Awake, awake, Deborah, awake, awake, utter a song:
Arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive,

Thou son of Abinoam.

Then he made him that remaineth have dominion

Over the nobles, among the people.

The Lord made me have dominion over the mighty.
Out of Ephraim was a root of them against Amalek.
After thee, Benjamin, among thy people.

Out of Machir came down governors,

And out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer.
And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah,

Even Issachar; and also Barak.

He was sent on foot into the valley.

For the divisions of Reuben, were great thoughts of heart.
Why abodest thou among the sheep-folds,

To hear the bleatings of the flocks?

For the divisions of Reuben were great searchings of heart.
Gilead abode beyond Jordan:

And why did Dan remain in ships?

Asher continued on the sea-shore, and abode in his breaches.

Zebulun and Naphtali were a people

That jeoparded their lives unto the death, in the high-places of the field. The kings came and fought;

Then fought the kings of Canaan,

In Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo.

They took no gain of money.

They fought from heaven

The stars in their courses fought against Sisera.

The river of Kishon swept them away

That ancient river-the river of Kishon.

O, my soul, thou hast trodden down strength.

Then were the horse-hoofs broken

By the means of their prancings—the prancings of their mighty ones. Curse ye Meroz-said the angel of the Lord

Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof:

Because they came not to the help of the Lord—

To the help of the Lord against the mighty.

Blessed among women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be: Blessed shall she be above women, in the tent.

He asked water, and she gave him milk;

She brought forth butter in a lordly dish.
She put her hand to the nail,

And her right hand to the workman's hammer;
And with the hammer she smote Sisera:

She smote off his head, when she had pierced,
And stricken through his temples.

At her feet he bowed-he fell-he lay down-
At her feet he bowed-he fell-

Where he bowed, there he fell down dead.

The mother of Sisera looked out at a window,

And cried through the lattice,

Why is his chariot so long in coming?

Why tarry the wheels of his chariots?

Her wise ladies answered her

Yea, she returned answer to herself:

Have they not sped-have they not divided the prey?
To every man a damsel or two-

To Sisera a prey of divers colours of needle-work

Of divers colours of needle-work on both sides,
Meet for the necks of them that take the spoil.
So let thine enemies perish, O Lord:

But let them that love him be as the sun
When he goeth forth in his might."

In this song, those tribes who willingly came forward to fight the battles of the Lord, are celebrated with due praise; but severe censures are passed on those who remained at home at this time, when the services of all were needed. Ephraim, Benjamin, Zebulun, and Naphtali, are recorded as having done their duty. While Reuben, on account of his divisions and internal distractions, was not in a situation to render any aid. And Dan and Asher, though near to the field of battle, clung to their ships and sea-coast, and furnished no help in the contest. But why do we hear nothing of Judah, commonly the foremost in all pious enterprises; and on whose borders the battle was fought? I know not the answer to this question. One place, no where else mentioned in Scripture, is here made memorable, by the curse denounced against it by the angel of the Lord, for not coming up to the help of the Lord against the mighty. Why Meroz was singled out for this anathema, when so many others were delinquent, cannot now be ascertained. But this city stands as a beacon to all future generations.

SECTION XVIII.

MIDIAN OPPRESSES ISRAEL-A NAMELESS PROPHET IS SENT WITH A MESSAGE FROM
GOD TO ISRAEL-THE ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARS TO GIDEON, WHO SACRI-
FICES A KID TO JEHOVAH, AND THE ANGEL, AFTER DELIVERING HIS MESSAGE,
ASCENDS IN THE FLAME-GIDEON THROWS DOWN THE ALTAR OF BAAL BY DIVINE
DIRECTION-JOASH, GIDEON'S FATHER, REFUSES TO GIVE HIM UP-A GREAT HOST
GATHERED AGAINST ISRAEL-GIDEON COLLECTS THE PEOPLE-ASKS FOR A TWO-
FOLD SIGN, WHICH IS GRANTED.

THE national distresses of Israel, in every instance, were owing
to their transgressions. The language of the sacred history is,
"The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord," and
then the Lord "sold them," or "delivered them into the hands
of their enemies." The nation which next obtained the domi-
nion over them, was Midian; and their rule was exceedingly
oppressive; so that the children of Israel were driven to take
refuge in the dens of the mountains, and in the caves and
strongholds. And the labours of agriculture were rendered al-
most useless, for when "Israel had sown, the Midianites and
Amalekites, and the children of the east, came up against them.
And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase
of the earth, till thou came unto Gaza; and left no sustenance
for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For they came up

with their cattle, and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers, for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number, and they entered into the land to destroy it. And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord." It is a remarkable evidence of the goodness, long-suffering, and gracious condescension of the Lord, that in all cases when the people cried unto him, he mercifully interposed for their deliverance. On this occasion, he sent a prophet, who said, "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought you up out of Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage. And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you; and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land. And I said unto you, that I am the Lord your God. Fear not the gods of the Amorites. in whose land ye dwell; but ye have not obeyed my voice." Whence this prophet came, or whither he went after he had delivered his message, we are not informed; neither are we able to tell his name, or designate the family or tribe to which he belonged. This mission of a prophet was evidently intended to bring the people to repentance for their sins in departing from the worship of Jehovah, and going after the gods of the Amorites.

"The angel

But a more august ambassador was now sent. of the Lord came and sat under an oak, which was in Ophrah, that belonged to Joash, the Abi-ezrite; and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the wine-press, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, O my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? And where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? But now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? And he said unto him, O my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then show me a sign that thou talkest with me. Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again. And Gideon went in and made ready a kid, and leavened cakes of an ephah of flour; the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a

pot, and brought it out to him under the oak, and presented it. And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon the rock, and pour out the broth; and he did so. Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight. And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face. And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee, fear not, thou shalt not die. Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah-shalom." And this altar remained for many years in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. The Lord now gave direction that he should, on that very night, throw down the altar of Baal, which was erected on a rock in that place, and should build there an altar to the Lord, and offer upon it the second bullock of seven years old; and he was directed also to cut down the idolatrous grove, which had been planted by the altar of Baal, and to use the wood for the burnt-sacrifice which he was about to offer. "Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the Lord had said unto him; and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, he did it by night. And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered on the altar that was built. And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon, the son of Joash, hath done this thing. Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it. And Joash said to all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? Will ye save him? He that will plead for him, let him be put to death, whilst it is yet morning. If he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar. Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal."

"Then all the Midianites, and Amalekites, and the children of the east, were gathered together; and they went over and pitched in the valley of Jezreel. But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, and Abi-ezer was gathered after him. And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also was gathered after him. And he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali, and they came up to meet them. And Gideon said unto God,

If thou wilt save Israel by my hand, as thou hast said," let the sign which I request be granted. "Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor, and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. And it was so: for he rose up early in the morning, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece; a bowl-full of water. And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. And God did so that night; for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.

SECTION XIX.

GIDEON COLLECTS HIS FORCES-A MERE HANDFUL IN COMPARISON OF MIDIAN, YET THE LORD TELLS HIM THERE ARE TOO MANY-ALL ARE DISMISSED EXCEPT THREE

HUNDRED-GIDEON GOES TO THE MIDIANITISH HOST, AND HEARS A DREAM WHICH ENCOURAGES HIM THE ENEMY ARE THROWN INTO CONFUSION, AND SLAY ONE ANOTHER-TWO PRINCES OF THE MIDIANITES ARE TAKEN, OREB AND ZEEB -THEIR HEADS CUT OFF.

WHEN Gideon had collected his forces, he pitched by the well of Harod; and the Midianites were on the north side of them, in the valley, by the hill Moreh. Although the men of Israel who were with Gideon, were few in comparison of the host of Midian, yet in the Lord's account they were too many; for he said unto Gideon, "The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. Now, therefore, go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return, and depart early from mount Gilead; and there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many, bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there.' The method of trial, which, by Divine direction, decided who were to go and who return, was singular. Gideon was commanded to place by themselves as many of the men as took up the water in their hands, and lapped it as a dog; but all those who bowed down on their knees to drink were directed to return home. And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men. And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped, will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets, and went forth to meet the Midianites, who lay encamped in the valley