The Pulpit Commentary — Judges — Section 133

HOMILETICS. Vers. ~-25.-Married life; Many deep and valu~ble teachings may be gathered out of this chapter. The ministry of angels to the heirs of salvation and connected with it, the sublime con?eptio:n _of the c<;mntless hosts ~f heaven; fo; the ~re~ence of one angel upon earth bnngs tidmgs, as it were, from distant spheres of prmcipalities and powers. of thrones and dominions, of angels and autltorities of cherubim and seraphim, peopling the realms of space, filling the heavens with intelligence and praise, and having a community with mankind in the grace and love of God· and one converse of an angel with men suggests a future intercourse of inconcei~able wealth of enjoyment, and unbounded variety of interchange of thought and a !ello~ship in adoration an? praise with unnumbered worlds of holy and' mighty mtelhgences. The mystenous nature of ·the angel of the Lord, baffling all human attempts to explain it-at one moment seeming quite -separate from the Godhead itself, and next moment seeming to be one with it, as if a kind of anticipation of the incarnation were taking place, and God himself were speaking by the angel's mouth. And then there is the predestinating grace of God, calling.into being whom he will, assigning to his creature his proper work, and marking out his future course before he w·as born; endowing him with great and singular gifts, pouring freely and fully upon him his Holy Spirit, and yet leaving his free will unshackled, and his responsi- bility unimpaired. And there is the doctrine of sacrifice, and of answers to prayer; and. there is the question of tempera.nee, and total abstinence from the fruit of. the vine; and the duty of hospitality, and of gratitude for kindness received; and that of giving honour to whom honour, and worship to whom worship is due, and other lessons besides. But the one lessonfwhich stands out above the others and runs through the whole chapter is that of the conjugal relation of man and wifeJ which is set forth with inimitable simplicity and force, and which we shall do well to study £or a few minutes as one that bears with singular influence upon the happiness and well-being of mankind. It is obvious to notice in the first place that Manoah was the husband of one wife, according to the institution of marriage in paradise. Such mutual confidence and help as we here see could not have been found in Gideon's harem or in the households of Ibzan and Abdon. The real conjugal union of intere~ts, and oneness of aim, and transparent openness of intercourse springing from having nothing to conceal, can have no existence where polygamy exists. Nor is it in the nature of things that a woman's entire love and trust should be given to the man who has only a fraction of affection to give in return. If Christianity had done nothing else £or mankind than restore the primitive law of marriage, and guard it with the highest sanctions of religion, it would have conferred upon our race an inestimable boon. The holiness and happiness, the peace and union, of countless homes is due to the marriage law of the gospel of Christ. But then this law must be kept in the spirit as well as_ in the let_ter. The c?ndu~t of Ma?oah'.s.w}fe after_her first interview with the angel 1s a beautiful exemrhficat1on of this spmt m the wife: "Then the woman came and told her husband.' Many things might have moved her to secrecy. The £ear of exciting her husband's suspicions, the ri!k of being disbelieved, the possibility that the stranger had deceived her with false hopes; or, on the other hand, a feeling of pride and self-sufficiency at the marvellous apparition and revelation made to herself, not to her husband, and a spirit of independence engendered by sucL a distinction-such feelings as these, had they existed, or had they ruled her conduct, might have led her to conceal the mysterious interview. But ~- XIII. 1-25.] THE BOOK OF JUDGES. 141