The Book of Judges

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If we now look at the book of Judges, we shall there see a most striking picture of the history of Christendom. In Judges 2 we have repeated how “The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and in the days of the elders that outlived Joshua” (Judg. 2:77And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord, that he did for Israel. (Judges 2:7)). Joshua then died, and all that generation. “And there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord” (Judg. 2:1010And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. (Judges 2:10)). Then the sad history how they did evil and served other gods. They forsook the Lord and served Baal and Ashtaroth; and for hundreds of years you do not hear a word of SHILOH, the place where the Lord had set His name at first. Yet God did not forsake His people, but raised up judges; and though some of them were strange men, yet God did care for and deliver His people. There were Deborahs, and Gideons, and Jephthahs, and Samsons; but not one of these ever names Shiloh.
It was exactly so after the death of Paul and all that generation. There arose another generation that knew not the Lord and His ways, as at the beginning. Then did the devil teach the doctrine of development. But the Lord in His tender care, raised up individuals, and through them delivered the church from utter ruin, by the loss of all truth. But for centuries Christ is never again known and owned as the true Shiloh. Nay, a man is blasphemously put in His place as the center and head of the church. And even at the Reformation none of the reformers, so far as we have any record, ever recovered the long lost and only true position of the church as gathered to Him “whose it is.” They did escape from much of paganism, but never knew Christ as the only true center, around which the two or three should be gathered in perfect tranquility. For the most part they retained the worldly nationalism, or Babylonian principle, of confusing the church with the world. It is remarkable, that the very same idolatry has prevailed in Christendom, as in Israel during its centuries of darkness. Observance of days, turning to the east, worship of the queen of heaven, images of saints, as formerly Jupiter, Ashtaroth, etc.; monks, nuns, candles, holy water, etc. etc.; all these are real paganism — idolatry, so denounced in the Word of God.
But during those centuries of Israel’s history, did not the true Shiloh exist? Yes, indeed it did, and God surely remained the same One verse proves this. “And they set them up Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh” (Judg. 18:3131And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh. (Judges 18:31)). Has it not been so during the dark history of Christendom? All the time they set up their altars and images which they made; all that time, it was still true that the only true church principle was, Christ in the midst, the true Shiloh, the only One whose right it is to gather His redeemed to Himself on earth, as it shall be in heaven. And no doubt a few of the unknown hidden ones may, in unknown places, have enjoyed the peaceful tranquility of His blessed presence. This is sure, the Lord remained the same, though the true place of Shiloh was as little known in Christendom, as in the type in Israel.
There is a most sad history of the one man going to the house of the Lord, as he says, “And there is no man that receiveth me to house” (Judg. 19:88And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart: and the damsel's father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both of them. (Judges 19:8)). But so great had been the neglect of Shiloh during these centuries, that few knew the way; indeed, it required the most minute description how to find it! “Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the Lord in Shiloh yearly, in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah” (Judg. 21:1919Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the Lord in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. (Judges 21:19)). Would it not have been the same for centuries: if a man had inquired where was the true place, the true Shiloh, where saints were gathered to Christ, as in the Acts, could any have told him the place or the way to it? Reader, could you tell it even now?
Yet there was such a place then, and even from which a Benjamite might get a wife; and there is such a place now, where many a preacher may get a sermon, though he neither lives there nor ever gives it a good word. “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes (Judg. 21:2525In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. (Judges 21:25)). Last words of Judges. Words also which describe the whole history of Christendom, perhaps the cause of every evil division is just that — the want of the true owning of the Lordship and authority of Christ, in the fear of the Lord. Where this is not, every man is sure to do that which is right in his own eyes — his own will.
We now come to the first three chapters of 1 Samuel.