surely the punishment came, and God stirred up some of these dangerous
friends to attack them. Sometimes it was a Canaanite tribe with iron
chariots who mightily oppressed them; sometimes the robber shepherds,
the Midianites, would burst in and carry off their cattle and their
crops, until distress brought the Israelites back to a better mind, and
they cried out to the Lord. Then He would raise up a mighty warrior, and
give him the victory, so that he became ruler and judge over Israel; but
no sooner was he dead, than they would fall back again into idolatry,
and receive another chastisement, repent, and be again delivered. This
went on for about 400 years, the Israelites growing constantly worse. In
the latter part of this time, their chief enemies were the Philistines,
in the borders of Simeon and Judah, near the sea. These were not
Canaanites, but had once dwelt in Egypt, and then, after living for a
time in Cyprus, had come and settled in Gaza and Ashkelon, and three
other very strong cities on the coast, where they worshipped a fish-god,
called Dagon. They had no king, but were ruled by lords of their five
cities, and made terrible inroads upon all the country round; until at
last the Israelites, in their self-will, fancied they could turn them to
flight by causing the Ark to be carried out to battle by the two corrupt
young priests, sons of Eli, whose doom had already been pronounced--that
they should both die in one day. They were slain, when the Ark was taken
by the enemies, and their aged father fell back and broke his neck in
the shock of the tidings. The glory had departed; and though God proved
His might by shattering Dagon's image before the Ark, and plaguing the
Philistines wherever they carried it, till they were forced to send
it home in a manner which again showed the Divine Hand, yet it never
returned to Shiloh; God deserted the place where His Name had not been
kept holy; the token of the Covenant seemed to be lost; the Philistines
ruled over the broken and miserable Israelites, and there was only one
promise to comfort them--that the Lord would raise up unto Himself