THE BIBLICAL MUSEUM: A COLLECTION OF NOTES ON THE Holy Scriptures, ESPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR THE USE OF MINISTERS, BIBLE- BY JAMES COMPER GRAY, Author of "Topics for Teachers," "The Class and the Desk," &c., &c. TOTHE OLD TESTAMENT. VOL. III. Containing Joshua, Judges, Ruth, and 1 and 2 Samuel. LONDON: ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW. 1878. 101. f. 770° ROD I. Title, JOSHUA, derived not so much fr. the author, as the contents—the hist. of the achievements of J. The first Bk. in the Canon called by name of individual. II. Author. Compiled, probably, fr. materials supplied-i. by J. himself. (a.) It is plainly the story of a contemporary, and eye-witness, v. 1, vi. 25. (b.) J. is spoken of as the writer, xxiv. 26. (c.) He was a teacher and prophet, vi. 26; 1 K. xvi. 34. (d.) To this may be added uniform Jewish tradition. (e.) It must have been written bef. time of David and Solomon, xv. 63; comp. with 2 S. v. 7-9, and xvi. 10 with 1 K. ix. 16.-ii. by additions by a later writer, xix. 47 (comp. Jud. xviii. 27-29, xv. 13, 19; see also Jud. i. 11-16), and xxiv. 29-33. III. Time. It comprises a period of ab. 30 yrs. but some say 17, and others 27 yrs. Hales places the d. of J. in 1582 B.C., Usher in 1443 B.C., or immediately aft. the div. of the land in 1445 B.C.; while acc. to Tomline, etc., his d. took place 18 yrs. aft. this div., i.e. 1426 B.C. IV. Authenticity. Although the true authorship is unknown; it must, however, have been compiled fr. authentic documents (a.) fr. the accuracy with wh. matters of the greatest public importance are narrated-as the div. of the land, evidently copied fr. some coeval record the authority of wh. did not admit of dispute, (b.) from the discourses it contains, which are apparently given just as they were spoken. V. Scope and Design. i. To demonstrate the faithfulness of God in fulfilling His word to the patriarchs (a.) Abraham (Ge. xiii. 15)—(b.) Isaac (Ge. xxvi. 4)—(c.) Jacob (Ge. xxxv. 12)—(d.) Joseph (Ge. 1. 24)-(e.) also to Moses (Ex. iii. 8). ii. To show the portion of land allotted to ea. tribe. 6 Joshua." Joshua's character is a very noble one, and few blemishes are found in it. The favoured disciple of Moses, he learned to be faithful to the Lord God. Once, indeed, he was too jealous for what he conceived Moses' honour (Nu. xi. 28, 29). He was generally bold and fearless, though an unexpected check, as at Ai, at one time dispirited him. But, with these small exceptions, an able commander, a wise ruler, a faithful servant of the Lord, Joshua shines as a bright star among the noble luminaries with which God has decorated His Church; and his resolution may well be taken as the humble decision of all who bear the name of Christ: As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." " (L. B. K.) Speaking of this address, one says, "The appeal was irresistible: the people swore by God not to forsake him who had done all these wonders for them. Thus did Joshua make a covenant with the people, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. It was, for that generation and their posterity, the counterpart of the covenant which Moses had made, on the part of God, with their fathers on Mt. Horeb. Joshua added the record of this great transaction to the book of the law of God, and set up a monument of it in the form of a great stone under an oak, by the sanctuary of Jehovah, perhaps the very oak beneath whose shadow Abraham and Jacob had pitched their tents. . . . This bright period of Jewish history is crowned by the record that Israel served Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of Jehovah, that He had done for Israel' (Jos. xxiv. 31). The lessons of the wilderness had not been lost upon them. Not in vain had they seen their fathers drop and die, till they were all consumed for their rebellion. search the sacred history in vain, from the exodus to the captivity, for another generation that was so wholly faithful to Jehovah." (Smith's Old Test, Hist. 265.) We |