2

and we [will be] guiltless and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood [shall be] on our head, if [any] hand be 20 upon him. And if thou utter this our business, then we will 21 be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.* And she said, According unto your words, so [be] it, I willingly submit to all these terms. And she sent them away, and they departed and she bound the scarlet line in the window before 22 they left her. And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought [them] throughout all the way, but found [them] not.

23

So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, 24 and told him all [things] that befell them: And, expressing themselves like bold and faithful men, they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land, as sure as if we already possessed it, for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us, and therefore we have nothing to fear. These were good tidings to Joshua which he probably told to all the people: to encourage and animate them.

1.

WE

REFLECTIONS.

E learn hence, that the faith of Rahab should be imitated by us. She believed the promise, and obeyed the command of the God of Israel. She ventured her life, and all that was dear to her, upon his declaration. This was surprising in a person so young, (for she was the mother of Boaz thirty years after this) especially in a person of her profession and character, if that was indeed criminal. She renounced idolatry, and acknowledged the true God and the law of Moses. This is the more remarkable, considering that the prince, and the other inhabitants of the city, who had heard these things as well as she, were not so affected by them, and payed no regard to them: there was not so great faith in Israel. They knew the land was promised to their fathers, and had seen the great things God had done for them, yet staggered through unbelief. But this woman was confident of it; she speaks to the spies, notwithstanding their seemingly destitute condition, as if they had actually taken the city, and the whole land was at their disposal. Therefore she is recommended to our imitation by the apostle Paul. She not only assented to this truth, that Jehovah was God in heaven above, and in earth beneath, but acted accordingly and by works proved the sincerity of her faith. She was justified, as James says, by her works; and he adds, that as the body without the

These were the three conditions; to bind the scarlet thread in the window, to have all her relations in her own house, and not to tell the business on which they came, or the agreement they had made, lest others should hang out a scarlet thread or cord, likewise.

spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. Let us imitate her example in this respect; and as we profess to believe in God, let us be careful to maintain good works.

2. There may be a mixture of imperfection in the best charac ters, which should be a caution and a warning to us. Neither Paul nor James commend her for lying. It is strange that any commentators should attempt to vindicate it, saying,' If the officers would be deceived, let them be deceived: and as they were Canaanites, truth was not their due.' But this is a strange way of arguing in christian divines; and such as some heathen philosophers would have blushed at. Good ends will never justify bad means; we may do any thing, but sin, to promote a good end. Those which are called officious lies, that will, if told, produce more good than harm, however they may have been vindicated, are certainly very bad things, and ought carefully to be avoided; for nothing is lawful for one, which is not so for others in like circumstances and if this maxim once comes to be held good, all mutual trust and confidence will be at an end. Nay, even those divines who have endeavoured to vindicate Rahab's conduct, have still asserted, not with great consistency indeed, that it is our duty to put away lying far from us, and every one to speak truth to his neighbour, and never to do evil that good may come. But these are the declarations of the bible, and, as such, may be set against all artful equivocations and sophistical arguments whatever. We learn,

3. That in all our covenant engagements, we should be as plain and express with one another as possible. The spies, though in haste, and undoubtedly in great confusion, were very exact in first settling the terms with Rahab, repeating the agreement, that they might respectively remember what was promised. They explained every condition, to prevent the possibility of equivocation. Let us be cautious in all our engagements, that we may not be perplexed and confounded afterward. It becomes us especially to be cautious in all our transactions with God; that we count the cost, examine what is required of us, and not be rash to utter any thing before God, by way of vow or engagement. Let integrity and prudence direct and preserve us in all our engagements with God and man; for the righteous Lord loveth_rightcousness, and his countenance beholdeth the upright.

CHAP. III.

The people prepare to pass over Jordan; God encourages and directs Joshua, and Joshua the people, by telling them the waters should be cut off; which was done according to his word.

1

A

ND Joshua rose early in the morning after the return of the spies, and their report was made known to the people; and they removed from Shittim, where they had been encamped about a month, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over, that, observing the width of the river, the miracle might appear more remark2 able. And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host a second time, with more particular di3 rections; And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your 4 place, and go after it.* Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure; that is, about a thousand yards, rather more than half a mile : come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must

go: for ye have not passed [this] way heretofore: they must

keep at a distance from the ark, out of reverence to it, and that all might see it the better, as they were to follow it through an untrodden path.

5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves, keep yourselves from all moral and legal pollutions, and bring your hearts to an holy and reverent temper, for tomorrow the LORD 6 will do wonders among you. And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And the priests showed strong faith in God, and ready obedience to Joshua, and they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

7

And the LORD said unto Joshua, probably from the mercy seat, just before the ark began to remove, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may. know that as I was with Moses, [so] I will be with thee: as Moses was magnified in the sight of Israel, by dividing the Red 8 sea, so shalt thou be magnified by dividing Jordan. And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan, in the first entrance into the river, where they stood for a season, till the river was divided,

The Levites used to carry the ark, but the priests did it on some extraordinary occasions, as at this time, and chap. vi. 6. It used to be carried in the midst of the camp, but now went before it, the pillar of cloud being probably removed.

and then they went into the midst of it, as is implied, v. 17. 9 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither to the ark, or tabernacle, the place of public assemblies, and hear the words of the LORD your God, and what he is about to do. 10 And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God [is] among you, you shall have sensible evidence that he is the living God, and not a dead idol, such as the heathen worship: and [that] he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebu11 sites, and thus fulfil the promises made to Abraham. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the LORD of all the earth passeth 12 over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve

men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man, to 13 be nearer witnesses of the miracle. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the LORD of all the earth, who can dispose of the whole land, and manage the waters and rivers of it as he pleaseth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, [that] the waters of Jordan shall be cut off [from] the waters that come down from above and they shall stand upon an heap, being as it were congealed, as the Red sea was, Exod. xv. 8. and so kept from overflowing the whole country.

14

And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of 15 the covenant before the people; And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest, that is, the barley harvest, which was in the first month, about the pass16 over,*) That the waters which came down from above stood [and] rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that [is] beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, [even] the salt sea, failed, [and] were cut off: 17 and the people passed over right against Jericho.† And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, not at all fearing that the mountains of water should fall down upon them, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.‡

At this time the river was wider and deeper, owing to the melting of the snows on mount Lebanon, at the foot of which was the head of Jordan; by this means the river overflowed its banks, so that the priests' feet could easily touch the waters, which they could not have done had the water been within its channel. Observe here the goodness of God in bringing then into Canaan at a time when it was furnished with all necessary provisions.

+ Probably keeping about one thousand yards from the ark, which stood in the midst. It is strange the inhabitants of Jericho did not attempt to oppose their passage; but this was owing to the same Providence that divided the waters.

In John i. 28. the place is called Bathabara, the house of passage, probably in memory of this event.

题。

L

REFLECTIONS.

E T us be willing to follow God wherever he leads us; Israel was to follow the ark, though they did not know what God would do. We have no ark to guide us; but we have the providence, the word, and the Spirit of God. We should submit to the divine word, though called to go through untrodden paths, or difficulties untried and unknown before. We have the presence of God with us, as really as if we had the ark; and our strength will be equal to our day. We need not fear the greatest dangers, for we have God's promise to encourage us: When thou passest through the fire and the water, fear not, I am with thee; be not dismayed, I am thy God.

2. Let us learn to sanctify ourselves whenever God is to manifest himself to us, or we are to appear before him. When God doeth wonders, let us prepare ourselves to regard them; when we attend on divine ordinances, behold God's glory in the tabernacle, or see his wonders in his house, and at his table, let us sanctify ourselves, that is, cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit. If sanctification was required of those who were only to behold God's wonderful works, how much more is required of those who are to act in his service, and attend his worship. Let us learn to divest ourselves of all cares, especially of all pollutions; then we shall behold God's wonderful works with a proper temper, and attend without distraction.

3. We see great reason to adore the power and goodness of God in this surprising miracle. When we read this story, we are ready to say with the Psalmist, when Jordan was driven back, What aileth thee, O Jordan, that thou wast driven back? But remember, it was at the presence of the Lord. Psalm cxiv. 5. 7. Or with Habakkuk, ch. iii. 8. Was the Lord displeased against the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? No; thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people. How observant are all creatures of God's commands! One word of his stopped the course of Jordan, and turned the water into a rock. How glorious a God do we serve, whom all the elements obey! He could have made their path a crystal pavement; but that would not have been so remarkable, nor so magnificent. Frost sometimes does that; but he makes a liquid wall, which was more wonderful. What cannot the Almighty do to save his people! In allusion to this, let not sincere christians, the true Israel of God, be afraid of death; which, like Jordan, is between them and the heavenly Canaan; since God can make them a safe, easy, and wonderful passage through it, and bring them to the land of plenty and happiness,