AN
EXPOSITION,
W I T H P R A C T I C A L O B S E R V A T I O N
S,
OF THE BOOK OF
J U D G E S
This is called 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 other nations. The LXX. entitles it only
Kritai,
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 299 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 Jephtha of Manasseh six, to
Ibzan of Judah seven, to Elon of Zebulun ten, to Abdon of Ephraim eight, to
Samson of Dan twenty, in all 299. As for the years of their servitude, as were
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 centred in Judah. Eli and
Samuel, the two judges that fall 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. xvi. And
then in the last five chapters we have an account of some particular memorable
events which happened, as the story of Ruth did (Ruth i. 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 would
be, 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 nowhere 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. iv. 4. V. During the government of the
judges, God was in a more especial manner Israel's king; so Samuel tells them
when they were resolved to throw off this form of government, 1 Sam. xii. 12.
God would try what his own law and the constitutions of that would do to keep
them in order, and it proved that when there was no king in Israel every
man did that which was right in his own eyes; he therefore, towards the
latter end of this time, made the government of the judges more constant and
universal that it was at first, and at length gave them David, a king after
his own heart; then, and not till then, Israel began to flourish, which should
make us very thankful for magistrates both supreme and subordinate, for they
are ministers of God unto us for good. Four of the judges of Israel are
canonized (Heb. xi. 32), Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephtha. The Learned
bishop Patrick thinks the prophet Samuel was the penman of this Book.
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