Israel's history from the time of the division of Canaan
until the anointing of Saul to be their king, a period of 450
years, is called the period of the Judges--Joshua being the first
judge and Samuel the last. These judges were evidently not
elected to their position but raised to it providentially. But as
these judges had no power or authority and collected no
revenues it follows that any power or influence they
possessed was a personal one and to give it weight or force
implied a proper acknowledgment of them as divinely
appointed or raised up. This arrangement led the people
continually to look to God for their helpers and leaders.
If the book of Judges were to be read as a fully complete
history of Israel for those four and a half centuries it would be
a discouraging picture. But the record passes by the happy
period of Israel's prosperity and specially points out their
deflections from obedience to God, their punishments for
such transgressions and the deliverances from their troubles
through the judges, or deliverers, whom God raised up for
them. That this was in many respects a favorable time for the
Israelites was implied in the Lord's promise, "I will restore
thy judges as at the first." --Isaiah 1:26 R3102:2, R5645:2
The statement by the Apostle of the length of this period
of the Judges (Acts 13:20) we accept as a specially designed
solution of the problem of the portion of the chronology most
difficult to figure from the Old Testament record. B49
A judge, in ancient times, was one who executed justice
and relieved the oppressed. Note, for instance, how when
under oppression by their enemies because of transgression
against the Lord, Israel was time and again released and
blessed by the raising up of judges. A142 It should be noted
that the object of raising up judges was a gracious and
beneficent one: it was to deliver and bless the people, not to
condemn and punish them. In this view of the office of a
judge, how precious is the promise that our blessed Lord
Jesus cometh to judge the world in righteousness. R1869:3
The Canaanites -- Lowlanders. R2848:4
The Perizzites -- Highlanders. R2848:4
The Kenite -- From Midian, east of Sinai. R3061:5
Dwelt among the people -- In fulfilment of Moses'
promise in Num. 10:29-32. R3061:5
So friends of truth should be encouraged to serve the Lord
and be assured of a share in the reward. R4038:5
Never break my covenant -- The centuries since have
shown the persistency of God's mercy. R5598:6
No league -- The Lord's people should make no truce with
their fleshly weaknesses. R5598:2
Truces with the flesh mean that love for the Lord has
gradually cooled. R5646:1
The Inhabitants -- Corresponds to the perverted appetites
of the flesh, earthly hopes and ambitions, oppositions to the
Lord and righteousness. R5598:2
Altars -- Passion, avarice. R5598:2
And wept -- The New Creature cries to the Lord for
deliverance. R5598:2
Served the LORD -- Things went well with the Israelites
because their leaders realized the importance of being on the
Lord's side. R5598:4
The days of -- Covering a break between the division of
the land and the first recorded period of eight years. (Jud.
3:8) HG45:4
The elders -- The elders who had witnessed God's
miraculous interposition were the judges of Israel. R5645:2,
R3102:2, R4192:3
So spiritual Israelites of every congregation are to select fit
men for services needed. R5645:5
Joshua -- The first judge. R3102:2; PD38/48
Children of Israel -- Many of them, not all. R5646:2,
R3102:6
Other gods -- Represented by idols. R5598:4
Christians have made idols, not of stone, wood or bronze; but
more hideous misrepresentations of the divine character--our
printed creeds. R5598:5
Gods of the people -- Typifying forms of godliness taking
the place of true heart-worship, reverence. R5598:5
Bowed themselves -- The idols would appear to be an
excellent way of keeping religion before the mind, but it was
not God's way. R5598:4
False religions appealed to the baser passions, combining a
form of godliness with gratification of the flesh, dancings, etc.
R5598:5
Baal -- Signifying overseer, caretaker. R5627:2
Anger of the LORD -- Not that the period of the judges
was basically idolatrous, the record passes by the happy
periods of Israel's prosperity. So, reading today's newspapers
would give only a bleak picture of our day. R5645:6
The Lord's displeasure does not delay until one goes fully into
idolatry, but reproves early to correct. R5646:2
He delivered them -- Chastisements are evidences of
special care, protection and relationship. R5646:2
Hand of the LORD -- His divine power. SM623:1
Evil -- Ra, signifying calamity, not sin. R1350:2
Raised up -- Divinely appointed. R5645:2
To deliver and bless the people, not to condemn and punish
them. R1869:3
Picturing God's dealing with spiritual Israel during this
Gospel age, raising up special counselors, deliverers,
ministers. R5645:3, R3102:2
Judges -- Deliverers. R5598:6
Israel's government was a republic under divine autocracy and
law supervision. R4192:3
Not a republic in the present day understanding of that term.
R3216:3
Covering a period of 450 years. (Acts 13:20) B49 Israel's
spiritual interests were more advanced under judges than
kings. Centralization does not always mean greater blessings,
but less individuality and personal progress. R4201:4
God's representatives. R4192:6
Pre-figured resurrected Ancient Worthies. R4201:4
"I will restore thy judges as at the first." (Isa. 1:26) R5645:6
Typical of the world's eventual rule--heavenly wisdom
directing incorruptible earthly judges communicating and
enforcing divine law. R5646:5
The office in which Jesus comes to judge the world in
righteousness. R1869:3
Which delivered them -- Spiritual leaders of divine
appointment will always be marked by spiritual victories.
R5645:3
Their judges -- This verse and its connections seem to
indicate that verses 1-19 cover a long period of time of Israel's
experiences, under many judges. R5598:5
Eight years -- One of many captivities, showing that the
"seven times" of Lev. 26 could not be literal. B89
The chronological periods mentioned in Judges cover a total
of 450 years; but the judges did not cover
all the space of time, they were merely scattered over most of
it. HG45:3
Cried -- A cry of loyalty. R5646:3
Such a cry by a spiritual Israelite implies that the sin was
contrary to the transgressor's will. R5646:3
The LORD raised up -- All who cry to the Lord in
sincerity and faith shall be heard and delivered. R5646:3
A deliverer -- A judge in ancient times was one who
executed justice and relieved the oppressed. The coming
Judge of earth will be its deliverer. A142
Eighteen years -- See comments on Judges 3:8 from B89
Twenty years -- See comments on Judges 3:8 from B89
A prophetess -- Perhaps a public teacher, or perhaps one
through whom the Lord sent special messages. Probably the
latter. R5605:1
Female as well as male servants of God must be faithful in
using all their talents. R1549:4
Supporting female activity in the pursuits of life for which
nature and education have fitted her. R1549:3
She judged - Admonished, guided, assisted. R5605:1
Mount Tabor -- The Mount of Transfiguration, thus
associating the vision of the Kingdom with the Armageddon
field of disaster. R5604:3
Heber the Kenite -- See comments on Judges 1:16.
Hobab -- Hobab was Moses' brother-in-law. (Num. 10:29)
R3061:5, R4038:3
900 chariots -- Showing the strength of Sisera's army.
R5604:3
Discomfited Sisera -- This is the first of the great battles in
the Valley of Megiddo. R5604:2
A nail of the tent -- Tent-pin. R5605:4
Smote the nail -- Not a breach of hospitality. The custom
of the Arabs in Palestine is that any man intruding into a
woman's tent was considered worthy of death. R5605:4
The field of Edom -- Type of Christendom. D15
The earth -- Type of the existing order of things. A318;
B162
Dropped water -- The cloudburst of truth and the rising
waters of knowledge are bringing to pass human catastrophe
which the Lord will overrule for the blessing of the world.
R5604:5
Megiddo -- Type of the time of trouble at the end of this
Christian era. Q769:2; R5604:2
Stars -- Figurative: this interference of God on behalf of
his people Israel pictured the great Armageddon battle near at
hand. R5604:5
Against the mighty -- Typifying errorists, those who fail
to lift up heart, pen and voice on the Lord's side and will not
be overcomers who get the victory. R1257:4
Gideon -- The record implies that he was fine of form and
feature, indicating natural nobility. R4082:3
Threshed wheat -- Gideon was threshing out a few
sheaves of wheat in a concealed place lest the Midianites rob
them. R5605:3
This befallen us -- It was not that God was unfaithful to
his covenant, but that the Israelites had been unfaithful.
R5605:6, R4082:2
How few spiritual Israelites realize that spiritual difficulties
are traceable to the Lord's providences. R4082:2
Have not I sent thee? -- The angel was not there to
discuss theology, but to inspire Gideon. R5605:3
I am the least -- Here Gideon's humility shines out.
R5605:5
I will be with thee -- This protection was dependent upon
Israel's maintenance of heart-loyalty and faithfulness to God.
R5605:5
Rose up fire -- Demonstrating that the visitor was an
angel of the Lord. R5605:6
Angels have powers above the human. R265:2
He was an angel -- For he had appeared to him in human
form. A183; B127
Jehovah-shalom -- The Peace of Jehovah. E43
The same night -- At night, because his family and the
villagers would have stoutly resisted it if they had known.
R5606:2
Grove -- Large posts, significant of honor, erected near
the idol. R5605:6
Came upon Gideon -- Type of the Lord Jesus. R4082:5
Blew a trumpet -- Representing the proclamation of the
truth, the call to faith in the Lord, resulting in justification and
acceptance. R4083:5,2
Then shall I know -- Gideon required fresh evidence from
the Lord that he was doing the divine will. R5606:4
Let me prove -- The first test was not enough. He would
reverse the test. R5606:5
And God did so -- We are not to think that because the
Lord thus granted proofs to Gideon it would be proper for us
today to make similar tests. We walk by faith, not by sights
and signs. R5606:5
Gideon -- Type of the Lord Jesus. R4082:5, R3686:6
Well of Harod -- Harod spring, a little lake which drains
off eastward to the Jordan. R5606:3
Harod signifies "Coward." It is assumed that the name was
given because of the fear manifested by the 22,000 who went
home. R5606:3
Whosoever is fearful -- A test of faith. R1876:1
Picturing justified believers who, shunning the hardships,
decline to consecrate fully. R1876:4, R5607:4, R4083:2
All the justified ones must first sit down and count the cost.
R4083:2
Yet too many -- Illustrating that God is not dependent
upon numbers or ecclesiastical organization. R458:5
Unto the water -- Typifying the truth. R4083:3, R5606:6
Shall go with thee -- The honor due to the human
instruments used was not in their strength and skill in battle,
but in their faith in God. R1876:1
So shall it be when the Lord shall again fight for Israel; it will
not be by their own power. R1747:1
Lappeth of the water -- Signifying alertness and
obedience. R5606:6
Putting their hand -- Symbol of energy (zeal). R4083:3,
R1876:1
To their mouth -- Thus maintaining their own erectness of
manhood, showing energy and discretion in drinking and
lifting up their heads in acknowledgment of the heavenly
origin of the truth. R4083:4
300 men -- Representing those who are alert in the
Master's service, the wiser of the two classes who appreciate
the truth. R5606:6, R4082:5
Upon their knees -- Typifying those who bow down in the
mire of human servility, drinking the water of truth more for
their own satisfaction. R4083:4, R5606:6
Gideon -- Representing Christ. R5607:1, R2550:4
300 men -- Christ, like Gideon, is called of God to lead a
"Little Flock" forth to the conquest of the hosts of sin. Di;
OV268:2; R1876:4, R4083:2
Other people go -- A portion of the Lord's consecrated
who, being less alert, are less used. R5607:4, R5606:6
Picturing those who are weary in well-doing, whose zeal
abates, love grows cold and faith declines and who fail to
push on to the end. R1876:4
A trumpet -- Ram's horn trumpet. R5607:1
Blew the trumpets -- Representing the proclamation of the
truth. R4083:5; PD38/48
Jubilee trumpets. R2555:5
Brake the pitchers -- Representing our earthen vessels.
R4083:5
The lamps -- The broken vessels of Gideon's band
represent how the Lord's people present their bodies living
sacrifices, letting the light shine out and fighting a good fight
against the hosts of sin. R5607:5, R4083:5, R2550:5;
PD38/48
The Lord's spirit is represented by the light of the lamp
shining from the broken vessel. R5607:5
Sword of the LORD -- Of Jehovah, our Captain. R4083:5
The sword represented God's Word. PD38/48
And of Gideon -- Of Christ. R4083:5
All the host ran -- Picturing the time of trouble. R3686:6
Jehovah fought Israel's ancient battles without being seen,
except with the eyes of understanding. R286:3
Cried, and fled -- Imagined themselves being surrounded
by a great host. R5607:2
Against his fellow -- They fought each other, mistaking
each other for foes. R5607:2, R4083:4
The climax of the battle will be a temporary reign of anarchy.
R5607:5
The hosts of sin, the powers of evil, will fall upon one another
for their mutual destruction. R5607:5, R2550:5
Men of Israel -- Others than the Little Flock will be
associated in the work of overthrow. R4083:6
Came to Jordan -- Typifying, as far as the Little Flock is
concerned, consecration unto death. R3087:1
It will be through the intervention of the elect (on the other
side of the veil) that the hosts of sin will be utterly
discomfited. R2550:5
Children of a king -- As Gideon and his brethren looked
like sons of a king, so Christ and his followers are all godlike
in character. PD38/48; R5229:3, R4082:5
Frequently with such nobility goes pride, which renders the
individual unsuited to the Lord's purposes-- "not many wise,
not many noble hath God chosen." (1 Cor. 1:26) R4082:4
Purple raiment -- Purple is the badge of royalty.
RIOO:6*
Of Edom -- Type of Christendom. D15
Jephthah vowed -- Jephthah's daughter took the vow of
perpetual virginity and figuratively became dead to the world.
PD38/48, R2897:2
Be the LORD'S -- Offering his daughter in sacrifice.
R2874:5
Full devotion to the Lord; a vow of chastity and sanctity.
R2874:6
Be dedicated forever to his service. R2897:2*
Offer it up -- Will offer to him. R2897:3*
The vow contains two parts: that the person who would meet
him would be Jehovah's; and that Jephthah himself would
offer a burnt-offering to Jehovah. R2897:2*
To lament -- To talk with her (Margin). R2897:5*
LORD delivered them -- For lack of faith. With proper
faith one might have chased a thousand and two chased ten
thousand. R4088:5
Forty years -- See comment on Judges 3:8 from B89
Appeared -- In human form, a power which angel's
possess. B127
Drink not wine -- Twice before Samson's birth an angel of
the Lord impressed upon his mother the importance of
abstemiousness. R5612:3
Nazarite -- It was included in the vow of a Nazarite that he
would avoid spiritous liquor in every form, that his hair
would not be cut and that he would avoid contamination with
dead bodies--signifying full, complete consecration.
R5612:3, R4088:1
There is no intimation that Samson ever violated this vow.
R4088:1
Not a resident of Nazareth. Jesus was from Nazareth, but not
under a Nazarite vow. R5612:3
Deliver Israel -- According to divine promise, Samson
was to be one of the Judges of Israel, one of the deliverers of
Israel. R5612:6
Philistines -- They were supposedly pirates, preying upon
Israel. R5612:6
Let the man -- The angel who had appeared in human
form. E94
Angel of the LORD -- Perhaps this was the last direct
communication between the Lord and any of his people
Israel. R5615:5
Ascended in the flame -- Similar in manner to our Lord's
ascension. R2818:6
Then Manoah knew -- Previously thought to be a man,
showing that angels can assume human bodies and appear as
men. A183; R265:2, R18:3, R261:6, R578:6
God -- Hebrew, Elohim, a mighty one, referring to the
angel. R1410:3
Spirit of the LORD -- Such a mechanical operation of the
holy Spirit is wholly different from that which applies to the
Christian, begotten of the Spirit. R5613:3
Nothing in his hand -- Because the Philistines forbade
blacksmiths lest the Israelites arm themselves. (1 Sam.
13:19,20) R4088:3
Honey in the carcase -- Some Michigan lumbermen
recently found the carcase of a large raccoon full of wild
honey. R3329:5
Burnt up -- Not wantonly, but to impoverish Israel's
captors and recover the land for the nation. R1381:4,
R4088:4
Samson used every means at his command to break the forces
of the oppressors and to deliver his people. R4088:4
That we may deliver thee -- Showing the abjectness of the
Israelites' servility. R4088:4
Slew a thousand -- Consider the activities of the early
Church and the victories they gained. R4088:6
His spirit came -- Ruach, vital or life-power returned.
E314
Delilah -- The standards of the Ancient Worthies were
different from those of the Gospel age. R4087:6
Entice him -- Consider how the Adversary seduced the
Church. R4088:6
If I be shaven -- Samson's strength, considered in
relationship to his Nazarite vow, should show the Lord's
acceptance of the consecrated and his making them mighty to
the overthrow of their enemies. R4088:3
All his heart -- We should be specially on guard
against the blandishments of the world and the Adversary
through the nominal church. R4088:5
Made him sleep -- Consider the stupor, drowsiness, ease
and worldliness upon those who made a vow to faithfulness
during a considerable time. R4088:6
Upon her knees -- Similarly, those who are strong in the
Lord are in danger of going to sleep in the lap of the modern
Delilah, Churchianity. R4088:6
Shave off -- A vow once taken must be observed faithfully
if its blessings would be enjoyed. R5613:5
His strength went -- The strength of the Gospel message
was lost while in the drowsy condition in the "Dark Ages."
R4088:6
A condition of his vow being broken. R4088:6, R5613:4
Put out his eyes -- Illustrating how the Church lost the
eyes of her understanding in the Dark Ages. R4088:6
Bound him -- Ever since the Reformation time the Church
has been to a considerable extent a slave to Churchianity and
the world. R4088:6
He did grind -- Thus the Church has been grinding food of
a certain kind for many while still a slave to the world and
under its blinding influences. R4089:1
Began to grow again -- Representing the growing power
of Present Truth. R4089:3
Dagon their god -- Representing the modern god of
Evolution. R4089:3
Their hearts were merry -- The worldly-wise feast and
rejoice, giving honor to the god of Evolution through their
Higher Critics. R4089:3
Make us sport -- Those who are faithful to the principles
of the Lord's Word will yet be made sport of by the worldly-wise. R4089:4
Samson -- Still full of the spirit of his consecration.
R4089:1
Strengthen me -- We have come to a time when the Lord's
people are recovering a little of the strength of the early
Church. R4089:3
That I may be at once avenged -- One lesson we may
learn from Samson is the importance of having an object in
life. R5613:5
Samson took hold -- Even now Labor, like the blind giant
Samson, is groping for the pillars whose fall will overthrow
present conditions. PD89/103
Let me die -- His whole life was used in serving his
people. R5613:2
Nephesh, soul, sentient being. E334
All his might -- The Lord's true people are ready to put
forth all their strength to move the pillars of error which
uphold Churchianity. R4089:4
And the house fell -- With the death of the last member of
the Church, the Body of Christ, will surely come the downfall
of Churchianity and the present system of world power.
R4089:4
Were more than -- He did more damage to the Philistines
and more for the deliverance of his people in that one act than
in all the other experiences of his life. R5613:4, R4089:2
Buried him -- According to the Law, Samson was rated as
a very faithful servant of God. R5613:2, R4088:1
Judged -- In the sense of avenging wrongs that Israel
sustained upon the enemies who committed those wrongs.
R4088:4
His chief work was to revive the spirit of the totally dejected
people; encouraging their return to the Lord, with its resultant
prosperity. R5613:1
Jebus -- Because it belonged to the Jebusites; earlier called
Salem. (Gen. 14:18) R1296:3*
At an hair breadth -- Therefore David's marksmanship
against Goliath was not unusual. R4216:4, R3230:5