The Expositor's Bible: The Book of JoshuaBlaikie, William Garden
Religion
The Expositor's Bible: The Book of Joshua
Blaikie, William Garden
Bible. Joshua -- Commentaries
The other statement relates to the Anakim. Sometime, not precisely
defined, while engaged in his conflicts Joshua "cut off the Anakims
from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all
the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel," leaving
none of them except in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod (xi. 21).
Afterwards it is said (xv. 14) that it was Caleb that drove from
Hebron the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai; but this
cannot be counted a contradiction inasmuch as "Joshua," being the
leader of the army, must be held to represent and include all who
fought in connection with his enterprise. These Anakim were the men
that had so terrified the ten spies. "And there we saw the giants, the
sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight
as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight" (Num. xiii. 33). To
men of little faith, giants, whether physical or moral, are always
formidable. Kings, with the resources of an empire at their back;
generals, at the head of mighty battalions; intellectual chiefs, with
all their talent and brilliancy, their wit, their irony, their power
to make the worse appear the better reason, are more than a match for
the obscure handfuls to whom the battles of the faith are often left.
But if the obscure handfuls are allied with the Lord of hosts, their
victory is sure; the triumphant experience of the forty-sixth psalm
awaits them: "God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God
shall help her, and that right early."
We are weary of the din of arms, and come at last to the refreshing
statement: "And the land rested from war." The annals of peace are
always more brief than the records of war; and when we reach this
short but welcome clause we might wish that it were so expanded as to
fill our eyes and our hearts with the blessings which peace scatters
with her kindly hand. For that impression we need only to turn to
another page of our Bible, and read of the campaigns of another
Joshua. "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their
synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all
manner of sickness, and all manner of disease among the people." The
contrast is very glorious. In His Galilee journeys, Jesus traversed
the very region where Joshua had drawn his sword against the
confederate kings. Joshua had pursued them as far as Zidon, leaving
marks of bloodshed along the whole way; Jesus, when "He departed to
the coasts of Tyre and Sidon," went to reward faith, to dispossess
devils, and to kindle in a desolate heart thanksgiving and joy.
Everywhere, throughout all Galilee and the regions beyond, His advent
was accompanied with benedictions, and blessings were scattered by Him
in His path.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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