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Expanded Comments |
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| 1 And a messenger of Jehovah goeth up from Gilgal unto Bochim, |
Never break my covenant – The centuries since have shown the persistency of God's mercy. R5598:6
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| 2 and saith, 'I cause you to come up out of Egypt, and bring you in unto the land which I have sworn to your fathers, and say, I do not break My covenant with you to the age; and ye ye make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land their altars ye break down; and ye have not hearkened to My voice what [is] this ye have done |
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
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| 3 And I also have said, I do not cast them out from your presence, and they have been to you for adversaries, and their gods are to you for a snare.' |
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| 4 And it cometh to pass, when the messenger of Jehovah speaketh these words unto all the sons of Israel, that the people lift up their voice and weep, |
And wept – The New Creature cries to the Lord for deliverance. R5598:2
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| 5 and they call the name of that place Bochim, and sacrifice there to Jehovah. |
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| 6 And Joshua sendeth the people away, and the sons of Israel go, each to his inheritance, to possess the land; |
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| 7 and the people serve Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who prolonged days after Joshua, who saw all the great work of Jehovah which He did to Israel. |
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
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| 8 And Joshua son of Nun, servant of Jehovah, dieth, a son of a hundred and ten years, |
Joshua – The first judge. R3102:2; PD38/48
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| 9 and they bury him in the border of his inheritance, in Timnath-Heres, in the hill-country of Ephraim, on the north of mount Gaash; |
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| 10 and also all that generation have been gathered unto their fathers, and another generation riseth after them who have not known Jehovah, and even the work which He hath done to Israel. |
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| 11 And the sons of Israel do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, and serve the Baalim, |
Children of Israel – Many of them, not all. R5646:2, R3102:6
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| 12 and forsake Jehovah, God of their fathers, who bringeth them out from the land of Egypt, and go after other gods (of the gods of the peoples who [are] round about them), and bow themselves to them, and provoke Jehovah, |
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
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| 13 yea, they forsake Jehovah, and do service to Baal and to Ashtaroth. |
Baal – Signifying overseer, caretaker. R5627:2
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| 14 And the anger of Jehovah burneth against Israel, and He giveth them into the hand of spoilers, and they spoil them, and He selleth them into the hand of their enemies round about, and they have not been able any more to stand before their enemies; |
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
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| 15 in every [place] where they have gone out, the hand of Jehovah hath been against them for evil, as Jehovah hath spoken, and as Jehovah hath sworn to them, and they are distressed greatly. |
Hand of the LORD – His divine power. SM623:1
Evil – Ra, signifying calamity, not sin. R1350:2
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| 16 And Jehovah raiseth up judges, and they save them from the hand of their spoilers; |
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
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| 17 and also unto their judges they have not hearkened, but have gone a-whoring after other gods, and bow themselves to them; they have turned aside [with] haste out of the way [in] which their fathers walked to obey the commands of Jehovah they have not done so. |
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
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| 18 And when Jehovah raised up to them judges then was Jehovah with the judge, and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for it repenteth Jehovah, because of their groaning from the presence of their oppressors, and of those thrusting them away. |
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| 19 And it hath come to pass, at the death of the judge they turn back and have done corruptly above their fathers, to go after other gods, to serve them, and to bow themselves to them; they have not fallen from their doings, and from their stiff way. |
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| 20 And the anger of Jehovah doth burn against Israel, and He saith, 'Because that this nation have transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened to My voice |
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| 21 I also continue not to dispossess any from before them of the nations which Joshua hath left when he dieth, |
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| 22 in order to try Israel by them, whether they are keeping the way of Jehovah, to go in it, as their fathers kept [it] or not.' |
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| 23 And Jehovah leaveth these nations, so as not to dispossess them hastily, and did not give them into the hand of Joshua. |
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