The Book Of JUDGES
Judges 21:25 "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes."
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CHAPTER 13:
Judge #12: Samson (Dan) Verse 1: Samson is a contemporary of Jephthah as indicated by the description in this verse of the Philistine oppression. While Jephthah is dealing with the Ammonites on the western border, the Philistines are attacking Israel from the eastern coast which is where they had conquered and settled some time before Israel began their campaign of possessing the promised land. (Joshua 13:2-3) Verses 2-5: Unlike the other judges, Samson was divinely chosen and predestined before his birth to lead and deliver Israel. As with Gideon, it’s the preincarnate Jesus Christ that appears to Manoah’s wife. (v.3) The son that they will soon conceive is to be reared as a Nazarite, according to the law of Moses. (Numbers 6:2) That means that he will abstain from anything that is made from the vine, especially wine or any other form of alcohol. (Numbers 6:3-4) Nor will he be allowed to cut his hair (Numbers 6:5) or have any contact with a corpse. (Numbers 6:6-7) Those who take the Nazarite vow are separated unto the LORD as holy, and, therefore, if he were to be drunk or come in contact with a corpse it would make him unclean. It’s important to note that this vow is designed to be temporary, related only to specific spiritual discipline or work. Samson is the only one mentioned in scripture to whom this vow was to be taken for his whole life. Verses 6-16: When Manoah’s wife tells her husband of the angel’s visit and prophecy, he is understandably skeptical, and he asks God to send the messenger once more. (v.8) God agrees, but Manoah’s wife is again alone when the angel returns. (v.9) But this time she runs to fetch Manoah, and he asks the angel of the LORD more details about their yet-to-be-born son. (v.10-12) The angel repeats what He told Manoah’s wife (v.13-14), and then Manoah asks the angel to stay while he and his wife prepare a young goat for the angel to eat. (v.15) But the preincarnate Christ tells Manoah that He will not eat the meat, which could possibly signify the broken relationship between God and Israel at this time. The reason for this presumption is that we have already seen in Abraham’s encounter with God that the LORD ate the meal Abraham and Sarah prepared for Him and the angels that accompanied Him. (Genesis 18:7-8) Therefore, if Christ will not partake of the meal that Manoah and his wife prepare, it must be some other reason. The fact that Israel is currently in a state of broken covenant with God provides the most reasonable explanation for why the angel of the LORD refuses the offering. Instead of a meal, the angel tells Manoah that he may offer up a burnt offering unto the Lord. (v.16) The author of Judges tells us that Manoah and his wife did not understand that this man was, in fact, God Himself. This is further proof that the use of the description in the OT “the angel of the LORD” refers to the preincarnate appearance of Jesus Christ in the form and likeness of a man. Verses 17-23: Manoah then asks the angel for His name, that they might know whom to thank and worship when His prophecy comes to pass. (v.17) Christ’s response is the same as it was with Jacob when he fought with the LORD: “Why askest thou thus after my name…?” (v.18) (Genesis 32:29) The word “secret” here, translated into English from the original Hebrew word “pâlîy”, means “wonderful”, which is the same word used by Isaiah in his messianic prophecy. (Isaiah 9:6) The name “wonderful” speaks of the supernatural acts of God, especially those on behalf of His chosen people. But Manoah and his wife still don’t comprehend that they are in the presence of God. Manoah prepares the young goat and then offers it up on the altar as a burnt offering. (v.19) What the angel does next demonstrates His name. As the fire rises from the altar, consuming the flesh of the goat, the LORD ascends to heaven within the flames, and only then does Manoah and his wife realize with Whom they have been speaking. (v.20-21) Because of this, Manoah is convinced that they will both die, for no one can live who has seen the face of God. (v.22) Gideon had the same realization and resulting awe and fear. (Judges 6:22) But Manoah’s wife reassures her husband, just as God had reassured Gideon. If the LORD had desired to kill them, He wouldn’t have accepted their burnt offering, nor would he given them a prophecy that He knew would never come to pass. (v.23) Verses 24-25: The Hebrew word for Samson, “shimshôn”, means “like the sun”. The LORD is with him from the moment of his conception, and he grows to be a strong and vibrant man, worthy of the position of judge for which God has predestined and chosen him. CHAPTER 14: Verses 1-4: Here we see the first seeds of Samson’s downfall. His greatest weakness is a lack of self control. He sees a beautiful woman of the Philistines, and rather than obey the Lord by not marrying a heathen, he demands of his parents that they arrange his marriage to this daughter of Israel’s enemy. (v.2) His parents, of course, object, but Samson is stubborn and proud, and he refuses to heed their wise counsel. (v.3) Samson’s character is summed up well in his response: “…Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.” He impulsively gives in to the lusts of his eyes, his flesh, and his pride with no thought of the consequences or regard for God’s commandments. Yet God works all of this into His divine plan. Verse 4 confirms the sovereignty of God, specifically how God uses Samson’s lack of self-control and poor choices to bring judgment against the Philistines who are currently oppressing His people. Verses 5-9: Samson and his parents journey to Timnath to see his future bride and arrange the marriage. While there, Samson is confronted by a lion whom he slays with his bare hands. (v.5-6) The only reason Samson can do this is because the Spirit of the LORD is upon him. (v.6) The incident occurs when Samson is absent from his parents, and he doesn’t tell them about it. Sometime later, Samson discovers that bees have made a home in the carcass of the lion, and he violates his Nazarite vow by taking honey from the hive within the dead animal’s belly. (v.8) Even worse, he gives some of it to his parents without telling them where he got it, causing them to sin as well! (v.9) Verses 10-20: As was custom in the cultures of the ANE, the wedding is divided into two phases: a period of betrothal before the actual marriage ceremony. This is why the woman of Timnath is referred to here as Samson’s wife even though the actual wedding ceremony has not yet taken place. As part of the betrothal ritual, Samson hosts a great feast for his future bride which is attended by thirty Philistine men whom his parents have rounded up for him. (v.10-11) During the feast, Samson poses a riddle to the men, promising them new garments and clothing if they can solve it within seven days, which is the traditional length of time for these types of festivities in the ANE. (v.12) However, if the men fail to guess the answer, then they must give Samson thirty garments and clothing. (v.13) The riddle is simple: “…Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness.” For three days, the Philistines try to guess the answer, but they fail. (v.14) Finally, on the seventh day, they coerce Samson’s bride-to-be, threatening to burn down her father’s house and possessions if she doesn’t cooperate. (v.15) The bride begs Samson, claiming that he doesn’t truly love her if he won’t tell her the answer to the riddle. Samson retorts, “I have not told my father nor my mother, shall I tell it thee?” (v.16) But she won’t let up, and the feast continues for another week, with the bride-to-be hounding Samson day and night. (v.17) He finally gives in and tells her the answer which she immediately relays to the Philistine guests. The answer is “What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion?” (v.18) Samson knows that it was his bride which gave them the answer, and, in his anger, he journeys to Ashkelon where he slays thirty Philistine men. From their spoil he gives the garments to his wedding guests. (v.19) His anger at being betrayed causes him to also break off the engagement to the daughter of Timnath, and he and his parents return home. The woman is given to one of the other men that attended the betrothal feast. (v.20) God uses Samson to bring about judgment against the Philistines in Ashkelon, even though Samson is acting out of his own selfish pride and anger. Samson’s actions here, of course, are an act of war against the Philistines, which leads to a cycle of back-and-forth retaliation from either side, as we’ll see in the remaining chapters of this account. Through it all, God remains in complete control, and Samson eventually frees his people, just as God intended before Samson was even conceived.
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Judge #5: Gideon (Manasseh)
Verses 1-6: The Midianites are the descendants of Abraham through his handmaid Keturah (Genesis 25:1-2), and the Amalekites (v.3) are the offspring of Esau (Genesis 36:12). Both nations are used by God to once again punish Israel for their disobedience. (v.1) It’s clear from this passage that not all the Midianites were killed and/or conquered by Israel in their first encounter several generations earlier. (Numbers 31) Many of them must have escaped and fled into neighboring countries, eventually coming back together to form their own nation by the time Israel begins their conquest of the promised land. The Midianites raid the fields and towns of Israel, plundering their crops and livestock, until there is almost nothing left for the Israelites to sustain themselves. (v.3-4) This, too, makes sense in that the descendants of those survivors from the first encounter with Israel are motivated by vengeance, and God uses that to chasten His people. The armies of the Midianites and the Amalekites combined are so great in number that the author compares them to the multitude of grasshoppers, and their invasion of Israel’s land is sudden and swift. (v.5) (This is also further proof of God’s initial promise to Abraham. It was not only by Sarah that Abraham’s seed was as great in number as the stars in the sky, but also by Hagar and Keturah as well.) The resulting devastation is so great that all of Israel is left utterly destitute. (v.6) They are forced to flee into the mountains, hiding themselves in caves. (v.2) As always, Israel cries out to the LORD, repenting of their sin and begging Him for deliverance from their enemies. (v.6) Verses 7-10: As with Deborah, God uses a prophet to deliver a message to His people, and the prophet begins the message with a reminder to Israel of their fathers’ deliverance from Egypt by His hand. Keep in mind that the whole reason for Israel’s constant apostasy and idolatry is because each generation is neglecting to pass on to their children who God is and what He did for the descendants of Jacob in Egypt. Therefore, God Himself must now remind the new generation of who He is and what He’s done for their fathers. (v.8-9) God reminds Israel of the covenant He made with their fathers at Mount Sinai, how He delivered them from all their enemies – not just the Egyptians – and that it was He who gave them the promised land. (v.9-10) God had warned His people about turning away from Him to worship the false gods of the Amorites, but Israel didn’t listen and disobeyed the Lord’s commandments, thus breaking His covenant with them. (v.10) Verses 11-24: Gideon, son of Joash the Abiezrite, is threshing wheat in a winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites. (v.11) Gideon is of the tribe of Manasseh, from Ophrah, which in the north, in the Jezreel valley. Threshing wheat is a process whereby the grain is separated from the stalks by having people or oxen tread over them in a wide, flat, open area, typically in the fields and preferably on high ground. Then, once the grain has been separated, the next step is called winnowing, where the wheat and chaff are separated by tossing them into the air. The kernels of wheat, which are heavier than the chaff, fall to the ground while the chaff is blown away in the wind. All of this is typically done in a large, open communal area that is easily visible to anyone passing by. But the threat and the oppression of the Midianites is so great at this time that Gideon is forced to thresh the wheat in a winepress. The winepress, however, is usually tucked away in the middle of a garden or a vineyard, away from public view. The angel of the LORD, a preincarnate appearance of Jesus Christ, surprises Gideon in the midst of his threshing wheat and greets him with the salutation “thou mighty man of valour.” (v.12) The angel also informs Gideon that “…The LORD is with thee…”, but Gideon is skeptical of this statement. He asks the angel why, if God is truly with Israel, has all this recent misery befallen them? Gideon references the accounts of their fathers, of their miraculous deliverance from Egypt and all the other signs and wonders that God had displayed for His people afterwards. (v.13) Gideon, like many of his generation, believes that God has abandoned Israel, leaving them at the mercy of the Midianites. This statement is also proof that in every generation of Israel not all had failed in teaching their children about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There is always a remnant that remembers the Law of Moses and has taught their children about the one true God. Verse 14 is further proof that Gideon is speaking directly with Christ Himself (“And the LORD looked upon him…”). God tells Gideon that he has been chosen to be the next leader of Israel, to save them from the Midianites, and that he is being sent by God. In other words, Gideon should take courage and strength from the certainty that God is with him and will give him all that he needs to defeat the Midianites. But Gideon, like Moses, is fearful and timid, and lacks faith in God’s promises. He’s also understandably bewildered by the LORD’s choice of him, a poor farmer from an insignificant house of one of the lesser tribes of Israel. (v.15) In the ANE, as well as the nation of Israel, rank is everything. One’s status is derived from one’s birth order, house, and clan or tribal name, and Gideon is understandably skeptical about his chances of gaining a large enough following of the armies of Israel in order to defeat an enemy so great as the Midianites. It’s also very likely that he is the youngest son of his family (“…I am least in my father’s house.”) As with David several generations later, God chooses the youngest and the lowliest to lead His people. The LORD graciously reassures Gideon that He will be with him, and he “…shalt smite the Midianites as one man.” (v.16) In other words, Gideon, with the supernatural aid of God, will be successful in commanding the army of Israel. But Gideon is still skeptical, and he asks the LORD for a sign that He is indeed the God of Israel. (v.17) The way this verse is phrased (“…shew me a sign that thou talkest with me”) suggests that Gideon is not entirely certain that he’s actually speaking with God. He desires proof that it’s truly the LORD Himself that is standing before him. Gideon asks the angel to wait while he prepares a gift in the form of a sacrifice, and the LORD agrees. (v.18) This is even further proof that the angel is the preincarnate Christ, for only God would accept worship from mankind. Abraham did something similar when he was visited by the angel of the LORD. (Genesis 18:3-5) Gideon prepares a young goat and unleavened cakes made from an ephah of flour which the angel of God commands him to lay upon the altar. (v.19-20) The angel then holds out his staff, touching the altar, and fire from heaven consumes the offering, but the fire comes up from the altar itself instead of raining from heaven. Following this the angel disappears. (v.21) Gideon then realizes that he has seen God Himself in the flesh, face to face, and he is filled with awe and fear. (v.22) But God commands him, “Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.” (v.23) Gideon then builds another altar in the same spot as the previous one that had been consumed. (v.24) He names it Jehovah-shalom, which means “The LORD is peace”. Verses 25-32: Now that Gideon has accepted God’s calling for him, the LORD assigns him a specific task. He commands Gideon to tear down his father’s altar to Baal and the grove that is around it. (v.25) Using the wood from those trees, Gideon is to then offer up a blood sacrifice on a new altar that he will build in its place. (v.26) Before Gideon can lead all of Israel to victory, he needs to clean up his own house first. Not only that, God needs to build up Gideon’s courage and his faith in preparation for national leadership. As with Moses, God summons His chosen man first and then qualifies him for the task He assigns him. Gideon obeys God, but he completes the assignment by night out of fear of reprisal from both his father and the elders of the city. (v.27) When the elders discover the vandalism the next morning, it doesn’t take them long to search out the culprit. It was most likely one of the ten servants that Gideon used to assist him the night before that gave him up to the city elders. (v.28-29) When they confront Joash at his house, demanding that he surrender Gideon to them for execution, Joash challenges the men to let Baal plead for himself. (v.30-31) If he’s a real god he will be the one to punish Gideon, not the men of the city. As mentioned earlier, the fact that Gideon knows of God and of the Mosaic Law, combined with Joash’s response to the city elders in verse 31, indicate that Joash taught Gideon of the one true God of Israel. However, it also stands to reason that Joash had built the altar to Baal, as well as practicing the pagan rituals associated with that heathen worship, in order to appease the elders and protect his house. But now that Gideon has courageously stood up to the men and done what’s right in the eyes of God, Joash is also willing to take a stand. Perhaps his youngest son persuaded Him of God’s calling, and Joash, too, has experienced renewed faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He and all his house no longer fear the men of the city as they once did. Joash also gives Gideon another name, Jerubbaal, because of his actions. (v.32) News of Gideon’s act and his calling by God naturally spreads throughout Ophrah and the surrounding region, as indicated by the rest of this chapter. Verses 33-40: The armies of the Midianites and the Amalekites set up camp in the valley of Jezreel in preparation for another battle. (v.33) As with the previous judges, the Holy Spirit indwells Gideon (v.34), and he sends messengers to not only his own tribe of Manasseh, but also Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali. (v.35) Their armies readily join together under Gideon’s leadership, but Gideon’s faith is still weak. This account of the fleece and Gideon’s testing of God’s calling is not to be taken by believers today as a good example. Gideon already knew what God had called him to do, and God had already promised Gideon that He would deliver the Midianites and Amalekites into Israel’s hands. There was no need for Gideon to seek another sign from the Lord as assurance of His promise of victory. Nevertheless, rather than rebuke His servant, God patiently allows Gideon to test His word and gives Gideon the two signs that he asks for. CHAPTER 1:
Chapter 1 serves as a bridge between the death of Joshua and the period of time in which Israel had no single leader such as Moses and Joshua. The book of Judges is so named because Israel was ruled by many different judges for a few generations before the coronation of Saul as the first king. Chapter 1 is also a prologue, setting the stage for what was to follow. One of the reasons Israel was plagued by so many enemies and the need for the judges to save them was because they failed to obey God and completely drive out the foreign nations around them, particularly those in the northern parts of the promised land. As predicted by Moses and Joshua, this resulted in Israel falling into the sins of idolatry and immorality which, in turn, brought upon them God’s wrath and judgment. Verses 1-7: The term “Canaanites” is generally used here in the OT to refer to all the heathen peoples inhabiting the promised land before Israel’s arrival. The Israelites are ready to resume their campaign of conquest, and they ask of God who shall be the first to go fight the Canaanites? (v.1) The LORD confirms that the tribe of Judah will lead the battle, and He also confirms that He has already given them the victory. (v.2) Because part of Simeon’s land is within the land allotted to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 19:1) the elders of Judah ask their brethren from Simeon to join them in their battle against the Canaanites and the Perizzites. (v.3) Simeon, of course, readily agrees and, as God had promised, the victory is theirs. The Israelite army slew ten thousand men that day. (v.4) Adoni-bezek is the king of the army that Israel fought against, and though he flees from the battle he’s quickly found and captured. (v.5-6) In the ANE at this time it was custom to cut off the thumbs and big toes of one’s prisoner, especially the kings, as a form of great humiliation and punishment. Adoni-bezek admits that Israel’s action here is just because he had done the same thing to many of his enemies. (v.7) He also recognizes before his death that his defeat was at the hands of the God of Israel. Verses 8-20: Judah and Simeon continue their campaign northward. We know from verse 21 of this chapter as well as Joshua 15:63 that the city of Jerusalem was never fully captured and conquered by Israel. Therefore, the name Jerusalem in verse 8 doesn’t refer to that city but instead, according to the Moody Bible Commentary, refers to area west of Jerusalem, known today as Mount Zion, where there is a fortress of Canaanites. Next is the Canaanites dwelling in the forests and mountains near that same region (v.9), and then it’s on to Hebron, the city and land that was awarded to Caleb. (Joshua 15:13) After that is Debir. Verses 12-15 are a retelling of Joshua 15:16-19. Verse 16 is a reminder that the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, had accepted Moses’ invitation to join with Israel. (Exodus 3:1, 18:7-8, Numbers 10:29) Furthermore, the Kenites are mentioned later in the OT as being faithful to God despite the rest of the nation’s consistent disobedience. (Judges 4:11, 1 Samuel 15:6, 1 Chronicles 2:55) Verses 17-20 affirm that “…the LORD was with Judah…”. (v.19) They and Simeon successfully conquered Gaza, Askelon, and Ekron (v.18). The comment in verse 19 about the “chariots of iron” suggests one of two possibilities: Judah’s and Simeon’s faith in God’s ability to give them the victory began to wane by this point; or that God, for some divine purpose, did not give them complete victory. The former seems more likely given the account in the remainder of this chapter. Whatever the reason, the Israelites failed to completely drive out the Canaanites living in the valley of this region. Verses 22-26: Like Judah and Simeon, the two tribes of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, are successful in driving out the inhabitants of Beth-el. Like Rahab in the account of Jericho, one of the men of Beth-el is spared death when he assists the Israelite spies in conquering the city. (v.24-25) The region referred to in verse 26 that belongs to the Hittites is approximately where Syria is today. Verses 21, 27-36: Unlike their brethren in Judah, Simeon, Ephraim, and part of Manasseh, the remainder of the tribes fail to completely wipe out the Canaanites living in their allotted territories. God, through Moses and Joshua, had given the Israelites a clear and direct command: they were to utterly destroy all the nations of the promised land. They were to tear down the altars to the false gods, destroy the temples, and leave none of the heathen peoples alive. Failure to obey this directive would result in the Canaanites becoming “…snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes…”. (Joshua 23:13) Disobedience would result in God removing His divine providence from Israel, and they would no longer have the victory over their enemies. As these verses attest, that is exactly what happened. Instead of driving out the Canaanites, Israel subjugated them and made them slaves. This is what led to the era of the Judges for which this book is named. CHAPTER 2: This chapter, in conjunction with chapter 1, serves as a prologue for this period of Israel’s history. The author is explaining how and why God’s chosen people fell from His grace and earned His divine wrath and judgment. It started with Israel’s failure to completely drive out the inhabitants of the promised land, as explained in chapter 1. Now, in this passage, the author expounds on the consequences of that first sin which Moses and Joshua warned the people would happen if they disobeyed God’s directive. Verses 1-10: The angel of the LORD in verse 1 is the preincarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. It’s not clear from these first five verses exactly when in the conquest narrative this scene took place, but it was probably after the initial campaign of conquest described in chapters 1-12 of Joshua. (v.6) Chapter 18 describes Joshua’s rebuke of the seven tribes that had yet to divide up their portion of the land and settle it. It’s very likely that this scene which opens Judges 2 took place about that time. The question at the end of verse 2 clearly implies that God’s directive to Israel has not been completed as originally instructed. The LORD once again warns His people that if they fail to obey His command to destroy the altars of the heathen and drive them out, then He will cease to give them the victory over their enemies. Instead they “…shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.” (v.3) Confronted with the sin of their disobedience, Israel immediately repents and offers up the proper sacrifices for atonement. (v.4) The name of the place, Bochim, means “weeping”. (v.5) As mentioned above, verse 6 indicates where in the conquest timeline the scene of the first 5 verses took place. Israel now departs Shiloh to complete the conquest, and this is probably also when the battles described in chapter 1 of Judges took place. But, as mentioned by the author at the end of that account, Israel still failed to completely drive out the Canaanites as ordered by God. The nation is faithful to God and to Joshua for the rest of his days as well as the remaining years of that generation that entered the promised land. (v.7-10) Unfortunately, that generation failed to properly teach their children the law of Moses and obedience to the God of their fathers because verse 10 makes it clear that their descendants “…knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which He had done for Israel.” Or, possibly, their children deliberately rebelled and turned away from God because of the failure of their fathers to utterly wipe out the heathen nations around them. Either way, the stage is now set for the cyclical pattern of disobedience, judgement, and repentance that takes up the rest of the book of Judges. Verses 11-19: This passage summarizes the detailed accounts that are given in the rest of this book. The author begins by describing how Israel turned away from the one, true God to serve the false gods known as Baalim. (v.11-13) That word is plural, indicating that while Baal is the central god of the Canaanite religion, there are also many other gods and goddesses associated with Baal. Exactly what God had warned His people would happen if they disobeyed happened. As a result, “…the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel…” (v.14), and he brings upon them judgement in the form of attacks from the heathen nations around them that they failed to drive out of the promised land. No matter what Israel does, God’s hand is “…against them for evil…” (v.15) as He had promised them would happen if they disobeyed. At the same time, however, the Lord’s mercy is evident in the form of judges which He arranges to deliver the people when they repent and turn back to Him. (v.16) But as soon as their enemies are defeated, Israel turns right back to their idolatry and apostasy, and the cycle repeats itself. (v.17-18) With each of the judges, God is with him/her, and it’s by His almighty hand that Israel is given the victory. (v.18) But as soon as the judge dies, Israel falls back into sin. (v.19) Verses 20-23: This closing passage describes God’s reason for not driving out the inhabitants of Canaan on behalf of His chosen people. That reason is twofold: 1) He uses the heathen nations to carry out His divine judgment against Israel for their sin as described in verses 14-15; and 2) as a way of proving Israel, testing them to see if they will adhere to His law and His statutes as given to them by Moses. (v.22) In the same way that God allows trials and temptations to come upon us believers today, He allows Israel’s enemies to vex them in order to draw them back to Him. (Judges 3:1, 4) And just as God allows us today to suffer the consequences of our own poor choices, so He allows Israel to suffer the consequences of their sins of disobedience, idolatry, pride, and immorality. |
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