‏ Judges 10

* Tola and Jair judge Israel. (1-5) The Philistines and

Ammonites oppress Israel. (6-9) Israel's repentance. (10-18)

1-5 Quiet and peaceable reigns, though the best to live in,

yield least variety of matter to be spoken of. Such were the

days of Tola and Jair. They were humble, active, and useful men,

rulers appointed of God. 6-9 Now the threatening was fulfilled, that the Israelites

should have no power to stand before their enemies, #Le

26:17,37|. By their evil ways and their evil doings they

procured this to themselves. 10-18 God is able to multiply men's punishments according to

the numbers of their sins and idols. But there is hope when

sinners cry to the Lord for help, and lament their ungodliness

as well as their more open transgressions. It is necessary, in

true repentance, that there be a full conviction that those

things cannot help us which we have set in competition with God.

They acknowledged what they deserved, yet prayed to God not to

deal with them according to their deserts. We must submit to

God's justice, with a hope in his mercy. True repentance is not

only for sin, but from sin. As the disobedience and misery of a

child are a grief to a tender father, so the provocations of

God's people are a grief to him. From him mercy never can be

sought in vain. Let then the trembling sinner, and the almost

despairing backslider, cease from debating about God's secret

purposes, or from expecting to find hope from former

experiences. Let them cast themselves on the mercy of God our

Saviour, humble themselves under his hand, seek deliverance from

the powers of darkness, separate themselves from sin, and from

occasions of it, use the means of grace diligently, and wait the

Lord's time, and so they shall certainly rejoice in his mercy.