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Chapter XLVI.

THE JUDGES— GEDEON— SAMSON.

[Judg. 6—8; 13—16.]

SO long as that generation of the Israelites lived who had eaten of the manna in the desert, and who had seen the wonders of the Lord wrought for them, both in the wilderness and in the taking of Chanaan, they did not depart from the way of the Lord; but their children, having intermarried^[1] with the pagan nations around them, contrary to the express command of God, began to adore the idols which their wives worshipped. Then the Lord delivered them^[2] into the hands of their enemies.

They afterwards repented and turned again to the Lord their God. In this manner, falling into idolatry and returning again to the worship of the true God, they went on for several generations. Whenever they humbled themselves before God, and showed signs of true repentance, the Lord hastened to their relief. From time to time He raised up among them brave and pious men^[3], who smote the enemy with a strong hand. These men were called Judges^[4]. Amongst them were Barac, Jephte, Samson — who was famous for his great strength — and the pious Samuel.

But the most renowned of all the Judges was Gedeon, the son of a common Israelite, who lived at the time when God had

↑ Intermarried. Josue had expressly warned them (Josue 23, 12 — 13) to avoid intermarriage with heathens as a sure means of their ruin. The heathen nations were not rooted out; for God suffered them to exist in order to prove whether His people were steadfast in faith, and would resist the allurements of the heathen.
↑ Delivered them . God’s will was that the idolaters should be exterminated, that they might be punished for the enormities (such as human sacrifices) of their idolatry. This judgment ought to have been executed by the Israelites, but they proved slothful, and even formed friendships with the heathens, though Josue had expressly warned them not to do so. Then God was angry with His people, and allowed the heathen nations to have dominion over them. They fell in turn under the power of the Moabites who lived to the east of the Dead Sea; of the Madianites who lived in Arabia near the Moabites; and of the Philistines who lived on the coast of the Mediterranean (Fig. 38).
↑ Pious men. Full of the Spirit of God and strong in faith.
↑ Judges. They were so called, firstly, because they executed God's judgments on the heathens, and secondly, because they governed and judged the Israelites according to the law of God. Fifteen Judges, in all, were raised up during the space of three hundred years.

[1] Intermarried. Josue had expressly warned them (Josue 23, 12 — 13) to avoid intermarriage with heathens as a sure means of their ruin. The heathen nations were not rooted out; for God suffered them to exist in order to prove whether His people were steadfast in faith, and would resist the allurements of the heathen.

[2] Delivered them . God’s will was that the idolaters should be exterminated, that they might be punished for the enormities (such as human sacrifices) of their idolatry. This judgment ought to have been executed by the Israelites, but they proved slothful, and even formed friendships with the heathens, though Josue had expressly warned them not to do so. Then God was angry with His people, and allowed the heathen nations to have dominion over them. They fell in turn under the power of the Moabites who lived to the east of the Dead Sea; of the Madianites who lived in Arabia near the Moabites; and of the Philistines who lived on the coast of the Mediterranean (Fig. 38).

[3] Pious men. Full of the Spirit of God and strong in faith.

[4] Judges. They were so called, firstly, because they executed God's judgments on the heathens, and secondly, because they governed and judged the Israelites according to the law of God. Fifteen Judges, in all, were raised up during the space of three hundred years.

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