Judges 2

AND an angel of the LORD Either, First, a Created Angel. Or, Secondly, a Prophet or man of God, for such are sometimes called Angels, which signifies only Messengers of God; and then the following words are spoken by him in the Name of God, as may easily be understood. Or, Thirdly, Christ the Angel of the Covenant, who is oft called the Angel of the Lord, as we have formerly seen, to whom the conduct of Israel out of Egypt, and thorough the Wilderness, and into Canaan, here spoken of, is frequently ascribed, as Exod. 14. 19. and 23. 20. and 33. 14. Ios. 5. 13, 14. Iudg. 6. 12. and 13. 3. Who alone of all the Angels could speak the following words in his own Name and Person; whereas created Angels and Prophets do universally usher in their Divine Messages with, Thus says the Lord, or some equivalent Expression. And this Angel having assumed the outward shape of a Man, it is not strange that he imitates the local motion of a Man, and comes as it were from Gilgal to the place where now they were: by which motion he signified, that he was the person that brought them to Gilgal, the first place where they rested in Canaan, and there renewed Covenant with them, and protected them there so long, and from thence went out with them to Battel, and gave them success. came up from Gilgal to Bochim A place so called here by Anticipation, for the reason expressed here, v. 5. And it seems to be no other than Shilo, where it seems probable, that the people were met together upon some solemn Festival. And this was the proper and usual place of Sacrificing, v. 5., and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers, and I said i. e. I promised, upon condition of your keeping Covenant with me., I will never break my covenant with you.

And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land, you shall throw... wn their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: Why have ye done this i. e. Disobeyed these express Commands of mine??

Wherefore I also said With my self, I have now taken up this peremptory resolution., I will not drive them out from before you: but they shall be as thorns in your sides See on Numb. 33. 55. Ios. 23. 13., and their gods shall be a s... are unto you.

And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people li... t up their voice, and wept Some of them from a true sense of their sins; but most of them from a just apprehension of their danger and approaching misery from the Canaanites growing Power, and Gods forsaking of them; as the following History makes most probable.:

And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed For the expiation of their sins, by which they had provoked God to this resolution; and for the regaining of Gods favour. there unto the LORD.

¶ And when Joshua had let the people go When he had distributed their Inheritances, and dismissed them severally to take Possession of them. This was done before this time, whilst Ioshua lived; but is now repeated in order to the discovery of the time, and cause, or occasion of the Peoples defection from God, and of Gods desertion of them., the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land.

And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that out-lived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD that he did for Israel.

And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD died, being an hundred and ten years old.

And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres Called Timnath-Sera, Ios. 19. 50. and 24. 30., in the mount of Ephraim, on the north-side of the hill Gaash.

And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not Which had no experimental, nor serious and affectionate knowledge of God, nor of his works. the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD Which notes the hainousness and the impudence of their sins, above other peoples sins, because Gods presence was with them, and his eye upon them in a peculiar manner, and he did narrowly observe all their actions, which also they were not ignorant of, and therefore were guilty of more contempt of God than other People., and served Baalim i. e. False gods. He the Plural Number, because the gods of the Canaanites and adjoyning Nations, which Israel Worshipped, were divers, most of them called by the name of Baal..

And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of people that round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger.

And they forsook the LORD, and served... aal and Ashtaroth.... e. The and the Moon, whom many Heathens, th... gh under divers names; and so they ran into that Error which God had so expresly warned them a... st, Deut. 4. 19..

¶ And the anger of the LORD was hot against, and he delivered them into the hand of, that spoiled them, and sold them i. e. Delivered them up, as the seller does his Commodities, unto the buyer. Thus the same Phrase is used Iudg. 3..... and 4. 9. comp. with v. 14. Psal. 44. 13. into the hand of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their Enemies.

Whithersoever they went out i. e. Whatsoever expedition or business they undertook, which is usually signified by going out, and coming in., the hand of the LORD was against them for evil; as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.

Nevertheless, the LORD raised up By inward Inspiration and Excitation of their Minds and Hearts, and by outward Designation restified by some heroical and extraordinary Action. judges Supreme Magistrates, whose office it was, under God, and by his particular direction, to govern the Commonwealth of Israel by Gods Laws, and to protect and save them from their Enemies; to preserve and purge Religion; to maintain the Liberties of the People against all Oppressors. See Iudg. 3. 9, 10, 15, &c. and 4. 4. and 6. 25, 26. and 8. 23., which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.

And yet they would not hearken unto their Judges Who admonished them of their sin and folly, and of the danger and misery which would certainly befall them., but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD: but they did not so.

And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their Enemies all the days of the judge: (for it repented the LORD i. e. The Lord changed his course and dealings with them, as penitent Men use to do; removed his Judgments, and returned to them in mercy, Gen. 6. 6., because of their groanings, by reason of them that vexed them, and oppressed them:)

And it came to pass when the judge was dead, that they returned To their former, and usual, and natural, though interrupted course., and corrupted themselves more than their fathers In Egypt, or in the Wilderness., in following other gods, to serve them, and to bow down unto them, they ceased not from their own doings i. e. From their evil practises, which he calls their own, partly because they were agreeable to their own natures, which in all mankind are deeply and universally corrupted, Gen. 6. 5. and 8. 21. and partly, because they were familiar and customary to them. Compare Isa. 58. 13. and 66. 3. Ezek. 36. 32. Act. 14. 16. Iude, v. 16., nor from their stubborn way Heb. hard way: so he calls their way of wickedness, either because it proceeded from an hard heart, and was managed with an hard and stiff neck: or to signifie, that although it seemed at first very soft, and easie, and pleasant, yet they would certainly, and did constantly find, that it was hard, and difficult, and troublesome to them, as an hard way is to the Traveller..

¶ And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he said, Because that this people has transgressed my Covenant, which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkned unto my voice:

I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:

That through them I may prove Israel Either, First, that I may trie, and see whether. Israel wi... be true and faithful to me, or whether they will suffer themselves to be corrupted by the evil counsels and examples of their bad neighbours, whom I will leave among them for their Tryal and Exercise. Or, Secondly, That by them I may a... ict and punish Israel; for A... ons are co... y and justly called trials. But the former sense suits better with the following words., whether they will keep the way of the LORD, to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.

Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily Or, speedily, when the Israelites desired it, and needed i...., neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.