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The people pass over Jordan on dry land.

1 And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.

2 And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host;

3 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 place, and go after it.

4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go for ye have not passed this way heretofore.

5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.

6 And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

7 And the LORD said unto Joshua, 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.

8 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.

9 And Joshua said unto the

children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God.

10 And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, 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 Jebusites.

11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the LORD of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.

12 Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.

13 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, 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.

14 And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people;

15 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,)

16 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 and the people passed
over right against Jericho.
17 And the priests that bare
the ark of the covenant of the

LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.

LECTURE 368.

Of glorifying God for the help of his grace.

"We have heard," said Rahab to the spies, "how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt." Ch. 2. 10. And yet the men of Jericho doubtless thought to be protected by the waters of Jordan, at least as long as it was overflowing its banks. How great must have been their surprise and terror, to see the waters which came down from above stand and rise up upon an heap, whilst those which went down toward the sea failed and were cut off; so that the priests which bare the ark stood firm in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground! But if this was a sight of terror to the Canaanites, how largely must it have confirmed the faith of the men of Israel in the loving kindness of the Lord! "Hereby ye shall know," said Joshua," that the living God is among you." This was the use to which he would have them apply the miracle. "And the Lord said unto Joshua, 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." God designs to magnify his servant Joshua. But he for his part desires to give all the glory to God. Joshua is herein a true type of Jesus; a type in his character, as well as in his name. For he teaches us, as Jesus has taught us more at large, both by his example, and by his commands, to make the glory, which God gives us by his grace, redound to the praise of Him who gives it. Has then God been pleased to magnify us? Has He wrought in us any measure of that holiness which proves Him to have been with us, mighty to help? Has He enabled us to walk in safety through the waters of temptation, and to pass in defiance of our enemy any formidable barrier in our way to heaven ? If so, though it be true that this is glorious to ourselves, though it be indeed the highest glory we can have on earth to grow in godliness and likeness unto God, still let us gladly cast our crowns, as we hope to do in heaven, before Him that sitteth upon the throne; see Rev. 4. 10; and let us say to them who are inclined to give the praise to us, Hereby ye may know that the living God has been our Helper, hereby ye may be encouraged to rely upon his help. God is able, God is willing, to deliver you from your enemies. Put your trust in Him, and be assured by us, for we have found it to be true, that they which trust in Him shall never be confounded.

Twelve stones are pitched in Jordan, and at Gilgal.

1 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,

2 Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, 3 And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.

4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:

5 And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:

6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?

7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. 8 And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the

place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.

10 For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until every thing was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over.

11 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people.

12 And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed overarmed before the children of Israel,as Moses spake unto them: 13 About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho.

14

On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.

15 And the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,

16 Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan.

17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan.

18 And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the midst of Jor

dan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before.

19 And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.

20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal. 21 And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fa

thers in time to come, saying,
What mean these stones?
22 Then ye shall let your chil-
dren know, saying, Israel came
over this Jordan on dry land.
23 For the LORD your God
dried up the waters of Jordan
from before you, until ye were
passed over, as the LORD your
God did to the Red sea, which
he dried up from before us, un-
til we were gone over:

24 That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.

LECTURE 369.

In what case a memorial is proof of a miracle.

A memorial of a miracle, purporting to be set up at the very time when the miracle was wrought, is a strong proof that the miracle really took place. The twelve stones which were pitched in Gilgal must often have suggested the question, "What mean ye by these stones?" And unless we could suppose that all the Israelites were deceived, or were capable of wilfully deceiving, in a matter so obvious to the sense, we cannot but admit their account of this miracle, we cannot gainsay the fact to which they testify, "Israel came over this Jordan on dry land." Two chief uses of such a permanent memorial are mentioned at the conclusion of this chapter: "That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty:" and "that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever." These words suggest the two different kinds of effect, which are produced by God's marvellous works in the revelation of his truth, first on the world, and secondly on them that believe. The world cannot deny" the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty." The worldly minded must admit God's great power, when convinced by unanswerable arguments, that the mighty works, by which the Gospel was confirmed, really took place. They own that so it was. But all the while they are saying to themselves, in the hardness of their hearts, What is that to us? Believers do more than know, they feel. Their hearts are affected by the conviction of their minds. The things of which they are convinced most deeply concern themselves. And they are convinced of this also. They fear the Lord their God. They fear to transgress his will. They learn to love to do it. And instead of pleading unconcern in the great things which God reveals, they are ready to say for their parts, To us these things are all in all.

The Israelites are all circumcised at Gilgal.

1 And it came to pass, when Joshua circumcised all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel. 2 At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. 3 And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.

for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way.

8 And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole.

4 And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males,even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt. 5 Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised.

6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: unto whom the LORD sware that he would not shew them the land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

7 And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them

9 And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you, Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day.

10 And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.

11 And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the self-same day.

12 And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What

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