IDLENESS, COVETOUSNESS, etc. "So it goes also with many an insincere combatant in the kingdom of God, that they would fain have many spiritual gifts, but without a strife." [Lange.]

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Many wish for larger possessions, who do not cultivate and make the best of what they have. They think they should have more talents given them, and do not trade with those with which they are intrusted. Most people's poverty is the effect of their idleness; would they dig, they need not beg." [Henry.]

"That is the way with the covetous man, that the more he has, the more he desires to have, and cannot but grudge his neighbour what belongs to him. One should be content with that which God gives. Those who are appointed to the duty of distributing goods and lands, however faithfully they may perform the service, yet commonly get no great thanks therefor." [Starke.]

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE ENCAMPMENT AT SHILOH, AND A FURTHER DIVISION OF THE LAND.

66

CRITICAL NOTES.-1. Shiloh]=" Place of rest," or of "tranquillity;" the word apparently pointing to the fulfilment of the promise in Deut. xii. 5, 9-11. Shiloh is now called Seilun. In Judg. xxi. 19, it is placed on the north side of Bethel, east of the road from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah. The tabernacle of the congregation] Luther tent of the covenant;" Calvin="tabernacle of convention." Prof. Plumtre, remarking that the primary force of ya'al is to meet by appointment," says that ōhel moed means "a place of or for a fixed meeting.' He would therefore translate, "tent of meeting;" to which Crosby adds the idea, "where the meeting is that of God and men, rather than of men together," as in the word for congregation used in the beginning of this verse. With the view of expressing somewhat more fully the idea of meeting to commune with men, made emphatic in such passages as Exod. xxv. 22, Ewald suggested the phrase, "tent of revelation.' And the land was subdued before them] That is, there was nothing to hinder the setting up of the tabernacle, the surrounding district being entirely subjugated. Crosby strangely imagines, from this remark, "that there had been some formidable insurrection of the Canaanites that broke off the division at Gilgal." Possibly there may have been, but it is not mentioned. 4. Three men for each tribe] Probably meaning three men for each of the seven tribes whose inheritance had not yet been apportioned, but possibly including, also, representatives from Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh. According to the inheritance of them] "The phrase, lphi nach'alatham is thus explained by Clericus and Rosenmüller, according to the size of the tribes, each family of which was to receive an inheritance.' To this Masius has properly objected, 'How could the surveyors make such and such a province great or small in proportion to the size of such and such a tribe, when it had still to be decided by the lot, where each tribe was to be located?' L'phî nach'ălâthūm can only mean having regard to the fact that they were to receive it as an inheritance, or, as it is explained in ver. 5, 6, with reference to its being divided into seven parts, which could be allotted as an inheritance to the seven tribes." [Keil.] 5. Judah shall abide, etc.] The three tribes here named were to remain in the positions already chosen for them by the lot. But this did not prevent the subsequent revision of the extent of the lots, which, after the survey, was found to be necessary, when Judah had to make room for both Dan and Simeon. 6. Before the Lord our God] Before the door of the tabernacle, as explained in chap. xix. 51. 9. Described it by cities into seven parts in a book] There is no evidence here, as many have supposed, for a careful survey of the country by actual measurement. Seeing that the Canaanites still held a considerable portion of the land (cf. chap. xiii. 1—6, etc.), such a survey seems highly improbable, if not impossible. Most likely the surveyors merely made catalogues of the cities, arranging them into seven groups, and making such notes of their size, and of the characteristic features and extent of the surrounding country as they were able. In any case, there is nothing in these verses to warrant elaborate speculations about maps, mensuration, and the ancient art of land-surveying. Looking at the usual method of describing the territory of the tribes, first by boundaries or borders, and then by an enumeration of the cities contained within such border-lines, we have in this alone some indication of the character of the work done by these surveyors. On the other hand, there is absolutely no trace of mensuration-no allusion whatever to quantities or size. 10. There Joshua divided the land, etc.] This was in addition to the casting of the lots, mentioned in the first part of this verse. That is to say, Joshua first cast lots to determine which of the seven groups of cities, with their surrounding territory, should go to each of the seven tribes; he then "divided the land" by readjusting the groups of cities themselves, according to the size of the tribe to which any particular group had fallen. A small tribe would have its lot

made smaller, while a numerous tribe would have its lot increased by the cities and lands thus taken from the tribe of fewer people. This would be according to the law of division which God gave through Moses (Numb. xxxiii. 54). 11-20. The lot of the tribe of Benjamin] This, it is said, 66 came up" and "came forth;" both expressions allude to the drawing up or forth from the urn. The borders of Benjamin, described in these verses, have already been partly given in defining the southern border of Ephraim, on the north, and the northern border of Judah, on the south of this tribe. 12, 13. Their border on the north side] Cf. on chap. xvi. 1—3, as far as to the lower Beth-horon. 14. Compassed the corner of the sea southward] Heb.=" turned round on the west side toward the south," or on the sea side," i.e., on that side of the tribe which lay seaward. In the close of this verse, the word yum is rendered "west ;" and as the territory of Benjamin did not go near the sea, the word should obviously have the same meaning here. In Exod. xxvii. 12, xxxviii. 12, where p'ath-yam is used in relation to the court of the tabernacle, it is necessarily translated "on the west side." The sea being on the west of Palestine, yām (=“ the sea") seems frequently to have been used much in the same way that the phrase, "toward the sun-rising," was employed to denote the east. Kirjath-jearim] One of the four cities of the Gibeonites (chap. ix. 17), situated on the northern boundary of Judah (chap. xv. 9), and belonging to that tribe (chap. xv. 60), as stated also in this verse. It afterwards became notable in connection with the Danite encampment, and as the residence for twenty years of the ark of the Lord. 15-19. The south quarter] This corresponds with the north border of Judah, as given in chap. xv. 5-9, excepting that it is here taken from west to east. 21. The cities of the tribe] These are divided into two groups, the first containing twelve cities, and the second fourteen. Some of them have already been noticed. The valley of Keziz] This is said to have been a city," and should therefore be read Emek Keziz. The LXX. Aucкaols. Fay notices that Van de Velde and Knobel refer to "a Wady el-Kariz, east of Jerusalem." 22. Zemaraim] "Earlier witers suppose that it stood upon Mount Zemaraim, one of the mountains of Ephraim, where Abijah besieged Jeroboam (2 Chron. xiii. 4). In that case it must be looked for in the mountains to the south of Bethel." [Keil.] "The Zemarites, once mentioned as a Canaanite tribe (Gen. x. 18), reappear in the local name of Mount Zemaraim in Benjamin, 2 Chron. xiii. 4, and Josh. xviii. 22." [Dean Stanley.] 23. Avim] "Since Avim here follows directly after Bethel, while Ai, which stood near Bethel, is not mentioned, it is natural with Knobel to regard Avim as identical with Ai, which is also called Aiah (Neh. xiii. 11), and Aiath (Isa. x. 23). The signification of all these names is essentially the same: ruins, heaps, stoneheaps (Mic. i. 6; see Gesen.)" [Fay.] Parah] Thought to be Farah, on the Wady Farah, to the west of Jericho. Ophrah] Perhaps the same as Ophrah in 1 Sam. xiii. 17, Ephraim in 2 Chron. xiii. 19, John xi. 54, and now known as Taiyibeh. It must not be confused with Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites, which was probably in Manasseh. 24. Chephar-haammonai and Ophni] Both unknown, and not mentioned elsewhere. Gaba] Elsewhere, Geba, "which," says Keil, we must distinguish from Gibeah, or the Gibeah of Saul, which is also sometimes called Geba." (Compare Isa. x. 29, 1 Kings xv. 22, Josh. xxi. 17.) In Ezra ii. 26, Neh. vii. 30, it is again called Gaba. 25. Ramah]="a lofty place." Now er-Ram. It is frequently mentioned, and its position is clearly indicated by Judges iv. 5, xix. 13, 1 Kings xv. 22. It should be carefully distinguished from Ramah, the birthplace of Samuel, in "Mount Ephraim." Mizpeh] Not the same with the Mizpeh of chap. xv. 38, which stood in the Shephelah. There was also a Mizpeh in Moab (1 Sam. xxii. 3), one in Gad (Judg. xi. 29), and a valley of the same name in the mountains of Lebanon (cf. Gesen., Mizpeh and Mizpah). Mizpeh of Benjamin is where Samuel judged the people (1 Sam. vii. 5, 6, 16), and where Saul was chosen king (1 Sam. x. 17). It is almost certainly the present Neby Samwil. Chephirah] Cf. chap. ix. 3. The four cities which follow are unknown, and are only named in this place. 28. Zelah] Mentioned in 2 Sam. xxi. 14 as containing the sepulchre of Kish, where the remains of Saul and Jonathan were ultimately buried. Gibeath] "The Gibea of Benjamin or Saul, so frequently referred to, which is still to be seen in the village of Jeba, between the Wady es-Suweinit and the Wady Fârah [Keil.] Kirjath] Rosenmüller and Maurer, according to Keil, identified this place with Kirjath-jearim. Smith's Dictionary also adopts this view to the extent of saying that "there seems a strong probability that the latter part of the name has been omitted by copyists at some very early period." Keil's remark, however, seems decisive: "Von Raumer has properly opposed this conclusion, since Kirjath-jearim is not merely reckoned as one of the cities of Judah in chap. xv. 60, but in chap. xviii. 14 is expressly called the city of the children of Judah." Knobel supposes that Kirjath may be Kerteh, west of Jerusalem, while Crosby mentions Khirbet el-Kuta, near Gibeah.

OUTLINES AND COMMENTS ON THE PARAGRAPHS.

Verse 1.-THE ARK FINDING A RESTING-PLACE IN 66 THE PLACE OF REST."

There can be little doubt but that the instruction to set up the tabernacle at Shiloh came from Jehovah Himself. This might be sufficiently clear from Deut. xii. 5 and xxvi. 2, but it is made still more plain by the same words in Josh. ix. 27. Not only Moses, but Joshua also, recognised it as the Divine will that the Lord

Himself should choose the place in which He would put His name.

God would

have the tabernacle more permanently erected before the division of the land was completed; He would also have it set up at Shiloh, and thus make His restingplace, and the place where Israel should find rest spiritually, in a city whose very name was "rest" or "tranquillity."

I. The time of setting up the ark. 1. It was after a long period of wandering. The stay in Egypt had been only "a sojourn." To that long sojourn had succeeded the forty years' wandering in the wilderness. Finally, to the wanderings in the wilderness there had been added seven years of marching and counter-marching over the land of Canaan itself. How grateful to many must have been this act of setting up the tabernacle at Shiloh! It was the initial step towards having a fixed home for themselves. 2. It was after severe and prolonged conflict. The strife which began at the overthrow of Sihon and Og, which took on new features at the fall of Jericho, and which, for the time being, was consummated in the destruction of the hosts of Jabin and the cities of northern Canaan, had been an arduous and bitter work. Many of the Israelites themselves may have fallen, although the history is singularly silent on this point, excepting that we are told, in connection with the defeat before Ai, that "the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men." Any way, the setting up of the tabernacle must have been looked upon as indicating a blessed rest from the terrible conflicts of the past. The rest was not final and permanent, for there remained yet very much land to be possessed; yet, in the main, Canaan was won when the ark was thus set up at Shiloh. Such is the sense of rest when Christ is enthroned in the hearts of men individually. The peace which He gives stands in sweet contrast to the strife of the conscience with sin and unbelief. To believe in Him is not utter cessation from conflict, but it is the beginning of such a cessation to every man who is found faithful. 3. It was as the Israelites were about to enter upon their own personal inheritance. Ere most of them found a home, they set up together the tabernacle of the Lord. The way with many is to arrange business and domestic matters first, and to take afterwards, as they may find it, the religious provision of the neighbourhood in which they may have determined to settle. When starting, or starting afresh in life, they give no place whatever to religious considerations. Many ignore their spiritual wants altogether, even when they find nigh at hand facilities for the worship and service of God. There are not a few who might learn much from this ancient example.

II. The place of setting up the ark. 1. It was nearly in the centre of the land. It was as though Divine forethought would place the means of worship within reach of all the people, and render the service of the Lord as little burdensome as possible. Of Israel it should be said, "God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved." 2. It was in one of the safest parts of the land. "And," or "For the land was subdued before them." Calvin remarks that the ark was stationed at Shiloh "because it was a completely subjugated place, and safe from all external violence and injury. For it behoved to be the special care of the Israelites to prevent its exposure to sudden assault. No doubt the hand of God would have been stretched out to ward off attacks of the enemy from any quarter; still, however, though God dwelt among them, they were to be regarded as its guardians and attendants." As God kept the ark, so does He keep His truth and the honour of His name among men now. He means us to feel them to be our trust. As with the ark, God keeps the truth, but He keeps it by men. We are to feel responsible for making it as secure as possible. We are "put in trust with the gospel." 3. It was in what also became the place of judgment. Here the claims of the wronged were heard. They can be heard nowhere so well as in the presence of the God of compassion and truth. Of the place where the Lord dwells, it should ever be said, "There are set thrones of judgment." (Cf. also Deut. xvii. 9 ; 2 Chron. xix. 8.)

III. The time and place of setting up the ark, in their joint significance.

After a long period of wandering and warfare, the ark was set up in a place, the very name of which pointed to tranquillity and rest. As this is the first time that Shiloh is mentioned in the Scriptures as the name of a city, it is possible that the name may have been given to the place on this occasion. This makes no difference to the significance of erecting the ark of rest in the city of rest. If the place was selected because it had previously borne this name, the circumstance is full of meaning; if, on the other hand, when it was determined to set up the tabernacle in this place, some old name was exchanged for the word "Shiloh," the significance of such a conjunction is, perhaps, still more emphatic. 1. God dwells only where men rest. He makes His abode where men are at peace with Himself and at peace with each other. Where men rest in Him, there He tabernacles. 2. Men rest only where God dwells. There was only one Shiloh in Israel, and that was found in the place where Jehovah sat between the cherubim. With us, the accidents of description are changed, but the facts remain. Peace is only found through Him who said, "My peace I leave with you;" and where Christ dwells, surrounding enemies are not able to break the peace of His people. It is said that in the catacombs of Rome, one of the epitaphs very frequently met with is this, "In Christo, in pace." Notwithstanding all the horrors of the Roman persecution, it remained true-" in Christ, in peace." It has always been thus: God dwells where men rest, and men rest where God dwells. "In Salem" (= "peace") "is His tabernacle ;" and it is there that His people learn to sing, "Oh, rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him."

IV. The period of the ark's continuance at Shiloh, and the cause of its removal. The ark probably remained at Shiloh for rather more than three hundred years. At the end of this period the place was so polluted by the sins of Eli's sons, that the Lord forsook it for ever. Though not in name, yet no less actually, Shiloh passed into Ichabod. Dean Stanley remarks: "Shiloh is so utterly featureless, that, had it not been for the preservation of its name (Seilun), and for the extreme precision with which its situation is described in the book of Judges (chap. xxi. 19), the spot could never have been identified; and, indeed, from the time of Jerome till the year 1838, its real site was completely forgotten, and its name was transferred to that commanding height of Gibeon, which a later age naturally conceived to be a more congenial spot for the sacred place, where for so many centuries was the tent which He had pitched among men,'

'Our living Dread, who dwells

In Silo, His bright sanctuary.""

So complete was the desolation which God wrought, when Israel abandoned those essential conditions of piety which were necessary for His dwelling-place. Only they who walk with God in spirit, find God abiding with them. Sin, of any kind, is the sign for His departure. It may be sin of irreverence, impurity, and covetous injustice, as at Shiloh; or, as at Jerusalem in after generations, men may stand in haughty ecclesiastical pride, and cry, "The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these;" finding presently that they have only the temple, and no Lord at all, excepting one who jealously responds, "Go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. . . . Therefore will I do to this house as I have done to Shiloh" (cf. Jer. vii.). Only they who keep the words of the Father, know the abiding presence of the Father (John xiv. 23). All others He forsakes. Even many years of past mercy and manifested glory fail to secure His continued stay. When His people ignore His commandments, where He once wrote "Shiloh," He henceforth writes "Ichabod."

Verse 1, with Numb. x. 33, and Josh. vi. 6-7.-"THE ARK: GOD OUR GUIDE, DEFENce, and Rest."

I. "Is human life a journey? Place it under the guidance of God. Let the

to search you out a place to pitch your tents in.' That

Lord God go
before you
is the significance of the scene at Sinai.

II. "Is human life a conflict? Let the Lord God be your sword and shield. He hath provided an armour all complete, from head to foot, and offers Himself to you as the Captain of your salvation.' That is the significance of the scene

at Jericho.

III. "Is human life a sojourn? Let the Lord God prescribe where it shall be spent, and let His rest give the appointed home all purity and peace. That is the significance of the scene at Shiloh.

"How holy must that house be which the Lord hath chosen for me! As I cross its threshold, nothing unclean is to enter; as I depart from it for duty, nothing sinful is to fill my spirit. That house that is purchased by the price of iniquity is not allotted by the Lord. That house that is the scene of lust, of selfishness, of unkindness, is held by a man who has clean forgotten whose tenant he is. That house that is the abode of disorder and strife violates all the covenants on which it is held. But that house that has its altar and its Bible, by which each inmate is ever reminded of the Lord before whom its lot of assignment was taken, is a house that will ever derive peace, rest, and strength from the tabernacle of the Lord at Shiloh. These houses are hard by each other; their inmates are no strangers to each other. Man goes to the Lord's house, and the Lord goes to man's house man with his homage, and penitence, and trust, and prayer, the Lord with His benediction in all manifold grace." [G. B. Johnson, Edgbaston.]

Verse 3.-MAN'S SLOWNESS IN POSSESSING GOD'S GIFTS.

1. God's commandments as a rich inheritance. The Israelites had been solemnly charged to go up and possess the land, and to drive out the Canaanites utterly. Both Moses and Joshua had repeatedly urged this as the commandment of the Lord. Thus, in this case, to obey the Divine precepts was also to enter upon a rich inheritance. It is ever the same with all who are faithful to the words of God. To obey is to inherit. To obey continually is to inherit largely. Some of the commandments of God are of a negative character, while others are positive; some tell us of things which we must not do, and others of things which we are to do. Look at the effect of obedience in each case. 1. Such coramandments as forbid sins tend to preserve us from moral and spiritual destitution. He who does the things which he ought not to do hastens to spiritual bankruptcy at a pace proportionate to the rapidity of his transgressions. Take, for instance, the ten commandments of the moral law, which are mostly negative. To have many gods is to be without God altogether. To worship graven images is to find them only graven, and only images, in the hour of real necessity. To take the name of the Lord thoughtlessly upon our lips, is to find that its sacred and mysterious power has fled from our hearts. To violate the day of rest is to need rest all the week. To dishonour parents is to become insolvent in manhood and womanhood. To kill is to die, and that before we so much as lift a hand to slay; for he that hateth is a murderer, and no murderer hath life. To commit adultery is to wrong ourselves even more than others. To steal is to lose more within than we can get without. To slander others is to lose self-respect even more than we shew disrespect. Finally, to covet what is another's is to forfeit the generosity and kindness and peace which might still have remained our own. The man who does that which God forbids is continually forfeiting the very capital which God would have him use so as to gain a larger inheritance. He is living on his principal. He is spending himself. 2. Such commandments as enjoin duties always tend to an increase of possessions. The inheritance which comes from obeying (a) God's commandments to believe; (b) His commandments to be holy; (c) His commandments to worship; (d) His commandments to work (cf. remarks on page 254).