Category: Judges

Judges 20 - 21 and Psalm 106

3/21/2012

         The description of the encounter between the Levite, his concubine and the men of Gibeah of Benjamin has obvious references to the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19. Just as Yahweh’s holiness had to respond to the sinful cities of Genesis 19, now it must respond to Gibeah of Benjamin. But as the tribe of Benjamin joins with their brothers in Gibeah instead of condemning them for their sin… why do they win the first two days of battle? Why do so many Israelites die? Where is Yahweh in this whole scandal?
         To identify Yahweh’s hand in all this, let’s look first at all the references to Him in Judges 20 –21:
         Judges 20:1-2 (where all of the Israelites except Benjamin identify themselves with Yahweh);
         Judges 20:18 (where Yahweh commands Judah to be the first to go up and attack Benjamin);
         Judges 20:23 (where Yahweh commands them to go up and attack a second time);
         Judges 20:26-28 (where Yahweh commands them to go up a third time, and He will give them victory);
         Judges 20:35 (where it clearly says, “And the LORD defeated Benjamin before Israel);
         Judges 21:2-4 (where they cry out to Yahweh over what has happened to Benjamin, but no response from Yahweh is mentioned);
         Judges 21:5, 7-8 (in reference to their meeting at Mizpah and their vow);
         Judges 21:15 (where it says, “the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel”);
         Judges 21:19 (a yearly feast of the LORD at Shiloh).
         From Judges 20:35 (supported by the instructions in Judges 20 and by 21:15) we can say that Yahweh fought against Benjamin just like He fought against the Canaanites in the book of Joshua. But if that is the case, why did so many of the other Israelites die? Why didn’t the others win a decisive victory the first day?
         It may be useful to ask,“What events in Israel’s history are most like these battles against Benjamin?” If we look at details like a defeat followed by victory, a successful ambush, and others, perhaps we’ll say: the battle of Ai in Joshua 7. But Judges 20 – 21 lacks an essential element: there is no mention of the need for repentance, nor is there clear evidence of Israelite repentance that has changed defeat into victory. I don’t believe that Ai is the best example to understand Judges 20 – 21.
         From the high number of casualties on both sides of the battle, Judges 20 – 21 appears to me to be more like the plagues in the desert when the Israelites offended Yahweh’s holiness as in Numbers 11 at Taberah (Burning) and Kibroth-hattaavah (Graves of Covetousness), in Numbers 16 in Korah’s rebellion and the general rebellion afterwards and in Numbers 25 in the idolatry at Baal-peor. In
these events, all Israel experienced Yahweh’s devastating holiness and its potential to consume the entire nation. Now in Judges 20 – 21, Benjamin has placed not only himself but all Israel at risk of being consumed by Yahweh’s holiness, and instead of a plague, now Israel’s armies are the instrument of punishment – among
themselves.
         If that is the case, then the last verse of the book of Judges (and of the sixth unit of the Bible) is a critique not only of the questionable attempts to rebuild Benjamin but above all, of the reckless immorality that the men of Gibeah have committed with the support of Benjamin and the founding of the city of Dan as a center of Israelite and Canaanite syncretism. “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). If no king is raised up who can govern in righteousness and in concert with Yahweh’s holy and just dominion, all Israel is at the risk of being consumed.

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Judges 17 - 19

3/20/2012

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         When we read about Jephthah, we asked, “Where are the Levites, and why haven’t they appeared yet in the book of Judges? Today we’re going to read the story of two of them whose actions will shake the entire nation.
         Before reviewing the events of the first story, it would help if we remembered the attitude that the Israelites had to maintain toward the Canaanite religion. “Thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn down their carved images with fire. For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen
you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:5-6).
         The differences between the Israelite and Canaanite religion are more than just monotheism and polytheism, the complete lack of images and the frequent use of images. For the Israelites, Yahweh’s holiness is predominant. As we have seen in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, His holiness is devastating, and the Israelites must fear it and joyfully submit themselves to His law in order to walk in a privileged relationship with Him and avoid destruction. They must be holy as He is holy. But for the Canaanites, their gods exist to be manipulated, flattered and
calmed in order to follow the agenda that the worshipper proposes for his own
prosperity and protection. If he finds the right “holy man” at the right price (as Balak intended to hire and persuade Balaam in Numbers 22 – 24), he can manipulate blessings and curses for the advancement of his personal or national agenda. Sexual activity serves the same purpose (in the case of Baal-peor in
Numbers 25:1-3, for example) and so does violence. Instead of living by the law that directs them to holiness, the Canaanites use images, sex, violence and money to promote their personal agendas.
         Therefore, there are fundamental differences between Yahweh’s holiness and the self-centered manipulation that dominates Canaanite spirituality, and it is impossible to mix them. Either Yahweh’s holiness will destroy Canaanite religion or Canaanite religion will penetrate and degenerate devotion to Yahweh. And if someone tries to combine them, the result will be like Judges 17 – 18: an invented religion, personally created and searching for legitimacy, prosperity and influence, calling on Yahweh’s name to sanctify one’s own desires.
         A religion like that would be absurd and laughable if not for its power to deceive. Incredibly, “The people of Dan set up the carved image for themselves, and Jonathan the son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites” (Judges 18:30). The personal chapel of a deceived man eventually deceived an entire tribe of Israel.
         And the consequences will reach national proportions, because they will continue to worship it: “until the day of the captivity of the land” (Judges 18:30). In future readings we will see this illegitimate religion expand itself in Jeroboam’s reign, contaminate all of Israel and cause the exile of the ten tribes from the Promised Land… all beginning with one person who tried to combine Yahweh’s holiness with Canaanite manipulation as if the second commandment didn’t exist: “I dedicate the silver to the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a carved image and a metal image” (Judges 17:4). Therefore Yahweh insisted that they destroy all evidence of the Canaanite religion, not only from the land but from their hearts also, for the protection of His people from His devastating holiness.
         The portrayal of the second Levite in the reading is not favorable, either. He is an insensitive man who lives to gratify his carnal desires and protect himself even at the expense of his concubine. But when his insensitivity and self-gratification is surpassed by the men of Gibeah of Benjamin, he responds with zeal: “And when he entered his house, he took a knife, and taking hold of his concubine he divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel” (Judges 19:29). Is he motived more by a sense of his own rights being violated or by zeal for Yahweh’s holiness? Whatever his motivation, his message is impactful: “And all who saw it said, ‘Such a thing has never happened or been seen from the day that the people of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day; consider it, take counsel, and speak” (Judges 19:30). Israel just woke up… but for what purpose?

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Judges 13 - 16 and Psalm 119:57-64

3/20/2012

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         Of all the judges, the most difficult to describe concisely is Samson. The Bible narrates the lives of the other principal judges according to one outstanding event of liberation. For example, it dedicates a lot of space to Gideon, but all of it is
somehow related to his victory over the Midianites. It dedicates two chapters to Jephthah, but all of it has some relationship with his victory over the Ammonites.
With these judges, the victory serves as an anchor to narrate all the rest of their lives. But we don’t have an outstanding historical anchor in Samson… unless it is his
death.
         And that’s how we will approach Samson, as an exception to the other judges in that his greatest event of liberation came with his death. We will understand the
verse: “So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life” (Judges 16:30) as a sign that Yahweh’s purpose in his life was fulfilled in this event. He never directed an army like other judges. He did not enjoy years of peace after his act of liberation. But through Samson’s death, Yahweh fulfilled His foreordained purpose that: “He shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines” (Judges 13:5).
         No other judge was announced as a savior before his birth like Samson was.
No other to this point in our reading was a Nazirite, nor was a lifelong Nazirite vow imposed by God on any other than Samson (reread Numbers 6:1-21 to remember the Nazirite vow). Yahweh’s Spirit empowers him more often than any other judge (Judges 14:6, 19; 15:14). Therefore, we suppose that Samson should be a more glorious judge than any other, that maybe he not only liberates the Israelites from Philistine oppression but also convinces the Israelites to return to Yahweh’s commands in a way that this downward spiral of spiritual degeneration is reversed.
Therefore, we may feel disappointed as we look at Samson’s life: apparently he didn’t fulfill his potential for glorifying Yahweh and saving Israel.
         We can make a long list of Samson’s failures: he insists on marrying a pagan instead of an Israelite, and he does it against his parents’ wishes (Judges 14:1-3).
He violates his Nazirite vow by approaching the body of a dead lion and touching it, by the feast he prepares for his wedding (Judges 14:10; where it is supposed that he would drink wine along with his guests) and by revealing that if he cut his hair, he would lose his strength. His is directed by his sexual desires, not by Yahweh’s holiness. His violence against the Philistines is motivated by personal vengeance, not by Yahweh’s holiness, even in his last request: “Please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes” (Judges 16:28). Examining Samson’s life, we can find many things to criticize.
         At the same time, the Israelites are not without blame. Instead of supporting Samson against Philistine oppression, 3000 men from Judah arrest him and surrender him to the Philistines (Judges 15:11-13). Can you imagine the Israelites arresting Gideon and handing him over to the Midianites? That’s how the men of Judah have grown accustomed to 40 years of Philistine oppression: they look at it as normal; they are bothered by Samson’s disturbance of Philistine rule, and instead of recognizing their savior chosen by Yahweh, they hand him over to the oppressors.
         But we cannot allow our disappointment with Samson and our criticism of the Israelites to supersede or obscure Yahweh’s glory. Samson is responsible for his disobedient preference of a Philistine as a wife, but we cannot overlook: “His father and mother did not know that it was from the LORD, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines” (Judges 14:4). When Samson had to provide thirty changes of clothes, it is Yahweh’s Spirit who rushes upon him so that he goes
down to Ashkelon, kills and strips 30 men (Judges 14:19). The Spirit rushes upon him to kill 1000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey (Judges 15:14-15), and Yahweh does a miracle in response to his request for water (Judges 15:18-19).
         But even more of Yahweh’s glory is evident in Samson’s death. In the middle of the temple of Dagon, the god of the Philistines, who holds authority and dominion? Even though there are thousands of Philistines present, enjoying their false god, singing his praises for Samson’s capture, and even though all of the Philistine leaders laugh at the mockery of Samson and praise the power of their god, who really holds all power? Samson knows, and he cries out to Him in the middle of the show: “O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God” (Judges 16:28). And all the shouts of praise in the temple of Dagon suddenly are silenced when Yahweh manifests His power.
         If we recognize Yahweh’s glory in the destruction of Dagon’s temple (wasn’t this one of the reasons why Yahweh sent the Israelites into the Promised Land?) we can once again perceive an aspect of His devastating holiness. It does not depend on the obedience of His people to show itself. Yahweh will glorify Himself together with or against His people. He can glorify Himself in the life or the death of His judge; He can glorify Himself in a judge’s obedience or disobedience. His holiness accepts no restraint: it will manifest itself on the battlefield or in the middle of a
pagan temple. Yahweh’s devastating holiness is exalted: it exists independently of His creation, and no one and nothing can stop it.
         And if we can understand that Yahweh’s holiness and glory are exalted, then we can understand why Gideon, Samson and Jephthah are identified as heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11:32 in the New Testament. These defective judges, of whom we can criticize many things in their lives, responded to Yahweh’s glory by faith. They did not trust in the gods of the Midianites, the Ammonites or the Philistines but in Yahweh. And He even used their defects and their sins to glorify Himself in the midst of Israel and their neighbors.
         And this observation challenges us today, too. Yahweh’s devastating holiness will manifest itself either with or against us. What do we prefer, then: that it manifest itself in concert with our submission and obedience, or that it manifest itself against and in spite of our rebellion?

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Judges 9 - 12 and Psalm 70

3/19/2012

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         Israel’s degeneration becomes even more apparent in today’s reading when Abimelech achieves the first successful rebellion in Israel’s history (remember that Yahweh put down Korah’s rebellion in Numbers 16).
         The apostle Paul says,“Whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one
who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:7-8). In yesterday’s reading on Gideon we noted how he sowed to the flesh by governing through personal interests “sanctified” with a superficial spirituality. In today’s reading, his leadership bore the fruit of Abimelech, someone who also governs through personal interests but supports them through sheer violence with the religious element thrown aside. (As a reflection of how far the Israelites have distanced themselves from the covenant, notice that the covenant name “LORD” does not appear a single time in Judges 9).
         With Abimelech, some of the previous elements of the judges repeat themselves: Jotham’s parable in Judges 9:7-21 serves as a prophecy to reprove his listeners like the message of the anonymous prophet in Judges 6:8-10. A woman
unexpectedly has a central role, and she does it through a common implement, an
upper millstone (Judges 9:53). But these elements don’t go against a foreign oppressor; they work against Abimelech, an Israelite oppressor who serves as an “anti-judge”, a fraudulent judge who takes upon himself the characteristics of a real one. This time, liberation from oppression must come against someone who rose up from Israel herself.
         Notice in Judges 10 that the list of Israel’s idolatry has grown: “The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the LORD and did not serve him” (Judges 10:6). Therefore the oppression of Israel is duplicated and lengthened, too: “So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites, and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they
oppressed all the people of Israel” (Judges 10:8). It seems like this additional oppression motivates a more profound repentance: “And the people of Israel said to the LORD, ‘We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.’ So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD” (Judges 10:15-16). And Yahweh responds with even more grace: “And he became impatient over the misery of Israel” (Judges 10:16).
         Jephthah is named to save Israel from Ammonite oppression. There is no
revelation from Yahweh like there was in identifying Gideon; he is named through
an agreement between two parties who are trying to follow their own agendas. Nonetheless, “The Spirit of the LORD was upon Jephthah” (Judges 11:29); “So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the LORD gave them into his hand” (Judges 11:32).
         But notice that there are only two verses given to Jephthah’s victory and many more dedicated to his vow and to the battle against Ephraim in Judges 12. The Bible tells us of Yahweh’s victory by grace and at the same time wants us to
concentrate on these other events in order to characterize Jephthah and the spiritual condition of his time.
         First, look at the sacrifice of his only daughter to fulfill a vow. Wasn’t there any way to change it? Yahweh’s word tells us, “If a man vows a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth” (Numbers 30:2). Jephthah recognizes this: “I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I cannot take back my vow” (Judges 11:35). Is this the lesson that we are supposed to gather from Jephthah’s vow, that we must fulfill our vows completely, and it would be better if we considered our promises well before we state them?
         Notice that the law also says, “You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way [like the Canaanites], for every abominable thing that the LORD hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods” (Deuteronomy 12:31). Yahweh doesn’t accept human sacrifice, even to fulfill a vow. Instead, He says, “If anyone makes a special vow to the LORD involving the valuation of persons, then the valuation of a male from twenty years old up to sixty years old shall be fifty shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. If the person is a female, the valuation shall be thirty shekels” (Leviticus 27:2-4). Yahweh’s law says exactly what to do with Jephthah’s vow. Besides, it encourages the people, “If any case arises… that is too difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to the place that the LORD your God will choose. And you shall come to the Levitical priests and to the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall consult them, and they shall declare to you the decision” (Deuteronomy 17:8-9).
         And this brings us to a more urgent question: where are the Levites in the book of Judges? How strange it is to read so much about them in Exodus through Joshua… and now, they’ve disappeared! Why don’t we hear anything about their teaching of the law? We don’t even have a reference to any priest serving in the
tabernacle. Could it be that part of Israel’s downward slide spiritually is due to a lack of instruction on the part of the Levites? My opinion is that the silence about the Levites is an indication of their neglect of teaching Yahweh’s law and a reason why there is little or no reference to Him and His law (as in the case of Abimelech) or a partial knowledge of the law (like Jephthah who knows the history of the conquest in the eastern lands well but does not know the laws regarding vows and the valuation of people). Because of his inadequate knowledge of Yahweh’s word, Jephthah acts more like a Canaanite than an Israelite when he fulfills his vow. And while the daughters of Israel mourn Jephthah’s daughter four times a year, they should lament for themselves and their future children if this ignorance of Yahweh’s word continues.
         Second, notice the increase in violence between Israelites. In Joshua 22 we
saw that two groups of Israelites led by their zeal for Yahweh’s holiness could resolve a difference peacefully through diplomacy. A similar crisis was resolved in Judges 8:1-3, but through diplomacy based on pride and personal interests. Now Jephthah prefers to fight Ephraim’s pride with pride, and the battles between the two produce many more Israelite corpses than Abimelech’s vengeance had.
         Yahweh’s grace with Israel has not ended, but the spiritual degeneration of the nation is accelerating.

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Psalm 13 and Judges 6 - 8

3/17/2012

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         The story of Gideon is well known for Yahweh’s mercy toward Gideon, for the way in which He encouraged him despite his many doubts and for the dramatic victory that Yahweh won against the Midianites. (Notice that Yahweh won the battle: “When they blew the 300 trumpets, the LORD sent every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army” (Judges 7:22)) But when we read it in its context, after the whole Bible up to this point in the book of Judges, there are several points that should concern us.
         First, notice the inroads of Baal and Asherah worship in Israel. Up until now the book of Judges has told us in a general way: “They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth” (Judges 3:7). But Gideon’s story captures a snapshot of its growth. Although commanded clearly by Yahweh to knock down the altar of Baal and destroy the image of Asherah, Gideon does it at night out of fear, and when he is discovered, he nearly is executed by the men of the town (Judges 6:25-30). The zeal for Yahweh’s holiness demonstrated by Phineas in Numbers 25 and so recently displayed in the conflict of the memorial altar in Joshua 22 now has been converted into zeal for the holiness of Baal and Asherah. Who would have imagined an attitude like that in Israel after the incident at Baal-peor?
         Second, notice Gideon’s complaint at the angel of the LORD’s first visit: “Please, sir, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian” (Judges 6:13). What’s worrisome is that Yahweh’s unnamed prophet has just answered these questions in Judges 6:7-10. Gideon already has the answers to his questions; it’s just that the prophetic word has not removed the Midianite yoke from Israel, and therefore he’s beating out the wheat in the winepress, the worst place to try and accomplish this task (but at least it is hidden from the Midianites)… That is to say, Gideon is complaining. The last time that we read about complaints like this, Yahweh sent fiery serpents into the Israelite camp (Numbers 21:4-6).
         Third, notice Gideon’s doubt. He doubts his ability to save Israel (Judges 6:15); he wants to be certain of the identity of the angel of Yahweh through a sign (Judges 6:17-18); he’s afraid to obey Yahweh’s word in the daytime (Judges 6:27), and he looks for two more signs to be certain of Yahweh’s word (Judges 6:36-40).
It sounds similar to Yahweh’s first conversation with Moses when He called him from the burning bush in Exodus 3 – 4. Has Israel degenerated so far that it needs to relearn the basics about a relationship with Yahweh?
         But perhaps even more surprising is how Yahweh responds to all of this with grace.
         To Gideon’s fear of confronting Baal and his followers, Yahweh responds through his father’s mouth,“If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been broken down” (Judges 6:31).
         To Gideon’s complaints about Yahweh’s inaction during the Midianite oppression, He responds, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” (Judges 6:14)
         To Gideon’s doubts about his mission of liberation, Yahweh responds, “But I will be with you” (Judges 6:16). And as if that and all the previous signs were not enough, He invites him to listen to one more from the enemy camp! (Judges 7:9-11)
         That is to say, despite the spiritual degeneration that Israel is showing in these chapters, they still have not touched bottom on Yahweh’s grace. They have not passed the limit of His mercy. Even though Israel’s rebellion is shocking, even more shocking is the depth and the width of Yahweh’s grace.
         And that makes Gideon’s actions after the battle even more disappointing. He doesn’t respond to Yahweh’s grace out of the recognition of His just dominion
and in fear of His holiness. His diplomatic conversation with the tribe of Ephraim is based on their pride (Judges 8:1-3). He is the first to use violence to punish his Israelite brothers (Judges 8:13-17). He kills Zebah and Zalmunna, the Midianite kings, out of personal vengeance instead of obedience to Yahweh’s word (Judges 8:18-21; these last two observations come from Bruce Waltke, An Old Testament Theology, Zondervan, 2007, pg. 603). Instead of a government based on Mosaic Law, Gideon exercises a dominion motivated by personal interests.
         And Israel loves it: “Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian” (Judges 8:22). Gideon answers
appropriately, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the
LORD will rule over you” (Judges 8:23). But it’s an empty answer. Although he doesn’t take the title of king, he makes a costly ephod to augment his spiritual prestige, takes up priestly responsibilities, gathers his own harem and reproduces himself abundantly like a king who wants to preserve his royal house for generations. And we are probably looking at least in part at the superficiality and
self-centeredness of his rule when we read, “As soon as Gideon died, the people
of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. And the people of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side” (Judges 8:33-34).
         Once again, Yahweh’s response by grace is impressive: “The land rested forty years in the days of Gideon” (Judges 8:28). Another generation spent forty years in the desert for these kinds of sins; here, a generation enjoys peace. But the lesson is the same: “Do you suppose, O man – you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself – that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume of the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:3-4)
May the recognition of Yahweh’s grace lead His people to repentance and to holiness, not to a superficial spirituality directed by personal interests.

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Judges 4 - 5 and Psalm 83

3/17/2012

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         In the history of the first judges we see some themes and characteristics that will be repeated and therefore, will be important in our reading of the rest of the book.
         Notice that the foreign oppression is sent by Yahweh. Among the curses of the Mosaic Law, He warned, “If you will not listen to me and will not do all these
commandments, if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant… I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you” (Leviticus 26:14-15, 17). “And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall exact vengeance for the
covenant” (Leviticus 26:25). “The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth” (Deuteronomy 28:25).
“A nation that you have not known shall eat up the fruit of your ground and of all your labors, and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually” (Deuteronomy 28:33). “The sojourner who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower” (Deuteronomy 28:43).
         The book of Judges expresses the fulfillment of these curses through phrases like: “The anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia” (Judges 3:8); “The LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel” (Judges 3:12) and: “The LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor” (Judges 4:2). Notice that many times the foreign oppressors are directed by one person:
Cushan-rishathaim (which means “Cushan, doubly-evil”in Hebrew), Eglon (“little
calf”) and Sisera, the captain of the Canaanite army. But in it all, there is no doubt who is in control of the punishment given to the Israelites, and He does not punish them unjustly: “And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.
They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth” (Judges 3:7). “And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD” (Judges 3:12; 4:1).
         “The people of Israel cried out to the LORD” (Judges 3:9, 15; 4:3). They get to the point of desperation where they realize that there is no salvation in Baal
and Asheroth. And just like Yahweh promised in verses like Leviticus 26:40-42, if they confess their iniquity, humble their uncircumcised heart and repent: “Then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land” (Leviticus 26:42).
         And Yahweh raises up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saves them (Judges 3:9, 15; see also 4:6). Just as the foreign oppression often is led by one person, Yahweh’s deliverance also is led by one: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar and Barak in the first five chapters. With the exception of Othniel, we know nothing about the others until they are chosen by Yahweh for His work of deliverance; there is nothing in them that indicates beforehand that they will be judges in Israel. Notice also that on many occasions, deliverance comes through an unexpected instrument: Ehud’s double-edged sword, Shamgar’s oxgoad and the tent peg and hammer of Jael, the woman who killed Sisera. All of this shows that it is not by noble birth or advanced technology or military prowess but by the Presence of Yahweh that His people are saved, often by means of the humble, common and unrecognized.
         Notice also the importance of women in these passages. Achsah, Othniel’s wife, dismounted from her donkey out of respect for her father Caleb and requested
springs of water along with her inheritance (Joshua 15:16-19; Judges 1:12-15). Deborah prophesies Yahweh’s message to Barak for Israel’s liberation from Sisera and praises Him in song for His victory. And even though Barak led the army that defeated Sisera, it was Jael, a woman, who disregarded the peace between the king of Canaan and her husband and earned the fame as the one who killed Israel’s tormentor. Just like the men, these women serve as examples of how to trust Yahweh’s promises, exhort others in their faith and deny Yahweh’s enemies in order to trust in Him.
         Keep these characteristics and themes in mind because they will be
important to understand the lessons of the judges we will read about this week.

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Judges 1 - 21: The sixth unit of the Bible

3/16/2012

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         The Israelites have entered and subjugated a large part of the Promised Land. They have reconfirmed their covenant with Yahweh. But will the next generations be faithful to heed the warnings of Moses and Joshua?
         With this question we enter the sixth section of the Bible, the book of Judges, which we will read from March 16 to 22. Here are some observations that will
help us understand it better:
         1) The main events of the unit: The declining spiral of sin in Yahweh’s
people
         2) Yahweh’s attributes which stand out: His patience and mercy
         3) Yahweh’s main work: The discipline and salvation of His disobedient people
         4) The main participants: The judges of Israel
         5) The main reference to Jesus Christ and the gospel: And the angel of the LORD said to him, ‘Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?’ (Judges 13:18).
         6) Key observations: You will see a cycle formed through six stages: 1) Israel’s disobedience, 2) punishment sent by Yahweh in the form of foreign oppression, 3) Israel’s crying out to Yahweh for relief from their oppressors, 4) the arrival of a judge chosen by Yahweh, 5) salvation from the foreign oppressors and 6) reestablished peace… until the cycle starts again with new disobedience by Israel.
         When you see this cycle in the readings, notice that it is not a complete circle but a spiral in decline. Israel’s spiritual condition is degenerating over time. Some of the judges themselves will show less integrity and holiness with each generation. The nation of Israel is sinking in a more profound spiritual crisis with each turn of the spiral.
         Therefore you will read some variation of the following verse several times: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Joshua 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). It expresses the longing for a Savior, a Redeemer who can rescue the people out of the swamp of their sin and establish and exercise Yahweh’s dominion over the entire nation. This desire will be fulfilled partially with the arrival of each judge, but it will not be fulfilled completely until we enter the seventh unit of the Bible.

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Judges 20 - 21 and Psalm 106

Judges 17 - 19

Judges 13 - 16 and Psalm 119:57-64

Judges 9 - 12 and Psalm 70

Psalm 13 and Judges 6 - 8

Judges 4 - 5 and Psalm 83

Judges 1 - 21: The sixth unit of the Bible

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