I include in one view all these verses, for the sake of shortness, and because, as they refer to the history of the Patriarchs, already gone through in the Commentary, it would be unnecessary to swell the page again with the relation. The Reader can, if he pleases, refer to the subjects, in their respective places. But I would have the Reader remark with me, in addition to what was there said of the conjurer Balaam, that here it seems somewhat more plain, that this wretched man would, for the sake of gain, have cursed Israel, though he knew the Lord had promised to bless them, had not the Lord restrained him, and overruled his mind to do the very reverse of what he intended. And Reader! do you not believe that the Lord is doing the same for his people very frequently now? When a man ' s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. Proverbs 16:7. On the subject of putting away the false gods from among them, which is again repeated, verse 23, it should seem that there were some of the people which had images by them, though they might not worship them. But as the Lord is jealous of his honour and glory, even the figure of an idol is an abomination. But Reader! if to our fathers in the old church the very mention of idols, or the keeping any representation of them, became so offensive, in the divine eye, what think you must be the indignation of our God, if we hold in our heart a kind of rivalship with God, in making our prayers and our services a part-Savior with Jesus? Shall I not put away all idols in any supposed goodness and righteousness of my own, and learn here from that Jesus alone is my Savior, in whose righteousness his people are accepted? Ephesians 1:6.
Joshua 24:4-13
4 And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
5 I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.
6 And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea.
7 And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.
8 And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you.
9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you:
10 But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand.
11 And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand.
12 And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.
13 And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.