Commentaries, Commentary on Judges · Chapter 2 · Verses 14-15
14 And the wrathe of the Lorde waxed hotte agaynſte Iſraell, and he deliuered them into the handes of raueners, that ſpoyled them and ſolde them into the handes of theyr enemyes round about them: Neither had they any power any longer to ſtande before their enemyes.
15 Whether ſo euer they went, the hand of the Lord was agaynſt them with euil lucke, euen as the Lord promiſed them, and euen as the Lord ſware vntounto them. And he punyſhed them ſore.
The puniſhment impoſed by God for Idolatry is now ſet forth to be diligently conſidered by vsus. There are two thinges, which are declared.
Fyrſt is deſcribed that the anger of God was kindled agaynſt the Iſraelites.How we ſhuld vnderſtand god to be angry and to repent. Secondly how he puniſhed the guiltye. God therefore bycauſe of ſo grieuous a wicked crime of the Hebrewes waxed hotte agaynſt them: which is not ſo to be vnderſtande, as though God had any affections, for that pertaineth only vntounto men. But according to the common and receaued expoſition of theſe places, we fele that god is like vntounto men that are angry, after which ſelfe ſame reaſon it is written that he ſometime repenteth. Wherfore, God eyther to repent or to be angry, is nothing ells, but that he doth thoſe thinges, which men repenting and men angrye vſe to do. For the one do eyther alter or ells ouerthrowe that which before they had done: and the other take vengeaunce of iniuries done vntounto thē. Ambroſe in his booke of Noe and the Arke, the fourth Chapter,Ambroſe. ſpeaketh otherwiſe of the anger of God. For neither doth God (ſayth he) thinke as men do, as though ſome contrary ſentence ſhould come vntounto him, neither is he angrye, as though he were mutable, but therfore theſe thinges are beleued, to expreſſe the bitterneſſe of our ſinnes, which hath deſerued the wrath of God, and to declare that the faulte hath ſo much and ſo farre encreaſed, that euen God alſo (whiche naturally is not moued eyther by anger, or hatred, or any paſſion) ſemeth to be prouoked vntounto wrath, &c. And aptely is there mencion made of the anger, before the puniſhment is rehearſed. For mē vſe fyrſt to be angry, before they reuenge:What anger is. Neyther is anger any other thyng ells (if we may beleue Ariſtotell in hys Rhetorikes) but a deſire of reuengement bicauſe of contentempte. For they which perceaue themſelues to be deſpiſed and contemned, do ſtraightway thinke, how they may be reuenged, and they diligently meditate howe by ſome puniſhment they may requite the iniurye or deſpite done vntounto them.
Two kindes of punyſhments are mencioned in thys place,Two kynds of puniſhmentes. the taking away of goodes and ſeruitude: of the which the one is grieuouſer than the other. For it is far more grieuous to be brought into bondage, than to be ſpoyled of goods. But God vſeth ſo to do to punyſhe by certayne degrees, thoſe which hauehave deſerued euill. For he doth not by and by punyſhe moſt greuouſly. And as touching the woordes we muſt note that Schis and Schiſch ſignifye one thing, for Shin and Samech hauehave great affinitie the one with the other, which D. Kimhi hath alſo noted in thys place. Moreouer where it is ſayd, whether ſoeuer they wente oute, the ſame interpreter addeth, to fyghte: And in deede it is very lykely, although I am not ignoraunte that that ſentence may be more largely taken, namely to vnderſtande that whatſoeuer they tooke in hande to do, or to what thinges ſo euer they applyed themſelues vntounto, all thoſe thynges happened vnluckely vntounto them.
By this place is gathered, that no mans goodes are taken awaye, neyther are any brought into bondage, excepte God himſelfe both will and alſo bryng to paſſe the ſame. For it is ſayd here that he gaue them into the handes of raueners, and ſold them into the handes of their enemyes round aboute them. Dauid in hys .xliiii. Pſalme grieuouſly complayneth of this plague, and ſaith that God had ſolde hys withoute any price:Auguſtine. which place Auguſtine conſideryng, he ſayeth that at the fyrſt ſighte it ſemeth abſurde, that any ſhoulde be ſolde, when no price is geuen. But thus he aunſwereth, as touching the enemies, which ſolde the Iſraelites, there was a price geuen by the byers. But as touching God, which was the principall cauſe of the ſelling, he tooke no price. For what could thoſe Idolatrous, violent, and rauenous men, vntounto whom ye Iewes were deliuered to be ſold, geue vntounto him? Vndoubtedly they neither bought nor deſerued thoſe commodities with any reward. Or ells we may thynke, that the price of the Hebrewe bondmen, was ſo ſmall and vile, that it was counted for nothyng,The wicked ſell themſelues to ſinnes without any price. and ſo by thys figure of ſpeach they were ſayd to be ſold without any price. Wherefore Eſaye in hys .lii. Chapter, writeth: Ye are ſolde for nought.
And this phraſe ſerueth very well for thoſe, which do binde thēſelues to ſinnes and wickedneſſe, when as therby, they ſhall get no commoditie at all. And how hard this bondage was which the Hebrewes ſerued when they were ſo ſolde by their enemies, it is manifeſtly expreſſed in Deuteronomye, for there it is ſayde: Thou ſhalt ſerue thine enemye, whom the Lord ſhall ſend vppon thee, in Hunger, in thurſt, and in nakedneſſe, and alſo in al penurye, and he ſhal put an yron yoke vppon thy necke, till he ſhall deſtroye thee. Moreouer by theſe examples we are alſo taughte, what Chriſtians eueryevery where deſerue for their daylye tranſgreſſions and innumerable ſuperſtitions and alſo Idolatrous woorſhippynges. Neyther is it to bee doubted but that a heape of euelles are at hande excepte Chriſt by fayth deliuer vsus from thoſe curſes of the lawe.
The hand of ye Lord is alwayes preſent in all our actions.VVhether ſoeuer they went, the hand of the Lord was agaynſt thē with euell lucke. In all our actions the hande of the Lorde is continually preſente, for withoute hys myghte and power, we can not ſo muche as moue oure ſelues. Wherefore both good ſucceſſes and euell are to bee aſcribed vntounto hym.
Neyther had they any power any longer to ſtande before theyr enemyes. And no meruayle, for by reaſon their goods were ſpoyled, and their number diminiſhed, bicauſe of thoſe which wer brought into bondage they wer ſo impayred and weakened, that they could by no meanes match with their aduerſaries. Vndoubtedly, if we diligently conſider the hiſtories from that time, wherin ſuperſtition began to reygne in ye church, we ſhal fynde that our princes hauehave had either no good ſucceſſe at al, or els very ſmalin their expeditiōs againſt ye enemies of ye fayth.The cauſe of the vnluckye battels againſt the Turkes. We hauehave fought and ye oftentimes againſt ye Turkes and Sarazens, but for the moſte part vnluckely: Neither do the gouernours both of the publicque wealth and alſo of the Churche feele that the hand of the Lord is agaynſt them with euill lucke, and that that is the cauſe why they can not ſtand before their enemyes.
Agayne let vsus note, that the Scripture doth here moſt manifeſtly teſtifye, that God him ſelfe deliuered the Iſraelites into the handes of rauenors, & ſolde them into bondage, for that that thinges were done by hys motion. And this doth Ezechiel the Prophete euidentlye ſhewe, where he deſcribeth, how Nabuchad-nezar ſtandyng in the ende of two wayes, and in a maner determining to directe his hoſt one way, was of God chaunged, and after a ſorte forced to turne his armye agaynſt Ieruſalem. And yet muſt we not vnderſtand theſe thinges ſo,How god may be ſayde to worke euyll workes in the wicked. as thoughe we ſhould thinke that God doth inſtille a new malice into ye heartes of the wicked. For they nede it not. For of what ſorte ſoeuer they be, they are framed of malice and ſynnes, but GOD, ſeyng he is a ſtrength and workyng of moſt efficacy, driueth them as he doth all other thyngs to be moued & to worke. Wherfore they whiche are altogether corrupte, and voyde, and deſtitute of the grace and fauour of God, can do nothyng but onelyonly worke euill. But God,God vſeth the ſinnes of the wicked. by whoſe motion they are ſtirred vp to worke, directeth their euill doynges, cruelties, ſpoylinges, luſtes and tyrannies, to what end ſo euer it ſhall ſeme good to his iuſtice and moſt highe prouidence. Moreouer let vsus here conſider,It is moſt vnhappy to hauehave God angrye. how miſerable and wretched a thing it is for a man to hauehave God angry. Wherfore let vsus moſt diligently take hede, that in all our affayres that we take in hande, we firſt of all reconcile him vntounto vsus, by an vpright faith in Chriſt: for he beyng angry & agaynſt vsus, nothyng can proſperouſly go forward.
Theſe thynges did the Lorde as he had ſpoken and ſworne. Threatninges are ſet forth here and there in the lawe of GOD and eſpecially in Deut. But we neuer read (that I can tell of) that an othe was in that place ioyned with the threatnyngs. Howbeit we muſt beleue,Whether an othe be ioyned to the threatninges put in the ſcriptures. that God when he made lawes did ſomtymes alſo adde to an othe. For the Scripture in this place teſtifieth vntounto vsus that he ſware, whiche is ſufficient, thoughe it be not found in any other place. Moreouer let vsus call to memory, that the latter cauſes,The ſecōd cauſes are not to be ſo much cō ſidered as the firſt cauſe. whiche commonly are called the ſecond cauſes are much to be conſidered in the ſucceſſe of thynges, as well proſperous as vnfortunate: but yet we muſt much more hauehave a regarde vntounto the firſt and chiefe cauſe, namely vntounto God hym ſelfe. So that then when thynges proſper not with vsus, we muſt be angry with our ſelues, bycauſe we are alienated from God. And that this is true, this place manifeſtly proueth. For the Iſraelites were the ſame men which they were before, and their enemyes alſo the ſame men whiche they were before. Wherfore if the Iewes had had God now as fauorable vntounto them as they had before, vndoubtedly they ſhould hauehave obteyned the ſelfe ſame victoryes. Therfore they ought to aſcribe all that vnluckyneſſe vntounto them ſelues. For vnleſſe god had bene angry with them, for the Idolatry whiche they had committed, they ſhould with as good lucke hauehave ouer comed their enemyes now as they did before. Therfore the Prophetes whē they lamented for the miſeries of their people, teſtified that iuſtice, honour, and alſo goodneſſe are to be aſcribed vntounto GOD, but confuſion and ignominye vntounto them ſelues.