; let his hands be sufficient for him, namely, in waging the wars of Jehovah; and be Thou an help to him from his enemies, saving him from their wrath. The underlying thought seems to be a longing for the time and the dominion of the Messiah with its eternal blessing. V. 8. And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim, Ex. 28, 30, the guarantee that the Lord would ever protect the rights of His people by revealing to the priests His holy will and the manner in which they were to comport themselves, be with thy holy one, with the tribe of Levi, from which the high priest was consecrated to the Lord, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah, Ex. 17, 1-7; Num. 20, 1-13; for although the people, in either instance, murmured against the Lord, yet the Lord made use of both occurrences to test their faith; v. 9. who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children; for they have observed Thy Word and kept Thy covenant. Not only once, but repeatedly the Levites proved that they were ready to deny the bonds of the nearest relationship in the interest of God's honor, as after the worship of the golden calf, Ex. 32, 26-29, and in the matter of the zeal of Phinehas, Num. 25, 8. Therefore Moses praises their service in the worship of Jehovah. V. 10. They shall teach Jacob Thy judgments and Israel Thy Law; for that was an important part of their work, Lev. 10, 11; they shall put incense before Thee and whole burnt sacrifice upon Thine altar. Although only the priests, strictly speaking, offered sacrifices, yet the Levites were the ministering assistants, and therefore the entire tribe could here be mentioned. V. 11. Bless, Lord, his substance, his strength or power, and accept the work of his hands, looking upon it with pleasure. Smite through the loins of them that rise against him, thus crippling them, rendering them utterly helpless, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again. Just as great as the blessings of Jehovah were upon Levi, so great was His curse to be upon those that presumed to question his priesthood. V. 12. And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord, the special friend and darling of Jehovah, shall dwell in safety by Him, as a dwelling founded upon the Lord; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, be his constant Protector; and he shall dwell between His

shoulders, as a son who is carried on his father's back. V. 13. And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, the rich blessings which would come upon it from above, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, the waters under the ground, which fed the springs and rivers, v. 14. and for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, produced and matured by his kindly heat, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, matured in the course of the year, as one month followed the other, v. 15. and for the chief things, the summits, of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, the great forests and thickets clothing the mountain ranges, v. 16. and for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, whatever the earth produces in precious gifts, and for the good will of Him that dwelt in the bush, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush, Ex. 3, 2. 4. Let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren, the most eminent or illustrious of the sons of Jacob. V. 17. His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns, of the fierce wild-ox; he would occupy a position of such power as to be able to trample on all his enemies; with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth; and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh. The power of Ephraim especially, but also of Manasseh, was afterwards such as to give to the tribe of Joseph the leadership in the northern nation. V. 18. And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out, since he would be successful in his campaigns, as well as in his shipping and his commercial interests; and, Issachar, in thy tents, in the grazing and agricultural pursuits. V. 19. They shall call the people unto the mountain, invite them to share their prosperity, to take part in their rich sacrificial meals on the hill of the Lord's Sanctuary. There they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness, bring such offerings as would establish their fellowship with Jehovah; for they, not only these two tribes, but the entire nation, shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand, the riches of both the sea and of the mines of the dry land would flow into the coffers of Israel. V. 20. And of Gad he said, Blessed be He that enlargeth Gad, the Lord who gave to this tribe a large and rich territory; he dwelleth as a lion, having the nature of a lion in battle, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head, he is so fierce in battle that he inflicts not only dangerous, but mortal wounds. V. 21. And he provided the first part for himself, a place of habitation

as befitted a leader of the tribes, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, of the leader, was he seated, this fine region was expressly set aside for him; and he came with the heads of the people, joined them in the campaign west of Jordan, he executed the justice of the Lord, and His judgments with Israel, in fulfilling the precepts of Jehovah, for herein the righteousness of the people consisted. V. 22. And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp, with all the latter's fierceness and sinuous strength in battle; he shall leap from Bashan, as did the lions and leopards in attacking the herds of cattle in that land of rich meadows. V. 23. And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, with the good will of the Lord, and full with the blessing of the Lord; possess thou the west and the south, a region which combined the advantages of a location near the sea, the Mediterranean, with a mild climate, for the Sea of Galilee was his eastern boundary. V. 24. And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children, or, more fortunate than the sons, exceptionally blessed; let him be acceptable to his brethren, as their good will and that of Jehovah rested upon him, and let him dip his foot in oil, namely, by the possession and enjoyment of a very rich inheritance in Canaan. V. 25. Thy shoes shall be iron and brass, his fortresses, castles, should be of strong metal, his dwellings should be as strong and impregnable as if built of iron; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be, he should preserve his youthful strength throughout his life and thus be able to defend himself successfully against all attacks. And now Moses, in summarizing, rises to the very heights of poetical fervor. V. 26. There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, Israel, the people of righteousness, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in His excellency on the sky, always ready to hurry to Israel's assistance with almighty power. V. 27. The eternal God is thy Refuge, literally, "dwelling is the God of eternity," of olden times; not only does He offer to His people the protection, the refuge, of His almighty power, but also that of a secure dwelling-place in Him who has proved His kindness and mercy a thousand times; and underneath are the everlasting arms; He who sits upon the throne of His majesty in the heavens is at the same time on the earth with all the loving care of a mother holding her children in her arms, or of an eagle bearing her young on her pinions, chap. 32, 11. And He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee and shall say, Destroy him. This is true of all the enemies of Israel, of the congregation of the Lord. V. 28. Israel then shall dwell in safety alone, separate from other people and secure in the protection of Jehovah; the foun

tain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine, in a rich and fertile country; also his heavens shall drop down dew, provide sufficient moisture for all purposes, as much as the land required. V. 29. Happy art thou, O Israel, endowed with salvation! Who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the Shield of thy help; and who is the Sword of thy excellency, a weapon both of protection and of attack? And thine ene

mies shall be found liars unto thee, they would simulate friendship in order to escape annihilation; and thou shalt tread upon their high places, in a great triumph over all opponents. The spiritual Israel, the congregation of believers in the New Testament, are the people of salvation in the full sense of the word, having been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, Eph. 1, 3.

CHAPTER 34.

The Death and Burial of Moses. MOSES DIES AND IS BURIED BY GOD. — V. 1. And Moses went up from the Plains of Moab, where the children of Israel were still encamped, unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is, to its very summit, that is over against Jericho. Cp. chap. 32, 48-51. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead, on the eastern side of Jordan, unto Dan, a town in Northern Perea, v. 2. and all Naphtali, later the land of Galilee, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, in the approximate center of Canaan, and all the land of Judah, directly opposite his station, unto the utmost sea, the Mediterranean Sea, v. 3. and the south, the plains beyond the Dead Sea, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm-trees, for these grew in the lowlands of Jericho, unto Zoar, at the extreme southern end of the Dead Sea. This viewing of the entire country was a "proof of his generally unimpaired strength of vision, which the soaring flight of faith rendered more penetrating." V. 4. And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed, Gen. 12, 7; 15, 18; 28, 13; I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, it was a last favor which the Lord granted to His faithful servant, but thou shalt not go over thither. V. 5. So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, namely, on Mount Nebo, according to the word of the Lord, chap. 32, 50. V. 6. And He, the Lord, buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth-peor, in some mountain valley not far from Nebo; but no man knoweth of his sepulcher unto this day, its exact location was not revealed. From the letter of Jude, v. 9, we know that the archangel Michael contended with the devil for the body of Moses. Thus God, through His angel, saved the body of Moses from the last consequence of death under the control of Satan, from corruption. The body of Moses was taken to heaven after his burial and there changed to a spiritual

body. Thus it was possible for Moses to appear with Elijah at the transfiguration of Christ. This fact gives us a strong guarantee for the final fulfilment of our hope, of the resurrection of the body.

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AN APPRECIATION OF MOSES. V. 7. And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eye was not dim, he had lost nothing of his keen bodily vision, nor his natural force abated, he had retained his full strength until the end. V. 8. And the children of Israel wept for Moses, held a great mourning for him, in the Plains of Moab thirty days; so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended, a fine expression of their appreciation of this great prophet of the Lord, which is properly copied by grateful congregations and larger church-bodies to this day. V. 9. And Joshua, the son of Nun, who now took up the leadership of the children of Israel, was full of the spirit of wisdom, as it was needed for the practical problems of life; for Moses had laid his hands upon him, Num. 27, 18. 23; and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses. That was the result of the long years of work which Moses had spent in teaching the people. V. 10. And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, Ex. 33, 11; Num. 12, 6. 8, with whom Jehovah was on such intimate terms, whom He filled with such divine power, v. 11. in all the signs and the wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, v. 12. and in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel, during the entire wilderness journey. Only one prophet is greater than Moses, by his own testimony, namely, the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father. Through His life, suffering, death, resurrection, and exaltation He earned for us the eternal redemption from the power of death and hell.

INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF JOSHUA, — - JOSHUA 1, 1—5.

THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.

INTRODUCTION.

The Book of Joshua, so named from its principal character, the successor of Moses, under whose leadership the conquest of Canaan was successfully carried out, covers a period of about twenty-five years (B. C. 1450 to 1425). It takes up the history of Israel after the death of Moses, begins with the commission of the Lord to Joshua, describes in detail the campaigns of the army of Israel, the great successes as well as the occasional reverses, and finally gives an account of the last addresses of Joshua, of his farewell, and of his death. The work entrusted to Joshua was one requiring great intellectual and tactical ability, but above all an unwavering trust in God. Canaan was occupied by great nations and strong, inhabiting strongly fortified cities and able to place armies in the field consisting of skilled warriors. Joshua was fully qualified for the task set before him, since he had not only been associated with Moses during the entire wilderness journey, but was also full of the spirit of wisdom, Deut. 34, 9, possessed of true military ability, and had perfect faith in the word and promise of God, this trust being the source of all his strength and courage.

The chief object of the book is to offer the historical proof of the faithfulness with which God fulfilled the promise made to the patriarchs that He would give the land of Canaan to His chosen people. Accordingly, we are told how the Lord helped Joshua and Israel con

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quer and occupy Canaan: He led them through the Jordan on dry ground; He fought for them against the heathen inhabitants of Canaan; He drove those wicked, immoral, and foul nations out from before them; He divided the land by lot among the victorious tribes of Israel, and brought them to rest in that "good land flowing with milk and honey."

So far as the author is concerned, the Book of Joshua was probably not written by this great leader himself, although some of the sections, especially the reports of the division of the land, were undoubtedly copied from his notes. Events are related in the book which did not take place until after the death of Joshua, such as Caleb's taking possession of his inheritance at Hebron, chap. 15, 13-19, cp. with Judg. 1, 10-15, the taking of the city of Laish by the Danites, chap. 19, 47, cp. with Judg. 18. Nevertheless, the writer was a contemporary of Joshua, who probably survived him for many years, and it is assumed that one of the elders who entered Canaan with Joshua wrote the book, chap. 5, 1. The very latest date which may be accepted for the composition of the book is that of the time of Samuel, and there are some believing scholars who have regarded this prophet as the author.1)

1) Concordia Bible Class, 1919, 31-34; Fuerbringer, Einleitung in das Alte Testament, 26. 27.

CHAPTER 1.

Joshua Assumes Command of Israel. JOSHUA FORMALLY COMMISSIONED. - V. 1. Now, after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, after the completion of the thirty days' mourning for this great prophet whom the Lord so signally distinguished, Num. 12, 7.8; Deut. 34, 5. 8, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' minister, not his servant, but his assistant, who had been pointed out some time before as the successor of Moses, Num. 27, 15-23, had been expressly designated as such by Moses, Deut. 31, 7, and had appeared before the people in that capacity, saying, v. 2. Moses, My servant, is dead; now, therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, thou and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel, for Canaan proper was always spoken of as including the territory west of the Jordan only. These words were not spoken to Joshua through the high priest's Urim and Thummim, upon which he had been told to rely in

case of difficult questions, Num. 27, 21, but were an immediate revelation of the divine will, in the same way in which the Lord had communicated with Moses. V. 3. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses, Deut. 11, 24. V. 4. From the wilderness, the Desert of Arabia on the south and southeast, and this Lebanon, the mountain range in the north, even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, who apparently had been overlords of this entire region at one time and were still occupying the country northwest of the Sea of Chinnereth, afterward that of Galilee, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, the Mediterranean Sea, shall be your coast. Cp. Deut. 11, 24. 25. V. 5. There shall not any man, namely, of the kings and inhabitants of the country, be able to stand before thee, withstand him successfully, all the days of thy life, Deut. 31, 8. As I was with Moses, so I will be

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