of the field should multiply" (Exod. xxiii. 28-30; Deut. vii. 20, 22). Thus all the various promises and threats of Jehovah appear in mutual harmony]; neither delivered He them into the hand of Joshua [the unfaithfulness had begun before Joshua's death, and therefore the proving of Israel, by leaving the nations in part as yet unsubdued when he died, was needed. When Israel upon testing proved to be "reprobate silver" (Jer. vi. 30), those nations became not merely trials, but scourges].

CHAPTER III.

(1) Now these (are) the nations which the Lord left [the Hebrew as in ch. ii. 23] to prove Israel by them [ch. ii. 22], (e as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan their own experience, viz., the generation that came to man after the termination of Joshua's successful wars against Canaanites in dependence on Jehovah (ch. ii. 10; Josh. xxi compare Numb. xxi. 14), "the wars of the Lord"]. (2) that the generations of the children of Israel might know to them war [that Jehovah might teach them war, or as Spea Commentary translates, " Only that He might know the ger tions of Israel in teaching them war; compare ver. 4] a least such as before knew nothing thereof [what Israel neede know experimentally, by Jehovah's teaching, was not war general, but that the only successful mode of warfare on Ca was that of Joshua, viz., with faithfulness to the covenant, trust in Jehovah alone. Israel's failure once, through Ach sin, had taught Joshua's army this lesson, by bitter experi (Josh. vii.). Necessity drives to prayer. Israel's distress thr the remaining Canaanites would teach how only war ca successfully waged against the foe. Thereby Jehovah w 'prove' Israel, whether they would keep His commandme for, to keep these, would be to 'know' by Jehovah's teac how to war (ch. ii. 22, iii. 4; Ps. xviii. 32-34)]. (3) (Nam five lords [sarnee, literally hinges, or axles, metaphorically] q Philistines [five was the political number], and all the Can ites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in M Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon [Baal-gad under Her

་

(Josh. xi. 3, 17)], unto the entering in of Hamath [apparently this enumeration is condensed from Josh. xiii. 2-6. "The entering in of Hamath" is the entrance to Canaan from the north between Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon, the fertile valley of ColeSyria. Possessed by Solomon (1 Kings viii. 65), and about to belong to Israel when restored, viz., to Dan (Ezek. xlvii. 16, xlviii. 1). The Philistines on the south-west, and the Sidonians, Hivites, and Canaanites in the north, having been left, by their inroads disabled Israel from exterminating all the other Canaanites from the towns in the centre of the land (ch. i. 19-36)]. (4) And they were to prove Israel by them, to know [as in 2 Chron. xxxii. 31, "God left Hezekiah to try him that He might know all that was in his heart." Rest too often produces rust. If there were no foe to try us, we should forget the secret of the good warfare (Ps. lix. 11). God knows all things to come by His foreknowledge, but after the event He "knows" it by evidence discernible by men (compare Gen. xxii. 12). He proves us, not that He may know, but to make us know] whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which He commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. (5) And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites [compare ch. i. 32, note. Israel, so far from exterminating the Canaanites, was glad to be allowed to dwell among them-a miserable declension for their high calling! In Josh. xxiv. 11; Deut. vii. 1, the Girgashites are added; seven nations in all, the number denoting perfection or totality. Ten nations are enumerated in Gen. xv. 19-21, ten being the number denoting the universality of the world kingdom. The Girgashites are enumerated in the general list as having been originally rrayed against Israel. But that they early withdrew from the conflict appears probable from the expression, "The Lord cast ut the Girgashites"-" He will drive out the Girgashites Josh. iii. 10). Procopius, Belisarius' secretary, mentions an nscription on a monument in Tigitina (Tangiers): "We are xiles from before the face of Joshua the robber." Rabbi amuel ben Nachman says, Joshua sent three propositions to he Canaanites-"Let those who chose fly; let those who choose

peace, make a treaty; let those who choose war, take So the Girgashites, fearing God, fled to Africa. The Gib made a league of submission. The thirty-one kings foug fell. This statement harmonises with the fact that Josh no detailed account represents the Girgashites as comb Only in a summary (Josh. xxiv. 11) are they named as fi along with the rest, probably only at the very first]. (6) they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave daughters to their sons, and served their gods [by not of God in exterminating the Canaanites, the Israelites dw among them exposed themselves to a temptation which had not the faith to resist. Intermarriages with the u put one in a disadvantage in fighting with the prince o world, and have ever led to apostasy (Gen. vi. 2-5; 2 C 14-18; 2 Kings viii. 16-18; 2 Chron. xviii. 1, xix. 2; 1 King 31-33, xxi. 25, 26). The Canaanites had been left in ju retribution by God to prove Israel, and Israel could not the self-imposed test]. (7) And the children of Israel d in the sight of the LORD, and forgat [compare Deut. xxx 1 Sam. xii. 9; but above ch. ii. 12, "they forsook "] the their God, and served Baalim and the groves [rather, "A Asheroth, i.e., Ashtaroth, akin to our English Star, and Aster. The star-queen, or moon-goddess, or goddess c heavenly hosts, in their influence upon earthly life. for the wooden idols of the goddess was transferred to h Asherah, and in the plural Asheroth (Exod. xxxiv. 13; De 5, xii. 3, xvi. 21). The sacred tree in Assyrian monu corresponds]. (8) Therefore the anger of the Lord w against Israel [what was stated in general terms, Israel and God's anger thereat (ch. ii. 11, 13, 20), is now de more fully in its definite consequence, Israel's first subjug and He sold them [compare ch. ii. 14, like captives s helpless slaves] into the hand of Chushan-Rishathaim h Mesopotamia [Aram-naharaim, i.e., Syria of the two His name meant the Ethiopian of double wickednesses. primitive Babylonian race had a Cushite or Hamitic el as the vocabulary found in the oldest sites, Ur or Un proves (compare Gen. x. 8-11; Hab. iii. 7). About 402:

The

reigned about Haran in Syria, the region between the Euphrates and the Khabour (margin for Mesopotania, Aram-Naharaim, "Syria of the two rivers "), held by the Nairi; as cuneiform inscriptions of a date two centuries later prove. He probably established a temporary rule over several Mesopotamian tribes, which ended with the rise of Assyria to empire. Earlier still (Gen. xiv.) Chedor-laomer of Elam, and Amraphel of Shinar, had similarly invaded Palestine]. And the children of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim eight years. (9) And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer [Hebrew, SAVIOUR, type of Jesus, the Judge of Israel, Mic. v. 1] to the children of Israel, who delivered them, (even) Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother [and son-in-law (ch. i. 13; Josh. xv. 16-19). This act of Othniel shows we must not understand that all who had seen Joshua's wars were dead (ch. ii. 7, 10)]. (10) And the Spirit of the LORD [of Jehovah; indicating His operation upon God's chosen instruments for effecting His purposes of grace according to His covenant. "The Spirit of God" is the expression denoting generally His supernatural power] came upon him [the Spirit endued him with supernatural wisdom, counsel, and might (Isa. xi. 2), type of Christ, to whom "God gives the Spirit not by measure" (John iii. 34). In ch. vi. 34, the expression is "clothed him"], and he judged Israel, and went out to war [the judge's functions were not only to save them from foreign oppressors, but to save them from the idolatry and apostasy which brought the chastisement upon them. The very notion of 'judging' Israel implied his ighting them in relation to Jehovah, as well as to the foe]; and he LORD delivered Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia nto his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushan-rishahaim. (11) And the land had rest forty years; and Othniel the on of Kenaz died.

I. Israel's apostasy, punishment, and deliverance under the udges in answer to prayer, illustrating God's righteousness, ithfulness, and grace.

1. Israel's adherence to the covenant under Joshua and the rviving elders who had seen Jehovah's mighty acts.-The fluence of one godly man, especially when he is in a leading

D