Commentaries, Commentary on Judges · Chapter 2 · Verse 18
18 And when the Lord rayſed vp vntounto thē Iudges, the Lord was with the Iudge, and deliuered them out of the handes of their enemyes, all the dayes of the Iudge. For the Lorde repented at theyr ſorrowinges whiche they had, by reaſon of them, that oppreſſed and vexed them.
The iudges were before of the cōmon ſort and vulgare eſtate.Still is declared after what ſorte God behaued himſelf toward the Iſraelits in the tyme of the Iudges. Neither doth this ſpeche, when he ſaith. And God rayſed vp Iudges, want an emphaſis. For it is expreſſed that they wer before of the common ſorte and vulgare ſtate but god ſo chaunged them by his ſpirite, that he inſpired them with couragious hartes, ſtrength, and moſte wyſe Counſels. This vndoubtedly was that ſtirring vp, which is now declared. For God vſeth, when he appoynteth any man to any office, to geue him ſtrength & abilitie to performe the ſame. Whiche thing we read did come to paſſe in Saul & alſo in Dauid, and before them in Moſes, who beyng before ſhepheardes & horſekepers, when they came to beare rule, did by the power of the ſpirite of GOD worke maruelous thinges, and proued noble men. For GOD (as the ſcripture now ſpeaketh) rayſed them vp. And not cōtent with this, but he fully perſuaded them, and with inwarde feelyng made them aſſured, that they were now elected by God, to deliuer the Iſraelites and to ſet them at libertie. And without doubt vnleſſe they had ben fully perſuaded of this, it had not ben lawfull for them to hauehave fought agaynſt their Lordes, or to rebelle: for ſo much as it is not the office of priuate men to fight with his enemies. Wherfore Cato, An example of Cato.whoſe ciuile iuſtice is meruelouſly commended, gaue his ſonne charge, yt when he was diſmiſſed from warre, and no more bounde by an othe of warre, he ſhould not fight againſt the enemyes of the publicque wealth. Knowyng this right well, that it is lawful for no man, to drawe weapon againſt any, excepte it be by publicque authoritie, I hauehave now expounded what this meaneth that God rayſed vp Iugdes: Now let vsus ſee for what cauſe God did the ſame.
Bicauſe (ſayeth the hiſtorye) he repented. God is not reconciled vntounto vsus by the outward workes whiche we do.What is the receaued expoſition of theſe kindes of ſpeache we hauehave before declared. But now we muſt marke what this meaneth whiche followeth: At their ſorowinges. We may not thincke that God was reconciled or made fauorable vntounto them by the ſtrength and dignitye of the worke. For that do men obteyne onelyonly by fayth in our mediatour Ieſus Chriſt, to whiche fayth in theſe and ſuch lyke kynde of ſpeaches we muſt continually hauehave a reſpect vntounto, therby to loke vponupon the roote from whence ye fruites of true repentaunce, and alſo ſighinges and teares are deriued. Neither do we for all that denye,God rewardeth good workes. but that good workes ſpringyng from faith are ſo acceptable vntounto GOD, that he rewardeth them with excellent giftes, as well outward, as alſo ſpirituall, whiche commeth of his goodneſſe. So ſayd Daniel vntounto the kyng of Babilon: By almes redeme thy ſinnes. That is, dryue awaye the paynes and puniſhementes, wherewith otherwiſe thou ſhalt be puniſhed.
But if thou ſhalt demaunde what is to be thought,Of morall workes done without faith. of thoſe ciuill and morall good workes, whiche are done without fayth. I aunſwere, that for ſo much as they procede from a viciate and corrupt nature, they are therfore ſinnes. And for that cauſe they deſerue dampnation and hell fyre. Howbeit God, to the end that the ordre and iuſt diſpoſition of thinges in the worlde might be kept, and to defend aſſemblyes of humane kinde, fellowſhippes and publicque wealthes, cauſeth that ſuch actions hauehave many rewardes, not for the worthynes and dignitie of thoſe actiōs, but by reaſon of a certain connexion, wherwith god would theſe thinges to be knitte together. Wherfore it commeth to paſſe, that when as hypocrites do worke outward workes, ſometymes goodly to the ſhew, therby they obtayne notable prayſe. And they whiche are rulers as longe as they honeſtly behaue them ſelues, in doyng iuſtice, either in warlike affaires, or elles in honeſt conuerſation (as the Romanes in the olde tyme did) may obteyne a moſte large Empyre. For ſo would god hauehave diſcipline kept, the world and publicque wealthes preſerued. God did therfore repēt at the ſorrowyngs of the Iſraelites, bycauſe thorough the faith, from whence ſorrowinges and groninges proceded, he was made mercifull and fauorable vntounto them.
But peraduenture ſome man will doubte, whether god, when he repented,God doth not ſo repente that he is chaunged were in any poynt chaunged? All the godly confeſſe in a maner with one mouth, that god can by no meanes be chaunged, for as much as that is a certaine ſigne both of imperfection and alſo of inconſtancy. But this variety which here happeneth is not to be aſcribed vntounto god, but vntounto vsus. Of this thing I hauehave ſpokē ſom what before, but this ſemeth to be added at this preſente. If a man will ſay, that god without controuerſy ceaſſed to fauour the Chananites agaynſt ye Iſraelites, whom he had before ſo ſtrengthened, that he would hauehave them to oppreſſe the Iewes: and agayne afterward to helpe the Hebrues, whom before he ſemed that hys will was to hauehave them oppreſſed by the Chananites. No man can deny, but that theſe thinges hauehave variety. How can we therfore defend the will of god frō chaunging?Variety is the effectes, & not in God. I anſwere, that by the 28. chap: of Ieremy, it manifeſtly appeareth, ye there is a diuerſitie in the effectes, when as for all ye god in very dede, continually retayneth the ſelfe ſame will. For it is thus written there in his name: When as I ſhall ſpeake agaynſt a kyngdome or nation, to deſtroye, roote out, and ouer throwe it, if they ſhall repente, I will alſo repente. And contrarywiſe when as I ſhal ſpeake good of a kingdome or nation, to builde and to plant, and that nation or kingdome ſhall do euill in my ſight, I will then alſo repente me of the good, that I had decreed to beſtowe on them. Theſe wordes declare, that god in theſe kindes of threatninges and promiſes is therfore not chaunged, bycauſe he ſpeaketh not abſolutely & ſimply, but vponupon condition. But the accompliſhing or makyng voyde of the conditions, is to be conſidered toward vsus. And therfore the chaunge is not to be attributed vntounto him, but vntounto vsus. But if thou ſhalt aſke me, whether god doth before know and decree, what ſhall come to paſſe as touching theſe conditions? I will graunt that he doth. For he euen from without begynnyng doth not only know of thyngs that ſhal come to paſſe, but alſo hath decreed what ſhallbe. But bycauſe the hid priuitye of his will as touching theſe thinges, is not opened vntounto vsus in the holy Scriptures, therfore ought we to follow that rule, whiche (as we hauehave declared) is pronounced by Ieremy. This rule did the Niniuites and alſo Ezechias the kyng conſider and beholde beyng, not yet ſet forth.God when he threateneth things whyche come not paſſe, lyeth not. For although deſtruction was threatned them in the name of god, yet for al that by repentaunce and prayers they eſcaped it. Neither is there any cauſe why we ſhould ſuſpect that god doth lye in any thyng, when he ſo threatneth or promiſeth any thinges, whiche afterwarde come not to paſſe. For as touching Ezechias, he could no way eſcape death, if we ſhould looke vponupon the natural cauſes, whiche are commonly called the ſecond cauſes. Wherfore the ſentēce beyng pronounced accordyng to thoſe cauſes, he coulde not be accuſed of a lye. And the Niniuites, if god had done vntounto them, as their ſinnes deſerued, they ſhould vtterly hauehave periſhed. And god commaunded Ionas to preache according to their merites. Furthermore a lye can not be ſo takē, in an oration which hath a ſuppoſition or condition ioyned with it, as it may be in abſolute and ſimple ſentences, when as the ſucceſſe depēdeth of the kepyng or violatyng of the condition. More ouer in theſe wordes of the hiſtory is expreſſed the cauſe why the Iſraelites ſorowed and ſighed, namely bycauſe they were oppreſſed and afflicted, and that with thoſe kindes of calamityes whiche are before mencioned, namely bycauſe they were ſpoyled, ſold, and loſyng their liberty and goods, they were no longer able to ſtande before their enemyes.