mopylae were to
Greece, that this three hundred were to the people of Israel.

#52.# Another terrible experience of Israel was that which came to
them in connection with their oldtime foes, the Philistines and the
Ammonites. Study the story as told in Judges 10:6-18, together with
the narrative of their deliverance under Jephthah. Here the student
will see clearly set forth the cause of the "oppression," verses 6-9,
and the cause of the deliverance, verses 10-18. Jephthah was a rude
man of his times, but then we must realize that rude times call for
violent men.

#53.# The only other case to which attention is called here that of
the longest of all the periods of oppression,--the second under the
Philistines, which lasted forty years. Here it was Samson who was to
deliver the people from the iron hand of the Philistines, and it took
the iron hand of a Samson to do the work.

#54. Not a Time of National Unity.#--During all these many years, the
government of the people was largely that of the tribal leaders. There
was not the national unity that we saw in the days of their two great
leaders, Moses and Joshua. Nor was there the same unity of action that
came later on under the kings. But none the less, the great need of
the people during these years was not so much political as religious.
Had they only obeyed the commands of God as given to Moses, and as
reiterated by the angel of the Lord to Joshua, God would not have
permitted them to be ground under the heel of their oppressors as they
were. We fail to read the story aright unless we seize the truth that
righteousness exalts a people, while sin is a reproach to any nation.
This truth has its modern as well as its ancient application.

Test Questions

Where was Israel at the time of the death of Moses?

Whom did God appoint to be Moses' successor?

What peculiarity was there in God's directions to Joshua?

In what order were the different parts of the land conquered?

Tell of the great assembly at Shechem.

What was the general trend of the history of Israel during the times
of the Judges?

What was the cause of each period of "oppression"?

What was the cause of each "deliverance"?

Give the proportion of the years of "oppression" and those of "rest."

Give the first two leaders named as deliverers.

Who brought relief from the oppression of Midian?

Who delivered the people from the first Philistine bondage?

Who did the same thing in the case o