The Good Subject's Wish

The Good Subject's Wish. Or, The Desirableness of the Divine Presence with Civil Rulers.

—Only the LORD thy GOD be with thee, as He was with Moses.

THIS Book contains the history of Joshua's Reign & Government, whom, after the Death of Moses, God made Chief Captain of Israel, to conduct them into the Land of Canaan, at once to fulfil the many Promises made to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob, that their Seed shou'd inherit the Land of the Canaanites, and to Execute the Curse on Canaan, which Noah by a Prophetick Spirit uttered against him, on occasion of Ham's imprudence, irreverence and impudence, in discovering his p. 2Father's Nakedness: Gen. 9 26. Blessed be the Lord God of Shem, and Canaan shall be his Servant.

And in this Chapter we shall Observe,

1. That Joshua is Divinely called to the Government. Moses the Servant of the Lord was dead, and God appoints Joshua to stand up in his stead, and Lead His People over Jordan; and encourages him with gracious Promises of Assistance & Success, from the 1st. to the 10th. Verse. It is God's work to give Rulers to a People. This Promotion comes neither from the East nor from the West, nor from the South; but God is the Judge, and He setteth up whomsoever He will, Psal. 75. 6, 7.

2. Joshua accepts the Government, and addresses himself to the Business of it, giving the needful Orders to all the Officers, from the 10th. to the 16th. Verse. Whatever humble apprehensions Joshua (tho' a very worthy man) might have of the Disparity between himself and Moses, his so great a Predecessor, and of the Difficulty he might meet with in Managing so rough a People, as he knew they had been, yet GOD's Call must silence all Objections; and the Promise of the Divine Presence was enough to animate him with Courage chearfully to enter upon the great Work.

p. 33. The People agree to it: Joshua shall be their Chief and Head; and virtually at least take an Oath of Fidelity to him. And whom should they Serve, but him whom the LORD had Chosen to go before them? And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do, & whithersoever thou sendest us we will go: According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee; Only the Lord thy God be with thee, as He was with Moses. This Answer was made to Joshua, not only by the Reubenites & Gadites and half-Tribe of Manasseh, to whom Moses had last of all directed his Speech, but all the Rulers of the People to whom he first gave Commandment, V. 10. In their own behalf and in behalf of all the People, p. 3(1) Promise him Obedience, both as Subjects and Souldiers. All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us we will go. And lest Joshua should fear that his Interest in their Affections was too small and that their Subjection to him would be but cool and indifferent, to remove this Suspicion they amplify their Promise & tell him, That as they hearkened in all things unto Moses, so they would likewise hearken unto him. They had no great cause to glory in the goodness of their Behaviour under and p. 4toward Moses. They had sufficiently made known their Rebellious Spirit and Stiff-neck to him, Deut. 31. 27. But altho, the Generation that were brought up in Egypt and fell in the Wilderness, were stubborn & froward, yet their Children that were brought up in the Wilderness under Moses, and now made the Promise to Joshua might have been better Behaved [Vid. Henry in Loc.] . A good Government hath a mighty influence into the Manners & Behaviour of men: And it is a great advantage to be Educated under able and pious Guides. These Israelites, that were brought up under Moses, carried themselves well, both under him and under Joshua.

(2) They assist Joshua with their good Wishes in his great Undertaking. Only the Lord thy God be with thee as He was with Moses. They don't make it a condition of their Obedience; nor say, They will be no longer Subject to him than he shall be Prosperous. They knew Joshua well and don't seem to have laboured under a fear of his Provoking God to forsake him, or of God's failing to make good His Promise to Joshua. Ver. 5. As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee, I will not leave thee nor forsake thee. They only pray it might be unto Joshua according to p. 5God's Word; and tacitly Exhort him to keep himself in a capacity of God's continual Assistance.

[1.] They gratefully acknowledge the Blessing they had in Moses: That he was a man that had much of the Presence of God with him in his Publick Administrations; and therefore their Obedience unto him was not Unmerited. They express their Piety to GOD, & their Regards to Moses. They ascribe the Glory of all the great things done for them by the hand of Moses, unto GOD. It was His Presence with Moses which was the chief Cause of all the many worthy Deeds that had been done for them, by him; And they remember Moses as a Man greatly owned of GOD in his Place and favoured much with the Divine Presence in his Conduct.

p. 5[2] They put Respect upon Joshua, wishing the blessing of his Predecessor might come upon him: As they purposed to pay the like Obedience to him which they gave to Moses. They had changed their Ruler, but were concerned that they might not lose that which had been the beauty and the strength of their Government, viz the Presence of GOD with their Ruler: and therefore pray that the Spirit of Moses might rest in a double portion upon Joshua, and that the same GOD that p. 6had helped Moses all his Days, would carry Joshua well through all his Work.