Why Study Judges?

[Garland-Green]

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Introduction

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard a well-known person introduced with these words, “So and so is a person who needs no introduction.” If that’s true, then why are the introductions for such people so long, telling us once again what we are already supposed to know? When we come to the Book of Judges, however, we come to a book of the Bible that really does need an introduction. When I looked at all of my favorite websites to see what others have done, I found that other preachers have done little or nothing on the Book of Judges. I find that Christians in general tend to avoid the book. When others heard that my next preaching series would be on the Book of Judges, the response I received from each has been remarkably similar. Put simply, they’ve looked a bit puzzled and asked, “Why study the Book of Judges?” It is a fair question, one that will take an entire message to answer.

After dealing with a few characteristics of Judges which are important in understanding this book, I will attempt to demonstrate why this book is worthy of our attention, and accomplish this by setting forth some of the main reasons why I believe this book is neglected or ignored by many Christians. As I answer these objections to Judges, I believe we will see why this study is so important today. So, fasten your seatbelts, and come along with me on this study.

Things We Need to Know About Judges

1. Judges don’t really “judge.” When I think of a judge, I think of someone who makes legal judgments. In the Bible, I think of those leaders who were appointed to judge the Israelites, thus removing some of the burden from Moses:

12 “But how can I alone bear up under the burden of your hardship and strife? 13 Select wise and practical men, those known among your tribes, whom I may appoint as your leaders.” 14 You replied to me that what I had said to you was good. 15 So I chose as your tribal leaders wise and well-known men, placing them over you as administrators of groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and also as other tribal officials. 16 I furthermore admonished your judges at that time that they should pay attention to issues among your fellow citizens and judge fairly, whether between one citizen and another or a citizen and a resident foreigner. 17 They must not discriminate in judgment, but hear the lowly and the great alike. Nor should they be intimidated by human beings, for judgment belongs to God. If the matter being adjudicated is too difficult for them, they should bring it before me for a hearing” (Deuteronomy 1:12-17; see Exodus 18:13-23).2

Deborah, the prophetess, would come the closest to the “judges” who were appointed by Moses to “judge” the Israelites.3 Ultimately, God was the One who “judged” Israel.4 But more than anything in the Book of Judges, “judges” are presented as military leaders:

16 The Lord raised up leaders who delivered them from these robbers. 17 But they did not obey their leaders. Instead they prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned aside from the path their ancestors had walked. Their ancestors had obeyed the Lord’s commands, but they did not. 18 When the Lord raised up leaders [judges]5 for them, the Lord was with each leader and delivered the people from their enemies while the leader remained alive. The Lord felt sorry for them when they cried out in agony because of what their harsh oppressors did to them (Judges 2:16-18.).

The Lord’s spirit empowered him and he led [judged] Israel. When he went to do battle, the Lord handed over to him King Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram and he overpowered him (Judges 3:10).

Often these “military leaders” who are called “judges” actually lead the Israelites in battle. But then there is Samson, who is said to have “judged” Israel (15:20), and yet all of the victories were fought and won by Samson individually (14:19; 15:6-17; 16:28-31). Indeed, the Israelites seemed willing to pacify their Philistine overlords, giving Samson over to them (15:9-13).

More typically in Judges, those who judged initiated combat, inspired the Israelites to go to battle, and led the attack. Some “judges” may have assumed additional leadership functions, as is suggested in this statement:

17 But they did not obey their leaders [judges]. Instead they prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned aside from the path their ancestors had walked. Their ancestors had obeyed the Lord’s commands, but they did not. 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. The Lord felt sorry for them when they cried out in agony because of what their harsh oppressors did to them. 19 When a leader died, the next generation would again act more wickedly than the previous one. They would follow after other gods, worshiping them and bowing down to them. They did not give up their practices or their stubborn ways (Judges 2:17-19).6

It would seem that nowhere in the Book of Judges does a judge assume the role of a king (whose descendants would become a dynasty). The men of Israel desired this in the case of Gideon, but he rightly declined.7

2. While Joshua dealt with Israel as a nation acting in unity, Judges tends to deal with Israel’s tribes independently. Chapter 1 dwells mainly on the tribe of Judah, which teams up with that of Simeon. When we encounter the terms “Judah” and “Simeon,” we are not to think of these men, who are long since dead, but of the tribes of Judah and Simeon. The oppression of a neighboring country, the raising up of a judge, and the liberation resulting may not encompass the entire nation of Israel. It could impact a smaller area and perhaps one or more of the tribes. Thus, the tribes of Israel are dealt with in a case-by-case manner.

3. The political structure of Judges is not highly centralized. I liken it to the “confederation of states” in American history. The original states were organized as a loosely joined confederation of autonomous, sovereign, states. They operated in unity only at the consent of each of the states. This soon gave way to the federal form of government in which the federal government had considerably greater powers (such as taxation). Likewise, the tribes of Israel operated as a kind of confederation, with each tribe seeking to maintain its sovereignty. Before the period of the Judges, Israel was united under the strong central leadership of Moses or Joshua. When we come to the Book of 1 Samuel, we find the Israelites eventually united under the leadership of its kings (Saul, David, Solomon). The Book of Judges describes a decentralized period of Israel’s history.

4. The Book of Judges thus fills the gap between Joshua and 1 Samuel – in such a way that it prepares the reader for what is to come in 1 and 2 Samuel. It is here that the unique contribution of the Book of Judges can be identified. Every book of the Bible makes a unique contribution to the Scriptures, so that the story would not be complete without any one of the books of the Bible. The unique contribution of Judges is that it describes that period in Israel’s history when it had no strong central leader (like Moses or Joshua), before it came to be led by kings.

5. The Book of Judges also sets the stage for the Book of Ruth. The Book of Ruth begins with these words: “During the time of the judges there was a famine in the land of Judah” (Ruth 1:1a). As bad as things were in Israel during the days of the judges, there were still men like Boaz who delighted to obey God’s law, which meant showing compassion to those in need, including a Moabite woman (who was destined to become a part of the Messianic line). We could not appreciate the Book of Ruth as we should without first having read the Book of Judges.

6. Keys to understanding the Book of Judges. As I currently understand the book, there are at least two keys to understanding it. The first should be obvious by its location: the introductions contained in the first chapters of the book. The second is also obvious by virtue of its repetition in the book:

In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right (Judges 17:6).

In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the Danite tribe was looking for a place to settle, because at that time they did not yet have a place to call their own among the tribes of Israel (Judges 18:1).

In those days Israel had no king. There was a Levite living temporarily in the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. He acquired a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah (Judges 19:1).

In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right (Judges 21:25).

Israel is “kingless” in the Book of Judges, and thus it would appear that the provision of a king would be the solution to its problems. History will prove this assumption to be false (unless, of course, we are speaking of the ultimate “King,” the Lord Jesus Christ).

In addition to this, the Israelites “did what was right in their own eyes.” This is to say that the Israelites lived with disregard toward what God had declared to be right in the Law.

“You must not do like we are doing here today, with everyone doing what seems best to him” (Deuteronomy 12:8.).

“In this manner you will purge out the guilt of innocent blood from among you, for you must do what is right before the Lord” (Deuteronomy 21:9).

What Israel really needs is a godly king (God in the flesh) who writes His Law upon the hearts of His people.

WHY ARE WE WRONG IF WE AVOID THE BOOK OF JUDGES:
OUR EXCUSES AND WHY THEY ARE WRONG

Excuse Number 1: There is too much sex and violence in Judges. A number of years ago a colleague and I were preaching in India. We were speaking on the life of Joseph from the Book of Genesis. One of the men objected to our teaching, insisting that there was “too much sex.” The wife of the church leader with whom we were staying interjected, “Go ahead and teach on it! I’ve been speaking to his wife, and this man needs to hear it.”

It cannot be denied that this book contains its share of sex and violence. I would suggest, however, that those who seek to offer this excuse apply this first to the television programs and movies they watch. The sex and violence we watch on TV may be designed to stimulate immoral and ungodly thoughts and actions. This is not so with the accounts we find in the Book of Judges. Immorality and sexual perversion are depicted, but not in a seductive way. They are described in a way that is true to the facts and which condemns both as sin that is accompanied by dire consequences. Sex and violence in Judges are not a “centerfold” required to keep the reader’s interest; they are a description of the consequences of unbelief and disobedience.

I would suggest that the Bible needs to directly address sex and violence precisely because they are so prevalent in our society. Our children need to be warned and instructed regarding these things. Who better to teach them than parents, and what better material is there to teach than the Word of God? I would remind the reader that the Book of Proverbs is a book of fatherly instruction to children, and it has a great deal to say about sex and violence. Judges reinforces the teaching of Proverbs by providing us with real life examples of the consequences of sin.

Excuse Number 2: “I’ve heard it all before.” This is a most disheartening objection. Our children may be bold enough to say it, but many adults are thinking the same thing. It is the result of what we might call the “Sunday school syndrome.” Bible story books and Sunday school curriculum focus a great deal on Bible stories – not a bad thing in and of itself. But the problem is that they are watered down to teach moralistic goals (be kind to others, etc.) while avoiding many of the details, including the message of the story in the context in which they are recorded. The real lessons – the lessons God intended in giving us these stories – are often lost, and having grasped (or so we suppose) the simplistic messages that were taught, the person sees no further need to repeat the same old story once again. I would hope and expect that you will see these old, old, stories in a whole new light.

Excuse Number 3: “Judges is irrelevant to me and to my life.” “Judges is all about the long ago and the far away. It describes a culture and a people who are vastly different from us. How, then, can this book be helpful to me?” Admittedly, the Book of Judges is not easy to understand, so the meaning and message does not come easily. But this is true of all Scripture, not just the Book of Judges.8

There is a dispensational distortion of this error which sets aside all of the Old Testament as a kind of “second class” revelation. Let me be quick to point out that few dispensationalists actually advocate this position, though more seem to follow it in practice. Evangelical preachers spend most of their time in the New Testament, and very little time in the Old. The reasoning is that the Old Testament depicts life under the Old Covenant. Since Christians now live under the New Covenant, there is no longer any need for the Old. Indeed, some might accuse those who teach the Old Testament books to be a legalist, keeping people under the law. The problem with this view is that it seems to deny in practice the truth of Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 3:

16 Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

There are other texts as well which make the same point, but I will deal with them a little later in this message.

I believe we can readily see how the Book of Judges is relevant to our culture in America (and elsewhere around the world). We live in a Postmodern age, where it is believed that there is no absolute truth, but that all truth is in the eye of the beholder. That is precisely what was happening in ancient Israel during the days of the judges. “Every man was doing what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6; 21:25). The sex and violence of that day is little different, both in kind and in degree, to our own times. Are we seeing God’s hand of discipline on our nation as we lose status among the nations and as our economy continues to erode? I believe that while we are not the nation Israel, we are experiencing similar circumstances to those described in Judges.

There is yet another way that the Book of Judges seems relevant to our times. Judges describes a time of disregard for God’s Word and of departure from true worship. It speaks of a time when there was no lasting ruler, “no king in Israel.” And all of this is to prepare the ancient reader for the time that is coming when God gives Israel a king, David. As our society continues downward, we should see (like the author of Judges) that the only permanent solution is a righteous king. And is this not what we look forward to – the coming of our Lord? Thus, as we see our society walking in the path of the Israelites of old, we should be encouraged that the King is coming, and He will defeat His foes (and ours) and establish His kingdom. As Paul wrote in Colossians, the things which we find in the Old Testament are but a “shadow of what is to come, the substance of which is Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17). Thus, Judges turns our hearts and eyes toward the future as we eagerly await our King.

Thus we see that this book is extremely relevant. If we do not recognize this to be true, it may be because we are as spiritually dull as were the Israelites of old.

Excuse Number 4: Judges is “politically incorrect.” I have never actually heard anyone say this in these precise terms, but I believe it is an unspoken fear which we try to suppress by avoiding those books which expose the problem. Dale Ralph Davis, one of my favorite commentators on the Old Testament historical books, presents the problem in these words:

Second, for many readers Judges 1 raises once more the so-called moral problem of the conquest. How horrid that Israel butcher innocent Canaanites, wreak havoc and misery, grab their land – and all, allegedly, at Yahweh’s command! If only the Canaanites could know how much emotional support they receive from modern western readers.9

This issue is particularly awkward because of the doctrine of Jihad, held and practiced within Islam. In short, radical Islam calls for the extermination of non-Muslims – infidels. Some Christians are uneasy with the fact that God commanded the Israelites to exterminate – totally annihilate – the Canaanites:

10 When you approach a city to wage war against it, offer it terms of peace. 11 If it accepts your terms and submits to you, all the people found in it will become your slaves. 12 If it does not accept terms of peace but makes war with you, then you are to lay siege to it. 13 The Lord your God will deliver it over to you and you must kill every single male by the sword. 14 However, the women, little children, cattle, and anything else in the city – all its plunder – you may take for yourselves as spoil. You may take from your enemies the plunder that the Lord your God has given you. 15 This is how you are to deal with all those cities located far from you, those that do not belong to these nearby nations. 16 As for the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is going to give you as an inheritance, you must not allow a single living thing to survive. 17 Instead you must utterly annihilate them – the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites – just as the Lord your God has commanded you, 18 so that they cannot teach you all the abhorrent ways they worship their gods, causing you to sin against the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 20:10-18.).

God gave very clear instructions to His people regarding their enemies. Those at a distance were given the opportunity to surrender. If they chose to resist, war would be waged by the Israelites. All the men were to be killed, but the women and children should be spared and taken as spoil (see Deuteronomy 20:10-15 above).10 It was quite a different thing with the Canaanites, those who lived in the land which God was giving to His people. They were to be utterly annihilated. Every Canaanite man, woman, and child was to be killed (see Deuteronomy 20:16-18 above). When commanded to do so, the Israelites also destroyed all the cattle. Such was the case when God gave Israel the victory over Jericho (Joshua 6:21).11 The Israelites were always to destroy the Canaanite idols and objects of false worship (see Exodus 23:23-25).

There are a number of things we need to understand about this matter of the annihilation of the Canaanites in the Old Testament that will enable us to view this matter in a different light.

1. God did not order the extermination of all non-Israelites. We see this in the text above (Deuteronomy 20:10-15), where God required the annihilation of the Canaanites, but not those foreigners who lived at a distance. Jihad does not make such distinctions, in practice, if not in theory as well.12

2. The Canaanites were wicked and deserved divine judgment. The Canaanites were the people of Sodom and Gomorrah in that they were ripe for judgment, not only because of their moral depravity, but also because of their rejection of God:

12 When the sun went down, Abram fell sound asleep, and great terror overwhelmed him. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign country. They will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. 14 But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. Afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15 But as for you, you will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit” (Genesis 15:12-16, emphasis mine).

9 So realize that the Lord your God is the true God, the faithful God who keeps covenant faithfully with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, 10 but who pays back those who hate him as they deserve and destroys them. He will not ignore those who hate him but will repay them as they deserve! (Deuteronomy 7:9-10, emphasis mine)13

4 Do not think to yourself after the Lord your God has driven them out before you, “Because of my own righteousness the Lord has brought me here to possess this land.” It is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out ahead of you. 5 It is not because of your righteousness, or even your inner uprightness, that you have come here to possess their land. Instead, because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out ahead of you in order to confirm the promise he made on oath to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6 Understand, therefore, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is about to give you this good land as a possession, for you are a stubborn people! (Deuteronomy 9:4-6, emphasis mine).

3. The Canaanites must also be entirely eradicated because of the corrupting influence they would have on the Israelites:

1 When the Lord your God brings you to the land that you are going to occupy and forces out many nations before you – Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and powerful than you – 2 and he delivers them over to you and you attack them, you must utterly annihilate them. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy! 3 You must not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your sons away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will erupt against you and he will quickly destroy you. 5 Instead, this is what you must do to them: You must tear down their altars, shatter their sacred pillars, cut down their sacred Asherah poles, and burn up their idols (Deuteronomy 7:1-5).

“You must destroy all the people whom the Lord your God is about to deliver over to you; you must not pity them or worship their gods, for that will be a snare to you” (Deuteronomy 7:16, emphasis mine).

The Canaanites were like a deadly virus that had to be eradicated.

4. God did not condemn the sin of the Canaanites and wink at the same sin in His people (Exodus 13:12-17). He threatened disobedient Israelites with the same fate. Listen to how the Israelites were to deal with their fellow-Israelites who turned to serve other gods:

24 “‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things, for the nations which I am about to drive out before you have been defiled with all these things. 25 Therefore the land has become unclean and I have brought the punishment for its iniquity upon it, so that the land has vomited out its inhabitants. 26 You yourselves must obey my statutes and my regulations and must not do any of these abominations, both the native citizen and the resident foreigner in your midst, 27 for the people who were in the land before you have done all these abominations, and the land has become unclean. 28 So do not make the land vomit you out because you defile it just as it has vomited out the nations that were before you. 29 For if anyone does any of these abominations, the persons who do them will be cut off from the midst of their people. 30 You must obey my charge to not practice any of the abominable statutes that have been done before you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them. I am the Lord your God’” (Leviticus 18:6-30).

19 “Now if you forget the Lord your God at all and follow other gods, worshiping and prostrating yourselves before them, I testify to you today that you will surely be annihilated. 20 Just like the nations the Lord is about to destroy from your sight, so he will do to you because you would not obey him” (Deuteronomy 8:19-20).

12 “Suppose you should hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you as a place to live, that 13 some evil people have departed from among you to entice the inhabitants of their cities, saying, “Let’s go and serve other gods” (whom you have not known before). 14 You must investigate thoroughly and inquire carefully. If it is indeed true that such a disgraceful thing is being done among you, 15 you must by all means slaughter the inhabitants of that city with the sword; annihilate with the sword everyone in it, as well as the livestock. 16 You must gather all of its plunder into the middle of the plaza and burn the city and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It will be an abandoned ruin forever – it must never be rebuilt again. 17 You must not take for yourself anything that has been placed under judgment. Then the Lord will relent from his intense anger, show you compassion, have mercy on you, and multiply you as he promised your ancestors” (Deuteronomy 13:12-17, emphasis mine).14

5. God embraced foreigners into His covenant blessings for Israel on the basis of faith. Foreigners were welcomed and cared for in Israel, particularly those who embraced Israel’s faith. Some (like Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth) were incorporated into the Messianic line. Think, too, of those others, like Ahimelech (1 Samuel 26:6) and Uriah (2 Samuel 11:3) who were embraced by Israel.

6. We live in a different dispensation, and thus the command to exterminate the Canaanites does not directly apply to Christians today. In the New Testament age, civil government is responsible to execute judgment upon evil-doers.

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God’s appointment, and the authorities that exist have been instituted by God. 2 So the person who resists such authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will incur judgment 3 (for rulers cause no fear for good conduct but for bad). Do you desire not to fear authority? Do good and you will receive its commendation, 4 for it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be in fear, for it does not bear the sword in vain. It is God’s servant to administer retribution on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath of the authorities but also because of your conscience. 6 For this reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants devoted to governing. 7 Pay everyone what is owed: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due (Romans 13:1-7).

Christians are called to suffer for their faith and to love their enemies. We are to take the gospel to the lost and to rely upon the Word of God, enlightened and empowered by the Spirit of God, to convince and to convert the lost. Believers should be willing to lay down their lives to win the lost; we are never to seek to produce converts by threats of bodily harm. The gospel is spread by the blood of the martyrs, not by the blood of the lost.

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct he should show his works done in the gentleness that wisdom brings. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come from above but is earthly, natural, demonic. 16 For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and not hypocritical. 18 And the fruit that consists of righteousness is planted in peace among those who make peace (James 3:13-18.).

Having said these things, I must also say that I believe there is a principle which we can and should learn from the Old Testament command to the Israelites to exterminate the Canaanites. We are to be merciless regarding sin – particularly sin in our own lives, or in the church. We cannot live in “peaceful coexistence” with sin.

8 “If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into fiery hell” (Matthew 18:8-9).

12 So then, brothers and sisters, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh 13 (for if you live according to the flesh, you will die), but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live (Romans 8:12-13).

So put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth: sexual immorality, impurity, shameful passion, evil desire, and greed which is idolatry (Colossians 3:5).

Excuse Number 5: “Judges is merely ancient history.” Actually, Judges is ancient history, and herein lies the problem for those in our day who disdain history. Indeed, I believe that it is safe to say that history is under fire today, perhaps more than at any other time in human history. Allow me to elaborate for a moment by citing the ways in which history is being attacked and abused in our culture.

One of the ways I’ve seen history “abused” (if I dare to use this word) is by some forms of psychology or psychiatry. It began with the premise that much of one’s troubles in life can be traced back to one’s childhood. And so it was that some were encouraged to launch an expedition into the past to find the cause of their troubles. Soon, some therapists were guiding their clients on an expedition that actually re-wrote history, so that the blame for my problems could be pinned on someone else (often a parent). Understand that I am not seeking to attack all such therapy, only that which encourages the fabrication of false memories. And with this revised history, the client can now feel better, or so it seems.

The same approach has also been employed on a much broader scale. Many doubt the validity of any absolute truth. Once such a premise is granted, one is then free to revise history in a way that validates one’s ideology. And so, amazing as it may seem, there are those who dispute the horrors of the Holocaust, claiming it is but a fabricated lie. History for such folks can be whatever it needs to be to sanction the beliefs and practices of a group, even a nation.

Modern science and technology can also (perhaps unwittingly) undermine a proper appreciation for history. Today I was cleaning out my “computer” file, looking (if I must confess) for a receipt. I discovered a paper on the future of microprocessors. I threw it away, for the same reason that I don’t go to the second-hand bookstore to buy old computer and technology books. Newer technology vastly surpasses the old so that we don’t value the old which, like history, is a part of the past. Doctors attend conferences and seminars to be constantly brought up to date on the latest medical data and techniques. They have no time to read a 200-year-old medical text.

Then, too, evolutionary thinking has also served to undermine our appreciation for the value of history. If you believe the shopworn slogan, “Every day and in every way, man is getting better and better,” then you will not value history as much as you should. If man has progressed greatly since the days of the judges, then what value is there in studying the Book of Judges? The “caveman” of the evolutionist is someone who is a novelty, but an irrelevant one. One might reason that we need to focus more on the present than on the past. Thus, history suffers yet another blow. No wonder history buffs seem so rare in the younger generation.

Christians have also contributed to a popular disdain for history. On the one hand (as we have already indicated), one might conclude that we now live under the New Covenant, and thus a study of the Old Covenant could be thought of as anachronistic.15 Then, too, as I have already stated, Sunday school curriculum and Bible story books have given us the impression that the stories can be understood and applied adequately without any sense of history or context. Familiarity can breed contempt (for history).

We dare not allow history to be trampled underfoot, so that we avoid the powerful message of Old Testament history. A disregard for history is a denial of what we see taught and practiced in the Scriptures. Let me elaborate for a moment.

Time will only allow me to scratch the surface of the Bible’s use of history. First of all, much of the Bible is the record of history, and the prophets are interpreters of history in the light of the precepts and principles of God’s Word. When one comes to the Book of Deuteronomy, we come to God’s written revelation to the second generation of Israelites, who are about to cross the Jordan and enter the Promised Land. The first half (approximately) of the book is a review of Israel’s history, which reveals two very important realities: (1) the greatness of God and His faithfulness to His covenant promises; and, (2) the sinfulness of man and his desperate need of salvation.

The great deeds of God and Israel’s sins are often repeated in the Old Testament. Some significant examples of the use of history in the Old Testament can be found in Nehemiah 9, Psalms 78, 105, 106, 135; and Daniel 9:1-23. Over and over in Deuteronomy, the Israelites are exhorted to “remember” the past.16 Throughout Old Testament history, God used rituals (like the Feast of Booths and the Passover) to commemorate the past, not to mention various monuments for future generations (see Joshua 4:4-6, 21-22). Forgetfulness is likely to be fatal.

In the New Testament, there is much emphasis on the historical data of the Old Testament. Jesus spoke of Adam as a real, historical, person. He rooted the permanence of marriage in the first “marriage” of Adam and Eve.17 Likewise, Paul grounded much of his teaching upon Old Testament history.18 Stephen’s sermon in Acts 7 is a history lesson with a very clear point. Stephen was convinced – like Paul – that there is a great continuity between the past and the present. Paul’s sermon in Acts 13 was a recap of Israel’s history, and the writer to the Hebrews makes much of the past, not just as something old and irrelevant, but as a prototype of the salvation God was to bring about through the once-for-all atonement for sins of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest.

The New Testament teaches us the value of Old Testament history by example, but also by straightforward statements. Consider these statements and what they convey to us about the value of Old Testament history.

16 Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they were all drinking from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5 But God was not pleased with most of them, for they were cut down in the wilderness. 6 These things happened as examples for us, so that we will not crave evil things as they did. 7 So do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 And let us not be immoral, as some of them were, and twenty-three thousand died in a single day. 9 And let us not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by snakes. 10 And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel. 11 These things happened to them as examples and were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 So let the one who thinks he is standing be careful that he does not fall. 13 No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:1-13).

4 For everything that was written in former times was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through encouragement of the scriptures we may have hope (Romans 15:4).

Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 focus primarily on the Old Testament Scriptures. He tells us that the Old Testament Scriptures are profitable – all of them (“All Scripture is inspired by God and useful. . .”). They are useful for teaching doctrine, for rebuking and correcting, and for training in righteousness. In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul turns to the history of the Israelites during their sojourn in the wilderness to warn Christians today about the temptations associated with self-indulgence.

If I may, I’d like to focus mainly on the words recorded in Romans 15:4. Here Paul informs us that the Old Testament Scriptures were for our benefit.19 Just what is the nature of that benefit? Paul tells us that the Old Testament Scriptures produce encouragement that gives us hope, which produces endurance. How in the world can the Book of Judges give us hope, as Paul claims in Romans 15:4? I believe that our hope and endurance flows from the Old Testament in this way. First, I believe the Bible teaches that man today is really no different than he was in the days of the judges. That is why all temptation is “common to man” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Even more encouraging is learning that God has not changed (James 1:17).

So how do these truths give us hope and endurance? Thus far in Israel’s history, we can safely say, “Judges is as bad as it gets.” (Actually, it will get worse, but this is as bad as it has gotten thus far in their history.) In spite of how bad Israel had become, God remained faithful to His covenant promises. Time after time, generation after generation, the Israelites sinned, and God chastened His people through the surrounding nations. Time after time, God raised up a judge, a deliverer, to deliver (save) His people. When I see God’s faithfulness to His promises and His people in Judges, I am encouraged because it assures me that God will fulfill His purposes and promises to me, even when I fall short of what God desires of me. I am encouraged that God used men who were not perfect, men who had flaws. In the end, it is not our faithfulness on which we can count, but on God’s faithfulness. Endurance grows because our confidence in God grows as we are reminded of His deeds in history.

We live in dark and uncertain days, days very much like those depicted in the Book of Judges. We are no better and really no different than the Israelites of old. God provided deliverers in the past, but they died, and the Israelites spiraled downward from bad to worse. What Israel needed was a king, one who would reign forever. The Deliverer has come. He is the Lord Jesus Christ. Unlike the judges of old, He is the perfect Deliverer. His death did not spell the end of deliverance, but the beginning of an eternal deliverance – salvation from the bondage of our own sins. If you have trusted in Him, then take heart; He will return to this earth to defeat His enemies and to establish His eternal kingdom. Though times may be dark and difficult, we are assured through Judges that God is faithful and thus He keeps His promises. Find encouragement from biblical history and from the message of the Book of Judges.

And if you have never trusted in the person and work of Jesus Christ for your salvation, do so today. Jesus saves. He lived a perfect life, and by His death on the cross of Calvary, He bore the penalty you and I deserve for our sins. He took our sin and guilt upon Himself, and He offers His righteousness and eternal life to you if you will trust in Him. Nothing we read in the Book of Judges can compare with Jesus, God’s once-for-all Deliverer. It is His faithfulness that gives us eternal life, hope for the future, and endurance in difficult days.

1 Copyright © 2009 by Robert L. Deffinbaugh. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson 1 in the series, The Dark Days of Israel’s Judges, prepared by Robert L. Deffinbaugh on August 16, 2009. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with or without credit.

2 Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the NET Bible. The NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION, also known as THE NET BIBLE, is a completely new translation of the Bible, not a revision or an update of a previous English version. It was completed by more than twenty biblical scholars who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. The translation project originally started as an attempt to provide an electronic version of a modern translation for electronic distribution over the Internet and on CD (compact disk). Anyone anywhere in the world with an Internet connection will be able to use and print out the NET Bible without cost for personal study. In addition, anyone who wants to share the Bible with others can print unlimited copies and give them away free to others. It is available on the Internet at: www.netbible.org.

3 Judges 4:4.

4 Judges 11:27.

5 I’m not quite sure that I agree with calling the “judges” of the Book of Judges something else, like “leaders” here (and elsewhere in the book). It certainly makes it difficult to do a concordance search on the term “judges” in the English text.

6 Remember that five times in this passage “leader” is literally “judge” in the NET Bible.

7 See Judges 8:22-23.

8 See, for example, Psalm 1:1-2; Proverbs 2; 1 Corinthians 2:6-16; 1 Peter 1:10-12; 2 Peter 3:14-16.

9 Dale Ralph Davis, Such a Great Salvation: Expositions of the Book of Judges (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1990), p. 16. If the reader were to purchase only one commentary on the Book of Judges, this is the one I would recommend.

10 You will recall that the Gibeonites deceived the Israelites, pretending to be a distant nation, and thus they were foolishly offered Israel’s protection in exchange for their voluntary servitude. They thus shrewdly took advantage of the distinction made between near and distant nations in Deuteronomy 20 – albeit by a lie.

11 See Deuteronomy 2:32-34 and 3:6-7 where the cattle could be taken as booty.

12 I make no claim to expertise in understanding the Koran, so I don’t wish to be overly dogmatic about Islam on this point.

13 See also Revelation 16:5-6.

14 See also Deuteronomy 28:15-68; Matthew 10:5-15.

15 Go ahead and look up this term; I did just to make sure I was using it correctly.

16 See, Deuteronomy 4:9, 23; 6:12; 8:11, 14, 19-20; 9:7.

17 Matthew 19:1-6.

18 See 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; 11:7-10; 1 Timothy 2:11-15.

19 Peter has a similar theme in 1 Peter 1:8-10.

Source  

[Garland-Green]

THE DARK DAYS OF ISRAEL'S JUDGES

Living with the Enemy (Judges 1:1-2:5)


Introduction

It was after my introduction to Judges last week that I came upon a commentary by one of my favorite authors, Dale Ralph Davis. When I paged my way to the “Introduction” at the front, I was surprised and delighted to read his “Non-introduction.” I will share some of it with you as an encouragement to purchase this excellent piece of work.

“We could wade through it all: the question of the Deuteronomic History, the matters of Uberlieferungsgeschichte, the definition of a shōphēt, moral ‘problems’ in the stories, chronology, archaeology, date, authorship – all those exciting things readers are just dying to know.”

“… I can only confess that as for an introduction to Judges, an excellent piece of work has already been done by the author of the book, and I am not capable of writing a better one. Indeed, I have a growing conviction that we would find far more fun and profit in Bible study if we gave more heed to the introductions the biblical writers themselves prefaced to their works than to the welter of opinions (helpful as they may sometimes be) about a biblical book, drearily culled from the last two hundred years of biblical scholarship.”2

I could not agree more with Davis on this matter of scholarly introductions in commentaries. They are so dull that it tempts you not to engage in a study of that book of the Bible. You end up thinking, “If this book of the Bible is as dull as this introduction, I’m in for a long and very boring study.” Davis is like a breath of fresh air.

What to Expect in This Message

My goals for this lesson are simple. First, I will seek to provide some background information that will aid you in your understanding of this passage, so that its interpretation and application will be accurate.

Second, I will take a closer look at some of the events recorded in our text. Third, from there I will endeavor to “connect the dots” in our text, so that we can begin to grasp the author’s purpose and message in the events he has described: “What point or lesson is the author trying to convey in our text?” Finally, we will consider some of the practical implications and applications of this passage.

Necessary Background Information

1.Our text (Judges 1:1-2:5) is “Part 1” of the author’s two-part introduction to the Book of Judges. That’s right, the author has written two introductions to Judges and has placed them side-by-side in the book. The second half of the two-part introduction is Judges 2:6-3:4, our text for the next lesson.

2.The interpretation of our text in Judges should be based upon the Scriptures that come before it (Genesis through Joshua) and what follows (particularly 1 and 2 Samuel). Instructions regarding the possession of the Promised Land were set forth for the first generation of Israelites in Exodus 23:20-33. Instructions were given to the second generation of Israelites in Deuteronomy. Instructions were given to the Judges 1 generation in Joshua 23 and 24. The later books of Samuel (1 and 2 Samuel) also provide us with interpretive data related to the Book of Judges. I will demonstrate this in relation to Judah’s dealings with Adoni-bezek later in this message.

3.We must take into account the important distinction between defeating the Canaanites in battle and actually taking possession of the land. More technically, we are talking about the difference between the terms “take” (Hebrew, lakad) and “possess” (Hebrew, yarash) in our text and elsewhere. The term “to take” has reference to the initial conquest of a territory while the term “to possess” refers to the permanent occupation and control of that territory.3

We may read of an earlier conquest of a certain city in Joshua only to discover in Judges that it had to be taken again and then possessed. When the Israelites first “took” the Promised Land under Joshua, there were too few people to occupy and possess the land. When the victorious Israelites moved on to fight another battle, the displaced Canaanites moved back to “re-possess” their land. Under Joshua, the Israelite tribes united to fight the Canaanites and make strategic victories (Joshua 1-12). Later under Joshua (Joshua 13ff.), the land was divided among the Israelite tribes with each tribe allotted their inheritance. Then, in Judges, it is the task of each individual tribe to “possess” their inheritance. This usually required retaking the land and then occupying (possessing) it.

Thus, the actual possession of a city or area might change over time. We should not be surprised then to learn from Joshua 15:63 that Judah could not defeat Jerusalem (Jebus), and then in Judges 1:8 discover that Judah later fought the Jebusites and “took” the place (Judges 1:18.). Later on in chapter 1, we are told that Benjamin “could not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem” (Judges 1:21). In other words, the Israelites “took” Jerusalem under Judah, but could not “possess” it under Benjamin. It is not until we reach 2 Samuel 5:6-9 that we are told David finally captured Jerusalem, possessed it, and made it his capital.

Judges 1 is an account of the successes and failures of the Israelite tribes (Judah being the most prominent here) in “possessing” what had been “taken” under Joshua. Judah did reasonably well, but the other tribes did not. We will see circumstantial evidence, as it were, for their failure in chapter one, but the real reason is given in the Lord’s rebuke in Judges 2:1-5.

4.We should not read our text expecting the possession of the Promised Land to be either quick or easy, since God had indicated otherwise. If we suppose that the Israelites leaving Egypt numbered around 2 million people, this is a very large group when it came to sojourning in the desert (even crossing the Red Sea). But in terms of the occupation of the land, 2 million people are not a large enough population to fully occupy and possess the land.

29 “I will not drive them out before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild animals multiply against you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you become fruitful and inherit the land” (Exodus 23:29-30; see also Deuteronomy 7:22-23).4

There were other purposes for a slow occupation of the Promised Land:

1 These were the nations the Lord permitted to remain so he could use them to test Israel – he wanted to test all those who had not experienced battle against the Canaanites. 2 He left those nations simply because he wanted to teach the subsequent generations of Israelites, who had not experienced the earlier battles, how to conduct holy war (Judges 3:1-2).

20 So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers and has not listened to My voice, 21 I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, 22 in order to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it as their fathers did, or not.” 23 So the Lord allowed those nations to remain, not driving them out quickly; and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua (Judges 2:20-23, NASB 95).

5.The events recorded in Judges 1 are said to occur shortly after the death of Joshua (Judges 1:1). The Israelites in our text are the sons and daughters of those who successfully obeyed God and conquered the Promised Land under Joshua. They would be those who made a covenant with God as recorded in the final chapter of the Book of Joshua:

14 Now obey the Lord and worship him with integrity and loyalty. Put aside the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt and worship the Lord. 15 If you have no desire to worship the Lord, choose today whom you will worship, whether it be the gods whom your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family will worship the Lord!” 16 The people responded, “Far be it from us to abandon the Lord so we can worship other gods! 17 For the Lord our God took us and our fathers out of slavery in the land of Egypt and performed these awesome miracles before our very eyes. He continually protected us as we traveled and when we passed through nations. 18 The Lord drove out from before us all the nations, including the Amorites who lived in the land. So we too will worship the Lord, for he is our God!” 19 Joshua warned the people, “You will not keep worshiping the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God who will not forgive your rebellion or your sins. 20 If you abandon the Lord and worship foreign gods, he will turn against you; he will bring disaster on you and destroy you, though he once treated you well.” 21 The people said to Joshua, “No! We really will worship the Lord!” 22 Joshua said to the people, “Do you agree to be witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to worship the Lord?” They replied, “We are witnesses!” 23 Joshua said, “Now put aside the foreign gods that are among you and submit to the Lord God of Israel.” 24 The people said to Joshua, “We will worship the Lord our God and obey him.” 25 That day Joshua drew up an agreement for the people, and he established rules and regulations for them in Shechem. 26 Joshua wrote these words in the Law Scroll of God. He then took a large stone and set it up there under the oak tree near the Lord’s shrine. 27 Joshua said to all the people, “Look, this stone will be a witness against you, for it has heard everything the Lord said to us. It will be a witness against you if you deny your God” (Joshua 24:14-27).

This generation should have been familiar with the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament – the Law of Moses), and they would have witnessed the hand of God in Israel’s victories over the Canaanites under the leadership of Joshua. They were surely aware of God’s instructions regarding the taking of the land, of His assurances of victory, and of His warnings regarding coexistence with the Canaanites and resulting apostasy.5

6.We need to approach our text with the assumption that everything our author has chosen to report is significant. Unlike some of my college term papers, there is no “filler” material in our text. The missing thumbs and toes of Adoni-bezek are important to us, as is the story about Caleb, his daughter Achsah, his newly acquired son-in-law Othniel, and the upper and lower springs. We may find the reference to so many cities a little less than stimulating, but rest assured that these details are likewise important. The repetition of all those cities is often the repetition of Israel’s failure. When God repeats something, we had better take note of it. Furthermore, we need to recognize that while these cities are rather unknown commodities to us, they were very well known to the original Jewish readers.

A look at a topographical map will quickly reveal that much of Israel is mountainous. Mountains are a good thing when it comes to building a fortified city that will withstand an attack by the enemy. This is one of the reasons why Jerusalem was such a strategic city. But mountains also restrict travel. Thus, travelers and commerce were restricted to a very few crucial routes. Cities that were taken or lost at critical locations spelled the difference between communication and commerce or isolation and marginalization. And thus we find an explanation for the author’s emphasis on cities in our text.

A Look at Selected Events in our Text

ISRAEL’S REQUEST FOR DIVINE GUIDANCE
JUDGES 1:1-2
Let’s begin by considering Israel’s request for divine guidance regarding who should lead the Israelites in taking possession of their inheritance.

1 After Joshua died, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who should lead the invasion against the Canaanites and launch the attack?” 2 The Lord said, “The men of Judah should take the lead. Be sure of this! I am handing the land over to them” (Judges 1:1-2).

These two introductory verses serve to clue the reader in to some important information. First, we see that the Israelites seem to start out on the right foot (so to speak). They are eager to begin to possess their inheritance, and they take the initiative in seeking God’s guidance concerning who should lead the attack. The way the book (and this chapter) starts is with a focus on leadership. “Going up first” refers to leadership in battle. There is not yet a king in Israel, and so there is no designated individual to lead in battle; thus, Israel’s inquiry of God. It is the judges who will provide military leadership throughout the book. We should expect leadership to be a topic that is frequently addressed in our study of Judges.

God designates Judah, which hardly comes as a surprise.

8 Judah, your brothers will praise you.

Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies,

your father’s sons will bow down before you.

9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah,

from the prey, my son, you have gone up.

He crouches and lies down like a lion;

like a lioness – who will rouse him?

10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,

until he comes to whom it belongs;

the nations will obey him (Genesis 49:8-10, emphasis mine).

In 2 Samuel 7, we read of God’s “Davidic Covenant” with David, a man from the tribe of Judah. David and his descendants will rule as kings over Israel. Note, too, that God not only identified Judah (that is the tribe of Judah) as the leader, God also gave the Israelites the assurance that this military campaign would be successful, and it was, as we will now find in verses 3-7:

3 The men of Judah said to their relatives, the men of Simeon, “Invade our allotted land with us and help us attack the Canaanites. Then we will go with you into your allotted land.” So the men of Simeon went with them. 4 The men of Judah attacked, and the Lord handed the Canaanites and Perizzites over to them. They killed ten thousand men at Bezek. 5 They met Adoni-Bezek at Bezek and fought him. They defeated the Canaanites and Perizzites. 6 When Adoni-Bezek ran away, they chased him and captured him. Then they cut off his thumbs and big toes. 7 Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings, with thumbs and big toes cut off, used to lick up food scraps under my table. God has repaid me for what I did to them.” They brought him to Jerusalem, where he died (Judges 1:3-7).

A number of commentators seem intent to either justify or condemn Judah for asking Simeon to join with him in battle. Was it wrong for Judah to seek Simeon’s help? They shared adjoining territory, and these two were “blood brothers,” both the son of Leah. One could object that Judah lacks faith, something like Barak, who was not inclined to commence war with the Canaanites without Deborah at his side (Judges 4:1-10; note especially verse 8.). I see no clear evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Judah here, and Davis’ argument that unity is a theme in Judges6 leads me to assume that the author is not trying to show us a failure on the part of Judah. That is soon to come, in my opinion, but not here; not yet.

CANAANITE JUSTICE: THE DEFEAT OF ADONI-BEZEK
JUDGES 1:3-7
3 The men of Judah said to their relatives, the men of Simeon,7 “Invade our allotted land with us and help us attack the Canaanites. Then we will go with you into your allotted land.” So the men of Simeon went with them. 4 The men of Judah attacked, and the Lord handed the Canaanites and Perizzites over to them. They killed ten thousand men at Bezek. 5 They met Adoni-Bezek at Bezek and fought him. They defeated the Canaanites and Perizzites. 6 When Adoni-Bezek ran away, they chased him and captured him. Then they cut off his thumbs and big toes. 7 Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings, with thumbs and big toes cut off, used to lick up food scraps under my table. God has repaid me for what I did to them.” They brought him to Jerusalem, where he died (Judges 1:3-7).

Adoni-bezek (the lord or ruler of Bezek) was apparently a powerful man. The combined forces of Judah and Simeon enabled the Israelites to defeat 10,000 Canaanite and Perizzites at Bezek. The king fled, but was apprehended. His thumbs and big toes were removed, and he was taken to Jerusalem where he eventually died. I do not read this text as saying that Adoni-bezek died by execution in Jerusalem, but rather that He died of old age in Jerusalem. The appearance is that at the time of Adoni-bezek’s capture, Jerusalem was not yet under Israelite control.8 It is my sense that Adoni-bezek was captured, mutilated, and then kept on display as a kind of war trophy.9

I’m amazed at the way the commentaries I consulted sought to justify the capture and treatment of Adoni-bezek. There is a strong inclination to see the treatment of this king as acceptable, sanctifying it by referring to it as just retribution, as sort of eye-for-an-eye judgment. I would agree that the readers of this account would be inclined to conclude that Adoni-bezek got what he deserved. After all, even the captured king said as much. But was Israel’s treatment of this king acceptable to God? I think not. Now is the time for me to apply my hermeneutical principle introduced earlier.10

In the first place, God had instructed the Israelites to annihilate the Canaanites, and this most certainly included their kings:

22 “He, the God who leads you, will expel the nations little by little. You will not be allowed to destroy them all at once lest the wild animals overrun you. 23 The Lord your God will give them over to you; he will throw them into a great panic until they are destroyed. 24 He will hand over their kings to you and you will erase their very names from memory. Nobody will be able to resist you until you destroy them” (Deuteronomy 7:22-24, emphasis mine).

Just as the command to kill the Canaanite kings (along with the rest) is clear, so is the practice of the godly leaders of Israel before the capture of Adoni-bezek:

16 The five Amorite kings ran away and hid in the cave at Makkedah. 17 Joshua was told, “The five kings have been found hiding in the cave at Makkedah.” 18 Joshua said, “Roll large stones over the mouth of the cave and post guards in front of it. 19 But don’t you delay! Chase your enemies and catch them! Don’t allow them to retreat to their cities, for the Lord your God is handing them over to you.” 20 Joshua and the Israelites almost totally wiped them out, but some survivors did escape to the fortified cities. 21 Then the whole army safely returned to Joshua at the camp in Makkedah. No one dared threaten the Israelites. 22 Joshua said, “Open the cave’s mouth and bring the five kings out of the cave to me.” 23 They did as ordered; they brought the five kings out of the cave to him – the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. 24 When they brought the kings out to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the commanders of the troops who accompanied him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came up and put their feet on their necks. 25 Then Joshua said to them, “Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! Be strong and brave, for the Lord will do the same thing to all your enemies you fight. 26 Then Joshua executed them and hung them on five trees. They were left hanging on the trees until evening. 27 At sunset Joshua ordered his men to take them down from the trees. They threw them into the cave where they had hidden and piled large stones over the mouth of the cave. (They remain to this very day.) (Joshua 10:16-27, emphasis mine)

It is even more instructive to consider what is described later in 1 Samuel 15. There, God gave King Saul very clear instructions concerning the treatment of the Amalekites:

1 Then Samuel said to Saul, “I was the one the Lord sent to anoint you as king over his people Israel. Now listen to what the Lord says. 2 Here is what the Lord of hosts says: ‘I carefully observed how the Amalekites opposed Israel along the way when Israel came up from Egypt. 3 So go now and strike down the Amalekites. Destroy everything that they have. Don’t spare them. Put them to death – man, woman, child, infant, ox, sheep, camel, and donkey alike’” (1 Samuel 15:1-3).

And yet when Saul and his army defeated the Amalekites, he did not fully carry out God’s command:

8 He captured King Agag of the Amalekites alive, but he executed all Agag’s people with the sword. 9 However, Saul and the army spared Agag, along with the best of the flock, the cattle, the fatlings, and the lambs, as well as everything else that was of value. They were not willing to slaughter them. But they did slaughter everything that was despised and worthless (1 Samuel 15:8-9, emphasis mine).

Saul’s disobedience would cost him his kingdom (1 Samuel 15:17-23), and it was Samuel the prophet who dealt with Agag as God had directed:

32 Then Samuel said, “Bring me King Agag of the Amalekites.” So Agag came to him trembling, thinking to himself, “Surely death is bitter!” 33 Samuel said, “Just as your sword left women childless, so your mother will be the most bereaved among women!” Then Samuel hacked Agag to pieces there in Gilgal before the Lord (1 Samuel 15:32-33, emphasis mine).

Now, on the basis of what we have found in the Scriptures, how should Judah and Simeon have dealt with Adoni-bezek? I think the answer is obvious – they should have immediately put him to death. Why, then, did they cut off his big toes and thumbs and keep him alive? Adoni-bezek tells us himself: this was Canaanite justice. This was the way Adoni-bezek dealt with his enemies.

And so our author has chosen to make Judah the centerpiece of this narrative, and already we find that Judah’s actions disregard God’s command and conform to human wisdom, Canaanite wisdom, as it were:

In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right (Judges 21:25).

The treatment of Adoni-bezek was based upon human wisdom, not divine command. This is the first clear indication that things did not bode well for Israel during the days of the judges.

CALEB, ACHSAH, AND OTHNIEL
JUDGES 1:11-15, 20

11 Then from there he went against the inhabitants of Debir (now the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-sepher). 12 And Caleb said, “The one who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will even give him my daughter Achsah for a wife.” 13 Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured it; so he gave him his daughter Achsah for a wife. 14 Then it came about when she came to him, that she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. Then she alighted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” 15 She said to him, “Give me a blessing, since you have given me the land of the Negev, give me also springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs… . 20 Then they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had promised; and he drove out from there the three sons of Anak (Judges 1:11-15, 20).11

Without getting into all the details and difficulties of this text, let me tell you how and why I understand it as I do. Let me begin with some observations.

1. These three are the only individual Israelites named in our text. Judah, Simeon, etc. are tribes, not individuals. One must ask why these three are named.

2. This story about Caleb is recorded earlier in Joshua 15:15-19 and is now repeated in our text in Judges.

3. Caleb and Othniel are clearly “good guys.” Caleb and Joshua were the only two spies who returned to Moses and the Israelites with an encouraging report and the recommendation to go up and take the land, as God had promised. Othniel not only takes Caleb’s challenge and captures Debir (Kiriath-sepher), he will later (Judges 3:9-11) be identified as one of Israel’s judges.

I believe that just as Caleb’s courage inspired the previous generation to take the Promised Land in the days of Joshua, his leadership in the days of the judges inspired others to be brave and courageous as well. (I am tempted to think that Caleb is the one leading the tribe of Judah.) The Book of Judges makes it clear that the Israelites did not pass the faith on to the next generation. I believe that Caleb is the exception and that this story is told to reveal how Caleb’s leadership inspired the next generation to be “brave and courageous” (Deuteronomy 31:6-7, 23; Joshua 1:6-9, 18; 10:25).

As I read the story, I see that Caleb is still a man of great faith and courage. But he also recognizes that he must pass the torch of leadership on to the next generation. He therefore challenges one of the young men to lead the charge against Kiriath-sepher, offering his daughter as an incentive and reward. Going beyond this (and thus, perhaps, into more speculation),when I read about the role played by Achsah, I believe that it must be significant. Achsah is not just a passive “prize” for a military victory. She aggressively seeks a portion of land, not (I would contend) so differently from her father (see Joshua 14:6-15).

I would refer the reader to an article written by my friend, Hampton Keathley, entitled, The Role of Women in the Book of Judges.12 Achsah fits well with the other women, like Deborah, who are women of faith and courage. I believe that Achsah was likewise a woman of faith and courage, just like her father, the perfect match for the man destined to be one of Israel’s judges. By the way, one of my friends suggested to me that the land (and springs) which Achsah sought may not yet have been fully “possessed.” It is one thing to ask for land where the Canaanites have already been thrust out. It is quite another when the job is not yet finished. Othniel took Kiriath-sepher in battle, but the possession may yet remain to be accomplished. Also, having been given both her father’s blessing and a portion of his land, Achsah knows that water will be essential to achieving success, and so she asks for the resources that are necessary to accomplish the task at hand. It is not hard to see how this text could serve as a pattern for prayer, which is precisely what Charles Haddon Spurgeon did.13

JUDAH AND THE IRON CHARIOTS
JUDGES 1:19
The Lord was with the men of Judah. They conquered the hill country, but they could not conquer the people living in the coastal plain, because they had chariots with iron-rimmed wheels (Judges 1:19).

Of all the tribes of Israel, our author has devoted the greatest amount of attention to Judah. This is the finest example of faith and obedience in Israel, and Caleb is our hero, flanked by Othniel and Achsah. But even Judah has his flaws. The treatment of Adoni-bezek is the first clear example of disobedience. And now we come to his failure on the coastal plain. The reason, we are told, is because the inhabitants of the valley had high tech weapons – chariots of iron. And because of this, we are told, Judah was not able to drive out those living in the coastal plain.

Strangely, I somehow find myself accepting this justification as though it made perfect sense: “Of course, how can I expect Judah to drive out an army equipped with iron chariots?” Once again, the Scriptures set us straight on this matter. In the first place, God promised Israel that He would give them the victory over their opponents. Are iron chariots somehow beyond God’s sovereign power? Not only did God promise the Israelites that He would make them victorious over their enemies, He specifically instructed them not to be intimidated by the chariots of their enemies:

1 “When you go to war against your enemies and see chariotry and troops who outnumber you, do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, is with you” (Deuteronomy 20:1).

Further, we must remember that this is not the first time the Israelites have been pursued by a powerful army equipped with chariots:

5 When it was reported to the king of Egypt that the people had fled, the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people, and the king and his servants said, “What in the world have we done? For we have released the people of Israel from serving us!” 6 Then he prepared his chariots and took his army with him. 7 He took six hundred select chariots, and all the rest of the chariots of Egypt, and officers on all of them.

8 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he chased after the Israelites. Now the Israelites were going out defiantly. 9 The Egyptians chased after them, and all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh and his horsemen and his army overtook them camping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-Zephon. 10 When Pharaoh got closer, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians marching after them, and they were terrified. The Israelites cried out to the Lord, 11 and they said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the desert? What in the world have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone so that we can serve the Egyptians, because it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!’”

13 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord that he will provide for you today; for the Egyptians that you see today you will never, ever see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you can be still.”

15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 And as for you, lift up your staff and extend your hand toward the sea and divide it, so that the Israelites may go through the middle of the sea on dry ground. 17 And as for me, I am going to harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will come after them, that I may be honored because of Pharaoh and his army and his chariots and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I have gained my honor because of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen” (Exodus 14:5-18, emphasis mine).

Pharaoh set out after the Israelites with his horsemen and chariots and as they drew near, the Israelites were terrified, certain that they would die. God informed them that by means of these seemingly impossible circumstances He would glorify Himself by delivering His people from their enemies. And so He did.

24 In the morning watch the Lord looked down on the Egyptian army through the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw the Egyptian army into a panic. 25 He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving, and the Egyptians said, “Let’s flee from Israel, for the Lord fights for them against Egypt!”

26 The Lord said to Moses, “Extend your hand toward the sea, so that the waters may flow back on the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen!” 27 So Moses extended his hand toward the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state when the sun began to rise. Now the Egyptians were fleeing before it, but the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the middle of the sea. 28 The water returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen and all the army of Pharaoh that was coming after the Israelites into the sea – not so much as one of them survived! (Exodus 14:24-28, emphasis mine)

The magnitude of that victory is reflected by Israel’s song of praise recorded in Exodus 15. Note especially what they sing about those dreaded Egyptian chariots:

1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord. They said,

“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously,

the horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea.

2 The Lord is my strength and my song,

and he has become my salvation.

This is my God, and I will praise him,

my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

3 The Lord is a warrior,

the Lord is his name.

4 The chariots of Pharaoh and his army he has thrown into the sea,

and his chosen officers were drowned in the Red Sea… .

10 But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them.

They sank like lead in the mighty waters (Exodus 15:1-4, 10, emphasis mine),

I love this last line: “They sank like lead.” The very weight of those impressive, terrifying chariots became the instrument of the Egyptians’ destruction. After the Israelites stepped out of the midst of the Red Sea “on dry ground,”14 God let the sea bottom return to its normal muddy, slippery state, which now rendered the chariots virtually useless, and worse. These instruments of destruction now became the undoing of the Egyptian army. The Israelites did not die because of these chariots – the Egyptians did! So much for fearing chariots.

Someone might object, “Ah, but these chariots that the Canaanites used were iron chariots, the very latest in chariot technology.” So they were, so let us look ahead in time to see how God deals with the “cutting edge” technology of iron chariots, swords, and spears:

12 When Sisera heard that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 he ordered all his chariotry – nine hundred chariots with iron-rimmed wheels – and all the troops he had with him to go from Harosheth-Haggoyim to the River Kishon. 14 Deborah said to Barak, “Spring into action, for this is the day the Lord is handing Sisera over to you! Has the Lord not taken the lead?” Barak quickly went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. 15 The Lord routed Sisera, all his chariotry, and all his army with the edge of the sword. Sisera jumped out of his chariot and ran away on foot. 16 Now Barak chased the chariots and the army all the way to Harosheth Haggoyim. Sisera’s whole army died by the edge of the sword; not even one survived! (Judges 4:12-16, emphasis mine)

This text in 1 Samuel 13 is important because it informs us that the Philistines had the advantage over Israel because they had iron-making technology which the other nations – including Israel – did not possess:

19 A blacksmith could not be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said, “This will prevent the Hebrews from making swords and spears.” 20 So all Israel had to go down to the Philistines in order to get their plowshares, cutting instruments, axes, and sickles sharpened. 21 They charged two-thirds of a shekel to sharpen plowshares and cutting instruments, and a third of a shekel to sharpen picks and axes, and to set ox goads. 22 So on the day of the battle no sword or spear was to be found in the hand of anyone in the army that was with Saul and Jonathan. No one but Saul and his son Jonathan had them (1 Samuel 13:19-22).

When the Israelites gathered at Mizpah, it was to repent and to ask for divine deliverance from their enemies. Mizpah was on “high ground.” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia says this about the site that is likely the location of Mizpah:  

[Garland-Green]

A more probable identification is with Neby Samwil, a village on high ground 4 1/2 miles Northwest of Jerusalem, the traditional burying-place of Samuel. It is 2,935 ft. above sea-level, and 500 ft. higher than the surrounding land (emphasis mine).

The Philistines heard that the Israelites had assembled, and they (wrongly) concluded that they were mustering their forces to do battle with them. And so the Philistines assembled their forces and converged upon Mizpah, intending to put down this uprising. Here’s the significant portion of the account in 1 Samuel:

5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord on your behalf.” 6 After they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. They fasted on that day, and they confessed there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” So Samuel led the people of Israel at Mizpah.

7 When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, the leaders of the Philistines went up against Israel. When the Israelites heard about this, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 The Israelites said to Samuel, “Keep crying out to the Lord our God so that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines!” 9 So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. Samuel cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.

10 As Samuel was offering burnt offerings, the Philistines approached to do battle with Israel. But on that day the Lord thundered loudly against the Philistines. He caused them to panic, and they were defeated by Israel. 11 Then the men of Israel left Mizpah and chased the Philistines, striking them down all the way to an area below Beth Car (1 Samuel 7:5-11, emphasis mine).

I admit a bit of speculation here, but every translation I looked at used some form of the word “thunder” in translating verse 10 above. Given that Mizpah was “high ground” and that God seems to have created panic with a thunderstorm, I believe it is quite likely that lightening was also involved. If this is so, an iron chariot (not to mention iron swords and spears) would hardly be one’s weapon of choice. Can’t you just see the Philistine commander holding his sword high in the air and shouting “Charge!” to his troops? He’s the one who got the charge. And so God made the iron chariots of the Philistines a liability, rather than an asset. So just why was it that the men of Judah felt it impossible to prevail against these Philistines when God had promised them victory and told them not to fear the enemies’ chariots? Thus, Judah’s failure to defeat the chariot-equipped Canaanites was just that – failure.

THE TAKING OF LUZ (BETHEL)
JUDGES 1:22-26
22 When the men of Joseph attacked Bethel, the Lord was with them. 23 When the men of Joseph spied out Bethel (it used to be called Luz), 24 the spies spotted a man leaving the city. They said to him, “If you show us a secret entrance into the city, we will reward you.” 25 He showed them a secret entrance into the city, and they put the city to the sword. But they let the man and his extended family leave safely. 26 He moved to Hittite country and built a city. He named it Luz, and it has kept that name to this very day (Judges 1:22-26).

This account of Joseph’s “victory” over the Canaanite city of Luz is interesting. Some seem predisposed to justify the actions of “the men of Joseph,” drawing an analogy between Rahab and the Israelites taking of the city of Jericho and Joseph’s capture of Luz, with the assistance of this “turncoat.” I would contend that there is little similarity between Rahab and this traitor, or between Israel’s victory under Joshua and the victory of the men of Joseph over Luz (Bethel). Let me call your attention to several points of contrast.

1. The man from Luz is never named, as Rahab is.

2. Rahab risked her own life to save the two Israelite spies; the man from Luz merely sought to save his own life.

3. We are told that Rahab embraced the faith of the Israelites; no such indication is given regarding the turncoat from Luz. His actions do not appear to be prompted by faith, but by fear and self-preservation.

4. Rahab proclaimed her faith and appealed for the lives of her family, after she had already risked her own life to save the lives of the two spies. The man from Luz simply accepted an “offer he could not refuse.”

5. The man from Luz did not throw in his lot with the people of Israel; instead, he went away and started another “Luz.”

6. Rahab married an Israelite and became a part of the messianic line. The man from Luz simply set out to preserve and perpetuate his Canaanite heritage.

It would therefore seem to me that the men of Joseph should have trusted God for their military victory, instead of relying upon intelligence obtained from a Canaanite who should have been put to death (rather than allowed to replicate his heathen culture somewhere else). Victory obtained at the price of disobedience or compromise is not really victory.

What, then, are we to do with the statement that “the Lord was with him [Joseph]”? Does this not sweep aside all that I have said to the contrary? No, I think it validates it. Do you remember when Jacob went through all of his manipulations to prosper at the expense of Laban? Jacob wrongly assumed that it was his scheming that prospered him, until God revealed otherwise:

10 “Once during breeding season I saw in a dream that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled, and spotted. 11 In the dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ ‘Here I am!’ I replied. 12 Then he said, ‘Observe that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled, or spotted, for I have observed all that Laban has done to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the sacred stone and made a vow to me. Now leave this land immediately and return to your native land’” (Genesis 31:10-13).

God reveals to Jacob that it wasn’t his scheming and manipulating that prospered him; it was God who caused the male goats to mate with those goats that would produce offspring for him. Similarly, I believe that in our text the author is indicating to us that Joseph’s taking of the city of Luz was God’s doing and not really the result of the deal the spies made with the man from Luz. Granted, the sons of Joseph made their deal with this man, but the victory was the Lord’s.

LIVING WITH THE CANAANITES
JUDGES 1:16-36


“Living with the Canaanites” becomes the theme from verse 16 to the end of the chapter. The Kenites lived among the Canaanites as we see in verse 15.15 While Caleb’s faith enabled him to drive out the three sons of Anak,16 the sons of Judah found themselves unable to defeat the Canaanites (with their iron chariots) on the plain (1:19). Manasseh failed to take possession of many Canaanite cities, so that the Canaanites continued to live in the land (1:27). The best that could be said was that when Israel became strong, they used the enemy as labor (1:28.). This is not a good thing, as I will point out shortly.

So, too, Zebulun (1:30), Asher (1:31-32), and Naphtali (1:33) failed to drive out the Canaanites. But the worst is yet to come. Up till now one could say that when the Israelites failed to drive out the Canaanites, there were still some Canaanites dwelling among the Israelites. But the sons of Dan failed even more miserably. They were driven into the hill country by the Canaanites and were not allowed to come down into the valley (1:34-36). It was only when the house of Joseph grew strong that the Amorites became forced labor. Now, the best that could be said is that the Israelites were dwelling among the Canaanites. So Israel’s failure begins with Canaanites living among the Israelites, and it ends with Israelites (the sons of Dan) living among the Canaanites. This does not bode well.

A DIVINE REBUKE
JUDGES 2:1-5
1 The Lord’s angelic messenger went up from Gilgal to Bokim. He said, “I brought you up from Egypt and led you into the land I had solemnly promised to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my agreement with you, 2 but you must not make an agreement with the people who live in this land. You should tear down the altars where they worship.’ But you have disobeyed me. Why would you do such a thing? 3 At that time I also warned you, ‘If you disobey, I will not drive out the Canaanites before you. They will ensnare you and their gods will lure you away.’” 4 When the Lord’s messenger finished speaking these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly. 5 They named that place Bokim and offered sacrifices to the Lord there (Judges 2:1-5).

In a way, these words from the Angel of the Lord come to us like a bolt out of the blue. Up till now, it may have been possible to read most of chapter 1 sympathetically. We can empathize with Judah for dealing with Adoni-bezek as they did: “Serves him right,” we may reason. And we can certainly understand how the house of Joseph made a deal with the man from Luz. The host of iron Canaanite chariots seems like a good reason for Judah’s failure to defeat the Canaanites who lived in the lowlands.

But these first words of chapter 2 really get our attention, as they did that generation of Israelites who heard this rebuke from our Lord.17 Notice that the rebuke begins with a reminder of our Lord’s great work at the exodus, when He delivered the Israelites from their Egyptian bondage, defeated the most powerful army on earth at that time, and brought them to the land He had promised (Judges 2:1a). In addition to this, He made a covenant with the Israelites, one He would never break (2:1b). Consequently, He also instructed His chosen people not to enter into any other covenant with the people of the land which they were to possess. Instead, they were to annihilate them and tear down their altars.18 But the Israelites did not obey (2:2).

And so it was that the sons of Israel broke their covenant with God, but God kept His covenant by bringing upon them those things about which He had warned. Specifically, the Lord indicated that He would not drive out the Canaanites ahead of them, but would leave them in the land as a “pain in the neck” and as a “snare” to them (2:3). Thus, we can see that the presence of the Canaanites among the Israelites was a manifestation of divine discipline.

It is difficult to know how to take verses 4 and 5. The response of the people to God’s words of rebuke outwardly appeared to be genuine. They wept, and they offered sacrifices to the LORD. Here, the first introduction to the Book of Judges ends, with weeping and the offering of sacrifices. But what does this produce in the long term? Is this genuine repentance? Perhaps the second introduction will help us with the answer to this question.

Conclusion and Application

As we reach the end of the author’s first introduction, what are the things that we are to learn from this passage? What are we supposed to see here? I would suggest that we might begin by comparing how the text begins with how it ends. The text begins with the Canaanites fleeing from the more powerful Israelites (Judah and Simeon) and ends with the more powerful Amorites driving the Israelites (Dan) into the hills. We find the men of Judah seemingly unable (“could not” – see verse 19) to drive out the Canaanites on the plain, and from there on most of the other Israelite tribes were unwilling (“did not” – see verses 21, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34) to drive them out completely. And so we first find the Canaanites dwelling among the Israelites (Benjamites) in Jerusalem (verse 21), and soon thereafter we read that the Israelites were dwelling among the Canaanites (see verses 32 and 33). In the beginning, the Israelites are driving out the Canaanites and eventually (at their best) the Israelites are using the Canaanites as forced labor.

So what do these things mean? Let me suggest some areas of application.

First, we see that failure came quickly for Israel, but it was not immediately evident as failure. While the sanctification process is slow and often painful, the reverse process can happen so quickly that we may not even realize that it has happened. I’m reminded of Samson, who didn’t even realize that the Lord had departed from him (Judges 16:20). The uphill climb is slow; the downhill stretch is amazingly fast. We may be failing and not even recognize it as such.

Second, failure may even appear to be justified. As we read the account of the attempts of the various tribes of Israel to possess their inheritance, we might easily conclude that their failure was unavoidable. We might reason that the Canaanites were in a very inaccessible place (as the Jebusites were in Jerusalem), or that they were too numerous, or that they had iron chariots. But God had promised the Israelites victory, and they had settled for less, much less.

Third, failure might even be viewed as success. I think here of the failure of the Israelites to drive out the Canaanites, allowing them to live among the people of God. But, we are told, when the Israelites became strong – when they could have defeated and driven them out – they chose to make slave laborers of them (as they had done earlier with the Gibeonites – see Joshua 9:25-27). Why didn’t the Israelites destroy or drive out the Canaanites? It was because they could seemingly profit from their presence. The Israelites attempted to use sin, rather than to destroy it, and in the end, it nearly destroyed them.

How often do we seek to sanctify or justify compromise with evil because it makes us more prosperous, or because it makes us feel good, or because it makes our church grow larger? Just remember, sin sometimes looks like success, but it is just the opposite.

The wicked person earns deceitful wages,

but the one who sows righteousness reaps a genuine reward (Proverbs 11:18.).

Fourth, we fail (sin) when we limit our obedience to what we deem “possible.” Just this morning in our worship around the Lord’s Table, one of the men shared from John 11. He called attention to the fact that when Jesus was told that Lazarus was ill, he did not go to Bethany until Lazarus was “good and dead.” Jesus waited to go to Lazarus until making him well was impossible. That is because the glory God receives is often proportional to the level of difficulty of the task. So He places the Israelites between the Red Sea and the advancing Egyptian army, with all of its horsemen and chariots. He brings fire to Elijah’s sacrifice only after it has been repeatedly doused with water. God is not limited by the “possible” because with Him “all things are possible.”19

I’ve been thinking about this particular point, as I know others have as well. As I think back over my life, and as I think back over the history of our church, I wonder how many things I, or we, have not done based on the assumption (or excuse) that it was not possible. Some people say that the way we function as a church is not possible. Is God not glorified when we obey His word and we defy all the odds? As the church seems more and more patterned after the successful secular business models, do we not limit ourselves to the “possible,” the things that feasibility studies tell us will work, and the “how to” books assure us are the key to achieving God’s purposes? What is it that you have been reluctant to attempt because you are not sure that it is possible?

Fifth, how can we be sure that what we are doing is right or be informed that what we are doing is wrong? We know what is right or wrong in God’s sight from His Word. Judges is the book that describes people who “do what is right in their own eyes” (17:6; 21:25). How do we know that we should be doing something or that we should not? We need to live according to what is right in God’s eyes, and what is right (or wrong) in God’s eyes is what He reveals to us in His Word.

“You must not do like we are doing here today, with everyone doing what seems best to him” (Deuteronomy 12:8.).

“Thus you must obey the Lord your God, keeping all his commandments that I am giving you today and doing what is right before him” (Deuteronomy 13:18.).

Sixth, our text teaches us to be merciless concerning sin. When we attempt to live with sin, or to use sin, we have chosen the path that leads to trouble. I have dealt with this matter in the first lesson, so I will not address it again here, but let us learn a very important principle from our passage: You can’t coexist with sin. We must put it to death. We must be merciless about it. We dare not tolerate it, either in us,20 or in God’s church.21

Seventh, thank God that His work in us is not based upon our perfection. Man’s obedience is never perfect. As we look at our text (in my mind, at least), Judah’s treatment of Adoni-bezek fell short of God’s instructions, as did the manner in which the sons of Joseph took the city of Bethel. Our obedience is never perfect, whether in our motivation or in our methods. The victory of the Israelites over the Canaanites required faith and obedience, but in the end, the fulfillment of God’s promises and purposes is God’s work, based upon His faithfulness and power. If we are to learn anything from the Book of Judges, it is that God uses flawed instruments to achieve His purposes.

Eighth, our text teaches us the important impact leadership has, both for good and for evil. The first two verses of Judges 1 inform us that leadership is going to be an important topic in this book. The NET Bible renders verses 1 and 2:

1 After Joshua died, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who should lead the invasion against the Canaanites and launch the attack?” 2 The Lord said, “The men of Judah should take the lead. Be sure of this! I am handing the land over to them” (Judges 1:1-2).

The issue here is leadership. Who will lead the attack against the Canaanites? And it is surely the case throughout the book, as God raised up judges to lead the Israelites in battle against their foes. And we dare not forget this theme in Judges:

In those days Israel had no king. Each man did what he considered to be right (Judges 17:6).22

Is it not interesting that in our text the only individual leaders who are named are Caleb and Othniel, his son-in-law. In contrast to the Israelites who failed to overcome great opposition, we find Caleb, who possesses his inheritance by driving out the sons of Anak, who were all “Goliaths” – the very giants who terrorized the first generation of Israelites so that they refused to possess the Promised Land. My contention is that Caleb’s leadership not only inspired the men of Judah, but all Israel. It is also my belief that his boldness in leading was reflected in his daughter and son-in-law (Othniel, who will be one of Israel’s judges – see Judges 3:9).

Just as the days of the judges were dark days, so we live in dark days as well. This is a time when wicked leaders can greatly impact a nation for evil, just as godly leaders can inspire men and women to courage and righteousness. A godly king is a blessing; an ungodly king is a curse. Leadership greatly impacts a nation:

The divine verdict is in the words of the king,

his pronouncements must not act treacherously against justice (Proverbs 16:10).

Loyal love and truth preserve a king,

and his throne is upheld by loyal love (Proverbs 20:28.).

4 Remove the dross from the silver,

and material for the silversmith will emerge;

5 remove the wicked from before the king,

and his throne will be established in righteousness (Proverbs 25:4-5).

A king brings stability to a land by justice,

but one who exacts tribute tears it down (Proverbs 29:4).

A king sitting on the throne to judge

separates out all evil with his eyes (Proverbs 20:8.).

When the righteous become numerous, the people rejoice;

when the wicked rule, the people groan (Proverbs 29:2).

A king brings stability to a land by justice,

but one who exacts tribute tears it down (Proverbs 29:4).

If a ruler listens to lies,

all his ministers will be wicked (Proverbs 29:12).

Leadership greatly impacts the people of God and the church. The example and actions of godly leaders is indeed a blessing to the church. Leaders can instill fear and reticence, or they can inspire others to faith and courage. Now is the time for good and godly leadership in the church. May God grant that we, as elders, lead well, and that many others lead in their spheres of responsibility and influence as well.

1 Copyright © 2009 by Robert L. Deffinbaugh. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson 2 in the series, The Dark Days of Israel’s Judges, prepared by Robert L. Deffinbaugh on August 23, 2009. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with or without credit.

2 Dale Ralph Davis, Such a Great Salvation: Expositions of the Book of Judges (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1990), p. 11. If you were to purchase only one commentary on the Book of Judges, this would be the one I would recommend.

3 See Dale Ralph Davis, No Falling Words: Expositions of the Book of Joshua (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1988.), p. 89, especially footnote 12.

4 Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the NET Bible. The NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION, also known as THE NET BIBLE, is a completely new translation of the Bible, not a revision or an update of a previous English version. It was completed by more than twenty biblical scholars who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. The translation project originally started as an attempt to provide an electronic version of a modern translation for electronic distribution over the Internet and on CD (compact disk). Anyone anywhere in the world with an Internet connection will be able to use and print out the NET Bible without cost for personal study. In addition, anyone who wants to share the Bible with others can print unlimited copies and give them away free to others. It is available on the Internet at: www.netbible.org.

5 See Exodus 23:22-28; 34:12-17; Numbers 33:50-54; Deuteronomy 7:1-5, 16-26; 9:1-6; 12:1-14; 20:1-4; Joshua 23 & 24.

6 Dale Ralph Davis, Such a Great Salvation, pp. 20-21.

7 While I am critical of the NET Bible’s translation in verse 16, I believe the translators got it right here. When the text is read literally, one might suppose that the author is speaking of men named Judah and Simeon, rather than of two tribes (the founders of which are long gone).

8 Compare Judges 1:7 with 1:8 and 1:22.

9 This is what the Philistines did when they defeated Israel and captured the ark (see 1 Samuel 4:10-11; 5:1-2).

10 In short, the principle of interpretation is that the events described in our text in Judges must be understood in the light of earlier (Genesis-Joshua) revelation and also later revelation (1 and 2 Samuel).

11 Let me mention that there are some differences of opinion regarding how this passage should be translated. (1) Is Othniel Caleb’s nephew or younger brother? (2) Does Achsah convince her father or her new husband regarding the need for a gift of land? Here is the translator’s note in the NET Bible: “19 tn Heb him.” The pronoun could refer to Othniel, in which case one would translate, "she incited him [Othniel] to ask her father for a field." This is problematic, however, for Achsah, not Othniel, makes the request in v. 15. The LXX has “he [Othniel] urged her to ask her father for a field.” This appears to be an attempt to reconcile the apparent inconsistency and probably does not reflect the original text. If Caleb is understood as the referent of the pronoun, the problem disappears. For a fuller discussion of the issue, see P. G. Mosca, “Who Seduced Whom? A Note on Joshua 15:18 // Judges 1:14,” CBQ 46 (1984): 18-22. The translation takes Caleb to be the referent, specified as “her father."

12 http://bible.org/article/role-women-book-judges

13 http://bible.org/seriespage/achsah’s-asking-pattern-prayer-no-2312

14 See Exodus 14:16.

15 See also 1 Samuel 15:6-7.

16 These are some of the “giants” whom the Israelites feared, leading to the rebellion at Kadesh Barnea (see Numbers 13:25-14:10). Now in his old age, Caleb defeats three of these giants and possesses his inheritance.

17 I’m inclined to assume that the “angel of the Lord” here is a theophany, an Old Testament pre-incarnate appearance of our Lord.

18 I find it interesting to see how the author seems to have linked “making a covenant with the inhabitants of the land of Canaan” with “tearing down their heathen altars.” To say this in reverse, to fail to destroy Canaanite altars would lead to their worshipping at these altars, and thus entering into a covenant with the Canaanites. I am reminded of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 10, where he contrasts partaking of the table of our Lord with partaking of the table of demons. Thus, it would seem that worship is a covenant matter, whether that be heathen worship or true worship.

19 Matthew 19:26.

20 Matthew 18:8-9; Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5.

21 See Matthew 18:15-20.

22 See also 18:1, 19:1.

Source  

[Garland-Green]

Say It Again, Sam(uel): A Second Introduction to Judges (Judges 2:6-3:4)


Introduction
It is with “tongue in cheek” that I set out to teach this text in Judges, which nearly all Bible students recognize as the author’s second introduction. All this seems somewhat inconsistent with what I did in the last message. I started Lesson 2 by citing a portion of Dale Ralph Davis’ “Non- introduction” to the Book of Judges.3 How can there possibly be two introductions to a book?

Actually, this possibility should not come as a great surprise to the student of the Bible. If you stop to think about it, the Book of Genesis also has two introductions. The first introduction is found in Genesis 1:1-2:3. The second begins with these words in verse 4 of chapter 2:

4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created – when the Lord God made the earth and heavens (Genesis 2:4).4

Moses is not suffering from the malady that some of us older folks experience – forgetfulness. He actually means to repeat himself, although when you look at these two introductions you will see that they are different. Some have agonized over these differences, as though they were really inconsistencies. But Moses had a very good reason for writing a two-part introduction to Genesis. The first introduction is sequential: “day one (verse 5) … day two (verse 8.) … day three (verse 13),” and so on. Moses wants us to observe the fact that the creation came into being by the Word of God. God spoke, and it happened. Also, in the first introduction, we are continually told that God created by dividing or separating something from something else:

6 God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters and let it separate water from water. 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. It was so (Genesis 1:6-7, emphasis mine).

Finally (so far as my brief review of this account is concerned), there is much emphasis placed on the fact that what God created was perfect – it was very good in God’s sight:

3 God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light! 4 God saw that the light was good, so God separated the light from the darkness (Genesis 1:3-4, emphasis mine).

9 God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place and let dry ground appear.” It was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” God saw that it was good (Genesis 1:9-10, emphasis mine).

I believe that all of this is in preparation for the account of the fall of man which comes to us in chapter 3. Satan tempts Eve by calling into question the truth and goodness of God’s Word – words just like those which called creation into existence. He questions God’s goodness, even though we have just seen that everything God created is good. He calls into question God’s distinction between this one forbidden tree from all the other trees in the garden, when creation is based upon the distinctions God has made.

The second introduction deals with creation differently. It does not give us a day-by-day account of the progressive (within a week’s time) creation of the world. Instead, it describes creation from a different perspective. It presents creation as God supplying what is lacking. God creates what is necessary to supply each and every legitimate need:

5 Now no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. 6 Springs would well up from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. 7 The Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (Genesis 2:5-7).

A garden required certain things: plants, moisture to nourish them, and someone to cultivate and care for them. God supplied a mist to nourish plant life, a garden in which plants could grow, and a man to cultivate and tend the garden. And yet there was still one great need, a need to which God carefully called our attention in the second introduction:

18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion for him who corresponds to him.” 19 The Lord God formed out of the ground every living animal of the field and every bird of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man named all the animals, the birds of the air, and the living creatures of the field, but for Adam no companion who corresponded to him was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was asleep, he took part of the man’s side and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,

“This one at last is bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;

this one will be called ‘woman,’

for she was taken out of man.”

24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and unites with his wife, and they become a new family. 25 The man and his wife were both naked, but they were not ashamed (Genesis 2:18-25).

Thus we can see that the second introduction also lays a foundation for the account of the fall of man which follows in Genesis 3. Satan’s temptation suggests that Eve (and her husband) have a need for the knowledge of both good and evil and that God is withholding this from them. Satan falsely creates a “need,” which he insists can only be supplied by doubting God’s goodness and provisions, and by disobeying His Word. The second introduction has just underscored the fact that God always perfectly supplies every legitimate need. And thus we see that these two introductions work hand in glove to set the stage for what follows in the Book of Genesis.

In this message, I will seek to show that the two introductions of the Book of Judges do the same thing. They work together to set the stage for the remainder of the book, giving us insight into the message the author is going to set forth in the Book of Judges. So with that in mind, let us proceed with our study, looking for the ways in which this introduction will work together with our text from the last message.

A Brief Review

The Book of Judges began with a question posed by the sons of Israel regarding who was to lead them into battle: “Who will lead us (go up first) into battle?” God designated Judah as the tribe which should lead the others in battle. Judah enlisted Simeon to go with him, and when they engaged Adoni-bezek, a Canaanite king, in battle (along with 10,000 of his men) they defeated the Canaanites. But instead of executing this king when they captured him, they dealt with him in the Canaanite way – by cutting off his thumbs and big toes and keeping him alive as a trophy of war. After a description of the heroic leadership of Caleb and the marriage of his daughter, Achsah, to Othniel, things quickly begin to go downhill. Judah is successful in the hill country, but cannot defeat the Canaanites on the plain because of their iron chariots (1:18-19). The house of Joseph is successful in taking Bethel (Luz), but only because they made an agreement (covenant?) with one of the citizens of the town, allowing him and his family to live, so that he replicated Luz elsewhere (1:22-26). Manasseh (1:26-28.), Ephraim (1:29), Zebulun (1:30), Asher (1:31-32), and Naphtali (1:33) all failed to totally drive out the Canaanites. The Canaanites remained among them. At best, they made the Canaanites serve them as forced laborers when they became strong enough to do so.

Dan was the biggest failure. The Amorites forced this tribe into the hills and did not allow them to come down to the valley. These folks continued to possess many of their cities, and only when the house of Joseph grew strong did they become forced labor. And so we can safely say that it was all downhill for the Israelites in chapter 1 of Judges. As the first chapter ends, one might conclude that the Israelites failed because the Canaanites were stronger and better equipped. But the next verses (Judges 2:1-4) present us with an entirely different perspective – a divine perspective. The Angel of the LORD appeared in Bochim, where He reminded the Israelites that He had brought them to Canaan from Egypt. God had covenanted with Israel that He would give them the land of Canaan and that this covenant promise would never be broken (2:1). In response, the Israelites were instructed not to make any covenant with the Canaanites. Instead, they were to tear down their altars. This had obviously not happened, and thus God fulfilled the other side of His covenant with Israel, concerning which Joshua had recently warned them:

6 “Be very strong! Carefully obey all that is written in the law scroll of Moses so you won’t swerve from it to the right or the left, 7 or associate with these nations that remain near you. You must not invoke or make solemn declarations by the names of their gods! You must not worship or bow down to them! 8 But you must be loyal to the Lord your God, as you have been to this very day.

9 “The Lord drove out from before you great and mighty nations; no one has been able to resist you to this very day. 10 One of you makes a thousand run away, for the Lord your God fights for you as he promised you he would. 11 Watch yourselves carefully! Love the Lord your God! 12 But if you ever turn away and make alliances with these nations that remain near you, and intermarry with them and establish friendly relations with them, 13 know for certain that the Lord our God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. They will trap and ensnare you; they will be a whip that tears your sides and thorns that blind your eyes until you disappear from this good land the Lord your God gave you.

14 “Look, today I am about to die. 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! 15 But in the same way every faithful promise the Lord your God made to you has been realized, it is just as certain, if you disobey, that the Lord will bring on you every judgment until he destroys you from this good land which the Lord your God gave you. 16 If you violate the covenantal laws of the Lord your God which he commanded you to keep, and follow, worship, and bow down to other gods, the Lord will be very angry with you and you will disappear quickly from the good land which he gave to you” (Joshua 23:6-16).

And so it was that the Angel of the LORD pronounced judgment upon the Israelites for their unfaithfulness and disobedience. Their problem was not that the enemy was too numerous or too well armed for them to defeat; it was that they would rather coexist with the Canaanites than kill them. It was that they did not trust God and did not keep His covenant with them. And so God announced that He would no longer drive out the Canaanites from before them, but would leave them in the land as a “snare” to the Israelites (2:3). The people were taken aback by this revelation. They wept and offered sacrifices at the place they now called “Bochim” (“weepers,” marginal note in NASB at verse 5). Whether or not this weeping was genuine repentance is yet to be seen. It is at this point that we come to our text.

A NEW GENERATION
JUDGES 2:6-10
6 When Joshua dismissed the people, the Israelites went to their allotted portions of territory, intending to take possession of the land. 7 The people worshiped the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and as long as the elderly men [elders]5 who outlived him remained alive. These men had witnessed all the great things the Lord had done for Israel. 8 Joshua son of Nun, the Lord’s servant, died at the age of one hundred ten. 9 The people buried him in his allotted land in Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 10 That entire generation passed away; a new generation grew up that had not personally experienced the Lord’s presence [literally, “did not know the Lord”] or seen what he had done for Israel (Judges 2:6-10).6

The generation that was so victorious in defeating the Canaanites and taking the land under Joshua has now passed away, and a whole new generation has arisen. Our author tells us plainly that it was the godly leadership of those former days that had greatly influenced that former generation. But it was now a new day. That old generation is dead and gone, and a new generation has arisen that does not know God and that does not know the greatness of His power.7 This is sad indeed, for God had promised that previous generation that the manifestation of His power in driving out the Canaanites would surpass the manifestations of His power in delivering the Israelites from Egypt.8

FORSAKING THE FAITH
JUDGES 2:11-13
11 The Israelites did evil before the Lord by worshiping the Baals. 12 They abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods – the gods of the nations who lived around them. They worshiped them and made the Lord angry. 13 They abandoned the Lord and worshiped Baal and the Ashtars (Judges 2:11-13).

With the Joshua generation now gone, the new generation – which has not known and experienced God as did the former generation – chooses to coexist with the Canaanites, rather than to conquer them. Worse yet, the Israelites forsook the Lord and began to worship the Canaanite gods, Baal (the male Canaanite god) and the Ashtars9 (his female counterparts). This generation has demonstrated the truth of God’s Word, spoken earlier – their willingness to live among the Canaanites has led to their apostasy from the God of their fathers.

DIVINE JUDGMENT
JUDGES 2:14-15
14 The Lord was furious with Israel and handed them over to robbers who plundered them. He turned them over to their enemies who lived around them. They could not withstand their enemies’ attacks. 15 Whenever they went out to fight, the Lord did them harm, just as he had warned and solemnly vowed he would do. They suffered greatly (Judges 2:14-15).

As God had promised (and as Joshua had so recently warned – see Joshua 23:14-16), divine judgment would follow Israel’s unbelief, disobedience, and apostasy. No more would God strike terror in the hearts of Israel’s enemies. Instead of giving Israel miraculous victories over their enemies, He would give the Israelites into the hands of their enemies. When the Israelites engaged them in battle, their enemies would prevail. They had turned from God and now God would cease to bless them as He had before.

DIVINE MERCY
JUDGES 2:16-18
16 The Lord raised up leaders [judges]10 who delivered them from these robbers. 17 But they did not obey their leaders [judges]. Instead they prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned aside from the path their ancestors [fathers] had walked. Their ancestors [fathers]11 had obeyed the Lord’s commands, but they did not. 18 When the Lord raised up leaders [judges] for them, the Lord was with each leader [judge] and delivered the people from their enemies while the leader [judge] remained alive. The Lord felt sorry for them when they cried out12 [groaned] in agony because of what their harsh oppressors did to them (Judges 2:16-18.).

The author’s description of divine judgment in verses 14 and 15 comes as no surprise to the reader, for this is exactly what God had promised. What does come as a complete surprise is what we now read in verses 16-18. God does discipline His people for their sin, but He also remains faithful to His character, and thus He sends them deliverers. We tend to think of either judgment or mercy, but the two may be accomplished at the same time. I am reminded of the words of Habakkuk when he pleads, “In wrath remember mercy” (Habakkuk 3:2, NASB).

Here indeed we find God’s incredible mercy. God brings judgment upon His sinful people, as His righteousness requires. Thus God hands His people over to cruel taskmasters. But at the same time, He raises up judges to deliver His people. In spite of this, we are told that the Israelites refused to listen to these judges (2:17).

Here’s where I have a bit of a problem. Who were those judges to whom the Israelites were not listening, and what were they saying? I have trouble thinking of Ehud or Jephthah or Samson speaking to Israel about their relationship to God or calling them to repentance. I see several possible explanations. First, the judges “spoke” to Israel of God’s concern and of His salvation by what they did. They spoke in deed, more than in word. Second, it could be that while our author chose to focus on their military actions, they may have done more speaking regarding spiritual things than what is recorded for us in Judges. It is not hard to think of Deborah as a judge who called Israel to repentance and obedience, for example. Also, although we have difficulty thinking of Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah as spiritual men, the author of the Book of Hebrews includes them in his “hall of faith” (Hebrews 11:32). They must have been more spiritual than they appear in Judges, where we see their dark side.

There is a third option. There may have been many more “judges” in Israel at that time than just those named in the Book of Judges. For example, I was intrigued to read these words in the Book of Numbers:

1 When Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to commit sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab. 2 These women invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods; then the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 When Israel joined themselves to Baal-peor, the anger of the Lord flared up against Israel.

4 The Lord said to Moses, “Arrest all the leaders of the people, and hang them up before the Lord in broad daylight, so that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel.” 5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you must execute those of his men who were joined to Baal-peor.”

6 Just then one of the Israelites came and brought to his brothers a Midianite woman in the plain view of Moses and of the whole community of the Israelites, while they were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he got up from among the assembly, took a javelin in his hand, 8 and went after the Israelite man into the tent and thrust through the Israelite man and into the woman’s abdomen. So the plague was stopped from the Israelites.

… 14 Now the name of the Israelite who was stabbed – the one who was stabbed with the Midianite woman – was Zimri son of Salu, a leader of a clan of the Simeonites (Numbers 25:1-8, 14, emphasis mine).

So, from this text in Numbers we learn that at that time there were many “judges” among the Israelites. As these judges “executed” God’s instructions through Moses, sin was dealt with among the leaders of the nation, and in so doing, the whole nation learned an important spiritual lesson about God. And so while we read of men like Gideon and Barak and Samson – men who were military “judges” – there may also have been other judges, who functioned more like Deborah, leading, teaching, exhorting, and rebuking the Israelites.

The idolatry and disobedience that characterized this generation of Israelites distinguished them from their “fathers” (NAU, CSB, ESV, NIV) or “ancestors” (NET Bible, NJB, NLT). Personally, I prefer “fathers” over “ancestors” because, in general, their ancestors were not that godly (see Acts 7:51-53).13 It was only the “Joshua generation” (their actual fathers) who was faithful and obedient, so as to conquer the Promised Land. This is the generation that brought up these Israelites.

Now in verse 18, the author calls attention to the fact that God’s deliverance came in the form of someone He appointed to deliver (“judge”) His people. The deliverance God provided through a judge was life-long, that is for as long as the deliverer lived. This was not due to the faithfulness of His people, but rather was due to the tender mercies of God. In one sense, it was sad that God’s deliverance was not prompted by Israel’s repentance, but it is also grounds for rejoicing because God’s salvation was dependent upon His own character and not upon man’s conduct. If we will learn anything from the Book of Judges, it is that our faith and trust must be in God and not in man.

HUMAN DEPRAVITY
JUDGES 2:19
19 When a leader died, the next generation would again act more wickedly than the previous one. They would follow after other gods, worshiping them and bowing down to them. They did not give up their practices or their stubborn ways (Judges 2:19).

These words are far from welcome to those who insist that “every day, in every way, man is getting better and better.” The Bible is completely consistent in maintaining that the hearts of men are wicked and not naturally inclined toward God.

9 What then? Are we better off? Certainly not, for we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin, 10 just as it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one,

11 there is no one who understands,

there is no one who seeks God.

12 All have turned away,

together they have become worthless;

there is no one who shows kindness, not even one.”

13 “Their throats are open graves,

they deceive with their tongues,

the poison of asps is under their lips.”

14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”

15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood,

16 ruin and misery are in their paths (Romans 3:9-16).

1 And although you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you formerly lived according to this world’s present path, according to the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest… 8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 it is not from works, so that no one can boast ( (Ephesians 2:1-3, 8-9).

Salvation is therefore not something that men can produce, but rather is something that comes from God as a reflection of His character.

The author is forewarning the reader that this book is not going to end with a “happily ever after.” Instead, the farther we read, the worse men will get. They will turn to heathen gods and worship them. They will cling to their evil ways and find new and more wicked ways to manifest their rebellion against God.

THE BAD NEWS IS GOOD NEWS: IN JUSTICE GOD REMEMBERS MERCY
JUDGES 2:20-3:4
20 The Lord was furious with Israel. He said, “This nation has violated the terms of the agreement I made with their ancestors by disobeying me. 21 So I will no longer remove before them any of the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died. 22 Joshua left those nations to test Israel. I wanted to see whether or not the people would carefully walk in the path marked out by the Lord, as their ancestors were careful to do.” 23 This is why the Lord permitted these nations to remain and did not conquer them immediately; he did not hand them over to Joshua.

1 These were the nations the Lord permitted to remain so he could use them to test Israel – he wanted to test all those who had not experienced battle against the Canaanites. 2 He left those nations simply because he wanted to teach the subsequent generations of Israelites, who had not experienced the earlier battles, how to conduct holy war. 3 These were the nations: the five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo-Hamath. 4 They were left to test Israel, so the Lord would know if his people would obey the commands he gave their ancestors through Moses (Judges 2:20-3:4).

True to His character and to His covenant, God was angry with His people because of their rebellion. As His covenant plainly stated, God would not drive out the Canaanites from before a wicked nation that rejected Him:

23 “Be on guard so that you do not forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he has made with you, and that you do not make an image of any kind, just as he has forbidden you. 24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire; he is a jealous God. 25 After you have produced children and grandchildren and have been in the land a long time, if you become corrupt and make an image of any kind and do other evil things before the Lord your God that enrage him, 26 I invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that you will surely and swiftly be removed from the very land you are about to cross the Jordan to possess. You will not last long there because you will surely be annihilated” (Deuteronomy 4:23-26).

1 “When the Lord your God brings you to the land that you are going to occupy and forces out many nations before you – Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and powerful than you – 2 and he delivers them over to you and you attack them, you must utterly annihilate them. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy! 3 You must not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your sons away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will erupt against you and he will quickly destroy you” (Deuteronomy 7:1-4).

11 Watch yourselves carefully! Love the Lord your God! 12 But if you ever turn away and make alliances with these nations that remain near you, and intermarry with them and establish friendly relations with them, 13 know for certain that the Lord our God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. They will trap and ensnare you; they will be a whip that tears your sides and thorns that blind your eyes until you disappear from this good land the Lord your God gave you. 14 “Look, today I am about to die. 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! 15 But in the same way every faithful promise the Lord your God made to you has been realized, it is just as certain, if you disobey, that the Lord will bring on you every judgment until he destroys you from this good land which the Lord your God gave you. 16 If you violate the covenantal laws of the Lord your God which he commanded you to keep, and follow, worship, and bow down to other gods, the Lord will be very angry with you and you will disappear quickly from the good land which he gave to you” (Joshua 23:11-16).

From the beginning, God knew that His people could not keep his covenant. Joshua knew it as well, and thus when the Israelites vowed to be faithful, Joshua told them it would never happen under the Old Covenant:

14 Now obey the Lord and worship him with integrity and loyalty. Put aside the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt and worship the Lord. 15 If you have no desire to worship the Lord, choose today whom you will worship, whether it be the gods whom your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family will worship the Lord!”

16 The people responded, “Far be it from us to abandon the Lord so we can worship other gods! 17 For the Lord our God took us and our fathers out of slavery in the land of Egypt and performed these awesome miracles before our very eyes. He continually protected us as we traveled and when we passed through nations. 18 The Lord drove out from before us all the nations, including the Amorites who lived in the land. So we too will worship the Lord, for he is our God!”

19 Joshua warned the people, “You will not keep worshiping the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God who will not forgive your rebellion or your sins. 20 If you abandon the Lord and worship foreign gods, he will turn against you; he will bring disaster on you and destroy you, though he once treated you well.”

21 The people said to Joshua, “No! We really will worship the Lord!” 22 Joshua said to the people, “Do you agree to be witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to worship the Lord?” They replied, “We are witnesses!” 23 Joshua said, “Now put aside the foreign gods that are among you and submit to the Lord God of Israel.”

24 The people said to Joshua, “We will worship the Lord our God and obey him.”

25 That day Joshua drew up an agreement for the people, and he established rules and regulations for them in Shechem. 26 Joshua wrote these words in the Law Scroll of God. He then took a large stone and set it up there under the oak tree near the Lord’s shrine. 27 Joshua said to all the people, “Look, this stone will be a witness against you, for it has heard everything the Lord said to us. It will be a witness against you if you deny your God” (Joshua 24:14-27).

While God warned the Israelites that they would not keep His covenant, He also promised that in the future, He would turn their hearts toward Him and that He would deliver them:

25 “After you have produced children and grandchildren and have been in the land a long time, if you become corrupt and make an image of any kind and do other evil things before the Lord your God that enrage him, 26 I invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that you will surely and swiftly be removed from the very land you are about to cross the Jordan to possess. You will not last long there because you will surely be annihilated. 27 Then the Lord will scatter you among the peoples and there will be very few of you among the nations where the Lord will drive you. 28 There you will worship gods made by human hands – wood and stone that can neither see, hear, eat, nor smell. 29 But if you seek the Lord your God from there, you will find him, if, indeed, you seek him with all your heart and soul. 30 In your distress when all these things happen to you in the latter days, if you return to the Lord your God and obey him 31 (for he is a merciful God), he will not let you down or destroy you, for he cannot forget the covenant with your ancestors that he confirmed by oath to them” (Deuteronomy 4:25-31).

1 “When you have experienced all these things, both the blessings and the curses I have set before you, you will reflect upon them in all the nations where the Lord your God has banished you. 2 Then if you and your descendants turn to the Lord your God and obey him with your whole mind and being just as I am commanding you today, 3 the Lord your God will reverse your captivity and have pity on you. He will turn and gather you from all the peoples among whom he has scattered you. 4 Even if your exiles are in the most distant land, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back. 5 Then he will bring you to the land your ancestors possessed and you also will possess it; he will do better for you and multiply you more than he did your ancestors. 6 The Lord your God will also cleanse your heart and the hearts of your descendants so that you may love him with all your mind and being and so that you may live” (Deuteronomy 30:1-6).

The curse is also the cure. Israel’s sin resulted in God’s judgment: leaving the Canaanites in the land. But this judgment is also a manifestation of God’s grace. It provides these Israelites with an opportunity to turn to God in faith and to walk according to God’s Word as their fathers, the “Joshua generation,” had done.

Leaving the Canaanites in the land, along with the Israelites, was something God had purposed long ago. His gracious purpose of teaching this generation warfare was the reason why He prevented Joshua and his generation from totally wiping out the Canaanites. While the continued presence of the Canaanites was an unpleasant manifestation of divine judgment, it was also a gracious gift from God. We need to understand the last verses of our passage in the light of verse 10. There we were told:

That entire generation passed away; a new generation grew up that had not personally experienced [literally, known] the Lord’s presence or seen what he had done for Israel (Judges 2:10).

Now we are told that God left the Canaanite nations in the land so that all those who had not “experienced” [literally, known] war could “experience” [know] it. If not “knowing” God or the outworking of His presence and power was the problem (as our text tells us), then leaving the Canaanites in the land was a part of the solution. The oppression of the Israelites by these nations presented the occasion for God’s people to learn war, and in waging war, to experience His power. Here was a way to truly “know” God. And so we see that the curse (leaving the Canaanites behind) is also part of the cure (giving Israel the opportunity to “know” God).

Conclusion

As I think through these introductory chapters, I observe several things which are instructive, not only to those first readers of this book, but also to us.

First, I observe a downward progression in men. Chapter 1 starts in a sort of upbeat manner with the designation of Judah as Israel’s leading tribe, and as we read, of Israel’s stunning victory over the Canaanites and Adoni-bezek. But as the introduction continues to develop, things only go from bad to worse so far as Israel’s faith and obedience are concerned. By the time we reach the end of chapter 1, some of the Israelites are seemingly unable to overcome the Canaanites and drive them out of the land. Indeed, while the Canaanites live among some of the Israelite tribes, other tribes (like Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali) did even worse, so that it was the Israelites who dwelt among the Canaanites (see 1:32). And in Dan’s case, the Amorites actually drove them into the hills (1:34-35).

In chapter 2, men (the Israelites) prove themselves to be in even worse shape spiritually. The chapter begins with a divine rebuke from the Angel of the LORD, and then as the chapter continues, we learn that the Israelites forgot and forsook God, intermarrying with the Canaanites and worshipping their gods. God’s deliverance through the judges did not change the hearts of the Israelites, so after the death of each judge, the people sought to enhance and accelerate their sin to an even greater level of rebellion against God.

If there is any lesson to be learned regarding man, it is that man is depraved, totally depraved. Left to himself, man goes from bad to worse, and even when God intervenes, man’s obedience is only temporary. Time does not improve the situation, but only serves to give sin further opportunity to increase. Israel will hope to have a king, like all the other nations (1 Samuel 8:5). But that king had better be more than a mere mortal, for the introduction has prepared us for the worst when it comes to man. Even the best of Israel’s kings (David or Solomon) will fail. The “king” that Israel needs is “the King of Kings,” the Lord Jesus, Israel’s Messiah.

Second, the introduction to Judges reveals an ever more awesome God. In spite of Israel’s sins and continual rebellion, God remains faithful to His covenant promises and warnings. He is not only faithful to bless, He is faithful to judge apostasy and rebellion. But God is both righteous and merciful. That is what He chose to reveal about Himself to Moses after Israel’s worship of Aaron’s golden calf:

6 The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed: “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, 7 keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation” (Exodus 34:6-7).

The God who remains faithful to His covenant in judging apostasy and rebellion is also faithful to be merciful and to forgive.

I love the contrast between man’s progressive decay and God’s progressively revealed grace and glory in our text. Man goes from bad to worse. God goes from good to great (or so it appears). Notice the progression in our text with regard to this matter of leaving the Canaanites in the land. In chapter 2, verse 3, the presence of the Canaanites is presented as divine judgment. Then at the conclusion of our text (2:21-3:4), the ongoing presence of the Canaanites is the God-given opportunity for the Israelites to know Him and to obey His Word. In the outworking of His wrath, God is also showing mercy. What a great God we have – if we have trusted in Him through Jesus Christ.

I can think of no better New Testament text to sum up our passage than this one from Romans 5:

Now the law came in so that the transgression may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more (Romans 5:20, emphasis mine).

Is it not good news to learn that God’s salvation is not dependent upon us, on our faithfulness, or our good works? Is it not good news to see that as bad as men are, as bad as men can become, God’s salvation is still provided for all who will receive it? (And it is God who works in us to cause us to be willing to receive it.)

Now, as I conclude, let me finish with this question: “What does God want us to gain from this two-part introduction?” First, He wants us to lose all confidence in man, and then to place our trust in God for salvation. Second, this introduction tells us what to expect from the rest of the book. Later chapters will only supply further evidence that man is a sinner, in desperate need of saving grace, and that God is merciful to provide salvation for unworthy sinners. The introduction also sets out the structure of the rest of the book, revealing the downward cycles of sin.

Third, I believe that this two-fold introduction is not only the introduction to the book, but also the conclusion. Have you ever noticed how some people read the final chapter of a book before they start reading at the beginning? Why do they do this? Because they want to know how it all comes out. Is it really worth reading, worth going through all the details to get to the end? The Book of Judges ends in a way that leaves the reader uneasy. The reader is left “up in the air” to some extent. But the reader should not be in the dark as to what the author was trying to say. These early portions of Judges tell us what we need to know about ourselves (and others) and also what we need to know about God. We now know where this book is headed, and its message is well worth the effort required to persevere in our study in order to see how these important themes are played out throughout the remainder of the book.

1 Many students of the Bible think that Samuel is the author of Judges, and he may well have been. For artistic purposes (this title), I have assumed so for the moment.

2 Copyright © 2009 by Robert L. Deffinbaugh. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson 3 in the series, The Dark Days of Israel’s Judges, prepared by Robert L. Deffinbaugh on August 30, 2009. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with or without credit.

3 Dale Ralph Davis, Such a Great Salvation: Expositions of the Book of Judges (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1990), pp. 11-12.

4 Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the NET Bible. The NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION, also known as THE NET BIBLE, is a completely new translation of the Bible, not a revision or an update of a previous English version. It was completed by more than twenty biblical scholars who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. The translation project originally started as an attempt to provide an electronic version of a modern translation for electronic distribution over the Internet and on CD (compact disk). Anyone anywhere in the world with an Internet connection will be able to use and print out the NET Bible without cost for personal study. In addition, anyone who wants to share the Bible with others can print unlimited copies and give them away free to others. It is available on the Internet at: www.netbible.org.

5 To their credit, the translators of the NET Bible have a marginal note indicating that this term might mean “elders.” Nevertheless, I feel it would have been better to render this Hebrew term “elders” and suggest an alternative reading (“elderly men”) in the margin. I say this for two primary reasons. First, the Hebrew term employed here is rendered “elders” far more often than “older/elderly men.” Second, there is a rather clear emphasis on the important role of leadership in chapter 1, and indeed in the rest of the book (“there was no king in Israel. . . .”). Third, most translations render the term “elders” here.

6 We find this translator’s note in the NET Bible: “Heb ‘that did not know the LORD or the work which he had done for Israel.’ The expressions ‘personally experienced’ and ‘seen’ are interpretive.” I much prefer to deal with the literal rendering, even though I do not disagree with the sense of their interpretive rendering. I believe that the reason for this will become apparent when we get to the first two verses of chapter 3.

7 I must admit that I am somewhat puzzled by the author’s statement here. How could this generation not have experienced God’s power in some measure? Isn’t chapter 1 an account of the battles fought by this new generation of Israelites? Wouldn’t they have seen God at work? I’m now not so certain. Chapter 1 begins with the simple statement that Joshua had died. Those who survived him then found it necessary to inquire of God as to who would assume leadership in battle. When we continue to read in chapter 1, we find the story of Caleb and the marriage of his daughter. He was a part of that older and much more faithful generation. It is only when we come to our text in chapter 2 that we are told that Joshua and all of the leaders who were a part of that previous generation have died. Thus it may be that the battles described in chapter 1 are those fought by the previous generation. The only other explanation I can think of is that the new generation fought the Canaanites, but in the power of the flesh, rather than in dependence upon God. In this way, they could explain their failure to drive out the Canaanites and accept living among them. They might not have “known” God from their warfare.

8 See Exodus 34:10.

9 The Hebrew term rendered Astartes is plural, which is indicated in some translations. K. Lawson Younger explains the plural in this way: “The use of the plural . . . in Judges 2:13 and 10:6 is understood to be either a reference to various local manifestations of the goddess, an embodiment of the Canaanite cult, or a reference to polytheism in general (i.e., a term for female deities). K. Lawson Younger, Jr., Judges and Ruth: The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2002), p.90.

10 The judges were “leaders,” but I would prefer to call them “judges,” as do other translations.

11 One would be hard pressed to say that Israel’s ancestors had faithfully followed God in any general way. It could only be said of the Joshua generation, who were literally their fathers.

12 “Cried out” (ne’aqah) seems to go a little too far as an expression of Israel’s response to her suffering. The term employed here seems to denote groaning, rather than a loud outcry. In addition, “crying out” may sound too much like repentance, which I’m not inclined to see here. There is another Hebrew word (za’aq) that is rendered “to cry out,” and it will be seen shortly (e.g., 3:9, 15), but that is not the word the author has used here. And even where za’aq is used, it is doubtful that it conveys repentance. See Dale Ralph Davis, Such a Great Salvation: Expositions of the Book of Judges (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1990), pp. 39-40, 49-50; also see D.I. Block, Judges, Ruth (NAC 6; Nashville: Broadman &Holman, 1999), p. 148.

13 See also Joshua 24:2, 14-15.

Source  

[Garland-Green]

THE DARK DAYS OF ISRAEL'S JUDGES - A STUDY OF THE BOOK OF JUDGES

Introduction

Let’s face it; our text presents us with some problems. These are the kind of problems that cause many preachers to stay in the New Testament or at least to avoid the Book of Judges. Some see no possibility of relevance to Christians today. For example, we encounter a man named Shamgar and his ox goad. When is the last time you used one of these? When is the last time you ever heard of one of these? Then how can this text have anything to say to us?

Furthermore, some would object that our text contains far too much violence. Do we really need to know how fat Eglon was or how far into his belly the sword was thrust? Do we want to read that the fat closed over the sword? Let’s face it; this is the kind of text we would avoid if we could, except for one thing: it is included in the Bible, the inspired Word of God, and we dare not ignore or avoid it.

At first (and second) glance these stories in our text don’t appear to connect in a way that makes a particular point. The author’s methodology may not be readily apparent, and so his construction of the text may be perplexing to the reader. For example, two of the accounts of Othniel and Shamgar are short on details, while the account of Ehud and Eglon has far more details than we care to know.

So why not just pass our text by and move on to Deborah and Barak? There is a simple reason, stated best by the Apostle Paul:

16 Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).2

It’s relatively easy for Bible believing Christians to grant the truth of these words when dealing with Romans or Ephesians or one of the Gospels. And we certainly find Old Testament books like Genesis, Psalms, or Proverbs worthwhile. But we have to recognize that at the time Paul wrote these words to Timothy, he was referring primarily to the Old Testament Scriptures, as well as to the New Testament Scriptures which were in the process of being written and collected. We don’t have the luxury of picking and choosing our way through the Bible. We must take it as it has come to us, believing that it is the Word of God, that it is inspired and inerrant, and thus profitable for us.

Our text in Judges 3 is a kind of test of the truth of Paul’s words. Is this passage inspired and useful? Does it speak to us? If so, how? That is what we will seek to discover in our study. If we can see that the most difficult texts of Scripture are inspired and profitable, then we will be assured that every passage of Scripture is worthy of our study. We will also be encouraged to expend the effort required to understand, interpret, and apply difficult texts of Scripture.

Let me share my approach to the Bible when I am studying it, especially when dealing with a troublesome text like ours. When I come upon a text like this one I look for the difficult questions and then seek to find the answers. I believe the tough questions are often the key to the interpretation and application of this text. For example, I ask, “Why did our author have so little to say about Shamgar, and why did he give more attention to Ehud and Eglon than to Othniel, a great hero?” “Why was it necessary for the author to go into such gory detail in describing the death of Eglon?” I believe that our study will provide the answer to these questions and that we will discover that the message of this text is very relevant and profitable. So let us delay no longer. Let us get to the text.

ISRAEL’S SIN AND GOD’S DELIVERER
JUDGES 3:5-11

5 The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 6 They took the Canaanites’ daughters as wives and gave their daughters to the Canaanites; they worshiped their gods as well. 7 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They forgot the Lord their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs. 8 The Lord was furious with Israel and turned them over to King Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram-Naharaim. They were Cushan-Rishathaim’s subjects for eight years. 9 When the Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, he raised up a deliverer for the Israelites who rescued them. His name was Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. 10 The Lord’s spirit empowered him and he led Israel. When he went to do battle, the Lord handed over to him King Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram and he overpowered him. 11 The land had rest for forty years; then Othniel son of Kenaz died (Judges 3:5-11).

For the Israelites, apostasy is a matter of “giving and receiving” – the giving and receiving of brides. The most effective way to corrupt the faith of the Israelites was by intermarriage with the Canaanites. Every time this occurs it is always described in terms of the giving or receiving of a woman in marriage, which is why God warned His people about the dangers of intermarriage with the Canaanites.

1 “When the Lord your God brings you to the land that you are going to occupy and forces out many nations before you – Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and powerful than you – 2 and he delivers them over to you and you attack them, you must utterly annihilate them. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy! 3 You must not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your sons away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will erupt against you and he will quickly destroy you” (Deuteronomy 7:1-4).3

Our text begins with the report of intermarriage with the Canaanites. The Israelites chose to coexist with the Canaanites, rather than to kill them. Consequently, Israelite fathers gave their daughters in marriage to Canaanite men, and Israelite men took Canaanite women as wives. And when the Israelite men married those Canaanite women, they also joined with them in the worship of their pagan gods. Worshiping the Canaanite’s gods caused the Israelites to forget their God and to practice all kinds of evils, many of which were a part of Canaanite “worship.”

God became angry with the Israelites for their apostasy, and so He gave them over to King Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram-Naharaim,4 who will oppress and rule over them for eight years (verse 8.). In their anguish, the Israelites “cry out” to God. This outcry is most likely not an expression of repentance, but rather a cry for help prompted by the consequences of foreign oppression.5 God hears their cries, and in His mercy, He raises up a deliverer – Othniel, the nephew and son-in-law of Caleb. Othniel is no stranger to the reader for we have already read of him in Joshua 15 and more recently in Judges 1:11-15.

I believe the author expects the reader to make the connection between Caleb and Othniel and the reference to Israel’s sin in verses 5-7 of our text, which indicate that the Israelites gave their daughters in marriage to the Canaanites, while they took wives for their sons from the Canaanites. Othniel is about to be introduced as Israel’s first judge, and I believe that the author wanted it to be very clear that Othniel was a godly man, a man who did not take a Canaanite wife. Instead, he was the man who captured Kiriath-Sepher (Debir) and thus obtained Achsah, Caleb’s daughter, for his wife. Othniel was not like the majority of his fellow Israelites who took Canaanite women as wives, and who thus turned from God to worship the heathen gods of their wives. Caleb was the kind of man who we would want to be a judge in Israel. Caleb was, as a number of Bible commentators have concluded, an ideal judge, a man who sets the standard for all subsequent judges.

Although we have encountered Othniel already in Judges and earlier in the Book of Joshua, we have to admit there is a great deal about Othniel that we don’t know. There are many details we wish our author had provided. Dale Ralph Davis seems to think (or at least he believes that others may think) that little is said of Othniel because he was such a dull fellow:

“The problem with Othniel is that he is so colorless.”6

I don’t believe that Othniel is “colorless” at all. I am certain that he was a colorful man. I believe that he was a man of courage and honor, a man who fought with great resolve and won some spectacular victories. Why, then, does the author deprive us of these details, especially since he is about to supply a number of details about the bloody killing of Eglon in just a few verses? I believe one reason the author offers the reader so little detail regarding Othniel’s spectacular successes is because he does not want to give him too much praise, or cause us to regard him too highly, because he was a great man.

The reason the author avoids giving us too many details is because we tend to idolize our heroes. Our author’s goal is not to glorify men (which could hardly happen often in this book!), but to glorify God. One of the themes of this book is that this was a time when there was “no king in Israel.” Even before we reach 1 Samuel,7 the Israelites will have concluded that what they need is a king who is a great military hero, a king like Othniel, or later, like David. But David, too, will fail, and he will also die. A better king is needed – the Messiah – and so our text prompts us to look to God for the ultimate in deliverance, and not to men. And so Othniel is not given excessive praise in our text, precisely because he was both courageous and colorful, the kind of man others would love to follow.

What we are told about Othniel in verses 9-11 is that he was Caleb’s nephew (verse 9), that he was raised up by God and empowered by the Spirit of the Lord, so that he prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim (verse 10), and as a result, Israel enjoyed peace for 40 years (verse. 11). Othniel’s victories are attributed to God, rather than to Othniel. It was God who raised him up, and it was God who empowered him with His Spirit. That is all we really need to know.

EHUD’S ‘GUT REACTION’
JUDGES 3:12-30
12 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight. The Lord gave King Eglon of Moab control over Israel because they had done evil in the Lord’s sight. 13 Eglon formed alliances with the Ammonites and Amalekites. He came and defeated Israel, and they seized the City of Date Palm Trees. 14 The Israelites were subject to King Eglon of Moab for eighteen years.

15 When the Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, he raised up a deliverer for them. His name was Ehud son of Gera the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The Israelites sent him to King Eglon of Moab with their tribute payment. 16 Ehud made himself a sword – it had two edges and was eighteen inches long. He strapped it under his coat on his right thigh. 17 He brought the tribute payment to King Eglon of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.)

18 After Ehud brought the tribute payment, he dismissed the people who had carried it. 19 But he went back once he reached the carved images at Gilgal. He said to Eglon, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” Eglon said, “Be quiet!” All his attendants left. 20 When Ehud approached him, he was sitting in his well-ventilated upper room all by himself. Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” When Eglon rose up from his seat, 21 Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and drove it into Eglon’s belly. 22 The handle went in after the blade, and the fat closed around the blade, for Ehud did not pull the sword out of his belly. 23 As Ehud went out into the vestibule, he closed the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.

24 When Ehud had left, Eglon’s servants came and saw the locked doors of the upper room. They said, “He must be relieving himself in the well-ventilated inner room.” 25 They waited so long they were embarrassed, but he still did not open the doors of the upper room. Finally they took the key and opened the doors. Right before their eyes was their master, sprawled out dead on the floor! 26 Now Ehud had escaped while they were delaying. When he passed the carved images, he escaped to Seirah.

27 When he reached Seirah, he blew a trumpet in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites went down with him from the hill country, with Ehud in the lead. 28 He said to them, “Follow me, for the Lord is about to defeat your enemies, the Moabites!” They followed him, captured the fords of the Jordan River opposite Moab, and did not let anyone cross. 29 That day they killed about ten thousand Moabites – all strong, capable warriors; not one escaped. 30 Israel humiliated Moab that day, and the land had rest for eighty years (Judges 3:12-30).

We begin our consideration of Ehud and Eglon by noting that 70% (if my math is correct) of our text for this message is devoted to Ehud and the deliverance of Israel from Eglon and the oppressive rule of Moab (allied with the Ammonites and Amalekites). It is our task to discern why God would place so much emphasis on this deliverance, while giving so much less attention to Othniel, and one mere verse (one sentence) to Shamgar. The answer to this will be the key to understanding our text.

The story begins with the reader being informed that the Israelites “again” did evil in the sight of the Lord. The pattern of cycles set forth in chapter 2 is played out in chapter 3. It is also significant, I think, that we are told that the Israelites did evil “in the sight of the Lord” (verse 12). The author wants us to be very aware of the fact that every man was doing what was right in his own eyes.8 I am inclined to think that the Israelites initially went about the evil they were practicing without even realizing that it was evil. After all, it was what Canaanites did, and they had inter-mingled and inter-married with them. In response to Israel’s sin, God disciplined them by “strengthening Eglon against Israel.” Imagine this; God was giving the enemy the upper hand over Israel. Instead of strengthening Israel so that they could defeat the Moabites, God strengthened the Moabites so that the Israelites would be oppressed. This, of course, was exactly what God had warned:

25 “The Lord will allow you to be struck down before your enemies; you will attack them from one direction but flee from them in seven directions and will become an object of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth” (Deuteronomy 28:25; see also Joshua 23:15-16).

I am calling attention to the fact that God strengthened the Moabites because I believe it is an important clue to the interpretation of our text. To a wayward and disobedient nation (as Israel was at this moment in time), their defeat and oppression would have looked like an unfortunate turn of events (“bad luck”), rather than the discipline of God because of Israel’s sin. Sin dulls our hearts and minds so that we are oblivious to the presence of sin and even the working of God in our lives and circumstances. Indeed, not only did Israel’s defeat look “normal,” so too her subsequent victories under the leadership of Ehud could have been seen as good fortune and no more except for this account.

As usual, when God’s people begin to suffer, they are quick to cry out to God for help. As we have seen before, this outcry was not necessarily (indeed not likely) a cry of repentance. How often do we “cry out” to God in our prayers in response to some painful event or circumstance in our lives? We want God to take away the pain and to fix the problem, but the possibility that we are facing the consequences of our own sin is often not at the forefront of our minds.

In response to the Israelite’s cry for help, God raises up Ehud9 to deliver His people. We are told several bits of information about Ehud. First, we are told that he was a Benjamite, a left-handed Benjamite no less.10 This detail is not a frivolous one, added at the whim of the author. It is an important piece of background information, which will help us grasp the message of our text. Ehud is also the “bag man” selected to oversee the payoff of Eglon. Israel’s tribute could have been in the form of gold or silver or agricultural products.11

We are also told that Ehud was “packing heat,” a concealed weapon, a weapon that he himself made. It was a short 18-inch custom made sword or dagger that seemingly did not have the usual protective crosspiece designed to protect the hand of the sword-bearer. This is what facilitated the fatal jab which penetrated Eglon’s body and protruded out the back.12 The weapon was almost certainly designed as a “concealed weapon.” Some would argue that it was specifically designed and created as the weapon with which to kill king Eglon, but this is not necessarily so. These were very dangerous days, days when one could be accosted and abused by some member of the occupying Moabite military. As we shall see from Judges 5:6, the highways may have been so dangerous that folks avoided them, using back roads and paths instead. Maybe Ehud was packing a concealed weapon for his own protection, like one of my students in a state prison where I taught for a short time. He was a rather quiet fellow, but he was being threatened by one or more inmates, and so he fashioned a “shiv” that he kept hidden on his person (until it was discovered).

I have long held that Christians can be afflicted by what I call the “pious bias.” That is, they tend to put the most positive “spin” possible on the text, rather than to see it in more human (and sinful) terms. Thus, they try hard to find a way to make Jonah repentant in chapter 2, when in fact he never repents in the entire book. What I am saying is that our author supplies all of the detail necessary to make his point, but the absence of certain details affords the reader the opportunity to “fill in the blanks” with interpretations we prefer to believe, even if it didn’t happen that way. Given the facts the author has supplied, I could come away thinking of Ehud as a very courageous fellow who planned and orchestrated the death of Eglon and the defeat of the Moabites (with God’s help). But we could also think of Ehud as a less than courageous fellow, something like Gideon. Through a series of providential interventions, Ehud found himself in the right place at the right time. He cooperated with God, but it was God who was “pulling the strings.”

I would suggest that we should not be too quick to assume that Ehud was a hero in waiting, especially in the context of the entire Book of Judges. Our author is not trying to cast the spotlight on heroes for us to glorify, but to focus our attention on God. When we have finished reading this account, we should be giving glory to God, not to men.

I would propose that the author has very skillfully kept some details from the reader, while he has very carefully woven only pertinent details into the story. Our task is to discover why the author left out things we would like to know while including information we would rather not have learned. Here are some of the critical details provided in our text which are like the pieces of a puzzle; we need to figure out where each peace fits, and then take a good look at the resulting picture. Crucial details would include Eglon’s girth, his naïve actions (sending out his servants/security), and allowing Ehud to be alone with him. Other important details would include the twice-mentioned carved idols outside the city, the design of the palace with its “cool room,” Ehud’s left-handedness and his dagger, and the location of the palace near the Jordan. We will seek to find the meaning of all this in a moment, but first let us turn our attention to Shamgar, a man who gets a whole lot less attention in our text (but don’t forget the mention of him in 5:6).

SHAMGAR GOADS THE ENEMY
JUDGES 3:31
After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath; he killed six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad and, like Ehud, delivered Israel (Judges 3:31).

One has to wonder why Ehud gets 19 verses, while Shamgar’s story is told in 1 verse. We know only that Shamgar was the son of Anath, that his weapon was an oxgoad, and that with this weapon he killed 600 Philistines.13 We may infer, as some have done, that Shamgar may not have been a Jew because his tribe is not mentioned (as it was with Ehud – 3:15), and some scholars believe that Anath (his father’s name) is not a Jewish name.14 The things we know for certain are that he killed 600 Philistines and that he did so with an oxgoad.

So what in the world was an oxgoad? It was an “ox prodder” of sorts, a sharp instrument mounted on the end of a fairly long pole – long enough so that the plowman could jab his oxen in the backside to goad them on so that they would plow faster. We are told that at the other end of the oxgoad a metal scraper was attached, which the plowman would use to scrape off the dirt or mud that had stuck to the plow, so that it would function more efficiently. We would have to say that the oxgoad was not the “weapon of choice;” it was just what Shamgar had at hand. You wouldn’t find these “weapons” at the local gun store, but at the local farm store. It therefore seems that the author wants me to focus on one thing – that unlikely weapon, the oxgoad.

There are many things we would love to know about Shamgar and his military career. We would like to know if he was an Israelite, and if so, from which tribe. We would like to know if and for how long he “ruled” Israel. We would love to read the report of the battle (or battles) in which the oxgoad was used and to hear just how Shamgar did it. We would like to know why the author went into such great detail in describing the termination of Eglon, and yet skips over most of the “interesting” material related to Shamgar and the Philistines. This is what we shall now set out to discover,

Conclusion

So now we have come to the most challenging part of this message. We are about to reach some conclusions that will explain: (1) the lack of details in the account of Othniel, when he seems to be such a great leader; (2) the length of the account and richness of detail in the author’s account of the death of Eglon at the hand of Ehud; and, (3) the brevity of the reference to Shamgar and his victory over the Philistines. What was this chapter intended to say to the ancient Israelites who read it long ago, and what is its message and its relevance to Christians today?

Question 1: Why is there so little detail in the author’s account of Othniel’s victory over Cushan-Rishathaim? We must first bear in mind that this is not the only time we have come across Othniel.15 We saw him first in Joshua 15 (verse 16-19) and then again in Judges 1 (verses 11-15). Added to what we already knew of Othniel, we now discover that he became Israel’s first judge, who delivered Israel after eight years of subjection to Cushan-Rishathaim. Othniel brought peace to Israel for forty years.

The most important thing to keep in mind about Othniel is that God raised him up and empowered him to carry out his divinely-appointed mission. I believe this is the explanation for the lack of further detail. The more we focus on Othniel – what he did and how he did it – the more glory we give to him, rather than to God who ultimately accomplished Israel’s deliverance. Then, as now, it was too easy to look to a man to save you, rather than to God. This is precisely what will happen when Israel demands a king in 1 Samuel 8:16

4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and approached Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons don’t follow your ways. So now appoint over us a king to lead us, just like all the other nations have.” 6 But this request displeased Samuel, for they said, “Give us a king to lead us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 The Lord said to Samuel, “Do everything the people request of you. For it is not you that they have rejected, but it is me that they have rejected as their king. 8 Just as they have done from the day that I brought them up from Egypt until this very day, they have rejected me and have served other gods. This is what they are also doing to you” (1 Samuel 8:4-8.).

It is no wonder that we are so interested in more details concerning Othniel’s successful leadership today. If he had lived in our day, he would have been hotly pursued to write a book titled, “Othniel’s Seven Steps to Successful Leadership,” and I fear the book would have sold like hotcakes. But God is the only real key to Othniel’s success. The victory was from the Lord. This is not to overlook Othniel’s faith, courage, and initiative, but our eyes must be on God, not man. In the end, it is God alone who deserves the glory.

Question 2: Why is there so much emphasis on Ehud and such an abundance of gory details concerning the execution of Eglon? We should begin by noting what our author has written to set the stage for this account of deliverance. He has provided us with certain information about Ehud: his origin (a Benjamite, the son of Gera), his physical characteristic of left-handedness, and his weapon – a homemade dagger or short sword designed to be concealed under his clothing. We are also told certain things about Eglon: namely, his excessive heaviness and his naiveté in allowing Ehud to have a personal audience with him, out of sight and thus away from the protection of his servants (aka his secret service). Some of the conversation between Ehud and Eglon is recorded, and a fairly specific (and graphic) explanation of why the king’s servants waited so long to check on his well-being. We are given some very important details about the place where the meeting occurred, particularly the “cool room.” They were in Gilgal, in the suburbs of Jericho, and also close to the Jordan River and the fords where one must cross the river to return to Moab. Our attention is also drawn to the carved idols, twice mentioned in the text. Finally, we learn how Ehud escaped, summoned his armed forces, and defeated the Moabite army as they vainly sought to cross the Jordan in an effort to return to Moab.

That is a lot of detail, much more than is said of either Othniel’s or Shamgar’s deliverances. But there is also something we are not told. We are not specifically told that the Spirit of the Lord came upon Ehud, empowering him for his task. (I am confident that the Spirit of the Lord did empower him, but it was not clearly stated in the text.) We are told that God “raised up Ehud as Israel’s deliverer” (verse 15), in words that are very similar to what we have just read concerning Othniel (see verse 9).

We are also told that God gave Eglon power over Israel because of their sin (verse 12). This tells me that from all outward evidences, Israel was merely experiencing “bad luck.” This is not so different from the impression we are given in Judges 1. It looked as though Judah could not drive out the Canaanites from the plains “because the Canaanites had iron chariots” (Judges 1:19). So, too, it would seem that the failure of the Benjamites to drive out the Jebusites (1:21) and the Danites’ retreat to the hills (1:34-35) occurred because the enemy was stronger than the Israelites. But then the Angel of the Lord appears in the first verses of chapter 2, revealing that all of the failures of chapter 1 were due to Israel’s sin. Just as coexistence with the Canaanites in chapter 1 was the consequence of Israel’s sin, so the Israelites’ oppression at the hand of the Moabites was divine judgment.

All of this is to say that one cannot judge one’s circumstances on the basis of appearances, or, in the words of our author, on the basis of what seems right in our own eyes, rather than in God’s sight (as defined by God’s Word). Appearances would incline us to think that Israel’s misfortune was merely bad luck, while her deliverance was a stroke of good luck. Nothing could be further from the truth. Both Israel’s defeat and her deliverance were the work of the (largely) unseen hand of God. I believe that our text was written to reveal the hand of God in all that took place, both in Israel’s bondage, and in her deliverance. God’s gracious hand is to be seen in the details of our text.

If I could sum up the message of our text in the fewest words possible, it would be with the words of Paul in Romans 8:28:

And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28.).

Our text is the best illustration I can think of in the entire Bible (at least at this moment, when I’m saturated in the particulars of this account) of God’s providential (unseen) sovereign control of history, carrying out His purposes and His promises for His covenant people.

Now, let’s go back to some of the details in our text, and let me attempt to demonstrate how each and every detail is a part of the “all things” of Romans 8:28 that God is causing to “work together for good” for the fulfillment of His promises and the blessing of His people.

Ehud was a left-handed Benjamite, as was true of a number of Benjamites in particular. His left-handedness is what enabled him to carry his very special concealed weapon, located on his right hip, where it would not be expected (and where he was likely not searched). Jericho and Gilgal just happened to be in Benjamite territory, and Ehud just happened to be selected (elected?) to take the tribute to Eglon in Gilgal.

Gilgal was the place where the Israelite nation had first gathered when they crossed the Jordan. It was here that the 12 stones from the midst of the Jordan were piled up as a monument to God’s power and deliverance. It was here that the nation was circumcised and observed the Passover.17 And it was here that was the gateway to Jericho and ultimately to Jerusalem. It was also here (or close by) that the fords of the Jordan made it possible to cross from Israelite territory to Moab (or the reverse). It was here that Ehud twice passed the carved idols that now symbolized Israel’s idolatry and Moab’s victory. Is seeing these images (and perhaps the 12 stones as well) what prompted Ehud to turn back and seek yet another face-to-face meeting with Eglon? Here is what God said when He instructed Joshua to make the stone memorial:

21 He told the Israelites, “When your children someday ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones represent?’ 22 explain to your children, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you while you crossed over. It was just like when the Lord your God dried up the Red Sea before us while we crossed it. 24 He has done this so all the nations of the earth might recognize the Lord’s power and so you might always obey the Lord your God” (Joshua 4:21-24, emphasis mine).

It is possible that the sight of the heathen-carved idols that now met those who entered Gilgal reminded Ehud of God’s power and of His exhortation to “always fear and obey the Lord”? The two-fold mention of these carved idols in conjunction with Gilgal is hardly a coincidence. The author expects his readers to remember Israel’s history as it relates to Gilgal. And so it was to Gilgal (or the fords of Jordan nearby) that Ehud would return with his forces to block the Moabites from crossing the Jordan. And thus 10,000 of the enemy were slaughtered by the Israelites. All these events could not have happened at a better place. Gilgal was the perfect place, the place God divinely (albeit providentially) orchestrated to be the location of Eglon’s palace, and thus where tribute would be paid to Eglon, and where God’s “payoff” for Moab’s oppression of His people would take place.

The palace was somehow equipped with a “cool room” where Eglon may have been able to look out and see people entering and leaving the city. It was also a place that was high enough for the cooler breezes to circulate through the room. He was apparently looking out from his “cool room” when Ehud departed and then unexpectedly turned to call out to the king that he had a secret message for him. Since those who accompanied Ehud had already gone, Eglon must have felt that he was in little danger from one “unarmed” Israelite, and thus he summoned him back to his palace and met with him privately (away from his security forces) in his “cool room.” All of these physical details are a part of the “all things” of Romans 8:28 which God is working together for the achievement of His purposes, for the good of His people.

Now here is where it is going to get a little sticky. I do not wish to be indelicate, but there are some additional details which I believe are also a part of the “all things” God causes to work together in our text. Why does our author feel that it is necessary to make a point of the fact that Eglon was a very fat man? I would love to pass by this detail because I have a few extra pounds to shed – not as many as Eglon, mind you, but I am not as trim as I would like to be, and thus my reluctance to deal with someone like Eglon who has a serious weight problem.

Davis thinks there is an element of humor here that the Israelites would find amusing.18 Perhaps Davis is on to something here, I but am inclined to think that this is not the author’s primary purpose for calling attention to Eglon’s girth. A very fat man is hardly in shape to be a great warrior. Eglon would surely be a big target and would not easily be able to dodge Ehud’s dagger. And yet Eglon stood, as if on cue, to give Ehud the perfect target, to obtain just the right effect – Eglon’s death – yet apparently without so much as an outcry that would summon his servants.

v  

[Garland-Green]

Eglon’s weight was a necessary piece of God’s providential puzzle in yet another way. The translators of the NIV render the text in such a way as to indicate that Ehud’s dagger not only found its way into Eglon’s belly, handle and all, but also penetrated so deeply that it came out the back side.19

Even the handle sank in after the blade, which came out his back. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it (Judges 3:22, NIV; emphasis mine).

Regardless of where the point of the dagger emerged, virtually all translations inform us of the result. In the words used to describe the death of Judas, “his bowels gushed out” (Acts 1:18, KJV, ESV). It is perhaps more accurate to say that the contents of his bowels gushed out.

“So,” you might ask, “what difference does this make?” It makes a great deal of difference in the unfolding drama of our text. What was it that caused the servants of Eglon to linger for such a long time outside his “cool room” – long enough for Ehud to make his escape? The author tells us in plain (but rather candid) language: they thought that Eglon was going to the bathroom and would not want to be disturbed. Apparently, kings did not want to be seen “with their pants down” (so to speak), as we note in the account of Saul stopping at a cave to answer nature’s call.20 Thus, his servants always honored his desire for privacy at such a time.

But how is it that they would conclude that Eglon was making a “pit stop”? Here’s where it gets a bit indelicate, but I believe we need to see why the author has included these unseemly details. As I read the text, the king had entered the “cool room” with Ehud, and they were left to discuss Ehud’s confidential matter privately. The servants did not see Ehud leave, but it appears they assumed he had left and that only the king was in the “cool room” and in good health. He was just “tending to business.” And why did they assume this? Because when Ehud ran his dagger through the king’s stomach he severed his intestines, and perhaps sliced open his bowels (or at least the back side of Eglon). A doctor friend told me that such an “incision” would literally empty his bowels. Since Eglon was a very fat man, he would have a lot of “dirt”21 to gush forth.

Now let us remember yet another detail our author has supplied. Eglon is in his “cool room.” The floor of the Jordan Valley (and thus Jericho and Gilgal) was a very warm place, and the “cool room” was apparently a lattice-walled room that allowed the breeze to pass through, providing a certain amount of cooling. Now we are told that a very large man has just (involuntarily) emptied his bowels completely. My doctor friend, Gary, also informed me that the smell of Eglon’s incision and consequent purging would be intense. That smell would have been carried throughout the palace area by the breezes passing through the “cool room,” so that the servants were hardly speculating about what was taking the king so long. They had probably “been there” before. No one wanted to disturb the king at a time like this. And so they waited and waited. No one wanted to be the one to interrupt nature’s workings. Finally, so much time passed that the servants were embarrassed. How could the king take so long? Why didn’t he call out to them? Hadn’t he locked the doors (which, of course, Ehud had done)? When they could wait no longer, they obtained the key and opened the door to find the corpse of their king, with his insides and their contents all around him.

Why tell such a gruesome story? Why include the bathroom scene, with all the unpleasant details? (Thank goodness there is no “scratch and sniff” version of this text!) The answer should now be apparent – the intestinal surgery performed by Ehud and his custom-made sword, with all the smells that accompanied it, were what kept the king’s servants from taking action sooner. And this lengthy delay (it was lengthy – see verse 25) is precisely what allowed Ehud to make his escape, summon his troops, and seize the fords of the Jordan, so that the Moabites could not escape, resulting in the slaughter of 10,000 Moabite soldiers.22

Do you now see why the author included all these seemingly gratuitous details? It was to demonstrate that while the natural eye may see only coincidences and “good luck,” this was actually God’s doing. He orchestrated “all things for good” so that He might deliver His people. His control extended to which of Ehud’s hands was dominant, to the design of his dagger and exactly where it was concealed, to the king’s weight problem, and to the design of his palace and cool room. God’s providence directed Ehud’s sword so that it penetrated deeply (it didn’t strike a rib) so that it opened his intestines, producing a terrible (but familiar) smell.

Think of each and every detail that had to go just right in order for the events of our text to turn out as they did. Our author wants us to see that such a deliverance as he has described is vastly beyond anything that Ehud or anyone else could have orchestrated. This deliverance may not have been as spectacular as the dividing and closing of the Red Sea, but it produced what God had purposed. God was in complete control, even though it could appear that these things were happening by chance.

What does this mean to us? Well, Paul said it, and we have already pointed it out: “God causes all things to work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28.). Was this true for Ehud and for Israel in the times of the judges? Yes! Is it true for Christians today? Absolutely! As we look at the decline of our nation morally, politically, and economically, we might be tempted to wring our hands. It may look as though things are spinning out of control. But appearances are not reality. God may well be using some powerful men and nations to chasten America and even His church for our sins. But the good news is that when we call out to Him for help, He is merciful, and He causes men and events to achieve His purposes, although it may appear that these are going to bring about our destruction. If God was in complete control, both in disciplining disobedient Israel and in bringing about her deliverance, then He will do the same for His people today. We must simply trust and obey Him, as He has revealed Himself in His Word.

Question 3: What are we to learn from Shamgar to whom our author devotes but one sentence in our text? There is but one thing that really stands out in our text and that is his oxgoad, the weapon with which he slaughters 600 Philistines. So what are we to learn from an oxgoad? I believe the author of Judges sends us a very consistent message regarding the kinds of weapons God uses to bring victory to His people: here it is an oxgoad, and a few verses earlier it was a hidden dagger wielded by a left-handed Benjamite. Elsewhere in Judges, God gives the victory to Israel by means of a tent peg and hammer (Jael), horns and torches (Gideon),23 a millstone thrown down by a woman, landing on Abimelech’s head,24 the jawbone of a donkey,25 and a collapsing building26 (Samson).

The Israelites were intimidated by the iron chariots of their enemies, doubtful that they could ever prevail over armies so well equipped. The truth was that God could give His people victory over their enemies regardless of their weapons, and by means of the most unlikely warriors and weapons. Once again we see that it is God who is our victory, not our heroes and not high tech weapons. I love these words by Matthew Henry,

“See here, (1.) That God can make those eminently serviceable to his glory and his church’s good whose extraction, education, and employment, are very mean and obscure. He that has the residue of the Spirit could, when he pleased, make ploughmen judges and generals, and fishermen apostles. (2.) It is no matter how weak the weapon is if God direct and strengthen the arm. An ox-goad when God pleases, shall do more than Goliath’s sword. And sometimes he chooses to work by such unlikely means, that the excellency of the power may appear to be of God.”27

Why should we be surprised that God would give His people victory by the use of such unlikely weapons? After all, God has chosen to achieve His purposes by using unlikely people:

13 When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and discovered that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus. 14 And because they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say against this (Acts 4:13-14).

26 Think about the circumstances of your call, brothers and sisters. Not many were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position. 27 But God chose what the world thinks foolish to shame the wise, and God chose what the world thinks weak to shame the strong. 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing, to set aside what is regarded as something, 29 so that no one can boast in his presence. 30 He is the reason you have a relationship with Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).

But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us (2 Corinthians 4:7).

Praise God that He has chosen to use people like you and like me to accomplish His purposes, so that all the glory goes to Him.

Question 4: Is the author not going to excesses in terms of the amount of violence and bloodshed that he reports? This is definitely not “G-rated” material. Is it necessary to describe the violence and bloodshed that occurred in such graphic detail? Is the violent death of Eglon (not to mention his 10,000 soldiers) not excessive force? Is this unbecoming to a God who is gracious and compassionate? Abraham once asked (when he was informed that God was about to incinerate Sodom and Gomorrah), “Will not the judge of the whole earth do what is right?” (Genesis 18:25b). Is the death of Eglon consistent with the character of our God?

We should remember that Justice administers punishment that is proportionate to the crime. Our author has not gone into great detail to describe the cruelty of Eglon to the Israelites over those 18 years, but I am certain that God’s judgment upon Eglon and Moab was proportionate to the violence and cruelty they committed against God’s people.

In the recent past, widespread outrage was expressed when the Lockerbie bomber was given a “compassionate release” from prison because of his bad health. People felt that a man who was responsible for the death of 270 people should have suffered more than he did. A dagger in the stomach of Eglon was no more than what he deserved.

Among several biblical texts, I am particularly reminded of two passages in the Book of Revelation. The first is found in chapter 6, where those who were martyred for their faith cried out to God for justice:

9 Now when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been violently killed because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Master, holy and true, before you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Each of them was given a long white robe and they were told to rest for a little longer, until the full number was reached of both their fellow servants and their brothers who were going to be killed just as they had been (Revelation 6:9-11).

Well deserved judgment did eventually come upon those who had abused and oppressed the people of God, as we read in Revelation 16:

4 Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and the springs of water, and they turned into blood. 5 Now I heard the angel of the waters saying:

“You are just – the one who is and who was,

the Holy One – because you have passed these judgments,

6 because they poured out the blood of your saints and prophets,

so you have given them blood to drink. They got what they deserved!”

7 Then I heard the altar reply, “Yes, Lord God, the All-Powerful, your judgments are true and just!” (Revelation 16:4-7, emphasis mine)

This should serve as a strong word of warning to those who would oppose God’s chosen people.28 Those who persecute God’s people will sooner or later face judgment from an angry God. One does not do well to oppose God’s people. Nor does one do well to idly stand by when His people are being harshly treated. This, my friend, has very real relevance to us as our nation seems to be losing its resolve to stand with Israel when their enemies are intent upon driving them all into the sea.

To those who would protest that God’s justice is excessively violent, I would remind you that hell is violent. God’s righteous anger has already been poured out upon His Son at Calvary. The suffering of our Lord on the cross of Calvary makes Eglon’s suffering pale in comparison, and yet that is the punishment we all deserve, the punishment our Lord bore on the sinner’s behalf. If God dealt so severely with those who treated the Israelites harshly in Judges, what do you think lies in store for those who have rejected His Son? Hell is the measure of how seriously God takes our sin.

One last observation: Our text does not glorify the judges God raised up to deliver His people because even the best of them were sinners. They were merely flawed instruments in the hands of God. Paul would call them “clay pots.”29 They were not sinless. And they all died. They could only save for a short time. The Great Deliverer is Jesus. He is without sin, and He has borne the penalty of our sins. And since He lives forever, He can save forever, save all those who acknowledge their sin and embrace His sacrificial death at Calvary on their behalf. Judges does not have any true super heroes because there is only one Super Hero, the Lord Jesus. To Him be the glory, great things He has done!

1 Copyright © 2009 by Robert L. Deffinbaugh. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson 4 in the series, The Dark Days of Israel’s Judges, prepared by Robert L. Deffinbaugh on September 6, 2009. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with or without credit.

2 Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the NET Bible. The NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION, also known as THE NET BIBLE, is a completely new translation of the Bible, not a revision or an update of a previous English version. It was completed by more than twenty biblical scholars who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. The translation project originally started as an attempt to provide an electronic version of a modern translation for electronic distribution over the Internet and on CD (compact disk). Anyone anywhere in the world with an Internet connection will be able to use and print out the NET Bible without cost for personal study. In addition, anyone who wants to share the Bible with others can print unlimited copies and give them away free to others. It is available on the Internet at: www.netbible.org.

3 See also Genesis 34:8-10, 20-23; Numbers 25:1-9; Joshua 15:16; Judges 1:12; 21:1, 7, 18; 1 Samuel 17:25; 18:17; Ezra 9:12; Nehemiah 10:30.

4 Dale Ralph Davis believes that the author has purposely engaged in word play here, and this could well be the case as we can hear the similarity of sound in the king’s name (Cushan-Rishathaim, which is supposed to mean “Cushan of double wickedness”) and the country’s name (Aram-Naharaim, “Aram double rivers”). Davis may very well be right here, and if so, this word play may have gotten a chuckle out of the ancient Jews who read or heard it. But this is an “inside joke,” and thus it does not produce the same effect for readers today. That is why I will pass by this suggested word play with no further comment. While it might produce a smile or a chuckle, it is not the thrust of the text. See Dale Ralph Davis, Such a Great Salvation: Expositions of the Book of Judges (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1990), p. 51.

5 The word here is different from the term rendered “groaning” in 2:18. Nevertheless, it still does not appear to indicate repentance. See Davis, Such a Great Salvation, pp. 49-50, also D.I. Block, Judges, Ruth (NAC 6; Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1999), pp. 148, 153.

6 Dale Ralph Davis, p. 55.

7 See Judges 8:22, where Gideon is invited to be Israel’s king. See also 1 Samuel 8 where the Israelites demand a king.

8 See Judges 17:6; 21:25.

9 The expression used to describe the raising up of Ehud to deliver Israel is remarkably similar to the description of God raising up Othniel in verse 9.

10 This was not altogether unusual as we can see from Judges 20:16.

11 See 2 Chronicles 17:10-11.

12 It is interesting to note that of the various translations, only the NIV and the 1901 ASV actually makes a point (pardon the pun) of the fact that the sword went through his intestines and then proceeded to penetrate the back of Eglon’s body. This is due to some choices translators had to make. All translators would appear to agree that this fatal wound severed Eglon’s intestines, emptying out their contents (ESV, “dung”) on the ground.

13 We should take note here that Israel’s oppressors are now the Philistines, not the Moabites.

14 See Dale Ralph Davis, Such a Great Salvation: Expositions of the Book of Judges (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1990), p. 65.

15 Although the information provided in earlier texts does not tell us a great deal more about Othniel.

16 This will also happen in Judges 8:22, but Gideon will wisely decline (verse 23).

17 See Joshua 4:19-5:12.

18 Dale Ralph Davis, Such a Great Salvation, pp. 59-62.

19 Arnold Fruchtenbaum (a classmate in seminary days) writes, “Third: and it came out behind. The Hebrew word is parshedona, another hapex-legomenon (word used only once in the Hebrew Bible). In other cognate, Semitic languages, it is used of the cavity or the opening of the a**s. So the downward motion of the dagger was with such force that it passed completely through the abdomen and projected from the a**s.” Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Books of Judges and Ruth (San Antonio, Texas: Ariel Ministries, 2007), p. 58.

20 Literally, “to cover his feet.” The same terms are used in both Judges 3:24 and 1 Samuel 24:3.

21 “Dirt,” KJV, NRS; the NAU has “refuse” and the ESV “dung.” I think the point is clear. He did “relieve himself,” but not in the usual manner.

22 I realize that it was some distance to the hill country of Ephraim and that some length of time was required (although the sound of a blown trumpet would carry for a considerable distance). Dictators do not establish protocol for their replacement, and so it may have taken some time for the Moabites to determine who was in charge. Nevertheless, God’s providential control provided enough time for the Israelite forces to be summoned and to arrive at the Jordan.

23 See Judges 7.

24 Judges 9:52-53.

25 Judges 15:15-17.

26 Judges 16:23-30.

27 Matthew Henry, as cited by Dale Ralph Davis, Such a Great Salvation, p. 67.

28 Here I am thinking of the Jews, but I am also including the church, the “Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16).

29 2 Corinthians 4:7.

Source  

[Garland-Green]

Strong Women, Weak-kneed (Wimpy) Men (Judges 4:1-24)

Alternate titles: Wonder Woman and the Wimp
Or
Sisera Goes to Jael

Introduction

Some time ago my good friend, Bill Mathers, and I were sitting beside each other in an elective class taught at Community Bible Chapel. I don’t remember all the details (speaker, subject, etc.), but I do recall that the speaker made a comment that prompted a “pun” to come to my mind. I looked over at Bill and realized that he had thought of exactly the same pun. I was on the brink of sharing it with the entire class when Bill whispered to me, “Better not!” He was speaking to himself and to me, because we both love to engage in exchanging puns. Of course, Bill was right.

You can imagine the temptation I have experienced this past week with a text like ours. The more I studied the text, the more puns just began to flow, prompting a plethora of possible sermon titles. I have to tell you that others have been thinking along the same lines. For example, after I preached this message my friend, Bill Hayden, came to me with yet another suggested title: “What Was Going Through Sisera’s Mind?”

Although our text is a goldmine of possible puns, we are here because it is a text that we must take very seriously. There are a few things that it would be good to know before we get into the text itself, so let’s turn to them first.

Our text is the first of a two-part account of God’s deliverance through Deborah and Barak. Judges 4 is an historical account of God’s deliverance of Israel through Deborah, Barak, and Jael. Judges 5 is a poetic account of this same deliverance. It is poetry that was sung on the day of Israel’s victory over Jabin, the Canaanite king who oppressed the Israelites by means of his commander, Sisera. Both chapters are very skillfully written, and both are necessary for a correct understanding of these events and their significance for the ancient Israelites and for us. Our study of chapter 5 will prove to be the key to a proper understanding of what God was doing for Israel and the implications of this for the readers of this text.

By the way, a two-part account should not come as a surprise to the reader since Judges began with a two-part introduction. We should also recall that there are similar passages in the Bible. After the Israelites safely passed through the Red Sea and the Egyptians are drowned (Exodus 14), we come to the “Song of Moses,” which was sung by the Israelites. Then, too, there is the other “song of Moses” which we find in Deuteronomy 32. This song exalted God, reviewed His gracious works of the past, warned of the consequences of unbelief and disobedience, and exhorted Israel to trust and obey Him.

Unlike the previous chapter, which dealt with Israel’s oppression at the hand of foreign kings, our text deals with Israel’s bondage and oppression at the hands of a Canaanite king, who lives in the land – a king and a people whom the Israelites should have destroyed.

Our text pertains primarily to northern Israel and to the land that the Israelites had not yet possessed by driving out the Canaanites, theoretically due to the strength of the enemy’s military might.

19 The Lord was with the men of Judah. They conquered the hill country, but they could not conquer the people living in the coastal plain, because they had chariots with iron-rimmed wheels (Judges 1:19).

30 The men of Zebulun did not conquer the people living in Kitron and Nahalol. The Canaanites lived among them and were forced to do hard labor. 31 The men of Asher did not conquer the people living in Acco or Sidon, nor did they conquer Ahlab, Aczib, Helbah, Aphek, or Rehob. 32 The people of Asher live among the Canaanites residing in the land because they did not conquer them. 33 The men of Naphtali did not conquer the people living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath. They live among the Canaanites residing in the land. The Canaanites living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were forced to do hard labor for them (Judges 1:30-33).

The tribes named in verses 30-33 of Judges 1 (above) – Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali – were all tribes in the northern portion of Israel. None of them succeeded in totally destroying the Canaanites in their territory, and all were therefore forced to coexist with them. Now, at last, the Israelites will defeat the Canaanites and possess the land to the north, especially the plains. This is critical for a couple of reasons. (1) The plains are the place where the Israelites can practice farming. (2) The main trade and communication routes take advantage of the plains. Thus, to control the plains is to control travel and commerce and communication. As one can see from chapter 5,2 up until now the Israelites weren’t able to travel freely, but were forced to use the “back roads.”

Our text in Judges is the most popular passage for scholarly study. Why would scholars be so attracted to this passage, when they generally shy away from Judges, and especially from the kind of violence which occurred at the hand of Jael? The answer is pretty obvious. Those who are desperate to set aside the clear biblical teaching on the role of women rush here in the hope that they will find a text that validates a feminist agenda. Here, at last, seems to be a text that validates women leading men. I believe that when we interpret this text in its context, we will see that it does just the opposite. Bear with me until we return to this matter.

The hero (or rather heroine) in our text is not Deborah, but Jael. This is a very important point, which is quite emphatically demonstrated by our author and, interestingly, by Deborah, the author of the song in chapter 5. Those who are so eager to make Deborah the heroine are not at all eager to embrace Jael as such. Indeed, they seem to find her an embarrassment. We will not understand our text correctly until we acknowledge Jael as the one who is honored in our text. In this message, I will focus my attention on her, seeking to show why the author speaks of her in such favorable terms, much to the distress of some.

The Setting
Judges 4:1-3
1 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight after Ehud’s death. 2 The Lord turned them over to King Jabin of Canaan, who ruled in Hazor. The general of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim. 3 The Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, because Sisera had nine hundred chariots with iron-rimmed wheels, and he cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years (Judges 4:1-3).3

We know that the events which are now described occurred after the death of Ehud, whom we considered in the last chapter. Israel sins once again, following the pattern which the author has already outlined in his introduction.4 And, once again, the sins to which the author refers are evil “in the Lord’s sight” (verse 1). It is very likely that the Israelites did not conceive of their actions as sin, not unlike those in our own time. After all, the Israelites of that day “did what was right in their own eyes.” In such a culture – a culture very similar to our own – something is wrong only if you think it is, and there isn’t much these days which is considered wrong.

As a result of Israel’s sin, God acts consistently with His covenant, disciplining His people with those consequences He had indicated earlier on several occasions:

11 “Watch yourselves carefully! Love the Lord your God! 12 But if you ever turn away and make alliances with these nations that remain near you, and intermarry with them and establish friendly relations with them, 13 know for certain that the Lord our God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. They will trap and ensnare you; they will be a whip that tears your sides and thorns that blind your eyes until you disappear from this good land the Lord your God gave you.”

14 “Look, today I am about to die. 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! 15 But in the same way every faithful promise the Lord your God made to you has been realized, it is just as certain, if you disobey, that the Lord will bring on you every judgment until he destroys you from this good land which the Lord your God gave you. 16 If you violate the covenantal laws of the Lord your God which he commanded you to keep, and follow, worship, and bow down to other gods, the Lord will be very angry with you and you will disappear quickly from the good land which he gave to you” (Joshua 23:11-16).

God sold the Israelites into the hands of Jabin, a Canaanite king who reigned in Hazor, a city located approximately 12 miles north of the Sea of Galilee. It was once a major Canaanite city that was defeated and destroyed (by fire) at the hand of Joshua.5 Later on, the Canaanites returned and rebuilt the city, making it a royal city. Hazor was located in the territory of Naphtali,6 which explains why Barak was commanded to gather troops from Naphtali and Zebulun (verse 6). It also should be noted that “Jabin” is a dynastic title, like “Pharaoh” and “Abimelech.” This explains why the name “Jabin” can occur earlier in Joshua 11 and then again in our text, years later.

Sisera was the commander of Jabin’s military forces, and thus he becomes more prominent in our text. He is said to live in Harosheth Haggoyim, a place whose location is uncertain. (We do know that the word “Haggoyim” means “of the Gentiles,” which is thus translated in some versions.) It appears that he carried out his task with the kind of zeal which justified cruel oppression. The reader should bear this in mind when he or she is tempted to react to the “cruelty and violence” of Jael. And here, once again, we encounter the dreaded iron chariots of the enemy. Sisera’s army had 900 such chariots to employ against the Israelites. I am told that these chariots were used to run down the opponent, and I have little doubt that Sisera had made use of his chariots in this manner on previous occasions. No wonder the Israelites were terrified.7 Sisera had terrorized the Israelites for 20 years, prompting them to finally8 cry out to the Lord for help. For some reason, the author does not say that God “raised up” either Deborah or Barak, or both, yet it seems apparent that He did so.

We should note one more piece of background information which is not found in chapter 4, but is described for us in the song of Deborah in chapter 5:

6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,

in the days of Jael caravans disappeared;

travelers had to go on winding side roads.

7 Warriors were scarce,

they were scarce in Israel,

until you arose, Deborah,

until you arose as a motherly protector in Israel.

8 God chose new leaders,

then fighters appeared in the city gates;

but, I swear, not a shield or spear could be found,

among forty military units in Israel (Judges 5:6-8, emphasis mine).

This is very helpful information. It describes conditions in northern Israel under Jabin, before God raised up Deborah and Barak (and Jael). It was hazardous for an Israelite to travel on the main thoroughfares, and so they moved about on the lesser traveled side roads. And rather than settle in villages, the people avoided village life. Villages must have been tempting “spoils” for the cruel Canaanite forces. And on top of this, we are informed that the Israelites were not well armed. “Not a sword or a shield could be found” (5:8.). That is not good news if one were contemplating taking on a large army equipped with many swords and iron chariots. Israel’s situation looked hopeless, but God. . . .

Meet Deborah and Barak
Judges 4:4-10
4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was leading [judging]9 Israel at that time. 5 She would sit under the Date Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites would come up to her to have their disputes settled. 6 She summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali. She said to him, “Is it not true that the Lord God of Israel is commanding you? Go, march to Mount Tabor! Take with you ten thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulun! 7 I will bring Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to you at the Kishon River, along with his chariots and huge army. I will hand him over to you.” 8 Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go. But if you do not go with me, I will not go.” 9 She said, “I will indeed go with you. But you will not gain fame on the expedition you are undertaking, for the Lord will turn Sisera over to a woman.” Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 Barak summoned men from Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. Ten thousand men followed him; Deborah went up with him as well (Judges 4:4-10).

Deborah is introduced to us first as a prophetess and then as the wife of Lappidoth, a man about whom we know nothing. As indicated above, I do not believe it is accurate to say that Deborah was “leading” Israel as one of the judges like Othniel led. The point made by our author is that she was both a wife and a mother who “judged” in some sense.10 I believe that Deborah “judged” in the same way that Moses and other “judges” (outside the Book of Judges) judged the Israelites.11 They helped people understand and apply God’s law to their particular circumstances. In a day when men were “doing what was right in their own eyes,” it is encouraging to find those who sought to know what was right in God’s eyes.

I think it would be safe to refer to Deborah as a “shade tree prophetess.” Deborah did her judging underneath the “Date Palm Tree of Deborah,” somewhere in the hills between Ramah and Bethel. Her prophetic ministry must almost certainly have been an indictment against the formal religious leadership (namely the priests) in Israel. We know that at this time, the Ark of the Covenant was kept in Bethel.12 The priesthood would have been carrying out their duties there. Deborah’s place of business was some distance away, in a rather remote location. People had to seek her out to obtain judgment.

In her role as a prophetess, Deborah summons Barak and conveys God’s instructions to him. These instructions are not presented as Deborah’s thoughts, not even as her interpretation of God’s revelation, but rather as God’s direct command to Barak. Surely Barak knew (“Is it not true. . .?”) that God was commanding him to lead the Israelites in battle. He was instructed to assemble 10,000 men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them to Mount Tabor. God promised that He would draw13 Sisera to the Kishon River,14 along with his army and his 900 chariots, where He would give them into Barak’s hands.

Defeating Sisera, with his large and well equipped army (including his 900 chariots), seemed like an impossible task, and indeed it was. God had Barak and his men assemble for battle on Mount Tabor. This “mountain” has an “ice cream cone” shape and is a little over 1800 feet high. It is located northeast of the Esdraelon Plain, roughly half way between Nazareth (6-8 miles to the west) and the Sea of Galilee (approximately 12 miles to the east).

Looking at pictures of Mount Tabor, one can readily understand how Sisera would be “drawn” to the valley at the base of Mount Tabor, and thus to the Kishon River, which runs through that valley. That plain surrounding Mount Tabor was the perfect place to employ his 900 chariots. He could encircle the mountain like he was besieging a city. And whenever any Israelites sought to escape, Sisera’s chariots could easily overtake them and run them down. The army that Barak gathered would look like “easy pickings” to Sisera, and thus he would be drawn there to suppress this uprising.

That Barak would be apprehensive is not too surprising. After all, he was commanded to take on a large, well-armed force with 10,000 poorly equipped men (see 5:8.). But mere cowardice isn’t really what we find here. Barak makes his obedience to God’s command contingent upon Deborah’s presence with him when he takes on Sisera and his men. He will do as God commanded if she goes with him; but if she does not accompany Barak, he will not go.

Surely we would have to agree that Barak is not merely seeking to add one more warrior to the 10,000 who will gather with him. No, I believe that Barak’s request is similar to that of Moses when God told him to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land:

1 The Lord said to Moses, “Go up from here, you and the people whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ 2 I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, and I might destroy you on the way.” . . . 15 And Moses said to him, “If your presence does not go with us, do not take us up from here. 16 For how will it be known then that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not by your going with us, so that we will be distinguished, I and your people, from all the people who are on the face of the earth?” (Exodus 33:1-3, 15-16).

The reason that Barak wanted Deborah (a “mother in Israel,” 5:7) to accompany him was because she was a prophetess. I believe Barak was convinced that God would go with him if Deborah accompanied him. In a way, it was good for Barak to want to be assured that God was with him. But in another way it was sad, sad because he had no assurance of God’s presence with him apart from Deborah. Yes, Deborah spoke for the Lord, but he was not content to act on what she said; Barak wanted her with him as well. No Deborah, no battle.

Deborah agreed to accompany Barak, but she made it very clear that this arrangement was not ideal. Indeed, although Barak would win the battle, as promised, he would not get the glory (or honor) for this victory. Instead, the glory would go to “a woman.” No doubt Barak assumed that the “woman” Deborah referred to was herself, but it was not, as our text will soon disclose. It will be Jael who is honored for killing Sisera.

(I know that we must respect the silence of Scripture, but I still have to wonder . . . . What did Deborah’s husband, Lappidoth, think of all this? I can just see her writing him a note and leaving it on the kitchen table: “Gone for a while with Barak. Back in a couple of weeks or so. Don’t forget to feed the kids.” That must have left Lappidoth scratching his head. But then he was married to a prophetess. It is not my impression that this “mother in Israel” was a young mother. She may well have been older.)

A Significant Parenthesis
Judges 4:11
11 Now ********* the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ father-in-law. He lived near the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh (Judges 4:11).

This verse may seem to supply extraneous information at a time and place where it disrupts the flow of the argument, but reading a little further will show that this is not the case at all. ********* was a Kenite. This means that he was a descendant of Moses’ father-in-law, who accompanied the Israelites into the Promised Land. It also means that he was not an Israelite. Having said this, the Kenites had associated themselves with the Israelites and lived among them:

16 Now the descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the City of Date Palm Trees to Arad in the desert of Judah, located in the Negev. They went and lived with the people of Judah (Judges 1:16).

********* had separated himself from the rest of the Kenites and lived near Kedesh. As we shall soon see, ********* apparently tried to live in Israelite territory and yet maintain peaceful relations with Jabin. In verse 17, we read that ********* had entered into a covenant of peace with Jabin, something God clearly forbade His people to do.15 He was, it is sometimes said, trying to “play both ends against the middle.”

The Defeat of Sisera’s Army
Judges 4:12-16
12 When Sisera heard that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 he ordered all his chariotry – nine hundred chariots with iron-rimmed wheels – and all the troops he had with him to go from Harosheth-Haggoyim to the River Kishon. 14 Deborah said to Barak, “Spring into action, for this is the day the Lord is handing Sisera over to you! Has the Lord not taken the lead?” Barak quickly went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. 15 The Lord routed Sisera, all his chariotry, and all his army with the edge of the sword. Sisera jumped out of his chariot and ran away on foot. 16 Now Barak chased the chariots and the army all the way to Harosheth Haggoyim. Sisera’s whole army died by the edge of the sword; not even one survived! (Judges 4:12-16)

When Sisera learned that Barak and his army had assembled at Mount Tabor, he knew it was time to put down this rebellion, and there seemed no better place to do so than there. Mount Tabor was on the upper edge of the Esdraelon Valley or Valley of Jezreel. The valley seemed to afford the perfect place to stage an attack using his 900 chariots. And so they began to converge on Mount Tabor. Through Deborah, God informed Barak that now was the time to attack. At this point in time, this must have looked like a suicide mission, but God had other plans, and thus He assured Barak and those with him that victory over Sisera was certain. The Lord Himself had gone before them.

Barak and his army quickly descended from Mount Tabor in order to engage Sisera and his vastly superior army. Our text informs us that “the LORD routed Sisera, all his chariotry, and all his army with the edge of the sword.” Now, we may wonder how this could happen in light of what we read in chapter 5:

8 God chose new leaders,

then fighters appeared in the city gates;

but, I swear, not a shield or spear could be found,

among forty military units in Israel (Judges 5:8.).



How could Israel rout such an army with the sword when they were virtually unarmed, at least comparatively? We first need to recall that our text tells us that it was the LORD who routed Sisera and his army, not the Israelites. And beyond this, we need to keep in mind what we are told in the song of Deborah in chapter 5:

19 Kings came, they fought;

the kings of Canaan fought,

at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo,

but they took no silver as plunder.

20 From the sky the stars fought,

from their paths in the heavens they fought against Sisera.

21 The Kishon River carried them off;

the river confronted them – the Kishon River.

Step on the necks of the strong!

22 The horses’ hooves pounded the ground;

the stallions galloped madly (Judges 5:19-22).

God created confusion among Sisera’s warriors, and He did so by employing the forces of nature. From what we read in chapter 5, we conclude that God may very well have commenced a great thunderstorm. The fury of that storm, particularly the thunder and lightning, would have sent terror and confusion to man and animal. And the waters rushing down from Mount Tabor (and likely other high places) would have created a flash flood that would have virtually immobilized Sisera’s army.

But how could this army “die by the edge of the sword” (verse 16)? Let us consider what we read here in the light of two other biblical texts:

“I will send my terror before you, and I will destroy all the people whom you encounter; I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you” (Exodus 23:27).

10 As Samuel was offering burnt offerings, the Philistines approached to do battle with Israel. But on that day the Lord thundered loudly against the Philistines. He caused them to panic, and they were defeated by Israel. 11 Then the men of Israel left Mizpah and chased the Philistines, striking them down all the way to an area below Beth Car (1 Samuel 7:10-11)

19 A blacksmith could not be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said, “This will prevent the Hebrews from making swords and spears.” 20 So all Israel had to go down to the Philistines in order to get their plowshares, cutting instruments, axes, and sickles sharpened. 21 They charged two-thirds of a shekel to sharpen plowshares and cutting instruments, and a third of a shekel to sharpen picks and axes, and to set ox goads. 22 So on the day of the battle no sword or spear was to be found in the hand of anyone in the army that was with Saul and Jonathan. No one but Saul and his son Jonathan had them (1 Samuel 13:19-22).

Saul and all the army that was with him assembled and marched into battle, where they found the Philistines in total panic killing one another with their swords (1 Samuel 14:20).

The battle really is the Lord’s. At times He defeats Israel’s enemies while they merely look on in wonder. Such was the case when God drowned the Egyptian army in the Red Sea. And such was the case when God defeated the Philistines at Mizpah (1 Samuel 7) and later at Michmash (1 Samuel 14). I believe that it was also the case in our text. God used the 10,000 man army that gathered around Barak to lure Sisera into place, where God would employ the forces of nature to destroy them. The Israelites surely fought, but theirs was largely a matter of cleaning up after God did the work.

The chariots at Sisera’s disposal were not an asset, but a liability, which is clearly evident when Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot. Barak pursued Sisera’s men as far as Harosheth Haggoyim, Sisera’s home town (4:2). Surely Barak hoped to find Sisera and have the honor of putting him to death. But God had revealed to him that a woman would get the honor, not him (4:9). Sisera had other plans. He knew that his master, Jabin, had a peace treaty with ********* the Kenite, and so he sought safety at his house.

Sisera’s Dishonorable Death
Judges 4:17-22
17 Now Sisera ran away on foot to the tent of Jael, wife of ********* the Kenite, for King Jabin of Hazor and the family of ********* the Kenite had made a peace treaty. 18 Jael came out to welcome Sisera. She said to him, “Stop and rest, my lord. Stop and rest with me. Don’t be afraid.” So Sisera stopped to rest in her tent, and she put a blanket over him. 19 He said to her, “Give me a little water to drink, because I’m thirsty.” She opened a goatskin container of milk and gave him some milk to drink. Then she covered him up again. 20 He said to her, “Stand watch at the entrance to the tent. If anyone comes along and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say ‘No.’” 21 Then Jael wife of ********* took a tent peg in one hand and a hammer in the other. She crept up on him, drove the tent peg through his temple into the ground while he was asleep from exhaustion, and he died. 22 Now Barak was chasing Sisera. Jael went out to welcome him. She said to him, “Come here and I will show you the man you are searching for.” He went with her into the tent, and there he saw Sisera sprawled out dead with the tent peg in his temple (Judges 4:17-22).

Sisera arrived at ********* tent exhausted and desperate. Unfortunately (for Sisera), ********* was not home. (One has to wonder what ********* decision would have been had he been forced to decide between Jabin and Israel.) ********* wife, Jael, was home however. I’ll bet this nomadic woman would not have been a candidate for the cover of a woman’s magazine. First of all, she was taken by surprise and wasn’t prepared to entertain guests. Indeed, she would not have entertained a man without her husband being home. In my mind’s eye, I see a rather plain woman, simply dressed and tough as a boot. As the women usually were tasked with taking down and setting up the tents, her hands were probably rough and calloused.

There seems to be no hesitation on Jael’s part. She goes out to welcome Sisera, just as he had hoped. She urged him to stop and rest and to not be afraid. Exhausted, he sank to the floor to get some rest, as Jael urged him to do. She covered him with a blanket of some kind, and when he asked her for water, she gave him milk instead. He was getting even more help than he could have hoped for. And so, encouraged to trust her, Sisera asked Jael to keep watch at her door and to deny that anyone was there in her tent, turning them away without discovering him in his weakened state. His mind at rest and his body exhausted, Sisera fell into a deep sleep. Jael had no weapons of warfare, but she did have the tools of her trade: a tent peg and a hammer. Little did she know until now that all those years of driving tent pegs would prepare her for this moment. She crept beside Sisera and with one powerful blow, penetrated his skull and drove the peg through it, and into the ground.

Later, Barak arrives, pursuing Sisera, and likely accompanied by many of his army. Jael likewise went out to greet Barak and to invite him into her tent. There she presented to Sisera the corpse of Israel’s most powerful enemy, still stuck to the ground by Jael’s tent peg. No, the honor of destroying public enemy number one was not Barak’s, but Jael’s. And this, just as Deborah had prophesied.

Israel Finally Gets it Right
Judges 4:23-24
23 That day God humiliated King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 Israel’s power continued to overwhelm King Jabin of Canaan until they did away with him (Judges 4:23-24).

The battle with Sisera was won that day, but the war with Jabin was not yet won. The defeat of Sisera and his army was a humiliating defeat for Jabin. He had lost his right hand man and many of his army. The Israelites would continue to pursue and to defeat King Jabin until they “did away with him.” Most other translations say they “destroyed him.” He certainly was completely defeated, but as I read this statement, I conclude that Jabin, like Sisera, is dead. If so, we are not told who accomplished this. It could have been Barak, but whoever it was our author wants the reader to walk away from his account knowing it was Jael who was to get the honor, rather than Barak.

Conclusion

On the one hand, there is a great deal to say from what we have read in chapter 4. On the other hand, I must add that chapter 5 is the “final word” so far as our interpretation and application of chapter 4. Let me conclude, however, with several points of application.

First, I would like to speak to the feminist agenda as it relates to our text. The reason our text is the focus of most scholarly study (so far as the Book of Judges is concerned) is because it appears to be fertile soil for the seeds of feminist interpretation and practice. When the New Testament speaks with great clarity and emphasis on the role of women in the leadership of the home and of the church,16 our text appears to be a great fall-back text. If one does not dig too deeply into the text, it seems to justify women leading men, at least when men fail to lead. This simply is not the case, but I shall wait until chapter 5 to press this point.

I will say that I am greatly distressed by the duplicity of those who reject the clear teaching of Paul on this topic, seeking to justify their rejection of his teaching as irrelevant because the situation he addresses in Corinth (and thus in 1 Corinthians 11 and 14) is unique and not for general application. There was some unique problem in Corinth that required Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians, but this teaching is not normative, not for other churches back then, and certainly not for the church today. I find this most disturbing, given what Paul himself has to say about how general his teaching in 1 Corinthians was meant to be:

16 I encourage you, then, be imitators of me. 17 For this reason, I have sent Timothy to you, who is my dear and faithful son in the Lord. He will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church (1 Corinthians 4:16-17, emphasis mine).

If anyone intends to quarrel about this, we have no other practice, nor do the churches of God (1 Corinthians 11:16, emphasis mine).

As in all the churches of the saints, 34 the women should be silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak. Rather, let them be in submission, as in fact the law says (1 Corinthians 14:33b-34, emphasis mine).

So feminists would have us set aside Paul’s general (universal) teaching on the ministry of women in the church, alleging that it is exceptional, not general, in spite of Paul’s repeated declarations that it is general. And yet, when we come to the Book of Judges, a book that clearly is exceptional – How many of us would want to teach this as the normal Christian life and practice? – feminists would tell us that Deborah’s alleged leadership is the norm for all time. I find this way of dealing with the Scriptures remarkable and greatly distressing.

Having said this (and having let off a little steam in the process), let me go on to say that Barak and Sisera provide us with examples of those men whose thinking is extreme, on both sides of the issue. Barak places too much emphasis on the importance of Deborah in winning the war with Sisera and Jabin. She did not have to accompany him into battle, as Barak insisted. Her presence was not necessary to guarantee God’s presence and power. Sisera, on the other hand, had too little regard for women, especially Jael. Did he think that the “little woman” was only good for handing out blankets and serving warm milk? Sisera did not give Jael sufficient credit as a worthy opponent, and it cost him his life.

Second, let us all be clear on one thing: the woman who gets the honor in our text is not Deborah, but Jael. Jael is the woman about whom Deborah prophesied. She is the woman whom our text (and chapter 5) praises. It is she who has the courage to contradict the covenant with Jabin made by her husband, *********. This covenant was contrary to God’s Word (Exodus 23:32). This covenant would have made Jael and her husband Israel’s adversaries. This covenant would have required them to give aid and comfort to the enemies of God and His people. I believe that Jael, much like Abigail (whom we shall find in 1 Samuel 25), took action which endangered her, and which sought the best interest of her husband, all the while giving obedience to God and His Word highest priority.

Jael had every excuse not to act as she did. She was a woman, not a warrior. Engaging the commander of Jabin’s army was not her realm of responsibility. She was not even a Jew, but a Gentile. She was a married woman, whose husband had entered into a covenant of peace with Jabin. Who would possibly expect her to deal with Sisera as she did? She was indeed a woman worthy of honor.

Third, I would like to encourage every Christian by calling your attention to a lesson that is repeatedly taught in the Book of Judges: God uses unlikely people and uncommon means to accomplish His purposes and promises. Who would have thought that Jael would be the hero of our story? I’m sure such a thought never entered the mind of Jael. Sisera was a powerful man, with the support and resources of Jabin. Sisera was a formidable foe. Jael was a woman. Her life must have seemed dull and laborious. How many times had she taken down their tent, only to pitch it somewhere else a few days later? How unimportant she must have thought herself to be – a woman, the wife of a nomad, and not even a Jew. All she could do well was to make beds and blankets, process milk, keep house (tent), and offer a little hospitality. Oh, yes, and she could drive tent pegs – could she do that!

All her life this woman had been doing her simple, mundane tasks, perhaps feeling very insignificant in the scheme of life. And yet God had been preparing her, just as He had used Israel’s years of servitude to prepare them for the rigors of desert life. She had become very skilled with a tent peg and a hammer, but she did not know what difference this could make. If the Book of Judges teaches us anything, it is that our great God uses unlikely instruments to accomplish His purposes. He lifts up those who are lowly (like Jael), and he humbles those who are great (like Sisera).

As a preacher, I have known many people who begrudge the fact that they are not in full-time ministry, that their job does not involve preaching God’s Word and counseling others. They wrongly assume that they are doomed to live out a relatively insignificant existence. If the Book of Judges teaches us anything, it is that God uses lowly, unlikely people to accomplish great things by His power. That is what our Lord did with His disciples, and it is what He will do with us:

When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and discovered that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).

26 Think about the circumstances of your call, brothers and sisters. Not many were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position. 27 But God chose what the world thinks foolish to shame the wise, and God chose what the world thinks weak to shame the strong. 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing, to set aside what is regarded as something, 29 so that no one can boast in his presence. 30 He is the reason you have a relationship with Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

1 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come with superior eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed the testimony of God. 2 For I decided to be concerned about nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and with much trembling. 4 My conversation and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not be based on human wisdom but on the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:26-2:5).

Fourth, I would remind you that this text teaches us that those who choose to identify with God and with His people are blessed of God, while those who oppose God and His people will perish. A humble person (like Jael) who chooses to trust in God and to identify with His people receives God’s blessing, while a great and powerful man like Sisera perishes in shame because he chose to disregard God and to oppress His people. In a day when the nation Israel is hated and opposed by many, it would do us well to consider the implications of our text very carefully.

Finally, I would call your attention to the New Testament and to the gospel that we find proclaimed there. Those who choose to identify with the Lord Jesus Christ are those who will be saved, and those who reject and oppose Him will perish. He came to give His life as a ransom for many, to bear the penalty for sin that we deserve. The ultimate issue is not our identification with Israel (important though that may be), but our identification with Jesus as God’s only means of salvation. He is the ultimate Judge, the ultimate Deliverer. His deliverance is for all eternity because the Lord Jesus rose from the dead and lives forever. He is the One who came to seek and to save those who are lost, due to sin, and we must choose whether or not we will receive God’s gift of salvation in Him. I urge you to consider the gospel of the Lord Jesus and to be saved by trusting in His work on the cross of Calvary.

1 Copyright © 2009 by Robert L. Deffinbaugh. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson 5 in the series, The Dark Days of Israel’s Judges, prepared by Robert L. Deffinbaugh on September 13, 2009. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with or without credit.

2 See 5:6.

3 Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the NET Bible. The NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION, also known as THE NET BIBLE, is a completely new translation of the Bible, not a revision or an update of a previous English version. It was completed by more than twenty biblical scholars who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. The translation project originally started as an attempt to provide an electronic version of a modern translation for electronic distribution over the Internet and on CD (compact disk). Anyone anywhere in the world with an Internet connection will be able to use and print out the NET Bible without cost for personal study. In addition, anyone who wants to share the Bible with others can print unlimited copies and give them away free to others. It is available on the Internet at: www.netbible.org.

4 See Judges 2:10-23.

5 See Joshua 11:1-11.

6 Naphtali shared a border with Zebulun.

7 See Judges 1:19.

8 It is interesting to note that it took only 8 years of oppression for the Israelites to first cry out to God (3:8-9) and next it took 18 years of oppression (3:14). Now, it takes 20 years for them to cry out for help. Are they becoming more hardened?

9 “Judging” is the literal translation; “leading” is an interpretive rendering. I do not believe that it would be accurate to say that Deborah was “leading” Israel at this time. She was operating in an out of the way location. She did not lead the armies of Israel; Barak did. She calls herself “a mother in Israel.” Her primary function is as a prophetess and not as a military leader. The task of leading Israel belongs to Barak, as Deborah makes very clear to him.

10 She calls herself “a mother in Israel” in Judges 5:7.

11 See Exodus 18:13-26 and Numbers 11:10-30.

12 See Judges 20:26-28.

13 I’m not sure that I see that God “enticed” Sisera to the Kishon, but it seems that the term “bring” (NET Bible) is not quite strong enough. He was, we might say, irresistibly drawn out to do battle with Sisera.

14 The Kishon River flowed along the plain of Esdraelon not far from the base of Mount Tabor.

15 See Exodus 23:30-33.

Source  

[Garland-Green]

[Reserved] - Israel's New Song (Judges 5:1-31)  

[Garland-Green]

First Things First (Judges 6:1-35)



Introduction

Those who know me well know that I have a tendency to come down hard on some Bible characters who are generally more highly esteemed. In particular, I’m thinking of bad boys and girls like Jonah, Mordecai and Esther, and Naomi. Therefore, when we come to the story of Gideon in the Book of Judges, you are probably expecting me to pounce on Gideon as another one of the bad boys of the Bible.

I’m not going to tell you that Gideon is a stellar example of faith and obedience, a man whose example we should all follow. But I have to confess a strange sense of compassion toward this fellow. I think it is partly because I find that my weaknesses are very much like his. Let’s face it, who among us tends to identify with Paul? If we are honest, most of us would have to admit that we much more easily identify with Peter than Paul. Peter is the fellow who is always talking when he would best keep quiet, and consequently, he’s frequently caught with his foot in his mouth. While he assures Jesus of his faithfulness, even unto death, he ends up denying his Lord.2 No wonder we can identify with Peter more easily than Paul. And for this same reason, we should be easily able to identify with Gideon as well.

In our text, we will encounter many of the elements which are typical of the times of the judges:3 complacency toward God and His Word; peaceful coexistence with the Canaanites leading to the embracing of their beliefs and practices, particularly the worship of their gods; divine discipline in the form of being handed over to one of their enemies; crying out to God in their time of oppression; and God graciously raising up a deliverer to save them from their distress. But in addition to these common elements, there are also some unique dimensions to our account, which I will attempt to point out as we go along.

In this lesson, we will consider each section of our text, looking for significant observations and relationships. Then, having looked at the parts of our text, we shall seek to discover how they connect in such a fashion as to portray an important lesson (or lessons). Finally, we will conclude by considering some of the ways this text applies to our daily lives. Join us, then, in considering another exciting chapter in the history of God’s chosen people during the period of the judges.

The Setting

Judges 6:1-6
1 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord turned them over to Midian for seven years. 2 The Midianites overwhelmed Israel. Because of Midian the Israelites made shelters for themselves in the hills, as well as caves and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east would attack them. 4 They invaded the land and devoured its crops all the way to Gaza. They left nothing for the Israelites to eat, and they took away the sheep, oxen, and donkeys. 5 When they invaded with their cattle and tents, they were as thick as locusts. Neither they nor their camels could be counted. They came to devour the land. 6 Israel was so severely weakened by Midian that the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help (Judges 6:1-6).4

We are hardly surprised to read, once again, that the Israelites have returned to their evil ways, at least as God sees things. Since every man did what was right in his own eyes, it is likely that the Israelites did not see their sins as evil. By the way, the author does not name the sins to which he refers here; he speaks of them only in generalities, and for good reason. We already know Israel’s sins from the pattern set forth in chapter 2 and from the chapters which have preceded our text. We know, for example, that the Israelites would have disregarded God’s Word and would have worshipped the gods of the Canaanites. In addition, they would have intermarried with the Canaanites.

If the Israelites have acted as we would have predicted, so does God. He turned the Israelites over to Midian for seven years of harsh treatment. Let us first refresh our memories as to who the Midianites were, so that we will better be able to comprehend the kind of suffering they imposed on the Israelites.

Midian was the son of Abraham and Keturah, one of Abraham’s concubines (Genesis 25:2-6). It was a Midianite caravan that “happened by” when Joseph’s brothers were about to kill him, prompting them to sell Joseph to these traders instead of taking his life. These traders then took Joseph to Egypt where they sold him as a slave (Genesis 37:28, 36). When Moses fled from Egypt after killing an Egyptian, he went to Midian where he encountered a Midianite priest. Moses married his daughter, Zipporah, and had two sons by her (Exodus 2:15-22). Moses’ father-in-law accompanied the Israelites into the land of Canaan, and so it is that we find the Kenites mentioned twice already (1:16; 4:11, 17) in the Book of Judges. The Midianites also were involved in the seduction of the Israelites in the Book of Numbers.5

The Midianites were a nomadic people who lived to the East (and Southeast) of Israel, across the Jordan. While the Midianites had been given military supremacy over Israel, their “occupation” of Israel was quite different from the occupation of other foreign nations such as the Moabites. The Moabites gained military supremacy over Israel and then established certain military outposts. Here, Moabite soldiers would be stationed to enforce Moabite control. If the Israelites behaved themselves and paid their annual tribute, they were granted a certain measure of freedom.

It was quite different under the domination of the Midianites. For one thing, we should observe that no one king is named. I don’t doubt that the Midianites had their leaders, but their nomadic lifestyle must have resulted in a less centralized government.6 The Midianites did not exact a payment of tribute, as the Moabites had done; rather the Midianite hordes simply migrated to Israel whenever it served their purposes. They would time their “return visits” to Canaan in accordance with the growing season. When harvest time arrived, so did the Midianites, and with an appetite for everything the Israelites possessed. They took all of their crops they could get their hands on; the Midianites’ cattle grazed on what was left. And any Israelite cattle were added to their own herds. When they had consumed all there was, the Midianites moved on, leaving the Israelites in desperate straits.

It is no wonder that the Israelites sought to disappear, along with their crops and cattle, into the hills before the Midianites arrived. They gathered up what little they could and headed for the hills, literally, seeking refuge in caves and mountain hideouts. To some degree, this had happened earlier when Jabin and the Canaanites had cruelly oppressed the Israelites. And so we read:

6 “In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,

in the days of Jael, the roads were abandoned;

travelers took to winding paths.

7 Village life in Israel ceased,

ceased until I, Deborah, arose,

arose a mother in Israel.

8 When they chose new gods,

war came to the city gates,

and not a shield or spear was seen

among forty thousand in Israel (Judges 5:6-8, NIV; emphasis mine).

My sense is that under Midianite domination, things had gotten as bad as Israel had ever seen it. And so we read that the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help. What is interesting, and somewhat unique, is that God did not immediately raise up a judge to deliver them as He had done before;7 instead, God sent a prophet to rebuke them.

A Divine Rebuke

Judges 6:7-10
7 When the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help because of Midian, 8 he sent a prophet to the Israelites. He said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I8 brought you up from Egypt and took you out of that place of slavery. 9 I rescued you from Egypt’s power and from the power of all who oppressed you. I drove them out before you and gave their land to you. 10 I said to you, “I am the Lord your God! Do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living!” But you have disobeyed me’” (Judges 6:7-10).

It is perhaps worthwhile to point out that the unnamed prophet whom God sent was not Israel’s new leader, judge, or deliverer. The deliverer would be Gideon, but he has not yet been introduced to the reader. I would like to suggest that what we find here is paralleled in the story of Deborah and Barak. Deborah was the prophetess; Barak was the leader and deliverer. In our text, the Israelites cry out, hoping for a deliverer from their oppression by the Midianites. This prophet is sent to remind them that God is their ultimate Deliverer. And so he reviews a few of those deliverances of the past. God delivered the Israelites from the oppression they suffered under Egyptian domination. He also delivered His people from those who opposed them as they made their way to possess the Promised Land. And it was also God who warned them not to worship the gods of the Amorites.9

In one sense, the worship of heathen gods was quite pragmatic. They worshipped certain gods for rain, or for fertility, or for victory in battle. These “gods” were the deliverers of the heathen. But it is the God of Israel who is truly – and exclusively – their Deliverer. Thus they must not look to anyone other than God alone for deliverance. This command they had disobeyed, and their disobedience is the reason for their oppression.

It is interesting to me that the prophet’s message (at least as reported here) contained no call to repentance. Neither is there any indication that the Israelites responded in a negative or positive way. The message seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

One might come to the conclusion that the salvation which is soon to come in our text proves that no repentance is really necessary. I would differ and suggest that God is gracious here, but His grace is evident in His kindness in bringing about Israel’s repentance, before He grants deliverance. God works through Gideon to change the heart of his father, Joash, then the hearts of his clan, then of his tribe, and finally the hearts of several other tribes as well. See if the text does not develop nicely when viewed in this way.

Between God and Gideon

Judges 6:11-27

11 The Lord’s angelic messenger10 came and sat down under the oak tree in Ophrah owned by Joash the Abiezrite. He arrived while Joash’s son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress so he could hide it from the Midianites. 12 The Lord’s messenger appeared and said to him, “The Lord is with you,11 courageous warrior!” 13 Gideon said to him, “Pardon me, but if the Lord is with us, why has such disaster overtaken us? Where are all his miraculous deeds our ancestors told us about? They said, ‘Did the Lord not bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” 14 Then the Lord himself turned to him and said, “You have the strength. Deliver Israel from the power of the Midianites! Have I not sent you?” 15 Gideon said to him, “But Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Just look! My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my family.” 16 The Lord said to him, “Ah, but I will be with you! You will strike down the whole Midianite army.” 17 Gideon said to him, “If you really are pleased with me, then give me a sign as proof that it is really you speaking with me. 18 Do not leave this place until I come back with a gift and present it to you.” The Lord said, “I will stay here until you come back.”

19 Gideon went and prepared a young goat, along with unleavened bread made from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought the food to him under the oak tree and presented it to him. 20 God’s messenger said to him, “Put the meat and unleavened bread on this rock, and pour out the broth.” Gideon did as instructed. 21 The Lord’s messenger touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of his staff. Fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and unleavened bread. The Lord’s messenger then disappeared.

22 When Gideon realized that it was the Lord’s messenger, he said, “Oh no! Master, Lord! I have seen the Lord’s messenger face to face!” 23 The Lord said to him, “You are safe! Do not be afraid! You are not going to die!” 24 Gideon built an altar for the Lord there, and named it “The Lord is on friendly terms with me.” To this day it is still there in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take the bull from your father’s herd, as well as a second bull, one that is seven years old. Pull down your father’s Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole. 26 Then build an altar for the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold according to the proper pattern. Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt sacrifice on the wood from the Asherah pole that you cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did just as the Lord had told him. He was too afraid of his father’s family and the men of the city to do it in broad daylight, so he waited until nighttime (Judges 6:11-27).

Reading this portion is something like watching a tennis match. Your head turns from one side of the tennis court to the other, and then back, over and over and over again. It is almost a re-run of God’s calling of Moses in Exodus 3 and 4. Both Moses and Gideon seem to work hard at finding reasons why God should not choose them as Israel’s deliverer. It also reminds me of Exodus 33 and 34, where God promises to be with Moses personally (the “you” is singular, not plural), but Moses wants God’s assurance that He will be with His people collectively. I am puzzled why the commentators I have consulted have not called attention to the fact that the “you’s” found in verses 12-16 of our text are singular, referring to Gideon alone and not to the Israelites collectively. It is apparent that Gideon finally gets this in verse 15, which prompts him to object even more strongly. With these observations, let us see how this text unfolds.

After the prophet appeared with his divine review and rebuke, the Angel of the LORD appears to Gideon while he is threshing wheat in a winepress (verse 11). I should not have to tell you that when one was threshing wheat in those days, it was done in a high place, out in the open, so that the wind would carry away the chaff when the grain was threshed by treading on it and then tossing it into the air. A winepress was no place to thresh wheat! That would be like trying to use a screwdriver to drive a nail. Gideon used the winepress so that he could keep out of sight of the Midianites, who, if they saw him, would come and take his grain. Gideon’s actions were indicative of how bad things had become in Israel.

And so the Angel of the LORD appears and sits beneath the oak tree in Ophrah, looking on as Gideon is making the effort to thresh grain out of sight. The Angel then approaches Gideon with these amazing words, “The Lord is with you, courageous warrior!” Gideon hardly looked the part of a “courageous warrior” at this moment, but I don’t believe that the Angel is mocking him. He is assuring Gideon of God’s presence and power, which will eventually make him a mighty warrior.

Gideon seems to sidestep the fact that God was singling him out from all the rest of the nation and chooses instead to focus on God’s dealings with the nation, as though the Angel had said, “The LORD is with Israel, you mighty man of valor.” Gideon’s response in verse 13 is very revealing. It tells us, for example, that Gideon has been taught about God and Hs miraculous deeds for Israel in the past. In a sense, Gideon repeats the words of the prophet regarding God’s powerful deliverance of the Israelites in the past. But he does so in a way that turns God’s words upside-down. The prophet’s words were spoken to rebuke the Israelites for disobeying God’s command not to worship the Canaanite gods. Gideon uses God’s past dealings to rebuke God for forsaking His people, and (it would seem) this also provided Gideon with an excuse to remain on the sidelines, rather than to engage the Canaanites in battle.

God will have none of this, although His words are amazingly gentle and gracious: “Then the Lord himself turned to him and said, “You have the strength. Deliver Israel from the power of the Midianites! Have I not sent you?” (verse 14) Did Gideon protest that God had not delivered Israel from Midianite oppression? Then here is God’s promise to be with Gideon, empowering him so that he could deliver his people from their bondage. God commissions Gideon to perform this task – God has sent him.

Suddenly God’s use of the singular (“you”) sinks in. “Now just hold on a minute,” Gideon objects, “I am not the man for the job you have in mind.” And so Gideon appeals to his insignificance and lack of power and influence due to his status in the family (verse 15).12 And all this after God has just assured him of His presence and power (“You have the strength. Deliver Israel from the power of the Midianites.”), and of His divine commission (“Have I not sent you?”).

God brushed aside Gideon’s “Who am I?” objections, giving him this assurance: “Ah, but I will be with you! You will strike down the whole Midianite army” (verse 16). Hearing these words, Gideon requests a sign from God. Listen carefully to what he asks for and how God provides him with the requested sign:

17 Gideon said to him, “If you really are pleased with me, then give me a sign as proof that it is really you speaking with me. 18 Do not leave this place until I come back with a gift and present it to you.” The Lord said, “I will stay here until you come back.”

19 Gideon went and prepared a young goat, along with unleavened bread made from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought the food to him under the oak tree and presented it to him. 20 God’s messenger said to him, “Put the meat and unleavened bread on this rock, and pour out the broth.” Gideon did as instructed. 21 The Lord’s messenger touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of his staff. Fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and unleavened bread. The Lord’s messenger then disappeared.

22 When Gideon realized that it was the Lord’s messenger, he said, “Oh no! Master, Lord! I have seen the Lord’s messenger face to face!” 23 The Lord said to him, “You are safe! Do not be afraid! You are not going to die!” 24 Gideon built an altar for the Lord there, and named it “The Lord is on friendly terms with me.” To this day it is still there in Ophrah of the Abiezrites (Judges 6:17-24).

Gideon now grants that God has chosen him to deliver the Israelites. His concern here is not that God will actually give him the victory (such concerns will surface later), but that it is actually the God of Israel who is speaking to him. He asks for confirmation that it is really Israel’s God who is speaking to him.

Now this may sound foolish to you and to me. It may sound cowardly (and perhaps there is a bit of that as well). But we need to understand his request in the light of the world in which Gideon lived. From what we have already seen, Gideon was well aware of God’s deliverances of Israel in the past. I don’t believe that Gideon or many Israelites of that day had totally “subtracted” God from their lives. Their sin was to “add” the worship of heathen deities. I’ve seen the mindset that leads to such decisions in my own ministry. I once visited an elderly couple who wanted to be baptized. As I inquired about their motivation, they made it clear that they had done almost everything they could think of and they just “didn’t want to leave any stone unturned.” So, too, the Israelites wanted to cover all their spiritual bases, and so they worshipped God and the Canaanite deities. Now, deity is speaking to him, and he wants to be absolutely certain it is not an embarrassing case of mistaken identity.

Just how did Gideon expect God to give him a sign as he offered a sacrifice? What was he expecting? I would call your attention to two other events recorded in the Old Testament, the first in Judges 13 and the second in 1 Kings 18. In Judges 13, the Angel of the LORD appeared to Manoah’s wife, the woman who was soon to become Samson’s mother:

15 Manoah said to the Lord’s messenger, “Please stay here awhile, so we can prepare a young goat for you to eat.” 16 The Lord’s messenger said to Manoah, “If I stay, I will not eat your food. But if you want to make a burnt sacrifice to the Lord, you should offer it.” (He said this because Manoah did not know that he was the Lord’s messenger.) 17 Manoah said to the Lord’s messenger, “Tell us your name, so we can honor you when your announcement comes true.” 18 The Lord’s messenger said to him, “You should not ask me my name, because you cannot comprehend it.” 19 Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered them on a rock to the Lord. The Lord’s messenger did an amazing thing as Manoah and his wife watched. 20 As the flame went up from the altar toward the sky, the Lord’s messenger went up in it while Manoah and his wife watched. They fell facedown to the ground. 21 The Lord’s messenger did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. After all this happened Manoah realized that the visitor had been the Lord’s messenger. 22 Manoah said to his wife, “We will certainly die, because we have seen a supernatural being!” 23 But his wife said to him, “If the Lord wanted to kill us, he would not have accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from us. He would not have shown us all these things, or have spoken to us like this just now” (Judges 13:17-23).

Manoah also wanted to be certain as to the identity of the Angel of the LORD who had appeared to them, and so he asked the Angel to wait while they prepared a young goat as an offering, just as Gideon did. He asked the Angel for His name, but was not given the answer. Then when the offering was made “to the LORD,” the Angel miraculously ascended into the sky in the flames. They knew for certain that this was the Angel of the LORD; this was the God of Israel who had appeared to them.

I will simply remind you of the second case, which is described in 1 Kings 18. Elijah challenged the false prophets and their gods to a contest on Mount Carmel. Let them offer a sacrifice to their god, Baal, and he would then offer a sacrifice to the God of Israel. The God/god who consumed the offering with fire would prove to be the one true God. The prophets of Baal sacrificed to their god according to their prescribed rituals, and nothing happened (other than the prophets abusing themselves to get their god’s attention). But when Elijah offered the (drenched) sacrifice to the God of Israel, He responded by consuming the entire sacrifice – bull, wood, rocks, and water – with fire! God had proven Himself to be God, God alone, by His response to Elijah’s offering.

I am convinced that Gideon believed that if it was the God of Israel who was speaking to him, He would do something miraculous when he offered a sacrifice in a way that was consistent with the Old Testament Law. He believed that if God was present in the worship of His people, He would make His presence known. And so he asked the Angel to wait as he prepared for this sacrificial offering. And Gideon was right! The Angel reached out with His staff and touched the sacrificial meal and fire sprang forth from the rock, consuming the sacrifice entirely. Now Gideon can proclaim this Angel to be the Sovereign God, the God of Israel. And knowing that this was God caused him to wonder how he could still be alive, since he had seen God face-to-face. Personally, I cannot fault Gideon for seeking this confirmation of God’s identity. Gideon then built an altar to the LORD and called it “The LORD is Peace.” That peace was the reason he was still alive.

Midnight Madness: Gideon Goes Public

Judges 6:25-27
25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take the bull from your father’s herd, as well as a second bull, one that is seven years old.13 Pull down your father’s Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole. 26 Then build an altar for the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold according to the proper pattern. Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt sacrifice on the wood from the Asherah pole that you cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did just as the Lord had told him. He was too afraid of his father’s family and the men of the city to do it in broad daylight, so he waited until nighttime (Judges 6:25-27).

This was not a time for undercover faith. It was time for Gideon to go public with his faith, and so God called for a public act of worship. Just as God revealed His identity through Gideon’s worship, it was now time for Gideon to reveal his faith in a public act of worship. God instructed Gideon to take two bulls, at least one of which belonged to his father. A second bull was also to be used. This second bull not only assisted in the demolition of his father’s Baal altar, it was also offered up as a sacrifice, using the wood of the wooden Asherah pole for the firewood. One can hardly say that Gideon’s actions, carried out in the dark of night, were heroic. Nevertheless, Gideon did obey the Lord’s command. Using ten of his servants, Gideon did as God had instructed. There was now no turning back for Gideon. How the people of his clan would react is now about to be revealed.

Beyond Gideon

Judges 6:28-35
28 When the men of the city got up the next morning, they saw the Baal altar pulled down, the nearby Asherah pole cut down, and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar. 29 They said to one another, “Who did this?” They investigated the matter thoroughly and concluded that Gideon son of Joash had done it. 30 The men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, so we can execute him! He pulled down the Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole.” 31 But Joash said to all those who confronted him, “Must you fight Baal’s battles? Must you rescue him? Whoever takes up his cause will die by morning! If he really is a god, let him fight his own battles! After all, it was his altar that was pulled down.” 32 That very day Gideon’s father named him Jerub-Baal, because he had said, “Let Baal fight with him, for it was his altar that was pulled down.”

33 All the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east assembled. They crossed the Jordan River and camped in the Jezreel Valley. 34 The Lord’s spirit took control of Gideon. He blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. 35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh and summoned them to follow him as well. He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet him (Judges 6:28-35).

What a slap in the face Gideon’s actions were to the gods of the Canaanites, namely Baal and Asherah. The Baal alter is torn down, the Asherah pole is likewise cut down and chopped into fire wood, and a bull (the symbol of Baal) is offered as a sacrifice on this spot. By his actions, Gideon has made a statement that can hardly be ignored.

You can imagine the surprise and consternation of the people of Ophrah when they awakened to find their Baal altar14 destroyed, their Asherah pole taken down and burned as firewood, and a prize bull sacrificed on a newly constructed altar. The bull – whether it belonged to Gideon’s father or someone else – would have been greatly valued. It was the equivalent of a farm tractor in those days. It could be used for plowing fields, and of course for tasks like pulling down Baal altars. Such a prize animal would have been especially valuable since it somehow had been kept from the grasp of the Midianites.

The “righteous indignation” of the people of Ophrah is amazing and informative. Think of it. The Law of Moses prescribed death for any who would turn the Israelites from the worship of God (see Deuteronomy 13). Here, the nation had rebelled against God by worshipping the gods of the Canaanites, and now they were ready to execute the Israelite who had torn down their objects of false worship. And mind you, those who were ready to kill Gideon were Israelites, not Canaanites. How far the people of God had fallen!

From this point on in our text, Gideon is no longer the focus of our author’s attention; it is his father, Joash, who steps into the spotlight here. One wonders what God’s Spirit had done to prepare Joash for this moment. He seems to be a leader in his clan, and the Baal altar and Asherah belong to him (6:25). Baal and Asherah (perhaps among others) are deities that one would worship in order to prosper, to have good rains, fertility, and victory in battle. These were the very blessings the Israelites had forfeited by forsaking fidelity to their one true God. Their Canaanite gods were not doing them any good. The prophet had made it clear why God was not blessing His people. Did Joash already have his doubts about the value of their idol worship?

Now, to be a faithful Baal worshipper Joash is obligated to put Gideon to death; more emphatically, the Abiezrites demand that Joash put him to death. Joash now takes his stand, not only with his son, but also with the God his son has chosen to follow exclusively. Baal, a god who was worshipped for being powerful, should be strong enough to defend himself, Joash argued. The fact that men had to defend the honor of their god betrayed the fact that their god was powerless to look after his own interests, let alone the interests of his worshippers. No, anyone who set out to harm his son would be put to death. And to underscore his stand, Joash renamed his son Jerub-Baal, which means “let Baal fight (or contend) with him.” From this point on, Gideon’s existence (with his new name) would be a constant insult and challenge to Baal. The fact that nothing bad happens to Gideon underscores the truth of his name.

The Abiezrites are Now Ready for War

Judges 6:33-35
33 All the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east assembled. They crossed the Jordan River and camped in the Jezreel Valley. 34 The Lord’s spirit took control of Gideon. He blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. 35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh and summoned them to follow him as well. He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet him (Judges 6:33-35).

The Midianites, along with their “eastern allies,” assembled, apparently to reestablish their dominance over the Israelites. They crossed the Jordan River and assembled in the Jezreel Valley. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, empowering him to lead the Israelites in battle against this awesome military force. Gideon blew the trumpet to summon his fellow Abiezrites to follow him in battle. What a change has occurred here. Those who just recently demanded that Gideon be put to death now willingly follow him into battle with a vastly larger army. And this change of heart spread from Gideon’s clan to the entire tribe (or Manasseh), and when messengers were sent out to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, they likewise gathered for war.

Conclusion

Our text contains many lessons. Let me conclude by suggesting just a few of them.

It all began with one person. That’s the thought that first came to my mind as I reflected back on the message of this passage. It was the nation (at least several of the Israelite tribes) that turned from God to idols, and they were all badly in need of repentance. God started the process with a rebuke by one of His prophets, but then He raised up one man – Gideon – through whom He impacted many others. God first brought Gideon to the point where he forsook his worship of the Canaanite gods and entrusted himself completely to God. When his faith became public by his destruction of his father’s idols and his worship of the God of Israel, his father was now placed in the position of either defending his powerless gods or forsaking them. He, too, chose to trust in God. It seems clear that Joash’s faith was instrumental in bringing his (Abiezrite) clan to faith, and then the entire tribe of Manasseh, along with Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali.

The point I wish to make here is that it only takes one person to impact many, when that person entrusts himself (or herself) to God by following Him. Think of those folks throughout history whom God has used to impact the lives of many. This list is a long one, but we can mention men like Gideon, Luther and Calvin, and women like Deborah and Jael and Corrie ten Boom.

Those persons God uses to impact many others are most often not those we would have considered “most likely to succeed.” I can almost read your mind (only because I know my own thoughts). Some of you are thinking, “I know that God uses individuals to greatly impact others, but I’m not that kind of person. Who am I to think that God would use me mightily, like He used Gideon?” God wants you to see that Gideon was not really a person who was likely to succeed. He was the first to call this fact to God’s attention, hoping that it might get him off the hook. It didn’t. The entire Book of Judges (not to mention the rest of the Bible) reveals how God has used unlikely vessels to achieve His purposes, just as He employed unlikely means such as an pitchers, lamps, and trumpets, as well as an ox goad, a millstone, and the jawbone of an a**. This book is meant to teach us that the key to success is not having strong, self-assured people to lead, but having an all-powerful God to lead and to empower weak vessels.

Faltering obedience is nonetheless obedience. I know that ideally we would all like to obey God in such a way that it reflects well on us, but God is more interested in obedience that reflects well on Him, for it is He who is to receive the glory, not us. The ungodly seek their own glory; the godly seek God’s glory. As we observe Gideon’s obedience (midnight madness, really), it does not cause us to think of him as a hero – to “idolize” him. But whether his obedience was faltering or not, it was obedience, and that obedience reflected well upon God. A little faith in a great God is far better than great faith in oneself. God would much prefer that we haltingly obey Him than stubbornly disobey.

God works patiently through a unique process to make leaders from unlikely candidates. Here is a very important truth. It is God who draws men to faith in Himself. It is God, not men, who is great, and worthy of our praise. And it is God who patiently works in our lives to make us more like Himself. In our text, I see a great God who graciously works in the lives of unlikely people over a period of time to give them confidence in Himself and the boldness to stand alone in their faith and obedience to Him.

It is sometimes our weaknesses, rather than our strengths, that encourage others. We know that God uses our weakness to bring about His purposes and a way that glorifies Him:

Therefore, so that I would not become arrogant, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to trouble me – so that I would not become arrogant. 8 I asked the Lord three times about this, that it would depart from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me. 10 Therefore I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:7b-10).

I am encouraged by the “weakness” and frailty of Gideon’s life because I am weak and frail. Others may be encouraged by our weaknesses when they see God at work in our lives in spite of (and often by means of) our frailty. Be honest. Are you more encouraged by Peter or by Paul? Now I am greatly impressed with Paul’s boldness and courage, but I find that I much more readily identify with Peter. Peter is a man who all too often put his foot in his mouth and said the wrong thing. Here is a man who first denied his Lord, only then to be restored and to minister to others.15 When others witness the way God uses us in our weakness, they are encouraged that God may use them in their weakness as well. This does not excuse sin or careless living; indeed, it should encourage us to strive in God’s strength, knowing that He gives strength to the weak.

We learn from Gideon that we must put first things first. God does not bring deliverance to Israel until His people repent of their sin and put Him first; indeed, God delivers His people after they renounce their idolatry and worship Him alone. Our relationship with God is not only the most important thing there is, it is also the first thing that we must do. Jesus put it this way:

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing? 26 Look at the birds in the sky: They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you more valuable than they are? 27 And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life? 28 Why do you worry about clothing? Think about how the flowers of the field grow; they do not work or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these! 30 And if this is how God clothes the wild grass, which is here today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, won’t he clothe you even more, you people of little faith? 31 So then, don’t worry saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For the unconverted pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:25-34, emphasis mine).

So, we must ask ourselves these very important questions: “Is God really first in my life? If not, what is? How do I make God first and foremost in my life?”

Our text challenges us to address two very important forces in our culture: pluralization and privatization. Pluralization is the process by which our culture accepts a wide diversity of beliefs and practices as having equal truth and merit. To some degree, this tolerance of the views of others is necessary in a free society. In terms of religion, for example, our country is made up of people of many faiths, and our system of government allows them to believe and to practice their faith as they choose, so long as they do not break the law and harm others. While it is necessary to accept the reality that many faiths are embraced in our nation, this does not mean that all of these faiths are equally valid and true. According to the Bible, and particularly our Lord Jesus, Christianity alone is true faith, and faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins is the only way to heaven.16 Men may believe what they wish, but only Christ saves, and only the Bible is God’s inspired Word.17

Privatization embraces pluralization and seeks to promote it. Our culture prefers to believe that all religions are of equal value and that all of them will eventually get you to heaven (or whatever you wish to call it). Thus, pluralization says that you can believe whatever you want, but privatization insists that you must not hold to your faith as exclusively true, and the “unpardonable Postmodern sin” is to attempt to “impose” your beliefs on others. Privatization insists that we keep our faith (whatever that might be) to ourselves. It is obvious, then, that privatization resists and opposes evangelization.

Our text exposes these contemporary beliefs and values as false. The Israelites of old were not given the freedom by God to believe in whatever or whomever they chose. They were commanded to believe only in the God who had saved them from their bondage in Egypt, and who had given them the land of Canaan. They must not worship God and the gods of the Canaanites; they must worship God alone, or suffer the consequences.

I will not share my glory with anyone else,

or the praise due me with idols (Isaiah 42:8.)

11 For my sake alone I will act,

for how can I allow my name to be defiled?

I will not share my glory with anyone else! (Isaiah 48:11)

So, too, the Israelites of old were not to hold their beliefs privately, but were to proclaim and practice them publicly. God was not content with Gideon’s private offering alone (6:19-22); Gideon must tear down his father’s idols and publicly worship the God of Israel. And so our text challenges us to confront the pluralization and privatization of religion in our own lives. There should be no such thing as a “secret Christian.”

The Great Commission demands that we share our faith with others who are lost apart from trusting in Jesus Christ for salvation:

18 Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

Do you notice anything familiar in our Lord’s words here to His disciples and to His church? First of all, we should notice that our Lord is sending us to proclaim the good news of the gospel, in a way that is similar to how He assured Gideon that He had sent him (Judges 6:14). Second, not only did our Lord send us, as He did Gideon, He also assured us of His presence and power when we obey Him and go forth proclaiming the gospel. We have the same assurance that Gideon did, and more, for we have the abiding presence of our Lord through His Spirit.

Finally, our text suggests that our worship should somehow manifest the presence and power of our Lord. I have to admit that I was surprised to realize that Gideon expected God to reveal His presence as he worshipped Him. That is why he asked the Angel of the LORD to wait until he could prepare an offering (6:18.). And God did reveal Himself, causing Gideon to became frightened because he had seen God face-to-face (6:22). The similar events in Judges 13:15-23 and 1 Kings 18:16-40 would appear to suggest that God was expected to manifest His presence in some manner when His people worshipped Him.

One might be inclined to set this aside as a phenomena that was restricted to Old Testament times, but I’m not so sure, given what we read in 1 Corinthians 14:

24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or uninformed person enters, he will be convicted by all, he will be called to account by all. 25 The secrets of his heart are disclosed, and in this way he will fall down with his face to the ground and worship God, declaring, “God is really among you” (1 Corinthians 14:24-25, emphasis mine).

We should take note of the context here. Paul is arguing that in the church meeting, prophecy is superior to tongues, unless what is spoken in tongues is interpreted. Tongues-speaking was the more spectacular phenomena, while prophecy was less so, at least in the minds of the Corinthians. That is why tongues-speaking was such a problem in the church. If tongues were spoken and not interpreted, Paul argued, unbelievers who observed this would conclude that these Christians were crazy. But if there was prophecy, the secrets of their hearts would be exposed, and they would realize that God was among them. I believe that something similar occurs when God’s written Word is read and proclaimed in the church gathering:

12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account (Hebrews 4:11-13).

People may get excited when they come to church and loud, expressive music is performed, but I would not be inclined to assume that this alone is a unique manifestation of God’s presence among His people. I would expect that when God’s Word was read and taught in the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s presence would be sensed. God is among His people as they gather in obedience to Him:

19 Again, I tell you the truth, if two of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. 20 For where two or three are assembled in my name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:19-20).

I realize full well that this text in Matthew is found in the context of church discipline (18:15-20), but I would nevertheless point out that God promises to be present with His church as they gather in obedience to His commands. I believe that the way in which the New Testament believers met (see 1 Corinthians 14) – the way in which we strive to meet – our Lord’s presence should be felt. When we worship in an open meeting where our participation is not scripted, and where various men speak as the Lord leads, God’s presence becomes evident when there is a uniform message and when the hearts of those gathered are warmed. The climax of this is the celebration of the Lord’s Table, when we remember His death, burial, and resurrection, which is the only means by which we are saved. Let us be more sensitive to God’s presence among us as we worship corporately as a church.

1 Copyright © 2009 by Robert L. Deffinbaugh. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson 7 in the series, The Dark Days of Israel’s Judges, prepared by Robert L. Deffinbaugh on September 27, 2009. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with or without credit.

2 See Luke 22:31-34.

3 See Judges 2:10—3:5.

4 Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the NET Bible. The NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION, also known as THE NET BIBLE, is a completely new translation of the Bible, not a revision or an update of a previous English version. It was completed by more than twenty biblical scholars who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. The translation project originally started as an attempt to provide an electronic version of a modern translation for electronic distribution over the Internet and on CD (compact disk). Anyone anywhere in the world with an Internet connection will be able to use and print out the NET Bible without cost for personal study. In addition, anyone who wants to share the Bible with others can print unlimited copies and give them away free to others. It is available on the Internet at: www.netbible.org.

5 See Numbers 22:4-7; 25:6, 14.

6 Joshua 13:21 refers to five Midianite chiefs or leaders. In Judges 7 and 8, four Midianite leaders are named: Oreb and Zeeb (7:25), and Zebah and Zalmunna (8:10ff.).

7 See Judges 3:9, 15; 4:3ff.

8 Note the emphatic “I” throughout the prophet’s rebuke.

9 At times, the word “Amorites” is used as a virtual synonym for “Canaanites.” See, for example, Genesis 15:16.

10 I prefer the more traditional rendering, “the Angel of the LORD.”

11 Each emphasized “you” is singular in the original text and refers to Gideon personally, rather than to Israel corporately.

12 Gideon’s words here don’t seem to square with what we read in Judges 8:18-20, just as Moses’ words in Exodus 4:10 don’t entirely square with Stephen’s statement in Acts 7:22.

13 Translations differ here. The New King James Version reads: "Take your father's young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it.” The issue is at least two-fold: (1) How many bulls did Gideon use? and (2) Did Gideon offer his father’s bull as the sacrificial animal or another? The matter does not seem worthy of a great deal of discussion and may not be settled this side of eternity.

14 Actually, this is Joash’s altar. See Judges 6:25.

15 See Luke 22:31-32.

16 See John 14:6; also Acts 4:12.

17 See Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:1-4.

Source  

[Bible guild Mule]

When Less is More (Judges 6:36-7:23)


Introduction

36 Gideon said to God, “If you really intend to use me to deliver Israel, as you promised, then give me a sign as proof. 37 Look, I am putting a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and the ground around it is dry, then I will be sure that you will use me to deliver Israel, as you promised.” 38 The Lord did as he asked. When he got up the next morning, he squeezed the fleece, and enough dew dripped from it to fill a bowl. 39 Gideon said to God, “Please do not get angry at me, when I ask for just one more sign. Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make only the fleece dry, while the ground around it is covered with dew.” 40 That night God did as he asked. Only the fleece was dry and the ground around it was covered with dew.

1 Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and his men got up the next morning and camped near the spring of Harod. The Midianites were camped north of them near the hill of Moreh in the valley. 2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to you. Israel might brag, ‘Our own strength has delivered us.’ 3 Now, announce to the men, ‘Whoever is shaking with fear may turn around and leave Mount Gilead.’” Twenty-two thousand men went home; ten thousand remained. 4 The Lord spoke to Gideon again, “There are still too many men. Bring them down to the water and I will thin the ranks some more. When I say, ‘This one should go with you,’ pick him to go; when I say, ‘This one should not go with you,’ do not take him.” 5 So he brought the men down to the water. Then the Lord said to Gideon, “Separate those who lap the water as a dog laps from those who kneel to drink.” 6 Three hundred men lapped; the rest of the men kneeled to drink water. 7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped I will deliver the whole army and I will hand Midian over to you. The rest of the men should go home.” 8 The men who were chosen took supplies and their trumpets. Gideon sent all the men of Israel back to their homes; he kept only three hundred men. Now the Midianites were camped down below in the valley.

9 That night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up! Attack the camp, for I am handing it over to you. 10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with Purah your servant 11 and listen to what they are saying. Then you will be brave and attack the camp.” So he went down with Purah his servant to where the sentries were guarding the camp. 12 Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east covered the valley like a swarm of locusts. Their camels could not be counted; they were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore. 13 When Gideon arrived, he heard a man telling another man about a dream he had. The man said, “Look! I had a dream. I saw a stale cake of barley bread rolling into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent so hard it knocked it over and turned it upside down. The tent just collapsed.” 14 The other man said, “Without a doubt this symbolizes the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God is handing Midian and all the army over to him.”

15 When Gideon heard the report of the dream and its interpretation, he praised God. Then he went back to the Israelite camp and said, “Get up, for the Lord is handing the Midianite army over to you!” 16 He divided the three hundred men into three units. He gave them all trumpets and empty jars with torches inside them. 17 He said to them, “Watch me and do as I do. Watch closely! I am going to the edge of the camp. Do as I do! 18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, you also blow your trumpets all around the camp. Then say, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”

19 Gideon took a hundred men to the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guards. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars they were carrying. 20 All three units blew their trumpets and broke their jars. They held the torches in their left hand and the trumpets in their right. Then they yelled, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 They stood in order all around the camp. The whole army ran away; they shouted as they scrambled away. 22 When the three hundred men blew their trumpets, the Lord caused the Midianites to attack one another with their swords throughout the camp. The army fled to Beth Shittah on the way to Zererah. They went to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. 23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh answered the call and chased the Midianites.2

Introduction

“The more, the better.” Here’s an expression I’ve heard many times in my life, and quite often it is true. If you can get more ears of corn for the same price at a particular grocery store, or double coupons on a particular day, that’s usually a good thing. But there are times when more may not be better. Making more money is not always a good thing, nor is having more people attend church, if these “gains” come at the expense of more important matters. If more people attend your church because the gospel is watered down, sin isn’t mentioned, and neither is hell, then more is less.

We are sometimes inclined to think that “more” is necessary to do the work of God: “If we had more money in the Missions budget, then we could save more souls.” “If we only had more people praying, our sister with cancer would not have died.” Such statements will need to be rethought in the light of our text, for I believe it clearly teaches that in God’s work, less may be more.

When we come to the story of Gideon and his fleece, we are dealing with one of the most popular stories in the Book of Judges. Parents can relax because there are no gory Ehud/Eglon stories or embarrassing explanations required when reading about Samson and his exploits. Fleeces, jars, torches, and trumpets are a welcome subject in the Book of Judges. But let us keep in mind that our familiarity with this story may also work against us. We may be inclined to hear it as we have heard it before, without looking at the details as carefully as we should. (Remember that the most dangerous stretch of road – so far as traffic accidents are concerned – is that stretch with which we are most familiar.) So let us listen well, looking to God’s Word and to His Spirit to challenge and to change our thinking and our behavior as required.

A Review of Chapter 6

Once again the Israelites have sinned, “doing evil in the sight of the LORD” (6:1). We know from what we read in chapter 6 that they have sunk to the level of worshipping Baal and Asherah, Canaanite deities. I’m not so sure that the Israelites have consciously ceased worshipping God altogether, as much as they have begun to worship the Canaanite gods as their primary focus. As a result, God gave them over to the Midianites and an eastern alliance of nations. These were a nomadic people, so for seven years they came at will (but most often during harvest time), plundering the land and leaving the Israelites in desperate straits.

When the Israelites cried out to God, He sent them a prophet who reminded them of God’s previous mighty acts of deliverance. And He also reminded them of God’s command not to fear or to worship the gods of the land they were to possess, but they had disobeyed by doing so, and this was the explanation for their oppression. Then the Angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, designating him as Israel’s deliverer, and assuring him of His presence and power to achieve this goal. After much protest on Gideon’s part and a spectacular sign on God’s, Gideon is convinced that the One speaking to him is truly the God of Israel. At God’s instruction, Gideon tears down his father’s Baal altar and Asherah pole. Adding insult to injury (to Baal and his consort, Asherah), Gideon offers a sacrifice to God at this place, using a bull (the symbol of Baal) for the sacrifice and the wood of the Asherah pole for the firewood.

Although Gideon’s actions were done in the cover of darkness, the morning light revealed the destruction of their idols and Gideon’s newly-discovered devotion to the God of Israel. The people of his hometown were furious and demanded that his father turn Gideon over to them to be put to death. Joash, Gideon’s father, came to his son’s rescue, but more importantly he joined his son in his rejection of Baal and Asherah. The events of the previous night brought something into very clear focus for him. Baal and Asherah were the “gods” who were supposed to give their worshippers fertility, prosperity, and victory in battle – all of which Israel had forfeited because they did worship them (as the prophet had indicated). If Baal was so all-powerful, then why did the townspeople need to come to his rescue? Wasn’t he the one who was supposed to rescue them? No, let Baal take up his own offense with Gideon. Joash threatened to kill anyone who sought to defend this worthless god. And to underscore his defiance, Joash renamed Gideon “Jerub-Baal,” which means “let Baal contend.”

Joash’s leadership had a profound impact on the people of his clan, the Abiezrites. Not only did they give up their opposition to Gideon, they began to follow him. The eastern coalition converged on the Israelites, staging for battle in the Valley of Jezreel. The Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, prompting him to sound the alarm, summoning his fellow Israelites to battle. His own clan (the Abiezrites) and his entire tribe (Manasseh), along with Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali assembled to go to battle, following Gideon as their leader.

Gideon’s Fleece

Judges 6:36-40
36 Gideon said to God, “If you really intend to use me to deliver Israel, as you promised, then give me a sign as proof. 37 Look, I am putting a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and the ground around it is dry, then I will be sure that you will use me to deliver Israel, as you promised.” 38 The Lord did as he asked. When he got up the next morning, he squeezed the fleece, and enough dew dripped from it to fill a bowl. 39 Gideon said to God, “Please do not get angry at me, when I ask for just one more sign. Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make only the fleece dry, while the ground around it is covered with dew.” 40 That night God did as he asked. Only the fleece was dry and the ground around it was covered with dew (Judges 6:36-40).

Here is what I believe happened. The Midianites somehow discerned that a rebellion on the part of the Israelites was imminent. They, along with their eastern allies, crossed the Jordan river and set up camp in the Jezreel Valley, poised to reassert their dominance. The Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, so that he was virtually compelled to blow the trumpet, summoning his fellow-Israelites to war. They came, some 32,000 strong, and were now awaiting Gideon’s orders to attack. From his elevated position (probably Mount Gilboa), Gideon was able to look out upon the Jezreel Valley and to observe the size of the opposing army. We know what Gideon would have seen from this later description in verse 12 of chapter 7:

Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east covered the valley like a swarm of locusts. Their camels could not be counted; they were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore (Judges 7:12).

Aware as we are of Gideon’s lack of courage, it is not difficult to imagine what was going through his mind as he looked out on this innumerable host of warriors: “What in the world was I thinking when I blew that trumpet, summoning this meager band of Israelites (32,000) to take on this overwhelmingly larger army3 spread out before us?” And so it is not difficult for us to understand why Gideon requested a confirming sign from God that going to war with the Midianites was the right choice.

Just what was it that Gideon was seeking to achieve by requesting this sign? It was not (as many believe) Gideon’s attempt to discern the will of God. God had made His will very clear: He was going to deliver Israel through Gideon. Gideon twice acknowledges this in his own words when he says, “If you really intend to use me to deliver Israel, as you promised. . .” (see 6:36-37). Gideon was certain that this was the God of Israel speaking to him (6:22) and that His purpose was to deliver Israel from the Midianites (6:12-18.). There was one thing Gideon found difficult, even impossible, to believe – that God would deliver Israel from the Midianites through him. That was what Gideon wanted God to confirm, not merely with words, but with a sign.

Now let’s be honest with one another. Isn’t Gideon’s unbelief something that is familiar to all of us who have come to trust in Jesus as our Savior? We believe in the Lord Jesus, and we know that we are eternally saved, safe and secure in His keeping. We believe that God’s purpose is to proclaim the good news of the gospel throughout the entire world. We believe that God is going to bring many to faith. We even believe that God may bring revival to our country, to our city, and perhaps even to our neighborhood. But we have our doubts when we consider the possibility that God intends to accomplish these great things through us. God may use a Billy Graham or a John Piper or a Chuck Swindoll, but surely He will not use me in any significant way! That is what this test is all about. Gideon wants God to confirm His promise to achieve Israel’s deliverance through him.

And so Gideon requests God’s confirmation of His promise by means of a sign. He will set out a fleece on the threshing floor (After all, it isn’t being used to thresh the grain; Gideon has been doing that in the wine press – see 6:11). If it is God’s will to deliver Israel through him, then let him find the fleece wet and the ground around it dry. That will convince him that God is really going to use him to deliver the Israelites. And so it came about in the morning that the fleece was wet, and the ground around it was dry, just as Gideon had stipulated.

But Gideon’s doubts linger. And so in truly scientific fashion he reverses the test. Let the LORD now do just the opposite; let Him make the fleece dry and the ground around it wet. Graciously, and without a word of rebuke, God grants his request.4

It seems to me that in this “test,” there is both good news and bad news. The bad news is that Gideon is reluctant to take God at His word. He knew what God had said; he just didn’t quite believe it. The good news is that Gideon is not proud, arrogant, or confident in his own abilities. Gideon is scared to death and clinging desperately to God. That is a far better place to be than confident in one’s own abilities.

Or is it? Our culture says otherwise, and thus many Christians think otherwise. Much like the secular world, we think that those most likely to succeed are the ones who have great intellect, healthy self-esteem, are good looking, and aggressive. In God’s world, it is the weak whom He uses to achieve His purposes.5 Or, putting the matter in the terms of our title: Less is more.

Thinning Out the Ranks

Judges 7:1-8
1 Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and his men got up the next morning and camped near the spring of Harod. The Midianites were camped north of them near the hill of Moreh in the valley. 2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to you. Israel might brag, ‘Our own strength has delivered us.’ 3 Now, announce to the men, ‘Whoever is shaking with fear may turn around and leave Mount Gilead.’” Twenty-two thousand men went home; ten thousand remained. 4 The Lord spoke to Gideon again, “There are still too many men. Bring them down to the water and I will thin the ranks some more. When I say, ‘This one should go with you,’ pick him to go; when I say, ‘This one should not go with you,’ do not take him.” 5 So he brought the men down to the water. Then the Lord said to Gideon, “Separate those who lap the water as a dog laps from those who kneel to drink.” 6 Three hundred men lapped; the rest of the men kneeled to drink water. 7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped I will deliver the whole army and I will hand Midian over to you. The rest of the men should go home.” 8 The men who were chosen took supplies and their trumpets. Gideon sent all the men of Israel back to their homes; he kept only three hundred men. Now the Midianites were camped down below in the valley (Judges 7:1-8.).

Do you not find it noteworthy that our author would refer to Gideon as Jerub-Baal in verse 1? I believe that he is reminding us of the events of chapter 6 and is keeping before us the challenge to Baal and all the Canaanite deities that is being made here. Baal could not give Israel prosperity, nor did he deliver her from Midianite bondage. Baal could not even defend himself from a timid fellow like Gideon. So how will the God of Israel fare in this contest with the Midianites (and thus with the Canaanite deities) in chapter 7? We shall soon see.

Consider this text through the eyes of a man who lacks courage. He first requested that God prove His identity. That’s not an entirely bad thing, although that should have been a “no-brainer” for an Israelite, who knew the God of Israel declared that He was God alone. Gideon next requested that God verify His promise to deliver Israel through him. Here stands a man who has just sounded the trumpet for his fellow-Israelites to assemble for warfare, and 32,000 have shown up. But these are far too few to match the combined forces of the eastern alliance. And yet now, in our text, God is going to reduce this fighting force of 32,000 warriors to a mere 300 in number. That should quicken Gideon’s pulse.

The Midianites and their allies have come from east of the Jordan and have crossed over into Israel, setting up camp in the Jezreel valley, on the southern side of the Hill of Moreh, and to the north of the Israelites, who are camped by the spring of Harod. Gideon has just tested God twice, and now God will test him by a two-fold reduction of his forces.

The key to understanding our text is found in verse 2: “You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to you. Israel might brag, ‘Our own strength has delivered us.’” We are amazing in our ability to take credit for something we have not done. In Deuteronomy 7, God instructs the Israelites not to fear their enemies because they are greater in number and strength, for it is He who will defeat them.6 And yet in the very next chapter, God also finds it necessary to warn His people against taking credit for the victories He will have won on their behalf:

11 Be sure you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments, ordinances, and statutes that I am giving you today. 12 When you eat your fill, when you build and occupy good houses, 13 when your cattle and flocks increase, when you have plenty of silver and gold, and when you have abundance of everything, 14 be sure you do not feel self-important and forget the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, the place of slavery, 15 and who brought you through the great, fearful desert of venomous serpents and scorpions, an arid place with no water. He made water flow from a flint rock and 16 fed you in the desert with manna (which your ancestors had never before known) so that he might by humbling you test you and eventually bring good to you. 17 Be careful not to say, “My own ability and skill have gotten me this wealth.” 18 You must remember the Lord your God, for he is the one who gives ability to get wealth; if you do this he will confirm his covenant that he made by oath to your ancestors, even as he has to this day (Deuteronomy 8:11-18, emphasis mine).

The greatness of God is the cure to our fears regarding our inadequacies and weaknesses. It is also the greatness of God that should be the preventative for any pride or arrogance on our part, for when victories are won, it is He who has done it, not us. Thus, the greatness of our God should keep us from fear and from pride.

Surely Gideon felt that a mere 32,000 men would not be sufficient to defeat the horde of Midianites who were spread out before him in the Valley of Jezreel, but God will now reduce his resources by means of a two-step process, which will leave him with a mere 300 men. No one would dare to take the credit for the victory God will bring about through this small, unarmed force. The reason for this reduction is: (a) man’s pride, and (b) God’s glory. When God graciously granted Gideon the signs he requested, it had to be with this in view. Given what is about to happen, Gideon would need them!

The first phase of the reduction took place in accordance with God’s instructions that are recorded in Deuteronomy 20, verse 8:

In addition, the officers are to say to the troops, “Who among you is afraid and fainthearted? He may go home so that he will not make his fellow soldier’s heart as fearful as his own” (Deuteronomy 20:8.).

Given the size of the Israelites’ army compared to that of the eastern coalition, you’d better believe that two out of three soldiers confessed to being fainthearted. And so it was that 22,000 men seized the opportunity to be excused from battle. Gideon is now left with a mere 10,000 men, but this was still too many.

That brings us to phase 2 of God’s reduction of Israel’s resources. God instructed Gideon to take his men down to the water, which I am assuming to be the spring of Harod (or the stream which proceeded from that spring). In verse 4, God speaks emphatically of His sovereign choice in who stays and who remains. We can see why this would be so, knowing that only 300 men will remain when God is finished thinning out the troops.

We now come to the author’s account of the “lappers” and the “kneelers.” Most of those who drank knelt by the water to do so, while a few scooped up the water in their hands and then lapped it up. God chose the “lappers” to remain, while the “kneelers” were sent on their way.7 As much as I appreciate Dale Ralph Davis’ commentary on Judges, I am not inclined to completely accept his handling of this portion of the text. He is critical of those who try to explain the difference between the “lappers” and the “kneelers” in terms of their suitability for war.8 He believes that there is no great distinction between these two groups and that the real issue is simply a reduction in the number of men who will go to battle.

I reluctantly disagree with Davis for a couple of reasons. First, a great deal of faith will be required of these remaining men. They must go into battle against a host of enemy soldiers whose camels seem to replace the iron chariots of earlier occupying armies. These men must go into battle without any weapons, other than a jar, a torch, and a trumpet, and they must stand fast in the face of the enemy, without giving ground. It seems to me that this is a time for “a few good men,” men of courage and faith. Second, the 22,000 men who were initially dismissed were dismissed on the grounds that they were afraid. Why would a higher standard not also apply to the dismissal of the 9700 men?

I would agree with Davis that God is reducing the number of Israelite warriors so that no one will boast in men and so that God will get the glory. I would also agree with Davis that some have tended to overdo the distinction between the “lappers” and the “kneelers,” spiritualizing a bit too much. But I would disagree with him in playing down the need for 300 men of faith and character. I believe God thinned out the 32,000 so that He ended up with a handful of valiant warriors. And, by the way, that is what the Angel of the LORD assured Gideon he would become (6:12).

I have one last observation (or speculation, if you choose to see it that way) regarding the “provisions” that the 300 soldiers will take with them. Contrary to the translation cited above,9 I am inclined to agree with the rendering of verse 8 by several other translations:

So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others (Judges 7:8a, NIV).

So the 300 men took the people's provisions and their trumpets into their hands. Gideon sent all the other men of Israel, each to his tent, but retained the 300 men; and the camp of Midian was below him in the valley (NASB 95).

So Gideon sent all the Israelites to their tents, but kept the 300 who took the people's provisions and their trumpets. The camp of Midian was below him in the valley (CSB).

So Gideon collected the provisions and rams’ horns of the other warriors and sent them home. But he kept the 300 men with him. The Midianite camp was in the valley just below Gideon (NLT).

I believe that the author is informing the reader that the 300 men who went to war were given the jars, torches, and trumpets of those who were sent to their tents. When we come to the account of the actual events of the battle, I believe that we will see: (1) That no more than 300 men were needed for the task they were to perform; (2) That any more than 300 men would have been a detriment to Israel’s strategy; and (3) That the provisions given the 300 by those who were sent back were exactly what the 300 needed to perform their task. In other words, I’m suggesting that the “provisions” supplied by the 9700 who departed consisted of 300 jars, torches, and trumpets – exactly what the 300 fighting men (the “lappers”) required. God’s provisions (soldiers and supplies) were no more and no less than what was needed.

Blessed Assurance

Judges 7:9-14
9 That night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up! Attack the camp, for I am handing it over to you. 10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with Purah your servant 11 and listen to what they are saying. Then you will be brave and attack the camp.” So he went down with Purah his servant to where the sentries were guarding the camp. 12 Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east covered the valley like a swarm of locusts. Their camels could not be counted; they were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore. 13 When Gideon arrived, he heard a man telling another man about a dream he had. The man said, “Look! I had a dream. I saw a stale cake of barley bread rolling into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent so hard it knocked it over and turned it upside down. The tent just collapsed.” 14 The other man said, “Without a doubt this symbolizes the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God is handing Midian and all the army over to him.”

God has given Gideon the command to attack the Midianites, along with the promise of victory. But God knows Gideon intimately. Now is the time when further assurance is needed. If you and I were honest, I suspect that none of us would have passed up this opportunity for divine confirmation. If Gideon is fearful, he should take his servant, Purah,10 and go down to the Midianite camp.

Gideon will be reassured as to the final outcome of this battle, but in no way does God minimize the danger, or the strength, of the opposition they will face. The command to “go down” to the Midianite camp underscores the fact that Gideon and his men were camped above the floor or the Jezreel Valley, which gave them a vantage point from which they could look out over the vast assembly of men and camels poised for battle. The sight of what is described in verse 12 must have sent a chill down Gideon’s spine. What Gideon will hear will strengthen his faith, but what he has seen has enhanced his need for faith.

Being curious by nature, I have to wonder what the weather was like on that fateful night. I doubt that there was a clear, star-filled sky with a full moon. I would imagine that it was one of those pitch black nights when there was little or no illumination from the heavens. This would have enabled Gideon and Purah to make their way into the camp of the Midianites, until they came upon two soldiers in conversation. The first tells the other of his troubling dream, a vivid dream of a barley loaf tumbling down into their camp, overturning and crushing a Midianite tent. The second was granted the ability to interpret the dream. He was certain that this could mean nothing other than a smashing Israelite victory over them (the Midianites). They were going to be defeated. Did memories of earlier miraculous Israelite victories strengthen the sense of their impending doom? I suspect so.11

The Impact of this Dream

Judges 7:14-15
14 The other man said, “Without a doubt this symbolizes the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God is handing Midian and all the army over to him.” 15 When Gideon heard the report of the dream and its interpretation, he praised God.12 Then he went back to the Israelite camp and said, “Get up, for the Lord is handing the Midianite army over to you!” (Judges 7:14-15)

We know what impact overhearing this dream had on Gideon. He immediately fell on his face and worshipped God. What an amazing God to confirm the victory He was about to achieve through weak instruments like Gideon and his men! Gideon’s testimony, confirmed by Purah, no doubt was a source of great strength for those 300 men who were soon to risk their lives as they went forth to wage warfare against the Midianites.

I’m also inclined (albeit through a little speculation) to believe that this Midianite’s dream not only encouraged Gideon and his men, but that it demoralized and struck fear into the hearts of the Midianite host. My thoughts are not as speculative as you might suppose, because God gave this assurance to the Israelites as they were heading toward the Promised Land:

14 The nations will hear and tremble;

anguish will seize the inhabitants of Philistia.

15 Then the chiefs of Edom will be terrified,

trembling will seize the leaders of Moab,

and the inhabitants of Canaan will shake.

16 Fear and dread will fall on them;

by the greatness of your arm they will be as still as stone

until your people pass by, O Lord,

until the people whom you have bought pass by (Exodus 15:14-16).

“I will send my terror before you, and I will destroy all the people whom you encounter; I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you” (Exodus 23:27).

22 He, the God who leads you, will expel the nations little by little. You will not be allowed to destroy them all at once lest the wild animals overrun you. 23 The Lord your God will give them over to you; he will throw them into a great panic until they are destroyed. 24 He will hand over their kings to you and you will erase their very names from memory. Nobody will be able to resist you until you destroy them (Deuteronomy 7:22-24, emphasis mine).

I believe that God has already begun to produce the “panic” He promised with the dream of the Midianite, which he then shared with his fellow warrior. As much time as it took Gideon to return to his camp and ready his men for an attack, there was also time for the story of this one soldier’s dream and its interpretation to travel throughout the Midianite camp, at least those on duty at the time (and those who were soon to go on duty). This would have added to the panic and chaos that occurred when Gideon and his men broke their jars, exposing their torches as they blew their trumpets.

Battle Plans

Judges 7:16-18
16 He divided the three hundred men into three units. He gave them all trumpets and empty jars with torches inside them. 17 He said to them, “Watch me and do as I do. Watch closely! I am going to the edge of the camp. Do as I do! 18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, you also blow your trumpets all around the camp. Then say, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”

It’s a simple plan. The 300 men are to be divided into 3 groups of 100 men. Each man will be “armed” (if one dares to use this term) with a clay vessel (which was used to conceal the light of the torch until the proper time), a torch, and a trumpet (actually a shophar, a ram’s horn). Everyone is instructed to do as Gideon does. Following Gideon, they will blow their horns and shout, “For the Lord and for Gideon!”

I know this sounds strange, but as I was thinking about Israel’s strategy here it all seemed so bizarre. What in the world could Israel hope to accomplish against such a great host of warriors with such seemingly futile “weapons”: clay pots, torches, and trumpets? My mind turned to a Walt Disney cartoon (as I recall) which my children used to watch entitled, “A Toot, A Whistle, A Plunk, and a Boom.” That’s what the Israelites took into the battle.

The Battle

Judges 7:19-23
19 Gideon took a hundred men to the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guards. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars they were carrying. 20 All three units blew their trumpets and broke their jars. They held the torches in their left hand and the trumpets in their right. Then they yelled, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 They stood in order all around the camp. The whole army ran away; they shouted as they scrambled away. 22 When the three hundred men blew their trumpets, the Lord caused the Midianites to attack one another with their swords throughout the camp. The army fled to Beth Shittah on the way to Zererah. They went to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. 23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh answered the call and chased the Midianites (Judges 7:19-23).

The author takes care to inform us of the exact timing of Gideon’s attack – “the beginning of the middle watch” (19:1). Why is it so important to know when the attack commenced – “at the beginning of the middle watch”? While the exact hour might be a matter of dispute,13 the author’s main interest seems to be that it is the beginning of the watch. That must have been an important detail. My friend and fellow-elder, Stan Schultz, informs me that the change of watch is the time when there is the greatest confusion. If an emergency occurs, who is now in charge? Is it the one going off his watch or the one coming on? What is clear in all this is that the “attack” (if you dare call a 300-man light and sound show an attack) took place at just the perfect time, God’s time. Gideon’s descent to the Midianite camp perfectly synchronized with God’s schedule.

The attack commenced with the blowing of the trumpets – all 300 of them. Now that would have been some wakeup call! Looking out beyond their campfires into the darkness, the sentries would have seen nothing. Then, suddenly, 300 torches would have appeared all around the camp. There was only one conclusion the Midianites could reach: “We’re surrounded!” And indeed, they were surrounded. But what they could not see is that there was no great army standing behind the torch-bearers, ready to attack. In a combination of divinely-enhanced fear and human panic, the Midianites concluded that the enemy (whom they could not see) was among them, and so they began wildly thrusting their swords.

Now while this was happening, the 300 Israelite horn blowers remained stationary, fixed in their surrounding circle. They did not advance or retreat, but stood back and allowed God to decimate the enemy. At some point in time, the terrified Midianites fled, leaving all their supplies, many of their weapons, and their wits behind. Taking up the abandoned weapons of the Midianites, the 300 Israelites now attacked from the rear, gradually picking off the stragglers as they fled for their lives. The Midianites fled to Beth Shittah as they made their way toward Zererah. They were more than eager to retreat to their own land, if possible. Eventually, those Israelite soldiers left behind now enter into the battle – Israelites from the tribes of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh joined in the battle, seeking to block the Midianites’ escape by crossing the Jordan.

Conclusion

There are so many lessons to be learned from our text. Let me conclude by calling attention to a few of them.

First, we are meant to conclude from our text that God is the hero of this story, not Gideon. God gave the Israelites the victory over the Midianites. God chose a “doubting Thomas” as Israel’s deliverer, a small fighting force, and the most unusual “weapons” one could imagine to defeat the Midianites and to deliver the Israelites. One cannot possibly come away from this story giving credit to Gideon or his troops for this victory. The victory is the Lord’s. The hero is not Gideon; it is God. So what does this mean? It means that God should get the glory. Let us, even now, give glory to God for what He did so long ago.

Second, God’s salvation does not come to those who are strong, but to those who are weak. God’s salvation (deliverance) comes to men because they are sinners and desperately helpless to save themselves. That was true of the Israelites of old, when God brought salvation (deliverance) from their bondage. It was not because those who were needy did something great, thereby winning God’s favor; it was because God is gracious to those who cry out for His help.

This is still true today. Every man, woman, and child is a sinner, in bondage to sin and unable to save themselves. In His great mercy, God sent the Perfect Deliverer, Jesus Christ. He came to save those who were helpless and hopeless. Jesus bore the penalty we deserve, suffering in the sinner’s place on the cross of Calvary. And then by God’s power, He rose from the dead, offering salvation to all who acknowledge their sin and helplessness, and who trust in Christ alone. Jesus is a Deliverer vastly greater than Gideon. He trusted fully in His Father’s will and suffered the penalty of death for us. And in so doing, He glorified the Father. Just as Gideon was not intended to get the glory for the deliverance of his fellow-Israelites, but only God, so it is only God who should get the glory for our salvation, not us. Have you acknowledged your bondage to sin and your helpless state? Have you cried out to Jesus for the salvation He alone can give? If you have, give Him the glory He alone deserves.

Third, God is God alone, and there is no other god. This divine deliverance which we have considered in this lesson is a great victory which proclaimed the God of Israel to be the only true God – God alone. Baal was a powerless no-god, who could not even contend with a wimp like Gideon. He could not give prosperity or peace. While Baal was good only for the dumpster, and the Asherah pole was good only for firewood, the God of Israel is to be praised as the all-powerful Deliverer of His people from the mighty Midianites. What a lesson this was meant to be for the Israelites of old, who were tempted to turn to other gods for prosperity and peace. God alone is the God of peace.

Fourth, this battle enabled the Israelites (particularly Gideon) to “experience God.” God left the Canaanites in the land so that the Israelites would have to go to war with them, and in so doing, they would experience His presence and power.14 I have to smile to myself as I think of Gideon’s protest earlier in chapter 6:

Gideon said to him, “Pardon me, but if the Lord is with us, why has such disaster overtaken us? Where are all his miraculous deeds our ancestors told us about? They said, ‘Did the Lord not bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian” (Judges 6:13).

Did Gideon wish to see God at work in a miraculous way, delivering His people as He had done earlier when He delivered Israel from their bondage in Egypt? That could be arranged; indeed, it was arranged. God raised up none other than Gideon, a reluctant leader, just as Moses had been reluctant.15 He would orchestrate a battle that would shame the heathen gods and show His sovereignty over all. He would pit a helpless, weaponless nation against the largest, most powerful army of that day, and He would win the victory! Gideon got what he wanted; he experienced God, not from the 50 yard line seats, but on the field (as the quarterback!). Gideon came to know God by experiencing His salvation. That is the way we all must come to know Him, by experiencing His deliverance.

Fifth, God’s thoughts are not our thoughts; they are vastly higher and greater.

8 “Indeed, my plans are not like your plans,

and my deeds are not like your deeds,

9 for just as the sky is higher than the earth,

so my deeds are superior to your deeds

and my plans superior to your plans” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

We should observe in our text how God’s thinking differs so greatly from Gideon’s (and ours). Gideon’s thinking is, “The more (troops to fight against the Midianites), the better.” God’s thinking is exactly the opposite: the fewer the better. Gideon was fearful because his eyes were upon himself, and he was thinking in terms of his abilities (or the lack of them). God is fearless, because He is all-powerful. Gideon was worried about winning; God was concerned for His glory. And so Gideon would have wanted more warriors, while God wanted less.

I would suggest to you that we would do well to begin to think more like God and less like mere men. We would do well to place our entire trust in the One who is totally sovereign and sufficient. We would do well to be more concerned with His glory than what would appear to be our self-centered good.16 We would do well not to dwell on our weakness (though we need to recognize it for what it is) but to dwell more on His sufficiency. And as we come to know Him better and to think more like He does, we will be more courageous to pursue those things which bring Him glory (and our good as well).

Sixth, more is less, and less is more. We need to see that God is totally sufficient and is not dependent upon us. We need to realize that he does not need more effort (at doing good) on our part, but a realization that we have nothing good to bring to Him. He does not need more of our money, or even more of our prayers, to accomplish His purposes, determined in eternity past. We desperately need God. We need more of His grace, more of His power. We need Him, but He does not need us. We are dependent upon Him; He is not dependent upon us. Our involvement in His work is a privilege, not a necessity.

We are in the midst of a great recession, and things seem to be getting worse, not better. Our personal incomes may be decreasing, as well as our church budgets. How tempting it is to think that we can only do less because we have fewer human resources. And how wrong we would be to think this! With God, less is more. It was those who had much who were told to give it away.17 It was those who were poor whom Jesus called “blessed.”18

Do you think you have little to offer God? Good, because with God, less is more. The widow’s last drops of oil and grains of wheat were what God used to sustain Elijah, and her, and her son.19 The widow’s mite was viewed as being more than the surpluses of the rich.20 The young lad’s five loaves and two fish were so little in the light of such a great need, but our Lord made it into a meal for thousands.21 With God, little is much, and less is more.

If you are one of those who feels that you have little to offer God – whether that be time, or spiritual gifting, or money – this message is not meant in any way to excuse you from giving to God from what you have, little as that may seem to you. Indeed, this message should be a great encouragement to you to give what little you have to God, knowing that with Him, less is more, and that God is glorified by making much of little. He does this to demonstrate His power and to promote His glory.

I would imagine that there are those listening to (or reading) this message who are giving nothing at all to our Lord. My encouragement to you would be for you to begin to give something, regardless of how small that might seem to be (whether that be money, time, or service). And there may be some who are giving less than they can because they assume that what little more they could give would not make any difference in the long run. God delights to make much of little. Do not deprive yourself of the joy of watching God use the “little” you give to accomplish much.

We are in difficult times economically (and in many other ways) in our country. A number of people in our church have lost their jobs, and others have businesses that are hurting as well. Our church budget is currently lower than we have seen for a long time. I wonder if God isn’t reducing our resources, just as He reduced the number of warriors to send into battle with Gideon, so that He might accomplish far more than we would ever ask or think,22 and so that He would be glorified as the God who makes much of little. With God, less is more, and for this we should be encouraged.

1 Copyright © 2009 by Robert L. Deffinbaugh. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson 8 in the series, The Dark Days of Israel’s Judges, prepared by Robert L. Deffinbaugh on October 4, 2009. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with or without credit.

2 Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the NET Bible. The NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION, also known as THE NET BIBLE, is a completely new translation of the Bible, not a revision or an update of a previous English version. It was completed by more than twenty biblical scholars who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. The translation project originally started as an attempt to provide an electronic version of a modern translation for electronic distribution over the Internet and on CD (compact disk). Anyone anywhere in the world with an Internet connection will be able to use and print out the NET Bible without cost for personal study. In addition, anyone who wants to share the Bible with others can print unlimited copies and give them away free to others. It is available on the Internet at: www.netbible.org.

3 We know from Judges 8:10 that 120,000 eastern alliance soldiers were killed in battle and that 15,000 soldiers remained.

4 I am reminded here of the promise of James 1:5.

5 1 Corinthians 1:26—2:5; 2 Corinthians 12:1-10.

6 Deuteronomy 7:17-24.

7 Those sent on their way – to their own place (literally) – were either sent home, or they were instructed to return to their tents, waiting for the time when they would once again be summoned for battle (7:23-24).

8 Dale Ralph Davis, Such a Great Salvation: Expositions of the Book of Judges (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1990), pp. 103-105.

9 Also the KJV, NKJV, ESV.

10 It would be interesting to know why God specified Purah as the one to accompany Gideon. God may have known that he alone had the faith to accompany Gideon into the jaws of the lion.

11 See Joshua 2:10-11.

12 A simple “Praise the Lord!” is not sufficient here. Gideon prostrated himself in worship.

13 While the timing is clear to the author, and no doubt to the early readers, the scholars alternate between 10:00 P.M. and midnight.

14 See Judges 2:20—3:4.

15 See Exodus 3 and 4.

16 See 1 Corinthians 10:31.

17 See Luke 18:18-24.

18 See Luke 6:20, also Matthew 5:3ff.

19 1 Kings 17:8-16.

20 Mark 12:41-44.

21 Matthew 14:15-21.

22 See Ephesians 3:20-21; 1 Corinthians 2:9.

Source  

[Garland-Green]

When More is Less - Or - What Happened to Gideon? (Judges 7:23-8:32)

23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh answered the call and chased the Midianites.

24 Now Gideon sent messengers throughout the Ephraimite hill country who announced, “Go down and head off the Midianites. Take control of the fords of the streams all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River.” When all the Ephraimites had assembled, they took control of the fords all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River. 25 They captured the two Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb. They executed Oreb on the rock of Oreb and Zeeb in the winepress of Zeeb. They chased the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was now on the other side of the Jordan River.

1 The Ephraimites said to him, “Why have you done such a thing to us? You did not summon us when you went to fight the Midianites!” They argued vehemently with him. 2 He said to them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Even Ephraim’s leftover grapes are better quality than Abiezer’s harvest! 3 It was to you that God handed over the Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb! What did I accomplish to rival that?” When he said this, they calmed down.

4 Now Gideon and his three hundred men had crossed over the Jordan River, and even though they were exhausted, they were still chasing the Midianites. 5 He said to the men of Succoth, “Give some loaves of bread to the men who are following me, because they are exhausted. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” 6 The officials of Succoth said, “You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give bread to your army?” 7 Gideon said, “Since you will not help, after the Lord hands Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I will thresh your skin with desert thorns and briers.” 8 He went up from there to Penuel and made the same request. The men of Penuel responded the same way the men of Succoth had. 9 He also threatened the men of Penuel, warning, “When I return victoriously, I will tear down this tower.”

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their armies. There were about fifteen thousand survivors from the army of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand sword-wielding soldiers had been killed. 11 Gideon went up the road of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and ambushed the surprised army. 12 When Zebah and Zalmunna ran away, Gideon chased them and captured the two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. He had surprised their entire army.

13 Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by the pass of Heres. 14 He captured a young man from Succoth and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of Succoth’s officials and city leaders – seventy-seven men in all. 15 He approached the men of Succoth and said, “Look what I have! Zebah and Zalmunna! You insulted me, saying, ‘You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give bread to your exhausted men?’” 16 He seized the leaders of the city, along with some desert thorns and briers; he then “threshed” the men of Succoth with them. 17 He also tore down the tower of Penuel and executed the city’s men.

18 He said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “Describe for me the men you killed at Tabor.” They said, “They were like you. Each one looked like a king’s son.” 19 He said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. I swear, as surely as the Lord is alive, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.” 20 He ordered Jether his firstborn son, “Come on! Kill them!” But Jether was too afraid to draw his sword, because he was still young. 21 Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, “Come on, you strike us, for a man is judged by his strength.” So Gideon killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent-shaped ornaments which were on the necks of their camels.

22 The men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us – you, your son, and your grandson. For you have delivered us from Midian’s power.” 23 Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” 24 Gideon continued, “I would like to make one request. Each of you give me an earring from the plunder you have taken.” (The Midianites had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.) 25 They said, “We are happy to give you earrings.” So they spread out a garment, and each one threw an earring from his plunder onto it. 26 The total weight of the gold earrings he requested came to seventeen hundred gold shekels. This was in addition to the crescent-shaped ornaments, jewelry, purple clothing worn by the Midianite kings, and the necklaces on the camels. 27 Gideon used all this to make an ephod, which he put in his hometown of Ophrah. All the Israelites prostituted themselves to it by worshiping it there. It became a snare to Gideon and his family.

28 The Israelites humiliated Midian; the Midianites’ fighting spirit was broken. The land had rest for forty years during Gideon’s time. 29 Then Jerub-Baal son of Joash went home and settled down. 30 Gideon fathered seventy sons through his many wives. 31 His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also gave him a son, whom he named Abimelech. 32 Gideon son of Joash died at a very old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash located in Ophrah of the Abiezrites (Judges 7:23-8:32).2

Introduction

A couple of years ago my wife and I began to smell something unpleasant in the vicinity of our family playroom – a small room stacked with toys through which one must pass to enter or exit the house from the back door. We looked around, but did not find anything suspicious (although in a playroom for grandchildren, there are lots of possibilities). As time passed, the smell became stronger and stronger, not only in intensity but in plain old-fashioned foulness. Something had to be done. Searching did not seem to produce the culprit, until one day it occurred to me to look in the “play refrigerator,” one of several toy kitchen appliances. When I opened the door, I got a full dose of that foul smell. There was only one thing inside, a cup of milk that had been there for at least two weeks. Trust me, it was ripe!

Reading the story of Gideon reminds me of our experience with that foul smelling glass of milk hidden away in a play refrigerator. Initially, everything appeared to be going great. God had worked in Gideon’s life so that he secretly destroyed his father’s Baal altar and the Asherah pole that accompanied it, building in its place an altar to Israel’s God and sacrificing a bull as an offering, with wood supplied by the Asherah pole. In so doing, Gideon expressed faith in God while mocking the Canaanite gods he and his family had been worshipping.

It took a good bit of convincing for Gideon to believe that God would actually use him to deliver the Israelites from their oppression by the Midianites – a two-stage test by means of Gideon’s fleece, and confirmation that came from overhearing the conversation of two Midianite warriors. When the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, he blew the trumpet, calling for his fellow-Israelites to assemble for war with the Midianites. God reduced this army of 32,000 to a mere 300 unarmed men because He wanted to make it clear that He had accomplished Israel’s deliverance just as He had promised. In the battle, the Midianites turned on themselves, so that they were killed by “friendly fire” as it were. The Midianites turned tail and ran for home, with Gideon and his 300 men in hot pursuit.

This is the point at which our text takes up the account, and it is also the point at which something begins to smell foul. In the closing verses of chapter 7, Gideon calls for help from several Israelite tribes. So far as we are told, the only result is the capture and execution of two Midianite generals and a potentially explosive argument between the tribe of Ephraim and Gideon. “Why,” I had to ask, “was it necessary for Gideon to summon his fellow Israelites to help him when the battle was nearly over, and when God had sent nearly all of those who had assembled earlier to their tents (or home)?”

Gideon and his 300 weary soldiers continue to pursue what is left (15,000 men) of the eastern coalition (originally 135,000 men3) deep into enemy territory. In the course of his pursuit, he passes through two Israelite towns, Succoth and Penuel.4 When asked for bread, the leaders of these towns refuse to assist Gideon in this way, fearing that Gideon will not be victorious, and thus bringing the retaliation of the Midianites. Gideon continues his pursuit, but threatens to punish the men of these cities for their lack of support when he returns victorious over the Midianites. And so he does return, at which time he deals harshly with his fellow-Israelites. He gives the leaders of Succoth a beating they won’t forget, and he tears down the tower at Penuel, killing the men of the city. This, too, has a smell; indeed, it has a stronger smell than Gideon’s call for help from his fellow Israelites.

Like finding that cup of milk in the play refrigerator, we discover a most surprising revelation when we come to Gideon’s dealings with the two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. We’ll see what this surprise revelation is when we come to this part of the account later in the message.

Lest anyone be inclined to think that the story of Gideon will end with a “happily ever after,” we need only read about the “ephod” which Gideon made and then placed in his home town of Ophrah, which the Israelites came to worship. Here is a smell so strong no one can ignore or deny it. Something has gone terribly wrong with Gideon, and it is our task to discover what that was. So let us look to God’s Word and to His Spirit to teach us important truths from this disturbing text.

“Help” arrives, but does it Help?

Judges 7:23-8:3
23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh answered the call and chased the Midianites. 24 Now Gideon sent messengers throughout the Ephraimite hill country who announced, “Go down and head off the Midianites. Take control of the fords of the streams all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River.” When all the Ephraimites had assembled, they took control of the fords all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River. 25 They captured the two Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb. They executed Oreb on the rock of Oreb and Zeeb in the winepress of Zeeb. They chased the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was now on the other side of the Jordan River.

1 The Ephraimites said to him, “Why have you done such a thing to us? You did not summon us when you went to fight the Midianites!” They argued vehemently with him. 2 He said to them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Even Ephraim’s leftover grapes are better quality than Abiezer’s harvest! 3 It was to you that God handed over the Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb! What did I accomplish to rival that?” When he said this, they calmed down (Judges 7:23—8:3).

As I mentioned earlier, one has to wonder why Gideon called for help from his fellow Israelites. The major battle has been fought and won by God, thus delivering His people from Midianite oppression. What follows this victory is merely a “mop up” operation. The vast majority of those who volunteered for service in chapter 6 (verses 34-35) were sent back and did not engage in the main battle (7:1-8.). We should also note that whatever the reason for the first general call to war, it was prompted by the Spirit of the LORD who came upon Gideon (6:34). There is no indication in chapter 7 that God ordered Gideon to summon other Israelite tribes (such as Ephraim) to battle. Why are extra Israelite forces needed now?

I believe that it would not have been difficult for Gideon to rationalize his decision to call for assistance. He might appeal to the example set by Deborah and Barak (as is evident in chapters 4 and 5), whose example and exhortation prompted Israelites from different tribes to join in their battle for freedom from their Canaanite oppressors. Gideon might also argue that since the major battle has already been fought and won, this gathering of additional forces is merely for “cleanup” purposes. Furthermore, it appeared that the 15,000 Midianite troops who remained were getting away. If volunteers could block the remnant of the eastern coalition from crossing the Jordan and returning home, they could be killed. The Ephraimites in particular were within reach of the Jordan River. They, better than others, could stop the retreat of the enemy.

But in the absence of a specific command from the LORD (or compulsion of the Spirit) to engage in the battle, one must ask why the guiding principle God set down earlier would not apply here:

2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to you. Israel might brag, ‘Our own strength has delivered us.’ 3 Now, announce to the men, ‘Whoever is shaking with fear may turn around and leave Mount Gilead.’” Twenty-two thousand men went home; ten thousand remained (Judges 7:2-3).

Added to this is the argument between Ephraim and Gideon recorded for us in the first three verses of chapter 8. So far as our author informs us, Ephraim’s participation contributed little more than the heads of two Midianite generals (or commanders). The Ephraimite blockade may have prevented some of the eastern coalition from crossing the Jordan and making their way home. More than anything, it became a source of contention between Ephraim and Gideon, a contention which could (as it later did) result in war between these Israelites.

What is important to note is the central issue of Gideon’s argument with Ephraim: glory. The dispute is really over the question, “Who gets the glory for the defeat of the Midianites; Ephraim or Gideon (and his clan, the Abiezrites)?” It is really not surprising to find Ephraim here as a glory seeker, because it will happen again in chapter 12:

1 The Ephraimites assembled and crossed over to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why did you go and fight with the Ammonites without asking us to go with you? We will burn your house down right over you!” 2 Jephthah said to them, “My people and I were entangled in controversy with the Ammonites. I asked for your help, but you did not deliver me from their power. 3 When I saw that you were not going to help, I risked my life and advanced against the Ammonites, and the Lord handed them over to me. Why have you come up to fight with me today?” (Judges 12:1-3)

In chapter 12, Jephthah called to the Ephraimites for help, and they failed to come and so Jephthah had to go to battle on his own. And yet they are angry because Jephthah had the honor of being victorious over the Ammonites. The men of Ephraim end up doing battle, not with the Ammonites, but with Jephthah and his forces. The Ephraimites don’t deserve any glory, and yet they are angry when Jephthah wins without them to share in the glory.

Here in our text, as in chapter 12, what Ephraim needs is a rebuke. Jephthah gave him that and more in chapter 12, but Gideon responds in a disappointing way. Some commentators commend Gideon for giving Ephraim a “soft” answer (as we find in Proverbs 15:1), but this is not a time for a soft answer. Gideon’s answer is too soft; he is talking like a politician nearing an election. He is working too hard to appease Ephraim, when a rebuke is what is required. In my opinion, his answer should have gone something like this:

“Ephraim, you need to understand that it was the Spirit of the LORD that prompted me to blow the trumpet, summoning other Israelite tribes to battle. Now I am not at fault because either you did not respond to that call or God did not include you in the call. And besides this, even though many came to join the battle, God reduced the size of my army from 32,000 Israelites to 300. He did this because He did not want you or me – or anyone else for that matter – to take credit for the victory He would win for us. The glory belongs to God alone, so you need to see that all of this talk about glory is completely out of order. If you have a grievance, you’d better take that up with God, and I’d recommend a great deal of humility on your part if you do.”

Gideon’s War with Two Cities and Two Kings

Judges 8:4-21
4 Now Gideon and his three hundred men had crossed over the Jordan River, and even though they were exhausted, they were still chasing the Midianites. 5 He said to the men of Succoth, “Give some loaves of bread to the men who are following me, because they are exhausted. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” 6 The officials of Succoth said, “You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give bread to your army?” 7 Gideon said, “Since you will not help, after the Lord hands Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I will thresh your skin with desert thorns and briers.” 8 He went up from there to Penuel and made the same request. The men of Penuel responded the same way the men of Succoth had. 9 He also threatened the men of Penuel, warning, “When I return victoriously, I will tear down this tower.”

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their armies. There were about fifteen thousand survivors from the army of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand sword-wielding soldiers had been killed. 11 Gideon went up the road of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and ambushed the surprised army. 12 When Zebah and Zalmunna ran away, Gideon chased them and captured the two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. He had surprised their entire army.

13 Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by the pass of Heres. 14 He captured a young man from Succoth and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of Succoth’s officials and city leaders – seventy-seven men in all. 15 He approached the men of Succoth and said, “Look what I have! Zebah and Zalmunna! You insulted me, saying, ‘You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give bread to your exhausted men?’” 16 He seized the leaders of the city, along with some desert thorns and briers; he then “threshed” the men of Succoth with them. 17 He also tore down the tower of Penuel and executed the city’s men.

18 He said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “Describe for me the men you killed at Tabor.” They said, “They were like you. Each one looked like a king’s son.” 19 He said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. I swear, as surely as the Lord is alive, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.” 20 He ordered Jether his firstborn son, “Come on! Kill them!” But Jether was too afraid to draw his sword, because he was still young. 21 Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, “Come on, you strike us, for a man is judged by his strength.” So Gideon killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent-shaped ornaments which were on the necks of their camels (Judges 8:4-21).

The incident with the Ephraimites is a temporary interruption in the author’s account of Gideon’s ongoing pursuit of the Midianites and their eastern allies. In verse 4, we return once again to Gideon and his 300 men5 in hot pursuit of the remaining 15,000 enemy warriors who are making a hasty retreat to their own territory. Gideon and his men are weary and hungry. Because they were intent on overtaking the Midianite warriors, they did not stop to rest or to eat a good meal. And now, it would seem, they are tired and entirely out of provisions. Here, someone must have thought, was a time for the Israelites living in the vicinity to come to their aid.

Gideon was in for a big disappointment if he believed that the Israelites in the Transjordan towns of Succoth and Penuel were going to be of help. Gideon’s request for food was first denied by the leaders of Succoth and then by the people of Penuel. Whether or not the Israelites of Succoth and Penuel meant their response as an insult, Gideon certainly took it that way. But taking their words at face value, we know why the men of these two cities responded as they did: they were afraid that Gideon could not win, and thus by helping Gideon, they would side with him and become the first recipients of any Midianite retaliation. This greatly angered Gideon who promised to return a victor, and when he did, he promised to punish the men of these cities for mocking him and refusing to give him food. Notice that there is only one passing reference to God in verse 7; other than this, it is a very secular event.

It is especially important to note the wording of verse 9:

So he spoke also to the men of Penuel, saying, "When I return safely, I will tear down this tower" (NAU, emphasis mine).

He also threatened the men of Penuel, warning, "When I return victoriously, I will tear down this tower" (NET Bible, emphasis mine).

So he said to the men of Peniel, "When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower" (NIV, emphasis mine).

He also told the men of Penuel, "When I return in peace, I will tear down this tower!" (CSB, emphasis mine; so also ESV, KJV, NKJV)

The rendering “in peace” is the most literal translation and also the best choice of words in my opinion. It is true that returning “in peace” also implies “victory” or “triumph,” but the Scriptures make a clear distinction between events occurring “in peace” and those happening “in a time of war.” Consider this crucial distinction as it pertains to the death of Abner:

20 When Abner, accompanied by twenty men, came to David in Hebron, David prepared a banquet for Abner and the men who were with him. 21 Abner said to David, “Let me leave so that I may go and gather all Israel to my lord the king so that they may make an agreement with you. Then you will rule over all that you desire.” So David sent Abner away, and he left in peace. 22 Now David’s soldiers and Joab were coming back from a raid, bringing a great deal of plunder with them. Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, for David had sent him away and he had left in peace. 23 When Joab and all the army that was with him arrived, Joab was told: “Abner the son of Ner came to the king; he sent him away, and he left in peace!” (2 Samuel 3:20-23, emphasis mine)

So Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel in Gibeon during the battle (2 Samuel 3:30, emphasis mine).

To remind you of the background of the Scriptures cited here, some of David’s men were engaged in battle with some of Saul’s son’s (Ishbosheth’s) forces, led by Abner. Abner was being pursued by Asahel, the brother of Joab and Abishai. Abner tried to persuade Asahel to turn back, but he would not, and so Abner killed him. Remember that this killing was during a battle, so it was not considered murder.

In Joab’s mind, family ties overruled the law, and thus he looked upon the death of his brother Asahel as murder. And so we find that he resolved to be his dead brother’s avenger. Somewhere, somehow, he would kill Abner. The opportunity came when Abner was invited to Hebron to meet with David. Three times the author informs the reader that Abner came “in peace.” This was because Abner came for the purpose of negotiating the reunification of the 12 Israelite tribes. This was not a time of war; indeed, Abner was assured of David’s protection. When Joab killed Abner, it was not in war, but in a time of peace. Thus, it was murder, and David made it clear that he had no part in it.

Do you see the relevance of this incident to Gideon’s actions in our text? This will become clear as we continue to walk through this narrative. Gideon presses on in his pursuit of the Midianite warriors, taking what appears to be a more “off the main road” route. Coming upon the Midianites in this manner, he caught them unaware, and they were not prepared for battle. The two kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, fled in the confusion, but Gideon pursued and captured them.

Gideon now returns to Succoth and Penuel a different way. It appears that this was the more well-known and well-traveled route to the two Israelite cities. As promised, Gideon punished the men of both cities. Before he reached Succoth, Gideon captured a young man from the city and “persuaded” him to write down the names of all 77 of the city’s leaders. Gideon then entered the city, gathered the 77 leaders and punished them by means of a painful threshing with desert thorns and briars. This was precisely what he had threatened he would do to the men of Succoth. But when Gideon returned to Penuel, his retaliation was even more severe than what he had threatened. Gideon tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.6 The question which the author surely wants us to ask is this: Was Gideon dealing more harshly with his fellow Israelites than he should have? Put differently, did Gideon rightly treat his fellow-Israelites as though they were his enemies?

For me, the wonder of it all is the realization that only two chapters (and just a few days) earlier Gideon was the one filled with fear, who needed confirmation that God would deliver Israel from the Midianites through him. So why is he now so harsh in his dealings with the men of Succoth and Penuel? Why does he have no compassion for those who have little faith in his ability to save Israel? These folks did not receive all the confirmation from God that Gideon did. All they see is 300 tired and hungry warriors in pursuit of 15,000 Midianites. What has changed Gideon into such a hostile and violent man?

Having dealt harshly with the men of Succoth and Penuel, our author now focuses our attention on the two Midianite kings – Zebah and Zalmunna – who sought to escape from the hand of Gideon but were captured deep in their own territory. Gideon now interrogates these two kings, asking a question that would never have occurred to the reader, coming completely “out of the blue”: “Describe for me the men you killed at Tabor” (8:18a)? Where did this come from? And if the question catches the reader entirely off guard, the answer is even more amazing: “They said, ‘They were like you. Each one looked like a king’s son’” (8:18b). And now for the biggest shock of all: Gideon declares that the men whom they killed at Tabor, the men who looked like the sons of a king, were actually his brothers – not his fellow-Israelites mind you, but his blood brothers – the sons of his mother (8:19).

Here is something that is entirely new and unexpected by the reader, something the author has withheld until this moment, late in the account. At some point in the not-too-distant past,7 these Midianite kings had been responsible for the execution of several men who appeared to them to be of royal blood. Zebah and Zalmunna recognized the resemblance (if not in looks, at least in their demeanor) between the men they killed and Gideon. Gideon now removes any doubt by revealing that the princely men who were killed were indeed his blood brothers, the sons of his mother.

This revelation changes the way that I now read Gideon’s response to the Angel of the LORD in chapter 6:

Gideon said to him, “But Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Just look! My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my family” (Judges 6:15).

I do not doubt Gideon’s statement about being the youngest in his family. It appears that Gideon’s older brothers went off to fight the Midianites at Mount Tabor and were killed. Being the youngest, Gideon (somewhat like David in 1 Samuel 17:12-16) remained behind and did not engage the Midianites in battle. It is possible that he (like David) went to visit his brothers on the battlefront. He might even have witnessed their death. Regardless of these minor details, we can safely assume that Gideon suspected (if he did not know for a fact) that these two kings were responsible for the death of his brothers.

This new revelation to the reader explains a great deal. Even though their death was “in war,” he purposed to avenge his brothers’ deaths. This might explain why he called in men from other tribes, including Ephraim, to prevent their escape across the Jordan. It could even explain why he sought to bolster the egos of the Ephraimites by minimizing God’s role in Israel’s recent victory and by overstating the role they played in all these things. It would explain why Gideon was intent upon pursuing these kings deep into their own territory. Likewise, it would explain why Gideon was so harsh with his fellow Israelites living in Succoth and Penuel – they were hindering him from catching up with those he intended to kill. It may also explain why Gideon indicated to these kings that, had they allowed his brothers to live, he would have let them live. If this is a “family feud,” where vengeance is sought, then we can understand why Gideon would attempt to involve his young (and hardly ready for war) son, by instructing him to kill these two kings. Finally, it helps us to understand why the Israelites offered to make Gideon their king in the verses we are about to consider.

A Royal Offer – But is it Declined?

Judges 8:22-32
22 The men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us – you, your son, and your grandson. For you have delivered us from Midian’s power.” 23 Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” 24 Gideon continued, “I would like to make one request. Each of you give me an earring from the plunder you have taken.” (The Midianites had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.) 25 They said, “We are happy to give you earrings.” So they spread out a garment, and each one threw an earring from his plunder onto it. 26 The total weight of the gold earrings he requested came to seventeen hundred gold shekels. This was in addition to the crescent-shaped ornaments, jewelry, purple clothing worn by the Midianite kings, and the necklaces on the camels. 27 Gideon used all this to make an ephod, which he put in his hometown of Ophrah. All the Israelites prostituted themselves to it by worshiping it there. It became a snare to Gideon and his family. 28 The Israelites humiliated Midian; the Midianites’ fighting spirit was broken. The land had rest for forty years during Gideon’s time. 29 Then Jerub-Baal son of Joash went home and settled down. 30 Gideon fathered seventy sons through his many wives. 31 His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also gave him a son, whom he named Abimelech. 32 Gideon son of Joash died at a very old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash located in Ophrah of the Abiezrites (Judges 8:22-32).

V  

[Garland-Green]

We are not told exactly when it was that the men of Israel asked Gideon to be their king, but it would seem that it was not long after the victory over the Midianites. What they are really proposing is that Gideon accept the position of being their king and that his ruling over Israel would result in a dynasty. This would assure the Israelites of a strong military leader as well as a continual line of succession. One cannot read this request without thinking ahead to 1 Samuel 8, where the Israelites demanded that Samuel appoint a king for them, a man who would go before them into battle.

4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and approached Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons don’t follow your ways. So now appoint over us a king to lead us, just like all the other nations have.” 6 But this request displeased Samuel, for they said, “Give us a king to lead us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 The Lord said to Samuel, “Do everything the people request of you. For it is not you that they have rejected, but it is me that they have rejected as their king. 8 Just as they have done from the day that I brought them up from Egypt until this very day, they have rejected me and have served other gods. This is what they are also doing to you.” . . . 19 But the people refused to heed Samuel’s warning. Instead they said, “No! There will be a king over us! 20 We will be like all the other nations. Our king will judge us and lead us and fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:4-8, 19-20, emphasis mine).

On the surface, it would appear that Gideon (rightly) rejected this offer. He seems to do this in very plain words: “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you” (Judges 8:23). “Good for Gideon,” we think. And so we continue to think of him as a hero, looking at his recent conduct as a momentary lapse in conduct and character. But in just a moment (just a couple of verses, actually), our optimism regarding Gideon will go up in flames when we read that he created an ephod that he then set up in his home town as an object of worship. No, something bad happened to Gideon after the miraculous victory God achieved using Gideon and his 300 men. It is my contention that this negative change in Gideon persisted for the rest of his life, for nearly forty years (8:28.).

Along with others,8 it seems to me that Gideon’s refusal to be Israel’s king is the right answer theologically speaking, but that in reality he hypocritically lived a king’s life. Consider the following observations from the text.

First, the two kings – Zebah and Zalmunna – told Gideon that the men they killed on Mount Tabor were men who behaved liked royalty (8:18.). Gideon’s brothers acted like the sons of a king. Did these men have royal blood? If so, then so did Gideon. And whether or not they had royal blood, they acted as though they were royalty. Thus, the Midianite kings concluded that Gideon, like his brothers, was acting like a king.

Second, for all intents and purposes, Gideon had a harem. The average Israelite did not have “many wives” and “seventy sons,” along with a concubine (8:30-31). Even David did not rival Gideon in this regard.

Third, Gideon virtually collected a “tax” when he accepted the “gift” from his soldiers in verses 24-27. This is kingly business.

Fourth, Gideon’s establishment of a new object of worship in his home town is something that a king could do. Later in Israel’s history, Jeroboam will establish a counterfeit religion when Israel becomes a divided kingdom.9 Gideon’s “ephod” becomes an idol that the Israelites worship. Ironically, this ephod is set up in Gideon’s home town of Ophrah, the very place where Gideon had torn down the altar of Baal and the sacred Asherah pole.

I should add that there is a great deal of discussion among students of the Bible as to just what this “ephod” looked like. We know from Scripture that in Exodus 28, God gave Moses the plans for the “ephod” which the high priest would wear. It was made of solid gold, royal cloth, and precious stones,10and was somehow used to discern the will of God.11 Later on in the Book of Judges, Micah will hire a Levite to be the family “priest,” and the religion he facilitates involves graven images, idols, and an ephod.12 One cannot help but wonder how much like Gideon’s “ephod” the “ephod” of Micah was.

What irony I find in all of Gideon’s “ephod” business. It would seem to me that the pagan “ephods” of Gideon and Micah would not only be objects of worship, but means of discerning the will of God (or, more likely, the gods). Isn’t it ironic that Gideon, the man who needed so much instruction and confirmation regarding God’s will for him, would make an ephod for others to worship so that they could know the will of the gods? Does Gideon still feel he needs some “crutch” so that he can be sure of the divine will, especially if that “will” is not the will of the LORD?

Fifth, while Gideon appears to have declined to be Israel’s king, this seems to be contradicted by his choice of a name for one of his sons. One of Gideon’s sons (whom we shall meet in chapter 9) is “Abimelech.” This name is a compound word, made up of the word “abi” which means “my father,” and “melek” which means “king.” And so the name “Abimelech” means “my father is king.” Now isn’t it a strange thing for Gideon to name his son “my father is king” if he has declined this title and office?

It is not just Abimelech who desired to rule over Israel. It seems to be the assumption of all Israel that Gideon’s seventy sons would “rule” over them:

1 Now Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem to see his mother’s relatives. He said to them and to his mother’s entire extended family, 2 “Tell all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want to have seventy men, all Jerub-Baal’s sons, ruling13 over you, when you can have just one ruler? Recall that I am your own flesh and blood.’” 3 His mother’s relatives spoke on his behalf to all the leaders of Shechem and reported his proposal. The leaders were drawn to Abimelech; they said, “He is our close relative.” 4 They paid him seventy silver shekels out of the temple of Baal-Berith. Abimelech then used the silver to hire some lawless, dangerous men as his followers. 5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and murdered his half-brothers, the seventy legitimate sons of Jerub-Baal, on one stone. Only Jotham, Jerub-Baal’s youngest son, escaped, because he hid. 6 All the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo assembled and then went and made Abimelech king by the oak near the pillar in Shechem (Judges 9:1-6, emphasis mine).

My point here is that not only all of Gideon’s sons expected to rule over Israel, but all Israel expected this as well. Gideon did not do a very good job of insuring that his descendants would not rule over Israel.

All of this leads me to conclude that Gideon has had a major moral and spiritual meltdown as a result of the victory God gave Gideon and his 300 men. D.I. Block puts it this way:

“Since Gideon launched his pursuit of Zebah and Zalmunna in 8:4, his behavior has followed the typical pattern of oriental kings: (1) he treated his subjects/countrymen ruthlessly (vv. 5-9, 12-17); (2) his actions were driven by a personal agenda rather than theological or national ideals; (3) he reacted to the death of his brothers as if they were royal assassinations requiring blood vengeance; (4) he made ridiculous demands on his people (v. 20); (5) he claimed for himself the symbols of royalty taken from the enemy. As already suggested, coming after this series of events, it appears the Israelite offer of kingship to Gideon simply seeks to formalize de jure what is already de facto.”14

Citing L.R. Klein,15 Block16 summarizes,

“The coward has become confident; he directs far-flung mopping up operations which are effectively carried out. But the voice of the LORD is stilled, not to be heard for the balance of Gideon’s narrative. And the spirit of the LORD, which brought the courage to fight a far greater military force, seems to slip from Gideon’s shoulders in the process.”

Conclusion

As we reflect on our text and its implications, consider the following thoughts.

If “All’s well that ends well,” then all is not well with either Gideon or Israel. As I was thinking back over the life of Gideon, it occurred to me that Gideon started out like Moses and ended like Aaron. Moses began his ministry with a great deal of self-doubt. Even though God Himself spoke to Moses, indicating that he was the one to deliver the Israelites from their bondage, Moses took a great deal of convincing. So did Gideon. And yet when the story of Gideon ends, we read that he made an ephod that the Israelites worshipped. That sounds more like Aaron, who fashioned a golden calf17 for the Israelites to worship. How sad that Gideon would begin by tearing down the heathen altar of Baal in his home town of Ophrah only to set up another object of worship at the end of the account of his life and ministry.

Gideon reminds us how easy it is to stumble and to fall, and few there are who truly “finish well.” That is what makes me so sad when I read about Gideon – he did not finish well. And we should be warned when we realize that many of those who once did well did not finish well. This would include people like David, his son Solomon, and Hezekiah as just a few examples. It does not get easier and easier to live the Christian life as you get older; it gets harder. How important it is to recognize our weakness and to cling to our Lord throughout our lifetime, so that we may finish well.

Gideon illustrates the devastating consequences of fostering a spirit of bitterness and revenge. We can see in our text that Gideon’s obsession with vengeance prompted him to act rashly. It may well have been his desire for revenge that prompted Gideon to call in extra troops, when God had just reduced the number of warriors to assure that He received the glory for the victory He promised. Gideon’s desire for revenge might also have prompted him to deal harshly with his fellow-Israelites in Succoth and Penuel. It might even have caused him to pursue the Midianites deep into enemy territory. Gideon’s appetite for revenge was not beneficial, either to Gideon or to the nation Israel. We would do well to learn from Gideon’s experience to deal with our anger quickly and decisively.18 Organizations like the Peacemaker Ministries19 seek to help Christians do this.

How quickly and easily men are able and willing to take credit for what God has done. God picked a fearful man like Gideon and then reduced his warriors to 300 unarmed men so that it would be abundantly clear that the victory was the Lord’s. How well Gideon knew this as he went into battle, but after the major battle was won, there was almost no mention of God, and there was far too much emphasis on the glory of men. The heated interchange between Gideon and the Ephraimites is but one example of men wanting the glory which belongs only to God.

Christians (and particularly Christian leaders) need to recognize the dangers inherent in ministry that is carried out by means of the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit. Block says it well when he writes,

“Fourth, those who are called to leadership in the kingdom of God face constant temptation to exchange the divine agenda for personal ambition. Ironically, the more impressive one’s achievement for God, the greater the temptation. Having won deliverance for his people with a spectacular victory over the Midianites, Gideon began to act like it had been achieved with the ‘sword of Gideon’ rather than the ‘sword of the LORD’”20 (emphasis mine).

Sometimes God finds it necessary to give us a “thorn in the flesh”21 to remind us of our weakness and of our need for His strength. Better that than the arrogance of assuming that some achievement was due to our inherent strengths. Christian leaders can point men to God and encourage them to serve, knowing that God gives strength to the weak. But we can also become puffed up by the success that was not ours in the first place.

If “less is more” then it may also be true that “more is less.” By “more,” I am thinking of more money, more status, or more success. The “more” God gave to Gideon, the less he felt that he needed God and the farther from dependence upon God he drifted. There have been times in my life (very few, in fact) when it appeared that there was a chance that I might be given “more.” It didn’t happen, and in reflecting on this, I’m grateful. I fear that I know myself well enough to realize that “more” would have affected me as it did Gideon. I have come to see that “more” can mean “more temptation and opportunity to drift from God.” God may withhold certain things (“more”) from me to prevent me from sinning against Him. (Many of the sins I don’t commit may be prevented by my lack of means to commit them.) Thank God for “less.”

We need good theology in order to rightly interpret history. I could not help but think of the contrast between the “Song of Deborah” in Judges 5 and this epitaph regarding Gideon in chapter 8. Barak, like Gideon, was reluctant to trust God to deliver Israel under his leadership. Likewise, both Barak and Gideon went to battle when victory was humanly impossible. God gave the victory to both men in a way that made it clear that the victory was His doing. But the outcome of these two battles was greatly different. In the case of Deborah and Barak, victory over Sisera and Hazor and their iron chariot-equipped army was followed up by Deborah’s song. In this song, the battle was seen from a divine point of view. God was praised for His victory over the enemy and for the fact that this greatly encouraged the Israelites to unite and join in the battle. Along the highways and byways of Israel, this song of praise to God was sung so that God was praised as the true hero, while recognition was also given to a humble woman (Jael) who used her position and the unlikely tools at her disposal to kill the captain of the enemy army. Deborah’s song kept people thinking rightly about the victory God had won. Her song helped the Israelites to view their experience theologically.

It is so sad to observe how different the outcome was of the battle of Gideon and his 300 unarmed men. Other Israelites joined in the battle, but it appears that they should not have been asked to do so, and some (at least the Ephraimites, if not all) joined in for the glory they might gain. Almost immediately after their victory over the Midianites, Gideon and his fellow Israelites began to revise history and to make Gideon the hero, inviting him to be their king from that moment on. The name of God is hardly mentioned after this, and Gideon will make an ephod which will become an object of worship. After he is gone, the nation will forsake God entirely for another God and another covenant.22

Apart from God, men can fall so far, so fast, and not even realize it at the time. I was reminded of what the author says of Samson in chapter 16:

She [Delilah] said, “The Philistines are here, Samson!” He woke up and thought, “I will do as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not realize that the Lord had left him (Judges 16:20, emphasis mine).

I wonder when the Spirit of the LORD left Gideon. It is hard to believe that He did not. The Spirit came upon Gideon powerfully in his weakness (6:34), but He seems to be long gone when Gideon feels and acts as though he is strong.

What happens to Gideon (and to many others in the Bible, and in history, and today) is something like what happens on the roller coaster at the State Fair of Texas. When everyone is safely strapped in, the cars are linked to a mechanism that slowly draws the cars to a high point, and this is followed by a heart-thumping rapid descent to be repeated several more times. It seemed to take forever to convince Gideon that he could trust God to deliver Israel under his leadership. But once Gideon acted in faith, a great victory was won. But this success made him feel strong and self-sufficient, which eventually becomes evident. As we read chapter 8, we are not quite sure what to think of Gideon’s decision to summon his fellow-Israelites to battle, or of his zeal to pursue the remnant of the eastern coalition deep into enemy territory, or of his severity in dealing with his fearful fellow-Israelites in Succoth and Penuel. But then we come to the end of the story, and to Gideon’s ephod, and suddenly it all begins to make sense. Gideon has been in a spiritual decline, and we hardly even knew it. I suspect that the same was true for Gideon.

Gideon will live for many more years, and Israel lived in peace for those forty years (8:28.). But this is the last time we will be told that the Israelites lived in peace. As we read in chapter 2,23 after the death of their deliverer, the Israelites went from bad to worse. Earlier in the Book of Judges, the Israelites were seduced to follow foreign gods by the Canaanites among whom they were living. But now it is Israel’s leader – Gideon – who makes an ephod that the Israelites come to worship.24 After his death, it will only get worse. Now, corruption comes from inside Israel. Soon (chapter 9) oppression will come from within as well. But for the grace of God, Israel should not even exist.

1 Copyright © 2009 by Robert L. Deffinbaugh. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson 9 in the series, The Dark Days of Israel’s Judges, prepared by Robert L. Deffinbaugh on October 11, 2009. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with or without credit.

2 Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the NET Bible. The NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION, also known as THE NET BIBLE, is a completely new translation of the Bible, not a revision or an update of a previous English version. It was completed by more than twenty biblical scholars who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. The translation project originally started as an attempt to provide an electronic version of a modern translation for electronic distribution over the Internet and on CD (compact disk). Anyone anywhere in the world with an Internet connection will be able to use and print out the NET Bible without cost for personal study. In addition, anyone who wants to share the Bible with others can print unlimited copies and give them away free to others. It is available on the Internet at: www.netbible.org.

3 We arrive at this number thanks to Judges 8:10. There, we are told that an enemy force of 15,000 remained and that 120,000 had been killed.

4 Some translations like the NIV render it “Peniel.”

5 I do find it interesting that after Ephraim’s strong complaint that Gideon has not allowed him to participate fully in his battle with the Midianites, we find only Gideon and his 300 men in pursuit. Where is Mr. Tough Guy (Ephraim) when he is needed? On his way back home? I’m not impressed.

6 It is difficult to tell whether Gideon killed the men of Penuel by destroying the tower, or whether he destroyed the tower and then focused his wrath on the men of the city. Either way, Gideon did more to these men than he threatened. Gideon’s anger and desire for revenge has gotten the best of him.

7 Though this may not have occurred in this particular attack, but perhaps took place during an earlier military campaign. For one thing, Mount Tabor, though not far away from the Hill of Moreh, is not specifically mentioned in our account. For another, if Gideon’s son is old enough to accompany his father in this pursuit, then it would seem that Gideon would have been old enough to go to war with his brothers (unless, of course, he – like those he sent home from the battle – was too fearful to fight).

8 See especially D.I. Block, Judges, Ruth (NAC 6; Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1999), pp. 296-301; K. Lawson Younger Jr., Judges and Ruth (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2002), pp. 203-210.

9 See 1 Kings 12:25-33.

10 See Exodus 39:1-7.

11 See 1 Samuel 23:6-13; 30:7-9.

12 See Judges 17:1-13; 18:14-20.

13 The terms “ruling” and “ruler” are essentially the same word as we find in 8:22, where the men of Israel asked Gideon to “rule” over them.

14 D.I. Block, Judges, Ruth (NAC 6; Nashville: Broadman &Holman, 1999), p. 299.

15 L. R. Klein, The Triumph of Irony in the Book of Judges. JSOT Sup 68 (Sheffield: Almond Press, 1987), pp. 57-58.).

16 Block, p. 284.

17 In both cases – the golden calf and the ephod – the materials that were used came from the enemy that God defeated.

18 See Romans 12:16-21; Ephesians 4:26. Granted, Gideon’s anger is toward the enemies of Israel, but we would do well to consider how God brought about justice in the case of the murder of Gideon’s sons in Judges 9.

19 http://www.peacemaker.net/site/c.aqKFLTOBIpH/b.958123/k.CB70/Home.htm

20 D. I. Block, Judges, Ruth, p. 308.

21 See 2 Corinthians 12:7.

22 See Judges 8:33.

23 Judges 2:19.

24 Judges 8:27.

Source  

[Garland-Green]

When Government is God's Judgment (Judges 8:33-9:21)

33 After Gideon died, the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They made Baal-Berith their god. 34 The Israelites did not remain true to the Lord their God, who had delivered them from all the enemies who lived around them. 35 They did not treat the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) fairly in return for all the good he had done for Israel.

1 Now Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem to see his mother’s relatives. He said to them and to his mother’s entire extended family, 2 “Tell all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want to have seventy men, all Jerub-Baal’s sons, ruling over you, when you can have just one ruler? Recall that I am your own flesh and blood.’” 3 His mother’s relatives spoke on his behalf to all the leaders of Shechem and reported his proposal. The leaders were drawn to Abimelech; they said, “He is our close relative.” 4 They paid him seventy silver shekels out of the temple of Baal-Berith. Abimelech then used the silver to hire some lawless, dangerous men as his followers. 5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and murdered his half-brothers, the seventy legitimate sons of Jerub-Baal, on one stone. Only Jotham, Jerub-Baal’s youngest son, escaped, because he hid. 6 All the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo assembled and then went and made Abimelech king by the oak near the pillar in Shechem.

7 When Jotham heard the news, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below, “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you! 8 “The trees were determined to go out and choose a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king!’ 9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my oil, which is used to honor gods and men, just to sway above the other trees!’ 10 “So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king!’ 11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my sweet figs, my excellent fruit, just to sway above the other trees!’ 12 “So the trees said to the grapevine, ‘You come and be our king!’ 13 But the grapevine said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my wine, which makes gods and men so happy, just to sway above the other trees!’ 14 “So all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘You come and be our king!’ 15 The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to choose me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches! Otherwise may fire blaze from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’

16 “Now, if you have shown loyalty and integrity when you made Abimelech king, if you have done right to Jerub-Baal and his family, if you have properly repaid him – 17 my father fought for you; he risked his life and delivered you from Midian’s power. 18 But you have attacked my father’s family today. You murdered his seventy legitimate sons on one stone and made Abimelech, the son of his female slave, king over the leaders of Shechem, just because he is your close relative. 19 So if you have shown loyalty and integrity to Jerub-Baal and his family today, then may Abimelech bring you happiness and may you bring him happiness! 20 But if not, may fire blaze from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo! May fire also blaze from the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo and consume Abimelech!” 21 Then Jotham ran away to Beer and lived there to escape from Abimelech his half-brother (Judges 8:33-9:21).2

Introduction

Initially, I had planned to cover 60 verses in this message – the last 3 verses of Judges 8 and all 57 verses of chapter 9. In a moment of sanity, I realized there was absolutely no way that this was going to happen, although I wish it could. I would far rather deal with Abimelech in one lesson than two, but given the time constraints imposed by our culture, it will never happen (at least not the way I preach). We will therefore limit ourselves to a mere 24 verses (8:33—9:21).

The longer I have pondered this passage the more political implications I see, and so it is probably best for me to begin with a disclaimer. The elders of Community Bible Chapel have always granted me the freedom to preach the Scriptures as I see them. That does not necessarily mean that every elder agrees with my interpretation or application of a given text. But it is only fair for me to tell you that I did not give the elders a preview of this message, and thus they will be hearing it for the first time as I speak. The views expressed in this message are thus my own, and you are free to disagree with them wherever and whenever I depart from the clear teaching of this text, or whenever I take the application beyond what the text will support.

There is no way that I can read our text without seeing a correlation to our own times. Recent events and decisions made in Washington, D.C. parallel what took place in ancient Israel, as described in Judges. But lest you might be tempted to think that I am pointing at just one leader, or at just one political party, let me assure you that I see this text as an indictment that goes beyond one man or one party. This is an indictment of much that goes on in Washington, D.C. (and in our state capitals as well) in our times.

I would also point out that this message is in no way a “call to arms;” it is not an attempt to provoke any kind of violent response to the wrongs which are being proposed and passed into law so quickly and easily these days. Jotham is the hero of our text, and the way he deals with the great injustices of his time is to speak forth plainly and powerfully, and then leave judgment to God. As we shall see in our next message, judgment will come; payday will come soon, in a mere three year’s time. But we shall save that story for our next lesson. In this lesson, we will see why judgment upon Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem is well deserved.

The Setting

Judges 8:22-35
22 The men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us – you, your son, and your grandson. For you have delivered us from Midian’s power.” 23 Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” 24 Gideon continued, “I would like to make one request. Each of you give me an earring from the plunder you have taken.” (The Midianites had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.) 25 They said, “We are happy to give you earrings.” So they spread out a garment, and each one threw an earring from his plunder onto it. 26 The total weight of the gold earrings he requested came to seventeen hundred gold shekels. This was in addition to the crescent-shaped ornaments, jewelry, purple clothing worn by the Midianite kings, and the necklaces on the camels. 27 Gideon used all this to make an ephod, which he put in his hometown of Ophrah. All the Israelites prostituted themselves to it by worshiping it there. It became a snare to Gideon and his family.

28 The Israelites humiliated Midian; the Midianites’ fighting spirit was broken. The land had rest for forty years during Gideon’s time. 29 Then Jerub-Baal son of Joash went home and settled down. 30 Gideon fathered seventy sons through his many wives. 31 His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also gave him a son, whom he named Abimelech. 32 Gideon son of Joash died at a very old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash located in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

33 After Gideon died, the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They made Baal-Berith their god. 34 The Israelites did not remain true to the Lord their God, who had delivered them from all the enemies who lived around them. 35 They did not treat the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) fairly in return for all the good he had done for Israel (Judges 8:22-35).

Crediting Gideon for the victory God gave him in the defeat of the Midianites, the Israelites asked him to become their king and to establish a dynasty through his descendants. From outward appearances, one might conclude that Gideon’s response was the right one, but as we pointed out in our last message, there are too many indications that while Gideon outwardly declined the offer, he really did take on the role of a king in a number of ways.3

Gideon’s biggest failure was in leading his fellow Israelites back into idolatry. Whether or not he intended it to happen this way, the ephod which Gideon made became an object of worship. This ephod became a stumbling block not only to Israel (all Israel), but also to Gideon and his family as well (8:27).

I have to snicker when I read that Gideon went home and “settled down” (8:29). How does a man “settle down” with so many wives and 70 sons (remember there would have been daughters as well)? I think I would have found me a new war to fight, somewhere far away, with a family this size. For the moment, the author makes it a point to tell us the name of just one of those sons – Abimelech – and this “son” is the son of Gideon’s concubine, so he was not considered a son on the same level as the rest.4

But before we are told of the evils of Abimelech and of leaders of Shechem, we first are told of the evils of the Israelites, evils which were the reason for God’s judgment upon the nation. This is a judgment that came from within, rather than from without. It was Gideon who created the ephod which the Israelites worshipped. But as bad as this worship of the ephod was during Gideon’s lifetime, things went from bad to worse when Gideon died. He therefore must have served as a restraining force of some kind during his lifetime.

But upon Gideon’s death, the Israelites plunged “full speed ahead” into their idolatry. We are told that “they made Baal-Berith their god.” We are very familiar with the term Baal, but the expression “Baal-Berith” is new to us. In the Hebrew text, the term “Berith” means “covenant,” and so the Israelites made “Baal-Berith” their god. Or perhaps we should say the Israelites entered into a “new covenant” – not the Mosaic Covenant, and most certainly not the “New Covenant” of the New Testament – but a covenant with Baal as their new god. It appears to me that at this point the Israelites are not worshipping the God of Israel and also some Canaanite god; they are worshipping a Canaanite god as their only god. They have rejected their covenant with God and have entered into a new covenant with a heathen god, exactly what God had warned them not to do.

10 He said, “See, I am going to make a covenant before all your people. I will do wonders such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation. All the people among whom you live will see the work of the Lord, for it is a fearful thing that I am doing with you. 11 “Obey what I am commanding you this day. I am going to drive out before you the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 12 Be careful not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it become a snare among you. 13 Rather you must destroy their altars, smash their images, and cut down their Asherah poles. 14 For you must not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. 15 Be careful not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone invites you, you will eat from his sacrifice; 16 and you then take his daughters for your sons, and when his daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will make your sons prostitute themselves to their gods as well” (Exodus 34:10-16; see Judges 2:2).

Now, we need to pause here for a moment to refresh our memories as to the events which occurred at Shechem not that many years before:

1 Joshua assembled all the Israelite tribes at Shechem. He summoned Israel’s elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and they appeared before God. . . . 14 Now obey the Lord and worship him with integrity and loyalty. Put aside the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt and worship the Lord. 15 If you have no desire to worship the Lord, choose today whom you will worship, whether it be the gods whom your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family will worship the Lord!”

16 The people responded, “Far be it from us to abandon the Lord so we can worship other gods! 17 For the Lord our God took us and our fathers out of slavery in the land of Egypt and performed these awesome miracles before our very eyes. He continually protected us as we traveled and when we passed through nations. 18 The Lord drove out from before us all the nations, including the Amorites who lived in the land. So we too will worship the Lord, for he is our God!”

19 Joshua warned the people, “You will not keep worshiping the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God who will not forgive your rebellion or your sins. 20 If you abandon the Lord and worship foreign gods, he will turn against you; he will bring disaster on you and destroy you, though he once treated you well.”

21 The people said to Joshua, “No! We really will worship the Lord!” 22 Joshua said to the people, “Do you agree to be witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to worship the Lord?” They replied, “We are witnesses!” 23 Joshua said, “Now put aside the foreign gods that are among you and submit to the Lord God of Israel.”

24 The people said to Joshua, “We will worship the Lord our God and obey him.”

25 That day Joshua drew up an agreement for the people, and he established rules and regulations for them in Shechem. 26 Joshua wrote these words in the Law Scroll of God. He then took a large stone and set it up there under the oak tree near the Lord’s shrine (Joshua 24:1, 14-26).

Joshua and his generation are passing away as the Book of Joshua comes to a close, and thus Joshua gathers all Israel to Shechem, where the next generation of Israelites vows that they will not follow other gods, but will follow God alone. The determination of this generation to obey God and keep His covenant is repeatedly and emphatically declared, in spite of Joshua’s warnings that they were not able to do so. A covenant is drawn up and written on a scroll. A large stone is set up near the LORD’S shrine, under “the oak tree” (Joshua 24:26). I cannot help but wonder if this “oak tree” where the covenant was memorialized is the same “oak tree” mentioned in our text:

6 All the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo assembled and then went and made Abimelech king by the oak near the pillar in Shechem (Judges 9:6, emphasis mine).

How quickly we forget God’s marvelous work on our behalf! And this is exactly what the author tells us. The Israelites did not remain faithful to God as their forefathers had promised. They forget that every deliverance Israel had experienced had come from God.5 And not only that, the Israelites also forgot all the good which Gideon had done for the nation, so that they did not treat his descendants well, as was only fitting.6

It is worth taking note of the author’s words in verse 35 concerning the good Gideon had done for Israel. How easy it is to remember Gideon only in terms of his failures, rather than in terms of the good he did. The author chose to record only a small segment of Gideon’s life, but he also informs us that Israel had peace for 40 years7 and that Gideon died at a very old age.8 All this means that during Gideon’s long life, he did some (a few?) things which negatively impacted the nation, but he also did many good things, and for these he should be remembered by treating his descendants kindly.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Judges 9:1-6
1 Now Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem to see his mother’s relatives. He said to them and to his mother’s entire extended family, 2 “Tell all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want to have seventy men, all Jerub-Baal’s sons, ruling over you, when you can have just one ruler? Recall that I am your own flesh and blood.’” 3 His mother’s relatives spoke on his behalf to all the leaders of Shechem and reported his proposal. The leaders were drawn to Abimelech; they said, “He is our close relative.” 4 They paid him seventy silver shekels out of the temple of Baal-Berith. Abimelech then used the silver to hire some lawless, dangerous men as his followers. 5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and murdered his half-brothers, the seventy legitimate sons of Jerub-Baal, on one stone. Only Jotham, Jerub-Baal’s youngest son, escaped, because he hid. 6 All the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo assembled and then went and made Abimelech king by the oak near the pillar in Shechem (Judges 9:1-6).

In spite of Gideon’s words to the contrary,9 it seems apparent that the Israelites expected one (or all) of Gideon’s sons to rule as their king. With 70 sons, this must have given the Israelites pause for thought. Who would take Gideon’s place? How would their next king be chosen? Abimelech did not wait to see how this would all work out. He set about seeing to it that he was Israel’s10 next king. Abimelech’s concubine mother lived in Shechem, and so this would be the logical place to stage his attempt to ascend to the throne.

Abimelech had two things in his favor, which he fully exploited in his rise to power. First, he was a son of Gideon (though he does not make a point of the fact that his mother was actually a concubine, a sort of slave-wife). In his mind, this made him an heir to Gideon’s throne. He went to Shechem11 to make an appeal to his relatives. He represented the matter as though he had an equal claim to the throne. That was not really the case, but in politics, such minor deceptions (a politically correct word meaning “lies”) are readily set aside. His other asset was that his mother, concubine or not, had lived12 in Shechem. His mother’s “brothers”13 were citizens of Shechem, and it would seem that they had some influence with those in power in Shechem. Thus, Abimelech first made his case with his relatives, and then he urged them to use their influence with the leaders of Shechem to get him appointed as their king.

His appeal to his relatives was simple: (1) It is better to have but one king, rather than many; and, (2) if that one king were your relative, it would be much better for you. Abimelech’s relatives were successful in lobbying for him among the leaders of Shechem. Not only did the city leaders give their approval to Abimelech as their choice of a king, they gave him 70 pieces of silver from the temple treasury.

There are a couple of things worth noting in regard to the number 70 in our text. There were 70 sons who were marked for death, and the contribution from the temple was 70 pieces of silver. This seems a bit more than a coincidence. I think the leaders of Shechem realized that in order for only one of the sons to be their king, the other sons would have to be eliminated. 70 sons, 70 pieces of silver, and let Abimelech find his own henchmen to do the dirty deed. That way it would appear that their hands were clean.

There is yet another 70 to consider. Abimelech’s argument is that one king is better than 70; one leader is better than many. But is this really true? I think not. Apart from the Perfect King – our Lord Jesus – concentrating too much power into the hands of one man is asking for trouble. That is part of Samuel’s warning to the Israelites who demanded a king in 1 Samuel 8. And it is clearly illustrated in Israel’s history. Authority in Israel was divided between the king (or a leader like Moses), the priests, and the prophets. And remember that when Moses was overwhelmed by his administrative and judicial tasks, his father-in-law suggested that his problem could be solved by effective delegation.14 And so it was. As we read in Numbers 11:16-25, 70 men were endued with power from the Holy Spirit so that they could “judge” Israel. And so we see that 70 leaders was a good thing. The relatives of Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem were convinced that the great advantage of having Abimelech as their one and only king was that they had him “in their pocket.”

It is very important that we see the complicity of those who endorsed and promoted Abimelech’s rise to power. They not only benefited (or so it seemed) in the end result, they also participated in the means by which he attained and assured his leadership – the murder of his brothers. This is very clearly stated in verse 24 and is the reason why not only Abimelech, but also those who endorsed and enabled him, received God’s judgment. Though the leaders of Shechem did not do the dirty deed personally, they saw to it that it did get done. And for this, they will suffer the consequence of God’s judgment.

And so the dirty deed is done. Out of self interest, Abimelech’s relatives promoted him among the city’s leaders. The leaders of Shechem thought that Abimelech would be the king who would best serve their own interests, and so they gave him the money to eliminate his brothers. With this money, Abimelech hired some “dirty rotten scoundrels” to assist him in killing all 70 of his brothers. And so they did, except for Jotham, who hid and was able to escape. It is now to Jotham that our author turns.

Jotham Speaks Out

Judges 9:7-21
7 When Jotham heard the news, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below, “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you! 8 “The trees were determined to go out and choose a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king!’ 9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my oil, which is used to honor gods and men, just to sway above the other trees!’ 10 “So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king!’ 11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my sweet figs, my excellent fruit, just to sway above the other trees!’ 12 “So the trees said to the grapevine, ‘You come and be our king!’ 13 But the grapevine said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my wine, which makes gods and men so happy, just to sway above the other trees!’ 14 “So all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘You come and be our king!’ 15 The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to choose me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches! Otherwise may fire blaze from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’

16 “Now, if you have shown loyalty and integrity when you made Abimelech king, if you have done right to Jerub-Baal and his family, if you have properly repaid him – 17 my father fought for you; he risked his life and delivered you from Midian’s power. 18 But you have attacked my father’s family today. You murdered his seventy legitimate sons on one stone and made Abimelech, the son of his female slave, king over the leaders of Shechem, just because he is your close relative. 19 So if you have shown loyalty and integrity to Jerub-Baal and his family today, then may Abimelech bring you happiness and may you bring him happiness! 20 But if not, may fire blaze from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo! May fire also blaze from the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo and consume Abimelech!” 21 Then Jotham ran away to Beer and lived there to escape from Abimelech his half-brother (Judges 9:7-21).

Mount Gerizim (left) and Mount Ebal (right)



Thanks to Google Earth,15 we have a view of Mount Gerizim on the left, rising some 2800 feet, and on our right is Mount Ebal, rising to about 3,000 feet. In the narrow plain between these mountains (and slightly behind them), lies the location of the ancient city of Shechem. I believe that the history behind Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal is significant to understanding what Jotham is doing in our text:

12 “The following tribes must stand to bless the people on Mount Gerizim when you cross the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 And these other tribes must stand for the curse on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali (Deuteronomy 27:12-13, emphasis mine).16

33 All the people, rulers, leaders, and judges were standing on either side of the ark, in front of the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord. Both resident foreigners and native Israelites were there. Half the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and the other half in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the Lord’s servant had previously instructed to them to do for the formal blessing ceremony. 34 Then Joshua read aloud all the words of the law, including the blessings and the curses, just as they are written in the law scroll. 35 Joshua read aloud every commandment Moses had given before the whole assembly of Israel, including the women, children, and resident foreigners who lived among them (Joshua 8:33-35, emphasis mine).

God did not want the Israelites to forget the covenant He was making with them, and so He commanded that when they reached the Promised Land, they should divide into two groups; the one group was to stand on Mount Gerizim and pronounce the blessings of the covenant, while the other was to stand on Mount Ebal, where they would proclaim the cursings of the covenant. As we see from Joshua 8 (above), the Israelites did this when they occupied the Promised Land under Joshua.

And now in Judges, we find the Israelites once again at this very historic spot. Only this time there is only one speaker – Jotham – standing on Mount Gerizim, pronouncing both blessings and cursings, with an emphasis on the cursing. It is inconceivable that the author did not intend for the reader to think back to the role these two mountains played in Israel’s history and to see some kind of connection between Joshua 8 and Judges 9.

When Abimelech and his henchmen slaughtered the 70 (69?) rivals to the throne, one son of Gideon escaped by hiding from his would-be assassins. His name was Jotham, and he was the youngest son of Jerub-Baal (Gideon).17 When he got word that the leaders of Shechem had been appointed as their king, he stood on Mount Gerizim and spoke very powerfully to those in Shechem who were responsible for the death of his brothers. His words do not seem to be directed as much toward Abimelech as they were to the leaders of Shechem. While we are not told that the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, or that he was a prophet, his words certainly sound prophetic. The author is careful to let the reader know that Jotham’s curses were fulfilled.18 Without question, Jotham is the hero of our text (although the woman with her millstone will take center stage shortly). Here was a man who was thinking God’s thoughts after Him.

Jotham first told his audience a parable and then spelled out its meaning and application. The trees wanted one of their number (a fellow tree) to rule over them as their king. They first approached an olive tree and asked if it would rule over19 them. The olive tree responded that it had better things to do than “just to sway above the other trees” (verse 9). I like the rendering of the New Living Translation: “Should I quit producing the olive oil that blesses both God and people, just to wave back and forth over the trees?” Having been declined, the trees now offer kingship to a fig tree, which refuses for the same reasons. The offer is next made to a (grape) vine, and it likewise refuses to give up a productive role for one it considers worthless. Finally (in desperation), the trees offer to make a thornbush their king. He accepts, with the offer of little benefit (How much “shade” can you find under a Texas tumbleweed with thorns?) and an ominous threat of severe penalties for those who refuse to submit to his authority.

Having briefly summarized the parable, let us make a few observations. First, it is the trees who take the initiative in finding someone to rule over them. Abimelech’s desire to rule over others (as described by our text) is matched by the Israelites’ corresponding desire to have a king. What we are seeing is a “marriage made in hell.” Second, the trees who are solicited to be king are listed in declining order. That is to say that the olive tree is most tree-like, and the fig tree is more of a large bush. The grapevine is hardly a bush, but the thornbush is certainly not to be compared with a tree, a bush, or a vine. It is a rather worthless nuisance, and its only use is as fuel for a fire,20 and it is not really good at that either.

Third, the fruitful trees (or vine) decline to be king because they view “waving over” trees as an unprofitable function compared to their fruit-bearing. The thornbush has nothing better to do than “wave over” the other trees, but the fruit-bearing trees are a blessing to God and men by bearing their fruit. These trees (and the grapevine) recognize the value of what they are designed to do, and they have no time for ego-satisfying “waving.”

Fourth, the thornbush (like our tumbleweed in Texas) would have immediately been recognized as a relatively worthless form of plant life. It produced no fruit, no shade, and its thorns were, simply put, a “pain” to others. The ego rush of ruling over the trees was too much for the bush. From the beginning, one can recognize the true motivation of the thornbush. It demanded submission, but it had nothing to offer but the threat of being burned with fire to any who would reject its authority.

Now, lest anyone miss the point of the parable, Jotham spells it all out clearly for the people of Shechem who heard him. It is all about integrity and justice. If the appointment of Abimelech as their king was done in righteousness and integrity, then let the people take pleasure in their king. But if they have not done this in righteousness, and if they have not dealt rightly with the offspring of Jerub-Baal, then let his double curse come upon them. Let Abimelech become the cause of their destruction. In terms of the parable, let Abimelech – that thornbush – become the source of a fire that consumes the cedars of Lebanon (the trees that made him their king). And, secondly, let the people of Shechem become a fire that consumes Abimelech. In other words, let this “marriage” of the leaders of Shechem and Abimelech become a disaster, whereby each brings about the destruction of the other. How ironic; these two joined forces to achieve what they believed would serve their own interests, and instead, each will produce the destruction of the other.

While Jotham’s statement leaves room for the hypothetical possibility that the appointment of Abimelech was done in righteousness, his parenthetical comments in verses 17 and 18 virtually wipe out that option. The premise of Jotham’s words is that God will bless those who act in righteousness and integrity, but He will bring curses on those whose actions are unrighteousness. Isn’t that really what the law was about, and what the proclamation of blessings and cursings from Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal were about? Thus, we know what to expect from the remainder of the story in Judges 9. God is going to bring about His judgment both upon Abimelech and upon the leaders of Shechem in a way that precisely fulfills Jotham’s curse.

Conclusion

The events depicted in our text occurred many years ago, but they still have much to say to men and women today. That is because God has not changed, and neither has man. The corruption that we read about in our text is the same in essence as the corruption that we read about in our daily newspaper. So let’s consider some of the lessons that we can learn from our text.

First, we see that corruption not only comes from “without,” but also from “within.” Living among the Canaanites (whom the Israelites should have exterminated) has resulted in God’s people serving Canaanite gods and following Canaanite practices – living like Canaanites. This was corruption from without. But beginning with Gideon, we see Israel now functioning at a new, lower level. Now corruption comes from within, from within Israel’s leadership. It was Gideon who made the ephod which the Israelites worshipped. Now Israelites are the source of corruption for their fellow Israelites.

Second, just as divine judgment on Israel has come from “without” in the past, it now comes from “within.” Earlier in Judges, God brought judgment upon His people by means of outsiders. There were the Philistines,21 the Moabites, Ammonites, and Amalekites22 for example, who oppressed the people of God. Now, oppression (and thus divine judgment) comes from “within” – at the hand of Abimelech.23

Many Christians today (including me) bemoan the fact that our government has become more and more corrupt, so that people of both political parties have become cynical about the motives and actions of politicians. It is hardly possible for Christians to deny the decline in morality and justice in government which has been increasing at an alarming rate in recent days. Homosexuality is not merely tolerated by our highest officials; it is praised as something good. Abortions – most of which are really murder – are accepted, praised, encouraged and all too often financed by our government. Our text – along with the rest of the Bible – indicates that our government, corrupt as it is, is precisely what we deserve. God has given the people of our country what many have wanted, as well as what we deserve.

Third, sometimes divine judgment comes upon men because they look to government for what only God can do. Put differently, government (and certain leaders in particular) can become an idol, something or someone in which we place our trust, rather than trusting in God. For the time being, our money still contains the expression, “In God We Trust.” Why, then, do we expect government to feed us, and to make us feel secure, and to make us prosperous?

I might also ask whether or not we who are Christians have placed too much faith in our government to bring about righteousness on earth. Often our hopes have been linked to a particular political candidate or to a particular political party. It is true that God has instituted human government to punish those who do evil and to reward those who do good,24 but we should not expect it to usher in the kingdom of our LORD. That will only happen when the Lord Jesus returns to the earth to punish evil doers and to reward His saints.

Fourth, our text warns us that placing too much power in the hands of one man (or woman) is dangerous business. Was Israel better off with one king, or with a division of powers between prophets, priests, and king? There is only one time when having a king with absolute power works, and that is when Jesus is that King. Incidentally, this is also true in the church. The Bible does not direct us to give one person total authority over the church. God has instructed that the church is made up of many members with diverse gifts. It is to be ruled by a plurality of elders and not by one man. Christ alone is the head of the church, and He alone is to be preeminent.

Fifth, God not only holds those responsible who oppress others and who shed innocent blood; God holds those responsible who “strengthen the hands” of those who do evil.

He did this so the violent deaths of Jerub-Baal’s seventy sons might be avenged and Abimelech, their half-brother who murdered them, might have to pay for their spilled blood, along with the leaders of Shechem who helped him murder them (Judges 9:24, emphasis mine).

If health care reform legislation takes our tax dollars and uses them to pay for abortions, are we “strengthening the hands” of those who commit these atrocities? Laws and court rulings in recent years are confronting Christians with some very difficult questions. Our text makes it clear that God holds accomplices responsible, as well as those who actually commit the atrocity. If God saw the slaughter of 70 sons as such a great sin, what must He think of the slaughter of millions of unborn children? Someday men will stand before God and give account for their deeds.

The task of a godly king is to administrate justice, just as the task of good government is to punish evil doers and to reward the righteous. Here, the one (Abimelech) who was responsible to punish evil was the one who came to power by slaughtering 70 of his brothers. It seems to me that in the Great Tribulation that is yet to come, government will function in a similar role. Rather than punishing the wicked, it will persecute the righteous. But the King is coming, and He will not only defeat His enemies; He will punish the wicked.

How tragic it is to see that the people of Shechem put their faith in the wrong person. First they trusted in Abimelech, and soon they will trust in Gaal. There is only One who can deliver (save) us, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is worthy of our trust and of our praise. Looking elsewhere for deliverance only leads to destruction. Have you come to realize that you are a sinner, undeserving of God’s blessings and fully deserving of His wrath? Have you trusted in Jesus as the only true Savior? He willingly bore the punishment we deserve, and He offers His righteousness and eternal salvation to all who believe in Him. Trust in Him, in Him alone.

1 Copyright © 2009 by Robert L. Deffinbaugh. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson 10 in the series, The Dark Days of Israel’s Judges, prepared by Robert L. Deffinbaugh on October 18, 2009. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with or without credit.

2 Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the NET Bible. The NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION, also known as THE NET BIBLE, is a completely new translation of the Bible, not a revision or an update of a previous English version. It was completed by more than twenty biblical scholars who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. The translation project originally started as an attempt to provide an electronic version of a modern translation for electronic distribution over the Internet and on CD (compact disk). Anyone anywhere in the world with an Internet connection will be able to use and print out the NET Bible without cost for personal study. In addition, anyone who wants to share the Bible with others can print unlimited copies and give them away free to others. It is available on the Internet at: www.netbible.org.

3 As the old saying goes, “A rose by any other name is still a rose.”

4 See Judges 9:18, where the 70 “legitimate” sons are distinguished from Abimelech.

5 Judges 8:34.

6 Judges 8:35.

7 Judges 8:28.

8 Judges 8:32.

9 Judges 8:22-23.

10 It should be said here that “Israel” refers to a rather small “kingdom” which seems to be a few cities located in the plains in the vicinity of Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal.

11 Every indication is that up till now, Abimelech lived somewhere else. After he becomes king, he continues to live elsewhere and to serve as a kind of absentee king.

12 I say “had lived” because there is no indication that she is still alive. If Gideon died at a ripe old age, then it is not unlikely that his concubine had died as well. Abimelech’s appeal is to his mother’s “brothers.”

13 The Hebrew term for “brothers” occurs 14 times in chapter 9. Many of the translations render this term in a somewhat less literal manner, though a blood relationship is always in view.

14 See Exodus 18.

15 http://earth.google.com/

16 See also Deuteronomy 11:29.

17 Judges 9:5.

18 See Judges 9:56-57.

19 When the trees approach a potential “king,” they always ask that he (it) “rule over” them. But in the three instances of a declined offer, the trees don’t speak of “ruling over” but of “waving over” the trees.

20 See Psalm 58:9.

21 Judges 3:31.

22 Judges 3:12-13.

23 It might be safer to say that judgment came partly from within in the case of Abimelech. If his mother was a Canaanite, then he was not a pure Israelite. Later in Israel’s history, judgment will come in the form of corrupt and ungodly Israelite kings.

24 See Romans 13:1-7, especially verses 3 and 4.

Source  

[Bible guild Mule]

Payday Someday (Judges 9:22-57)

Introduction

It was during the First Gulf War that the concept of precision bombing became very popular. And why not? It was a great way to convince ourselves (and the world, as it looked on) that we were only killing the “bad guys” and that very few innocent civilians were among the casualties in this war. And so throughout the day, television reports provided example after example of precision bombing, illustrating how each target was destroyed in such a way as to avoid collateral damage.

I love precision, not because I am precise in everything that I do, but because I get great pleasure watching others do their tasks with such skill and accuracy. It may be one of my woodworking friends, making a cabinet, or one of my computer friends, skillfully setting up a network or writing an elegant program. It might even be a plumber or an auto mechanic who knows exactly what to look for and how to fix it most efficiently. They waste little time and material, and they make their work look so easy.

Our text illustrates the precision with which our God goes about His work in this world. The obstacles and difficulties are many. We will see God at work through different kinds of men and women, few of whom are godly, or even wise. He will work through some who are strongly opposed to Him. The goal of God’s work is the preservation of His people, the fulfillment of His covenant promises, and the punishment of those who have played a part in the slaughter of the 702 sons of Jerub-Baal (Gideon). This punishment must be meted out in such a way as to destroy the guilty, and yet secure the safety of those who were not involved in the evil committed against the sons of Gideon. The skill and efficiency of God are entirely consistent with His character, but it is still a wonder to behold.

A Brief Review

Gideon (or Jerub-Baal as he will be referred to in chapter 93) had many wives, and they produced 70 sons. He had yet another son – Abimelech – who was born to him by his concubine. It was his desire to rule as king because he was a son of Jerub-Baal. Abimelech went to Shechem where he appealed to his relatives4 for their support. He asked them to use their influence with the city leaders to appoint him as their king, reasoning that it was better to have one king than 70, and especially one who was well connected in Shechem. Surely they would receive preferential treatment from Abimelech, more so than from the other (more legitimate) sons of Jerub-Baal, whose loyalties would lie more with the people of Ophrah, where they lived.

The leaders of Shechem were persuaded by Abimelech’s relatives, but they realized that this meant his brothers would have to be eliminated.5 They gave Abimelech 70 pieces of silver from the treasury of the temple of their god, Baal-Berith (god of the covenant). He then hired ruthless and unprincipled mercenaries who undoubtedly assisted him in rounding up and murdering all of his brothers, save one (Jotham – verse 5), killing them on one stone. Immediately thereafter, the people of Shechem inaugurated Abimelech as their king (verse 6).

When Jotham learned that Abimelech had been appointed as king, he stood on Mount Gerizim and called the people of this city to account by telling them a parable and then interpreting its meaning and application. The essence of Jotham’s message to the people of Shechem was that God would bring His judgment upon them and upon Abimelech for the evil they had committed in killing the sons of Jerub-Baal and assuming the role of king over Shechem and a handful of surrounding cities.

Our text for this message takes up the story at this point, and we will see how God providentially worked through wicked men to bring about judgment upon Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, while protecting those who were not culpable for this terrible injustice. But just before we get to the message, I’d like to take a moment to point out how times may have changed, but men (and politics) have not.

Keys to Crooked Politics, as Seen in Our Story

Special interest groups. In the early verses of Judges 9, we find that Abimelech’s mother’s relatives are a special interest group. They have much to gain by the “election” (or appointment) of Abimelech as their leader.

Lobbying. The special interest group in our text (Abimelech’s relatives) will use every means at their disposal to influence their leaders to bring about a decision that will benefit them, at the expense of others.

Money. In our text, the money was necessary to achieve the death of Abimelech’s brothers and thus his appointment as king. Getting a person elected to office takes money, lots of money, and thus money is often raised from those who are led to believe that their contribution will benefit them in the final outcome.

“Political hatchet men” are sometimes used, who are willing to get their hands dirty and do the dirty deeds that will destroy or eliminate the competition. In one way or another, they are paid or rewarded for their faithful service.

People (those “ruled”) – the general population – who are so interested in their own personal benefits from government that they will look the other way when evils are committed by those seeking to gain political power over them.

Some things never change.

The Story of Abimelech’s Demise

Abimelech’s rise to power has been described in the first 21 verses of chapter 9. Now, the remainder of this chapter is devoted to the account of his demise. It takes place by means of a sequence of divinely orchestrated events.

Shechem’s Treachery

Judges 9:22-25
22 Abimelech commanded Israel for three years. 23 God sent a spirit to stir up hostility between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. He made the leaders of Shechem disloyal to Abimelech. 24 He did this so the violent deaths of Jerub-Baal’s seventy sons might be avenged and Abimelech, their half-brother who murdered them, might have to pay for their spilled blood, along with the leaders of Shechem who helped him murder them. 25 The leaders of Shechem rebelled against Abimelech by putting bandits in the hills, who robbed everyone who traveled by on the road. But Abimelech found out about it (Judges 9:22-25).

It may be significant that the author tells us Abimelech “commanded Israel for three years,” rather than to say Abimelech “reigned as king.” While the leaders of Shechem made Abimelech king, the author does not regard his reign as that of a king, and so he deliberately chooses a different word here than what we find in verse 6.6 As K. Lawson Younger Jr. observes,7 this is the shortest period of oppression thus far in the Book of Judges. God’s judgment came quickly here, though this is not always the case. It all began with God sending an “evil spirit,”8 which created animosity between Abimelech and his former co-conspirators. Just three years earlier, Abimelech and his allies joined forces to exterminate his brothers and to orchestrate his rise to power over Shechem. Now these same folks were at each other’s throats. Did the leaders once help Abimelech to become king by slaughtering his brothers? They now were seeking to undermine his authority and be rid of him. I believe that if they could have, they would have killed him (or, more likely, had him killed – surely there was still some money in the temple treasury).

The author wants his readers to clearly understand that the downfall and destruction of Abimelech and of the leaders of Shechem is God’s doing – divine retribution imposed for their treachery in slaughtering the 70 sons of Jerub-Baal. He states this very clearly in verse 24, before he describes how all this came to pass, and then once again at the end of the account in verses 56-57. The death of Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem was not something that happened by chance; God caused the words of Jotham to be fulfilled by the events described in our text, which He providentially brought to pass.

The treachery is initiated by the leaders of Shechem, as we see in verse 25. The question in my mind is, “Just what form did this treachery take, and why?” We are informed that the leaders of Shechem “rebelled against Abimelech by putting bandits in the hills,” and that these bandits “robbed everyone who traveled by on the road.” How could these bandits hide out in the tops of the “mountains” and rob those who passed by on the road? There are no roads at the top of mountains. Now some of my problem in grasping what is being said here stems from the fact that where I grew up, “mountains” were real MOUNTAINS. Mount Rainier, for example, reaches 14,410 feet into the sky. The NET Bible helps by somewhat paraphrasing the term which is rendered “mountains” by most translations as “hills.” Aha! I watched enough “Lone Ranger” shows on television as a kid to be able to understand this kind of ambush. The mountains around Shechem did not rise above 3,000 feet, and thus one could hide out on the top of these mountains and look out over the valley below. When a caravan would pass by, they could hastily descend and ambush these folks where they were easy prey.

If I understand the text correctly, it was meant to work something like this. Bandits were hired to hide out in the hills and to rob those who passed by. Word of this would reach Abimelech, and he would be prompted to retaliate. After all, he was the king. Wasn’t it his job to provide police protection for his citizens, as well as for those passing through? And not only this, the robbers were taking money from these passersby that Abimelech would have considered his (whether taken by force in the form of robbery, or in the form of tolls and taxes). If Abimelech himself were to pass by (especially if he was not adequately protected), these bandits could kill him, and thus Shechem would be rid of its king.

The plan of Shechem’s leaders would never do because it would not fulfill Jotham’s curse. Not only must Abimelech die, but the leaders of Shechem must die as well. God had a better plan. But the futile efforts of Shechem’s leaders did produce one thing. As it was hoped, word of these bandits and their ambushes reached Abimelech. While the text does not tell us what his response was, we can be sure that he was not happy about what was happening in his kingdom. No doubt he was trying to think of a plan which would allow him to retaliate and to regain control of the people of Shechem. It was not yet the time or the place for divine judgment to fall upon Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, but this treachery certainly did succeed in heating things up. Abimelech was good and mad. I should probably say he was mad and bad. Something was going to happen, and soon.

Who Has the Gall (Gaal) to Oppose Abimelech?

Judges 9:26-29
26 Gaal9 son of Ebed came through Shechem with his brothers. The leaders of Shechem transferred their loyalty to him. 27 They went out to the field, harvested their grapes, squeezed out the juice, and celebrated. They came to the temple of their god and ate, drank, and cursed Abimelech. 28 Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem [who are we], that we should serve him?10 Is he not the son of Jerub-Baal, and is not Zebul the deputy he appointed? Serve the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem! But why should we serve Abimelech? 29 If only these men were under my command, I would get rid of Abimelech!” He challenged Abimelech, “Muster your army and come out for battle!” (Judges 9:26-29)11

It “just so happens” that a newcomer arrives in Shechem at this point in time. His name is Gaal, and he comes accompanied by his relatives (literally his “brothers”). We learn that the leaders12 of Shechem put their trust13 in Gaal. Just how that came about is not revealed, although there are clues that come to us in the author’s account of a Canaanite “worship” gathering in verses 27-29. One of the crops grown outside the gates of Shechem was grapes. The grapes were harvested and trodden into juice, which then turned to wine. It was now “Miller Time” for the people of Shechem, and the “bar” was open in the temple of Baal-Berith (or, as later, El-Berith).

When Gaal was well “under the influence,” he gained great courage and began to say publicly what he had no doubt been saying in private. Gaal cursed Abimelech, boasting that if he were in charge he would quickly get rid of him. He would challenge Abimelech to come with his entire army, and all would see who was worthy to be their king.

Here is where it gets really interesting. Earlier in the story, it was Abimelech who had reasoned that he was the best candidate for king because he had “roots” in Shechem. His mother and brothers were Abimelech’s relatives, and so they would receive preferential treatment from him as their king. Keep in mind that while this was his promise, Abimelech was an “absentee king” for the people of Shechem. His headquarters or capital seems to have been in Arumah (verse 41) and not Shechem. Gaal uses the same argument as Abimelech, but he reminds the people of Shechem that their “roots” go way back to Hamor (verse 28 ), Shechem’s founding father. What is clear to me is that Abimelech cannot trace his roots to Hamor. Gaal seems to imply that his roots do go back to Hamor. Why should the people of Shechem submit themselves to a relative newcomer, when the “old guard” is at hand? No wonder he feels confident regarding his claim to the throne. And so we see that Gaal has beaten Abimelech at his own game. If one wants to make a claim to the throne based on one’s heritage, Gaal has the most compelling proof that he has claim to the throne.

Zebul’s Report and Recommendation

Judges 9:30-33
30 When Zebul, the city commissioner, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he was furious. 31 He sent messengers to Abimelech, who was in Arumah, reporting, “Beware! Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers are coming to Shechem and inciting the city to rebel against you. 32 Now, come up at night with your men and set an ambush in the field outside the city. 33 In the morning at sunrise quickly attack the city. When he and his men come out to fight you, do what you can to him” (Judges 9:30-33).

As I mentioned earlier, Abimelech was an “absentee king” for the people of Shechem. In his absence, Abimelech appointed Zebul to serve as his lieutenant, who governed for him in Shechem. Whether he heard it directly (in Baal’s “bar”)14 or indirectly, Gaal’s words reached Zebul, and he was not happy about it at all. He sent a report to Abimelech, detailing Gaal’s claims and also his popularity with the people. He also recommended a course of action for Abimelech to follow: Abimelech should approach Shechem with his army in the darkness of night and lie in wait in the fields, attacking at morning light. Abimelech will take Zebul’s advice and do as he suggests. His attack on Shechem will come in several phases, which we will now consider.

Phase I

Judges 9:34-41
34 So Abimelech and all his men came up at night and set an ambush outside Shechem – they divided into four units. 35 When Gaal son of Ebed came out and stood at the entrance to the city’s gate, Abimelech and his men got up from their hiding places. 36 Gaal saw the men and said to Zebul, “Look, men are coming down from the tops of the hills.” But Zebul said to him, “You are seeing the shadows on the hills – it just looks like men.” 37 Gaal again said, “Look, men are coming down from the very center of the land. A unit is coming by way of the Oak Tree of the Diviners.” 38 Zebul said to him, “Where now are your bragging words, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Are these not the men you insulted? Go out now and fight them!” 39 So Gaal led the leaders of Shechem out and fought Abimelech. 40 Abimelech chased him, and Gaal ran from him. Many Shechemites fell wounded at the entrance of the gate. 41 Abimelech went back to Arumah; Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem (Judges 9:34-41).

In his first attack, Abimelech divides his men into four companies. At dawn, he makes his way down the mountains toward Shechem in the valley below. Gaal seems to have risen early and to have joined Zebul at the gate of the city, where leaders normally gathered.15 At this early hour, many would have passed through these gates on their way to work in the fields.16 Gaal’s attention was drawn to the hills, where he noted movement. It must have given Zebul great pleasure to suggest to Gaal that he was imagining something that was not there, giving Abimelech and his troops more time to advance on the city unchallenged. Then Gaal observed movement from another part of the hills above. Now he was certain that there were many men advancing on the city.

This was Zebul’s opportunity to express his contempt for Gaal and to call his bluff. He had talked so boldly when he had too much wine to drink; now let him prove his right to rule by engaging Abimelech in battle as he boasted that he would if the opportunity was afforded him. Gaal had no choice but to confront Abimelech outside the city gates. Gaal led the city leaders out of the city, and they engaged Abimelech in battle. Abimelech gained the upper hand, inflicting many casualties on Gaal’s forces. Gaal’s courage vaporized, and he fled to safety inside the city gates, with Abimelech in hot pursuit. It seems that Gaal and others were able to keep Abimelech from gaining entrance to the city, so that he finally returned to his headquarters at Arumah. It appeared that Abimelech had given up.

Zebul had enough of Gaal, so he drove him and his relatives out of Phase II of Abimelech’s campaign against Shechem as described in verses 42-45.

But just before we get to Phase II, let me make an observation related to the expulsion of Gaal from Shechem by Zebul (and others loyal to Abimelech). Not only does this account of the battle between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem describe the fulfillment of the curse of Jotham, pronounced from Mount Gerizim, it also informs the readers that God providentially spared Gaal and his relatives from the judgment that was soon to come upon those who took part in the slaughter of Jerub-Baal’s sons. Gaal would have been humbled by his defeat and expulsion from Shechem, but his departure from Shechem also spared him from the judgment which was to fall upon that city (and Abimelech) the next day.

Phase II

Judges 9:42-45
42 The next day the Shechemites came out to the field. When Abimelech heard about it, 43 he took his men and divided them into three units and set an ambush in the field. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he attacked and struck them down. 44 Abimelech and his units attacked and blocked the entrance to the city’s gate. Two units then attacked all the people in the field and struck them down. 45 Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and killed all the people in it. Then he leveled the city and spread salt over it (Judges 9:42-45).

In the morning, it looked like “business as usual” for the people of Shechem. Abimelech was nowhere in sight, no doubt licking his wounds back at Arumah. Gaal and his relatives were long gone, having been evicted by Zebul. Why would anyone expect Abimelech to return or fear that they were in danger? The people of Shechem were going about their daily routine when divine judgment came upon them suddenly and unexpectedly.17

Abimelech returned to Shechem because his wrath was not yet satisfied. This time, he divided his men into three companies. One of these companies was tasked to seize the city gates, gaining entrance to the city while at the same time preventing the citizens of Shechem from returning to the city for protection. The other two companies went about the business of slaughtering the people of the city who were outside the city gates. Abimelech focused his attention on the defeat and destruction of the city of Shechem. He captured the city, killed all its inhabitants, and then completely destroyed the city, so that it appeared that it would never be restored.

Phase III: The Attack on Two Towers

Judges 9:46-55
46 When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem18 heard the news, they went to the stronghold of the temple of El-Berith. 47 Abimelech heard that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were in one place. 48 He and all his men went up on Mount Zalmon. He took an ax in his hand and cut off a tree branch. He put it on his shoulder and said to his men, “Quickly, do what you have just seen me do!” 49 So each of his men also cut off a branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches against the stronghold and set fire to it. All the people of the Tower of Shechem died – about a thousand men and women.

50 Abimelech moved on to Thebez; he besieged and captured it. 51 There was a fortified tower in the center of the city, so all the men and women, as well as the city’s leaders, ran into it and locked the entrance. Then they went up to the roof of the tower. 52 Abimelech came and attacked the tower. When he approached the entrance of the tower to set it on fire, 53 a woman threw an upper millstone down on his head and shattered his skull. 54 He quickly called to the young man who carried his weapons, “Draw your sword and kill me, so they will not say, ‘A woman killed him.’” So the young man stabbed him and he died. 55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home (Judges 9:46-55).

Abimelech seems to be like his father, Gideon – determined to satisfy his desire for revenge on his enemies. Having completely destroyed Shechem, one would be inclined to assume that Abimelech would now get back to his normal routine. But this was not at all the case. The leaders of the city of Shechem (those who were destined to be “burned with fire from Abimelech” according to the curse of Jotham) had gotten word that Abimelech was waging war against the city of Shechem, and so they fled to the temple of El-Berith.19

One must ask why the leaders of Shechem chose to flee to the “stronghold of the temple of El-Berith.” Was it the most heavily fortified place within or at least near Shechem? Or did the leaders of the city believe that being here, in the temple of the deity they worshipped, was the safest place they could be? How interesting that the leaders of Shechem would seek refuge in the sanctuary of their god, the “god of the covenant,” while being pursued by the son of Jerub-Baal (let Baal contend). This, like the events of the exodus, was a contest between the true God, the God of Israel, and the god of these pagans. Can their “god” deliver them? No! Can the God of Israel punish those who unjustly dealt with the sons of Jerub-Baal? Yes!

And so we find the leaders of Shechem – the ones on whom Jotham pronounced God’s curse –huddled together in the inner room of the temple of their god. The doors were securely shut, and it seemed as though Abimelech and his men would have great difficulty breaking through to them. Then Abimelech had a brilliant thought: Why not burn them out? Abimelech made his way up Mount Zalmon with his men. He instructed them to follow his example. He then cut down some branches (from the trees – is this a coincidence?) and carried them back to the temple of El-Baal. There he set fire to all the branches, placed beside (or on top of)20 the wooden structure in which the leaders of Shechem had sought sanctuary. Either the smoke or the fire (or both) did its job. All of the leaders (under the curse of Jotham) died. Truly, fire had come forth from Abimelech, and it had destroyed the leaders of Shechem.21

We don’t really know anything about the city of Thebez, but it would seem that it was a city that was located somewhere near Shechem. It must also be a city that had resisted Abimelech in some way, prompting him to seek his revenge now that he was nearby. Thebez had a fortified tower in the center of the city, and so when Abimelech approached, the people of the city crowded into the tower for refuge. They then went up to the roof of the tower where they could look down and watch Abimelech unsuccessfully attempting to break through the locked doors or gates.

It is easy to understand what Abimelech did next. He had just succeeded in setting fire to the stronghold in the temple of El-Berith, so why not do the same thing here? And so Abimelech and his men drew near to the tower to set fire to it. But in his arrogance and overconfidence, Abimelech drew a little too close to the walls of the tower, so that he was within reach of a projectile from above.

At this point, I must pause to share a footnote in Dale Ralph Davis’ commentary on Judges regarding this millstone:

One can just imagine a husband panting beside his wife as they run to refuge in the Thebez tower, exasperated that his wife insists on lugging her upper millstone along. Doubtless she responded: “Now, dear, you never know when you might need a good millstone.”22

Actually, the presence of this millstone makes good sense. If Abimelech were to lay siege to this tower, it might be some time before he either prevailed or gave up and went home. No doubt there were some bags of grain and containers of water up there as well. This way the grain could be ground into flour, and food could be prepared.

Arnold Fruchtenbaum, a classmate in our seminary days, writes this about the millstone:

An upper millstone was between twelve and eighteen inches in diameter, and several inches thick, and could have weighed as much as twenty-seven pounds. It was quite a heavy object, and as a result, it broke his skull. This incident will be remembered many years later by King David (II Sam. 11:21).23 Once again in Judges, it is a woman who obtains the victory and gets the glory for her faith.

One of my friends shared his daughter’s response to this story after the Scripture text was read. She turned to her father and said, “This is going to be even better than the story of Jael and the tent peg!” Can you imagine this unnamed woman’s amazement to look down from her lofty perch on the tower roof and see Abimelech standing directly below her? There she stood, with her upper millstone in her hands. It was too easy (I was about to say it was a “no-brainer”) for her to release the stone and watch it land on his head, crushing his skull.

It was one thing for a soldier to suffer a mortal blow from the enemy while in battle. It was quite another to be struck on the head with a millstone, cast down by a woman. Abimelech had sufficient time to see that a woman had mortally wounded him. In his last moments of life, he ordered his armor-bearer to draw his sword and run him through, so that his death was the result of a more manly blow. But he would not be allowed the honor of a noble death; his would be a death that would be spoken of for years to come, as we see from Joab’s words (anticipating David’s response to the death of Uriah) in 2 Samuel 11:24

21 Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn’t a woman throw an upper millstone down on him from the wall so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go so close to the wall?’ Then just say to him, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead’” (2 Samuel 11:21).

It was the worst kind of death a king and military commander could have suffered, and yet it was also appropriate because of Abimelech’s treatment of his brothers.

Seeing that their leader was dead, the followers of Abimelech gave up the fight and went home, leaving the people in the tower of Thebez unharmed. Once again, God sovereignly directed the course of events so that the wicked were punished, as promised, and so that those who were not guilty were unharmed. I cannot help but think of this text in 2 Peter 2:

So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment (2 Peter 2:9, NLT).

To God Be the Glory

Judges 9:56-57
56 God repaid Abimelech for the evil he did to his father by murdering his seventy half-brothers. 57 God also repaid the men of Shechem for their evil deeds. The curse spoken by Jotham son of Jerub-Baal fell on them (Judges 9:56-57).

At the beginning of our text (9:25) and now again at the end, the author calls his reader’s attention to the fact that the events that have been described here are not accidental, or even coincidental; they are the fulfillment of God’s word through Jotham, providentially orchestrated by God, whereby He brought judgment upon the guilty while delivering the innocent (regarding the injustice done to Gideon’s sons) from His wrath. He also makes it clear that what Jotham said from Mount Gerizim was a pronouncement (or prophecy) of divine judgment.

Conclusion

At this mid-point in our study of the Book of Judges, it might be good for us to review our reasons for studying Judges. Here are a few of the reasons why I believe our study is not only justified, but required:

The circumstances and culture described in Judges are remarkably similar to our Postmodern age of today.

Neither God, nor men, nor the temptations men and women face, have changed (see Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:13; James 5:17-18 ). As were the Canaanites (Genesis 19), so were the Israelites (Judges 19), and so are men today (Romans 1).

Judges gives us the assurance that in spite of man’s unfaithfulness, God will remain true to His covenant promises, and thus He will preserve His people and establish the kingdom He promised.

Judges assures us that God will use the most unlikely (and even unwilling) instruments to achieve His purposes and promises (people like Ehud, Gideon, Samson, and Jael; instruments like ox goads, tent pegs, and upper millstones).

A study of Judges shows how relevant and profitable this Old Testament book is for Christians today, thus illustrating the truth of Paul’s words to Timothy regarding the usefulness of all Scripture in 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

A study of Judges helps us to understand the culture of many in the world today. A friend who has ministered in the Middle East told me that his wife chuckled through this entire message because what I was trying to describe is what they have experienced for many years. The culture of Israel, Shechem, and Abimelech is the culture of the Middle East. Studying Judges helps us to understand how many people think and act today.

Lessons from Judges for the Ancient Israelites

Main lesson: Salvation is not possible through keeping the Mosaic Covenant. In their zeal, the Israelites of Joshua’s day renewed their covenant with God, but Joshua warned them that they would not be able to keep this covenant:

16 The people responded, “Far be it from us to abandon the Lord so we can worship other gods! 17 For the Lord our God took us and our fathers out of slavery in the land of Egypt and performed these awesome miracles before our very eyes. He continually protected us as we traveled and when we passed through nations. 18 The Lord drove out from before us all the nations, including the Amorites who lived in the land. So we too will worship the Lord, for he is our God!”

19 Joshua warned the people, “You will not keep worshiping the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God who will not forgive your rebellion or your sins. 20 If you abandon the Lord and worship foreign gods, he will turn against you; he will bring disaster on you and destroy you, though he once treated you well.”

21 The people said to Joshua, “No! We really will worship the Lord!” 22 Joshua said to the people, “Do you agree to be witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to worship the Lord?” They replied, “We are witnesses!” 23 Joshua said, “Now put aside the foreign gods that are among you and submit to the Lord God of Israel.”

24 The people said to Joshua, “We will worship the Lord our God and obey him.”

25 That day Joshua drew up an agreement for the people, and he established rules and regulations for them in Shechem. 26 Joshua wrote these words in the Law Scroll of God. He then took a large stone and set it up there under the oak tree near the Lord’s shrine. 27 Joshua said to all the people, “Look, this stone will be a witness against you, for it has heard everything the Lord said to us. It will be a witness against you if you deny your God.” 28 When Joshua dismissed the people, they went to their allotted portions of land (Joshua 24:16-28, emphasis mine).

There was no way that the Israelites of old would be able to earn righteousness and God’s blessings by law keeping. If Judges affirms any doctrine of Scripture, it is the doctrine of the depravity of man. Anyone who seeks to earn salvation through law keeping is not only deceived; they are also on the path to eternal destruction. The only deliverance which saves and secures the sinner is that which is accomplished under the New Covenant, through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus. That is why the author of the Book of Hebrews warned his Hebrew readers that turning back to the Old Covenant would be a tragic mistake. The first step toward salvation is the realization that you are lost, and incapable of obtaining salvation by your own efforts. Judges certainly conveys this message clearly.

The deliverers that God raised up in the Book of Judges were not men who could save men spiritually. There were two main problems with the judges God raised up: (1) they were themselves sinners, in need of deliverance, and, (2) they did not live eternally, so that the peace they brought about ended with their deaths. The same could be said of the Old Testament priests and of Israel’s kings as well. The only Deliverer who can save men eternally is Jesus Christ.

17 For here is the testimony about him: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” 18 On the one hand a former command is set aside because it is weak and useless, 19 for the law made nothing perfect. On the other hand a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. 20 And since this was not done without a sworn affirmation – for the others have become priests without a sworn affirmation, 21 but Jesus did so with a sworn affirmation by the one who said to him, “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever’” – 22 accordingly Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. 23 And the others who became priests were numerous, because death prevented them from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently since he lives forever. 25 So he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. 26 For it is indeed fitting for us to have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separate from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need to do every day what those priests do, to offer sacrifices first for their own sins and then for the sins of the people, since he did this in offering himself once for all. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men subject to weakness, but the word of solemn affirmation that came after the law appoints a son made perfect forever (Hebrews 7:17-28, emphasis mine).

The Book of Judges reveals the need for godly leadership, and it also warns that choosing to follow the wrong leader has disastrous consequences. Let men wait for the day when God will raise up His king. Ultimately that king will not be David, or Solomon; it will be the Lord Jesus Christ. He will defeat His enemies, and He will bring judgment upon the wicked, but blessings on the righteous. God’s promises of judgment and of blessing are sure and unstoppable. Let us be certain that what God says, He will do.

What Does Judges Have to Say to Us?

Judges reminds us of the sinfulness (depravity) of man. For a number of years, I taught seminars in prisons in various parts of the country. In one prison in my home state, I taught high school classes for a summer. I learned that prisoners struggle with the same sins as the rest of us. The difference that I observed was that there was not as much sophistication exercised to make sin look better than it is. Put differently, in prison, sin is practiced “in your face” with very little attempt at hypocrisy. Thus, it is easier to see sin for what it is in such settings.

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That’s the way I feel about sin in the Book of Judges. Men are no different today than they were back then, and we all struggle with the same kinds of sin. But in Judges, sin is candidly practiced and openly displayed. It is something like the story Nathan the prophet told David in 2 Samuel 12. The evil which Nathan described to David shocked and angered him. But when Nathan then told David that this was his sin, he was caught off guard. He had already committed himself to condemn such a horrible deed, but now he was faced with the fact that what he had condemned was also what he had done. As we read through Judges, we are shocked and distressed at what we see, and we condemn the evils described. But the convicting work of the Holy Spirit then reveals our own sin of the same kind. Now we see our sin as we should, as God views it. And so Judges reveals not only the depravity of man, but it reveals my depravity, my sin, as well.

Our text teaches me that choosing the wrong leader and putting our trust in him (or her) have disastrous effects. The people of Shechem put their trust in Abimelech, rather than in God, and later they put their trust in Gaal, rather than God. Gaal did not save them; he simply ran for his life, and then was unable to lead (because he was thrown out of town by Zebul). Abimelech cared little for the people of Shechem, whether they were relatives or not. He chose to dwell in another town, seldom making an appearance in Shechem. And when his authority was challenged, he became a bitter and vengeful foe. He killed everyone in Shechem and would have killed everyone in Thebes as well, if he could have done so.

Abimelech is like Satan in this regard. He promises to provide protection and blessings for all those who submit to him. But once men are under his power, he becomes an oppressive tyrant. He does not save or deliver; he keeps men in bondage. He does not protect life; he is a destroyer. He does not keep his promises for he is a liar. And yet many fall prey to him because they believe his seductive lies.

How different is our Lord’s leadership from that of Abimelech and Satan. Abimelech gained his leadership position by killing his brothers. Jesus gained His position by laying down His life for his brothers. Abimelech’s leadership style was cruel and oppressive. Our Lord described His leadership role in very different terms:

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry” (Matthew 11:28-30).

25 But Jesus called them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions use their authority over them. 26 It must not be this way among you! Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave – 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28 ).

Our text is an excellent demonstration of the fact that God is not only able to execute justice in such a way that the wicked get exactly what they deserve, He is also able to judge in such a way as to protect those who are innocent. Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem perish for their treachery in the murder of Gideon’s sons who were Abimelech’s rivals. Gaal, his relatives, and the people of Thebez were spared because they had no part in this evil. Is it not a great encouragement to realize that God’s timing and His work of deliverance and destruction are always done with great precision. There are no accidents in what God brings to pass. His ways are perfect.

We should also take note that God’s deliverance and judgment in our text comes about providentially. That is to say that the judgment that fell on the wicked and the deliverance of the innocent was accomplished through those who did not know or worship God. God used wicked people to accomplish His purposes in our text. If someone were there and were looking on as these events took place, they would undoubtedly have perceived what happened as something entirely natural, rather than the providential intervention of God. They would have thought that all of this “just happened.” They would be wrong, for our author makes it very clear to his readers that these things happened because God brought them to pass, to fulfill His purposes and His promises.

When you read the newspaper or watch the news on television, the world appears to be in chaos. Let us not despair, as though no one is in control. I would suggest that our text teaches us to view the apparent chaos of our world differently than we often do, as the unseen hand of God, bringing about the fulfillment of His plans and purposes. Our text teaches and illustrates the wonderful truth of the sovereignty of God. God is in complete control of everything that happens. That is how He can fulfill the curse of Jotham in such a precise way. There is no question but what God’s plans and purposes will come to pass as He providentially or more visibly governs the affairs of men.

If God is sovereign (and He surely is!), then our text has a lesson to teach us regarding vengeance and revenge. Gideon and Abimelech seem determined to get revenge on their enemies. Christians, too, can be tempted to take matters into their own hands and to see to it that justice is done (vigilante style). While we must practice justice, we need not be consumed with thoughts of revenge, and our text is an excellent illustration of why we can leave vengeance to God. He may bring about justice without us, as we can see in Judges.

There is a correlation between the conflict God affected between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem and the slaughter of the Midianites by “friendly fire” in Judges 7:

21 They stood in order all around the camp. The whole army ran away; they shouted as they scrambled away. 22 When the three hundred men blew their trumpets, the Lord caused the Midianites to attack one another with their swords throughout the camp. The army fled to Beth Shittah on the way to Zererah. They went to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath (Judges 7:21-22, emphasis mine).

What happened in chapter 7 occurs once again (in a slightly different form) in chapter 9. In chapter 7, God caused the Midianites to turn against each other, killing each other with their swords. Gideon and his 300 soldiers were unarmed. They merely stood by and watched God work. Now, in chapter 9, God turns Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem (once closely allied in the slaughter of Gideon’s sons and in making Abimelech king) against each other, so that Abimelech brings about the destruction of the leaders of Shechem, and they are instrumental in bringing about his destruction.

God has His ways of executing justice so that we do not have to seek revenge. This is why Paul can later write:

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil; consider what is good before all people. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people. 19 Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head. 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:17-21).

Our text also exposes the current teaching of “Open Theology” as a lie that should be rejected as heresy. Open Theology is a rather recent teaching, but its roots reach deep into church history. Open Theology opposes the biblical teaching that God knows everything about the future, including not only what will happen, but also what could happen under differing circumstances.25 More to the point, Open Theology opposes the Scriptural teaching that God is in absolute control of the future, bringing about His predetermined plans and purposes whether through the obedience of His people or the disobedience of those who oppose Him. It portrays a God who is “feeling His way along” in history, learning from His mistakes and doing better as time goes on. But He is (in their imagination) a fallible God, a God who does not and will not determine the future, but will allow men to act independently of Him, and then He will respond to their actions.

How in the world can Open Theology deal with our text in Judges? God promises to bring judgment upon Abimelech and upon the leaders of Shechem for the role they have played in the slaughter of Gideon’s sons. And in the course of only three years, God fulfills this prophecy (as set forth by Jotham) precisely as foretold. And God did so in a way that no one would have recognized as God’s work apart from the claims of His Word (Jotham’s prediction and the statements made in Judges 9). Beyond this, God brought all this to pass through those who didn’t believe in Him and who sought to oppose Him. Does God know everything? Yes! Is God in control of this world and the affairs of men, even though they oppose Him? Yes! Goodbye, Open Theology. Hello, sovereignty! Praise God that He is in control, and not those who oppose Him.

Let me end with two thoughts. First, while God’s judgment comes quickly (in three years) in our text, divine judgment does not always come as quickly as we would wish. That is why the saints have cried out, “How long. . . ?” for centuries.

For the music director; a psalm of David.

How long, Lord, will you continue to ignore me?

How long will you pay no attention to me? (Psalm 13:1)

9 Now when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been violently killed because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Master, holy and true, before you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Each of them was given a long white robe and they were told to rest for a little longer, until the full number was reached of both their fellow servants and their brothers who were going to be killed just as they had been (Revelation 6:9-11, emphasis mine).

God may delay His judgment, but it is always because this fulfills His gracious purposes and promises:

8 Now, dear friends, do not let this one thing escape your notice, that a single day is like a thousand years with the Lord and a thousand years are like a single day. 9 The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, the heavens will disappear with a horrific noise, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze, and the earth and every deed done on it will be laid bare (2 Peter 3:8-10, emphasis mine).

But judgment day for the wicked will come, just as God’s promised blessings will come for the righteous, in His time:

4 Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and the springs of water, and they turned into blood. 5 Now I heard the angel of the waters saying:

“You are just – the one who is and who was,

the Holy One – because you have passed these judgments,

6 because they poured out the blood of your saints and prophets,

so you have given them blood to drink. They got what they deserved!”

7 Then I heard the altar reply, “Yes, Lord God, the All-Powerful, your judgments are true and just!” (Revelation 16:4-7, emphasis mine)

1 After these things I heard what sounded like the loud voice of a vast throng in heaven, saying,

“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

2 because his judgments are true and just.

For he has judged the great prostitute

who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality,

and has avenged the blood of his servants poured out by her own hands!”

3 Then a second time the crowd shouted, “Hallelujah!” The smoke rises from her forever and ever.

4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures threw themselves to the ground and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne, saying: “Amen! Hallelujah!”

5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying:

“Praise our God

all you his servants,

and all you who fear Him,

both the small and the great!”

6 Then I heard what sounded like the voice of a vast throng, like the roar of many waters and like loud crashes of thunder. They were shouting:

“Hallelujah!

For the Lord our God, the All-Powerful, reigns!

7 Let us rejoice and exult

and give him glory,

because the wedding celebration of the Lamb has come,

and his bride has made herself ready.

8 She was permitted to be dressed in bright, clean, fine linen” (for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints).

9 Then the angel said to me, “Write the following: Blessed are those who are invited to the banquet at the wedding celebration of the Lamb!” He also said to me, “These are the true words of God.” 10 So I threw myself down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “Do not do this! I am only a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony about Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:1-10).

There is a day coming when God will fulfill His promises of judgment (for the wicked) and of blessing (for the righteous).

And just as people are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment (Hebrews 9:27).

24 “I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears my message and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, but has crossed over from death to life. 25 I tell you the solemn truth, a time is coming – and is now here – when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in himself, thus he has granted the Son to have life in himself, 27 and he has granted the Son authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.

28 “Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and will come out – the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection resulting in condemnation” (John 5:24-29).

If the blessings of salvation and eternal life were based upon our faithfulness to God and on our obedience to His commands, we would all be in trouble – we would all be in hell. The Book of Judges is here to remind us that no one can earn God’s blessings by their good deeds. And that is why God’s king must come, King Jesus. He came first to bear the punishment we deserve for our sins, and to give His righteousness to all who believe in Him. He will come again to bring judgment on all those who have rejected Him and His provision for salvation, and to bring eternal blessings for those who have placed their trust in Him for salvation.

3 We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith flourishes more and more and the love of each one of you all for one another is ever greater. 4 As a result we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions you are enduring. 5 This is evidence of God’s righteous judgment, to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which in fact you are suffering. 6 For it is right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to you who are being afflicted to give rest together with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. 8 With flaming fire he will mete out punishment on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will undergo the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his strength, 10 when he comes to be glorified among his saints and admired on that day among all who have believed – and you did in fact believe our testimony (2 Thessalonians 1:3-10).

The people of Shechem placed their trust in the wrong person – first in Abimelech, and then later in Gaal. The people of Shechem sought to find protection within the walls of the city, and others in the inner sanctuary of the temple of El-Berith. They sought salvation from the wrong source. Our safety and salvation comes only from the God who has delivered His people throughout the centuries. There is a “tower” to which we can flee for salvation and safety, and that “tower” is none other than our Lord Jesus:

The name of the Lord is like a strong tower;

the righteous person runs to it and is set safely on high (Proverbs 18:10).

Indeed, you are my shelter,

a strong tower that protects me from the enemy (Psalm 61:3).

Flee to Jesus for safety, my friend, for salvation comes only from Him. Flee to Jesus, my friend, because those who reject Him will face Him in the Day of Judgment.

Suggestions for Further Thought and Reflection

Our text, like the rest of the Book of Judges, contains a wealth of revelation. The deeper you dig into this book, the more you find. In this message, I have sought to focus on some of the major areas of emphasis, but there are many matters that are more subtle that are well worth further consideration. Let me mention a few of these without much comment.

First, there are those like Younger who are convinced that Abimelech’s mother was a Canaanite.

“While not explicitly stated in the text, it is nevertheless a clear inference this Shechemite concubine is a non-Israelite (i.e., a Canaanite). Abimelech’s own carefully worded argument of 9:2 makes this clear. With Gideon, we have a cyclical/major judge who, in clear contradiction to Yahweh’s commandment, is having conjugal relations with a Canaanite!” (K. Lawson Younger Jr., Judges and Ruth (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2002), p. 210; see also p. 232.

Are you convinced that this is, or is not, the case? What difference does it make?

Second, one of Israel’s sins mentioned in our text was forgetting God and the deliverance He achieved for Israel. Another sin was not showing gratitude toward the family of Gideon for the role he played in their deliverance. Does this relate to the New Testament teaching and practice of remembering our Lord’s “deliverance” at Calvary each week at the Lord’s Table? Should we express our gratitude toward those whom God has used to proclaim God’s deliverance through Jesus to us? If so, what form(s) should this take?

Third (and finally!), there are a number of subtleties in our text that would not be immediately apparent to those unskilled in the original (Hebrew) language of the Old Testament. Younger (pp. 230-232) deals with some of these.

There is one subtlety that really got my attention. I was puzzled as to why the author made it a point to tell his readers (twice – 9:5, 18 ) that the 70 sons of Gideon were killed on “one stone.” It was not until I considered Younger’s observations26 that it all made sense. It was on “one stone” that Abimelech slaughtered his brothers; now it is “one stone” that is cast down by an unnamed woman that brings retribution upon Abimelech for his wickedness. It is subtle, but it is also somehow poetic; the punishment so appropriately fits the crime. Many other subtleties are evident in our text, which reminds me that this book (and particularly this chapter) is written with the same skill and attention to detail as is given by the psalmists to their psalms. The deeper one goes into the details of this book, the more impressed one is with the wisdom of God and the richness of His Word.

1 Copyright © 2009 by Robert L. Deffinbaugh. This is the edited manuscript of Lesson 11 in the series, The Dark Days of Israel’s Judges, prepared by Robert L. Deffinbaugh on October 25, 2009. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with or without credit.

2 Or perhaps 69 sons, since Jotham, one of the 70, escaped death at the hand of his brother, Abimelech.

3 This really is a battle of the gods in the sense that the only true God, the God of Israel, will prove Himself the deliverer of His people and the destroyer of the pagan no-gods and those who follow them. Jerub-Baal (let Baal contend for himself) – the name Gideon’s father gave him in Judges 6:31-32 – is the better name to use for Gideon in this context.

4 Literally “his mother’s brothers.”

5 Some may question this assumption, but it certainly seems coincidental that the 70 pieces of silver exactly corresponded to the number of sons who would need to be put to death. What is clear is that God held the leaders of Shechem responsible for “strengthening Abimelech’s hands to kill his brothers” (9:24).

6 The term for reigning as king is also found in 9:8, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18. See Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Judges and Ruth (San Antonio, Texas: Ariel Ministries, 2007), p. 121.

7 K. Lawson Younger Jr., Judges and Ruth (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2002), p. 224.

8 The original text literally reads “an evil spirit from the Lord.” The same expression is also found in 1 Samuel 16:14, where God sent an “evil spirit” to terrorize Saul (after the Spirit of the Lord had departed from him). It seems to me that we must see what is happening here as the work of a demonic spirit, and that this is not merely some “spirit of animosity or hostility” as the NKJV and NJB would suggest.

9 Gaal sounds quite similar to Baal. Is there some providential word play taking place here?

10 The rendering of the ESV makes the most sense of this sentence: "Who is Abimelech, and who are we of Shechem, that we should serve him?”

11 Abimelech’s words sound a great deal like those of Absalom (see 2 Samuel 15:1-13).

12 A form of the word “baal” is used here to refer to the leaders of Shechem. Actually, the term occurs 16 times in chapter 9, referring to the leaders of Shechem. The CSB often renders it “lords” – the “lords of Shechem.” I cannot understand how the NASB can render this “the men of Shechem” when it is to the leaders of Shechem that the author is referring. It is yet (in my opinion) another word play in our text.

13 There are two different readings of the Septuagint (Greek) translation of verse 25. One says that the leaders were persuaded by Gaal, and the other says that they put their hope in Gaal. They pinned their hopes on Gaal, rather than on God. That will never work, for misplaced trust always leads to trouble.

14 My language here has been influenced by Dale Ralph Davis, for he has a very clever way of putting things. See Dale Ralph Davis, Such a Great Salvation: Expositions of the Book of Judges (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1990), p 125.

15 See Genesis 34:24; Ruth 4:1; Proverbs 31:23, 31.

16 See verse 42.

17 One cannot help but think of New Testament texts such as Luke 17:26-30 and 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, which speak of God’s judgment coming suddenly upon those who do not expect it.

18 The relationship of the “Tower of Shechem” and the city of Shechem is unclear (not only to me, but to others). Was this a separate fortification within (or somewhat removed from) Shechem? Fortunately, the answer to this question has little bearing on our understanding of this passage.

19 El is a term from god (or God), and Berith is the term which means covenant. It would seem that Baal-Berith and El-Berith are the same god who was worshipped by the Israelites in this area.

20 Several translations read that Abimelech set the branches on fire “above,” “over,” or “upon” the people gathered there.

21 Younger notes that while “fire proceeds from Abimelech, destroying the leaders of Shechem,” it is difficult to see how literal “fire” comes forth from the leaders of Shechem, destroying Abimelech. His solution is to suggest a word play between the word for “fire” and the word for “woman.” See K. Lawson Younger Jr., Judges and Ruth (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2002), p. 230.

22 Dale Ralph Davis, Such a Great Salvation: Expositions of the Book of Judges (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1990), p. 127, fn. 11.

23 Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Books of Judges and Ruth (San Antonio, Texas: Ariel Ministries, 2007), p. 128.

24 These are the words of rebuke Joab anticipated from David when he learned that Uriah had been killed because he was too close to the walls of the city they were attacking.

25 Open Theology rejects the absolute omniscience (God knows all) of God. Proponents of this error believe that while God knows everything in the future that is reality, any future events that are dependent upon men’s decisions and actions are not yet reality, and thus no one – not even God! – can know what does not yet exist. There are many excellent sources which refute the errors of Open Theology. When all is said and done, Open Theology presents us with a God who does not know what we will do, or what He will do until after men have acted. Open Theology makes God’s will dependent upon men’s decisions, not upon God’s eternal purposes. I would suggest that you begin with what John Piper and other likeminded men have said on this topic:

http://www.desiringgod.org/Search/?search=Open+Theology&x=14&y=8

26 See K. Lawson Younger Jr., Judges and Ruth (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2002), p. 230.

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