‏ Judges 2

* The angel of the Lord rebukes the people. (1-5) The wickedness

of the new generation after Joshua. (6-23)

1-5 It was the great Angel of the covenant, the Word, the Son

of God, who spake with Divine authority as Jehovah, and now

called them to account for their disobedience. God sets forth

what he had done for Israel, and what he had promised. Those who

throw off communion with God, and have fellowship with the

unfruitful works of darkness, know not what they do now, and

will have nothing to say for themselves in the day of account

shortly. They must expect to suffer for this their folly. Those

deceive themselves who expect advantages from friendship with

God's enemies. God often makes men's sin their punishment; and

thorns and snares are in the way of the froward, who will walk

contrary to God. The people wept, crying out against their own

folly and ingratitude. They trembled at the word, and not

without cause. It is a wonder sinners can ever read the Bible

with dry eyes. Had they kept close to God and their duty, no

voice but that of singing had been heard in their congregation;

but by their sin and folly they made other work for themselves,

and nothing is to be heard but the voice of weeping. The worship

of God, in its own nature, is joy, praise, and thanksgiving; our

sins alone render weeping needful. It is pleasing to see men

weep for their sins; but our tears, prayers, and even amendment,

cannot atone for sin. 6-23 We have a general idea of the course of things in Israel,

during the time of the Judges. The nation made themselves as

mean and miserable by forsaking God, as they would have been

great and happy if they had continued faithful to him. Their

punishment answered to the evil they had done. They served the

gods of the nations round about them, even the meanest, and God

made them serve the princes of the nations round about them,

even the meanest. Those who have found God true to his promises,

may be sure that he will be as true to his threatenings. He

might in justice have abandoned them, but he could not for pity

do it. The Lord was with the judges when he raised them up, and

so they became saviours. In the days of the greatest distress of

the church, there shall be some whom God will find or make fit

to help it. The Israelites were not thoroughly reformed; so mad

were they upon their idols, and so obstinately bent to

backslide. Thus those who have forsaken the good ways of God,

which they have once known and professed, commonly grow most

daring and desperate in sin, and have their hearts hardened.

Their punishment was, that the Canaanites were spared, and so

they were beaten with their own rod. Men cherish and indulge

their corrupt appetites and passions; therefore God justly

leaves them to themselves, under the power of their sins, which

will be their ruin. God has told us how deceitful and

desperately wicked our hearts are, but we are not willing to

believe it, until by making bold with temptation we find it true

by sad experience. We need to examine how matters stand with

ourselves, and to pray without ceasing, that we may be rooted

and grounded in love, and that Christ may dwell in our hearts by

faith. Let us declare war against every sin, and follow after

holiness all our days.