The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 95 – Section 97
SECT. XCV.
THe next morning after this preparation they removed from Shittim, and marched near to the River Jordan, and there Encamped that night. Joſhua commands them to ſanctifie and prepare themſelves, by bringing their hearts into an holy frame, that with reverence they might obſerve the great things God would do for them the next day. He alſo gave Orders to the people that when they ſaw the Ark of the Covenant (born by the Prieſts) to remove, they ſhould then prepare to follow it, but yet ſo as there ſhould be a ſpace of about 2000 Cubits interpos'd between it and them, to teach them to fear the Lord their God, of whoſe preſence among them the Ark was a ſign, and that the Lord by the Ark that went before them might ſhew them a ſafe way for them to go in, before they ſet one foot in the Channel; and intimates to them they needed this Guidance, having never paſſed this way before.
Now the Lord tells Joſhua, That He would that day magnifie him in the ſight of all Iſrael, that they might know that He was with him as He was with Moſes. Joſhua then commanded the Prieſts to take up the Ark, and when they came to the brink of the waters of Jordan, they ſhould make a little ſtand upon their firſt ſetting their feet into the waters which then overflowed*By reaſon probably of the melting of the Snow from the neighbouring Mountains. the Banks, verſ. 15. (it being the time of Barley-Harveſt, (g)'Tis very obſervable that the Lord brought his people into Canaan in Harveſt-time, when the Land was ready furniſhed with the Fruits of the Earth, that were to be for their proviſion and ſtore the following year.which in that Country was in the month Abib,) namely, till of the Lord had miraculouſly divided the waters, and opened a paſſage for them, and the people to go thorow. Then Joſhua call'd the people together, and ſaid to them, Hereby ye ſhall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Nations that now poſſeſs this Land of Canaan; behold the Ark of the Covenant, even the Ark of the Lord of all the Earth paſſeth over before you into Jordan. And take ye twelve men out of the Tribes of Iſrael, out of every Tribe a man, that they may go along with the Prieſts, and may be preſent and Eye-witneſſes of this miraculous Work of Gods dividing the River of Jordan. For as ſoon as the ſoles of the Prieſts feet (that bear the Ark) ſhall reſt in the waters of Jordan, the waters that are above ſhall ſtand upon an heap, firm as a wall, ſwelling continually and riſing higher and higher, even as far backward (h)Pſal. 114.5. What aileth thee, O Jordan, that thou art driven back?as from the City Adam, that is beſides Zaretan unto the place where you are to paſs over. And by reaſon of the ſucceſſive coming down of the waters from above, and their ſtay in that place, you will diſcern that they were bounded and barred up by the Almighty Power of God. And as for the waters below, according to their ordinary courſe, they ſhall paſs away, and run towards the Dead-Sea, and ſo ſhall fail, being cut off as it were from, and not ſupplied by the waters from above. And accordingly it came to paſs, as Joſhua foretold them. And on the tenth day of the firſt month the Iſraelites by the leading of Joſhua (a Type of Jeſus Chriſt) went up out of the River of Jordan into the promiſed Land of Canaan (a Type of Heaven.) In this paſſage the people haſted and paſſed over immediately to the other ſide, right againſt Jericho. But the Prieſts (that bare the Ark) ſtood firm on dry ground in the midſt of Jordan, till all the people were paſſed over; which commends the ſtrength of their Faith, Patience, and Obedience, in that they ſtirred not till Joſhua call'd them to come up out of the River, notwithſtanding the dreadful ſight of thoſe hideous Mountains of water which were every minute ready to overwhelm them, unleſs they had been miraculouſly ſtayed by the Hand of God. When the people were all paſſed over, Joſhua, by Gods direction, appoints the twelve men (before mentioned, verſ. 12.) to take out of the River of Jordan (where the Prieſts feet ſtood) twelve great ſtones, and carrying them upon their Shoulders to Gilgal (where they were to Incamp that night) there to ſet them up in that place. He alſo ordered twelve great ſtones to be ſet up in the midſt of Jordan where the Prieſts ſtood, which poſſibly at a low Ebb might be ſeen afterwards on the Shore. Both theſe were to be a Monument to the Children of Iſrael, that when their Children in after-times ſhould ask their Fathers the meaning of them, they ſhould tell them, Theſe were a Memorial of this great Miracle which the Lord was pleaſed to work, when he divided Jordan before the Ark, that the twelve Tribes might paſs over. And they ſhould ſay to them, The Lord dried up the waters of Jordan before you, verſ. 23. until ye were paſſed over, as the Lord did formerly at the Red-Sea; that is, in as much as he did it for your Anceſtors he did it for you, who were then in their Loins. And He did it that all the Earth might know his Almighty Power, and that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever. Thus as Moſes had commanded Joſhua to ſee that all things ſhould be done according to the direction of the Lord, ſo Joſhua in this their paſſage over Jordan did all things as the Lord commanded. The Children of Reuben and Gad and the half-Tribe of Manaſſeh paſſed over armed before the Children of Iſrael as they had promiſed Moſes they would do, Numb. 32.27. About forty thouſand of them ready armed for battel paſſed over, which were but few more than one third part of their military men, ſee Numb. 26.7, 18, 34. The reſt ſtayed behind to defend their Wives and Children, and to look to their Cattel. In that day the Lord magnified Joſhua in the ſight of all Iſrael, and they feared and reverenc'd him as they did Moſes all the days of his life. All theſe things being done, Joſhua commanded the Prieſts (that bare the Ark) to come up out of Jordan, which as ſoon as they had done, the waters that were before reſtrain'd and kept back by the power of God, flowed down according to their ordinary courſe, and at laſt flowed over all the Banks as they did before. When the Kings of the Amorites and Canaanites heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan for the Children of Iſrael to paſs over, their hearts fainted, neither was there any more ſpirit or courage in them.
Joſhua, Ch. 3. whole Chapter.
Joſhua, Ch. 4. whole Chapter, and Ch. 5. v. 1.
SECT. XCVI.
THe next day Joſhua is commanded by God to renew the uſe of Circumciſion, which had been forborn and intermitted theſe forty years laſt paſt, and to Circumciſe (i)Senſus eſt, revoca conſuetudinem circumcidendi longo tempore in deſerto intermiſſum. Non jubetur idem homo iterum circumcidi, ſed idem populus.thoſe that were born in their Travels thorow the Wilderneſs, who had not been hitherto circumciſed. And the Reaſons why it was now injoyned (as we may ſuppoſe) were theſe: 1. That this might ſignifie to them that it was by vertue of that Covenant which God had made with their Fathers (whereof Circumciſion was an outward Seal) that they were now put into the poſſeſſion of the Land of Canaan. 2ly, That they might more couragiouſly Encounter the Canaanites, having upon them this Badge of their Adoption. 3ly, Becauſe on the fourteenth day of this month at even they were to eat the Paſsover, of which none might eat that were not circumciſed, Exod. 12.48. 4ly, When they came into the Land of Canaan they were to obſerve all the Precepts of the Ceremonial Law, [Deut. 12.8, 9, 10.] and therefore this of Circumciſion among the reſt. 5ly, Circumciſion was now injoyn'd them, that hereby God might make trial of their Faith and Obedience. And indeed a very hard trial it was, if we conſider that thoſe that were the very flower and ſtrength of their Armies were now to be circumciſed, (viz. all that were under forty years of age) and when they lay ſore, how eaſie had it been for their Enemies to have overcome them, as may appear from the ſlaughter Simeon and Levi made upon the Sechemites, when they lay in the ſame condition, Gen. 34.25, 26. So that nothing could be more dangerous in the eye of reaſon than that which God now injoyn'd them. But thus God was pleaſed to try their Faith, viz. whither in confidence of his Protection they would do what he injoyn'd them, though it ſeem'd in it ſelf ſo exceeding perillous. Joſhua therefore in Obedience to Gods Command, and for theſe Reaſons before-mentioned, renewed now this Sacrament of Circumciſion, and 'tis probable that all that were before circumciſed were imployed in this Service, that it might be the ſooner diſpatched; and ſo the place where this was done was upon this occaſion call'd the Hill of Fore-skins, becauſe there they did caſt away or bury the Fore-skins of thoſe that were that day circumciſed. The Iſraelites thus circumciſed abode in their places in the Camp till they were whole, no Enemy attempting any thing againſt them, or once offering to moleſt them; no not ſo much as to ſcare them, or put them in any fright. This being done, the Lord ſaid to Joſhua, This day have I rolled away from you the Reproach of Egypt; as if he ſhould have ſaid, Had theſe Iſraelites continued in their Ʋncircumciſion, they would rather have ſeemed to be uncircumciſed Egyptians than the Iſrael of God, but now being circumciſed, this Reproach of Egypt is rolled away from them, [ſee 1 Sam. 17.26. Gen. 34.14.]
Joſh. Ch. 5. from 1. to 10.
SECT. XCVII.
UPon the fourteenth day of this firſt month in the evening the Iſraelites celebrated their firſt Paſsover *Which was likewiſe intermitted in the Wilderneſs, ſaving only the ſecond year, ſee Numb. 9.1, 2.in the Land of Canaan, and on the morrow after did eat both unleavened Cakes of the old Corn, and parched Corn of the new, even the very ſame day whereon the Sheaf of the firſt-fruits of their Harveſt was offered to the Lord; after the offering whereof they might lawfully eat of the new Corn, and not till then. And Manna ceaſed the very day after they began to eat of the Fruits of the Land, ſo that after that they ſaw it no more. By which it was evident to them, that Manna came not all that time they had injoyed it, from any natural Cauſe in the Clouds, but was provided for them in an extraordinary way by the Almighty Power of God.
Joſh. Ch. 5. verſ. 10, 11, 12.