The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1902-11-14


IS. Whithersover they went out. the hane
OF the Lord was against them Tor evil a.
the LORD had said. and as the LORD hA4
sworn unto them. and they were greAtt~
distressed.
10. Nevertheless the Lore raised
judges, which delivered them out OF
HAND OF those that spoiled them.
GOLDEN TExT.-They cry unto tn
Lord In their trouble, and He savet
them out Of their distress.-Ps. I07s1f
OUTLINE OF SCRIPTURE SECTIONS
The condition of Israel....-.Jucges l-2;A
The deliverers.. .............. JUDGES 2.lS-2
TIME-B. c. A26.
PLACE-Caraan.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
The text selected for this lesso1
gives general summary of this hir
during the whole 300 years. d
which, from time to time,
judges or special deliverers
peared. They were heroes FOL
most part; men of fight,
here and there arose and led III
pie OF the tribe especially oppre.'
victory. Then they were naturas /,
allied by them to general leader;A
which included the duties of judges
= With the opening of the book
Judges. Israel is encamped in the JoI
dan valley near Jericho They inquiry
ofthe oracle of Jeho compare Num-
27:2i; Judges 1873; Sam. %: 10-15;
Sam. 23:9-11, etc.) which tribe shal
60 up first to attack the Canaanites
who are in possession of most of thu
country. judah, who is chosen, With
Simeon and the 'house of Joseph" are
successful in the hill country but can
not conquer the lowlands. In the
north, the Hebrews generally settle
down among the original inha bitants,
and in the west the Amorites force Dan
back into the hills. The last five verses
of this survey tell OF the moving Of the
center OF worship from Gilgal, where
It had been during the invasion, to
Bochim (perhaps Beth-eD. The writer
declares emphatically that the failure
to make a complete conquest was not
because Of the strength of the Canaan
ties, but of the disobedience of the
Hebrews.
The generation which grew up
Canaan was less faithful than the
mer had been. "Served the Baalim
That is, served the local Baals. viii
were almost as many as the Canaanit
cities. The Baals were the gods Of fer
tility, both in plant and animal life.
They were supposed to shine upon and
water the land and make it fruitful. and
their worship was just as much part
of farming in Canaan as was preparing
Al. 4 L.. ~
Hebrews learned how 10 farm in
Canaan from the Canaanites. II was
natural that. with all the rest. they
should take up the Baal worship. which
was considered among those peoples
the most important part of farming.
At first the Hebrews robably thought
OF Jehovah as their Baal, but soon they
forgot Him in the fascination of this
sensual Canaanite worship. Instead
of discriminating the native races,
the Hebrews were being rapidly abb
sorbed into the older population.
Under this less rigorous life and inn
moral worship, they were weakened,
oppressed and enslaved by the very
people for whose religion they had
forsaken Jehoph. "The Ashtaroth:"
Ashtaroth is The plural Of Ashtoreth.
one Of the principal Semitic deities.
Size was sometimes called Astarte,
and sometimes Ishtar. Like the
Baals. the Ashtaroth were supposed
20 influence fruitfulness IN plant and
animal life. Ashtorcth was the
Venus of the Semitic peoples and
was worshiped with a great variety
of disgusting rites. THE Israelite
found in Syria land feeming with
holy places. and voiceful with .
thousand oracles. IL is hardly TO
be wondered at that the people, in
toxicated with the lavish gifts OF
their new home. went astray on
every high hill and under every
green tree "-Aglen. "1'hc hands of
spoilers:" Better, Of piliagers. And
all this. says the histon an. was the
result of disobedience. God COM
nanded His people, as He always
does. only what would have been for
their good. but they thought they
knew better.
In this dark period. when the tribes
were scattered and almost wholly in
dependent Of each other, deliverers
arose, under whom the tribes final
ly emerged into national life again.
Here and there. under these deliv-
erers. the people made successful re-
volts against the oppressors. and
then exalted their deliverers to be
their military and civil rulers-theiF
Judges.
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
To forsake God is to turn away from
one who has always been loving and
faithful.
To forsake God is to turn away from
one who has placed You under count
less obligations.
To forsake God IL to become morally
and spiritually weak. SO that one IL
easily overcome by evil.
To forsake God is to come under
bondage that is oppressive and bitter.
To forsake God Is to incur His right
eous anger, and TO deprive ones sen
q the help that He freely gives