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TOPIC: Pink, Arthur - Gleanings in Joshua (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 10.2-Sin, Defeat, Judgment (Continued) 7:1-26
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Gleanings In Joshua
10. Sin, Defeat, Judgment (Continued)
Joshua 7:1-26
A Penitent Leader's Prayer
In our last we contemplated Joshua, after Israel's humiliating defeat at Ai, on his face before the ark of the Lord. There he lay, with rent garments and dust upon his head, in a posture of self-judgment and abasement. Not until the hour of the evening sacrifice did he open his mouth to God, and then he might have said, "I poured out my complaint before Him, I showed Him my trouble" (Ps. 142:2). Those words present to us an aspect of prayer all too little dwelt upon by preachers and writers. It is wrong to think that we should approach God only when our hearts are composed and in a spiritual frame. It is our privilege to come to the throne of grace for "mercy" and to sob out our griefs when deeply distressed. David tells us he did so "When my spirit was overwhelmed within me" (Ps. 142:3). It is for our relief that we tell out our woes to One who is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities." When none other can enter into our case or assuage our grief, we should present ourselves before the Divine footstool as objects of compassion, remembering that "the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy" (James 5:11), and therefore He will not break the bruised reed or quench the smoking flax.
"When it lies in his line of duty for an expositor to comment upon a recorded instance of an outpouring of heart by a troubled soul, his task is neither an easy nor a pleasant one; for not a little scum rises to the surface when the spirit reaches boiling point. The Hebrew word for "complaint" in Psalm 142:2, does not mean fault-finding, but signifies, rather, that which causes pain and anguish, as in Job 7:13, and 9:27. We may indeed complain to God and unburden ourselves before Him, yet we ought never to complain of Him or murmur at any of His dealings. But where shall we find one clothed with flesh and blood who is guiltless in this respect? Where indeed! Only in Him who, amid "strong crying and tears," said, "Nevertheless, not My will, but Thine be done." If one of our "complaints" be examined in a captious spirit it will not be difficult for another to find in it expressions which are inadvisable. Let us not then scrutinize this prayer of Joshua's in a pharisaic spirit, but rather let us approach it with that word before us, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone" (John 8:7). On the other hand, we must not gloss over the faults nor deliberately condone what is reprehensible in it.
Not a little of human infirmity was discovered by Joshua's language on this occasion, and though that be easily accounted for, yet it must not be rendered an excuse for justifying our failures. As is so often the case with us, especially when deeply perturbed, there was a strange mingling of the flesh and the spirit seen in the prayer which is now to engage our attention. While some of its expressions cannot be approved, yet it should be borne in mind that Joshua was not here murmuring against any direct dealing of the Lord with himself, but was venting his sore distress over what had just befallen his nation, and, was deeply grieved at the reproach which the same must bring upon the name of the Lord. While those considerations might modify his fault, yet they by no means absolve him. The truth is that Joshua too was a sinner saved by sovereign and amazing grace, and that fact was made to appear clearly in this incident. Let us then admire once more the impartiality and fidelity of the sacred historians in narrating this blemish in Joshua's conduct, and behold therein another proof of the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures, which painted each character in the colors of truth and reality, concealing not the defects of its greatest heroes.
The temporary breakdown of Joshua in heeding the presumptuous counsel of the spies, instead of seeking guidance from the Lord through the high priest (Num. 27:21), and in slighting the ark instead of according it the place of honor, was now further betrayed by his mouth and the hard thoughts which he entertained against God. "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!" (Josh. 7:7). In this failure of so honored a character as Joshua let both writer and reader see his own deep need of walking humbly before God and clinging to Him in conscious weakness. An object lesson is here set before us of how quickly faith fails its possessor when it be not sustained by its Author and Giver. The trouble was that Joshua's heart was no longer occupied with the plain and sure promises he had received from God. And why? Because he was walking by sight, viewing things with the eyes of carnal reason. He rashly concluded from the setback at Ai that it was the harbinger of total defeat. Unbelief is unable to see things in their proper perspective and proportions: thirty-six men and not the whole of the three thousand had been slain!
It was not without good reason that the apostle was moved by the Spirit to say to those who were partakers of the heavenly calling, "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief" (Heb. 3:13). There is a very real danger of our doing so, and we need to be ever on our guard against it, walking circumspectly. Even the faith of. him who is designated "the father of all them that believe" (Rom. 4:11) failed, for when there arose a famine in the land, instead of trusting God to supply all his need (as Elijah did), he "went down into Egypt to sojourn there" (Gen. 12:10). That breakdown in Abraham's faith was due to the same cause as that of Joshua's! He was out of communion with God. First, he had left Bethel ("the house of God"), where he had built an altar to the Lord, and then he journeyed "toward the south" (Gen. 12:8), i.e. Egyptwards. And thus, as we have seen with Joshua, instead of inquiring of the Lord, he had hastily adopted the carnal policy of his underlings. Disaster followed, and now a spirit of unbelief possessed him. Learn, then, dear reader, that faith will only be preserved in a healthy condition as we maintain close communion with God through those means of grace which He has appointed.
"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?" Very sad indeed is it to hear Joshua now using the very language which had been employed forty years previously by that generation of Israel whose carcasses fell in the wilderness. Of them it is recorded that they "murmured in their tents and said, Because the Lord hated us He hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us"; the explanation of such despondency being, as Moses charged them, "in this thing ye did not believe the Lord" (Deut. 1:27, 32). And now Joshua is guilty of expressing the same unbelief. This is the more lamentable since he (together with Caleb) had rebuked the skepticism of the congregation, saying, "Rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land, for they are bread for us their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us; fear them not" (Num. 14:9) - that was the language of confidence in God. But as faith in Him will make the weak and timid strong and courageous, so will unbelief fill the stoutest heart with terror.
Observe how inconsistent and incoherent is the language of unbelief. Joshua acknowledged that it was the Lord who had brought Israel over Jordan, and then asked if He had done so only for them to be destroyed at the hands of the heathen. It is ever thus. Though the wise of this world look upon the children of faith as a company of credulous simpletons, yet really "the shoe is on the other foot." Nothing is so reasonable as to believe the Bible, for it is the Word of Him who cannot lie. But none so imposed upon and irrational as those who reject a revelation from heaven that is attested by "many infallible proofs": to scorn what is authenticated by unimpeachable evidence is a mark of madness and not intelligence. And when a child of God gives way to unbelief his spiritual understanding becomes deranged, and the conclusions he then draws are faulty and absurd. Behold another example of this in the case of David, when he "said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul (1 Sam. 27:1). How could he possibly do so, when God Himself had assured him of the throne? He, too, had failed to ask counsel of the Lord, and now that he talks with his own deceitful heart he utters the language of a fool.
What need is there for the Christian to cry, "Lord, I believe, help Thou mine unbelief." And if that prayer be sincere, so far from his excusing unbelief, he will mourn over it; so far from regarding it as an innocent infirmity for which he is to be more sympathized with than blamed, he will strive against its evil workings. We have no patience with those who well-nigh exalt the carnal fears and doubts of God's people into spiritual graces and evidences of humility and "deep experience." Any teaching which makes light of the distrust of God, or which causes His children to pity themselves for their failures and falls, is to be condemned and shunned. To call into question the Divine promises is to make God a liar, and that is a heinous offense by whomsoever committed. As faith honors God, so does unbelief dishonor Him. Faith is said to glorify God (Rom. 4:20), and therefore unbelief is a failing to render to Him the glory which is His due. Unbelief in His people is the sin against which God has most proclaimed His displeasure. Moses and Aaron were excluded from Canaan because of their unbelief (Num. 20:12). The father of John the Baptist was stricken dumb for not believing what God had revealed (Luke 1:20). Christ chided His disciples for nothing so much as He did for their unbelief (Matthew 8:26; Luke 24:25). "Lord, increase our faith" must be our daily request.
"Would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! "Surely this cannot be the language of one who was on his face before the ark of the Lord! Ah, my reader, no fictitious history had contained such an unthinkable anomaly as that. Nevertheless it is true to life, as many a saint discovers by sad experience. Just previously "the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was noised throughout all the coast (Josh. 6:27); here disgracing himself, by complaining of the Lord's dealings with Israel. Then in the posture of self-abasement, and now uttering the language of self-will. For how many of God's own people do those words of Jacob's concerning Reuben apply: "Unstable as water" (Gen. 49:2). Humbly seeking for light from the Word, and puffed up with conceit when it be granted. Praying for more patience, and fretful when the Divine providences are working it in us (James 1:2). Intrepidly contending, single-handed, against eight hundred and fifty false prophets (1 Kings 18), and immediately after fleeing in terror from the threats of a woman (1 Kings 19:2, 3). Ephraim was not the only one like "a cake not turned" (Hosea 7:8)-baked on one side, dough on the other. Oh, what a compound of inconsistencies and contradictions is the Christian as the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh! Oh, the long-suffering of the Lord!
The best of God's children (if there be any best!) are frequently affected with fits of unbelief and chillings of love. Today they find themselves earnestly proposing and resolving to do those things which are good, but tomorrow they may discover their zeal has somewhat abated, so uncertain and inconstant are their affections. Now hopeful, anon despondent; now singing God's praises, anon their harps upon the willows; now walking obediently in the path of the Divine precepts, anon straying off into bypath meadow. None differ so much from them as they often differ from themselves! Nay, in the very graces for which they are eminent, how have they failed! Moses was the meekest man upon the earth, yet in what a froward passion was he when he struck the rock twice and "spake unadvisedly with his lips"! Peter was the most zealous and courageous of the apostles, yet he yielded to sinful fear in the presence of a maid. Some will glorify God in one condition, but dishonor Him in another. They may conduct themselves becomingly while God keeps them low, and then become fretful against Him when they are exalted. On the contrary, others who tread softly in a time of prosperity are filled with murmuring when the cold winds of adversity smite them.
"Would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!" Alas, what is man? What is a saint when left to himself? What will not his inbred corruptions produce unless Divine grace suppress them! How the, evil leaven was working! How horribly Joshua himself was affected by Achan's sin! Yet that in no wise excused his own unseemly language, JOSHUA was here taking direct issue with the Most High, openly quarrelling with His dispensations, complaining at His providential dealings. And has the writer and the reader, even after becoming a Christian, never been guilty of the same black offense? Ah, have we not cause to hang our heads in shame? And should not the remembrance of past risings up of a rebellious spirit cause us to beg God to subdue our iniquities and bring our will into fuller subjection to His? Instead of marveling at the sad language of Joshua, see in it a portrayal of our own wayward hearts and our deep need of crying "Hold Thou me up" (Ps. 119:117).
"Would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! "Most assuredly that was not the utterance of "a sound mind," least of all as now issuing from one who had recently passed through such an experience as Joshua's: he had just witnessed a whole generation of his nation discontented with the wilderness, repeatedly lusting after the fleshpots of Egypt. It was the height of folly to express such a wish. Moreover, it was not at all a matter of "contentment": they had left the wilderness at the command of God, and not because they were dissatisfied with it. Mark well the sad process which preceded that frenzy. First, a severance of communion with God, then giving way to an evil heart of unbelief, then quarrelling with God's providential dealings, and now bereft of spiritual sanity, for surely it was nothing less to prefer the wilderness to Canaan! But is it not ever thus when fellowship with the Lord is broken and unbelief actuates us? The barren wilderness is a figure of this perishing world, and when a Christian is out of touch with Christ and a spirit of distrust possesses him he is infatuated with the things of earth and, unless Divine grace restores him to his senses, becomes more attached to them than the things which are above.
"O Lord, what shall I say!" It seems to us that these words mark a return to sanity. The wild outburst of the preceding verse is checked. It is almost as though he now felt ashamed of his rash utterances as he began to realize to whom he was speaking. Yet he is still quite disturbed and scarcely knows how to express himself. "O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!" (v. 8). Israel was beloved of him, yet he could think of nothing to say on their behalf which excused their cowardly defeat. Nevertheless he should have known how to answer his question. The Lord does not act capriciously, nor does He "afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men" (Lam. 3:33), but only as they give Him occasion; and therefore Joshua ought to have humbly begged the Lord to make known to him the reason for His afflicting judgment. Should he not have asked, "O Lord: why doth Thine anger burn against Thy people? wherein have we provoked Thee?" When they were defeated in battle by the Philistines, the elders of Israel inquired, "Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us today?" (1 Sam. 4:3). When there was a famine in the land for three years, "David inquired of the Lord" (2 Sam. 21:1), and He at once made known the cause of the same.
What has just been pointed out presents a lesson which we do well to heed. As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but [rather] that the wicked turn from his way and live" (Ezek. 32:11). Much less has the Lord any pleasure in smiting His own people. Yet He must maintain His own honor, and deal with them according to His holiness as well as His grace. And they must "hear the rod" if they would profit from it and "be partakers of His holiness" (Heb. 12:10, 11). Closing our eyes to the providential signs God gives us of His displeasure will not improve matters; nor will wringing our hands in despair when things go wrong get us anywhere. While on the one hand God has said, "My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord," yet on the other He bids us nor faint when thou art rebuked by Him" (Heb. 12:5). What then should we do and say? Humble ourselves beneath His mighty hand and pray "give me to understand wherein I have erred . . . show me wherefore Thou contendest with me" (Job 6:24; 10:2) that I may put right what is wrong, and once more have Thy smile upon me. Such an inquiry, if it be sincere and humble, will not be in vain.
"O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! "Let us apply those words to ourselves. What should be the believer's reaction to the sad state which the religious world is now in? As he beholds the awful declension of the outward cause of Christ on earth, and realizes that the Spirit has been quenched, what ought he to do and say? First, solemnly examine himself and his ways, and seek to ascertain how far his own sins have contributed to the present absence of the Lord's blessing from the churches. During "the desolations of Jerusalem" Daniel sought the Lord, and he tells us "I made my confession and said . . . we have sinned and committed iniquity" (Josh. 9:2-5, etc.). Let each of us do likewise. Second, we should be deeply affected by the present situation and mourn before God because of the reproach which prevailing conditions in Christendom cast upon His name: see Psalm 119:53, 136; Jeremiah 9:1. Third, we should turn the exhortation of Revelation 3:2, into earnest prayer, and beg the Lord to "strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die," and revive His work in the midst of the years. Fourth, we should plead before Him the promise "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him" (Isa. 59:19). "Who can tell if God will not turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger that we perish not?" (Jon. 3:9).
"For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt Thou do unto Thy great name?" (v. 9). Here the supplicant becomes more intelligible, for the first half of this verse is to be regarded as a plea, being tantamount to asking the Lord to remember that Israel were the sheep of His pasture, and therefore to spare them from falling a prey to the wolves. Then Joshua pointed out the danger Israel were now in, thereby taking the place of weakness; next, he looked to the love and pity of the Lord: Israel's name, which is dear to Thee, will be blotted out if the heathen completely destroy them-which was an indirect appeal to the promises God had made to the fathers (Gen. 15:18, etc.). Finally, he points out the reproach which would be cast upon God were the Canaanites to triumph completely. Thus when we penetrate beneath the surface agitations of Joshua, we see that at heart it was concern for the Divine glory which had prompted this prayer! He could not endure a prospect which reflected upon the fidelity and power of their covenant God. Herein he foreshadowed the antitypical Joshua. He, too, when in deep trouble of soul, had asked "What shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour?" No, rather, "Father glorify Thy name" (John 12:27, 28)! Let that be our plea, and it will prove a prevailing one.
Divine Inquisition
Joshua 7 presents to our notice that which is very different from what is found in the preceding chapters. It opens with the ominous word "But," which solemnly prepares for what follows. First, the heinous sin of Achan, which, though the nation knew it not at that time, caused the Lord to burn in "the fierceness of his anger" against Israel (v. 26). The evil effects of Achan's offense and the consequences of Jehovah's displeasure soon appeared. The spies whom Joshua sent out to reconnoiter Ai were left to the exercise of their carnal reason. The result was that when making their report they presumptuously took it upon them to advise their leader how to act. Regarding Ai as an easy prey, they intimated there was no need for the whole nation of Israel to journey thither, that a single battalion of their men would suffice. Thereby they suggested a departure from the pattern which the Lord had given His people both at the Jordan and at Jericho, and introduced disunity. Instead of seeking counsel from the Lord, Joshua adopted their foolish plan. The ark of the covenant was left behind in the camp, and three thousand only were sent against Ai. The outcome was disastrous. A spirit of cowardice possessed them, and they fled from the Canaanites, thirty-six of them being slain.
The whole congregation was thoroughly dismayed: "the hearts of the people melted, and became as water." Quite unaware of the root cause of Israel's ignominious setback, Joshua and the elders of the nation rent their clothes, put dust upon their heads, and fell to the earth on their faces before the slighted ark of the Lord. There they remained "until the eventide," when the second of the daily sacrifices was presented. At that hour Joshua addressed himself unto the Lord, pouring out his distressed heart before Him. In view of the circumstances, it is not to be wondered at that the infirmities of this honored servant of the Lord were made manifest on this occasion. As is usually the case with us at such times, there was a strange mingling of the flesh and spirit, in the supplication of Joshua. While some of his utterances are not to be condoned, still less echoed, yet it should be borne in mind that he was not complaining at any of the Lord's dealings with him personally, but was deeply perturbed at what had befallen God's people. Though his opening expressions were unseemly, his closing ones evidenced that his heart beat true to Jehovah and that it was the honor of His name which so greatly concerned him. We shall now consider the response which his prayer met with from God.
"And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?" (Josh. 7:10). Before considering those somewhat puzzling words, let it be attentively observed that God did not refuse His servant a hearing, even though considerably infirmity had marred it. Blessed be His name, "He knoweth our frame, He remembereth that we are dust" (Ps. 103:14), and in His tender mercy "A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench" (Matthew 12:20). Joshua had exclaimed, "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, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth; and what wilt Thou do unto Thy great name?" (v. 9). In those words he had virtually confessed his own failure. used the language of godly sorrow, and had evinced a deep concern for the glory of God. Well for us if such elements be present in our lispings before the throne of grace. The holy but gracious One never repulses those in whom such a spirit is found. On the ground of the evening sacrifice (the slain lamb!) Jehovah met with this soul who manifested a "broken and contrite heart" (Ps. 51:17). How that should encourage failing yet penitent believers today!
"And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?" Care needs to be taken in the interpreting of this verse. If it be detached from its context we are almost certain to err and jump to a wrong conclusion, regarding it as an expression of the Lord's displeasure. But if due attention be paid unto its opening "And," and note carefully both what precedes and what immediately follows, we should have no difficulty in arriving at its general tenor. It is not God's way to condemn those who take their place in the dust before Him: rather is His controversy with them who refuse to do so. Nevertheless, though He pardons, He does not gloss over our faults: see Psalm 85:8; John 5:14. As the prayer of Joshua had been a mixed one, so with the Divine response. God did not turn a deaf ear to it, nor did He ignore His servant's petulance, but gently reproved him. It was both a mild rebuke and a word of instruction. "Wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?" Why so distressed and dejected? There is other work for thee to do. But before performing it, he must be directed by his Master. Up to now Joshua was in complete ignorance of Achan's offense-the root cause of the disaster.
"Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them: for they have taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff" (v. 11). That too needs to be pondered, first, in the light of its setting. As we do so, it will be seen that an important and blessed practical truth receives exemplification: "the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him" (Ps. 25:10). If we really seek God's honor and glory, we shall not be left long in ignorance of the best way to recognize and promote it. So it was here: the Lord now informed Joshua what it was which lay behind Israel's defeat at Ai. In like manner, if our seeking unto Him be sincere and earnest-whether it be an individual or an assembly-God will soon reveal to us what it is that has been withholding His blessing upon our efforts. "Israel hath sinned"' there has been no failure on My part. I have not changed, but am just as willing and ready as ever to undertake for My people; but they have choked the channel of blessing. Thus it ever is. We speak of God's hiding Himself, when in fact we have departed from Him. It is always man that does the turning away, thereby depriving himself of the Divine strength, protection and prosperity.
In the above words of Jehovah unto Joshua it is most noticeable how He set forth and stressed the enormity of Achan's crime: one detail being added to another until no less than six items are specified in the terrible indictment. First, the general charge is made "Israel hath sinned," followed by the fearful accusation "they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them," which greatly aggravated their sin. Observe that the charge is preferred against the whole nation, and not simply against a single individual' "Israel," "they," for in the sight of God they were a corporate and federal unit: as the local church of this Christian era is a moral unit before Christ: see 1 Corinthians 12:20, 26; 5:6. This feature received additional emphasis in the reference to "the Covenant," for that had been made with and solemnly entered into by the whole congregation (Ex. 24). Next we behold how the Divine Law was brought to the fore: "They have taken of the accursed thing," which was a definite violation of the explicit prohibition of Deuteronomy 13:17-"there shall cleave naught of the cursed thing to thine hand." Yet more: "and have also stolen," thereby adding considerably to the heinousness of the offense, for it was a direct breach of the eighth commandment in the Decalogue.
"And have also stolen" emphasized another reprehensible feature of the crime-it had been committed surreptitiously and with previous design. It was not that Achan had been suddenly overcome by an unexpected temptation, but that he acted with deliberation, stealthily and secretly, his deceitful and wicked heart persuading him that he would thereby escape the cognizance of the Most High. Horrible impiety is it when we entertain the idea that we can impose upon Omniscience. The more secret our wickedness be, the more does it evince the heart's depravity and industry therein, planning and scheming how to bring the sin to pass with the least danger and shame to ourselves. It was thus with David when he plotted the death of Uriah (2 Sam. 11:14, 15). So too had Ananias and Sapphira arranged in private to impose a fraud upon the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:27). How we should pray to be preserved from secret sins! They are particularly heinous because of the premeditation and dissimulation which is used in their commission. "And dissembled also," which made his case that much blacker. When Israel met with shameful defeat at Ai, and the whole nation was plunged into grief, Achan played the part of a hypocrite, pretending to be innocent of causing the same-instead of confessing his iniquity. Finally, "And they have put it even among their own stuff," instead of bringing it into the "treasury of the Lord" (Josh. 6:19).
"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 thing from among you (v. 12). Weigh attentively that statement my reader, for it casts a flood of light upon the reason why the visible cause of Christ is in its present lamentable condition. What took place at Ai has been and is being duplicated in thousands of churches and assemblies the world over. Instead of enjoying the Lord's blessing, His frown is upon them; instead of overcoming the Enemy, they are humiliated before him. How many a minister of the Gospel has to the best of his ability faithfully preached the Word, yet to no effect, unless it be to considerably reduce the size of his congregation! How many a one fearing that he was a "misfit," has resigned his charge and has accepted a call to another part of the Lord's vineyard, only to discover after a short time there that conditions are just as heartbreaking as those in his previous sphere! A spirit of deadness rests upon his church: the prayer meeting is cold, and thinly attended, preaching is burdensome. His most earnest appeals seem to hit the wall and return upon him. The power of the Spirit is markedly absent: souls are not converted, nor even convicted.
The above verses makes known one of "the ways of the Lord" or one of the principles which regulate His governmental dealings in time. When a company who profess to be in covenant relationship with Him violate its terms and flagrantly transgress His commandments, then His blessing is withheld from them. No matter how zealous and active they may be, God prospers not their efforts. They may go out as of yore against the foe, but the Lord fights not for them. They are left to themselves, and soon their nakedness and shame is made manifest. God will not be trifled with. To the church in Pergamos the Son of God declared "I have a few things against thee," and after specifying what they were, added, "Repent, or else I will come on thee quickly, and will fight against thee with the sword of My mouth (Rev. 2:14-16). Likewise did He threaten the church in Thyatira, "I will kill thy children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searcheth the reins and hearts, and I will give unto every one of you according to your works" (Rev. 2:23).
Alas that the majority of the churches today know nothing of that solemn fact. Alas that they have received so little instruction upon the holiness which must obtain in the assembly if the presence of Christ is to be enjoyed there. Alas that "the accursed thing" has not only been suffered a place, but "they have put it even among their own stuff." Alas that they know not the Holy One has a controversy with them over this very thing. Alas that they are ignorant of the fact that their spiritual poverty and powerlessness, their being humiliated before the world, is due to the Divine judgment upon their sins. Alas that they are completely unaware of the Divine sentence "neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed thing from among you." Paul had to rebuke the Corinthian assembly because they tolerated moral evil in their midst, and bade them "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump" (1 Cor. 5:17). "Except ye destroy" was the enforcing of Israel's responsibility.
How unmistakably the defeat at Ai and God's solemn words to Joshua make it evident that such a promise as that given in Deuteronomy 20 was not an absolute one. There God had given instruction, "And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priests shall approach and speak unto the people, and shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; For the Lord your God is He that goeth with you to fight for you against your enemies, to save you" (vv. 2-4). Neither in those words, nor in anything preceding or following, was there any proviso. It has the appearance of an absolute promise, without any qualification. Taken by itself, it was so; but taken in conjunction with other passages in Deuteronomy, it was not so-as the event at Ai, and the later experiences of Israel demonstrated. Scripture needs always to be compared with Scripture in order to arrive at the full meaning of any single verse. If we are too lazy to do the necessary searching in order to locate other qualifying or amplifying passages, then the fault is entirely our own if we be left in ignorance of the signification of any statement of Holy Writ. The whole book of Deuteronomy needs to be read through if we are to rightly understand such a passage as the one in the twentieth chapter.
Our purpose in calling attention to Deuteronomy 20:2-4, in connection with our study of Joshua 7, is to show how easy it is to wrest God's Word, and to utter a warning and protest against the careless and dishonest manner in which it is now so often handled. Such passages as Deuteronomy 6:16-18 and 11:8, 9, require to be kept steadily in mind when reading Joshua and the books which follow, for they supply the key to much that is recorded in them. And in connection with the promise in Deuteronomy 20:2-4, particularly do we need to set side by side with it such statements as "For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you to do this day, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to cleave unto Him, Then will the Lord drive out all these nations from before you" (Josh. 11:22, 23) and "It shall come to pass if thou shalt hearken diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments which I command thee this day . . . that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth" (Josh. 28:1); but if they obeyed not, His curse would certainly fall upon them (Josh. 28:15). It is handling God's Word deceitfully to stress its promises and ignore their qualifying conditions: to quote John 8:32, and omit verse 31, to cite John 10:28, and be silent upon verse 27. Hebrews 3:6, 14, are just as necessary for us as Joshua 8:10-12. God has indeed promised to show Himself strong in the behalf of those whose hearts are perfect towards Him; but nowhere has He declared that He will fight for the self-willed and disobedient.
"Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow 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" (v. 13). This was the sequel to the "wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?" (v. 10); this was the duty concerning which the Lord was now instructing His servant. It was not simply "Arise! "but "Up"-bestir thyself now unto the duty which I enjoin thee. "Sanctify the people": this was ever the order when the nation was about to witness some outstandingly solemn or glorious transaction. Thus it was immediately before God gave the Law at Sinai (Ex. 19:10). Thus it was following the murmuring at Taberah, when the Lord "came down" and talked with Moses (Num. 11:18). Thus it was on the eve of Jehovah's wondrous intervention for them at the Jordan (Josh. 3:5). In each case the call was for the people to be sanctified, that is, for them to be formally and reverently assembled before the Lord. Joshua was also to bid them sanctify yourselves against tomorrow," which signified, duly prepare yourselves for the solemn and searching ordeal which the Lord has appointed: spare no pains in seeing to it that you are in a meet condition for the approach of the Holy One.
Continuing the Lord's response to Joshua's prayer subsequent to the humiliating repulse at Ai. After informing him that Israel had sinned grievously, and therefore His blessing had been withheld from their efforts, the Lord bade His servant, "Up, sanctify the people" (v. 13). Before we consider the immediate and historical application of those words, let us observe how they supplied yet another line to the typical picture of the Savior which is set forth in this book. As we have passed from chapter to chapter the readers' attention has been directed to quite a number of things in which Joshua foreshadowed the Lord Jesus. A further detail now appears in this injunction for him to sanctify the people, for it prefigured Christ as the Sanctifier of His Church: "Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate" (Heb. 13:12). And what was the moral condition of His people when He did so? Precisely the same as Israel's was here: defiled under the curse of the Law, "the fierceness of God's anger" being upon them (Josh. 7:26 and cf. Ephesians 2:3). To deliver them therefrom, the antitypical Joshua suffered the full penalty of their sins, and set them apart unto God in all the acceptableness of His meritorious sacrifice. Mark also the time when this occurred: as it was immediately following upon Joshua's "falling to the earth upon his face" (Josh. 7:6) that he was bidden to "sanctify the people," so it was a few hours after His prostration on the ground in Gethsemane that Christ sanctified His people at the cross!
Turning from the spiritual and mystical signification of the order Joshua received to its literal and historical meaning, we understand by God's "sanctify the people" that he was to formally and reverently convene the nation in orderly array before the Lord. That injunction was probably the exact equivalent of one received by Israel's prophet at a later date, "Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children" (Joel 2:15, 16), for it is clear from what follows here that all Israel were required to take their place before the Divine tribunal. "Sanctify the people, and say unto them, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow, 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 put away the accursed thing from among you" (Josh. 7:13). It is striking and interesting to note how that the Lord here repeated what He had just said in the previous verse, both in charging them with their being an accursed thing in Israel's midst and that because of it they could not stand before their enemies. Such reiteration not only evinced how heinous was their crime in the eyes of the Holy One, but also gave point unto the call for the people to "sanctify yourselves"-not "for the morrow" but against it. They were to duly anticipate in their consciences the Divine inquisition which would then be held, when the guilty would be unerringly identified and severely punished. Thus, "Sanctify yourselves" was tantamount unto "Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel" (Amos 4:12).
"Sanctify the people, and say unto them sanctify yourselves against tomorrow." The same demand had been made at Sinai, and what is recorded of it casts light upon the import of it here: they were to wash their bodies and clothes, and abstain from their wives" (Ex. 19:14, 15). Thus, "sanctify" here has the force of purify: "For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh" (Heb. 9:13 and cf. 2 Timothy 2:21). Under the law "sanctification" or "separation and consecration to the Lord, was secured by a process of cleansing. By a comparison with Joel 2:15, 16, and its context (vv. 13, 17) it is clear that, in addition to ceremonial purification, Israel were here enjoined to cleanse themselves morally. "Sanctify yourselves" would therefore imply and include a solemn call to self-examination, humiliation, and supplication; and that in turn would necessitate a separating of their minds from all other cares and concerns, that they might give themselves undistractedly and earnestly unto those solemn duties. Such acts of devotion can only be suitably performed as the thoughts and affections are detached from the daily business and worries of this world. As they had been required to sanctify themselves before they received the Law, so now they were ordered to do so when about to witness a most fearful enforcing of its penalty.
Possibly some will be inclined to ask, Since a single individual only had committed this offense, or at most with the connivance of his family (Josh. 7:21), what reason or propriety was there in calling upon all the people to employ themselves in solemn self-examination? How could those who knew they were innocent of perpetrating a serious crime, sincerely engage in such a task? Those who are truly jealous of the glory of God and who are painfully conscious of the fact that "in many things we all offend:' (James 3:2) will have no difficulty in meeting such an objection. The name of the Lord had been grievously sullied by the enemy's triumph at Ai, and His saints could not but bitterly mourn over it. Furthermore, the whole nation had been put to shame when their soldiers had fled before the Canaanites; yea, the nation was vet in imminent danger while exposed to "the fierceness of God's anger" (v. 26), and therefore it was most fitting that there should be an humbling of the entire congregation before the Lord-as the example of Joshua and their elders (v. 6) had intimated. Moreover, as Matthew Henry pointed out, "The sins of others may be improved by us, as furtherances of our sanctification, as the scandal of the incestuous Corinthian occasioned a blessed reformation in the church: 2 Corinthians 7:11." Every time a saint is overtaken in a fault, it should give point unto his fellows of that warning "let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall"
(1 Cor. 10:12).
Ere passing on, one other question needs to be noticed: if the "sanctify the people" unto Joshua foreshadowed Christ's sanctification of His Church, then what was spiritually connoted by his bidding the people "sanctify yourselves"? There was a double sanctification: one by Joshua and one by themselves! That two-foldness of Truth appears again and again in connection with God's people. As believers on the Lord Jesus Christ they are saved (Acts 16:31), yet they are bidden to work out their own salvation (Phil. 2:12) and cf. (1 Tim. 4:16). They are new creatures in Christ, yet exhorted to put on the new man (Eph. 4:24). They are now clean, and yet need to have their feet washed. They are complete in Christ (Col. 2:10), yet are bidden to grow in grace and add to their faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, etc. (2 Pet. 1:5). Every believer has been "perfected forever" (Heb. 10:14), yet confesses that he is not already perfect (Phil. 3:11). The one refers to what they are in Christ, the other to what they are in themselves. Unless the Christian reader learns to draw that distinction, much in the epistles will seem almost a meaningless jumble; if not a series of contradictions. There is a tremendous difference between how the believer appears in the sight of God, and how he looks in his own eyes and those of his fellows. He stands before God in the infinite value of Christ's righteousness, while in his actual experience he is warring against the world, the flesh and the devil, and is often worsted by them.
"Sanctification" is still more complex, for a threefold distinction is necessary in order to bring into view its leading features, namely, our federal, personal, and practical holiness. By our fall in Adam we lost not only the favor of God but the purity of our nature, and therefore we need to be both reconciled to Him and sanctified in our inner man. The former is secured by the work of Christ; the latter is effected by the operation of the Holy Spirit. The former is judicial; the latter is vital. Christ is the covenant Head of His people, and since He is the Holy One, all in Him are representatively holy. He is their holiness as truly as He is their righteousness: "But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30). He is "made unto them" sanctification in precisely the same way as God "made Him to be sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:21), namely, by legal reckoning, by imputation. But that is not all: believers are not only sanctified federally and legally, but personally and vitally in themselves. In consequence of their covenant union with Christ, the Holy Spirit is sent to quicken them into newness of life, to indwell them. to abide with them forever. This is their "sanctification of the Spirit" (2 Thess. 2:13).
The fruit of the believer's sanctification in Christ and of the Spirit's indwelling are, in various ways and degrees, made manifest in their daily lives, which is what we term practical sanctification. A principle of holiness is imparted at regeneration, and the workings and effects of the same soon appear in the conduct. Sanctification of the Spirit produces a real and radical change in its favored subject, and so transforms his behavior "as becometh the Gospel of Christ." That which has been wrought within every believer is manifested without, by an obedient walk in the paths of holiness as marked out in the Word. Thereby evidence is given that they have been created "by God in righteousness and true holiness" (Eph. 4:24). It is on the basis of their federal and vital oneness with Christ that exhortations unto practical holiness are addressed to them: "he that saith he abideth in Christ ought himself also so to walk even as He walked" (1 John 2:6). And it is by virtue of the Spirit's sanctification that such exhortations are exactly suited to the new nature He has wrought in them: "Let it not be once named among you as becometh saints" (Eph. 5:3). Those whom the Spirit has made "saints" (i.e. "sanctified ones") are to conduct themselves as such (Rom. 16:2). The nation of Israel had been set apart unto the Lord, and that call, "sanctify yourselves," was the equivalent of saying, Act accordingly. To us the word is, "Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1; and cf. 1 Peter 1:15).
"Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow, 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 frown among you." "The Lord did not point out the criminal immediately, but He left the matter in ambiguity for some time, and at last brought it to light gradually: that both magistrates and people might learn to do their duty, and to keep a vigilant eye over one another; and that the delay and process might make the transaction more solemn, and excite the more careful self-examination and sanctification of themselves by every method appointed under the law" (T. Scott). Similarly did the Savior say unto His apostles, "Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?" (John 6:70). Later He informed them that one of them would betray Him, though still without actually naming the one who would be guilty of such horrible perfidy; which resulted in each of the eleven asking: "Lord is it I?" Such ought to be the first concern of each of us, once it becomes evident that the light of God's countenance is no longer shining upon the company of saints with whom we are in fellowship: bowing before a heart-searching God and asking, Am I responsible for the withdrawal of Thy favor? Where such a spirit obtains among the members it will not belong ere the One who is jealous of the honor of His house makes known the cause of His displeasure.
"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 come by households; and the household which the Lord shall take shall come man by man" (v. 13). First, the opening words of this verse teach us that once an evil be known there must be no delay in dealing with it-true alike whether it respects an assembly or where only a single individual be concerned. The honor of God and our own welfare alike demand prompt action when any "accursed thing" be involved. To procrastinate in such a case is like playing with fire. Delay in such a matter is a sure sign our hearts are not right with God. By all means investigate thoroughly and make sure that God has been publicly slighted, and then be not tardy in dealing with the offender. Next, we should note the Lord's insistence upon what Joshua had previously disregarded, namely, the unity of Israel. In heeding the counsel of the spies and detaching three thousand from the body of the nation (v. 3), he acted contrary to the pattern God gave him in the crossing of Jordan and taking of Jericho. "Israel hath sinned," God declared, and now He required that the whole of the tribes should share in the shame of Achan's offense-as later He gave orders "Take all the people of war" against Ai (Josh. 8:1).
"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." The culprit had not been named, and before he was identified there must be a searching investigation. Very solemn indeed was the procedure followed. Most probably the whole congregation was assembled before the tabernacle. The word "brought" is the one generally used in connection with offering of the sacrifices (Lev. 1:2, 10)-"bring," therefore, has the force here of the people being presented for the Lord's inspection. Doubtless it was the "princes" or heads of each tribe which came, respectively, before Joshua and Eleazar. Three times over in this verse we have the expression "which the Lord shall take." We naturally inquire, what is signified thereby? In what way or by what process did He do so? If Scripture be compared with Scripture it seems clear that the Lord here distinguished between the innocent and the guilty by means of the Urim and Thummim in the high priest's breastplate. When Joshua was first set apart unto his office, orders were given that "he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment [decision or verdict] of the Urim before the Lord" (Num. 27:21). Under certain circumstances the will of God was made known via the Urim and Thummim, and evidently Eleazar "asked counsel" for Joshua by them on this occasion.
Of Saul it is said that "when he inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophet" (1 Sam. 28:6)- proof of His having abandoned the apostate king. Thence we gather that by means of the Urim and Thummim, prophetic guidance was at certain times obtained from God. This is further borne out by Ezra 2:63, when Nehemiah forbade the rejected children of the priests eating of the most holy things, he added "till there stand up a priest with Urim and Thummim"-through which the Divine mind will again be revealed. From these passages the late Dr. Bullinger drew the following deductions: "The Urim and Thummim were probably two precious stones, which were drawn out as a lot to give Jehovah's judgment. 'The lot is cast into the lap [Hebrew "bosom"] but the whole judgment thereof is of the Lord' (Prov. 16:33)-bosom is here put for the clothing or covering over it: of Exodus 4:6, 7; Ruth 4:16 . . . Thus, those two placed in the 'bag' and one drawn out would give the judicial decision which would be 'of the Lord.' Hence, the breastplate itself was known as 'the breastplate of judgment' (Ex. 28:15), because by that Jehovah's judgment was obtained when it was needed. Hence, when the land was divided 'by lot' (Num. 26:55) Eleazar the high priest must be present. (Num. 34:17; Joshua 17:14)."
Both words are in the plural number, though (as is often the case in the Hebrew) probably it is what is known as the plural of majesty"-used for the purpose of emphasizing the importance of a thing or the dignity of an object. It is likely that the "Urim" was a single stone or object and the "Thummim" another, though we cannot be certain. The English equivalent for those words is "light" or "lights" and "perfections"; in the Septuagint they are rendered by "delosis" and "aletheim," meaning "manifestation and truth." As the high priest thrust his hand into the bag of his breastplate (note "doubled" in Exodus 27:16), possibly the bringing forth of the "Urim" indicated the Lord's yes and the "Thummim" His no, or vice-versa. In the instance we are now considering, most likely the appearing of the Urim signified the bringing to light of the guilty; whereas the issuing of the Thummim announced the "perfection" or sincerity of the innocent. Thus, as the head or heads of each tribe stood before Eleazar he would draw out the Thummim until the turn of Judah arrived, as indicated by the Urim. The same process was followed after the guilty tribe had been identified: the heads of its leading "families" standing before the Lord's representative, and when the particular family was identified, the same with its "households," until the culprit himself stood unmasked before all.
"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" (v. 15). Solemn indeed was the transaction which we have endeavored to picture above, fearful the trial of all who took part in it. A threefold reason may be suggested for the leisurely nature of this inquisition. First, it manifested the calmness and thoroughness of the Judge of all the earth: He is ever a God of order, departing not therefrom when sitting in judgment. Second, the terribleness of their ordeal would impress upon Israel the reality of the holy covenant which God had made with them, and demonstrate before they again the majesty of the Divine Law-seen in arresting the waters of Jordan, overthrowing the walls of Jericho, and now equally so in taking vengeance on the transgressor. Third, in affording the guilty one further space for repentance: but alas, his heart was hardened and he refused to come forward and own that he was the cause of the whole trouble. The dreadful sentence that he should be "burnt with fire" does not necessarily signify he was to be roasted alive-Joshua 7:25 seems to clearly show otherwise. If it be asked, Why burn them and their possessions if they were already dead from stoning? To express still more vividly the Divine detestation, and that nothing whatever of the accursed thing should remain.
10. Sin, Defeat, Judgment (Continued)
Joshua 7:1-26
A Penitent Leader's Prayer
In our last we contemplated Joshua, after Israel's humiliating defeat at Ai, on his face before the ark of the Lord. There he lay, with rent garments and dust upon his head, in a posture of self-judgment and abasement. Not until the hour of the evening sacrifice did he open his mouth to God, and then he might have said, "I poured out my complaint before Him, I showed Him my trouble" (Ps. 142:2). Those words present to us an aspect of prayer all too little dwelt upon by preachers and writers. It is wrong to think that we should approach God only when our hearts are composed and in a spiritual frame. It is our privilege to come to the throne of grace for "mercy" and to sob out our griefs when deeply distressed. David tells us he did so "When my spirit was overwhelmed within me" (Ps. 142:3). It is for our relief that we tell out our woes to One who is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities." When none other can enter into our case or assuage our grief, we should present ourselves before the Divine footstool as objects of compassion, remembering that "the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy" (James 5:11), and therefore He will not break the bruised reed or quench the smoking flax.
"When it lies in his line of duty for an expositor to comment upon a recorded instance of an outpouring of heart by a troubled soul, his task is neither an easy nor a pleasant one; for not a little scum rises to the surface when the spirit reaches boiling point. The Hebrew word for "complaint" in Psalm 142:2, does not mean fault-finding, but signifies, rather, that which causes pain and anguish, as in Job 7:13, and 9:27. We may indeed complain to God and unburden ourselves before Him, yet we ought never to complain of Him or murmur at any of His dealings. But where shall we find one clothed with flesh and blood who is guiltless in this respect? Where indeed! Only in Him who, amid "strong crying and tears," said, "Nevertheless, not My will, but Thine be done." If one of our "complaints" be examined in a captious spirit it will not be difficult for another to find in it expressions which are inadvisable. Let us not then scrutinize this prayer of Joshua's in a pharisaic spirit, but rather let us approach it with that word before us, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone" (John 8:7). On the other hand, we must not gloss over the faults nor deliberately condone what is reprehensible in it.
Not a little of human infirmity was discovered by Joshua's language on this occasion, and though that be easily accounted for, yet it must not be rendered an excuse for justifying our failures. As is so often the case with us, especially when deeply perturbed, there was a strange mingling of the flesh and the spirit seen in the prayer which is now to engage our attention. While some of its expressions cannot be approved, yet it should be borne in mind that Joshua was not here murmuring against any direct dealing of the Lord with himself, but was venting his sore distress over what had just befallen his nation, and, was deeply grieved at the reproach which the same must bring upon the name of the Lord. While those considerations might modify his fault, yet they by no means absolve him. The truth is that Joshua too was a sinner saved by sovereign and amazing grace, and that fact was made to appear clearly in this incident. Let us then admire once more the impartiality and fidelity of the sacred historians in narrating this blemish in Joshua's conduct, and behold therein another proof of the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures, which painted each character in the colors of truth and reality, concealing not the defects of its greatest heroes.
The temporary breakdown of Joshua in heeding the presumptuous counsel of the spies, instead of seeking guidance from the Lord through the high priest (Num. 27:21), and in slighting the ark instead of according it the place of honor, was now further betrayed by his mouth and the hard thoughts which he entertained against God. "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!" (Josh. 7:7). In this failure of so honored a character as Joshua let both writer and reader see his own deep need of walking humbly before God and clinging to Him in conscious weakness. An object lesson is here set before us of how quickly faith fails its possessor when it be not sustained by its Author and Giver. The trouble was that Joshua's heart was no longer occupied with the plain and sure promises he had received from God. And why? Because he was walking by sight, viewing things with the eyes of carnal reason. He rashly concluded from the setback at Ai that it was the harbinger of total defeat. Unbelief is unable to see things in their proper perspective and proportions: thirty-six men and not the whole of the three thousand had been slain!
It was not without good reason that the apostle was moved by the Spirit to say to those who were partakers of the heavenly calling, "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief" (Heb. 3:13). There is a very real danger of our doing so, and we need to be ever on our guard against it, walking circumspectly. Even the faith of. him who is designated "the father of all them that believe" (Rom. 4:11) failed, for when there arose a famine in the land, instead of trusting God to supply all his need (as Elijah did), he "went down into Egypt to sojourn there" (Gen. 12:10). That breakdown in Abraham's faith was due to the same cause as that of Joshua's! He was out of communion with God. First, he had left Bethel ("the house of God"), where he had built an altar to the Lord, and then he journeyed "toward the south" (Gen. 12:8), i.e. Egyptwards. And thus, as we have seen with Joshua, instead of inquiring of the Lord, he had hastily adopted the carnal policy of his underlings. Disaster followed, and now a spirit of unbelief possessed him. Learn, then, dear reader, that faith will only be preserved in a healthy condition as we maintain close communion with God through those means of grace which He has appointed.
"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?" Very sad indeed is it to hear Joshua now using the very language which had been employed forty years previously by that generation of Israel whose carcasses fell in the wilderness. Of them it is recorded that they "murmured in their tents and said, Because the Lord hated us He hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us"; the explanation of such despondency being, as Moses charged them, "in this thing ye did not believe the Lord" (Deut. 1:27, 32). And now Joshua is guilty of expressing the same unbelief. This is the more lamentable since he (together with Caleb) had rebuked the skepticism of the congregation, saying, "Rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land, for they are bread for us their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us; fear them not" (Num. 14:9) - that was the language of confidence in God. But as faith in Him will make the weak and timid strong and courageous, so will unbelief fill the stoutest heart with terror.
Observe how inconsistent and incoherent is the language of unbelief. Joshua acknowledged that it was the Lord who had brought Israel over Jordan, and then asked if He had done so only for them to be destroyed at the hands of the heathen. It is ever thus. Though the wise of this world look upon the children of faith as a company of credulous simpletons, yet really "the shoe is on the other foot." Nothing is so reasonable as to believe the Bible, for it is the Word of Him who cannot lie. But none so imposed upon and irrational as those who reject a revelation from heaven that is attested by "many infallible proofs": to scorn what is authenticated by unimpeachable evidence is a mark of madness and not intelligence. And when a child of God gives way to unbelief his spiritual understanding becomes deranged, and the conclusions he then draws are faulty and absurd. Behold another example of this in the case of David, when he "said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul (1 Sam. 27:1). How could he possibly do so, when God Himself had assured him of the throne? He, too, had failed to ask counsel of the Lord, and now that he talks with his own deceitful heart he utters the language of a fool.
What need is there for the Christian to cry, "Lord, I believe, help Thou mine unbelief." And if that prayer be sincere, so far from his excusing unbelief, he will mourn over it; so far from regarding it as an innocent infirmity for which he is to be more sympathized with than blamed, he will strive against its evil workings. We have no patience with those who well-nigh exalt the carnal fears and doubts of God's people into spiritual graces and evidences of humility and "deep experience." Any teaching which makes light of the distrust of God, or which causes His children to pity themselves for their failures and falls, is to be condemned and shunned. To call into question the Divine promises is to make God a liar, and that is a heinous offense by whomsoever committed. As faith honors God, so does unbelief dishonor Him. Faith is said to glorify God (Rom. 4:20), and therefore unbelief is a failing to render to Him the glory which is His due. Unbelief in His people is the sin against which God has most proclaimed His displeasure. Moses and Aaron were excluded from Canaan because of their unbelief (Num. 20:12). The father of John the Baptist was stricken dumb for not believing what God had revealed (Luke 1:20). Christ chided His disciples for nothing so much as He did for their unbelief (Matthew 8:26; Luke 24:25). "Lord, increase our faith" must be our daily request.
"Would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! "Surely this cannot be the language of one who was on his face before the ark of the Lord! Ah, my reader, no fictitious history had contained such an unthinkable anomaly as that. Nevertheless it is true to life, as many a saint discovers by sad experience. Just previously "the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was noised throughout all the coast (Josh. 6:27); here disgracing himself, by complaining of the Lord's dealings with Israel. Then in the posture of self-abasement, and now uttering the language of self-will. For how many of God's own people do those words of Jacob's concerning Reuben apply: "Unstable as water" (Gen. 49:2). Humbly seeking for light from the Word, and puffed up with conceit when it be granted. Praying for more patience, and fretful when the Divine providences are working it in us (James 1:2). Intrepidly contending, single-handed, against eight hundred and fifty false prophets (1 Kings 18), and immediately after fleeing in terror from the threats of a woman (1 Kings 19:2, 3). Ephraim was not the only one like "a cake not turned" (Hosea 7:8)-baked on one side, dough on the other. Oh, what a compound of inconsistencies and contradictions is the Christian as the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh! Oh, the long-suffering of the Lord!
The best of God's children (if there be any best!) are frequently affected with fits of unbelief and chillings of love. Today they find themselves earnestly proposing and resolving to do those things which are good, but tomorrow they may discover their zeal has somewhat abated, so uncertain and inconstant are their affections. Now hopeful, anon despondent; now singing God's praises, anon their harps upon the willows; now walking obediently in the path of the Divine precepts, anon straying off into bypath meadow. None differ so much from them as they often differ from themselves! Nay, in the very graces for which they are eminent, how have they failed! Moses was the meekest man upon the earth, yet in what a froward passion was he when he struck the rock twice and "spake unadvisedly with his lips"! Peter was the most zealous and courageous of the apostles, yet he yielded to sinful fear in the presence of a maid. Some will glorify God in one condition, but dishonor Him in another. They may conduct themselves becomingly while God keeps them low, and then become fretful against Him when they are exalted. On the contrary, others who tread softly in a time of prosperity are filled with murmuring when the cold winds of adversity smite them.
"Would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!" Alas, what is man? What is a saint when left to himself? What will not his inbred corruptions produce unless Divine grace suppress them! How the, evil leaven was working! How horribly Joshua himself was affected by Achan's sin! Yet that in no wise excused his own unseemly language, JOSHUA was here taking direct issue with the Most High, openly quarrelling with His dispensations, complaining at His providential dealings. And has the writer and the reader, even after becoming a Christian, never been guilty of the same black offense? Ah, have we not cause to hang our heads in shame? And should not the remembrance of past risings up of a rebellious spirit cause us to beg God to subdue our iniquities and bring our will into fuller subjection to His? Instead of marveling at the sad language of Joshua, see in it a portrayal of our own wayward hearts and our deep need of crying "Hold Thou me up" (Ps. 119:117).
"Would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! "Most assuredly that was not the utterance of "a sound mind," least of all as now issuing from one who had recently passed through such an experience as Joshua's: he had just witnessed a whole generation of his nation discontented with the wilderness, repeatedly lusting after the fleshpots of Egypt. It was the height of folly to express such a wish. Moreover, it was not at all a matter of "contentment": they had left the wilderness at the command of God, and not because they were dissatisfied with it. Mark well the sad process which preceded that frenzy. First, a severance of communion with God, then giving way to an evil heart of unbelief, then quarrelling with God's providential dealings, and now bereft of spiritual sanity, for surely it was nothing less to prefer the wilderness to Canaan! But is it not ever thus when fellowship with the Lord is broken and unbelief actuates us? The barren wilderness is a figure of this perishing world, and when a Christian is out of touch with Christ and a spirit of distrust possesses him he is infatuated with the things of earth and, unless Divine grace restores him to his senses, becomes more attached to them than the things which are above.
"O Lord, what shall I say!" It seems to us that these words mark a return to sanity. The wild outburst of the preceding verse is checked. It is almost as though he now felt ashamed of his rash utterances as he began to realize to whom he was speaking. Yet he is still quite disturbed and scarcely knows how to express himself. "O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!" (v. 8). Israel was beloved of him, yet he could think of nothing to say on their behalf which excused their cowardly defeat. Nevertheless he should have known how to answer his question. The Lord does not act capriciously, nor does He "afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men" (Lam. 3:33), but only as they give Him occasion; and therefore Joshua ought to have humbly begged the Lord to make known to him the reason for His afflicting judgment. Should he not have asked, "O Lord: why doth Thine anger burn against Thy people? wherein have we provoked Thee?" When they were defeated in battle by the Philistines, the elders of Israel inquired, "Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us today?" (1 Sam. 4:3). When there was a famine in the land for three years, "David inquired of the Lord" (2 Sam. 21:1), and He at once made known the cause of the same.
What has just been pointed out presents a lesson which we do well to heed. As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but [rather] that the wicked turn from his way and live" (Ezek. 32:11). Much less has the Lord any pleasure in smiting His own people. Yet He must maintain His own honor, and deal with them according to His holiness as well as His grace. And they must "hear the rod" if they would profit from it and "be partakers of His holiness" (Heb. 12:10, 11). Closing our eyes to the providential signs God gives us of His displeasure will not improve matters; nor will wringing our hands in despair when things go wrong get us anywhere. While on the one hand God has said, "My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord," yet on the other He bids us nor faint when thou art rebuked by Him" (Heb. 12:5). What then should we do and say? Humble ourselves beneath His mighty hand and pray "give me to understand wherein I have erred . . . show me wherefore Thou contendest with me" (Job 6:24; 10:2) that I may put right what is wrong, and once more have Thy smile upon me. Such an inquiry, if it be sincere and humble, will not be in vain.
"O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! "Let us apply those words to ourselves. What should be the believer's reaction to the sad state which the religious world is now in? As he beholds the awful declension of the outward cause of Christ on earth, and realizes that the Spirit has been quenched, what ought he to do and say? First, solemnly examine himself and his ways, and seek to ascertain how far his own sins have contributed to the present absence of the Lord's blessing from the churches. During "the desolations of Jerusalem" Daniel sought the Lord, and he tells us "I made my confession and said . . . we have sinned and committed iniquity" (Josh. 9:2-5, etc.). Let each of us do likewise. Second, we should be deeply affected by the present situation and mourn before God because of the reproach which prevailing conditions in Christendom cast upon His name: see Psalm 119:53, 136; Jeremiah 9:1. Third, we should turn the exhortation of Revelation 3:2, into earnest prayer, and beg the Lord to "strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die," and revive His work in the midst of the years. Fourth, we should plead before Him the promise "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him" (Isa. 59:19). "Who can tell if God will not turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger that we perish not?" (Jon. 3:9).
"For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt Thou do unto Thy great name?" (v. 9). Here the supplicant becomes more intelligible, for the first half of this verse is to be regarded as a plea, being tantamount to asking the Lord to remember that Israel were the sheep of His pasture, and therefore to spare them from falling a prey to the wolves. Then Joshua pointed out the danger Israel were now in, thereby taking the place of weakness; next, he looked to the love and pity of the Lord: Israel's name, which is dear to Thee, will be blotted out if the heathen completely destroy them-which was an indirect appeal to the promises God had made to the fathers (Gen. 15:18, etc.). Finally, he points out the reproach which would be cast upon God were the Canaanites to triumph completely. Thus when we penetrate beneath the surface agitations of Joshua, we see that at heart it was concern for the Divine glory which had prompted this prayer! He could not endure a prospect which reflected upon the fidelity and power of their covenant God. Herein he foreshadowed the antitypical Joshua. He, too, when in deep trouble of soul, had asked "What shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour?" No, rather, "Father glorify Thy name" (John 12:27, 28)! Let that be our plea, and it will prove a prevailing one.
Divine Inquisition
Joshua 7 presents to our notice that which is very different from what is found in the preceding chapters. It opens with the ominous word "But," which solemnly prepares for what follows. First, the heinous sin of Achan, which, though the nation knew it not at that time, caused the Lord to burn in "the fierceness of his anger" against Israel (v. 26). The evil effects of Achan's offense and the consequences of Jehovah's displeasure soon appeared. The spies whom Joshua sent out to reconnoiter Ai were left to the exercise of their carnal reason. The result was that when making their report they presumptuously took it upon them to advise their leader how to act. Regarding Ai as an easy prey, they intimated there was no need for the whole nation of Israel to journey thither, that a single battalion of their men would suffice. Thereby they suggested a departure from the pattern which the Lord had given His people both at the Jordan and at Jericho, and introduced disunity. Instead of seeking counsel from the Lord, Joshua adopted their foolish plan. The ark of the covenant was left behind in the camp, and three thousand only were sent against Ai. The outcome was disastrous. A spirit of cowardice possessed them, and they fled from the Canaanites, thirty-six of them being slain.
The whole congregation was thoroughly dismayed: "the hearts of the people melted, and became as water." Quite unaware of the root cause of Israel's ignominious setback, Joshua and the elders of the nation rent their clothes, put dust upon their heads, and fell to the earth on their faces before the slighted ark of the Lord. There they remained "until the eventide," when the second of the daily sacrifices was presented. At that hour Joshua addressed himself unto the Lord, pouring out his distressed heart before Him. In view of the circumstances, it is not to be wondered at that the infirmities of this honored servant of the Lord were made manifest on this occasion. As is usually the case with us at such times, there was a strange mingling of the flesh and spirit, in the supplication of Joshua. While some of his utterances are not to be condoned, still less echoed, yet it should be borne in mind that he was not complaining at any of the Lord's dealings with him personally, but was deeply perturbed at what had befallen God's people. Though his opening expressions were unseemly, his closing ones evidenced that his heart beat true to Jehovah and that it was the honor of His name which so greatly concerned him. We shall now consider the response which his prayer met with from God.
"And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?" (Josh. 7:10). Before considering those somewhat puzzling words, let it be attentively observed that God did not refuse His servant a hearing, even though considerably infirmity had marred it. Blessed be His name, "He knoweth our frame, He remembereth that we are dust" (Ps. 103:14), and in His tender mercy "A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench" (Matthew 12:20). Joshua had exclaimed, "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, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth; and what wilt Thou do unto Thy great name?" (v. 9). In those words he had virtually confessed his own failure. used the language of godly sorrow, and had evinced a deep concern for the glory of God. Well for us if such elements be present in our lispings before the throne of grace. The holy but gracious One never repulses those in whom such a spirit is found. On the ground of the evening sacrifice (the slain lamb!) Jehovah met with this soul who manifested a "broken and contrite heart" (Ps. 51:17). How that should encourage failing yet penitent believers today!
"And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?" Care needs to be taken in the interpreting of this verse. If it be detached from its context we are almost certain to err and jump to a wrong conclusion, regarding it as an expression of the Lord's displeasure. But if due attention be paid unto its opening "And," and note carefully both what precedes and what immediately follows, we should have no difficulty in arriving at its general tenor. It is not God's way to condemn those who take their place in the dust before Him: rather is His controversy with them who refuse to do so. Nevertheless, though He pardons, He does not gloss over our faults: see Psalm 85:8; John 5:14. As the prayer of Joshua had been a mixed one, so with the Divine response. God did not turn a deaf ear to it, nor did He ignore His servant's petulance, but gently reproved him. It was both a mild rebuke and a word of instruction. "Wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?" Why so distressed and dejected? There is other work for thee to do. But before performing it, he must be directed by his Master. Up to now Joshua was in complete ignorance of Achan's offense-the root cause of the disaster.
"Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them: for they have taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff" (v. 11). That too needs to be pondered, first, in the light of its setting. As we do so, it will be seen that an important and blessed practical truth receives exemplification: "the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him" (Ps. 25:10). If we really seek God's honor and glory, we shall not be left long in ignorance of the best way to recognize and promote it. So it was here: the Lord now informed Joshua what it was which lay behind Israel's defeat at Ai. In like manner, if our seeking unto Him be sincere and earnest-whether it be an individual or an assembly-God will soon reveal to us what it is that has been withholding His blessing upon our efforts. "Israel hath sinned"' there has been no failure on My part. I have not changed, but am just as willing and ready as ever to undertake for My people; but they have choked the channel of blessing. Thus it ever is. We speak of God's hiding Himself, when in fact we have departed from Him. It is always man that does the turning away, thereby depriving himself of the Divine strength, protection and prosperity.
In the above words of Jehovah unto Joshua it is most noticeable how He set forth and stressed the enormity of Achan's crime: one detail being added to another until no less than six items are specified in the terrible indictment. First, the general charge is made "Israel hath sinned," followed by the fearful accusation "they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them," which greatly aggravated their sin. Observe that the charge is preferred against the whole nation, and not simply against a single individual' "Israel," "they," for in the sight of God they were a corporate and federal unit: as the local church of this Christian era is a moral unit before Christ: see 1 Corinthians 12:20, 26; 5:6. This feature received additional emphasis in the reference to "the Covenant," for that had been made with and solemnly entered into by the whole congregation (Ex. 24). Next we behold how the Divine Law was brought to the fore: "They have taken of the accursed thing," which was a definite violation of the explicit prohibition of Deuteronomy 13:17-"there shall cleave naught of the cursed thing to thine hand." Yet more: "and have also stolen," thereby adding considerably to the heinousness of the offense, for it was a direct breach of the eighth commandment in the Decalogue.
"And have also stolen" emphasized another reprehensible feature of the crime-it had been committed surreptitiously and with previous design. It was not that Achan had been suddenly overcome by an unexpected temptation, but that he acted with deliberation, stealthily and secretly, his deceitful and wicked heart persuading him that he would thereby escape the cognizance of the Most High. Horrible impiety is it when we entertain the idea that we can impose upon Omniscience. The more secret our wickedness be, the more does it evince the heart's depravity and industry therein, planning and scheming how to bring the sin to pass with the least danger and shame to ourselves. It was thus with David when he plotted the death of Uriah (2 Sam. 11:14, 15). So too had Ananias and Sapphira arranged in private to impose a fraud upon the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:27). How we should pray to be preserved from secret sins! They are particularly heinous because of the premeditation and dissimulation which is used in their commission. "And dissembled also," which made his case that much blacker. When Israel met with shameful defeat at Ai, and the whole nation was plunged into grief, Achan played the part of a hypocrite, pretending to be innocent of causing the same-instead of confessing his iniquity. Finally, "And they have put it even among their own stuff," instead of bringing it into the "treasury of the Lord" (Josh. 6:19).
"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 thing from among you (v. 12). Weigh attentively that statement my reader, for it casts a flood of light upon the reason why the visible cause of Christ is in its present lamentable condition. What took place at Ai has been and is being duplicated in thousands of churches and assemblies the world over. Instead of enjoying the Lord's blessing, His frown is upon them; instead of overcoming the Enemy, they are humiliated before him. How many a minister of the Gospel has to the best of his ability faithfully preached the Word, yet to no effect, unless it be to considerably reduce the size of his congregation! How many a one fearing that he was a "misfit," has resigned his charge and has accepted a call to another part of the Lord's vineyard, only to discover after a short time there that conditions are just as heartbreaking as those in his previous sphere! A spirit of deadness rests upon his church: the prayer meeting is cold, and thinly attended, preaching is burdensome. His most earnest appeals seem to hit the wall and return upon him. The power of the Spirit is markedly absent: souls are not converted, nor even convicted.
The above verses makes known one of "the ways of the Lord" or one of the principles which regulate His governmental dealings in time. When a company who profess to be in covenant relationship with Him violate its terms and flagrantly transgress His commandments, then His blessing is withheld from them. No matter how zealous and active they may be, God prospers not their efforts. They may go out as of yore against the foe, but the Lord fights not for them. They are left to themselves, and soon their nakedness and shame is made manifest. God will not be trifled with. To the church in Pergamos the Son of God declared "I have a few things against thee," and after specifying what they were, added, "Repent, or else I will come on thee quickly, and will fight against thee with the sword of My mouth (Rev. 2:14-16). Likewise did He threaten the church in Thyatira, "I will kill thy children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searcheth the reins and hearts, and I will give unto every one of you according to your works" (Rev. 2:23).
Alas that the majority of the churches today know nothing of that solemn fact. Alas that they have received so little instruction upon the holiness which must obtain in the assembly if the presence of Christ is to be enjoyed there. Alas that "the accursed thing" has not only been suffered a place, but "they have put it even among their own stuff." Alas that they know not the Holy One has a controversy with them over this very thing. Alas that they are ignorant of the fact that their spiritual poverty and powerlessness, their being humiliated before the world, is due to the Divine judgment upon their sins. Alas that they are completely unaware of the Divine sentence "neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed thing from among you." Paul had to rebuke the Corinthian assembly because they tolerated moral evil in their midst, and bade them "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump" (1 Cor. 5:17). "Except ye destroy" was the enforcing of Israel's responsibility.
How unmistakably the defeat at Ai and God's solemn words to Joshua make it evident that such a promise as that given in Deuteronomy 20 was not an absolute one. There God had given instruction, "And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priests shall approach and speak unto the people, and shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; For the Lord your God is He that goeth with you to fight for you against your enemies, to save you" (vv. 2-4). Neither in those words, nor in anything preceding or following, was there any proviso. It has the appearance of an absolute promise, without any qualification. Taken by itself, it was so; but taken in conjunction with other passages in Deuteronomy, it was not so-as the event at Ai, and the later experiences of Israel demonstrated. Scripture needs always to be compared with Scripture in order to arrive at the full meaning of any single verse. If we are too lazy to do the necessary searching in order to locate other qualifying or amplifying passages, then the fault is entirely our own if we be left in ignorance of the signification of any statement of Holy Writ. The whole book of Deuteronomy needs to be read through if we are to rightly understand such a passage as the one in the twentieth chapter.
Our purpose in calling attention to Deuteronomy 20:2-4, in connection with our study of Joshua 7, is to show how easy it is to wrest God's Word, and to utter a warning and protest against the careless and dishonest manner in which it is now so often handled. Such passages as Deuteronomy 6:16-18 and 11:8, 9, require to be kept steadily in mind when reading Joshua and the books which follow, for they supply the key to much that is recorded in them. And in connection with the promise in Deuteronomy 20:2-4, particularly do we need to set side by side with it such statements as "For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you to do this day, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to cleave unto Him, Then will the Lord drive out all these nations from before you" (Josh. 11:22, 23) and "It shall come to pass if thou shalt hearken diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments which I command thee this day . . . that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth" (Josh. 28:1); but if they obeyed not, His curse would certainly fall upon them (Josh. 28:15). It is handling God's Word deceitfully to stress its promises and ignore their qualifying conditions: to quote John 8:32, and omit verse 31, to cite John 10:28, and be silent upon verse 27. Hebrews 3:6, 14, are just as necessary for us as Joshua 8:10-12. God has indeed promised to show Himself strong in the behalf of those whose hearts are perfect towards Him; but nowhere has He declared that He will fight for the self-willed and disobedient.
"Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow 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" (v. 13). This was the sequel to the "wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?" (v. 10); this was the duty concerning which the Lord was now instructing His servant. It was not simply "Arise! "but "Up"-bestir thyself now unto the duty which I enjoin thee. "Sanctify the people": this was ever the order when the nation was about to witness some outstandingly solemn or glorious transaction. Thus it was immediately before God gave the Law at Sinai (Ex. 19:10). Thus it was following the murmuring at Taberah, when the Lord "came down" and talked with Moses (Num. 11:18). Thus it was on the eve of Jehovah's wondrous intervention for them at the Jordan (Josh. 3:5). In each case the call was for the people to be sanctified, that is, for them to be formally and reverently assembled before the Lord. Joshua was also to bid them sanctify yourselves against tomorrow," which signified, duly prepare yourselves for the solemn and searching ordeal which the Lord has appointed: spare no pains in seeing to it that you are in a meet condition for the approach of the Holy One.
Continuing the Lord's response to Joshua's prayer subsequent to the humiliating repulse at Ai. After informing him that Israel had sinned grievously, and therefore His blessing had been withheld from their efforts, the Lord bade His servant, "Up, sanctify the people" (v. 13). Before we consider the immediate and historical application of those words, let us observe how they supplied yet another line to the typical picture of the Savior which is set forth in this book. As we have passed from chapter to chapter the readers' attention has been directed to quite a number of things in which Joshua foreshadowed the Lord Jesus. A further detail now appears in this injunction for him to sanctify the people, for it prefigured Christ as the Sanctifier of His Church: "Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate" (Heb. 13:12). And what was the moral condition of His people when He did so? Precisely the same as Israel's was here: defiled under the curse of the Law, "the fierceness of God's anger" being upon them (Josh. 7:26 and cf. Ephesians 2:3). To deliver them therefrom, the antitypical Joshua suffered the full penalty of their sins, and set them apart unto God in all the acceptableness of His meritorious sacrifice. Mark also the time when this occurred: as it was immediately following upon Joshua's "falling to the earth upon his face" (Josh. 7:6) that he was bidden to "sanctify the people," so it was a few hours after His prostration on the ground in Gethsemane that Christ sanctified His people at the cross!
Turning from the spiritual and mystical signification of the order Joshua received to its literal and historical meaning, we understand by God's "sanctify the people" that he was to formally and reverently convene the nation in orderly array before the Lord. That injunction was probably the exact equivalent of one received by Israel's prophet at a later date, "Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children" (Joel 2:15, 16), for it is clear from what follows here that all Israel were required to take their place before the Divine tribunal. "Sanctify the people, and say unto them, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow, 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 put away the accursed thing from among you" (Josh. 7:13). It is striking and interesting to note how that the Lord here repeated what He had just said in the previous verse, both in charging them with their being an accursed thing in Israel's midst and that because of it they could not stand before their enemies. Such reiteration not only evinced how heinous was their crime in the eyes of the Holy One, but also gave point unto the call for the people to "sanctify yourselves"-not "for the morrow" but against it. They were to duly anticipate in their consciences the Divine inquisition which would then be held, when the guilty would be unerringly identified and severely punished. Thus, "Sanctify yourselves" was tantamount unto "Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel" (Amos 4:12).
"Sanctify the people, and say unto them sanctify yourselves against tomorrow." The same demand had been made at Sinai, and what is recorded of it casts light upon the import of it here: they were to wash their bodies and clothes, and abstain from their wives" (Ex. 19:14, 15). Thus, "sanctify" here has the force of purify: "For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh" (Heb. 9:13 and cf. 2 Timothy 2:21). Under the law "sanctification" or "separation and consecration to the Lord, was secured by a process of cleansing. By a comparison with Joel 2:15, 16, and its context (vv. 13, 17) it is clear that, in addition to ceremonial purification, Israel were here enjoined to cleanse themselves morally. "Sanctify yourselves" would therefore imply and include a solemn call to self-examination, humiliation, and supplication; and that in turn would necessitate a separating of their minds from all other cares and concerns, that they might give themselves undistractedly and earnestly unto those solemn duties. Such acts of devotion can only be suitably performed as the thoughts and affections are detached from the daily business and worries of this world. As they had been required to sanctify themselves before they received the Law, so now they were ordered to do so when about to witness a most fearful enforcing of its penalty.
Possibly some will be inclined to ask, Since a single individual only had committed this offense, or at most with the connivance of his family (Josh. 7:21), what reason or propriety was there in calling upon all the people to employ themselves in solemn self-examination? How could those who knew they were innocent of perpetrating a serious crime, sincerely engage in such a task? Those who are truly jealous of the glory of God and who are painfully conscious of the fact that "in many things we all offend:' (James 3:2) will have no difficulty in meeting such an objection. The name of the Lord had been grievously sullied by the enemy's triumph at Ai, and His saints could not but bitterly mourn over it. Furthermore, the whole nation had been put to shame when their soldiers had fled before the Canaanites; yea, the nation was vet in imminent danger while exposed to "the fierceness of God's anger" (v. 26), and therefore it was most fitting that there should be an humbling of the entire congregation before the Lord-as the example of Joshua and their elders (v. 6) had intimated. Moreover, as Matthew Henry pointed out, "The sins of others may be improved by us, as furtherances of our sanctification, as the scandal of the incestuous Corinthian occasioned a blessed reformation in the church: 2 Corinthians 7:11." Every time a saint is overtaken in a fault, it should give point unto his fellows of that warning "let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall"
(1 Cor. 10:12).
Ere passing on, one other question needs to be noticed: if the "sanctify the people" unto Joshua foreshadowed Christ's sanctification of His Church, then what was spiritually connoted by his bidding the people "sanctify yourselves"? There was a double sanctification: one by Joshua and one by themselves! That two-foldness of Truth appears again and again in connection with God's people. As believers on the Lord Jesus Christ they are saved (Acts 16:31), yet they are bidden to work out their own salvation (Phil. 2:12) and cf. (1 Tim. 4:16). They are new creatures in Christ, yet exhorted to put on the new man (Eph. 4:24). They are now clean, and yet need to have their feet washed. They are complete in Christ (Col. 2:10), yet are bidden to grow in grace and add to their faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, etc. (2 Pet. 1:5). Every believer has been "perfected forever" (Heb. 10:14), yet confesses that he is not already perfect (Phil. 3:11). The one refers to what they are in Christ, the other to what they are in themselves. Unless the Christian reader learns to draw that distinction, much in the epistles will seem almost a meaningless jumble; if not a series of contradictions. There is a tremendous difference between how the believer appears in the sight of God, and how he looks in his own eyes and those of his fellows. He stands before God in the infinite value of Christ's righteousness, while in his actual experience he is warring against the world, the flesh and the devil, and is often worsted by them.
"Sanctification" is still more complex, for a threefold distinction is necessary in order to bring into view its leading features, namely, our federal, personal, and practical holiness. By our fall in Adam we lost not only the favor of God but the purity of our nature, and therefore we need to be both reconciled to Him and sanctified in our inner man. The former is secured by the work of Christ; the latter is effected by the operation of the Holy Spirit. The former is judicial; the latter is vital. Christ is the covenant Head of His people, and since He is the Holy One, all in Him are representatively holy. He is their holiness as truly as He is their righteousness: "But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30). He is "made unto them" sanctification in precisely the same way as God "made Him to be sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:21), namely, by legal reckoning, by imputation. But that is not all: believers are not only sanctified federally and legally, but personally and vitally in themselves. In consequence of their covenant union with Christ, the Holy Spirit is sent to quicken them into newness of life, to indwell them. to abide with them forever. This is their "sanctification of the Spirit" (2 Thess. 2:13).
The fruit of the believer's sanctification in Christ and of the Spirit's indwelling are, in various ways and degrees, made manifest in their daily lives, which is what we term practical sanctification. A principle of holiness is imparted at regeneration, and the workings and effects of the same soon appear in the conduct. Sanctification of the Spirit produces a real and radical change in its favored subject, and so transforms his behavior "as becometh the Gospel of Christ." That which has been wrought within every believer is manifested without, by an obedient walk in the paths of holiness as marked out in the Word. Thereby evidence is given that they have been created "by God in righteousness and true holiness" (Eph. 4:24). It is on the basis of their federal and vital oneness with Christ that exhortations unto practical holiness are addressed to them: "he that saith he abideth in Christ ought himself also so to walk even as He walked" (1 John 2:6). And it is by virtue of the Spirit's sanctification that such exhortations are exactly suited to the new nature He has wrought in them: "Let it not be once named among you as becometh saints" (Eph. 5:3). Those whom the Spirit has made "saints" (i.e. "sanctified ones") are to conduct themselves as such (Rom. 16:2). The nation of Israel had been set apart unto the Lord, and that call, "sanctify yourselves," was the equivalent of saying, Act accordingly. To us the word is, "Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1; and cf. 1 Peter 1:15).
"Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow, 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 frown among you." "The Lord did not point out the criminal immediately, but He left the matter in ambiguity for some time, and at last brought it to light gradually: that both magistrates and people might learn to do their duty, and to keep a vigilant eye over one another; and that the delay and process might make the transaction more solemn, and excite the more careful self-examination and sanctification of themselves by every method appointed under the law" (T. Scott). Similarly did the Savior say unto His apostles, "Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?" (John 6:70). Later He informed them that one of them would betray Him, though still without actually naming the one who would be guilty of such horrible perfidy; which resulted in each of the eleven asking: "Lord is it I?" Such ought to be the first concern of each of us, once it becomes evident that the light of God's countenance is no longer shining upon the company of saints with whom we are in fellowship: bowing before a heart-searching God and asking, Am I responsible for the withdrawal of Thy favor? Where such a spirit obtains among the members it will not belong ere the One who is jealous of the honor of His house makes known the cause of His displeasure.
"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 come by households; and the household which the Lord shall take shall come man by man" (v. 13). First, the opening words of this verse teach us that once an evil be known there must be no delay in dealing with it-true alike whether it respects an assembly or where only a single individual be concerned. The honor of God and our own welfare alike demand prompt action when any "accursed thing" be involved. To procrastinate in such a case is like playing with fire. Delay in such a matter is a sure sign our hearts are not right with God. By all means investigate thoroughly and make sure that God has been publicly slighted, and then be not tardy in dealing with the offender. Next, we should note the Lord's insistence upon what Joshua had previously disregarded, namely, the unity of Israel. In heeding the counsel of the spies and detaching three thousand from the body of the nation (v. 3), he acted contrary to the pattern God gave him in the crossing of Jordan and taking of Jericho. "Israel hath sinned," God declared, and now He required that the whole of the tribes should share in the shame of Achan's offense-as later He gave orders "Take all the people of war" against Ai (Josh. 8:1).
"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." The culprit had not been named, and before he was identified there must be a searching investigation. Very solemn indeed was the procedure followed. Most probably the whole congregation was assembled before the tabernacle. The word "brought" is the one generally used in connection with offering of the sacrifices (Lev. 1:2, 10)-"bring," therefore, has the force here of the people being presented for the Lord's inspection. Doubtless it was the "princes" or heads of each tribe which came, respectively, before Joshua and Eleazar. Three times over in this verse we have the expression "which the Lord shall take." We naturally inquire, what is signified thereby? In what way or by what process did He do so? If Scripture be compared with Scripture it seems clear that the Lord here distinguished between the innocent and the guilty by means of the Urim and Thummim in the high priest's breastplate. When Joshua was first set apart unto his office, orders were given that "he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment [decision or verdict] of the Urim before the Lord" (Num. 27:21). Under certain circumstances the will of God was made known via the Urim and Thummim, and evidently Eleazar "asked counsel" for Joshua by them on this occasion.
Of Saul it is said that "when he inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophet" (1 Sam. 28:6)- proof of His having abandoned the apostate king. Thence we gather that by means of the Urim and Thummim, prophetic guidance was at certain times obtained from God. This is further borne out by Ezra 2:63, when Nehemiah forbade the rejected children of the priests eating of the most holy things, he added "till there stand up a priest with Urim and Thummim"-through which the Divine mind will again be revealed. From these passages the late Dr. Bullinger drew the following deductions: "The Urim and Thummim were probably two precious stones, which were drawn out as a lot to give Jehovah's judgment. 'The lot is cast into the lap [Hebrew "bosom"] but the whole judgment thereof is of the Lord' (Prov. 16:33)-bosom is here put for the clothing or covering over it: of Exodus 4:6, 7; Ruth 4:16 . . . Thus, those two placed in the 'bag' and one drawn out would give the judicial decision which would be 'of the Lord.' Hence, the breastplate itself was known as 'the breastplate of judgment' (Ex. 28:15), because by that Jehovah's judgment was obtained when it was needed. Hence, when the land was divided 'by lot' (Num. 26:55) Eleazar the high priest must be present. (Num. 34:17; Joshua 17:14)."
Both words are in the plural number, though (as is often the case in the Hebrew) probably it is what is known as the plural of majesty"-used for the purpose of emphasizing the importance of a thing or the dignity of an object. It is likely that the "Urim" was a single stone or object and the "Thummim" another, though we cannot be certain. The English equivalent for those words is "light" or "lights" and "perfections"; in the Septuagint they are rendered by "delosis" and "aletheim," meaning "manifestation and truth." As the high priest thrust his hand into the bag of his breastplate (note "doubled" in Exodus 27:16), possibly the bringing forth of the "Urim" indicated the Lord's yes and the "Thummim" His no, or vice-versa. In the instance we are now considering, most likely the appearing of the Urim signified the bringing to light of the guilty; whereas the issuing of the Thummim announced the "perfection" or sincerity of the innocent. Thus, as the head or heads of each tribe stood before Eleazar he would draw out the Thummim until the turn of Judah arrived, as indicated by the Urim. The same process was followed after the guilty tribe had been identified: the heads of its leading "families" standing before the Lord's representative, and when the particular family was identified, the same with its "households," until the culprit himself stood unmasked before all.
"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" (v. 15). Solemn indeed was the transaction which we have endeavored to picture above, fearful the trial of all who took part in it. A threefold reason may be suggested for the leisurely nature of this inquisition. First, it manifested the calmness and thoroughness of the Judge of all the earth: He is ever a God of order, departing not therefrom when sitting in judgment. Second, the terribleness of their ordeal would impress upon Israel the reality of the holy covenant which God had made with them, and demonstrate before they again the majesty of the Divine Law-seen in arresting the waters of Jordan, overthrowing the walls of Jericho, and now equally so in taking vengeance on the transgressor. Third, in affording the guilty one further space for repentance: but alas, his heart was hardened and he refused to come forward and own that he was the cause of the whole trouble. The dreadful sentence that he should be "burnt with fire" does not necessarily signify he was to be roasted alive-Joshua 7:25 seems to clearly show otherwise. If it be asked, Why burn them and their possessions if they were already dead from stoning? To express still more vividly the Divine detestation, and that nothing whatever of the accursed thing should remain.