The armies that follow are in white linen, like the priests. We do not hear that they use weapons of attack; no, but they follow their captain. They go round about the city of destruction, they do not seek to injure it, but they are not of it; they hold aloof, and regard neither its attacks nor its allurements. And by and by the victory is won.

B.C. 1451.-"We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what thou hast done in their time of old; how thou hast driven out the heathen with thy hand, and planted them in; how thou hast destroyed the nations, and cast them out. For they gat not the land in possession through their own sword, neither was it their own arm that helped them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them." (Psalm xliv.) Thus was the praise of God for the conquest of Canaan sung in after times. Thus did Israel learn that there is no other that fighteth for us, but only Thou, O God," and that when acting under His commands they were secure of victory.

And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times only on that day they compassed the city seven times.

And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.

And the city shall be accursed,* even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD only Rahab shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.

And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated + unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.

VOL. II.

The word here properly means "devoted."

+ Set apart.

So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.

But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into Rahab's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her.

And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel.

And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.

And Joshua saved Rahab alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

And Joshua adjured* them at that time, saying,

Cursed be the man before the LORD,

That riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho :

He shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn,

And in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.

So the LORD was with Joshua ; and his fame was noised + throughout all the country.

But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.

And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.

And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.

So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men and they fled before the men of Ai.

Ánd the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became

as water.

COMMENT.-After the week of patience, the trumpets sounded, the people sent forth a great shout, and the walls of Jericho fell down flat. For in all ages "this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. By faith Rahab perished not + Spoken loudly.

Laid them under a threat.

t Sin.

with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace." (Heb. xi. 31.) And for the sake of the faith that made her cast in her lot with the people of God, and bind the scarlet line on her window, Rahab was not only saved in the general slaughter, but she was made one with Israel by marriage, for she became the wife of Salmon, the head of the tribe of Judah, and her name is one of the three female ones which are mentioned in the ancestry of our Lord.

The word translated in the Bible "accursed," as here used, rather means devoted. The sense is that Jericho, being the first place taken, belonged to the Lord as the firstfruits of conquest, just as did the firstfruits of the cattle and the trees. Therefore nothing in it was to belong to the children of Israel. Every living thing was to be put to death. The people were under sentence of death in all the towns, lest they should corrupt the Israelites; and the cattle were here also to die, that there might be no temptation to steal from the Lord. Only the imperishable metals were to be brought into the treasury. The taking anything for private use would be not merely breach of discipline, but robbery of God; and as there was one believing soul in wicked Jericho, so there was one worldly selfish heart in Israel, who took of the consecrated property of the Lord, and thus stained the whole camp. This time, when God Himself was going forth with their armies, was a time of deep awe and strict severity. The city that was taken by the power of God without visible help of man, the wicked city marked by His wrath, was to be left waste, and if any man presumed to build it again it would be amid the deaths of all his children; the first at the laying the foundation-stone, the last at the setting up the gate. So prophesied Joshua; and when men grew faithless the attempt was made, and the prophecy was fulfilled.

C 2

And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.

And Joshua said, Alas, O LORD God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!

O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!

For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?

And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?

Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. +

Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.

In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man.

And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.

So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:

And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the

• Surround.

+ Used falsehood

↑ Goods.

Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken :

And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.

And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.

And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done :

When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment,* and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge † of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.

And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD.

And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan, the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. +

And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.

And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.

COMMENT.-There is a great deal to observe in these verses. First, how when Joshua gave way for a moment to dismay at the defeat, his faintness of heart is sharply rebuked as a failure and weakness in him, whose duty it was to be strong and of a good courage. Next, we see that the whole body is held to be defiled and made to suffer for the sin of one member, as long as the evil is not put away. Both these things are for our example.

God taught Joshua how to bring the fault home to the offender in the presence of all the people by the casting of lots. This was, in the times when God was to His people instead of King, the way of committing the choice or judgment to Him. Probably the manner was: a vessel was placed before Eleazar, or else the skirt of the priest's robe was spread between his knees into a lap,

* An embroidered garment such as was worked in Assyria.
Tongue-shaped jewel.
Causing trouble.