Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Joshua
Book: Joshua
Chapter: 8
Overview:
God encourages
Joshua.
(1,2) The taking of
Ai.
(3-22) The
Destruction of
Ai and its
King.
(23-29) The
Law read
On Ebal and
Gerizim.
(30-35)
1,2 When we have faithfully
Put away
Sin, that accursed thing
which separates between us and
God, then, and not till then, we
may look to hear from
God to our comfort; and
God's directing us
how to go
On in our
Christian work and warfare, is a good
evidence of his being reconciled to us.
God encouraged
Joshua to
proceed. At
Ai the spoil was not to be destroyed as at
Jericho,
therefore there was
No danger of the people's committing such a
trespass.
Achan, who caught at forbidden spoil, lost that, and
Life, and all; but the
Rest of the people, who kept themselves
from the accursed thing, were quickly rewarded for their
obedience. The way to have the comfort of what
God allows us,
is, to keep from what he forbids us.
No Man shall lose
By
self-denial.
3-22 Observe
Joshua's conduct and prudence. Those that would
maintain their spiritual conflicts must not
Love their ease.
Probably he went into the
Valley alone, to pray to
God for a
blessing, and he did not seek in vain. He never drew back till
the work was done. Those that have stretched out their hands
against their spiritual enemies, must never draw them back.
23-29 God, the righteous
Judge, had sentenced the
Canaanites
for their wickedness; the Israelites only executed his doom.
None of their conduct can be drawn into an
Example for others.
Especial reason
No doubt there was for this severity to the
King
of
Ai; it is likely he had been notoriously wicked and vile, and
a blasphemer of the
God of
Israel.
30-35 As soon as
Joshua got to the mountains
Ebal and
Gerizim,
without delay, and without caring for the unsettled state of
Israel, or their enemies, he confirmed the
Covenant of the
Lord
with his people, as appointed, De 11; 27. We must not think to
defer covenanting with
God till we are settled in the world; nor
must any business
Put us from minding and pursuing the one thing
needful. The way to prosper is to begin with
God, Mt 6:33.
They built an
Altar, and offered
Sacrifice to
God, in token of
their dedicating themselves to
God, as living sacrifices to his
honour, in and
By a
Mediator.
By Christ's
Sacrifice of himself
for us, we have peace with
God. It is a great
Mercy to any
people to have the
Law of
God in
Writing, and it is fit that the
written
Law should be in a known tongue, that it may be seen and
read of all men.