The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 22

Yers: 1-5.-The pi·eaching of repmuance. I. THE MISSION. 1. A special mes- senger 1s sent to preach repentanc~. 1:'here are men whose p~~uliar gifts and position mark them out as called to t~1s difficult work, e. g. BhJah, John the Baptist, Savonarola, John Knox. 2. This man was sent by God. It needs a Divine call and inspiration to spe_ak rightly to men of their. sins as well as to preach the gospel of peace. He who 1s thus called must not sbrmk from fear or false kindness to men. 3. The preacher is simply commissioned to convey a message from God. The voice is a man's, but the words are God's. The true preacher must always regard himself as _the messe_nger of ~od, no~ at liberty to i~dulge in his own speculations, or to claim authonty for his own Judgment, but simply to declare, and interpret, nnd apply, the truth which God has entrusted to him (1 Tim. i. 11). 4. The preacher carries the message to the people. He does not wait for an audience to assemble about him; he does not wait for a spontaneous repentance. He journeys from Gilgal to Bochim. They who most need the preacher are least likely to come to hear him. Therefore he must go after them. The visitor, the city missionary, &c., have here a special work to reach those who will never enter the church, but all preachers of repentance mnst learn to seek their bearers. IL THE MESSAGE. 1. This commences with a review of Goel s goodness and faith- fulness. If we have been sinful he has still been merciful to us. He has kept his side of the great covenant, so that if we miss the good fruits of it this must be because we fail on our side. It is well to call attention to tpese facts before pointing out the sin of men, (1) that this may be felt more deeply in contrast with the good- ness of God, (2) that the purpose of God in calling to repentance may be rocognised as gracious, not vindictive (Rom. ii. 4). 2. The message contains a definite charge of sin. This must be definite to be effective. All admit they are imperfect. The difficnlt and delicate task of rebuking consists in making men see their special guilt in regard to particular sins. (1) In the present case the sin consists in guilty toler- ance of evil. Religion should be aggressive. The Church is called to separate her- self from the world (1 Cor. v. 11). (2) The root of the sin is disobedience. All sin is disobedience to the written law, or the law in our hearts; it is the setting up of our will against God's will. 3. The message closes with a warning of punishment. This punishment was to be a direct consequence of their tolerance of evil. Punish- ment is a natural fruit of sin. III. THE RESULTS. We see the preaching of repentance producing the most varied reeults. Some turn a deaf ear ; some hear and resent it; some bear and approve, but apply the message to others ; some bear and admit the truth of the rebuke, but have no feeling of the sting of it; some feel sorrow under the rebuke, but do not rise to the active repentance of will. In the present instance the people beard meekly, humbly, and penitently, and the word bore fruit in genuine repentance and reformation. 1. They wept. Sorrow for past sin is natural and helpful towards future amendment, though if left to itself it will be a barren sentiment. 2. They sacrificed. Thus they acknowledged guilt, sought forgiveness in the mere~ of G?d, and reconsecrated themselves to his service. It is not repentance, but faith m Chnst, the sacrifice for sin, following thls, that secures to us God's forgiving mercy .. 3. They served the Lord. This is the final outcome, and certain proof of genume repentance. The depth of our repentance must be measured not by the number of tears we shed, but by the thoroughness of our amendment of life, and the faithful- ness of our subsequent service of God (Luke iii, 11 ).-A. OIJ. 11. 7-18.J TllE BOOK OF JUDGES. 21