Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, Judges · Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
Verſ. 1. ANd an Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim.] It is very hard to determine whether this were an Angel indeed, or ſome man, either prieſt or prophet, that by ſpeciall commiſſion was ſent at this time from God unto the people to reprove them for their ſinnes. The word in the originall may well be tranſlated either angell or meſſenger, as it is in the margin of our bibles, and the reaſons are very conſiderable, which have moved many to think that it was ſome man of God that was ſent to them, to wit firſt, becauſe it is ſaid that he came up from Gilgal, not that he came down from heaven, and ſo appeared to them: and ſecondly, becauſe he ſpake in a generall aſſembly, as is evident, verſ. 4. where it is ſaid, that he ſpake unto all the children of Iſrael, whereas the apparitions of Angels have been uſually onelyonly to ſome particular men in private. But yet the moſt of Expoſitours conceive, that it was a true Angel, and that having aſſumed for this preſent ſervice the body of man, the Scripture therefore ſpeaks of him as a man, that he came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and this they hold, 1. Becauſe he ſpeaks after the manner of Angels, not thus ſaith the Lord, as the prophets were wont to ſpeak, but as in the perſon of God, I made you to go up out of Egypt: and 2. Becauſe the Authour of this book elſewhere ſpeaks differently of the prophet and the Angel, as chap. 6.8. The Lord ſent a prophet unto the children of Iſrael, which ſaid unto them, Thus ſaith the Lord God of Iſrael, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the houſe of bondage. But then verſ. 12. And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him, that is, to Gideon, and ſaid unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. Yea, ſome hold that it was the ſonne of God, the Angel of the covenant, who was wont thus to appear to the fathers, and that becauſe he aſcribes here to himſelf that which was the work of God, as the bringing this people out of Egypt, and the making of a covenant with them. However, moſt probable it is, that this was done in the dayes of the Elders that outlived Joſhua, and that before they began to worſhip the Gods of the nations they dwelt amongſt; for elſe doubtleſſe this Angel or meſſenger of the Lord would have reproved them for their idolatry, as well as for making a league of peace with the land. It ſeems therefore that finding themſelves ſorely annoyed by the Canaanites in ſeverall parts of the land, there was an aſſembly of the people called of all the tribes, that they might conſult what was fit to be done, and ſo thereupon the Lord ſent his Angel to them with a meſſage; and very likely it is, that it was ſome place about Shiloh, where the people were now met together, which upon occaſion of the peoples weeping here was called Bochim, that is, weepers. For firſt, thither the tribes uſed to aſſemble themſelves, eſpecially at their three ſolemn feaſts, (and ſome generall aſſembly of the people there was at this time, as is before noted:) and ſecondly, the people did offer ſacrifices there, verſ. 5. and that they might onelyonly do where the altar and tabernacle was.
Verſ. 2. But ye have not obeyed my voice; why have ye done this?] That is, conſider how great and inexcuſable your ſinne is: for theſe words why have ye done this are as much in effect as if he had ſaid, that they had not the leaſt colour for that they had done, and that if they were challenged to give a reaſon why they had done it, they could have nothing to ſay for themſelves.
Verſ. 3. But they ſhall be as thorns in your ſides.] See the note Numb. 31.55.
Verſ. 5. And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they ſacrificed there unto the Lord.] Though by divine diſpenſation, or at leaſt Gods conniving at it, the faithfull ſervants of God did ſometimes ſacrifice in other places then the Tabernacle (for ſo did Samuel at Mizpeh, 1. Sam. 7.6. and Gideon in Ophrah, Judg. 6.24.) yet there is no neceſſity that can force us to ſay it was ſo here. For this Bochim might be in Shiloh, or near about it, where the Tabernacle was, as is noted above, verſ. 1.
Verſ. 6. And when Joſhua had let the people go, the children of Iſrael went, &c.] In the following part of this chapter is laid down in generall the ſumme of the whole book, to wit, Iſraels idolatrie, and Gods dealing with them both in puniſhing them, and delivering them again. But the death of Joſhua and the Elders which had ſeen the works of the Lord made way to this defection of Iſrael; and therefore the ſtory firſt begins with that, and tells us how Joſhua diſmiſſed them from the camp where they had as yet continued together, and ſent them every tribe to their own portion, which by lot in the late diviſion of the land, God had given them.
Verſ. 9. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres.] Joſh. 24.30. it is called Timnath-ſerah.
Verſ. 10. And there aroſe another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Iſrael.] We need not inquire whether there were none now alive that knew the works of the Lord; for there might be ſome that did, (as doubtleſſe there were ſome likewiſe that did not fall away with the reſt to the worſhip of idols) and yet it might be ſaid, that there aroſe another generation that knew not the Lord, &c. namely, becauſe the greateſt number was of that generation that had not ſeen the works of the Lord, to wit, thoſe works which he did in Egypt, yea, many of them, not thoſe works which he did at their entrance into Canaan, the dividing of Jordan, &c. and theſe they were that knew not the Lord, that is, effectually, as the other generation had done, who by the ſight of Gods wondrous works were brought truly to fear the Lord.
Verſ. 11. And the children of Iſrael did evill in the ſight of the Lord, and ſerved Baalim.] That is, the ſeverall gods of the nations; whom they called Baalim. For Baal ſignifieth a Lord, (hence were thoſe names ſo frequent amongſt the great men of Carthage, of Hannibal, and Asdrubal, and many others) whereupon they called God by way of excellency Baal, that is, the Lord, and when they came by degrees to fall to idolatry, every man of renown that after his death was worſhiped as a god, was called Baal, and by ſome of thoſe eaſtern nations Bell, Eſa. 46.1. Bell boweth down, Nebo ſtoopeth; yea, and the ſeverall planets, which by the Chaldean Aſtrologers were ſaid to rule in their ſeverall houſes in heaven, were called Baalim, that is, Lords or rulers: and ſo all the ſeverall gods of the Chaldeans, Syrians, and Canaanites, yea, and ſeverall idols and images of theſe gods were called Baalim.
Verſ. 13. And they forſook the Lord, and ſerved Baalim and Aſhtaroth.] The goddeſſe of the Sidonians, 1. Kings 11.5. And Solomon went after Aſhtaroth the goddeſſe of the Sidonians, 2. Kings 23.13. And the high places that were before Jeruſalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Iſrael had builded for Aſhtaroth, the abomination of the Sidonians, and of the Philiſtines, 1. Sam. 31.10. And they put his armour in the houſe of Aſhtaroth: yet it ſeems as Baalim was the common name of all their gods, ſo was Aſhtaroth the common name of all their goddeſſes.
Verſ. 10. And he delivered them into the hand of the spoilers, that spoiled them, & he ſold them into the hand of their enemies round about, &c.] That is, not onelyonly ſuffered the enemies to enter upon the land & carry away their goods, (whereby as with a gentler rod he did at firſt chaſtiſe them) but at laſt he gave their perſons alſo into the hands of thoſe that made warre with them to be their bondſlaves; as a man ſhould ſell his child to be a ſervant or ſlave, ſo did the Lord paſſe away the right which he had in them, and put them under the power of the enemie, who alſo ſold them away here and there when they pleaſed, Pſal. 44.12. Thou ſellest thy people for nought, and doſt not increaſe thy wealth by their price.
Verſ. 16. Nevertheleſſe God raiſed up judges that delivered them, &c.] That is, God ſtirred up men to undertake the avenging of them upon their enemies, and to govern them according to the Laws of God, and advanced them above others with the gifts of his Spirit that they might be fit for thoſe great imployments.
Verſ. 17. And yet they would not hearken unto their Judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, &c.] That is, for a while they hearkned unto them, but not conſtantly; within a while after they returned unto their evil wayes, as it is more fully expreſſed, verſ. 18, 19. As for this phraſe of going a whoring after other gods, it is uſed frequently in the Scripture, to imply mens unlawfull and baſe joyning of their ſouls to idols, that were formerly entred into a covenant with God, and therefore ſhould have kept themſelves ſolely to him, as a wife to her husband; and the rather doubtleſſe, is the blind, mad, and unreaſonable zeal of idolaters compared to the violent and incorrigible luſts of whoremongers, becauſe, as they that are once inflamed with thoſe luſts are as men bewitched, no counſell or perſwaſion doth any good upon them, they care not what they ſpend, what pains they take, into what inconveniences they caſt themſelves, ſo they may ſatisfie their luſts; ſo it is with idolaters, ſo bewitched they are, that there is no diſſwading them, no charge, toil, or danger, can make them give over this abominable ſinne.
Verſ. 18. For it repented the Lord becauſe of their groanings, &c.] See the note, Gen. 6.6.
Verſ. 19. And they returned and corrupted themſelves more then their fathers.] Before it was ſaid, verſ. 19. that they returned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, which was meant of that generation which was immediately after thoſe that in the dayes of Joſhua and the godly Elders after him, continued conſtant in the true Religion; but this is now ſpoken of the children of thoſe that in the following generation did apoſtatize from the true worſhip of God; theſe their children, though for a time during the life of their Judges they made a ſhow of repentance, and forſaking their idolatry, yet when their Judges were dead, they ſoon returned again to the wicked wayes of their idolatrous fathers, yea and did worſe then they; indeed as relapſes in regard of ſickneſſe bring men uſually into a more dangerous condition then they were in before, ſo it is with relapſes to idolatrie; a Church and people that have been reformed, and fall back to idolatry, are uſually farre worſe, and more groſſely ſuperſtitious then they were before.
Verſ. 22. That through them I may prove Iſrael, whether they will keep the way of the Lord, &c.] Theſe words may be underſtood two ſeverall wayes: for firſt, they may have reference to that clauſe in the latter end of the foregoing verſe (where there is mention made of Joſhua his leaving the Canaanites unexpelled) the nations which Joſhua left when he died; and then the meaning muſt be, that the nations were not wholly driven out in Joſhua's time, but were left for the tryall of Iſrael, to wit, to ſee whether they would be drawn away by their idolatries or no: And ſecondly, they may have reference to all that which is ſaid in the two foregoing verſes, Becauſe this people have tranſgreſſed my covenant, &c. 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 whether they will keep the way of the Lord, &c. and then the meaning muſt be, that God for the ſinne of the Iſraelites reſolved not to caſt out any more of the Canaanites that remained in the land, that they might continually oppreſſe and vex the Iſraelites, and ſo thereby he might prove them, namely, whether by theſe afflictions they would be brought to repent and turn to the Lord, and ſo again to walk in his wayes. And indeed both theſe may be well here comprehended.