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 7:
Verses 1-8: The total number of Gideon’s army is 32,000 men. (v.3) But God tells Gideon this is too great a number for the LORD to receive the honor and glory for the coming victory against the Midianites. (v.2) He instructs Gideon to release any man who is fearful and afraid of the coming battle. (v.3) This winnows the army from 32,000 to 10,000. But that’s still too many for God to receive all the credit for the coming victory. So He tells Gideon to bring the men to the river’s edge, and, based on how each man kneels to take a drink, he will either remain or be dismissed to return home. (v.4-6) The men who scoop up the water with one hand are kept while the rest who kneel and drank straight from the river are dismissed. One possible explanation for this unusual disqualification process is that the men who drink from one hand are able to keep the other near their weapon, thus being vigilant while satisfying their thirst. The rest of the men, however, leave themselves defenseless and off guard by kneeling down to drink straight from the river. Now, with just 300 men, God tells Gideon that his army is the right size for going up against the Midianites. (v.7) Gideon sends the rest of the men back to their tents. (v.8) God often works in the same way in our own lives today. He strips us of what we think are our strengths and abilities so that we are wholly dependent upon Him for the victory in whatever trial or testing He is putting us through. It often doesn’t make sense from our perspective, but, like Gideon, we must learn to have faith in God and trust Him alone, not in our own might or strength. In this way, only God can rightfully get the honor and glory that is due Him and Him alone. Verses 9-15: God instructs Gideon that night to slip unseen into the enemy camp on a scouting mission. (v.9-11) He promises Gideon once more that He has delivered all of them into Israel’s hand, and the purpose of this covert op is so that Gideon’s faith and courage will be increased. (v.11) God even graciously allows for Phurah to go with Gideon if he is too fearful to go by himself. (v.10) How merciful and understanding is the LORD! He does not chasten us or get short tempered with our constant anxieties and fears. His patience and longsuffering are seemingly endless as He graciously accommodates our frailties and weaknesses. He doesn’t berate or scold Gideon for still being afraid, even after God has promised Him yet again that He will give the Israelites the victory. Instead, the LORD gives Gideon yet another tangible sign that He is with Gideon and the Israelites this night. Gideon and Phurah obey the Lord, slipping unseen into the midst of the Midianite camp. In one of the tents, two soldiers are talking, and one of them tells the other of his unusual dream. (v.13) A barley loaf tumbles through the camp, destroying one of the tents, and the other soldier responds by saying that it represents Gideon and the Israelite army. The two men are convinced that they will all be defeated by Israel this night. (v.14) God had already begun working in the hearts of the Midianites, making them fearful and anxious about the coming battle. As expected, Gideon’s courage and faith are strengthened by this news, and he and Phurah quietly return to their camp. (v.15) Gideon assures his 300 men that God has indeed given the Midianites over to them this night. Verses 16-25: Gideon divides the 300 into three companies of 100 each, and gives each man a pitcher with only a candle inside. (v.16) The three hundred men silently surround the enemy camp shortly after the Midianites had set the middle watch of the night. (v.19) At Gideon’s signal the men break their pitchers while also sounding their trumpets, and they shout in one voice, “The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!” (v.20) Startled from slumber, the Midianite army is confused, believing that the whole Israelite army has surrounded them. God further works in the hearts of the Midianites, turning their fear against them, so that they attack one another while others flee from the camp. (v.21-22) The 300 Israelites continue to blow their trumpets while soldiers from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh pursue the Midianites that escape the camp. (v.23) Gideon sends messengers to Ephraim, summoning their soldiers to assist in the pursuit of the Midianites. (v.24) The reason for this is because the soldiers he had already assembled are not enough to round up all the Midianites that had fled the camp. This is a testament to how great in number are the Midianites. The men of Ephraim successfully round up the remainder of the enemy’s army, capturing Oreb and Zeeb in the process, two of the Midianite commanders. (v.25) In true poetic justice, Oreb and Zeeb are executed at the winepress of Zeeb, and their heads are brought to Gideon as a trophy. From the Moody Bible Commentary: “A few statistics are in order to indicate the miracle involved with this victory. The Midianite army numbered about 135,000 soldiers (see Judges 8:10 for the 15,000 Midianite survivors plus the 120,000 killed in the battle). The army of Gideon numbered 300. That yields a ratio of 450 Midianite soldiers to each Jewish soldier. Who else but God could receive the credit for such a victory? And this is precisely the point of the narrative. It is God, not Gideon, who is the hero in this and every story!” CHAPTER 8: Verses 1-3: The pride of the elders of Ephraim is wounded, and they come to Gideon, rebuking him for waiting until after the main battle with the Midianites to call for their aid. This hearkens back to Gideon’s objection to the angel of the Lord in chapter 6 regarding the social status of him and his tribe. Gideon’s response here in verse 2 is meant to soothe the ruffled feathers of Ephraim’s men. Gideon acknowledges their tribe’s greatness, and he also points out to them how God delivered Oreb and Zeeb into their hands instead of giving Gideon that particular victory. (v.3) The fact is that God had deliberately winnowed Gideon’s army down to just 300 men, and that’s the primary reason Gideon had not called on the army of Ephraim to aid him in battle. But Gideon wisely doesn’t argue with the elders of Ephraim. Instead, he just acknowledges their tribe’s status and gives God the glory for giving Ephraim the victory in their capture of Oreb and Zeeb. Verses 4-9: Although the main battle is over, the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, are still at large. Gideon and his 300 men set off in pursuit, crossing over the Jordan in the process. However, all of them are still weary from the battle, as well as hungry, and they stop in the village of Succoth to request food and supplies. (v.5) But the men of Succoth doubt Gideon’s ability with his small band of soldiers to successfully defeat the army of the Midianites which is still great in number. (Not all of the army had been slain in the earlier battle, which is one reason Gideon is still pursuing them.) So they deny Gideon his request. In response, Gideon promises retribution when he and his men return from their successful victory. (v.7) He further declares that God is the one who will give them the final victory, demonstrating the weakness of the faith of the elders of Succoth. The same scenario happens at the village of Penuel. (v.8-9) Gideon promises that when he returns he will tear down the tower that stands at the center of their village. Verses 10-12: Gideon’s faith in God is vindicated before the men of Penuel and Succoth when he successfully slays the remainder of the Midianite army, which is about 15,000 men. (v.10-11) Once again, it is only the LORD that could receive the honor and glory, for 300 against 15,000 is indeed miraculous! Gideon and his men also successfully capture the two kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. Verses 13-17: On his return journey, Gideon captures one of the young men of Succoth and has him write down the seventy-seven names of the city elders. (v.14) He then tracks them down, rebukes them, and scourges them using whips made of thorns and briers. (v.15-16) Next, Gideon and his men tear down the tower of Penuel. (v.17) Verses 18-21: Zebah and Zalmunna had slain Gideon’s brothers at Tabor, and for that reason Gideon now pronounces judgment on them. (v.18-19) At first, he orders his oldest son, Jether, to do the act, but Jether protests, saying that he’s too young and weak to wield the sword. (v.20) So Gideon kills them instead. (v.21) He also takes as spoil the gold ornaments that are hung around the necks of the kings’ camels. It is this gold that will later be used to make the ephod that will become an idol for Gideon. Verses 22 – 27: The men of Israel are so grateful to Gideon for freeing them from the Midianite oppression that they offer Gideon the role of king to rule over them. (v.22) This hereditary kingship would pass down from Gideon to his son and his son’s son, etc. This tradition was not out of the ordinary for the peoples of the ANE. Kingship was often bestowed upon men who had proven themselves in battle and attained great victories, which Gideon had just accomplished. But Gideon rejects their offer, saying “…The LORD shall rule over you.” (v.23) Thus Gideon remained in the role of judge for the rest of his life, following the pattern of the judges that had come before him. Instead lieu of kingship, Gideon makes a special request of the soldiers: the gold earrings they had taken as spoil from the Midianites. (v.24) The men willingly give them up, and the total value is 1,700 shekels. (v.26) This is besides all the other spoil seized from the two kings: royal garments, jewelry, the ornaments from the camel’s necks, etc. From the gold earrings Gideon fashions an ephod for himself, and this is his first mistake. Only the high priest was to possess the ephod, which was a method by which he could determine the will of God. (Exodus 28:2, 4) The amount of gold used to make the ephod suggests that some kind of idolatrous image is on it, and that, combined with the statements in verse 27, tells us that Gideon set himself up to be worshiped by Israel as a king. This, too, was a common practice by the cultures of the ANE, and this why the author concludes with the statement, “…which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.” Verses 28-35: Forty years seems to be the most common length of time that Israel has peace and rest from all her enemies. (v.28) Another common practice in the ANE was for kings and/or men of great renown to take multiple wives, which Gideon does during this period of peace and prosperity. (v.30) In addition to polygamy, these men would also have concubines, and Gideon, unfortunately, is no exception. One of his seventy sons (v.30) is Abimelech (v.31), who will eventually cause great trouble for all of Israel after Gideon’s death. Although polygamy was against God’s law, the practice was never completely abolished in Israel. Starting with Abraham and continuing down through every generation – even with men of God as great as David and Solomon – polygamy was the one sin that always got them and their descendants in trouble. Scripture is clear that just because these men who walked with God – and whom God blessed greatly – had multiple wives, God did not approve of or bless this immoral, pagan tradition. As we will see here in Judges and everywhere else in the OT, the consequences of polygamy were never good for the man of God or for the nation of Israel. God did bless Gideon with long life for his obedience and faith, and upon his death he is buried in Ophrah, in the grave of his father. (v.32) And, of course, it doesn’t take long for the children of Israel to once again go astray. (v.33) They fall back into idolatry, betraying the memory and spiritual legacy of Gideon. (v.35) It is sad that the legacy of a man of God such as Gideon was stained in his later years by the sins of idolatry and polygamy. Like King Solomon, Gideon was led astray by a combination of his own foolish pride and his many wives and concubines. His account here in Judges is one of the many lessons that scripture teaches us today about the ease with which we can become ensnared by the desires of our flesh if we are not careful.
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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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