A Complete History and Mystery of the Old and New Testament, Biblical tract · Volume 2 · Commentary on the book of Judges · Chapter 4 – Chapter 5
Juges CHAP. IV.
JUdges Chapter the Fourth, declareth Iſrael's Deliverance by Deborah, and Chapter the Fifth is Deborah's Spiritual Song for that Deliverance.
The Remarks upon the firſt.
The Firſt is, Iſrael's Defection taketh is Date after the Death of Ehud, Chap. 4. ver. 1. no mention being made of Shamgar for three Reaſons.
1. Becauſe his Judgeſhip laſted only for a few Months.
2. Becauſe he did not fully and perfectly Deliver Iſrael. And,
3. Becauſe he did not reform, and reduce them into the right way. 'Tis juſtly to be wondred at, that this People of God, notwithſtanding the Manifold Miſeries they had met with, and groaned under for the ſake of their ſins, together with as manifold Mercies of God in delivering them upon their Repentance, which they had experimentally found, yet no ſooner was Ehud Dead, but they returned to their old Vomit, and ſinned more heinouſly than they had done before, for now they had not only ſubmitted to Idolatry, when they were forced to it by Tyrants, but they had freely and voluntarily on their own accord, choſen now Gods, &c. Chap. 5.8.
The Second Remark is, Therefore God ſold them again into the hands of Jabin King of Canaan, whoſe General was Siſera, ver. 2. Thus God made Iſrael's Choice to become their Judgment; when they might have cut off the Curſed Canaanites under Joſhua, they would not, though God commanded them to do ſo; but now, when they would, they cannot, for thoſe Canaanites they ſpared, fled into the North part of Canaan, there fortified themſelves, and this Jabin was King over them, who watched all opportunities to be revenged of Iſrael, for their former diſpoſſeſſing his People, ſlaying his Father, or Grand-Father, and burning his Royal City with Fire, Joſh. 11.10, 11. therefore, partly from his own profound Malice and revengful Rancour againſt Iſrael, and partly through the Juſt Judgments of God upon them (their aggravated ſins crying for aggravating Puniſhments) this Jabin mightily oppreſſed Iſrael for Twenty years, ver. 3. No wonder if Iſrael now cryed at the end thereof, when they ſaw his Nine Hundred Chariots of Iron, which had Iron Hooks like Sithes faſtened in their Axle-trees on either ſide, to cut in ſunder all that ſtood in their way, and two other Hooks of Iron bending towards the Ground to tear thoſe that fell down under them: No doubt but Iſrael had oft cryed long before this time under their grievous Oppreſſions, but they had only howl'd upon their Beds, as Hoſ. 7.14. not with their hearts in unfeigned Repentance till now, they ſaw his Rage was above all former Tyrants, who were all Forreign, but this was a Canaanite which God had promiſed to caſt out before them, but now for their ſins had rejected them, and ſuffered their Foes to fall foul on them, &c.
The Third Remark is, Iſrael's Deliverance from this Dangerous Bondage, which the Lord wrought for them upon their real Repentance by a Threefold Inſtrument. (1.) By Deborah. (2.) By Barak. And (3.) By Jael. God never ſuffers his Servants to fall ſo low, but ſtill his Everlaſting Arms are underneath them, and ſo, lower than they to raiſe them up again, Deut. 33.27. Pſal. 37.24. Prov. 24.16. Mich. 7.8, 9. Cant. 2.6. The Lord never letteth any Malady to befal his Church and Children, but he hath a Remedy ready to redreſs it, when unfeigned Repentance hath ripen'd them to receive it.
The Fourth Remark is, Iſrael's principal Deliverer in the Lord's Hand is Deborah, who is here deſcribed, (1.) By her Sex, a Woman. (2.) By her Office, which was double, both Eccleſiaſtical, a Propheteſs, and Political or Civil, a Judge, ver. 4, 5. (3.) By her Authority in calling and conſtituting Barak to be the General of Iſrael's Army againſt Jabin the Tyrant that oppreſſed them, ver. 6, 7, 8, 9. This Deborah was not only a Propheteſs, (as were Miriam, Exod. 15.20. Huldah, 2 King. 22.14. Elizabeth, Luke 1.41, 42. Anna, Luke 2.36. and Philips four Daughters, Act. 21.9.) but alſo Governeſs and Judge, who being a moſt eminently Pious and Prudent Woman, did determine Cauſes and Controverſies ariſing among the Iſraelites, unto whom ſhe revealed the Will of God by the Spirit of Prophecy, her Name Deborah in Hebrew ſignifies [a Bee] and ſo ſhe was indeed as ſhe made Honey for her Friends, but had a Sting for her Foes; and here we may ſtand and wonder how, when Iſrael's Oppreſſion was the mightieſt, ſtrongeſt, and longeſt, ver. 3. The Lord makes choice of an Inſtrument of the weaker Sex to deliver them from it, that his Power and Might might be the more manifeſted in the weakneſs of thoſe means that effected ſo great a Work.
The Fifth Remark is, Deborah, by her Authority calls forth Barak to be her General, [ſhe ſent to him] but went not, ver. 6. bids him take Ten Thouſand Men, &c. and aſſures him from the Lord, he ſhould obtain the Victory, ver. 7. Though Barak be recorded for a Man famous for his Faith, Hebr. 11.32, 33. yet here he ſheweth ſome Unbelief and Diffidence, in not daring to go without Deborah, ver. 8. he doubted of God's bare Promiſe without the Pledge of the Propheteſs's Preſence, whom he thought God would preſerve, and him for her ſake, well knowing withal, that ſhe would on all occaſions counſel him, and pray for him, as a Propheteſs. Another ground of his doubting and diſtruſt might be that Ten Thouſand Men were but a few to fight againſt Siſera, who had in his Army (as Joſephus relateth it) Ten Thouſand Horſe, and Three Hundred Thouſand Foot, forgetting that God can ſave by a little help, Dan. 11.34. 1 Sam. 14.6. 2 Chron. 20.12, 17. Hereupon Deborah tells Barak, that his Diffidence and Diſtruſt would debar him the Honour of a General, becauſe a weak Woman would ſhare with him therein, and have the glory of it, ver. 9. for Deborah Conquered Siſera's Army, and Jael kill'd his perſon: As this War was undertaken by a Woman, ſo it was compleated by a Woman alſo.
The Sixth Remark is, Barak by his Commiſſion Muſters up Ten Thouſand Footmen, marcheth in the head as General of them, (together with Deborah) againſt Siſera's Ten Thouſand Horſe, &c. Deborah encourages Barak to fall on, for the Lord of Hoſts was gone out before him as the Supreme Generaliſſimo of his Army, who is a Man of War, (as Moſes calls him) Exod. 15.3. and who is alone a whole Army of Men, both Van and Rear, Iſa. 52.12. and no leſs he proved to this handful of penitent Iſraelites in this Expedition, for the Lord of Hoſts himſelf began this Battel, with Thunders, Lightnings, and Hail-stones from Heaven, that 'tis ſaid, [The Lord diſcomfited Siſera, &c.] ver. 15. and Deborah in her Song doth acknowledge it, Judg. 5.20. where alſo we have Account, that God's ſhooting off Heavens great Canons againſt the Canaanites (Lightning being the Fire, Thunder the Report, and Hail-ſtones the Bullets ſhot at them) wherewith that Curſed Crew were ſo affrighted, that many of them ran into the River Kiſhon, and there periſhed, Judg. 5.21. 'Tis the more probable, that the Lord raiſed ſuch an Impetuous Storm, by ſharpening the Influences of the Stars, and diſpoſing the Air to receive and improve their Impreſſions after an extraordinary manner at this time, ſeeing the Lord had done the like before in Joſhua's time, Joſh. 10.10, 11. as he did after in Samuel's, 1 Sam. 7.10. Pſal. 18.9, 10, to 15. Barak had little to do in this Battel (wherein God was the principal Agent) but to be an Inſtrument in God's Hand to ſerve his Providence, in killing out-right thoſe that were half kill'd to his hand with fear and aſtoniſhment, that prodigiouſly vaſt Army (as Joſephus makes it) melted away in a moment by the force of an hot Fire from Heaven upon them, ſo that there was not a Man left in the Field, ver. 16. ſome fled away as Siſera did, ver. 17.
The Seventh Remark is, Jael's Slaughter of Siſera: Great Warriours look'd upon it as one of the deepeſt diſgrace (that could befal them) to fall down dead by the Hands of a Woman, as Abimelech did, Judg. 9 54. So Siſera did here; the manner of it in ſhort was thus.
Firſt, The Kenites (whereof Jael and her Husband Heber was one, deſcended from Jethro, Moſes's Father-in-Law) were a peaceable People, minding only their Meditations upon the Law, and paſturing their Cattle, ſo Jabin was at peace with them, fearing no danger from them, therefore Siſera flees thither for Refuge, thinking to lurk more ſecurely in Jael's Tent, than in Heber's. N.B. Some ſay, that thoſe Kenites, being careful to keep themſelves uncorrupted with Iſrael's Sins, therefore were preſerved from partaking with them in their Plagues, they were not plagued by, but at peace with Jabin, ver. 17.
Secondly, Jael inticed Siſera into her Tent with many fair words, which made a Fool fain: He had forſaken his Chariot, and now his Flight upon his Feet had made him hot, dry, and weary; ſhe Courts him, [Lay down my Lord to reſt you,] covers him with a Rug to keep him from catching cold, ver. 18. then gives him an hearty Draught of Milk, the Nature whereof is, (when largely drunk by them that are hot, to render them ſleepy, though he only deſired Water, ver. 19. Then he, imperiouſly enough, commands her to promiſe his Protection from his Purſuers, ver. 20. This he requireth, but in the midſt of all her other actual Diſſimulations, ſhe piouſly and prudently makes him no promiſe to it, being one of thoſe Children of God, that will not lie, Iſa. 63.8. Zeph. 3.13. Pſal. 119.29. An officious Lie was then look'd upon as a Peccadillo, a ſmall fault, as it is by too many in our times; he ſaucily demanded it, as if ſhe had been the Kitchin Girl, and not the Miſtreſs, and ſhe as ſubtilly replys not to it.
Thirdly, When Fright, Flight, and Grief, and perhaps long watching, together with the means ſhe had uſed in order thereunto, had caſt him into a deep Sleep, then Jael takes a long Pin pointed with Iron (wherewith the Cords of the Tent were uſually faſtened to ſecure it from Wind and Weather) which was long and ſtrong enough for her purpoſe to pierce his Temples, and to faſten him to the Ground, all which ſhe effected here, ver. 21. N.B. Lo, there lay this proud Worms-Meat, caſt out of his deep ſleep into his long ſleep, and his Head and Ear in ſuch a poſture, as if it lay liſtning (as one wittily ſaith) what was become of his Soul, which was now flown away out of the wound in his Body, or Head.
Two Inquiries are to be anſwered here. The Firſt is, Why did Jael ſlay Siſera here with her own hand, and did not rather detain him, (being fallen ſo faſt aſleep) until Barak, whom ſhe expected, came to deliver him into his Hands?
Anſwer. She, a Wiſe Woman, look'd upon Delays to be dangerous; what knew ſhe, but he being in ſuch a Fright, now fled out of the loſt Field, his fancy might dream thereof, and ſo ſtart out of his ſleep, and be gone, a weak Woman could not detain ſo ſtrong and Martial a Man, and had he eſcaped with his Life, he might have recruited and renewed his Army, and ſo have raiſed a new War againſt God's People.
The Second Inquiry is, Whether Jael did her Duty here, and that which was lawful, in ſlaying, this General of Jabin, with whom the Kenites had made peace, ver. 17. and a Man, whom ſhe had invited into her Tent, to whom, entertaining him with all ſeeming tenderneſs of Hoſpitality, ſhe tacitly promiſes Protection, ſaying, [fear not,] ver. 17.
Anſwer. Though the Anti-Scripturiſts do reject the Divine Authority of the Scriptures, becauſe this Fact of Jael is ſo highly commended in Deborah's Song, Judg. 5.24. which they call an horrid Violation of all the Laws, both of Hoſpitality and of Humanity it ſelf, ſeeing Peace was concluded betwixt her and Siſera, and ſhe had pretended preſent Friendſhip, &c. Yet ſeeing ſhe is ſo highly commended for this fact by the Spirit of Truth, and call'd, Bleſſed above Women for ſo doing, Judg. 5.24. The Act muſt be look'd upon as proceeding from a ſingular Zeal to God's Glory, and the Welfare of God's Church and Children of Iſrael, who had been cruelly oppreſſed by this Tyrant that God now had doomed and deſigned for deſtruction. No doubt but ſhe was inſpired by the Holy Ghoſt in an extraordinary manner and meaſure for ſo great an Exploit above the capacity of the Female Sex. I find many Arguments among the Learned that be alledged to vindicate the lawfulneſs of Jael's Fact. As,
1. There was no Peace betwixt Siſera and the Kenites, but what was by Compulſion only, it was only a ceſſation from Acts of Hoſtility, for they were forbidden to make any League with the curſed Canaanites.
2. To ſuch Pacifications from Acts of Hoſtility the Men only were called, but not the Women, nor were the Wives equally obliged thereto with their Husbands.
3. And both Parties were at Liberty to violate this ſort of Pacification, when it ſtood with their conveniency.
4. It is not ſaid, that there was any League of Friendſhip confirmed by an Oath betwixt Jabin and Heber, &c.
5. If there were an Oath, yet might Heber have a Diſpenſation from God to abſolve him from this Oath, and he was really abſolved, when God commanded this War.
6. Siſera was now declared an open Enemy to Iſrael, and though the Kenites were not Iſraelites, yet were they incorporated into their Church and Commonwealth, and ſo were bound to ſeek its ſafety in their Enemies ruine.
7. Jael had not done her duty, if ſhe had not kill'd Iſrael's principal Enemy, and therefore all the means to accompliſh that end (namely, enticing him into her Tent, refreſhing him with Drink, &c.) were as juſtifiable in her, as all other Stratagems of War in the beſt Commanders, wherein one thing is pretended to encourage and draw on an Enemy, when as 'tis wholly intended to entrap and enſnare them for their utter deſtruction; ſo that though there might be failure in ſome Circumſtances, yet the ſubſtance was good.
8. See Pſal. 83.9, 10. juſtifying this fact, where the Pſalmiſt prays, that God would ſerve all his Churches Oppreſſours, as he had ſerved Siſera, &c.
Judges, CHAP. V.
JƲdges the Fifth is Deborah's Song for this Miraculous Victory, the Hiſtorical part whereof after the Prologue is,
Firſt, A Recognition, or Review of former Deliverances, which the Lord had moſt graciouſly granted unto Iſrael upon their Repentance, and returning to him, ver. 2, 4, 5.
Secondly, A Commemoration of the deplorable Condition of Iſrael, immediately before this eminent Victory, to wit, no Trading, no Travelling, &c. ver. 6, 7. upon which Remarks be made before, pag. 102. Paragraph laſt upon Chap. 3.
Thirdly, A Relation, or Narrative of this Victory in all its Commodities obtained thereby to all Ranks of Iſrael, from ver. 8. to 13. to the Princes, ver. 9. to the Elders, &c. ver. 10. to the Subjects in their Travel and Traffick, ver. 10. to Boys and Girls in their drawing of Water, ver. 11. to the Countrey-men, who now might live ſafely in their Country-Farms, to the Judges, who now might ſit ſafely in places of Judicature, ver. 11. and laſtly, to Deborah and Barak, ver. 12. who now ſang forth God's Praiſes.
Fourthly, An high Commendation of thoſe that had been Inſtruments in this Glorious Victory, as both of Men, Princes, ver. 14, 15. and People, ver. 18. and of Women, where the Heroick Act of Jael is moſt highly applauded, ver. 24, 25, 26, 27.
Fifthly, A Severe Reproof to the Deſerters for their Neutrality and Treachery, both to the Tribes of Reuben, ver. 15, 16. and of Gad, Dan and Aſher, ver. 17. and to the City Meroz, ver. 23. which was a City in Galilee belonging to Iſrael, and nigh the place of Battel, yet came not in to help, and therefore is for her cold Neutrality moſt bitterly Curſed, ſo that we never read of Meroz more, as no more of the Fig-tree which Chriſt Curſed, whereas Jael, not of Iſrael, but a Kenite, did act Heroically for the good of Iſrael, ſo is moſt highly Bleſſed.
Sixthly, A Graphical Draught and Deſcription of this Famous Battel. (1.) Of Iſrael's Enemies, ver. 19. where they are commended for their Unanimity; all the Confederate King's of Canaan could Combine under the great King Jabin againſt Iſrael, whereas many of Iſrael ſtood Neuters, and could not Combine againſt the Common Enemy; and their Multitude is there likewiſe intimated (which gives a luſtre to their Ʋnanimity, though many) for they were ſo vaſtly numerous as to fill all the Champion Countrey betwixt the Waters of Megiddo, and the River Kiſhon; yea and laſtly, they could all be Voluntiers, while many Iſraelites were curſed Neuters; and for their Magnanimity too, they could ſerve Siſera freely without pay, [they took no gain of Money] ſuch love they had to their Cauſe, or rather ſuch Malice againſt Iſrael, whoſe Spoil they hoped for their Pay. (2.) Of Iſrael's Auxiliaries both the Stars above, ver. 20. having the upper ground of the Enemy, and Kiſhon below, ver. 21. ſwept them away, as a Beſome doth Duſt and Dirt out of a Room.
Seventhly, The Epiphonema, Concluſion, or Epilogue, is partly pleaſant in a Poetical Sarcaſm, or Scoff at Siſera's Mother, who was ſure of her Son's Succeſs, &c. ver. 28, 29, 30. Such was her Pride and Carnal Confidence upon ſenſual grounds, having no reſpect to the Power and Providence of God, and 'tis partly ſerious in praying that God would Dung his Vineyard with the dead Carcaſſes of his Enemies, ver. 31. Pſal. 83.10. and that Iſrael might be as the Riſing Sun: So the Land had reſt Forty Years under Deborah from Ehud's Death.