The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 146 – Section 147
SECT. CXLVI.
AFter Jephtah, Ibzan of Bethlem judged Iſrael. Ibzan the Ninth Judge.He had thirty Sons and thirty Daughters by divers Wives. His Daughters he ſent out of his own Family, beſtowing them upon Husbands in other Families; and he took in thirty Daughters for his Sons to be Wives to them. He judged Iſrael ſeven years. About the fifth year of his Government the Iſraelites did evil again in the ſight of the Lord, and he gave them into the hands of the Philiſtines, which Thraldom laſted forty years, The ſixth Oppreſſion under the PhiliſtinesJudg. 13.1. And indeed Jephtah's ſlaying forty two thouſand of the Ephraimites [Ch. 12.6. muſt needs be a great weakning to the Iſraelites in thoſe parts, and poſſibly encouraged the Philiſtines to invade their Land, ſoon after Jephtah's death. At this time there was a certain man of Zorah, of the Family of the Danites, whoſe Name was Manoah and his Wife was barren. (f)Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel the Wife of Manoah, Hanna, the Shunamite, Elizabeth, long barren Women had at laſt notable Children.To her the Son of God (g)He is called by Manoah Elohim, verſ. 22. by his Wife Jehovah, verſ. 23. Himſelf ſaith his Name is Secret, or Wonderful, which is one of the Names given to Chriſt, Iſa. 9.6.the great Angel of the Covenant appeared [who in thoſe times often appeared in humane ſhape] and told her, She ſhould conceive, and bare a Son, but ſhe muſt not drink Wine or ſtrong Drink, *Non tam ad robur haec ſpectant quam ad Sanctimoniam.nor eat any unclean thing (ſuch as were forbidden to the Nazarites) either while ſhe was with Child of him, or while ſhe gave him Suck, becauſe all that time he was to have his nouriſhment from her; and God appointed he ſhould be from his Conception a Nazarite unto him, and no Razour ſhould come upon his head, and he ſhould begin (h) to deliver the Iſraelites out of the hands of their Oppreſſors. The woman came and told her Husband, That a Man of God had appeared to her, whoſe Countenance was very Venerable, and full of Majeſty, like that of an Angel, and wrought in her a kind of aſtoniſhment and fear. But he neither told her, Whence he came, nor what was his Name. Manoah hearing this, earneſtly prayed unto the Lord that this Man of God might come to them again,(k)The work of ſhaking off the Yoke of the Philiſtines was begun by Sampſon, and was carried on afterwards in the days of Eli, Samuel, Saul, till at length they were perfectly ſubdued by David. and might teach them what they ſhould do unto the child that ſhould be born to them. Shortly after the Angel appeared again unto the Woman as ſhe ſate in the field. She ran and call'd her Husband, who coming to him askt him if he was the man of God that had before appeared unto his Wife, and had told her thoſe things concerning the child that ſhould be born to them. He ſaid he was. Manoah upon this crys out let thy words come to paſs; and if it will be ſo, I pray thee ſhew us how we ſhould order the child when he is born? The Angel anſwers, let thy wife abſtain from all thoſe things which I forbad her, while ſhe is with child, and while ſhe giveth ſuck, viz. wine, ſtrong drink, and eating any unclean thing; and afterwards let her take care that her ſon refrain from them alſo, ſeeing God hath extraordinarily called him, and appointed him to be a Nazarite to himſelf, to whom by the Law all theſe things are forbidden. Therefore what hath forbidden to thy Wife, thy Son muſt alſo abſtain from, ſeeing they are forbidden to her only for his ſake. Manoah not knowing he was an Angel, deſires him that he would pleaſe to ſtay a little while, till they could make ready a Kid to entertain him, and expreſs their reſpects to him. [See Gen. 18.8. & 19.3.] The Angel tells him he ſhould not eat with him: If he would needs be at that coſt to provide a Kid, he ſhould beſtow it in ſuch a way as would be more acceptable to God, and profitable to himſelf, namely by offering it as a Sacrifice unto God, to expreſs his thankfulneſs for ſo great a benefit as God had now promiſed unto him. Then Manoah humbly deſires to know his name, that when that which he had told them ſhould come to paſs they might do him honour, and might make report to others concerning his skill in foretelling future things, that ſo he might be highly honoured as a Prophet of the moſt High. The Angel replies, Why askeſt thou after my name, ſeeing it is ſecret, (that is, not to be ſearch'd into), or Wonderful and Incomprehenſible, Iſa. 9.6. My name (ſays he) is not to be too curiouſly inquir'd into, but I ſhall make known my ſelf preſently to thee by my wonderful actions. So Manoah took a Kid, and a Meat-offering, and offered it upon a Rock that was hard by to the Lord. 'Tis true, neither the perſon ſacrificing, nor the place where this Sacrifice was offered were warrantable by the Law, but the Angels command was ſufficient warrant for both. And it came to paſs when the flame aſcended from off the Altar, the Angel aſcended up to Heaven in the flame; which wonderful ſight diſcovered to Manoah and his Wife that he was the Angel of the Covenant, the Son of God, who does preſent our prayers and ſervices before the Lord, and procures them to be graciouſly accepted by him. Manoah and his Wife ſeeing this, fell on their faces to the ground, and he ſaid to his Wife we ſhall ſurely die becauſe we have ſeen God. He fears [according to an ancient opinion that ran among them, ſee Judg. 6.22. Exod. 33.20.] that they muſt die becauſe they had ſeen ſuch a viſion of which they were moſt unworthy. His Wife comforts him, ſaying, If the Lord intended to kill us, ſurely he would not have received a Burnt-offering, and a Meat-offering at our hands. And he hath teſtified his acceptance of it by aſcending in the flame of it to carry it up (as it were) to Heaven with him, and to preſent it unto God for us. Further ſhe argues, if God had intended to kill them, he would not have promiſed them a Son, (who ſhould begin to ſave Iſrael), nor would he have given her directions how ſhe ſhould order her ſelf, and the child when he was born. Theſe arguments 'tis like ſatisfied Manoah. So ſhortly after, the Woman conceived and bare a Son, and called his name Sampſon, and the child grew, and the Lord bleſſed him, and indued him with admirable ſtrength of body, courage of mind, and all other gifts requiſite for thoſe high ſervices he intended him for. And when he was very young, in the Camp of the Danites (which they had formed to withſtand the incurſions of the Philiſtines) the Spirit of God began at times to move and excite him to ſtrange and admirable exploits even beyond the ordinary courage and ſtrength of man.
Ch. 12. from 8, to 11.
Ch. 13. whole Chapter.
SECT. CXLVII.
AFter Ibzan, Elon a Zebulonite judged Iſrael ten years. Elon 10th Judg.After him Abdon of Pyrathon *Benaiah Davids Worthy was born here, 2 Sam. 23.30. Abdon 11 Judg., (that lay Weſtward of Samaria and Sechem on a high Mountain formerly inhabited by the Amalekites, and called by their name) judged Iſrael eight years. He had forty Sons, and thirty Grandſons that rode upon Aſs-colts, which ſhewed them to be perſons of Dignity and Eſtate.
Ch. 12. from 11 to the end.