of ſucceſs 3 and partly, by putting themſclves ia better order for defending themſelves, and annoying their Enemies. i Hereby ſhew- ing their freedom from that Heathniſh Superſtition, whereby they might have been apt to have rejefted that as an unlucky place- Com- are 1 Kings 20: 23z 28. - : 23 ( And the children of Ifrael went up and wept & before the LORD until even, and asked counſel of the LORD, ſaying, Shall I go up to barrel againſt the children of Benjamin my brother / 2 And the LORD ſaid, Go up againſt him ** .) f
& Not ſo much for their Sins, as for their Defeat and Loſs, as ap- pears by the Sequel. / They impute their ill Succefs, nor to their own ſins, as they had great reaſon to do, but to their raking up Arms againſt their Brethren, the lawfulneſs whereof they now begin to doubt of- Bur ſtill rhey perſiſt in their former negle& of ſeeking GOD'S aſſiſtance in the way which he had appointed, as they them- ſelves acknowledge preſently, by doing thoſe very things which now they finfully negleCted, wv. 26. and therefore are again juſtly puniſhed, '.* God anſwers to their queſtion; but as they did nor deſire his aſſiſtance and ſucceſs, ſo he doth not promiſe it: |
24 And the children of Iſrael came near againſt the children of Benjamin, the ſecond day. ;
25 And Benjamin went forth againſt them out of Gi- beah the ſecond day, and deſtroyed down to the ground of the children of [Iſrael again, eighteen thouſand men, all theſe drew the ſword,
26 C Then all the children of [frael, and all the people went up, and came unto the houſe of God, and wept, and fat there before the LORD, and faſted that day until even, and offered burnt-offerings », and peace-offerings o before the LORD.
m Being new 1enſible of their former lightneſs, and not being trucly humbled for their Sins, which now they diſcover to be the true Cauſe of their ill ſucc<{s- » To make atonement to God for their own Sins« 0 Partly to bleſs God for ſparing fo many of them, whereas he might juitly have cut them off all of them when their Brethren were {l:in 3: and partly to implore his aſſiſtance for the fu- ture, and to give him Thanks for the Vi&ory, which new they were confident he would give them.
27 And the children of Iſrael enquired of the LORD p, ( for the ark of the covenant of God was there q in thoſe days.
2 To wit, by Urim and Thummim, Numb: 27: 2 q In Shiloh where they were now aſſ:mbled.
28 And Phineas the ſon of Eleazar r the ſon of Aa- ron ſtood / before it t in thoſe days ) ſaying, Shall Iyer again gO out to batcel againſt the children of Benjamin my brother, or ſball I ceaſe « ? And the LORD faid,
Go up, for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand x.
7 This is added to give us ſome light about the time of this Hiſtory, and to ſhew it was not dore 1n the order in whych it is here placed, afcer Samſon's Death, but long before. ſ i. e. Miniſtred, as the word fand ofc ſignifies, as Deut. 10, 8. and 18. 7. Prov. 22. 29. Jer. 52. 12. Compare With 2 Kings 25.8, becauſe ſtanding is the uſual poſture of Servants. 7? 1. e. Before the Ark : or, before hts, 1. e. the Lord's face, or preſence 3 which ſhews thar he was the High-prieſh, for none elſe mighr appezr there. « Which, if thou requireſt, we are willing to do, notwithſtanding the provocation they have given vs, and :ur own inclinat;on to Revengee x Now when they had ſought Gd after the due order, and truely humbled themſelves for their Sins, he gives them a full and fatisfaftory Anſwer ro their Deſires: : ; ; |
29 And Iſrael ſet liers in wait .*. round about Gi- beah y.
.*. Though they 'were aſſared of the Succeſs, by a particular and abſolute promiſe, yet they do ror neglet& the uſe of means 3 as well knowing that the certainty of God's purpoſes or promiies doth not excuſe, but rather require Man's diligent uſe of a'l fir means for the accompliſhment cf them. y i. Ee. On ſeveral ſides of it, as may be gathered from the following Verſes.
3o And the children of Iſrael z went up againſt the children of Benjamin on the third day #s, and put them-
{elves in array againſt Gibeah, as at other times.
z 1.e. A coliderable part of them, whe were ordered to give the firſt onſer,and then to counterfeit flight, to draw the Benjamites forth of their ſtrong hold. See v: 32. @ To wit, after the {ſecond Battel; for the firſt day after it, they ſpent in perplexing thoughts, and going up to the houſe of the Lord - the ſecond, in Faſting and Prayer there- and this third, in the Fight. Or, this is ſo called with reſpe& unto the two ſeveral foregoing days of Battel, and ſo
this was the third day of Batrel. 31 And the children of Benjamin went out againſt the people,and were drawn away from the city 6, and + Heb: to they began + to ſmite of the people, and kill as at other ſmite of the t1Mmes c, in the high-ways, of which one goeth up to people [| the houſe of God,and the other to Gibeah in the field
EN 4, about thirty men of Iſrael. ; ! Oc, _ b By the difſembled Flight of the 1ſ-aelites. c With the ſame kind,
thel, though not the ſame degree of Succeſs. 4 So called, ro difference
it from this Gibeah, which was upon an Hill; wheref.re they are conFnny ſaid, to aſcend orgoup againſt it, as v. 23+ 30+ See Joſh. 18» 243 209. : :
32 And the children of Benjamin ſaid, They are {mitten down before us, as at the firſt : Bur the children of 1irael faid, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the high-ways. .
3 UDGES
Chap. X 33 And all the men of I{rael roſe up out of their place | e,and put themſelves in aray at Baal-Tamar: and the liers in wait of Ifrael came forth out of their places f, cven out of the meadows of Gibeah.
e Where they had diſpoſed themſelves. thar they might fall upon the B:njamites, when they were drawn forth to a ſufficient diſtance - from their Cityy and when they were purſuing that Party mention-= ed, v: 3o, f Toexecute what was agreed upon,even to take Gibeahy and burn it, as they :&ually did, v; 37+
34 And there came againſt Gibeah ten thouſand cho- {en men out of all Iſrael g, and the batrel was ſore: but they knew not that evil was near them 6.