Commentaries, Commentary on Judges · Chapter 6 · Verses 7-9 – Verse 10
7 And when the children of Iſrael cryed vntounto the Lorde, bycauſe of Midian.
8 The Lord ſent vntounto the children of Iſrael a Prophet, who ſayd vntounto them: Thus ſaith the Lord god of Iſrael, I hauehave brought you out of Egipt, I hauehave brought you (I ſai) out of the houſe of bōdage.
9 And I hauehave deliuered you out of the handes of the Egiptians, & out of the hand of al that oppreſſed you, and hauehave caſt them oute before you, and geuen you their land.
The maner whereby the Iſraelites wer ſtirred vp to cal vponupon God, is in this place ſet forth. They were turned vntounto God by the impulſion of faythe, whyche was ſtirred vp by the preaching of the woord of God: for he had ſent vntounto them a man which was a Prophet, not legions of Angels, not a multitude of ſouldiours, not armour, neither warlike engins. He directed vntounto them a Preacher & Miniſter of the woord of God. And this ought not to ſeme abſurd, if this verbe Vaiiſchlah be interpretated in the ſignification of the preterpluperfect tenſe, for as much as it is a thing very much vſed in the holy ſcriptures. And yet I denye not, that this place may be vnderſtand an other way: namely that the Iſraelites in dede cried firſt, but yet with a certaine violence ſtirred vp by troubles and miſeries, which violence by it ſelf, could not be allowed of God, nether had it obtained any thing at his handes, except it had bene adorned with a true faith & perfect repentaunce: for the bringing to paſſe wherof, God not forgetting his mercy, ſent them a Prophet or Preacher meete thereunto. Howbeit the firſt ſenſe, which cōſiſteth al the preterpluperfectnes, pleaſeth me very wel: although I deny not but that both waies may be admitted. Farther, ſome thinke that theſe thinges ar to be vnderſtand by Synechdoche, ſo that it is ment that not one prophet, but very many prophetes were ſent of God. But I iudge that it is wrytten of ſome one certaine prophet, which was of great authority among the Hebrues. And I am not ignorant that ſome thinke this prophet to hauehave ben an Angel: which I allow not, foraſmuch as he is called both a man and a prophet. And I finde in no place of the holy ſcriptures ye Angls wer called prophets: although on the contrary we rede in them ſometimes that a prophet was called an Aungel,Aflictiō … make open the waye vntounto profitable ſermons. as it moſt manifeſtly appeareth of Malachi. But let vsus marke this rather, that oppreſſions and aduerſities, which often times happen, do geue good occaſion of profitable ſermons: for as much as the hearers by ſuch vexation ar made much more attentiue. The Hebrues thinke that this Prophet was Phineas, of whom alſo they ſaye that it is written in the firſt booke of Paralip. the .ix. chap. that he liued in the time of Dauid, when as for all that the ſame place may otherwiſe bee expounded. But who hee was, it maketh no great matter. We muſt rather marke the argument of the ſermon, whiche is in fewe woordes toutched. Firſt, the benefites of God are rehearſed: their deliuery I ſay out of Egipt, wherby they were deliuered from ſeruitude moſt grieuous: his defence againſt thoſe which went about to oppreſſe them: and laſtly, the poſſeſſion of the land of Chanaan. God had now faithfully performed al theſe thinges, as hee had promyſed vntounto their fathers. Whereby it manifeſtly appeareth that the couenaunt made with the fathers, was on his part kept vnuiolated. Let vsus note in theſe wordes, that God at that time was by this title praiſed, namely bicauſe he had deliuered his people out of Egipt: for his nature otherwiſe is moſt farre remoued from the mindes of men, neither can it any otherway be knowen, but by the effects. But of this thing I hauehave inough ſpoken, as much as ſemed ſufficient. Wherefore it is manifeſt that the Preacher which was ſent from God, doth beate into the Hebrues the benefite which they had receaued, namelye both to ſtirre vp in the Iſraelites the knowledge of the true God, and alſo to ſhewe foorth hys truth endued with conſtancy.
10 And I ſayd vntounto you: I the lord your God. Fear not the gods of ye Amorites, in whoſe lād ye dwel, but ye hauehave not obeied my voyce.
Now is added what God againe required of the Hebrues, namelye that hee ſhoulde be their God, and that they ſhoulde not feare the gods of the Amorites, or not worſhip them. For in this woorde feare is verye often comprehended all maner of worſhipping and religion. For what ſhould they woorſhip ſtraunge gods, when they were the peculiar people of the true God, by whom they were deliuered from the houſe of bondage, that is, out of a priſon or dungeon moſte hard, and afterward in their iourney they were deliuered both from the Amalekites, & alſo from the Moabites, & from Sihon and Og the kinges? Wherfore foraſmuch as they had receaued theſe benefites of their God, it was neither lawful nor meete that they ſhould worſhip ſtraunge gods.
Two principal ſynnes of the Iſraelites.Ye hauehave not obeyed my voyce. Two moſt grieuous crimes of the people are reproued, wherof the latter dependeth of the firſt. Firſt they beleued not his word, & then they obeyed it not. Vndoubtedly they which beleue not the thyngs that God ſetteth forth, do not alſo obey his cōmaundementes. And contrarywiſe, they which do truly beleue, do willingly and without compulſion obſerue his commaundements. Although the wicked actes of the Hebrues were ſundry and manifold, yet onelyonly one is reproued, namely Idolatrye, bicauſe in it almoſt al the other ſinnes are comprehended. For if we commit ſynne there, wher God is called vponupon, and if we ſinne in that thing wherein we ſeeke to be reconciled vntounto god, what goodnes can ther be in any other of our actions? If theſe things be corrupted in vsus, which are taken for holy thinges, what maye be iudged of other workes which are counted prophane? Wherefore foraſmuche as in theſe thinges the Hebrues greuouſly fel, we muſt vnderſtand that they alſo ſinned in all other thinges.