The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1933-03-23
THE MARYLAND BIBLE SOCIETY'S CORNER
''The Word of Our God Shall Stand Forever"

more nearly represent the fact.
This is a book of romance, a rec
ord of great exploits, dealing with al
ternate expressions and deliverances,
alternate periods of peace and war.
Theocracy was the form of Israel's
government at this time. God himself
as the direct Ruler of the nation,
called from time to time special lead
ers who COPIED with national emergen-
cies as they arose.
The people did not take the divine
government very seriously, religion
being the only unifying force present
as bond of solidarity among the
twelve tribes, so that state border
ing upon anarchy largely prevailed.
This caused national development to
proceed very slowly. 1t was not until
the days of the kingdom that Israel
became a political unit, and a great
nation.
The word that comes out of this
book almost as it's key word is, dis
obedience. Indeed from the moment
of their deliverance from Egypt down
to the very last day of their national
integity, they were disobedient. All
along the way to the promised land
they had been disobedient in the land
they continued disobedient; they had
been commanded to exterminate the
inhabitants, they did not do it; they
did not keep themselves from idols.
This disobedience led to conflicts
with Mesapotamians, the Moabites,
the Ammorites and Philistines.
The several Judges of Israel were
Othniel, Eliud, Shamgar, Deborah, a
woman, and Barak, Gideon, Abimilech,
lola, Jair, Jeptha, Ibsan, Elon, Abb
don, Sampson and Samuel.
Of these Gideon, Jeptha and Sam
son were by far the most picturesque
and heroic in their achievements.
Gideon, whose famous band of 300
overthrow the Midianites by the hill
Moreh, will always be remembered for
his mighty military achievements and
for his equally mighty faith, tested by
the fleece wet when all the ground
about it was dry, and again dry when
the earth about it was wet with dew.
Jeptha, whose prowess in destroy
ing forty and two thousand of the
Ephraimites at the passages of the
Jordan, where they were detected as
strangers by their pronunciation Of
the word Shibboleth, has found i'm
mortality in a piece of undying ritual
known and loved by thousands the
whole world round.
Sampson will ever live as one Of
the worlds greatest heroes, who de-
spite the weakness of the spirit and
unconscious loss of spiritual power,
yet in the darkness of his empty eye
sockets finally saw the light that
never again shown on land or sea, and
fought the enemies of Israel and Is
rael's God until the Temple of Dagon
crushed the last spark of life from
his body in the cateclymic destruc-
ton which slew more of the Philis-
tines in his death then he had slain
in his life.
Every small boy who has ever heard
the story of this Judge revels in his
carrying away of the gates of GAIA,
his swapping the new ropes like burnt
tow, and his mighty conquest Of the
Philistines with no better weapon than
the jaw bone of an ass. His riddle,
too, is better known than any in the
world: "Out of the eaten came forth
meat, and out of the strong came
forth sweetness"
If modern readers are looking for
thrills, read the Book of Judges.