PERIOD IV.] DIRECTIONS FOR TAKING JERICHO. The spies returned and told Joshua all that had happened. Early the next morning, Joshua and all the people removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan. The priests, carrying the Ark of God, went forward, and the people followed. The river Jordan divided, and all the Israelites passed over. As soon as the priests and the people had reached the opposite side, the waters returned, and flowed as before. Twelve stones were set up as a memorial that the waters had divided for the Israelites to pass over. The Tribes encamped at Gilgal and kept the passover. They ate of the old and also of the new corn of the land, and the manna ceased falling. The Canaanites were much afraid when they heard that God had dried up the waters of Jordan for the Israelites to pass over. The "captain of the Lord's host," appeared to Joshua before Jericho, and gave him directions about taking the city. He said, "The men of war shall compass the city, and go round about the city once each day, for six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him." These directions were obeyed, and the city was taken. Rahab and her family were saved. The city was burnt; and Joshua pronounced a 'curse on whomsoever should rebuild it. Adam, (Deut. xxxii. 8), yet he did not dispossess those nations which had first occupied it until their wickedness had become insufferable. the present day does not convey a book of the law-an ordinary book of correct idea of the roll, or volume, referred to. These rolls or volumes among the Israelites at this time were formed of the papyrus which grew on the Nile. Lesson 17, 'bulrush.' The stalks of this plant were split, and NOTES AND EXPLANATIONS. [1451-1096 B.C. pressed, the edges of the leaves united with paste, and thus formed into large sheels to the extreme ends of which two rollers were generally attached. When written upon, the sheet was rolled up on one of the rollers; & as it was read it was rolled back upon the second roller. Many other substances were also used for these written rolls, as the bark of trees, linen, cotton-cloth, skins of animals, &c. Literature had doubtless been cultivated among the Israelites; their house of bondage' was at this time as greatly celebrated for its learning as for its idolatry; in Canaan too there was a 'city of letters,' Kirjath-sepher, which was a seat of Canaanitish learning. meditate-to think upon; to turn over and over in the mind. that thou mayest, &c.--reading and meditating upon the word of God must lead to love of it, and produce cheerful and active obedience. all that is written-Joshua was not at liberty to adopt such portions of the law as might be most agreeable to him: he was to observe ALL that had been written; so are we. Rahab-her faith is commended by Paul, and James; Heb. xi. 31; James ii. 25; both Christian and Jewish writers speak highly of Rahab; by some she is made the ancestress of Christ. escape-Rahab's house was seated on the town wall, the spies had therefore no difficulty but to keep watch from the roof, where they were hidden among the flax-stalks from the 'pursuers' sent in quest of them. terror-dread; great fear; God weakened the courage of the Canaanitish idolaters, thus fulfilling his promise given through Moses, "There shall no man be able to stand before you; for the Lord your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon.' promise the condition of this promise was that she should hang in her window, on the day when Jericho should be taken, the scarlet rope by which she had let them down. forward-before the people. The priests of the Lord took the lead with the symbol of the Divine presence, divided-as did the Red Sea for their fathers when they left Egypt. Les. 20. The passage of the Jordan was effected at the most unfavourable season for fording-it being the time when, from the melting of the snows of Lebanon, it had overflowed its banks; its depth and the rapidity of its current being increased from the same cause. miracle which took place at noon, and no doubt in the presence of many of the Canaanites, was calculated to strike terror into the people of the land as well as to inspire Israel with devout confidence in God. This reached arrived at; the priests were the last to reach the shore, although the first to enter the bed of the divided river; according to God's command, they stood in the midst until all the people had passed over. The conduct of the priests and Levites reflects great honour upon them; they showed their faith in God's word, and their forward zeal to promote the welfare of their brethren of all the other tribes. twelve-one for each tribe; they were taken from the middle of the river. corn-the inhabitants of the plain fled on the approach of the Israelites, leaving behind them stores of old corn, besides the produce of their fields, either just reaped, or still standing, for it was now the time of the barley-harvest. captain, &c.-a messenger from God in human form; Joshua fell down before him when he became aware of his sacred character, and while in that position, the angel delivered the Lord's message unto him respecting the taking of Jericho. Seven seven-the number is of very frequent occurrence in the scriptures. days completed the week of creation and rest; every seven years formed a week of years-the seventh year being a year of rest; and at the close of every week of seven years-every fiftieth year, there was a Jubilee. The clean animals were taken by Noah into the ark by sevens; there were seven years of PERIOD IV.] "THE FALL OF JERICHO." plenty and seven years of famine in Egypt, and there are many other illustrations of peculiarity in this number. In the present instance seven priests, bearing seven trumpets were to precede the ark while going round the city once each day for six days, and seven times on the seventh day. trumpets-this ancient instrument was much used in various observances of the Israelites; the ram's horns were hollowed out. Trumpets were also made of brass resembling horns. long blast-the blowing of the trumpets indicated assaults upon the besieged town, while the long blast gave the idea of a general charge which should end in the breaking down of the city defences. shout-following out the idea referred to above, the shout being one of victory. shall fall-when, by their obedience to the directions given, they had proved their faith in God's power to give them success by means the most unlikely, then should they find that the victory was their's. flat-the defences were really less formidable than they appeared to be to a people not accustomed to warfare. Doubtless Jericho was an important and well-fortified city; and its early fall increased the consternation of the Canaanites, already spiritless from hearing of the miraculous passage of the Jordan, while it was an encouragement to the unwarlike Israelites. saved-because she observed the condition required by the spies. curse-this curse was accomplished many years after. Lesson 78. GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES. JERICHO-Was about six miles west east of Jerusalem; it is called by Moses of the Jordan, and twenty-two norththe city of palm-trees;' because the palm tree flourished in the low and very sultry plain in which Jericho stood. The 'plain of Jericho' was part of the plain of Jordan; it was formerly extremely fertile though now scarcely any signs of vegetation appear. JORDAN-this celebrated river of Canaan, rises at the foot of Mount Lebanon, and flows southward through the marshes, formerly called the waters of Merom; thence through the Lake of Cinnereth; and thence southward to the Dead Sea, into which it falls. Its length is about 150 miles. Less. 7. GILGAL-' rolled off;' a city on the east of Jericho about 18 miles northeast from Jerusalem, and the place where the Israelites encamped after they had passed over the Jordan. It was about five miles west of the river, and it became the seat of government during the wars of Joshua. Here too the tabernacle remained till its removal to Shiloh. Lesson 32. THE FALL OF JERICHO. "THE MEN OF WAR SHALL COMPASS THE CITY, AND GO ROUND ABOUT THE CITY ONCE EACH DAY FOR SIX DAYS," &c. "Ye warriors of Israel, encompass the wall "Round the fortified bounds of this Gentile abode ! "And when 'tis accomplish'd, the trump shall be blown, THE SIN AND PUNISHMENT OF ACHAN. [1451-1096 B.C. Around and around went the ark of the Lord, Around and around went the arm'd with the sword,- Till the city did reel like a drunkard at last, And then came the shout, and the trumpets long sound, The slaughter began and the city was drunk With the red streams that flow'd from the crowds as they sunk,- Till the fire of the victors the carnage consum'd, And Jericho lay in her ashes entomb'd. W. KNOX. 31. ACHAN'S SIN. THE GIBEONITES. Joshua vii.-xxii. Achan, a man of the tribe of Judah, committed a trespass against God. He took from the spoils of Jericho, a Babylonish garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold, which he hid in the earth, within his tent. For his sin the Israelites were discomfited at Ai. Joshua then fell upon his face before the ark of the Lord, and said, " 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 of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?'' God told him of the sin that had been committed; and gave him directions for the discovery and punishment of the offender. Achan was discovered and put to death, and Ai was afterwards taken. Joshua then built an altar to God on Mount Ebal. The blessings of the law were pronounced from Mount Gerizim, and the cursings from Mount Ebal. The inhabitants of Gibeon were afraid of the Israelites, when they heard what had been done to Jericho and to Ai; and they went to Joshua, in 'old shoes and old clothing, pretending that they had come from a far country. Joshua and the princes of Israel made a covenant of peace with them. Three days after, they found that the Gibeonites were neighbours, and that they had deceived them. The Israelites PERIOD IV.] THE SUN AND MOON STAND STILL. would not destroy them, but made them 'hewers of wood, and drawers of water, for the camp and the tabernacle of Israel. Five kings encamped against Gibeon, because its inhabitants had made peace with Israel. Joshua went to assist the Gibeonites. At this battle the sun and moon stood still at the command of Joshua, till the kings were conquered. The five kings fled to a cave at Makkedah. They were taken and hanged. Joshua also conquered many other kings of Canaan, and gave their land for an inheritance to Israel. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half tribe of Manasseh returned to the East of Jordan when Canaan was conquered. They built an altar near the Jordan, for a witness that they belonged to Israel. The other tribes feared that it would lead them into idolatry, but the tribes of Reuben and Gad said their altar was not for burnt-offerings, nor sacrifices, ·but for a witness and they called it Ed. NOTES AND EXPLANATIONS. Achan or Achor. Geographical Notes. God's presence and majesty; the Israeltook his sin consisted in appropriat-ites prayed with their faces turned toing what had been devoted to God. wards the ark, tabernacle, or temple; Devoted things could not be redeemed, idolaters turn towards their idols; those neither could men or animals devoted who acknowledge no visible représentato death. Lev. xxvii. 28,29. Carrying tion of God look upwards to the illimiout the principle of devoting the first table space of heaven, their idea of God's of every thing to God, this city, the first infinite character being thereby exalted. captured by Israel, was given up to him as a devoted city. garment-as Babylon in after years became justly celebrated for its superior textures; so now the plain of Shinar. where Babylon afterwards stood, appears to have acquired a reputation for the manufacture of costly robes. silver-gold-they that will be rich fall into a temptation and a snare; for the love of money is the root of all evil 1 Tim. vi. 9,10. No covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of God.' Ephes. v. 5. 'Covetousness is idolatry. Col. iii. 5. discomfited-though the number slain was small compared with the vast multitude of Israel, yet this repulse afforded evidence of the withdrawal of the Divine protection. environ-surround; enclose. of the True God was sustained only by name-believing that the knowledge the Israelites as a nation, Joshua contemplated their extinction as fatal to the interests of true religion, and to the fulfilment of the promises made to their fathers. discovery-this was by lot, a mode of deciding doubtful matters much resorted to in former times; the opinion being that God would cause the lot to fall on the guilty. Solomon says, "the lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord." blessings-for obedience. old shoes-though the Gibeonites had asses, yet, as eastern travellers walk before the ark was the emblem of most of their journey alongside the |