The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-11-15

One reading these notes should first carefully
study the paragraph from the Holy Scriptures as
Indicated abovel
SUBJECT: JosHUA's FAREWELL ADDRESS AT
SHECHEM
/. Time.
We cannot fix the date of the death Of Joshua
with uuquestionable accuracy. JosePhus a. D.
l, 80 puts the age Of Joshua st the time of the
exodus at As years. The exodus began in the
year 25I3 A. NJ. The age of Joshua at death
was 10 years. (2i 30 Hence he lived So
years beyond the beginning Of the exodus
Adding % to 2513, we get 2575, the year
A. NJ. when Joshua delivered his farewell,
just before his decease. Joshua, %: 1, states
the death of the successor of Moses took
place " a long time after that the Lord had
given rest unto Israel" The "rest" refer
red to is that to which allusion is made in
IL :23 and ID 10. That rest began when Caleb
was So years old. IA: 10l We learn from the
same verse "a: 10) that, when Caleb was s.
years old, 10 years had passed since he was
spy at kadesh- Barnea, and that was after the
exodus had gone on for two years Hence he
was 40 years old at Kadesh- Barnca (14:7) or
38 years old when he left Egypt. The exodus
began IN the year 25I3 A. NJ. and closed In the
year 1858 A. NJ. Adding 2 years to 2513, we
get 25l5 Adding IS years, we have 2553 years.
the date of the close of the 40 years travelling
of the children Of Israel Adding 40 to 2515
50 years old. Q4:7 10.) If we subtract 1858
from 1850, we have years left the time re-
qured from the entry into Canaan to the praC-
teal suhiugation of the idOlatrous inhabitants.
In % /, a long time after" means a long
while after the year 1850 A. NJ. If Joshua
were IS years old at the time of the exodus,
(25I3 A. NJ he lived for G5 years more. pa:
29.) Adding IS to 25I3, and we get 2578, the
year of the farewell and decease of Joshua. At
the time of the rest" (II:23 and ia: 15)
Caleb was 50 years old, and that was IN the
year 1850 A. NJ. SubtraCting 1850 from 2j7S,
and we have 18, the interval between the set
Ting of Canaan by the israelites and the death
OF Joshua, TO wit, the long time " of %: l. We
are carried back in our study 1914 years.
2 W1ere.
The farewell address was delivered at
Shechem. "a: 1, 25) This is the Sychar of
the New Testament. It's Greek name was
Neapolis 1t is also called Nabulous or Nabus.
1t was in the tribe of Ephraim 1t is in val
ley between Mt. Ebal and Mt Gerizm. (3:30-
3d. 1t is 81 miles north of Jerusalem. Joseph's
tomb and Jacobs we'll are near by. In early
days Jacob bought parcel Of ground in that
vicinity. (24 81 Nablus is the Arabic form
for the Greek Neapols. The present name of
the city is Nablus. Shechem is a very ancient
place, its history running back 1000 years
The Emperor Fespatian rebuilt it, naming it
Neap0iis, or the New City. 1t is said that there
are about 5000 inhabitants now in Shechem, Of
whom 500 are Christian, $50 Samaritan and 100
Jewish. 1t is quite noted for the manufacture
OF an extraordinary good quality of cotton
fabrics. One of its staple productions is also
soap, though it is evident the people do not use
the article very freely. Nablus was the birth
place OF Justin Martyr. There is an Episcopal
tChurch of England) church in the city. There
IS also Baptist place of meeting, the pastor
being Rev E. L. Karey, who was born in
Samaria, but educated in England.
3. Speaker.
Oar lesson is q farewell address delivered by
Joshua when he had "waxed old and stricken
in age" (23:1, p He realized that he had not
long to live He was 10 years old. "a: 2g)
For some time be had been retired from active
service, living at Timnath-serah. After the
land of Canaan had been divided up among the
II tribes the children of Israel assented to a
special assignment for Joshua, 10: 49, 1t is
said this was done according to the word of
the Lord" 90: 50.) We have an intimation ia
1876 that not only Caleb, but also Joshua, were
to be specially remembered IN inheritance after
the land of Canaan had been captured. Joshua
was probably consulted, and chose IImnath-
serah. Joshua had been a famous man. He
had right to speak aud every word from him
had great weight. The occasion was very sol
emn aud impressive.
T. Hearers
Joshua could not vocally address the millions
Of Israelites The assembly was doubtless a
representative one. An order had been issued
asking fora gathering of the tribes at Shechem.
From p: we see the elders. heads, judges and
officers are specially mentioned The elders
were probably the Sanhedrim or ruling Jewish
body of 20 most eminent men of the II tribes.
The heads were the more venerable men of
the tribes and families The judges had ruling
power in the more distant parts and smaller
cities. The officers were the assistants of the
judges. These were specially near the speaker.
Mauy others very likely heard the address
And yet we must remember that the human
voice, and that particularly of an aged person,
could not be heard distinctly by many people
8. Subject.
Joshua, though being aged, still felt a pro-
found interest in his people He was anxious
for their future He could but know that what
ever he said would have great weight He
possibly apprehended that his death might
tend to some degree of Generalization among
the Israelites. lie took every precaution to
make sure of the steadfastness and unity and
religious fidelity of his people.
6. Aaalysis of the address.
l. Commandments to the Israelites.
2. Incentives to obedience of the command
ments.
z. Discussion
J. Joshua's commandments to the peopIe
They cover verses IL to 20. Notice the com
mandments. a. Fear the Lord. ". IA Have
such profound respect for God-such conscious
ness of the divine disapproval of sin-that You
will never offend him. b. Serve the Lord in
sincerity and truth. (V. I4.l The service of
God consists, in the sense of the word in v IA.
in external acts which it is possible to perform
mechanically heartessly, hypocriticalIy. Sin
eere service is so essential duty that it is men
toned twice in Y. IA Further, the service
you render must not be divided between God
and any other being. Hence you must not
serve other gods VS.. 10, Is, 20) c. Put away
the gods which your fathers served on the
other side of the food. and in Egypt (V I41
We saw tendency on the part of the Israelites
toward idoatry when they made the golden
calf at Mt. Sinai. The fathers ". I4) proper
of the IsFaelites were Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob. Abraham lived on the east side of the
Euphrates which is called the flood, (Vs. IL,
u.s.; CT. VS.. ?, 81 where the people serve other
gods. ~ 2; Gen., 81 :19.) 1t is evident, too,
that in Egypt they did not wholly escape the
influence of idolatFy. (Eze., 20 6-S, 49, Then
in the land of Canaan, where the Amorites
lived and where the Israelites were in our les
son, idolatry was very prevalent. With an in
clination toward serving other gods, and with
a constant temptation before them, Joshua
feared for his people, and gave them a special
charge to serve only God-to exclude from
worship all invented gods, and confine them
selves entirely and ALWAYS n JahnUob \