 |  |
"Every place that the sole of your feet shall tread upon, that have I given unto you"
(Josh. 1: 3).
"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate
therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do all that is written therein; for then
thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success" (Josh. 1: 8).
In Joshua's day there were no Scriptures other than the law of Moses, called the "book
of the law" (Josh. 1: 8). Moses is named fifty-seven times in Joshua, and the law
nine times (the references to Moses being fairly evenly distributed throughout the record
from chapter 1: to chapter 24:). To-day we possess "all Scripture", including the
record of the coming of the Saviour, His death, resurrection and ascension, together with
the revelation of the mystery that is so peculiarly our own. As we stand upon the
threshold of Ephesians, and contemplate "all spiritual blessings in heavenly places", let us
remember that to "possess our possessions" it is necessary that we hold fast the faithful
Word. Above all, let us resist the dreamer of dreams, the man who "feels" certain things,
or has had certain things "revealed" to him. Nothing can take the place of the Word of
God, and all substitutes are ultimately, as they are originally, antichristian.
JOSHUA.
#3.
Faith, the substance of things hoped for (2:).
pp. 47 - 52
The story of the spies and Rahab the harlot recorded in Josh. 2: reverts to a period
prior to Josh. 1: 1-9. This is evident if we compare the statements of 1: 11 and 2: 16.
In 1: 11 we read that "within three days" Israel were to pass over Jordan; and in
2: 16 that the spies were lying hid for three days, apart from the time occupied in going
and returning. This agrees with the marginal reading of Josh. 2: 1:--
"And Joshua the son of Nun had sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying,
Go view the land, even Jericho."
One of the many evidences of the different authorship of Joshua from that of the
books of Moses is found in the spelling of the name Jericho. In the law it is spelt
Yarecho, but in Joshua it is spelt Yericho. The interest, however, of this chapter centres
around the faith and deliverance of Rahab.
Some commentators have sought to soften the description of Rahab's character given
here by observing that the word zanah might possibly be rendered "innkeeper". Alas, the
testimony of over 90 occurrences removes all doubt as to Rahab's evil character, and if
this were not enough, the references to her in Heb. 11: 31 and James 2: 25 use the word
porne, which cannot be translated other than "harlot". Rahab, however, was not saved by
her moral character; she was saved, as all are saved, by grace through faith. The name