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 15:
Verses 1-3: Some time after the betrothal feast, during the time of harvest, Samson returns to Timnath for the actual wedding ceremony. (v.1) The bride's father, however, has bad news for Samson. He assumed incorrectly that Samson wasn’t interested in his daughter anymore after the incident at the betrothal feast, and so he’s already given her away to one of the men in Samson’s wedding party. (v.2) He offers instead his other daughter to Samson, but Samson refuses. Samson uses this betrayal as an excuse for revenge against the Philistines. (v.3) Verses 4-8: Samson’s method of capturing 300 foxes and tying them together tail to tail in pairs with a burning torch also attached is a rather creative method for incinerating the Philistines’ crops. (v.4-5) But the Philistine rulers’ response is also unexpected and shocking. They retaliate by murdering the daughter of Timnath and her father! (v.6) Samson, of course, responds in kind, slaughtering more of the Philistines in another act of vengeance after which he flees to the wilderness of Judah to hide in caves of Etam. (v.8) Seen in the larger context of God’s sovereignty, this cycle of violence is His judgment against the Philistines for their conquering and subjugation of Israel. Samson is acting impulsively out of his own free will, but God is using him as an instrument of judgment and a savior for His chosen people. Verses 9-17: The conflict between Samson and the Philistines has escalated to the point of all-out war. The Philistine army arrives at the border of Judah and sets up camp, casting fear into the hearts of Judah’s elders. (v.9-10) When they question the Philistines they learn of Samson’s deeds, and they seek him out among the hill country of Etam. (v.11) The Philistines are referred to as “rulers” over Israel, indicating God’s judgment against Israel for her sin of apostasy and idolatry. God, through Moses, had warned Israel this would happen if they failed to obey Him and honor His covenant with them. (Deuteronomy 15:6) Had they obeyed, it would now be Israel who is ruling the Philistines, not the other way around. When Samson explains what the Philistines did to him and why they’re now after him, the elders of Judah predictably side with their rulers rather than their fellow Israelite. (v.12) Samson’s only request is that they not kill him. The elders consent, and Samson allows them to bind him with new rope and be delivered to the Philistines as their captive. But when they all arrive at the Philistine camp, the Spirit of the LORD once again fills Samson with supernatural strength. (v.14) In spite of him violating his Nazarite vow (again!) by seizing the jawbone from the carcass of a donkey to use as his only weapon, God allows Samson a great victory over the Philistines. (v.15) Notice, however, to whom Samson gives the honor and glory: himself, not God. (v.16) He names the site of battle in honor of his weapon: Ramath-lehi, which is translated literally as “jawbone heights”. (v.17) Verses 18-20: Perhaps because of Samson’s foolishness in glorifying himself rather than God, the LORD causes Samson to wander in the wilderness for some time as he searches for water. Apparently, the elders of Judah have long ago fled the scene of battle, and Samson is left alone in the middle of nowhere with only the dead Philistines for company. Finally recognizing the source of his victory in battle, Samson cries out to God. (v.18) In response, the LORD causes water to gush forth from dry ground, just as He did for the Israelites many times after their exodus from Egypt. Samson names the site En-hakkore, translated literally as “Spring of the Caller”.(v.19) No doubt the news of Samson’s victories against the Philistines quickly spreads throughout Israel, and verse 20 implies that there is a period of relative peace for twenty years while Samson is judge over all the nation. CHAPTER 16: Verses 1-3: These verses contrast Samson’s great physical strength with his utter lack of moral purity and self-control. Imagine what a powerful leader he could have been if only his moral character was as strong as his physical might! In the ANE the gates of a city were often covered with metal to prevent them from being burned during an attack. Not only that, Hebron is about 38 miles from Gaza and mostly uphill, so the fact that Samson carried on his back the pair of gates – along with each of their posts – is a testament to his supernatural gift from the LORD! Verses 4-15: Now enters the final chapter of Samson’s epic yet troubled life. His moral weakness, of course, becomes the source of his downfall, and the new object of his affection is a Philistine woman named Delilah. (v.4) Though the text doesn’t label her as such, it is reasonable to presume that she, too, is a harlot. Her moral character is just as weak as Samson’s, for she accepts a rather lucrative bribe from the Philistine lords to betray Samson. (v.5) The first three attempts fail (v.6-16), and, each time, Delilah uses Samson’s lust for her to manipulate him. But it’s clear from the text that Samson is also just using her to satisfy his lust as much as she is using him to make a profit off the Philistine lords. His false answers to her question about the true source of his strength indicate this. Verses 16-21: This back and forth between Samson and Delilah goes on for some time until she finally breaks him down. (v.16-17) He confesses the details of his Nazarite vow, and Delilah can see from his demeanor that he is finally telling her the truth. (v.18) She meets with the Philistine lords and tells them that she’s found the answer at last, and they give her the money. The phrase “And she made him sleep upon her knees…” (v.19) indicates that Delilah most likely slipped something into Samson’s wine at dinner, or in some other way gave him something that caused him to fall into a deep sleep. Delilah summons a man who proceeds to shave off all of Samson’s hair. Delilah then tests Samson’s strength while he is yet asleep, though the text doesn’t say exactly how. But it does confirm that Samson’s gift from God has left him. Just as before, Delilah wakes Samson by crying out, “The Philistines be upon thee!” (v.20), and, just as before, Samson comes to, thinking that he will fight them off. But it doesn’t take him long to realize “…that the LORD was departed from him.” The Philistines successfully capture their arch enemy, gouging out both of his eyes before bringing him bound in chains to Gaza. (v.21) They lock him in prison for some time, chaining him to a large wheel like an ox, where he spends day after day grinding grain. This is the lowest form of slave labor in the ANE. But, during this time, Samson’s hair begins to grow again. It’s important to note here that the true source of Samson’s great physical strength was not his hair. It was the Spirit of the LORD, and in the dispensational age of the law, before the death of Christ, it was common for the Holy Spirit to come upon someone for only a specific time so that he/she could perform a specific task for the LORD. Because Samson sinned by consistently violating his Nazarite vow as well as his complete lack of moral character by disobeying the Mosaic Law, God finally pronounced judgment on His servant by withdrawing the Holy Spirit from Samson, thus making him physically weak like all other men. Verses 22-31: It’s not clear how much time passes before the huge victory celebration described in the closing verses of this chapter. It could have been only a few days or a few weeks, as indicated by verse 22. Even though it was never solely his hair that was the true source of Samson’s strength, the fact the author mentions its regrowth indicates its importance in the life and story of Samson. It could also simply be a foreshadowing of Samson’s final request at the end of his life. The Philistines, in their foolish arrogance and pride, believe that it’s their false god Dagon that delivered Samson into their hands. (v.23-24) They become so drunk that they call for Samson to entertain them. (v.25) When Samson is brought out of the prison house, guided by a young servant boy, he asks the boy to guide his hands to the pair of central pillars that support the upper level of the house. (v.26) The way that houses were designed in the ANE, especially ones as large as this that could support 3,000 or more guests (v.27) on its rooftop, were such that the upper level was supported solely by a pair of large pillars. Samson finally acknowledges the true source of his strength by praying to the LORD and asking Him for His blessing one last time. He asks God to restore his strength so that he may have vengeance against the Philistines for their act of gouging out his eyes. (v.28) Even at the lowest point of his life, Samson seems curiously focused on only himself. His prayer indicates that even though he was a judge and leader of all Israel, and a servant of the LORD GOD (v.28), he never completely conquered his pride. He never truly humbled himself, even at this final hour of his life. His final thought is to get revenge for what was done to him, not for all the evil done to his people by the Philistine lords. Yet God grants Samson his request, and Samson uses his great strength to bring down the massive pillars and the whole upper level with them. All 3,000 Philistines are slain, more than all that Samson had killed up to this point. (v.29-30) He is buried in his home country, next to the grave of his father Manoah, between Zorah and Eshtaol. (v.31) The author’s final note is the same as that of the previous chapter: “And he judged Israel twenty years.” Samson’s story is among the more fascinating profiles in scripture, mainly because of its contrast of man’s free will against the larger backdrop of God’s sovereignty. It’s an account of a man who never subjugated his pride, always giving in to the impulsive and selfish desires of his flesh, and yet was effectively used by God to deliver His chosen people. Samson is an example of all of Israel in this time period: rebellious, prideful, and stubborn, yet never neglected or completely forsaken by God. Like Samson, Israel eventually repented and came back to the Lord, but their faithfulness never remained for long. The final five chapters of Judges show just how far and how deeply Israel strayed from the God who had once blessed, sustained, and protected their faithful fathers.
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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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