THE CAREER OF THE
JUDGES
The Central section of the book of Judges (chapters 3-17)
focuses upon the varied ministries of the Judges. Some of these judges are mentioned only in passing.
Only a few are described in detail.
|
OPPRESSOR |
JUDGE |
TRIBE |
SCRIPTURE |
|
Mesopotamia |
Othniel |
Judah |
Judges 3:8 |
|
Moabites |
Ehud |
Benjamin |
Judges 3:9-30 |
|
Philistines |
Shamgar |
- |
Judges 3:31 |
|
Canaanites |
Deborah |
Ephraim |
Judges 4-5 |
|
Midianites |
Gideon |
Manasseh |
Judges 6-8 |
|
Abimelech |
- |
Manasseh |
Judges 9 |
|
|
Tola |
Ephraim |
Judges 10:1-2 |
|
|
Jair |
Gilead |
Judges 10:3-6 |
|
Ammonites |
Jephthah |
Gilead |
Judges 10:10-12:7 |
|
|
Ibzan |
Judah |
Judges 12:8-10 |
|
|
Elon |
Zebulun |
Judges 12:11-12 |
|
|
Abdon |
Ephraim |
Judges 12:13-15 |
|
Philistines |
Samson |
Dan |
Judges 13-16 |
It should not be assumed that this is necessarily a
chronologically progressive account.
There seem to be places where the ministry of the judges had a certain
amount of overlap.
PROLOGUE
Now
these are the nations which the Lord left, to test Israel by them (that is, all
who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan; 2 only in order that the generations of the sons
of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it formerly.
These
nations are: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the
Sidonians and the Hivites who lived in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as
far as Lebo-hamath.
And
they were for testing Israel, to find out if they would obey the commandments
of the Lord, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses. (Judges
3:1-4).
The nations which were left in the land of Canaan were left
for a purpose. Chapter 2 gives one such
purpose. They were to be a thorn and a
snare to Israel (Judges 2:3). But that
is not all. Two other reasons are
mentioned in this passage.
1. They were to give the Israelite militia
“battle experience” (that they might be “taught war” - Judges 3:2).
2. They were for “testing Israel” to
determine if they would obey the Lord or not (Judges 3:4).
OTHNIEL
Then
the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, so that He sold them into the
hands of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia, and the sons of Israel served
Cushan-rishathaim eight years. (Judges 3:8).
The word translated "Mesopotamia" is the Hebrew
(ARAM NAHARIM) - "Aram between the rivers." Indeed, our word "Mesopotamia" is derived from the
Greek term meaning "between two rivers." The rivers in view here were the Tigris and the Euphrates. During this period, northern Mesopotamia was
ruled by the Kingdom of Mitanni.
There is now archaeological evidence that at the close of
the 19th Dynasty of Egypt, Mitanni forces were strong enough not only to enter
Canaan, but to go all the way to Egypt.
For eight years, the Israelites found themselves under the
shadow of these oppressors from the north.
And
when the sons of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for
the sons of Israel to deliver them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger
brother. (JUDGES 3:9).
Othniel had been introduced in chapter one. He was not only the nephew of Caleb, he had
become his son-in-law as well.
Note: The Hebrew word translated
"deliverer" and "deliver" come from the root YASHA,
"to save." It is from this
root that we obtain the name YASHUA - "Yahweh saves" - its English
form being "Jesus."
And
the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel. When he went to war, the Lord gave
Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand, so that he prevailed over
Cushan-rishathaim. Then the land had
rest fort years. And Othniel the son of
Kenaz died. (Judges 3:10-11).
This is the first of seven times where we read in the book
of Judges that the Spirit of the Lord comes upon someone. It will happen on a number of other
occasions.
m
Othniel (3:10).
m
Gideon (6:34).
m
Jephthah (11:29).
m
Samson (13:25; 14:6; 14:19; 15:14).
The Lord gave His Spirit in these instances to enable His
people to accomplish special tasks. He
does the same thing today.
EHUD
1. The Oppression of Moab.
Now
the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of
Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord.
And
he gathered to himself the sons of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and defeated
Israel, and they possessed the city of the palm trees.
And
the sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. (Judges
3:12-14).
The Moabites and the Ammonites were
descendants of Lot. The Israelites had
in the past deliberately avoided military conflict with Moab and Ammon for this
reason. But this did not stop these two
kingdoms from invading Israel.
Eglon, the king of Moab, formed an
alliance in order to invade Israel. It
involved three kingdoms:
a. Moab.
The kingdom of Moab was located on
the eastern shore of the Dead Sea between the Zered and the Arnon Rivers.
b. Ammon.
The Ammonites lived to the north
east of Moab. In past years, they had been
pushed eastward off their homeland along the eastern bank of the Jordan by the
Amorites. Their new home was located to
the east of the Amorites on the border of the desert and east of the headwaters
of the Jabbok River.
Their capital city, Rabbath-ammon,
still stands today as the capital city of Jordan. It is known simply as Ammon.
c. Amalekites.
The Amalekites lived in the Negev
to the south of Canaan. They were
descendants of Esau and were initially one of the desert tribes of Edom.
The “city of the palm trees” is a
designation for Jericho (Deuteronomy 34:3).
Though the city had been destroyed by Joshua and remained uninhabited,
the site remained an important one due to its control of the important trade
route through the center of Canaan.
The site of the Old Testament city
is a mound rising up 50 feet above the surrounding bedrock of the southern
Jordan valley (Jericho is 825 feet below sea level). It is located about 10 miles to the NNW of the mouth of the Dead
Sea and directly west of fords which make it possible to cross the Jordan
except during the rainy season.
There is a natural spring known as
Ain es-Sultan which originally attracted settlers to this site. This oasis gave the city its nickname,
"City of Palm Trees."
The site held a strategic position
at the hub of four major roads radiating outward to Gerazim, Jerusalem, Hebron,
and westward to the fords across the Jordan.
2. Ehud the Man.
Judges 3:15‑26 tells the
story of Ehud and his premeditated murder of Eglon, king of Moab (perhaps
"assassination" is a better word).
Ehud is the hero of the story. It was the Lord who raised him up to be a
deliverer for the Israelites (3:15).
This act would serve as an impetus for an uprising against Moab.
But
when the sons of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for
them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by him
to Eglon the king of Moab. (Judges 3:15).
Ehud was a “left-handed man”,
literally, “a man bound in his right hand.”
There is a play on words here.
He was a “left handed man” but he was also a Benjamite -- a “son of the
right hand.” The fact that Ehud was
left-handed was significant.
In that culture, a left-handed man
was considered something of a social misfit.
You see, the right hand was normally the social hand (we still speak of
extending the “right hand of fellowship”).
The left hand was used solely for matters of personal hygiene. It was considered the unclean hand. That is why in matters of judgment, the
condemned would be placed at the left hand of the king (remember this the next
time you look at the judgment of the sheep and the goats and see what happens
to those whom Christ places at His left hand).
And yet, it was this social misfit
that God chose to deliver the Israelites from their oppressors.
There is a lesson here. It is that God uses the unusable. Even Jesus was described as “the stone that
the builders rejected.”
3. The Assassination of Eglon.
And
Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length; and he bound
it on his right thigh under his cloak.
And
he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man.
And
it came about when he had finished presenting the tribute, that he sent away
the people who had carried the tribute.
But
he himself turned back from the idols which were at Gilead, and said, “I have a
secret message for you, O king.” And he
said, “Keep silence.” And all who
attended him left him.
And
Ehud came to him while he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber, And Ehud
said, “I have a message from God for you.”
And he arose from his seat.
And
Ehud stretched out his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and
thrust it into his belly.
The
handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he
did not draw the sword out of his belly; and the refuse came out.
Then
Ehud went out into the vestibule and shut the doors of the roof chamber behind
him, and locked them. (Judges 3:16-23).
|
It is not only mentioned that Eglon was fat (3:17), but
we are given graphic details of his fat closing in over the haft of the
assassin's blade (3:22). |
The very thing that made him a
social outcast was utilized by Ehud in carrying out his execution of the king.
Ehud makes his escape while the
servants wait outside the king’s room, thinking that he is merely taking his time
in matters of personal hygiene (“he is only relieving himself in the cool room”
- 3:24).
4. Military Deliverance.
Now
Ehud escaped while they were delaying, and he passed by the idols and escaped
to Seirah.
And
it came about when he had arrived, the he blew the trumpet in the hill country
of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country,
and he was in front of them.
And
he said to them, “Pursue them, for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites
into your hands,” So they went down after him and seized the fords of the
Jordan opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross.
And
they struck down at that time about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and
valiant men; and no one escaped.
So
Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land was undisturbed for eighty years. (Judges 3:26-30).
Ehud did not stop with the
assassination of the Moabite king. In
this, he was not like the Israelites who had taken the land but who had failed
to take the opportunity to completely drive out the Canaanites. He escaped only to rally the
Israelites. While he had previously
gone against the enemy alone, now he walked at their head.
Perhaps there is a principle
here. It is a principle of
leadership. It is that if you will do
the right thing when you are alone, then when you are not alone, others will
follow. Ehud’s military strategy was as
cunning as his assassination ploy had been.
He first marched to the fords of the Jordan on the east side of Jericho,
captured these, and thereby cut off the retreat of the enemy. By doing so, he denied them any attempt to
rally and return.
The period of peace that ensued was
80 years - the longest of any period during the days of the judges.
SHAMGAR
And
after him came Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck down six hundred
Philistines with an oxgoad and he also saved Israel. (Judges 3:31).
This is all we are told about Shamgar. It isn’t much. But it does remind us of one important truth regarding historical
narrative.
|
Shamgar isn’t a Hebrew name. It
seems to be of Mitanni origins. Anath
is the name of the Canaanite goddess of sex and war. |
It is that not all of the details are provided. The Bible isn’t meant to be a history
book. There are a lot of things about
which it is silent. Its purpose is to
provide a history of redemption - of how God has saved His people. One such instrument that was used is Shamgar
and his oxgoad.
If Ehud was an example of how God can use the unusable,
Shamgar is an example of how God can use the mundane. You don’t normally think of an oxgoad as an instrument of
salvation. Or a feeding trough for
animals as the cradle of a King. Or a
fisherman’s boat as a pulpit. Or a crucified
carpenter as the Savior of the World.
DEBORAH
1. The Oppression of Hazor.
Then
the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died.
And
the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor;
and the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim.
And
the sons of Israel cried to the Lord; for he had nine hundred iron chariots,
and he oppressed the sons of Israel severely for twenty years. (Judges 4:1-3).
Ancient Hazor has been identified
with Tell el-Qeday. It is located nine
miles north of the Sea of Galilee.
The site is made up of an
oval-shaped tell of about 25 acres and a much larger plateau covering an area
of 175 acres. This made Hazor one of
the largest cities in Canaan.
Excavations begun on this site in
1955 under Yigael Yadin.
|
Stratum |
Date |
Description |
|
1 |
|
Destruction by Deborah |
|
2 |
|
City was not as strong as
Stratum 3 - the plateau was not rebuilt. |
|
3 |
1400 |
Destruction by Joshua. Archaeology shows massive
burning on the plateau. |
What made Hazor so formidable was
the fact that it boasted a chariot corps numbering 900 chariots. It must be remembered that chariots were to
the ancient world what the armored tank has been to the modern world.
2. The Ministry of Deborah.
Now
Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
And
she used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill
country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment. (Judges
4:4-5).
Throughout most of antiquity, women
had a fairly low standing in society.
And yet, this woman was known as a prophetess and a judge. She was a housewife and a mother (Judges 5:7
mentions that she was a mother in Israel).
But that did not stop the Lord from speaking through her.
Here is the principle. Women are not excluded from ministry. I am not advocating that women should hold
offices within the church (though Deborah certainly did hold an exalted office
in the nation of Israel). But I am
saying that women have an important ministry within the church.
3. Deborah and Barak.
Now
she sent and summoned Barak, the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali, and said
to him, "Behold, the Lord, the God of Israel, has commanded, `Go and march
to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali
and from the sons of Zebulun, 7 and
I will draw out to you Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots
and his many troops to the river Kishon; and I will give him into your
hand.'"
Then
Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you
will not go with me, I will not go." (Judges 4:6-8).
Barak said that he would go, but
only on one condition. He would only go
if Deborah would come along. He
believed that the Lord was with Deborah.
He wasn't so certain that the Lord was with him. And so, he wanted to bring someone along who
would guarantee the presence of the Lord.
By insisting that Deborah come, Barak was showing true faith. But he was also showing weak faith.
And
she said, "I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be
yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the Lord will sell Sisera
into the hands of a woman." Then
Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. (Judges 4:9).
If I gave a quiz in the average
Sunday school class, quite a few would recognize the name of Deborah. But not that many would remember the name of
Barak.
4. The Battle.
As the battle commenced, the forces
of Sisera consisted of a large chariot corps mobilized "from
Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon" (Judges 4:13).
We know the location of the river
Kishon - it runs in a northwesterly direction along the southern part of the
Valley of Jezreel, emptying out into the Mediterranean just north of Mount
Carmel.
What is interesting is the other
plan-name mentioned. It is
Harosheth-hagoyim. As near as I can
make out, it seems to mean "the cutting of the nations." The key city of this valley, although not
mentioned in this text, is the ancient walled city of Megiddo. It is from this that we get the Hebrew
"Armageddon" (HAR-MEGIDDO - "Mount of Megiddo" - the
problem being is that Megiddo is not on a mountain, it is in the middle of the
valley).
In the historical account of the
passage, we read that "the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all
his army" (4:15). The passage
makes it quite clear that the instrument which the Lord used to accomplish this
was Barak and the Israelites.
Judges 5 follows up the battle with
a song of victory.
In this song, Deborah says that
"the torrent of Kishon swept them away" (5:21) - seemingly a
reference to the Kishon River overflowing its banks, although whether this is
simply poetic imagery or whether it actually happened in the course of the
battle is difficult to tell.
As I read this account, I am struck
by the "coincidence" of its echoing repetition in the book of Revelation.
a. The kings of the nations (HA-GOYIM) are
described as being gathered together to the place known as Har-Megiddo
(Armageddon).
b. It is the Lord who goes and fights for
His people.
c. There is a “torrent” in Judges while
Revelation describes blood “to the horse’s bridle.”
It seems as though the imagery for
the spiritual battle of Armageddon is drawn from this historical battle.
4. Sisera’s Defeat: And the Lord routed Sisera and all his
chariots and all his army, with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera
alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot. (Judges 4:15).
How did Barak and his 10,000
under-equipped foot soldiers manage to defeat a chariot corps of 900 war
chariots? This was like having a bunch
of Indians defeat a modern mechanized armor division. And what is more, they did it in open terrain. They were on the valley of Megiddo. This was perfect territory for chariot
warfare. The Israelites had no right to
win.
But God was bigger than Sisera's
chariot corps. In her song of victory,
Deborah says that "the earth quaked, the heavens also dripped, even the
clouds dripped water" (Judges 5:4).
Furthermore, she says that "the torrent of Kishon swept them away,
the ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon" (Judges 5:21 - this torrent of
Kishon is also mentioned in Psalm 83:9).
If this is not merely figurative
language, then it is possible that the Lord brought about a rainstorm and a
flooding of the Kishon River to turn the valley floor into mud, thereby immobilizing
Sisera's chariot force. The Israelites
were unaffected by this adverse weather and attacked their enemies, routing
them.
5. Jael - a Faithful Wife with a Faithless
Husband.
As Sisera flees on foot, he will
come into contact with another woman who will be used of the Lord. It is noteworthy that this woman was married
to a man who had rejected the Lord.
Now
Heber the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, from the sons of Hobab
the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in
Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh. (Judges 4:11).
Heber had come from a distinguished
family. He was a descendant of the
father-in-law of Moses. But he had long
since disassociated himself from his fellow Israelites. Instead of living with them, he had parted
from their company and had pitched his tent in the area of Kedesh Naphtali on
the southwest shore of the Sea of Galilee.
He had also made an alliance with
the Canaanite city of Hazor and the enemies of the people of God.
Now
Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite, for
there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the
Kenite. (Judges 4:17).
This man had made peace at a time
where there ought to have been no peace.
Is there a lesson here? Perhaps
there is. Perhaps it is that there are
certain alliances into which we ought not enter. Though I believe in the unity of the church, there are certain
people with whom we should NOT be united.
|
Discussion Question: Did Jael
do wrong by offering hospitality and then murdering her guest? |
Apparently, the wife of Heber
understood this principle. When Sisera
sought refuge within her tent, she at first acquiesced, feeding him and hiding
him under a rug within her tent.
But
Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg and seized a hammer in her hand, and went
secretly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went through into the
ground; for he was sound asleep and exhausted.
So he died. (Judges 4:21).
In such a way, the prophecy was
fulfilled. It was by the hand of a
woman that Sisera met his end.
6. The Song of Deborah (Judges 5).
Chapter 5 contains the “song of
Deborah.” It is a song of victory,
praising the Lord for what He had accomplished.
a. Deborah opens with a refrain which
blesses the Lord for the fact that "the leaders led" and that
"the people volunteered" (5:2).
This refrain is repeated again with a slight variation in verse 9.
b. Verse 12 calls Barak to "take away
your captives" - literally "to lead captivity captive."
The Hebrew of this passage
corresponds to the Greek of Ephesians 4:8 which describes how Jesus "led
captive a host of captives."
c. Verses 12-15 praises the victory of the
tribes of Ephraim, Benjamin, Zebulun and Issachar.
Then in verses 16-17 the other
tribes are questioned and castigated for their lack of involvement in this
battle.
Verse 18 comes back with more
praise for Zebulun and Issachar.
|
Survivors came down to the nobles (5:13). |
|
The kings came and fought (5:19). |
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|
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The People of the Lord came... - Ephraim - Benjamin -
Zebulun – Issachar - Reuben |
|
Zebulun despised their lives even to death And Naphtali on the high places of the field (5:18). |
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|
|
|
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|
|
“Why did you sit
among the sheepfolds? Reuben - Gilead -
Dan (5:16-17) |
||||
d. This was the original battle of
Armageddon.
"The kings came and
fought;
Then fought the kings of Canaan
At Taanach near the waters of
Megiddo;
They took no plunder in silver.
(Judges 5:19).
This battle was to become the
pattern for the victory of the Lord against the powers of darkness. The church (the new Deborah) is still called
to a battle. And the good news is that
the Lord still promises the victory.
e. As Deborah describes the slaying of
Sisera (5:23-27), there is a picture of the spiritual war that was introduced
in Genesis 3:15.
|
Genesis 3:15 |
Deborah's Song |
|
The woman. |
"Most blessed of women is Jael" |
|
The wife of Adam who had fallen into sin. |
"The wife of Heber the Kenite" |
|
He shall bruise you on the head. |
"She struck Sisera, she smashed his head; and she
shattered and pierced his temple" |
As a result of this victory, there
are 40 years of peace in the land (Judges 5:31). It is a peace that is broken again by invaders.
GIDEON
Gideon is the lesson of what God can do with a man who will
simply say, “Yes” to God. The
interesting thing about him is that he initially seems to have been inclined to
say, “No.”
|
What is it that scares you to death? Is the Lord calling you to face that fear
today? |
It wasn’t that he was a fearless man. Indeed, there are several evidences that he
dealt with real fear. It was that he
overcame that fear to obey the Lord.
Only a fool is without fear. Indeed, the Bible speaks of the fear of the Lord being the
beginning of wisdom. The brave man is
one who faces his fear and does what needs doing in spite of that fear.
Here’s the point.
You are to be afraid of that which is worthy of your fear. And in the long run, only God is worthy of
your fear.
“And
do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but
rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew
10:28).
|
6:1 |
Gideon’s
Call |
Oppression at the hands of
Midian |
|
|
6:7 |
A Prophet |
||
|
6:11 |
Angel of the Lord |
||
|
6:25 |
Gideon’s
Commitment |
Pull down Altar to Baal |
|
|
6:33 |
|
Call to Arms |
|
|
6:36 |
|
Laying out the Fleece |
|
|
7:1 |
Gideon’s
Conquest |
Reduction of his Forces |
|
|
7:9 |
Spying out the Enemy |
||
|
7:15 |
Sharing the Strategy |
||
|
7:19 |
The Battle |
||
|
7:24 |
|
Ephraim |
Their Involvement |
|
8:1 |
|
Their Contention |
|
|
8:4 |
Gideon’s
Conquest |
Rejection by Succoth &
Penuel |
|
|
8:10 |
Victory at Karkor |
||
|
8:13 |
Accounting at Succoth
& Penuel |
||
|
8:18 |
Death of Zebah &
Zalmunna |
||
|
8:22 |
Gideon’s
Culpability |
Offer of Kingship |
|
|
8:24 |
The Ephod at Ophrah |
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|
8:29 |
Many wives |
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8:31 |
Abimelech |
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1. Oppression at the hands of Midian.
Then
the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord
gave them into the hands of Midian seven years. (Judges 6:1).
The Midianites were descendants of
Abraham and Keturah (Genesis 25:1-4).
They settled in the lands of Arabia to the east of the Gulf of Aqabah
where they adopted a nomadic lifestyle.
In Judges 3:8 and 4:2 we read that
the Lord SOLD the Israelites into the hands of their enemies. This time He gave them away.
This period lasted for seven
years. For seven years, the Midianites
made successive raids into Canaan. They
always came at the time of the harvest.
They would wait until the Israelites had done all the work of planting
and cultivating, and then they would swarm over the land, taking the crops at
will. Their invasion of the land at
such a time was likened unto a plague of locusts (Judges 6:5).
2. Gideon’s Call.
Then
the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which
belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the
wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. (Judges 6:11).
In verses 11 and 12 He is called
the “angel of the Lord.” When we come
to verse 14 He is simply called “the Lord.”
This should not confuse us. The
angel of the Lord always represents the very presence and message of God.
Gideon wasn’t expecting such an
angelic visitor. He was expecting
Midianites. That is why he was beating
wheat in a place where you didn’t normally beat wheat. He was in hiding.
And
the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O
valiant warrior.” (Judges 6:12).
Gideon didn’t look much like a
valiant warrior. He looked more like
the “before” picture on a “before & after” poster. He was here in hiding doing “woman’s work”
(the grinding of grain was considered to be the work of women - Exodus
11:5). But God declared him to be a
“valiant warrior.”
That is what God does with us,
too. He JUSTIFIES us. He declares us to be righteous, not because
we ARE righteous, but because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ which has been
reckoned to us. He says, “I have
declared you to be righteous - now BE righteous.”
3. Gideon’s Requests for a Sign.
Gideon didn’t make only one request
for a sign. He made three such requests
(though he acted in faith and obedience prior to making the last two requests).
|
Request #1 |
“Show me a sign” (Fire
springs from the rock and consumes the offering). |
Judges 6:17-22 |
|
Request #2 |
Let dew be on the fleece while
the ground remains dry. |
Judges 6:36-38 |
|
Request #3 |
Let the fleece be dry while dew
is on the ground. |
Judges 6:39-40 |
Was Gideon wrong to ask for a
sign? It should be noted that the
reason he asked for a sign was to make certain that he had not misunderstood
the Word of the Lord (Judges 6:36).
The first sign involved Gideon
preparing an offering of meat and bread and broth and bringing it to the angel
of the Lord. These were placed on a
rock.
Then
the angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and
touched the meat and the unleavened bread, and fire sprang up from the rock and
consumed the meat and the unleavened bread.
Then the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight. (Judges 6:21).
I can’t help but wonder if the
charred surface of that rock was to serve as a constant reminder that the Lord
had been there. Indeed, Gideon chose to
immortalize that place be building an altar there.
Then
Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and named it The Lord is Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the
Abiezites. (Judges 6:24).
If I had been there, I might have
named it “the place of the burning rock.”
But I wasn’t. And perhaps Gideon
realized something that is all too easily missed. He named it, “The Lord is Peace.” He understood that the fact that a sacrifice had been accepted by
God was a sign of peace between God and men.
4. Gideon Destroys the Altar of Baal.
Now
the same night it came about that the Lord said to him, "Take your
father's bull and a second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of
Baal which belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it; 26 and build an altar to the Lord your God on
the top of this stronghold in an orderly manner, and take a second bull and
offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut
down." (Judges 6:25-26).
Baal was the storm god of the
Canaanites. The word “Baal” ( ) means “lord” or “master.” It is used in modern Hebrew to describe a
“husband.” Baal was the god who was
said to produce rain which was so necessary to the raising of crops and
cattle. He was also the god of
reproduction and produce.
The Israelites had begun to worship
this false god. As a sign of their
worship, they had built an altar to Baal.
Then
Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had spoken to him; and
it came about, because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men
of the city to do it by day, that he did it by night. (Judges 6:27).
The tearing down of this altar was
no simple affair. A Baal altar found at
Megiddo measured 26 feet across and 4 feet high. It was made of stones cemented together with dried mud. Next to it would be an “Asherah” - a
fertility symbol.
So loyal were the Israelites to the
worship of Baal that Gideon feared to destroy the altar by day. The account goes on to show that his fear
was not misplaced, for the Israelites respond by demanding his death and it is
only when his father intercedes for him that he is allowed to live.
Then
the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, for he
has torn down the altar of Baal, and indeed, he has cut down the Asherah which
was beside it.”
But
Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal, or will
you deliver him? Whoever will plead for
him shall be put to death by morning.
If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has torn
down his altar.”
Therefore
on that day he named him Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against
him,” because he had torn down his altar. (Judges 6:30-32).
There is a play on words here. Gideon is given the nickname “Jerubbaal” because
it was suggested by his father that they should “let Baal contend against him.”
5. The Reduction of Gideon’s Forces.
Then
Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him, rose early and
camped beside the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was on the north side
of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley (Judges 7:1).
The last chapter mentioned that the
Midianites had a camel corps. These
would have been the desert version of cavalry and, as such, would be more
suited to warfare on the open plains as opposed to mountain terrain.
With this in mind, they had moved
their forces into the Valley of Jezreel and had encamped near the village of
Endor on the north side of the Hill of Moreh.
Gideon and his forces encamped to
the south of the Midianites with only the ridge of Moreh separating the two
forces. It was a time of tension with
battle in the air. And it was now that
the Lord instructed Gideon to whittle down his forces.
When we get to Judges 8:10, we
shall see that the entire force of the Midianites numbered 135,000 men. The Israelites at the outset were
outnumbered nearly four to one.
|
32,000 men |
“Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him depart” |
22,000 leave |
|
10,000 men |
“Separate everyone who laps like a dog” |
9,700 sent home |
|
300 men |
“I will deliver you with the 300 men.” |
|
It is not that these 300 were so
great. It is that God is very big. It isn’t the size of the army that counts;
it’s the size of the God in the army.
6. The Battle.
And
he divided the 300 men into three companies, and he put trumpets and empty
pitchers into the hands of all of them, with torches inside the pitchers.
And
he said to them, “Look at me, and do likewise.
And behold, when I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. 18 When I and all who are with me blow the
trumpet, then you also blow the trumpets all around the camp, and say, `For the
Lord and for Gideon.’” (Judges 7:16-18).
This isn’t much of a battle
strategy. In one hand they would hold a
trumpet. In the other hand they would
hold a pitcher and a torch. What’s
wrong with this picture? They had no
weapons! But that is okay, because the
Lord would be their sword.
And
when they blew 300 trumpets, the Lord set the sword of one against the other
even throughout the whole army; and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward
Zererah, as far as the edge of Abel-melolah, by Tabbath. (Judges 7:22).
The attack was set for the “middle
watch.” This was in the dead of night
when the camp would be filled with slumber.
Suddenly there was a clattering of shattered pottery and 300 swirling
lights around the camp.
The battle quickly turned into a
rout. The army of the Midianites fled
back the way they had come. As they
retreated, the other tribes of Israel were called to join in.
|
Lessons Learned |
Then
Gideon and the 300 men who were with him came to the Jordan and crossed over,
weary yet pursuing. (Judges 8:4).
Gideon knew that victory would not
be complete without destroying the military might of the Midianites. With this in mind, he began a chase of the
Midianites that was to take him 150 miles.
And
he said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who
are following me, for they are weary, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the
kings of Midian.”
The
leaders of Succoth said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your
hands, that we should give bread to your army.?”
And
Gideon said, “All right, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my
hands, then I will thrash your bodies with the thorns of the wilderness and
with briars.” (Judges 8:5-7).
As we read a bit further, we find
that Gideon received this same repulse from the town of Penuel. These were Israelite towns. They were inhabited by those two and a half
tribes which had elected to remain on the east bank of the Jordan River.
|
Succoth |
Declined to assist Gideon through the sharing of
provisions. |
“I will thrash your bodies with thorns & briars” |
|
Penuel |
“I will tear down this tower” |
Do you see what has happened? They are no longer identifying themselves
with the covenant people of God. They
want to “play it safe.” They have not
yet chosen sides in the conflict. I
wonder if there are not those today who are similar. “Fence-sitters” in the cause of Christ. Not against the Lord, but not with Him, either. The Lord allows no such “fence-sitting.”
“He
who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.”
(Matthew 12:30).
We are involved in a great
spiritual war. The weapons of our
warfare are not spears or arrows - or even torches and pots. They are spiritual weapons. But the battle is no less real. And you are called to choose sides. If you are not on a side, then you have
already chosen.
7. Offer of Kingship.
Then
the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your son, also
your son’s son, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.”
But
Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you;
the Lord shall rule over you.” (Judges 8:22-23).
Gideon did not let his victory go
to his head. In this he is to be
commended. He gave the glory and the
credit of his victory to the Lord.
8. The Ephod at Ophrah.
Yet
Gideon said to them, “I would request of you, that each of you give me an
earring from his spoil.” For they had
gold earrings, because they were Ishmaelites. (Judges 8:24).
The people agree to this request
and a total of 1700 shekels (about 42 pounds) of gold along with other
ornaments are gathered and given to Gideon.
And
Gideon made it into an ephod, and placed it in his city, Ophrah, and all Israel
played the harlot with it there, so that it became a snare to Gideon and his
household. (Judges 8:27).
An “Ephod” was an apron-looking
garment. It was worn by the high
priest. It was the badge of priesthood
(Judges 17:5). It was held in place by
a waistband and associated with the urim and thummim which were kept within a
breastplate.
What caused Gideon to do such a
thing? Was it pride? Or the sudden wealth that was awarded
him? He had faced the hoards of Midian
and won. He faced the temptation of
sudden wealth and lost.
ABIMELECH
Gideon’s closing years were a time of great prosperity. A part of this prosperity was in the fact
that he had no less than 70 sons. One
of these sons was by a concubine from Shechem.
His name was Abimelech - “My father the king.”
Often when a ruler dies, his son succeeds him. But what happens when that ruler has 70
sons? The answer is - TROUBLE!
1. King at Shechem.
Following the death of his father,
Abimelech goes to Shechem and raises support to build for himself a throne and
to establish himself as king.
They supply him with funds by which
he hires a band of “worthless and reckless fellows” - bad and wanton men. 70 pieces of silver are used to hire these
men who help to murder 70 brothers.
Then
he went to his father’s house at Ophrah, and killed his brothers the sons of
Jerubbaal, seventy men, on one stone.
But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, for he hid himself.
And
all the men of Shechem and all Beth-millo assembled together, and they went and
made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar which was at Shechem. (Judges
9:5-6).
There is an interesting play on
words as the men of Shechem “made king Abimelech as king.” Shechem was a Canaanite city. It had been there in the days of Jacob (see
Genesis 34 for the story of Dinah and the people of Shechem). They were used to the idea of a king and
were especially prone to accept a man whose mother came from their city. Thus, the advent of Abimelech was as an
anti-Israelite king.
2. Curse of Jotham.
Jotham, the youngest and only
surviving son of Gideon, goes to Mount Gerazim and pronounces a curse upon the
city of Shechem.
It begins with a parable in which
the trees embark upon a quest for a king.
Nobler trees refuse such a position.
But the bramble bush agrees.
“And
the bramble said to the trees, `If in truth you are anointing me as king over
you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, may fire come out from the
bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’” (Judges 9:15).
|
There is a motif established here of
a false anointed one. |
The picture is obvious. The bramble bush has no shade by which it is
able to shade the mighty cedars.
Shechem lies on the saddle ridge
between the twin peaks of Gerizim and Ebal.
This is significant as these were the two mountains upon which Joshua
had all of the Israelites stand and recite the blessings and the cursings of
the law.
“...let
fire come out from Abimelech and consume the men of Shechem and Beth-millo; and
let fire come out from the men of Shechem and Beth-millo, and consume
Abimelech.” (Judges 9:20).
The curse is pronounced as a
chiasm, reflecting both upon the king and the cities who had determined to
follow him.
|
Let fire come
out... |
||||
|
|
Ż |
|
|
|
|
from Abimelech... |
|
and consume Abimelech. |
||
|
|
Ż |
|
|
|
|
and consume Shechem & Beth-millo... |
|
from Shechem & Beth-millo... |
||
|
|
Ż |
|
|
|
|
and let fire come
out... |
||||
The rest of this chapter deals with
the fulfillment of this curse.
Following a three year reign, “God sent an evil spirit between
Abimelech and the men of Shechem” (Judges 9:23).
Abimelech captures a rebellious
Shechem and burns its tower fortress to the ground, sowing the city with
salt. This is possibly related to the
concept of a “covenant of salt.” The
idea was that salt would preclude anything from growing in that location in the
future.
Abimelech then goes on to attack
Thebez. This is another city within the
realm of Manasseh and located some 6 miles to the northeast of Shechem. It is here that Abimelech is killed.
So
Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and approached the entrance
of the tower to burn it with fire.
But
a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, crushing his
skull.
Then
he called quickly to the young man, his armor bearer, and said to him, “Draw
your sword and kill me, lest it be said of me, `A woman slew him.’” So the
young man pierced him through, and he died. (Judges 9:52-54).
Abimelech’s death is an ignoble one
- he is killed by a lowly weapon (the millstone) and at the hands of a
woman. This is reminiscent of the death
of Sisera.
|
Sisera |
Killed by a woman |
Tent peg through the Head |
|
Abimelech |
A Millstone crushed his Head |
This motif of the crushed head of
the enemy of God harkens back to the prophecy of the seed of the serpent from
Genesis 3:15. It is a continuation of
that motif. Once again we see the enemy
of God being crushed by the seed of the woman.
TOLAH & JAIR
1. Tola.
Now
after Abimelech died, Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar,
arose to save Israel; and he lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim.
And
he judged Israel twenty-three years.
Then he died and was buried in Shamir. (Judges 10:1-2).
Though Tola was from the tribe of
Issachar, his ministry was based at Shamir within the area belonging to
Ephraim. “Shamir” might be an early form
of “Samaria.”
Why didn’t he live in the land
allotted to Issachar? Perhaps it was
because that particular land lay in the Valley of Jezreel where the Canaanites
were at their strongest.
Tola is said to have arisen “to
save Israel.” The area of his ministry
is within the same area which Abimelech had ruled. Perhaps he was involved in restoring order after the death of
Abimelech.
2. Jair.
And
after him, Jair the Gileadite arose, and judged Israel twenty-two years.
And
he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities in
the land of Gilead that are called Havvoth-jair to this day. (Judges 10:3-4).
Jair is described as a resident of
Gilead. Gilead was the name of the
region on the east bank of the Jordan River.
While Tola was ministering on the west bank of the Jordan, Jair was
ministering on the east bank. His
legacy is the cities which were the birthrights of his sons. They became known as Havvoth-jair - “the
Encampments of Jair.”
We know very little about the
judgeship of Jair except that he seems to have exercised significant political
control over this area - controlling 30 cities of Gilead.
JEPHTHAH
1. The Judgment of God.
Then
the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, served the Baals
and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the
gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; thus they forsook
the Lord and did not serve Him.
And
the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of
the Philistines, and into the hands of the sons of Ammmon. (Judges 10:6-7).
Once again the Israelites turned
away from the Lord and indulged in the pagan practices of the nations around
them. This time, judgment came from two
separate directions.
a. The Philistines.
These were a group of warriors
known as the “Sea Peoples.” They had
attempted an invasion of Egypt and had only barely been repulsed in the days of
Rameses 3rd. They had subsequently
founded five cities on the seacoast area of southwestern Canaan.
b. The Ammonites.
These were the descendants of Lot
through his incestuous relationship with his daughter. They were located to the southeast of
Gilead.
It is the second of these two
groups that is of foremost interest in this passage. The Philistines become a major concern as we examine Samson. Thus, Jephthah will be to the eastern tribes
what Samson will be to the tribes of the west.
2. Jephthah - A Man Rejected.
Now
Jephthah the Gileadite was a valient warrior, but he was the son of a
harlot. And Gilead was the father of
Jephthah.
And
Gilead’s wife bore him sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove
Jephthah out and said to him, “You shall not have an inheritance in our
father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.”
So
Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob; and worthless
fellows gathered themselves about Jephthah, and they went out with him. (Judges
11:1-3).
Jephthah was illegitimate. As such, he was a social outcast and was
stripped of any rights to inheritance.
This was no fault of his own. He
was being persecuted for the sins of his parents.
Those who speak of sexual sins as
merely “a matter between consenting adults” normally forget the reprecussions
that such activities have upon the children.
Jephthah was forced to live in
exile in “the land of Tob.” This was
the area to the southeast of the Sea of Galilee.
Here he became the leader of a
group who are described as “worthless fellows” (“empty men”). The same term was used of the men who
followed Abimelech (Judges 9:4).
2. An Invitation to Leadership.
And
it happened when the sons of Ammon fought against Israel that the elders of
Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob; 6 and
they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our chief that we may fight against the
sons of Ammon.” (Judges 11:5-6).
It must have taken a great deal for
the elders of Gilead to swallow their pride and come to Jephthah. They ask that he come and be their
“chief”. In verse 11 they make him
“head and chief” over them. It is
interesting that Jephthah makes the elders repeat the promise before he finally
accepts their offer.
3. Initial Negotiations.
Before seeking a military resolve,
Jephthah sends messengers to the king of the Ammonites in an attempt to
negotiate a peaceful resolve. Several
arguments are given.
a. Israel took only the land of the
Amorites and then only after being attacked when they sought safe passage
through that land (Judges 11:15-22).
b. It was the Lord who drove out the
Amorites, something that Chemosh, the god of the Ammonites had failed to do
(Judges 11:23-24).
c. This land had now been the uncontested
property of the Israelites for the past 300 years (Judges 11:26).
4. Victory of Jephthah.
Now
the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, so that he passed through Gilead and
Manasseh; then he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mispah of Gilead he
went on to the sons of Ammon. (Judges 11:29).
This is only the second time up to
this point that it had been said of one of the judges that “the Spirit of
the Lord came upon” him. It is an
indication that Jephthah was trusting in the Lord for this victory. Indeed, Hebrews 11:32 lists Jephthah as one
of those who “by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness,
obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire,
escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in
war, put foreign armies to flight” (Hebrews 11:33-34).
So
Jephthah crossed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord
gave them into his hand.
And
he struck them with a very great slaughter from Aroer to the entrance of
Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim. So the sons of Ammon were subdued before the sons of Israel.
(Judges 11:12-13).
We are not told the specific
strategy used - only that it was the Lord who gave the victory. The result was not only that the Ammonites
were pushed back into their own land, but that the entire line of fortresses
which divided the lands of Israel from those of Ammon now fell to the
Israelites.
5. Jephthah’s Vow (Judges 11:30-31;
11:34-40).
Prior to the battle, Jephthah made
a vow to the Lord that if he was victorious then upon his return “whatever
comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the
sons of Ammon, it shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt
offering” (Judges 11:31).
Upon his victorious return, the
first one to come out of the door of his house was his daughter. He responds in sorrow.
And
it came about when he saw her, that he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, m
daughter! You have brought me very low,
and you are among those who trouble me; for I have given my word to the Lord,
and I cannot take it back.” (Judges 11:35).
She asks for a two month respite to
mourn “because of my virginity” (Judges 11:37).
And
it came about at the end of two months that she returned to her father, who did
to her according to the vow which he had made; and she had no relations with a
man. Thus it became a custom in Israel,
40
that the daughters of Israel went yearly to commemorate the daughter of
Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year. (Judges 11:39-40).
This passage has led to some
difficult questions since the natural reading seems to indicate that Jephthah
engaged in human sacrifice, putting his own daughter to death in order to
fulfill his foolish vow.
There are two possibilities:
a. Jephthah did not actually have her put
to death, but only sacrificed her in the sense of wholely dedicating her to the
service of the Lord.
b. Jephthah actually performed a human
sacrifice, putting his daughter to death as a sacrifice to God.
Evidences have been offered for
both of these interpretations.
Dedicated to God
|
Human Sacrifice |
|
Being a Judge, Jephthah must have been Good-fearing and so
would not have violated the Law |
The promise of a simple animal sacrifice would hardly be a
convincing vow in this situation |
|
The Spirit of the Lord comes on Jephthah and he is
mentioned in Hebrews 11 as being one of faith |
This does not take place while the Spirit of the Lord is
on him and he is not commended for this action |
|
Daughter bewails her virginity and Judges 11:29 makes
comment that “she knew not a man” |
The burnt offering involves death in all 286 Old Testament
occurrences |
|
Exodus 38:8 and 1 Samuel 2:22 speak of women in service of
the Tabernacle |
If it was a frequent practice for women to serve in the
Tabernacle, then why would this be a case for mourning? |
|
Human sacrifice would have been clearly understood as a
violation of God’s Law; public opinion would have disallowed it |
Human sacrifice was viewed as a last ditch effort in
battle (2 Kings 3:27). |
|
Leviticus 27:1-8 allows for redemption of humans vowed for
sacrifice |
There is little evidence of Jephthah’s knowledge of the
Law |
Deuteronomy 12:31 warns that the
Israelites were NOT to engage in the pagan practices of the Canaanites, “for
every abominable act which the Lord hates they have done for their gods; for
they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.”
Discussion
Question: Obviously, a man in
ancient Israel who swore an oath to the Lord was duty‑bound to keep it
(Numbers 30:2; Deuteronomy 23:21‑23). But God's Law also forbids human sacrifice
via the Sixth Commandment against killing.
Are we obligated to keep oaths, even if it leads to the breaking of the
Law? Or does an oath which leads to the
breaking of the Law automatically render itself null and void, leaving us free
to disregard the oath?
Matthew 14:1-12 presents another
such case of a foolishly given oath. It
is the story of Herod Antipas who gave a carte blanche oath to Salome and as a
result murdered John the Baptist.
In Matthew 21:28-32 Jesus told a
parable of two sons who were asked to go and work in their father’s
vineyard. The first refused and then
changed his mind. He was commended,
even though he acted contrary to what he said he would do - because he acted in
keeping with his father’s will.
6. The Ephraim Incident.
Then
the men of Ephraim were summoned, and they crossed to Zaphon and said to
Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the sons of Ammon without
calling us to go with you? We will burn
your house down on you.” (Judges 12:1).
This is the second time that the
tribe of Ephraim had brought a complaint against one of the Judges. They had spoken in a similar manner to
Gideon for not having been invited to the battle against Midian (Judges
8:1). The difference is that this time
the complaint led to an armed conflict.
Then
Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim; and the men of
Gilead defeated Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugatives of Ephraim, O
Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh.”
And
the Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan opposite Ephraim. And it happened when any of the fugatives of
Ephraim said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead would say to him, “Are you
an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” 6 then
they would say to him, “Say now, `Shibboleth.’” But he said, “Sibboleth,” for
he could not pronounce it correctly.
Then they seized him and slew him at the fords of the Jordan. Thus there fell at that time 42,000 of
Ephraim. (Judges 12:4-6).
In the battle which followed,
Jephthah was successful in capturing the vital fords across the Jordan, thus
cutting off the escape route of the men of Ephraim (Ehud had done the same
thing in his battle against Moab).
As Ephraimite refugees attempted to
escape back into their own territories, they were put to a language test. It is apparent from this that the tribes on
the eastern and western banks had become so distant that even their accents
were different from one another.
IBZAN, ELON & ABDON
Three Judges are now mentioned in rapid succession. Very little is said of them aside from their
name, place of ministry and the duration of their tenure.
|
Name |
Ibzan |
Elon |
Abdon |
|
Place of Ministry |
Bethlehem |
Zebulun |
Ephraim |
|
Length of Ministry |
Seven years |
Ten Years |
Eight Years |
|
Remarks |
30 sons 30 daughters given in marriage |
None |
40 sons 30 grandsons 70 donkeys |
The significance of the number of sons, daughters, grandsons
and donkeys is seen in that these were signs of their prosperity and of their
influence in the land.
SAMSON
1. The Philistines.
Now
the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, so that the Lord
gave them into the hands of the Philistines forty years. (Judges 13:1).
We have already made mention of the
advent of the five cities of the Philistines upon the shores of southwest
Canaan.
a. Their name.
The word “Philistine” is
transliterated from the Hebrew Peleseti.
However, it is not a Hebrew or even a Semitic word. It seems to be Indo-European in origin. It is from this name that we derive the term
“Palestine.”
b. Their origins.
Genesis 10:14 identifies the
tribal origins of the Philistines as a Hamitic people coming from the Casluhim
(See also Jeremiah 47:4; Amos 9:7; Deuteronomy 2:23 and 1 Chronicles
1:12). The most plausible theory is
that these were related either to the Minoans of Crete or to the Mycenaeans of
early Greece.
Egyptian records speak of an
invading group of “Sea Peoples” who were barely repulsed by Rameses 3rd in 1188
B.C. It is probable that the
Philistines were among these Sea Peoples.
c. Their cities.
With the exception of Ekron, the
five major cities of the Philistines were all originally Canaanite cities which
were taken over by the Philistines.
From their position on the coast,
they controlled the major trade route into Egypt.
(1) Ashkelon was the only city to have its
own harbor and so it was the major seaport for the Philistines.
|
The Scallion Onion derives its name
from Ashkelon. |
Letters from Ashkelon appear among
the Amarna Tablets in Egypt.
(2) Gaza was located 3 miles inland from the
coast of the Mediterranean. The city
was situated on a hight hill 100 feet over the surrounding plain. It boasted 15 fresh water wells.
(3) Ashdod was originally inhabited by the
Anakim. The city boasted a temple to
their god Dagon. It would be here that
the Philistines would bring the captured Ark in the days of Samuel.
(4) Ekron is the only city to have been
built by the Philistines and not merely taken over.
(5) Gath ( “Winepress”) was the home of the
Anakim, a race of giants, one of whom was Goliath. As there were several towns by the name of Gath, the exact
location of this city has not yet been determined.
2. Promise of His Birth.
The parents of Samson were of the
tribe of Dan. The woman of this
marriage was barren. This was the worst
possible condition that anyone in the ancient world could face. In a day when there was no social security,
it meant that there would be no one to care for them in their old age.
a. Agent of the promise.
Judges 13:3 says that “the angel
of the Lord” appeared to the wife of Manoah and promised that a son would be
born who would begin to deliver Israel (reminicent of the “seed motif”).
In verse 6 we read her description
of him - she calls him “a man of God” whose appearance “was like the appearance
of the angel of God.”
When Manoah requests the name of
the angel, he is asked, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?”
(Judges 13:18). The noun form of
this word is seen in Isaiah 9:6 where we read that the name of the Promised Son
shall be called “WONDERFUL Counselor.”
b. Instructions and a promise.
“For
behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come
upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb; and he
shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” (Judges 13:5).
The requirements of the Nazarite
Vow had been set forth in Numbers 6:2-5.
It was a “vow of dedication.”
Indeed, the word “Nazarite” comes from the Hebrew word natzer,
“to separate.”
Samson was to be separated unto
God from the womb. While those who
partook of the Nazarite Vow generally only did so for a limited time, Samson
was to be a permanent Nazarite.
3. Birth and Early Life.
Then
the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson; and the child grew up and
the Lord blessed him.
And
the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahanch-Dan, between Zorah and
Eshtaol. (Judges 13:24-25).
The name “Samson” seems to be taken
from the Hebrew word for the “sun.”
Perhaps this was because he was born only a few miles away from
Beth-Shemesh (“House of the Sun”). As
such, it was a Canaanite name, for they worshipped the sun.
At some point in his life, the
Spirit of God “began to stir” within Samson.
Perhaps this stirring was with reference to his great strength. We should not think of Samson as a great
muscleman. Rather, he seems to have
been an ordinary man gifted with extraordinary strength.
4. His Desire for a Philistine Woman.
Then
Samson went down to Timnah and saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of
the Philistines. (Judges 14:1).
Samson lived in a cross-cultural
community. The Sorek Valley hosted both
Israelite, Canaanite and Philistine towns.
And as Samson came of marital age, his eye fell upon a Philistine woman.
In verse 3 he says to his father, “Get
her for me, for she LOOKS GOOD TO ME.”
Again in verse 7 we read that “she LOOKED GOOD to Samson.” In both these cases, the Hebrew says
literally, “She is RIGHT IN MY EYES.”
This is a refrain which we will see throughout the closing chapters of
the book of Judges when “every man did what was right in his own eyes”
(Judges 17:6; 21:25).
Samson was a He-Man with a
"she-weakness." He had a
tendency toward lust that was to conquer him.
But the real point of this story is how God used Samson in spite of his
failures. It is a story of the
sovereignty of God.
Judges 14:4 says that all of his
troubled relationships were "of the Lord, for He was seeking an
occasion against the Philistines."
The judges had two different types
of ministry. Some were called to
judge. Others were called to deliver
Israel from her enemies (The best of the judges did BOTH, like Deborah).
This brings up a question. Why is his name mentioned in Heb 11:32 as an
example of a man of faith? It certainly
isn't because Samson was faithful to God.
He broke every one of the requirements of the Nazarite Vow. He wasn’t faithful. But he DID believe God and call upon the
Lord (Judges 16:28). He wasn't afraid to ask God for big things, even when he
knew that he did not deserve them.
Perhaps we can learn something from
this. I know that I do not deserve to
expect a positive answer from God when I pray.
If Samson teaches me anything, he teaches me about the GRACE of God.
5. The Wedding Incident.
Wedding feasts were no short
affair. They customarily lasted as long
as a week (14:17). The groom would
throw a great party to which he would invite all of his friends. Since the wedding was taking place in a
Philistine town, it was a group of Philistines who came to attend the feast.
Normally, custom mandated that the
wedding feast be at the house of the groom.
But this was not the case here.
Instead of this Philistine girl associating herself with the people of
God, Samson was associating himself with the Philistines.
In the midst of the feast, Samson
proposes a riddle and a very expensive wager.
So
he said to them, “Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong
came something sweet.” (Judges 14:14).
After three days, the Philistine
guests have not discovered the answer, so they threaten his bride with death
and with the destruction of her father’s home.
She, in turn, solicites the answer from Samson and betrays him.
Then
the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and
killed thirty of them and took their spoil, and gave the changes of clothes to
those who told the riddle. And his
anger burned, and he went up to his father’s house. (Judges 14:19).
Samson’s attack on the Philistines
was motivated, not from spiritual reasons, but merely of revenge. Revenge is one of the most natural human
responses. And also one of the most
destructive.
Never
take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is
written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repau,” says the Lord. (Romans 12:19).
The lesson will be illustrated in the case of Samson
as his conflict with the Philistines escalates to the point where he is
ultimately defeated.
Remember that the Lord was using
his strength in spite of his impure motivations. This is the first of several escalating conflicts with the
Philistines.
|
Verse |
Incident |
Number Killed |
|
14:19 |
Samson kills men of Ashkelon to take their clothes in
payment |
30 men |
|
15:5 |
Samson burns farmlands of Philistines |
Unknown |
|
15:8 |
Samson strikes with a great slaughter |
Unknown |
|
15:15 |
Samson breaks ropes that bind him and fights with the
jawbone of an ass |
1000 men |
|
16:30 |
Samson pushes down the house of Dagon, killing all within |
More than he had killed in his life |
6. In the Time of Wheat Harvest - An
Escalating Vengeance.
The anger of his vengeance
temporarily cooled, Samson returns to take his wife, only to find that she has
been given to another man. Samson takes
this as a further insult and takes up a career as an arsonist, burning up a
great number of the fields of the Philistines.
The Philistines respond by burning the home of his would-be bride and
her father. They die in the flames, she
suffering the very death she had sought to avoid in initially betraying
Samson. The escalation contines as
Samson “struck them ruthlessly with a great slaughter” (Judges 15:8).
Following this, Samson escapes to a
refuge in a cave near the town of Etam (a mere 2 miles from Bethlehem) in the
territory of Judah.
7. The Lehi Incident - the Jawbone of an
Ass.
Samson’s actions had already
brought retribution upon his bride and father-in-law. Now the Philistines invade the territory of Judah, putting
pressure upon the Israelites to turn Samson over to them. They agree and Samson is bound and made a
captive of the Philistines.
When
he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him
mightily so that the ropes that were on his arms were as flax that is burned
with fire, and his bonds dropped from his hands.
And
he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, so he reached out and took it and killed
a thousand men with it. (Judges 15:14-15).
The name “Lehi” ( ) means “jawbone.” It seems likely that it was given this
designation following this event. This
was Samson’s greatest victory to date.
It can only be attributed to the
working of God through him. When the
killing was completed, Samson became aware of a great thirst. He asks the Lord for water and the Lord answers
his prayer, making water to come from the “hollow place.”
8. The Gates of Gaza.
Now
Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her.
When
it was told to the Gazites, saying, “Samson has come here,” they surrounded the
place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. And they kept silent all night, saying, “Let
us wait until the morning light, then we wil kill him.”
Now
Samson lay until midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors
of the city gate and the two posts and pulled them up along with the bars; then
he put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain
which is opposite Hebron. (Judges 16:1-3).
This is the second time a woman
became the source of trouble for Samson.
Perhaps as many as 20 years had passed since his last encounter with the
Philistines (Judges 15:20).
While they lie in wait for him, he
literally breaks out of the city, carrying the city gates with him.
This had a special significance in
the ancient world. A city was
considered to be no stronger than its gates.
To have the gates carried off was the height of humiliation for this
city.
Hebron is located nearly 40 miles
to the east of Gaza. Furthermore, it is
uphill all the way, rising to a height of 3000 feet above sea level. Apparently, Samson took these gates there as
a trophy of the strength of the God of Israel.
9. Samson and Delilah.
After
this it came about that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was
Delilah. (Judges 16:4).
Though Delilah is not described as
a Philistine, her name does not seem to be Semitic in origin and so it is
likely that she was a Philistine.
The lords of the Philistines offer
her a large bribe if she will discover the secret of Samson’s great
strength. Samson is at first evasive,
telling her lie after lie. But ultimately
he relents.
And
it came about when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his
soul was annoyed to death.
So
he told her all that was in his heart and said to her, “A razor has never come
on my head, for I have been a Nazarite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave
me and I shall become weak and be like any other man.” (Judges 16:16-17).
Delilah is quick to make use of
this information and, while he is sleeping, she has his head shaved.
And
she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other
times and shake myself free.” But he
did not know that the Lord had departed from him. (Judges 16:20).
Samson had become so
self-sufficient in his thinking that he no longer realized the presence of the
Lord. He was completely unaware that
the “Lord had departed from him.”
How would your life be different if
the Lord departed from you? Have you
been trying to live the Christian life without the power of the Holy
Spirit? If so, then perhaps you can
identify with Samson.
Then
the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes; and they brought him down
to Gaza and bound him with bronze chains, and he was a grinder in the prison
However,
the hair of his head began to grow again after it was shaved off. (Judges
16:21-22).
The gouging of the eyes of a hated
prisoner was common in the ancient world.
It assured him a fate of servitude.
He is brought to Gaza, the city
which he had humiliated by carrying away the gates. Thrown into prison, he is assigned the duty of grinding mill by
hand (the large animal-powered mills were not yet in use).
10. Samson’s Death.
Now
the lords of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon
their god, and to rejoice, for they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy
into our hands.” (Judges 16:23).
“Dagon” was the god of the
Philistines. Though the name is similar
to dag, the Hebrew word for “fish,” more recent archaeological studies
have identified Dagon as a Canaanite deity which had been borrowed by the
Philistines. In Ugaritic literature he
is the father of Baal. Dagon was the
god of grain. Perhaps this was
why Samson had been given the task of grinding grain in the prison.
They attributed this victory, not
to Samson’s disobedience, but to the power of their own god. In the midst of their celebration, they have
Samson brought out for their amusement.
In the midst of this entertainment, Samson prays one last time to the
Lord.
Then
Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please
strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the
Philistines for my two eyes.”
And
Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced
himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left.
And
Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he bent with all his might so that the house fell on the
lords and all the people who were in it.
So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he
killed in his life. (Judges 16:28-30).
Samson’s last act was one which was
designed both to avenge his treatment at the hands of the Philistines as well
as to deliver a blow against the false god that was being proclaimed in place
of the Lord.
His is the story of a man with
great strength and great weakness. In
one sense, it is a tragedy, for his personal life was his undoing. In another sense, the Lord took this tragic
life and brought about a victory for the people of God. What made the difference? How can we see Samson as the victor instead
of Samson the blind suicide bomber? It
is by recognizing that, in spite of all his failings, Samson had FAITH. It is for this reason he is listed in
Hebrews 11 in that great hall of faith.
He bears witness to us that God is able to take a sinful man and through
such a tool do great things.
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