HOMILETICS. Vers. 33-40.-The Divine side of human history. This section reveals an extraordinary change in the whole aspect of things in Israel. At the beginning of the chapter we see the people utterly cowed before their enemies, skulking in caves and dens and hiding-places, while their insolent masters take possession of their land, their food, their substance, and all that they had. For seven years had this state of things endured. It bad •become a matter of course that, when the season came, the Midianites and their allies should swarm across the Jordan, cover the land, devour everything, stay as long as they pleased, and then return unresisted to their own country. But at the close of the chapter a change, like the sudden melting of the snow in the spring, bas taken place. There are indeed the same Midianite hosts, "like grasshoppers for multitude, and their camels without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude'' (eh.vii. 12) ; there are the same kings in all their pride of power, and the same princes as greetly as ravens for their prey, and as hungry as wolves in pursuit of the spoil ( eh. vii. 25, note). But when they have reached the well-known plain of Jezreel, instead of tame submission, instead of the frightened people running like rabbits to their holes, they find a nation in arms. Manasseh was up and in the field; N aphtali and Zebulun bad flocked armed to the national standard ; Asher had answered the call of the trumpet; and 32,000 men were at the feet of their leader. Instead of running, hiding, and yielding, there was arming, and combining, and defiance throughout the land. Now what was the cause of this great change? The respective numbers of the Midiunites and Israelites were the same, the respective qualities of the nations were tl,e same, the shape of the ground was the same, the resourceR of the two peoples were the same; whence the difference? The difference lay in the motive power of the will of God. Before, bis will was to give Israel up into the hands of Midian to punish their idolatry; now, his will was to deliver them on their true repentance. It is just the lesson taught by the prophet Isaiah in the sublime message which he delivered to Sennacherib: "Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it; and of ancient times, that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heups. Therefore their inhabit- ants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded: they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, us the grass on the house-tops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up." What regulates the world is the motive power of the will of God acting upon and through the wills and the capacities of men. There are in the men virtue, courage, sagacity, ability, prudence, wisdom, counsel, on the one hand; or meanness, cowardice, blindne~s, weakness, rashness, folly, inconsequence, on the other; and these qualities have each their own proper force and momentum ; but it is the will of God which gives to them their direction and their results. lt is to be noted too that God in his providence raises the instruments and gives the qualities which are to accomplish his will. As wus observed before, God's agents are reasonable men, and it is by their great qualities that they accomplish the work committed to them. But who gives them those great qGa]ities? How came Abraham, and JoAeph, and Moses, and Samuel, and David, and Judas Mnccabeus to appear 011 the world's stage just when they did? It is very tr•1e that Abraham's faith, a:-id 72 THE BOOK OF JUDGES. [CH. VI. 33-40,
Joseph's prude~ce, and the wisdom o~ Moses, and the integrity of Samuel, and the heroism of DaVId and Judas accomphshed those great results at critical moments in their country's history which have made their names famous for ever. And if we are looking at events on their human side, it is quite true to say that Abraham founded t~e Hebrew race, and th~t David f~u1;1ded the Jewi~h monarchy, and Judas rescued his country from destruction. But 1t 1s of supreme importance if we would see God in history, and in the history of our. own tim_es in particular, ~o r~cognise in the sages, and heroes, and reformers, and also m the plulosopbers, and discoverers, and inventors, wbo~e sev~ral_ labours have changed the aspe~t of the world at particular epochs, God s spemal mstruments sent fo_r that very t}nng ; and to recognise in the changes brought about, not merely the act10n of thoso mstruments, but the results of the will of ~od. As l~ng as God is pleased to preser~e. a nation in greatness and power, he continues to raise up among them warnors, d1vmes, men of genius and statesmen. ~en the set time of decadence is come _there arise no great men nrdong them ; their ~1&"hty 1:1:_en become as ~omen (Jer. h. 30), and counsel perishes from the wise (1,bi,d. xvm. 18). In applymg these truths to our own Church and country it behove11 us to remember that we owe all our own national prosperity, both in spiritual and telll:poral things, to the undes~rved mercy ?f God ; that the continuance of that pros- penty depends upon the continuance of his favour ; and that the only way by which to preserve that favour is to walk in righteousness and godliness. Unless God wills to maintain our power and greatness among the nations, all the courage and policy in the world will not suffice to do so ; and even courage and policy may cease to grow among us. The example of Gideon further teaches us that boldness on God's side is the prelude of tri1,.mph over foes, and that what makes leaders of the right stamp is their investiture by the Holy Spirit of God.