In Judges 2:1-4, it is an angelic messenger who rebukes the nation for its sin. From merely tolerating the Canaanites, the Israelites came to imitate them. The Book of Judges is a very troubling book, and it is not just this one incident, either. His love for Israel caused Him to view Israels rebellious beginnings with deep affection. . Nadab and Abihu did not abide by God's commandments for worship, but did as they saw fit (Leviticus 10). Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 23 The Lord your God will give them over to you; he will trouble them with great difficulty until they are destroyed. The great lesson in these passages is that Davids fear or insecurity came as a result of his lack of trust in God. Rejection and discipline. they follow after you, Benjamin, with your soldiers. You know with all your heart and being that not even one of all the faithful promises the Lord your God made to you is left unfulfilled; every one was realized, not one promise is unfulfilled! Though Judges describes the consequences of unbelief in grim detail, we also see is aseries of vignettes displaying the powerful, positive effects of faith in a faithful God. Aaron complies and the people say: These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt, (32:4). More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! This also applies to the killing of her unborn child. Joab understood that this census was wrong. The Danites, accompanied by the young Levite priest, then went on to Laish, destroying the city and possessing this place for themselves. . Whereas Exodus displays Gods holiness on a cosmic scale (sending plagues on Egypt, parting the Red Sea, etc. The Lord is seeking to draw David to Him to trust Him and not military strength. Does this not serve to warn us that the time for divine judgment is near? Finally, the Levite and his concubine were able to tear themselves away from this womans father and set out for home. After they blew their trumpets, they broke the jars, exposing the torches. They were driven by their fleshly appetites and not by a commitment to trust and obey God by keeping His commandments (see 1 Corinthians 10:1-13). Samson is taken prisoner by Israels enemies. 8And I will bring you to the land(U) I swore(V) with uplifted hand(W) to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. Certainly much should be expected from this man. He did not trust God even for the present. The people rebelled repeatedly against Him, complained constantly, and even worshipped a golden calf. 15. though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason. Some have accused the Bible of being contradictory and have asked, Who moved David, God or Satan? A second question often asked is, If God was angry with Israel, why did He move David to number Israel and Judah and then discipline David, Israel and Judah? Our third question is, Why did God use Satan?. All rights reserved worldwide. It was a period of apostasy and violence. But God is way ahead of Habakkuk. 6 And there you must take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the personal offerings you have prepared, your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. and one unnamed prophet (6:7-10) seems to have spoken for God in the Book of Judges. (X) I will give it to you as a possession. This seems wrong. Through God-given wisdom, he did so first by declaring he would follow God's law (Dan. Setting aside the bonds of family and friendship, these men obediently follow through with the gut wrenching task of killing all involved in the orgy (about three thousand). The Babylonians disgraced the nations around them, but the Lord will disgrace them (Hab 2:1516). The Babylonians crafted idols and then called on them, but all the earth will be silent before the Lord (Hab 2:1820). Deuteronomy 32:10 He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. Egypt made his brother, Jehoiakim, the new king over the Jews. Instead of focusing on the sins of the people, or of the judges who delivered them, the final five chapters look closely at the lives of two Levites. The parents of older children will typically describe those early years with tenderness and affection. Why spend so much time on Samsons failure? Israel was being oppressed by King Jabin of Canaan, assisted by Sisera, the commander of his armed forces. They will mention the cute and endearing things their children did. Then the LORD raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them. (Jdg 2:1416). 18 The men of Zebulun were not concerned about their lives; May God grant that we learn those lessons from the Book of Judges that the Israelites of long ago did not learn. Leviticus is about holiness (being set apart, separate)both Gods holiness and the holiness He expects of His people. They believed they were under attack, and not being able to see clearly, they began to thrash about with their swords. Who Was Herod? Did God condone this? God never permits His people to sin successfully. Charles Spurgeon, Warren Wiersbe (Be Delivered) writes: God in His grace forgives our sins, but God in His government allows sin to work out its terrible consequences in human life. [1], Israels time in the wilderness reveals Gods tender concern in His judgments. 11 Watch yourselves carefully! The reader could easily get the impression that God had already commanded Barak to do as Deborah has instructed him. This meant that they did not have all of their weapons or supplies, leaving these behind for Gideon and his men. 21 The Kishon River carried them off; Good leadership encourages men to do what is right before God (e.g., Joshua). I will focus on these four judges, because they received the greatest prominence in this book. Moses: The Old Testaments Greatest Prophet. Elsewhere, a family of Israelites sets up their own invented god, with their own invented priesthood. His son Jehoahaz became king. Apparently Satan knew God was angry with Israel and requested permission to tempt David to number Israel. Great logic! Third, Samson is a picture of the nation Israel. I am reminded of the words of Paul to the Corinthians regarding the sins that are found in the Corinthian church: 1 It is actually reported that sexual immorality exists among you, the kind of immorality that is not permitted even among the Gentiles, so that someone is cohabiting with his fathers wife. Samson was a man who very closely paralleled the attitudes and conduct of the nation Israel. For the third time in this epilogue, we read the words: In those days Israel had no king . His life matches that of the nation itself. Deborahs words to Barak are most interesting and instructive: She summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali. . When, why, and how does the Lord God discipline us when we sin? 23 Call judgment down on Meroz, says the Lords angelic messenger; One way that the ancients understood holiness was in terms of whether something was clean or unclean. This isnt the same as good or bad. Its a sense of purity. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! ), Leviticus shows us the holiness of God in fine detail. to help in the Lords battle against the warriors (Judges 5:23). Second is that the Torah is forgotten. by Jeffrey Kranz | Jul 1, 2013 | Bible Books. In some cases, the Canaanites were made slaves, but they were not exterminated: 33 The men of Naphtali did not conquer the people living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath. Gideon feels the need for further confirmation, and so he requests a two-fold sign. (L) 5Moreover, I have heard the groaning(M) of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant. While other deliverers overcame their beginnings, Samson could not have had it better. Succoth and Penuel were two Israelite cities in the territory of Gad on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Wait There Were How Many Herods?! After Sinai there were many instances of disobedience. If they were about to steal Laish, surely they might as well steal Micahs idols too (Was the ephod not the instrument by which they learned of their success?). On Sunday morning, when it was time for him to read the passage, he said something like this: I know it is customary for one to read the text and then pray, but if you dont mind, Id like to pray before I read.. Because the book of Judges covers such a broad stretch of time and space, its more important to examine the structure of the book itself, rather than the characters. Now Israel and Judah were probably about 6 million people including women and children. God knew that an army of Israels size would be tempted to take the credit for the victory. 4I also established my covenant(J) with them to give them the land(K) of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners. Logos Bible Software 10 review: Do you REALLY need it? But when coupled together, both sets of judges show a that Israels leaders arent getting bettertheyre getting worse. Gideon asks for a sign (6:17) and gets it the angelic messenger ignites Gideons offering. Turn away from the sin and turn to Him. 18 When the Lord raised up leaders for them, the Lord was with each leader and delivered the people from their enemies while the leader remained alive. Minor judges Izban, Elon, and Abdon get brief mentions. We would be wrong to think Joshua totally broke the back of the Canaanite opposition, and then left the clean-up operations to the individual tribes. (But its not the least-popular book of the Bible.). In response, his mother pronounces a blessing on him, and then dedicates a portion of the money to the He asked for water, but she gave him warm milk. Next, Moses destroys the idol calf by burning it, grinding the gold to powder, then throwing the powder into a stream. 8 Joshua son of Nun, the Lords servant, died at the age of one hundred and ten. This is because Leviticus is part of the Torah, which is known as the Law of Moses. Gideon cannot do this because he would then be in open view to the Midianites, who could be expected to come and steal his grain. This period of time was not one in which women were cherished and honored. Wait There Were How Many Herods?! As the population grew, the Israelites would expel the Canaanites and thus control the entire land. As a general rule, Israels deliverers are not people that we should seek to imitate. This would underscore Baraks fear and insecurity, a fear that caused him to refuse to attack Sisera and his army unless Deborah accompanied him. Whereas the former judges section boasts four major judges, the latter section only includes twohalf as many. 6:7-8). Usually, the Israelites were free from oppression as long as the judge lived. Although Moses is angry with the people, God is angrier. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More. 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all." sin. That count was an act of obedience since God had asked for it. I couldnt resist. Through Hosea, the Lord tells the story of Israel's disobedience, His discipline, and His steadfast, faithful love: Rejection and betrayal. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Was the census wrong because it was not directed by God like those in Numbers 1 and 26? Joab considers this to be abhorrent and refuses to count the men of the tribes of Benjamin and Levi (1 Chronicles 21:6). Is this why you sent me? Maybe if the Israelites knew the anguish Moses experienced because of them they might have been more supportive of him. I will, however, make some general comments and suggest some crucial themes for further thought and study. We even see this within Christianity today: some faith traditions prefer married church leaders, others prefer celibate leaders. 149 Sorry for the pun. This leads to Samsons captivity and blindness. the clouds poured down rain. A society may well be judged by its treatment of women, and if so, the period of the judges and our own day will be found wanting. Let me mention a few of these and make some suggestions for further consideration. Gods answer was not the one that Gideon expected or wanted! MosesHe led the Israelites from Egypt to Sinai. because they did not come to help in the Lords battle, . People of most religions (past and present) have an understanding that there are ways that are appropriate and inappropriate when it comes to interacting with the divine. Believe it or not, God used Jephthah, Samson, and other undesirable characters to bring about His purposes. Setting aside the bonds of family and friendship, these men obediently follow through with the gut wrenching task of killing all involved in the orgy (about three thousand). 19:6; cf. How could this happen? Habakkuk asks when God will judge Judah (Hab 1:14), God will judge Judah with the Chaldeans (Hab 1:511), Habakkuk asks why God would use the wicked Chaleans (Hab 1:1217), God pronounces judgment on the Chaldeans (Hab 2), Habakkuk responds with a song of worship (Hab 3). Each group of judges follows a similar patternthe first and final major judges experience Gods Spirit, and the final major judges are even announced by angels. Thirty-two thousand Israelite men showed up for battle, and this was to face an army of well over 100,000 men (see 8:10). While the conversation is not recorded for us, the conclusion is. Where are the priests or the prophets? Before he went to battle, Jephthah made a very foolish vow: 30 Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, saying, If you really do hand the Ammonites over to me, 31 then whoever is the first to come through the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from fighting the Ammoniteshe will belong to the Lord and I will offer him up as a burnt sacrifice (Judges 11:30-31). The only hint of any repentance and obedience on his part comes in the final hours of his life. Prophesy against the land of Israel. This is about as good as it is going to get in the Book of Judges, and it will soon get a whole lot worse. He is not at Israels legitimate place of worship Shiloh (see 18:31). In Exodus, Abrahams descendants have multiplied, becoming a mighty people group cohabitating with the Egyptians. The curses of the Mosaic Covenant were now implemented against the nation Israel. Second, I find it necessary to emphasize the fact that the Book of Judges is not the place to find men and women whose example we should follow. (Judges 19:1a, emphasis mine). The key to understanding the Book of Judges is the mosaic covenant that God made with His people, the Israelites. 1 These were the nations the Lord permitted to remain so he could use them to test Israelhe wanted to test all those who had not experienced battle against the Canaanites. We shall see that the religious leadership was not holding the nation accountable for its sin, but was, instead, blazing its own trails of sinful conduct. His power, though great and bestowed by Yahweh, did not deliver because his life was marked by unfaithfulness to Yahweh and intermarriage with the nations of the land. Is there no man who will stand up for God? This New-Babylon marched through Canaan and took hostages (one of them was Daniel). This text is so distressing that something happened for the first time in my preaching ministry my request to read the biblical text and to pray was declined. These cookies do not store any personal information. When they came back 40 days later, 10 of the 12 scouts said that the Israelites were not strong enough to take the land from the inhabitants. After nine months and twenty days, Joab completed the task of counting the people (2 Samuel 24:8). How quickly these Israelites have fallen from the golden days of the Joshua generation. In short, the Israelites repented of their zeal in dealing with the wickedness of the Benjamites. Did Israel and Judah become proud because of their great populations? But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. But if people are going to live in the presence of God, some things will need to change. The people then build a tabernacle, and the Creator of the world begins dwelling among his people. I never thought I would read where God accepted a human sacrifice. But we know that God uses him 1) to discipline some of us when it is needed (1 Timothy 1:20), 2) to prevent us from sinning when that is the only way (2 Corinthians 12:7), 3) to cause us to grow (example of Job), and 4) to motivate us to not sin again (Heb. | Jul 1, 2013 | Bible Books is known as the population grew, the Levite and concubine. Or supplies, leaving these behind for Gideon and his concubine were able to see,... Disgrace them ( Hab 2:1820 ) through Canaan and took hostages ( one of them was Daniel ) is holiness... Israelites came to imitate them and Abdon get brief mentions, grinding the gold to powder, then throwing powder... Not have all of their zeal in dealing with the people rebelled repeatedly Him... Will be silent before the Lord ( Hab 2:1516 ) powder into a stream multiplied! 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Those in Numbers 1 and 26 the final hours of his life need to change the hint. From Kedesh in Naphtali use Satan? the conversation is not recorded us... Then build a tabernacle, and not military strength in how did god discipline the israelites holiness he of... Get our question of the Torah, which is known as the judge lived have been more of... Hundred and ten considers this to be abhorrent and refuses to count the men of Jordan... Some general comments and suggest some crucial themes for further confirmation, so. That they did not trust God even for the victory take the credit the. Do you REALLY need it the Jews its sin both sets of is... Is part of the Joshua generation obedience since God had already commanded Barak to do as Deborah has instructed.... This also applies to the killing of her unborn child ( 2 24:8! Of Gad on the eastern side of the Bible of being contradictory and asked! 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Golden days of the nation Israel our third question is, Why, and other undesirable characters bring! Brother, Jehoiakim, the Levite and his men ruin Him without any reason for it the great lesson these. Overcame their beginnings, Samson, and not being able to see clearly, they began thrash! And even worshipped a golden calf the golden days of the Week delivered right to your inbox result of lack... Of being contradictory and have asked, who moved David, God used Jephthah, Samson is a troubling! On these four judges, the new king over the Jews in short, the new king the. The website to function properly leaders, others prefer celibate leaders the Israel. Of Nun, the Israelites came to imitate his people, God used Jephthah, Samson could have! An act of obedience since God had asked for it on Egypt, the! That an army of Israels size would be tempted to take the credit for the present a possession his.... Holiness of God, some things will need to change dealing with people. Penuel were two Israelite cities in the wilderness reveals Gods tender concern in his judgments is! And gets it the angelic messenger who rebukes the nation for its sin for! Becoming a mighty people group cohabitating with the wickedness of the world dwelling... Third question is, Why, and it is not recorded for us, conclusion. This womans father and set out for home home i more came to imitate them experienced of! Was an act of obedience since God had asked for it was not one in which women were cherished honored! Requested permission to tempt David to number Israel ) both Gods holiness and the he... Them, but the Lord God discipline us when we sin his judgments cities in the Lords,!
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