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too; by this he taught the rest of the inhabitants to take warning 17 by their sufferings not to commit the like fault. And he beat down the tower of Penuel, in which they trusted, and slew the men of the city, some of the chief men who were the most guilty. 18 Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men [were they] whom ye slew at Tabor? Gideon does not say when, but he knew the fact, and was desirous to bring them to confession. And they answered, As thou [art,] so [were] they; each one resembled the children of a king. This was designed as a compliment, and to gain Gideon's favour ; 19 there probably was a family likeness. And he said, They [were] my brethren, [even] the sons of my mother: [as] the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you; if ye had shown them compassion, and not have slain them in cool blood, when they were watching their flocks, or hid in the caves, (see ch. vi. 2.) I would have spared you; but now, as a magistrate and their nearest kinsman, I shall avenge their blood. 20 And he said unto Jether his firstborn, to teach him to use his arms for God and his country, Up, [and] slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he [was] 21 yet a youth, and they were bold, fierce men. Then Zebah and for as the man

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Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us [is, so is] his strength; we shall die more easily and honourably by thy hand. And Gideon arose and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that [were] on their camels' necks.*

Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son and thy sons' son also, as a king who has sovereign and supreme power, in which his children succeed him for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian. They pretend this was from gratitude to Gideon, but most probably it was to throw off the divine government, and to 23 have a king like the nations about them. And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you, as he hath done hitherto, in a special, peculiar manner. He modestly refuses this rash offer, as an attempt to break their theocracy, and alter God's method of government.

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And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they [were] Ishmaelites.) The Midianites and Ishmaelites were mixed together; most of the castern nations wore gold or jewels in their 25 ears or foreheads. And they answered, We will willingly

• Thes: ornaments were like those worn by our officers, called gorgets; the Hebrew is ornaments like the moon. The custom was derived from the Phenicians, who worshipped the moon, and they are used by the Arabians and Turks.

give [them.] And they spread a garment, and did cast there26 in every man the earrings of his prey. And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred [shekel's] of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that [was] on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that [were] about their camels' necks; in weight fifty three pounds and two ounces; in value about three thousand one hundred and two pounds ten shillings ster27 ling. And Gideon made an ephod thereof, a garment, such as the high priest wore, (see Exodus xxviii. 4.) and put it in his city, [even] in Ophrah and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house; it had a very bad effect, and occasioned the sin of Israel, and the ruin of his house.'

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Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon; they had 29 no more disturbance during his life. And Jerubbaal the son of 30 Joash went and dwelt in his own house. And Gideon had

threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had 31 many wives. And his concubine, or second wife, (but whoss children could not inherit) that [was] in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.. His name is set down to make way for the story that follows in the next 32 chapter. And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

33 And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring afterBaalim, and made Baalberith their god; that is, Baal, who was worshipped at Berith, a city of Phanicia, near Sodom; or, as some think, Berith signifies a covenant, and because idolaters were used to bind themselves by covenant to his worship, he is 34 here called a god who punished covenant breakers. And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side; they forgot his mercies, judgments, and deliver35 ances; Neither showed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, [namely,] Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had showed unto Israel, in hazarding his life, restoring their liberty, and establishing true religion among them; nor aný kindness to his family, as they ought to have done.

Some have thought, that Gideon, being disgusted at the men of Ephraim, intended to have an ephod and a priest, and to set up religious worship in his own tribe. But it appears to me more likely, from his general character, that he only intended it as a monument of his victory; and that he made an ephod, and not a pillar, because he would ascribe the victory entirely to God; and therefore he uses a sacred garment, as triumphing in the. restoration of true religion by this victory.

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REFLECTIONS.

T is a certain sign of a mean and proud spirit, for men to be displeased because they are not, as they think, sufficiently honoured and taken notice of. What a wretched figure the Ephraimites made! They might have offered themselves willingly; they should have sought occasion to attack the enemies of their brethren; but because they thought they were not treated suitably to their dignity, they chode sharply with their great deliverer, This is a very common case; men stand upon a point of honour when God and their country call for their aid; and will do nothing, or even quarrel with those who do most, if they have not just such respect as they think they deserve. Only by pride cometh this contention. Our business is to act well the part which Providence allots us, and not complain because we have not an easier or a better.

2. Here is an additional proof, that a soft answer turneth away wrath. Gideon never appeared so great, even when pursuing the Midianites, or when destroying kings, as now, when he ruled his own spirit; treating insolent men with humility, and angry men with meekness. Had he returned their ill language, probably as bad consequences would have followed as in Jepthah's time; but by calm language and humility he cooled their resentment, and sent them away satisfied. He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and no man is so truly great and honourable, as he who keeps under his passions, and, by yielding, pacifieth great wrath.

3. Let us learn by Gideon's example, not to be discouraged from pursuing what is good, by any unkind or ill treatment we may meet with. The men of Succoth and Penuel derided and discouraged him; but he went on, pursued the Midianites and completed the victory. Let us go on and serve God, even if those who should join and help us, banter and abuse us. Though ready to tire and faint in our spiritual warfare, still let us hold on and pursue the victory, and we shall prevail. Let nothing we meet with discourage us from christian duty; but rather, let every thing disagreeable whet our zeal and increase our resolution.

4. Persons in eminent and conspicuous stations of life should be very watchful of their conduct, lest they be accessory to the guilt and ruin of others. Gideon made an ephod, most probably without any ill design; but it proved the ruin of his family, and a snare to Israel: they thought it was no harm to worship it, when so eminent and holy a man made it. If magistrates and ministers, parents, or heads of families, make one false step, their example will do mischief to their inferiors: children and servants will look upon a doubtful conduct in their superiors as a

kind of license to do evil. A person may, for reasons that will satisfy his own conscience, stay away from divine worship, often omit it in his family, or travel on the sabbath; which may lead his children and servants to do so when there is no good reason to be given, yea, to do it often, and grow worse and worse. Let all be peculiarly watchful of their conduct, lest they do that which may prove a snare to their families, and those that come after them. Once more,

5. How detestable does ingratitude appear, ingratitude to man, and especially to God! How scandalously did Israel behave, after all that God, and Gideon as his instrument, had done for them! This is too much the case of our own nation, both toward God, and those who have been instruments of our deliverance but when men forget God, it is no wonder that they forget their human benefactors and friends.

CHAP. IX. v. 1-29.

God being determined to punish the idolatry of Israel by the tyranny of one of their own people, in this chapter is Abimelech's rise, reign, and ruin. He had no call from God, nor did Israel want a judge; but he was resolved to be one if possible.

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ND Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal, by his concubine, went to Shechem unto his mother's brethren; he left his father's house, his uncles and other relations, who were persons of rank, and went to his mother's relations, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his moth2 er's father, saying, Speak, I pray you in the ears of all the men of Shechem, to the elders and princes, Whether [is] better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, [which are] threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you ? remember also that I [am] your bone and your flesh; suggesting that his brethren designed to reign, though his father declined it; that horrid confusion would attend such a number of governors; that they had better have only one; that himself was of their tribe, and city, and family; that thus they would have the honour of being allied to the king, 3 and would enjoy the government they desired. And his mother's brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words; and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He [is] our brother. The plot took, and they chose him, without consulting God or the other tribes, merely because he was their brother, hoping that theirs would be a capital city, and that they should have rich prefer4 ments. And they gave him threescore and ten [pieces,] or VOL. II. U u

pounds weight, of silver, out of the house of Baalberith; thus the treasures of their idol god, were the means of stirring up se dition; wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons which followed him, the scum of the country, idle, vagabond fel lows, of desperate fortunes, who were firoper instruments of his 5 tyranny and cruelty. And he went unto his father's house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, [being] threescore and ten persons, upon one stone; perhaps under pretence of a plot and rebellion against the commonwealth, or to expiate the guilt of Gideon in destroying the altars of Baal notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal 6 was left; for he hid himself and escaped. And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, the tower house, where the magistrates sat, and instead of re venging the murder, in a full house or senate, they went and made Abimelech king, and afterward proclaimed him by the plain of the pillar that [was] in Shechem, which Joshua set up under the oak, as a token of the covenant between God and them, after reading the curses and the blessings thus the crime was aggravated by being committed in such a sacred place.

And when they told [it] to Jotham, what the people had done, had forsaken God, and lost all sense of justice and humanity, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, when they were gathered together in a valley below, on some festival, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you; calling their attention in a very serious manner, and addressing them in a very beautiful fable or parable; an ancient way of instruction, which engaged the attention, and adminis&tered reproof with less offence. The trees went forth [on a time] to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. To represent the unreasonableness and wickedness of making any king the trees of the Lord which he planted and protected, being weary of God's gov ernment, presumptuously attempted to alter it, and proposed it to the olive tree, that is, to Gideon (ch. viii. 22.) to reign over 9 them. 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? or, as the margin, go up and down for other trees? Intimating the duty of a good prince, to 10 exert himself and take much pains to serve his people. And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, [and] reign over 11 us. But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the 12 trees? Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou 13 [and] reign over us. And the vine said unto them, Should I

God was honoured by the oil used in sacrifices, to feed the lamps and anoint the priests; and it was useful to man in food and medicine.

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