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TRHCK THROUGH THL BIfiLIL
"By G. CM TIP BELL MORGAN, Westminster Chapel, London, England.
Appearing Ebery Week "During 1907. (Copyright American Serial “Rights applied Tor by The Golden tAge Publishing Co. All Rights Reserbed.)
JUDGES.
I r
A. After Joshua. B. The Judges. C. Appendix.
i.—iii. 6 iii. 7 —xvi. xvii.—xxl.
I. Israel and the Canaan. I. First Declension, iii. 7-11. I. Micah xvii., xviii.
ites. i. i. Sin. Idolatry. i. His idolatry, xvii.
i. Judah. 1-21 ii. Punishment. 8 years’ oppression. ii. Its punishment by
ii. Joseph. 22-29 iii. Deliverance. Othniel. Danites. xviii.
iii. The Rest. 30-36 . ...
11. Second Declension, in. 12-31.
i. Sin.
ii. Punishment. Eglon. 18 years’ oppression. :
iii. Deliverance. Ehud (Shamgar).
| 111. Third Declension, iv., v.
i. Sin.
ii. Punishment. Jabin. 20 years’ oppression.
iii. Deliverance. Deborah. Barak. „ ,
11. Israel’s Failure. 11. The Levite. xix.—xxi.
ii.—iii. 6 iv. Fourth Declension, vi.—viii. 32. t The Outrage, xix.
i. Jehovah’s Messen- i. Sin. War between
ger. 1-5 ii. Punishment. Midian. 7 years’ > vi. 1-10 Israel and Benja-
ii. The people under oppression. ) min. xx.
Joshua. 6-101 iii. Deliverance. Gideon. vi. 11—viii. 32 iii. Preservation of
iii. Synopsis of his- Benjamin. xxi.
tory 11.23 V. Fifth Declension, viii. 33—x. 5.
iv. The Enemies. Sin. Baalim. viii. 33-35
m i_6 ii. Punishment. Abimelech. ix.
iii. Deliverance. Tola. Jair. x. 1-5
VI. Sixth Declension, x. 6 —xii.
i. Sin. Idolatry multiplied.
ii. Punishment. Philistines. ( x. 6-18
Ammon. 18 years’ oppression. \
iii. Deliverance. Jephthah (and successors).
xi., xii.
VII. Seventh Declension, xiii.—xvi.
i. Sin.
ii. Punishment. Philistines. 40 years’ op-
pression.
iii. Deliverance. Samson.
i
HE book of Judges historically covers
the period from the conquest of the
land and the death of Joshua, to the
judgeship of Samuel, and the introduc
tion of the monarchy. It is a story
on the human side of disobedience and
disaster; and on the divine of direc
tion and deliverance. It is, as its name
signifies, the book which gives us the
T
account of the judges. These men were dictators
raised up in times of special need for the deliv
erance of the people. The chronological history
of the book ends with chapter sixteen, which con
nects, naturally, with the first book of Samuel.
That history properly begins in chapter three. (So
that we may consider the book in three divisions:
Conditions after Joshua (1-3: 6); the Period of
the Judges (3: 7-16); Appendix (17-21).
A. CONDITIONS AFTER JOSHUA.
The first act of the people after the death of
Joshua was that of seeking to know the will of
God as to who should commence the final work
of conquest. Judah, the kingly tribe, was ap
pointed. It is evident that this work, begun in
earnest, eventually weakened. A false toleration
towards a people utterly corrupt, who ought to
have been exterminated, resulted in the ultimate
undoing of the chosen nation.
The story is told of the coming of the messen
ger from Gilgal, who called them back to loyalty
to 'God. A brief retrospect follows of the condi
tion of affairs under Joshua, and then a synop
sis of the history which is to be set out in greater
detail. In this synopsis the rotation of sin, pun
ishment and deliverance is the key-note to the
historical portion of the book.
B. THE PERIOD OF THE JUDGES.
This division of the book contains the story of
seven consecutive failures, punishments and deliv
erances,
JUDGES.
The Golden Age for March 7, 1907.
The first declension was that of neglect of God
and turning to idols. The punishment consisted
of eight years of oppression.
When under this affliction, they cried to God,
and the first of the judges appeared in the person
of Othniel. Forty years of rest followed.
The second declension occurred after the death
of Othniel, when the people sinned again. Pun
ishment came from Eglon, and lasted for eighteen
years. Then they cried to the Lord again, and
Ehud, with whom Shamgar was associated, was
the deliverer. Eighty years of rest followed.
The third declension then followed, and they
were delivered into the hands of Jabin. Twenty
years of oppression followed, which became most
terrible under Sisera. Again they cried, and were
heard. The story of deliverance is full of romance
and poetry, being associated with the name of
Deborah. This daughter of the people, true child
of faith, had suffered under the intolerable con
sciousness of the degradation of her people. She
gained the car of many to such a degree that she
was appointed to judge the people, and at last
she called Barak to her aid. He, inspired by her
teaching, and ishe, helped by his consecration, went
forward, and Israel was delivered from oppres
sion. The great song of Deborah is full of fire and
passion, and a remarkable index to the character
of the woman herself. It may be divided into two
parts. The first was a great chant of confidence,
telling the story of the deepest secret of the vic
tories won. The second part celebrated the victory.
Everything ended with a cry, “So let all Thine
enemies perish, O Lord.” Following this deliv
erance the land had rest for forty years.
The fourth declension issued in the victory of
Midian under whose oppression the people groaned
for seven years. So terrible was it that the people
hid themselves in dens, and caves, and strong
holds. At last, in answer to their cry, the move
ment of deliverance began, and associated with
this was the name and story of Gideon. He is seen,
first, at his work, with the bitterness of the whole
situation burning like a fire in his bones. When
there came to him the supernatural visitor, his
double consciousness was confessed. “Did not the
Lord bring us up?” “The Lord hath cast us off.”
He was conscious of the true relation of the people
to Jehovah, and, also, that on account of their
sin they had been judged. Called to act as deliv
erer, we follow him in his work of preparation.
This proceeded in three stages. It began at home.
He broke down the altar of Baal in connection with
his father’s house, and restored the worship of
God. The second movement was that of the send
ing out of the call. The final one was his fellows
ship with God, in which signs were granted to him.
The story of the conflict is one of the most re
markable on record. In response to his call to all
the hosts of the people, only thirty-two thousand
had gathered. Os these such as were faint-heart
ed and afraid w r ere bidden to return, and twenty
two thousand went back. Those remaining were
subjected to a further test, with the result that
only three hundred were left. The victory was
perfect, but it was so won as to teach the people that
the one and only condition was that of dependence
upon God, and implicit obedience to His com
mand. Following the deliverance from the oppres
sion of Midian, Gideon had to deal with troubles
among his own people. This section ends with an
account of the last things concerning Gideon. One
of them was characterized by great nobility, and
the other revealed a 'weakness which issued in
trouble. They sought to make him king. He ab
solutely refused, and thus indicated his disinter
estedness and his loyalty to God. The story of
the making of the ephod is somewhat difficult of in
terpretation. In any case the effect produced was
evil, for the people -were thereby seduced from
their loyalty, and Gideon himself suffered deterio
ration.
The fifth declension followed immediately upon
the death of Gideon. They fell into the sin of
worshipping the Baalim. Judgment this time came
from within, rather than from without. Abime
lech, a natural son of Gideon, a man unprincipled
and brutal, but of great personal force, secured to
himself the allegiance of the men of Shechem, and
practically usurped the position of king. In order
to make his position secure, he encompassed the
massacre of all the sons of Gideon, except Jotham.
His parabolic prophecy from the height of Mount
Gerizim indicated the line along -which judgment
would fall upon the sinning people. The tyranny
of Abimelech’s rule lasted for three years. He was
then slain by the hand of a woman, and a period
of forty-five years’ quietness followed under the
dictatorship of Tola and Jair.
The sixth declension was characterized by an
almost utter abandonment of the people to idola
try. The list of the forms which this idolatry
took is appalling. Judgment came this time from
the Philistines and the men of Ammon, and con
tinued for eighteen years. At last, sore distressed,
they cried to God, and for the first time it i«
corded that He refused to hear them, and reminded
them of how repeatedly He had delivered them.
The true attitude of Jehovah toward them, how
ever, flamed out in a remarkable statement : “Hi
soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.” De
liverance came at length through Jephthah, a study
of whose history is full of interest. He was the
son of a harlot, and had been thrust out from his
inheritance by the legitimate sons of his father.
The iron had entered his soul, and he had gathered
to himself a band of men, and had become a kind
of outlaw, freebooter. He was a man of heroic
daring, having certain excellencies of character,
which marked him out as capable in a crisis of
need. The story of his victory and his vow fol
lows. After his victory the men of Ephraim com
plained that they had not been called to help, as
they had already done in the case of Gideon, This
(Continued op Pgge H,)