Commentaries, Commentary on Judges · Chapter 2 · Verses 6-7
6 And when Ioſua had ſent the people away, the children of Iſrael went eueryevery man into his inheritance, to poſſeſſe the lande.
7 And the people ſerued the Lord al the dayes of Ioſuah, and all the daies of the Elders, that outliued Ioſua, which had ſene al the great woorkes of the Lord, that he dyd for Iſrael.
This narration is therefore put in, to declare how long the Iſraelites kept the ſincere and true woorſhipping of God. And it is ſayde, that when they were come into the land of Chanaan, they did their duty wel as long as Ioſua lyued, & as long as the Elders wer remaining, which had ſene the wonderful workes of God, which he had wrought for the Iſraelites ſake. And vndoubtedlye it had bene vnaptly if this hiſtory ſhould hauehave declared the tranſgreſſion of the Chyldren of Iſrael, and ſhould not hauehave noted the tyme wherein it happened. Aptlye therfore is the death of Ioſua and the Elders which lyued in his tyme, repeated in this place, and afterwarde is mencioned that an other age of men ſucceeded, which knew not God, neither had they ſene his workes. Wherefore the Iſraelites eaſely fel from the lawful worſhipping of God.
We gather by this place that the repentaunce of the Hebrues before declared (which happened after the death of Ioſua, The profite of the repentance before mentioned of ye people.when the publike wealth was gouerned by a Senate, and the enemies wer by manye battailes deſtroyed, & compelled to paye tribute vntounto the Iſraelites whiche had conquered them) brydled and reſtrained the people a long time, from falling into more grieuous ſynnes. They had ſinned in dede, as we hauehave now heard, in ſparing the Chananites, and not aboliſhing their wicked idolatry. But afterward when they had deſired and obtained pardon of ſo great a crime, they abſtained a long time from the woorſhipping of Idols, and the repentaunce now mencioned brought forth his fruit.
Some peraduenture will maruayle, howe chaunce,Why the Iſralites after their repentance …o not breake the league ma…e with the Chananites. that they ſtyll kept the league which was wickedlye made with the Chananites, & ouerthrew not their deteſtable worſhippinges, Temples and Idols. Vndoubtedly if theyr repētance had bene true and perfect, they ought faythfully to hauehave amended that wherein they ſynned: for among other thinges thoſe ar counted the iuſt fruites of repentaunce. I hauehave nothing els to anſwer here, but that I thinke they dyd not thys, bicauſe they wanted force,God forgeueth ſinnes but he doth not by & by reſtore the good thinges taken away. luckelye to fight againſt thoſe nations. For God, to puniſh the tranſgreſſion and violating of his law, had nowe withdrawen theyr ſtrength and audacity. And although they repented, yet he did not by and by reſtore vntounto them their old ſtrengthes. For he vſeth in deede ſtraightwaye to receaue repentaunt ſynners into fauour, but he doth not by and by reſtore thoſe thinges which he by his iuſt iudgement hath for ſinnes taken away. This maye we eaſely ſee in the fal of our firſt Parentes. For the euils therby comming vntounto mankinde, wer not taken away of God. Yea and thoſe commodities & moſt quiet ſtate, whiche they had in Paradiſe, men neuer afterwarde recouered, although God hath reconciled vntounto himſelfe thoſe that beleue in Chriſt. For Dauid had woord brought him by Nathan the prophet, that his ſinne was forgeuen him, yet he could not eſcape, but that his ſonne which was borne vntounto him, periſhed, and he himſelfe fel into grieuous miſeries. So God woorketh ſomtimes, partly to keepe diſcipline, and partly to make manifeſt vntounto men, how much he deteſteth ſinnes. Againe more and more to ſtirre vp repentaunce, and that an earneſt repentaunce of wicked actes committed in ſuche as are renued. But let vsus returne vntounto the hiſtory, wherin certain thinges, which happened vnderunder Ioſua are more fully repeated.
Now (ſaith he) He had let the people go, and eueryevery man went into his inheritaunce, Ioſua ſent away the people twice from hym.to poſſeſſe the land. The Iſraelites were twice thus ſent away by Ioſua. Firſt when the land of Chanaan was deuided by lottes. For at that time eueryevery Tribe went to poſſeſſe thoſe places which fel vntounto them by lot. Ioſua alſo ſent away the people when he ſhould dye. For he had called together vntounto him the whole multitude of the Iſraelites, by his laſt ſermon to admoniſh and exhort them. Which he preached in ſuch ſorte, as it is deſcribed in his booke the .24. chap. And as it is moſt likely, we ought to vnderſtande that ſending away in this place, to be the ſame which was done laſt. Seing that it is written in the place now alledged, that when the people had heard the words of Ioſua, & renued the couenante of god, they wer ſent awaye, and euerie one went to his owne poſſeſſion. After that is mencioned the deathe of Ioſuah euen with as many wordes, as it is now repeated.
Ioſua when he ſhould dye executed the office of a good prince.Here let vsus note, that Ioſua being almoſt at the poynt of death executeth the office of a good Prince, in exhorting ye people openly, & that with many words, not to depart from the ſincere religion. In which thing he with a godly and holy ſtudy imitated Moyſes, whom he ſucceded, who (as we reade toward the end of Deut.) behaued himſelfe after the ſawe ſort. Iacob alſo the moſt holye Patriarche, euen now ready to dye, called vntounto him al his children, and ſeriouſly, and with great holines preached vntounto them. And that Princes and Kinges ſhoulde cōmodiouſly do the ſame, it is preſcribed vntounto them in Deuter. that they ſhould be moſt ſtudious in the law of God. For by that meanes were they made apt to admoniſh the people, and to exhort them faithfully to obſerue the commaundementes of the Lord. The Iſraelites when they wer ſent away by Ioſua, ar ſayd to hauehave gone to poſſeſſe the land, bicauſe as yet ther remained very many places for eueryevery Tribe not yet conquered. Of which places when Ioſua was dead, and in the time of the Elders they obtained certain, when as they got the victories in battailes, as we hauehave heard frō the beginning. After which victories the firſt tranſgreſſion folowed, vntounto which ſucceded the repentaunce before mencioned. But they abſtained from idolatry as long as Ioſua lyued, and all the time of the Elders, which wer equall with him, and ouerlyued him, who alſo had ſeene the wonderfull workes of the Lord. For at that time ſound doctrine, and the woord of the Lord teſtified by notable victories, wer of great force.
That good Magiſtrate by whom the publike wealthe was then gouerned, had had experience of the wonderfull power of the woord of God, and therefore he continually laboured openly to inculcate & vrge it vntounto the people of Iſrael, which thing could not want iuſt fruit. Experiēce declareth,People frame them ſelues to the example of their princes that almoſt in eueryevery age, the people frame them ſelues to the example of their Magiſtrates. For if the Princes be zelous both of religion and godlines, their ſubiectes alſo wil embrace godlineſſe and religion. But cōtrarywiſe if Princes liue vngodly and diſſolutely, the people wil likewyſe deſpiſe religion and lyue filthily. Moreouer, let the Magiſtrate as long as he is in authority, chiefly hauehave a care to thys, that the holy miniſtery be perfect, and that it teache and adminiſter ſound doctrine, and pure rites, and that he ſuffer not ſuperſticious or wycked opinions to bee thruſt into the church. But euen as he prouideth that other Artificers abuſe not their ſciences: ſo let him diligently beware yt the Miniſters of the church do not either corrupt the godly rites, or falſify ye holy doctrine. We ſee that ſomtimes it happeneth, that the miniſtery in the Church is very laudable and pure. But yf an vngodly, and wicked Magiſtrate obtaine the chief rule of thinges,It profiteth much to ye Eccleſiaſticall miniſtery to hauehave the magiſtrate a helper. that holy miniſtery is eaſely deſpiſed of the people, Wherfore it is made of leſſe efficacy, than it would hauehave bene if it myght hauehave had the Magiſtrate a furtherer of it. Wherfore we muſt with moſt feruent praiers deſire, that ſeing the church hath now by the benefit of God in many places recouered godly doctrine and ſincere Miniſters, that it would pleaſe God to geue vntounto it Magiſtrates which may be moſt zelous of godlines and religion.
If a man ſhould aſke whether the people may be good and godly, although the Magiſtrate and Miniſter of the Church be corrupt. I anſwer, that ſomtyme they may be, as touching ſome: as we ſee to happen in the Papacy, where ſome godly and holy men are eueryevery wher found, which neuertheles lyue vnderunder wicked, corrupt, and vngodly ciuyl Magiſtrates and Miniſters of the church. Howbeit publike exerciſes of ſound religion and godlynes, can not vniuerſally be had wythout them.