EXPOSITION of Ephraim, the place of the national CHAPTER II. gathering of "the host," and the tabernacle It is often extremely difficult to make out pitched there; and the same in eh. xix. 51 ; the sequence of a Hebrew narrative, the nar- xxi 2; xxii. 9, 12. Josephus tells us that rator going back and travelling over the Joshua moved his camp from Gilgal to same ground in respect of time which he had Shiloh in the hill country at the close of already traversed, in order to introduce, the fifth year (' J. A.' v. i. 19). This ascent some circumstances which had been omitted. of the angel from Gilgal in the plains of (see eh. vii. 26, note, and •-iii, 4, note). This Jericho to Bochim in the hill country appears to be the case with this section. would seem, therefore, to have been a.bout The mention of Gilgal in ver. 1 seems to the beginning of the sixth year of the point distinctly to the early time of the occupation of Canaan, and the rebuke in it entrance into Canaan under Joshua, be- to apply chiefly to Ephraim and Manasseh, cause it was quite in the beginning of the though in part to J udnh also. The place of Israelite occupation that the camp was o.t . this section chronologically would be be- Gilgal, and it was there that the o.ngel of tween ver. 29 and ver. 30 of eh. i. It the Lord spake to Joshua (Josh. v. 9, 10, should be noticed also that this section is 13-16). We find the camp still o.t Gilgal very closely connected with Josh. x.xiv.; in Josh. x. 9, 43, o.nd it was from the camp for, first, Judges ii. 6 is identical with Josh. at Gilgal tho.t Caleb went forth to bis con- xxiv. 28, and the verses that follcw Judges quest (eh. xiv. 6), o.nd o.lso that Ephraim ii. 6 aro also identical with those that follow and Mo.nasseh went forth to to.ke their in- Josh. xxiv. 28. It is likely, therefore, that heritance (chs. xvi., xvii.); but in eh. xviii. what immediately precedes Judges ii. 6 should 1, 9, 10 we fiud Shiloh, in the hill country be very closely connected "ith what immedi- JUDGES. P THE BOOK OF JUDGES. [en, n. 1-6.
ately precedes Josh. xxiv. 28, e.nd should Ver. 1.-An angel of the Lord. Rather, relate to the Bllme time. Now the discourse tluJ angel of the Lord, i e. the e,ngel of his of Joshu1t (xxiv. 1-15) is only an expan- presence, whose message consequently is sion of the brief address of the angel in ing aelivered as if the Lord himself were speak- (see Gen. xvi. 7, 9, 11, &c.), A good Judges ii. 1-3. The expostulation about the example of the difference between a message strange gods in Josh. xxiv. 14, 23, is in exact delivered by a proph~t and ono delivered by accordance with the complaint of the angel the angel of the Lord may be seen by com- in Judges ii. 2; and the warm protestation Jlnring eh. vi. 8 with eh. vi. 11-16. of the people, "We will serve the Lord," in Bochim, i. e. weepers (vers. 4, 5). The site is unknown, but it was l1robably near Shiloh. ,Tosh. xxh-. 18, 21, 24, is in full accordance The phrase "came up ' denotes that it was '1'ith what is said Judges ii. 4: "The people in the hill country. lifted up their voice, and wept." Again, the Ver. 3.-I so.id, i. e. I now declare to you mention in Josh. =iv. 1 of the people pre- my resolve. It was this that me.de the senting themselves "before God," and of people weep. Thorns in your sides. This is not a translation of the Hebrew text, " the sanctuary of the Lord" (ver. 26), which only has "for sides," but e. partial agrees with what is said Judges ii. 5: "They adaptation of Josh. :xxi.ii, 13, where the sacrificed there unto the Lord." And lastly, phrase is '' scourges in your sides and thorns the somewhat mysterious words in Josh. in your eyes." Either the words for xxiv. 2i, " This stone . . . hath l1eard all "scourges in " have fallen out of the text, or the word here rendered " sides " should the words of the Lord which he hath spoken be rendered, as some think, "enemies.'' A to us," would have an easy solution if the snare. See eh. viii. 27, note. message of the angel (Judges ii 1-3) had Ver. 5.-They sacrificed. A clear intima- been spoken before it. The inference is that tion that they were near Shiloh, where the Joshua's address in Josh. :x::riv. was delivered tabernacle was. Ver. 6.-And when Joshua, &c. The immediately after the transaction recorded same words as Josh, xxii. 6, marking the in this section. identity of time.
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-6.-The expostulation. We have here an extraordinary messenger, the angel of the Lord, but the message is one which in its spirit might be addressed to men at any time, and e.t any place. For it speaks of God's flowing mercy arrested by man's stubbornness. "I made you to go up out of Egypt--! have brought you into the promised land. I have faithfully kept my covenant, but you have altogether failed to do your part. Ye have not ooeyed my voice." The one requirement of God that, when they took possession of the land, they should make no league with its inhabitants, but should throw down their abominable altars, they had neglected to fulfil. They had thought of their own interest and convenience, and not of the honour of God. They had taken God's earthly gifts, but had rejected his word. They had shown themselves to be self-seekers, greedy, carnal, and forgetful of him from whom they had all It was the old story of self slipping into the place of God -self as the supposed giver, and self as the person for whose glory the gift was to be used. "My power and the might of mine hand bath gotten me this wealth," and therefore I will use it to my own ends. "le not this great Babylon that I have built for the ho11Be of the kingdom, by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?" This is the spirit that is constantly slipping in, in a greater or less degree, even in the Church of God, and frustrating the purposes of hie unbounded grace. For it is just as in the case of Israel. When they used the gift of Canaan not for God'i! purposes but for their own, which were quite contrary to God's-for God's purpose was the extirpation of idolatry; their purpose was the enjoyment of vineyards which they had not planted, and wells which they had not digged-they at on1;e closed up the fountain of God's grace. "I will not drive them out from before you ; they shall be as thorns in your side, and their gods shall be e. snare unto you." And their future history was the history of the fulfilment of this threat. So it was in the historv of the Church. The grace of God bestowed in such rich abundance upon the early Church at Pentec:ost and afterwards, that those who 11amcJ the 11ame of Christ IJl'l, II. 1-6.] TFIE BOOK OF JUDGES. 19