38. Abimelech made king. Of Jephthah. Judges viii. 29-xii. 7. 'Gideon left 'many sons. Abimelech was a son of Gideon, but not a lawful son. He slew all Gideon's lawful sons, except one. Jotham only, who had hidden himself, escaped. After a time the men of Shechem13 'made Abimelech their king; Jotham came to Mount Gerizim,31 and by the following parable ridiculed the choice of the men of Shechem, and the pretensions of Abimelech; "The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the 'olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they 'honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? And the trees said to the 'fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which 'cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said all the trees unto the 'bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.9" Jotham told the men of Shechem of all that his father had done for them, and of their ingratitude, and then fled to "Beer. Soon after, Gaal conspired with the Shechemites against Abimelech, and Abimelech fought against the Shechemites and was slain. Tola and Jair were the next successive judges over Israel. The Israelites began to serve the gods of Syria, "Sidon, Moab,28 and others, and God suffered them to be oppressed by the Philistines and Ammonites; they cried unto the Lord, and while they were confessing their sins the Ammonites came against them. God then raised up Jephthah to deliver them. Jephthah made a rash vow to God before he went to battle; to fulfil which he had to sacrifice his daughter, after he had conquered the Ammonites. The Ephraimites 'quarrelled with Jephthah because he had gone against the Ammonites without them. They said also, "Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim." Therefore the men of Gilead14 fought with Ephraim and smote them, and the Gileadites took the Passages of Jordan39 before the Ephraimites, and when any one of the Ephraimites who had escaped, said, "Let me go over," the men of Gilead said unto him, "Art thou an Ephraimite ?" If he said, "Nay," then said they unto him, "Say now 'Shibboleth," and he said, "Sibboleth ;" for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the Passages of Jordan; and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty-and-two-thousand. Jephthah judged Israel six years. GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES. Beer-'a well;' supposed to have been Beeroth, an ancient city of the Gibeonites, in the tribe of Benjamin, about seven miles from Jerusalem. Syria-a large country of Asia, between the Euphrates and Arabia on the east and south, with Mount Taurus on the north, and the Mediterranean Sea and Canaan on the west. Sidon-the most ancient city of Phoenicia, said to have been founded by Sidon; it was in the tribe of Asher, but it was never subdued by the Israelites. EXPLANATIONS. Gideon left-that is at his death. many sons-viz., seventy; for he had many wives. made, &c.-this was practical rebellion against God, "the king of Israel." Gideon, his father, had refused the lesser honour of being the ruler of Israel. parable-a fictitious narrative, illustrating something in real life, which can be at once understood by those to whom it is addressed. In this parable of Jotham, the folly, ingratitude, and wickedness of the Shechemites are represented with much ingenuity and simplicity. ridiculed-exposed to contempt. pretensions-fictitious claims. The trees, &c.-this is the most ancient apologue, or parable extant. The figure of the trees choosing a king, and the nobler ones declining the station, while the bramble hastily embraced it, was intended to show how Gideon had modestly for himself and his lawful sons, declined this honour, while his illegitimate son, like a worthless bram ble, seized it on the first offer. olive tree-this tree is exceedingly valuable from the large quantity of oil which its fruit yields. honour God-in the sacred uses to which it was devoted-" the holy anointing oil"; oil for the light of the sanctuary, the sacrifices, &c. fig tree-this tree, as well as the olive, was common in Canaan, where it once formed an ordinary article of food. cheereth God-in allusion to the drinkofferings presented before the Lord in the tabernacle. Les. 24. bramble-probably a species of buck-thorn; many thorny plants grew in Canaan. sacrifice, &c.-it is not known whether she was devoted to death, or to perpetual celibacy. quarrelled, &c.-the Ephraimites were at this time haughty and turbulent. Shibboleth- a stream;' the pronunciation of the letters sh is a matter of difficulty to those who have not been accustomed to it from infancy. CONTEMPORARY CHARACTERS. ABIMELECH-the son of Gideon's concubine, a woman of Shechem. The chief men of Shechem,amongwhom were his mother's relations, regarding him as one of themselves, made him king. JOTHAM-the only son of Gideon who was not slain by Abimelech. After delivering his fine parable he bitterly rebuked the Shechemites, and prophetically intimated the result which followed viz., Abimelech's short reign, arising from their own dissatisfaction with him. GAAL-the son of Ebed; he was the chief conspirator against Abimelech, but he afterwards fled hastily from him in battle. ZEBUL-a magistrate of Shechem who apprised Abimelech of Gaal's conspiracy, and shortly afterwards expelled him and his troop from the city. JEPHTHAH-an illegitimate son of Gilead, a person of some note in Manasseh, beyond Jordan. He had no claim to share with his brethren in their patrimony; and, on the death of their father, was excluded with some harshness from the paternal home, and became a wanderer and an exile. QUESTIONS. What act of tyranny did Abimelech commit? To what dignity was he raised by the men of Shechem? Repeat the parable which Jotham del vered to ridicule them and him. What application has it to the act of the Shechemites? How is the foolish ambition of Abimelech Who were the next judges in Israel? therein portrayed? By what people were the Israelites after wards oppressed for their apostacy? When they repented who was raised up to deliver them Of what rashness was Jephthah guilty? What circumstance led the Ephraimites to quarrel with Jephthah? To what test were the Ephraimites subjected by the Gileadites? How many Ephraimites were slain? PRECEPTIVE LESSONS. In Abimelech we have a sad example of the evils of ambition; he became a murderer and a fratricide that he might be a king. The Shechemites were guilty of base ingratitude, they forgot their benefactor, Gideon, by whom God had wrought a great deliverance for them; but their wickedness was requited. Jephthah, the meanest of his family, and an outcast is chosen to deliver his country; thus the words of the Psalmist are verified" the stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner". Jephthah's rash vow teaches us that in moments of strong religious or social excitement, we should set a watch on the door of our lips. 39. Of Samson, Eli, and Samuel. Judges xii. 7-xiii. 25 & 1 Sam. i.-iii. After the death of Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon, successively governed Israel for twenty-five years. The Israelites again did evil in the sight of the Lord, and he delivered them into the hands of the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years. The coming of Samson was foretold by an angel to his mother. She was the wife of Manoah, of the tribe of "Dan. The angel told her that her son was to be brought up a Nazarite from his birth, and that he should 'begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines. Manoah and his wife promised to obey the 'injunction of the angel, and in due time Samson was born. When Eli was judge and priest of Israel, a woman named Hannah, one of the two wives of Elkanah, prayed for a son. Elkanah comforted Hannah, saying, "Why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons ?" Hannah vowed, that if the Lord would answer her prayer by giving her a son she would dedicate him to the Lord all his life, and there should no razor come upon his head. As she was praying, Eli watched her; she spake in her heart, only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunken. He said unto her, "How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee." And Hannah answered, "No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have 'poured out my soul before the LORD." Eli then said, "Go in peace; and the God of Israel 'grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him." Then her countenance was no more sad. The Lord heard Hannah's prayer, and gave her a son whom she called Samuel. After the child was weaned, she brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh.32 And she said to Eli, "Oh my lord, 'as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD. For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him; therefore also I have 'lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD." She also sang a song of thanksgiving to the Lord, in which she praised his goodness, wisdom, and power. Eli had two wicked sons, Hophni and Phinehas. He reproved them, but they would not hearken to their father. They did evil, and he did not restrain them. A prophet came to Eli, and spoke of the approaching downfal of his house. He said that Eli's two sons should die in one day; --that God would raise him up a faithful priest;-and that Eli's seed should come to poverty and dishonour. The child Samuel 'ministered to the Lord before Eli. The Lord called to Samuel as he lay asleep. He thought Eli had called him; but Eli knew the call was from the Lord, and told Samuel 'how to answer. The Lord revealed to Samuel his judgment on Eli's house, which Samuel made known to Eli the next morning. All Israel knew that Samuel was appointed to be a prophet of the Lord. GEOGRAPHICAL NOTE. Dan-the lot of this tribe was adjacent to the country of the Philistines; in this division were the fertile vineyards of Timnath and Eshcol. EXPLANATIONS. aNazarite-a person separated or devoted to God, whether man or woman, was called a Nazarite. Nazarites, by their vow, which was generally voluntary, engaged for a limited time to abstain from intoxicating liquors, &c.; to avoid all kinds of personal defilement, and, as a sign of their vow, to preserve their hair from being cut off, Numb. vi. 1-21. Some, such as Samson and John the Baptist, were appointed of God before their birth to be perpetual Nazarites, but these were rare. Samuel was devoted by his mother to be a Nazarite when she asked him of the Lord. begin, &c.-hence we see that Samson was not to complete the deliverance; it was carried on after his death by Samuel, but the complete destruction of the Philistines was not effected till the reign of king David. Les. 57. injunction-precept enjoined as a trial of their obedience, as the promise of the child was a trial of their faith. dedicate him, &c.—give him up wholly to the public service of the Lord. poured out, &c.-a beautiful figure of ar dent, self-disburdening prayer. grant thee,&c.-Eli thus joined in Hannah's prayer; intimating that God would also grant her desire. as thy soul liveth-an ancient mode of making a strong asseveration. lent him, &c.-she voluntarily surrendered to the Lord her interest in him. It was the intention of Samuel's mother, that as a Levite and a Nazarite, he should spend his life in the service of the sanctuary; but the Lord was pleased afterwards to employ him as a prophet, and as a judge in the affairs of Israel. he did not restrain them-he did not exert himself to use the authority he possessed, as judge and priest, for removing them from the office which they abused. ministered to the Lord-the Levites were not called to any peculiar services till they were twenty-five years of age, Numb. viii. 24; but Samuel being devoted to the Lord in a special manner, was from a child employed about the sanetuary in offices suitable to his age. As he did this from a pious disposition, it was called ministering to the Lord. how to answer-he was to say, "Speak LORD; for thy servant heareth." CONTEMPORARY CHARACTERS. IBZAN, ELON, and ABDON-the three successive judges of Israel for twentyfive years after the death of Jephthah; the people fell into idolatry during their government, and were brought under bondage to the Philistines. MANOAH-a Danite of Zorah, to whose wife an angel promised a son. ELI-a descendant of Aaron, through Ithamar, but upon what occasion the dignity of the high-priesthood had been transferred from the family of Eleazar to that of Ithamar, does not appear. ELKANAH-a man of the tribe of Levi, who lived at Ramah, he was the father of Samuel; he had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah; Hannah had no children and she was provoked by Peninnah, who had children. HANNAH-the wife of Elkanah who prayed for a son whom she promised to dedicate to God's service. The Lord heard her prayer and gave her a son whom she called Samuel; she afterwards had three sons and two daughters. HOPHNI & PHINEHAS-the sons of Eli, they abused their office, and were slain in one day. Les. 42. QUESTIONS. Who were the three successive judges after Jephthah? Why were the Israelites brought into bondage to the Philistines? What communication was made by an angel to Manoah's wife? For what favour was Hannah solicitous? Relate the circumstances which transpired when she was praying before Eli. How did the Lord answer her prayer? How did Hannah dispose of her son? Who brought evil on his own house for want of proper domestic discipline? What evils did a prophet denounce against What is stated respecting Samuel? [him? PRECEPTIVE LESSONS. Although the Philistines were few in number compared with Israel, they were suffered to prevail against them. We must account for it by referring to the question of Moses, "How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?" In the promise of a son to Manoah's wife we find a striking attestation to the value of temperance; while men generally take wine and strong drink to strengthen them, Samson was to avoid such stimulants, or suffer the consequences of becoming "weak, ... as another man." From the conduct of Hannah we may learn humility; she approached God by secret prayer in a public place; and we see from Eli's mistake, the impropriety of uttering harsh censures when our judgment may be in error. 40. The Acts of Samson. Judges xiv.-xv. 20. if When Samson grew up, he went to Timnath, and he saw there a woman of the daughters of the Philistines who pleased him. He told his father and mother to get her for him to wife, but his parents did not wish it, for they knew not that it was 'of the Lord. The Philistines at that time had dominion over Israel. As Samson was going to Timnath, he 'slew a lion. On his 'return thither again, there was a swarm of 'bees and honey in the carcase of the lion, and he took some of the honey, and did eat it. He afterwards proposed a riddle to the Philistines, at a feast which he had made, saying, "I will now put forth a riddle unto you; ye can certainly declare it me within the 'seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments; but if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments." And they said unto him, "Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it." And he said unto them, "Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness." And they could not in three days expound the riddle. On the seventh day they 'induced his wife to entice her husband to tell her its meaning, that she might tell them, and that they might answer Samson. She did so, and they answered him on the seventh day, "What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion ?" Then he knew that his wife had revealed it to them. The father of Samson's wife gave her to his companion. Samson then caught three-hundred foxes, and put firebrands to their tails, and let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, which was burnt up. The Philistines were angry, and 'burnt Samson's wife and her father with fire. He afterwards smote a great many Philistines, near the rock **Etam. The men of Judah were angry with Samson, for the Philistines were rulers over them; three-thousand of them came to the rock Etam to bind him, that they might deliver him to the Philistines; and they bound him, with two new cords, and brought him to **Lehi. The Philistines shouted against him, and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily on him; the cords became as burnt flax, and his hands were loosed; and he found a new jaw-bone of an ass, which he took, and slew a thousand men therewith. After this slaughter, he nearly died of thirst, and he called on the Lord, and said, "Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant; and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?" But God 'clave the jaw-bone and water came out, of which he drank, and was refreshed. GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES. Timnath-an ancient city of the Canaanites, it existed in the time of Jacob; it long remained in the possession of the Philistines; it is chiefly noticed in the history of Samson. Etam-a city in Judah between Bethlehem and Tekoa; in its vicinity was the rock to which Samson retired after he had destroyed the standing corn of the Philistines. Lehi-the place at which Samson slew a thousand Philistines with a jaw-bone; a fountain sprang up at this place in answer to his prayer. |