Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 2.djvu/106

102 died, it went to decay, so much oftentimes does one head hold up: how well is it for the gospel church, that Christ, our Joshua, is still with it, by his Spirit, and will be always, even unto the end of the world!

This is called in the Hebrew Shepher Shophtim, the Book of Judges, which the Syriac and Arabic versions enlarge upon, and call it, The Book of the Judges of the children of Israel; the judgments of that nation being peculiar, so were their judges, whose office differed vastly from that of the Judges of our nations. The LXX entitle it only, Judges. It is the history of the commonwealth of Israel, during the government of the Judges from Othniel to Eli; so much of it as God saw fit to transmit to us. It contains the history (according to Dr. Lightfoot's computation) of two hundred and ninety-nine years; reckoning to Othniel of Judah, forty years; to Ehud of Benjamin, eighty years; to Barak of Naphtali, forty years; to Gideon of Manasseh, forty years; to Abimelech his son, three years; to Tola of Issachar, twenty-three; to Jair of Manasseh, twenty-two; to Jephthah of Manasseh, six; to Ibzan of Judah, seven; to Elon of Zebulon, ten; to Abdon of Ephraim, eight; to Samson of Dan, twenty; in all two hundred and ninety-nine. As for the years of their servitude, as where Eglon is said to oppress them eighteen years, and Jabin twenty years, and so some others, those must be reckoned to fall in with some or other of the years of the Judges. The judges here appear to have been of eight several tribes; that honour was thus diffused, until at last it centered in Judah. Eli and Samuel, the two Judges that fell not within this book, were of Levi. It seems, there was no Judge of Reuben or Simeon, Gad or Asher. The history of these Judges in their order we have in this book, to the end of ch. 16. And then in the five last chapters we have an account of some particular memorable events which happened, as the story of Ruth did, (Ruth 1. 1.) in the days when the Judges ruled, but it is not certain in which Judge's days; but they are put together at the end of the book, that the thread of the general history might not be interrupted. Now as to the state of the commonwealth of Israel during this period.

I. They do not appear here either so great or so good as one might have expected the character of such a peculiar people should have been; that were governed by such laws, and enriched by such promises. We find them wretchedly corrupted and wretchedly oppressed, by their neighbours about them, and no where in all the book, either in war or council, do they make any figure proportionable to their glorious entry into Canaan. What shall we say to it? God would hereby show us the lamentable imperfection of all persons and things under the sun, that we may look for complete holiness and happiness in the other world, and not in this. Yet,

II. We may hope that though the historian in this book enlarges most upon their provocations and grievances, yet there was a face of religion upon the land; and however there were those among them, that were drawn aside to idolatry, yet the tabernacle-service, according to the law of Moses, was kept up, and there were many that attended it. Historians record not the common course of justice and commerce in a nation, taking that for granted, but only the wars and disturbances that happen; but the reader must consider the other, to balance the blackness of them.

III. It should seem that in these times each tribe had very much its government in ordinary within itself, and acted separately, without one common head, or council, which occasioned many differences among themselves, and kept them from being or doing any thing considerable.

IV. The government of the Judges was not constant, but occasional, when it is said that after Ehud's victory the land rested eighty years, and after Barak's forty, it is not certain that they lived, much less that they governed, so long; but they and the rest were raised up and animated by the spirit of God to do particular service to the public when there was occasion, to avenge Israel of their enemies, and to purge Israel of their idolatries, which are the two things principally meant by their judging Israel. Yet Deborah, as a prophetess, was attended for judgment by all Israel, before there was occasion for her agency in war, ch. 4. 4.