How they sent spies to bring them an account of the place, who by the way got acquainted with Micah's priest, ver. 1-6. (2.) What an encouraging report these spies brought back, ver. 7-10, (3.) What forces were sent to conquer Laish, ver. 11-13. (4.) How they by the way plundered Micah of his gods, ver. 14 26. (5.) How easily they conquered Laish, ver. 27–29. and when they had it, set up the graven image in it, ver. 30, 31.

VER. 24. "Ye have taken away my gods."-That is, the teraphim, the carved image and the ephod which he had made. The carved images were a sort of idols, or small statues, resembling, no doubt, the idol gods of the nations; and the teraphim was a kind of a household god, called an idol, Zech. x. 2. but it was peculiarly adapted for that family where it was to be set up: by these they asked counsel, Hos. iii. 3, 4. The learned Spencer makes the word teraphim to be the same with seraphim, and thinks that they were images or representations of angels; and when these teraphim were dedicated or set up they were consulted; here the Septuagint calls it an oracle, see ver. 5, 6. and for this end Micah had provided an ephod in imitation of the high priest under the law: now these Micah called his gods, as he had placed his trust in them and dependence upon them; though I rather think that by these he worshipped the true God of Israel, and therefore he thought it not necessary to go to Shiloh where the ark of God was, which was a breach of the second commandment : these he calls his gods; "Ye have taken away my gods." O amazing stupidity! that an Israelite should call those his gods, which could not save themselves from being stolen; but in this respect, as the name Micah signifies poor or smitten, it may be figurative of a poor soul, under an enquiry after salvation: the soul at first, like Micab, sets up its idols of self-righteousness, self-confidence, its alms-deeds and amendments; these become its confidence and hope, and for these he thinks the Lord will hear it; for it is probable that Micah thought he had done something great in religion when he had made a teraphim, an ephod, and got a priest to offer sacrifice, not remembering the command of God against idolatry: so the soul at first under a sense of misery flies to the covenant of works, attends to hearing, reading, and praying, and becomes righteous in its own eyes, and in the eyes of the world, but never consults whether it is according to the law and to the testimony, or the way that God has appointed for salvation; and when it is taught the spirituality, extent, perfection and power of

the law, and that no fallen man can fulfil it, and that the broken law can only accuse, condemn, and curse, then the soul savs, "Ye have taken away my gods, and what have I more?" that is, what have I more to trust to or depend upon? Micah signifies to be smitten, so the soul may be said to be smitten, when it is stripped of its self-righteousness and confidence, of its frames and feelings, till it is brought to be established upon the person, blood, righteousness, and resurrection of Jesus, as its only hope, refuge, rest and sal

vation.

Ver. 31." And they set them up Micah's graven image."]-Which act of idolatry and breach of God's command was undoubtedly the cause of the many great distresses and sorrows the children of Israel were frequently ia from their enemies around them, the Lord making use of the wicked as his rod to scourge his people for their abominations and departing from his law; for when the rest of the tribes saw that the tribe of Dan had set up a graven image in their city, and that a Levite had departed from the law of God, and become their priest, it occasioned a gencral revolt in the tribes of Israel to the idols of the nations, see chap. ii. 12. for which the Lord might permit the Israelites to be slain before the Benjamites, and afterwards the Benjamites to be slain before Israel, for their countenancing or not delivering up to proper punishment those men of Belial, those wicked ones, Benjamites, men of Gibeah, that were brutish and abominable sinners, worse than Pagans, chap xix. 22. which the three following chapters evidently explain at large; and, as Sir Walter Raleigh and Dr. Lightfoot observe, they contain a relation of what came to pass after the death of Joshua, in the time of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the priest, when there was no king in Israel, that is, before the Lord raised Othniel to be their judge and deliverer: for which reason they place them to come in before chap. iii. 9. which sets the history of the judges in a clear light.

CHAPTER XIX.

The three remaining chapters of this book, contain a most tragical story of the wickedness of the men of Gibeah, patronised by the tribe of Benjamin, for which that tribe was severely chastised, and almost entirely cut off by the rest of the tribes. This seems to have been done not

long after the death of Joshua, for it was when there was no king, no judge in Israel," ver. 1. and chap. xxi. 25. and Phinehas was then high priest, chap. xx. 28. These particular iniquities, the Danites idolatry, and the Benjamites immorality let in that general apostacy, chap. iii. 7. The abuse of the Levite's concubine is here very particularly related. (1.) Her adulterous elopement from him, ver. 1, 2. (2.) His reconciliation to her, and the journey he took to fetch her home, ver. 3. (3.) Her father's kind entertainment of him, ver. 4-9. (4.) The abuses he met with at Gibeah, where being benighted he was forced to take up. 1. He was neglected by the men of Gibeah, ver. 10–15. and entertained by an Ephraimite that sojourned among them, ver. 16 21. 2. They set upon him in his quarters, as the Sodomites did on Lot's guests, ver. 22-24. 3. They villainously forced his concubine to death, ver. 25-28. (5.) The course he took to send notice of this to all the tribes of Israel, ver, 29, 30.

CHAPTER XX.

Into the book of the wars of the Lord the story of this chapter must be brought, but it looks as sad and uncomfortable as any article in all that history; for there is nothing in it that looks in the least bright or pleasant, but the pious zeal of Israel against the wickedness of the men of Gibeah, which made it on their side a just and holy war, but otherwise the obstinacy of the Benjamites in protecting their criminals, which was the foundation of the war, the vast loss which the Israelites sustained in carrying on the war; and though the righteous cause was victorious at last, yet the issuing of the war, in the almost utter extirpation of the tribe of Benjamin, makes it, from first to last, melancholy. And yet this happened soon after the glorious settlement of Israel in the land of promise, upon which one would have expected every thing to be prosperous and serene. In this chapter we have, (1.) The Levites cause heard in a general convention of the tribes, ver. 1-7. (2.) An unanimous resolve to avenge his quarrel upon the men of Gibeah, ver. 8-11. (3.) The Benjamites appearing in defence of the criminals, ver. 12–17. (4.) The defeat of Israel in the first and second day's battle, ver. 18-25. (5.) Their humbling themselves before God upon that occasion, ver. 26–28. (6.) The total rout they gave the Benjamites in the third engagement, by a stratagem, by which they were all cut off, except six hundred men, ver. 29-48. And all this the effect of the indignities done to one poor Levite and his wife; so little do they that do iniquity, consider what will be in the end thereof.

CHAPTER XXI.

The ruins of the tribe of Benjamin we read of in the foregoing chapter, now here we have, (1.) The lamentation which Israel made over these ruins, ver. 1-4, 6, 15. (2.) The provision they made for the repair of them out of six hundred men that escaped, for whom they procured wives, 1. Of the virgins of Jabeth-Gilead, when they destroyed that city for not sending into the general rendezvous, ver. 5, 7—14. (2.) Of the daughters of Shiloh, ver. 16-25. And so this melancholy story concludes.

THE book of Ruth is so named, not because she was the author of it, but because she is the chief subject in it. She was a Moabitish gentile, that is, one who descended from Moab, who was the son of Lot. It contains a short history, not of wars, laws, or victories, but of the changes of one particular family, from whom concerning the flesh Christ came and one of the great designs of this book seems to be to set forth to the church in a clear light the genealogy of our Lord Jesus, as coming of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Judah, and of the family of David: for the promise of the Messiah as the seed of Abraham was, "That in him all nations of the earth should be blessed;" and this book of Ruth shews, that the Lord was particularly bringing it about; that "the blessing of Abraham might descend upon the gentiles," and the promise be made sure to all the seed; for we find that Ruth, the gentile, married Boaz; Boaz begat Obed, Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David, of whom Christ came; by which means the blessings of Abraham came upon the gentiles; for thereby Christ is near akin to us gentiles, according to the flesh, as well as to the Jews, which is an endearing view of the Messiah, and gives every gentile christian a lively hope of salvation by him, for it is written, "In his name shall the gentiles trust," Isai. xi. 10. Matt. xii. 21.

Some think that Eli, the high priest, was the penman of this book, others ascribe it to Nathan, the prophet, and some to Esra, the scribe: but it is most probable that it was writ ten by Samuel, which it is supposed, he collected from the memoirs of the judges; for it is thought that every judge in Israel wrote the records of his own time: and the Jews say, that Samuel wrote the two books of Ruth and Judges, and that this book of Ruth was an appendix to that of Judges, and an introduction to that of Samuel, therefore it is fitly placed between them; and according to the Jews, Ruth and Judges make but one book, which they call Shophtim, that is, Judges.

The time of this history is not agreed upon; some think it was in Samuel's time, others that it was in Eli's time: but it seems most probable that these things came to pass in the days and government of Gideon; for, before the Lord raised him up as a judge in Israel, there was a famine in the land through the oppression of the Midianites, Judg. vi. 6. which may be the famine spoken of, chap. i. 1. and the occasion of Naomi's going into the land of Moab: though Dr. Lightfoot thinks that it was in the time of Ehud, the judge, and placeth the history of Ruth between the times of Ehud and Deborah, that is, between the third and fourth chapter of Judges.

The main design of this book is to give an account of the line of Christ's ancestors from Judah to David, and that by means of Ruth, a Moabitish woman, to shew that Christ, who is the end of all the scripture, came of and for the gentiles as well as the Jews, which therefore may be a great encouragement to the gentiles to believe on him. "The learned Hillerus says, that Ruth's name significs beautiful, and others that it denotes watered, or filled, which still illustrates it as a type of the church, which is a perfection of beauty, all fair and comely, through Christ's perfect righteousness put upon her. But lastly, it is evident that Ruth was a type of the church in her marriage with Boaz, whose name signifies strength and firmness, and who was a figure of Christ in the strength of his love to Ruth, and in his communicative kindness to her, as he enquires after her, and commands her to gather in his field, among the sheaves: handfuls were to be let down on purpose for her, because Boaz was her near kinsman. So Christ first sought the gentile church, then favoured her to gather in his field, namely, the gospel, even among the sheaves or blessings of salvation. And as Boaz favoured Ruth to eat with him, and