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."
|
Verses 1-3: It doesn’t take long for the current generation at the time of Ehud’s death to fall back into sin and rebellion against God. (Judges 2:19) They “…again did evil in the sight of the LORD…” (v.1) and so this time God uses King Jabin of Hazor to punish Israel. The captain of Jabin’s army is Sisera of Harosheth. (v.2) The fact that he has “…nine hundred chariots of iron…” (v.3) confirms his military might, and he successfully conquers Israel. The oppression and rule of King Jabin lasts twenty years. (v.3)
Judge #4: Deborah (Issachar) Verses 4-10: Deborah’s presence as a judge of Israel at this time shows how far God’s chosen people had fallen from His divine plan for the nation in the promised land. From the very beginning God designed men to be the rulers of both the nation and their individual families. When Adam and Eve brought the curse of sin upon themselves and the world, God declared to Eve that Adam, in the role of her husband, would be her spiritual authority and that she, as his wife, was to submit to his leadership. (Genesis 3:16) When it came time to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, God called a man, Moses, to lead His chosen people. He commanded Moses to number the tribes according to the men who were twenty years of age or older. (Numbers 1:1-4) Only the males of the tribe of Levi could serve as priests in the tabernacle. (Numbers 3:9-10) God Himself is referred to in scripture as male, not female. Even in the New Testament church age, God commands the men to be the spiritual leaders of their homes and for the wives to submit to the authority of their husbands. (Ephesians 5:22-23, 1 Peter 3:5-6) Women are forbidden from having any office of leadership in the church that would place them in authority over the men. (1 Timothy 2: 9-12) Therefore, the fact that Deborah is in a position of leadership over the nation here in the era of the Judges proves just how far and how deeply the Israelites had fallen into sin and strayed from God’s commandments of the Law of Moses. The men of Israel have abdicated their rightful positions as spiritual leaders, and there are none worthy of being called by God at this time to be a judge. This same scenario will occur much later during the era of the kings, prior to the Babylonian invasion and captivity. (Isaiah 3:12) And, sadly, we today are witnessing this as well. America, as a nation, has fallen so far from God’s grace and His blessings because of our sin that we celebrate sodomy and transgenderism and feminism as “progress” and as “good”. In fact, those three things have utterly destroyed what God designed as the foundation of society: the family. God’s design has always been one man, one woman, married for life, and the man is the spiritual leader of his home as well as the leader of the nation. The men are to be the warriors, the defenders, the protectors, and the leaders of society. The women’s place is in the home as the nurturers, caregivers, and keepers of the children and the home. A woman has no business being a senator, a president, a soldier, or any other occupation where she is tasked with leading, fighting, and/or defending a community, city, or a nation. That is not her God given role and honor. She is the “weaker vessel” and needs the protection, nurturing, and leadership of her husband and other God-ordained male authority. (1 Peter 3:7) When God’s design is ignored in favor of man’s foolishness, this is the result. Men no longer step up and lead, and the women and children rebel against all authority. That is exactly what is happening here in Judges, and, as a consequence, God chooses a woman to communicate His will to the nation. To put it simply, Deborah is the exception that proves the rule. The utter dearth of brave, godly men who will lead the Israelites into battle is further illustrated by Barak, the soldier Deborah summons in verse 6. Her question to him implies that she had already given him the LORD's message but that he had not yet obeyed the command! She summons him again and repeats what God had already commanded him to do: take ten thousand soldiers of the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun and confront Jabin’s army at the Kishon river. (v.6-7) Barak’s response to this is astounding, and it stands in sharp contrast to that of Caleb’s request of Joshua several generations earlier. (Joshua 14:12) Barak demonstrates a shocking lack of faith in God and His power to give the victory to His chosen people! Rather than rely on God alone, Barak pleads with Deborah to go with Him into battle. (v.8) If she refuses then he won’t obey the LORD's command! Deborah’s response further confirms the author’s point in this passage. She tells Barak she will go with him, but that he would have no honor in the coming victory. (v.9) In fact, the name of the LORD would be even more magnified because the victory over Sisera would belong to a woman! In the culture of the ANE at this time, a woman in any position of power – especially that of a military commander – was unheard of. From the moment God cast Adam and Eve out of the garden of Eden, mankind has always been a patriarchal society, even to our present day. As I explained earlier, that means the men are the leaders, protectors, and defenders, and the women remain at home to bear children, care for and nurture them, and keep up the home. They are to be submissive to the authority of their husbands and the male leadership of their tribe, community, nation, etc. This was especially true in the ANE, as we can clearly see this illustrated throughout scripture, starting with Genesis 12 when God called Abraham to leave his people and set out for the promised land. Therefore, the fact that Deborah must now go with Barak to the battlefield because he’s unwilling to man up and accept his God given, masculine role as leader and commander of the Lord’s army speaks volumes about the appalling state of Israel at this time! Only when Deborah acquiesces to his request does he then gather his army and start marching to the Kishon river. (v.10) Verses 11-16: Heber, a Kenite, has defected from the nation of Israel, and he dispatches a messenger to Sisera that an Israelite army is on its way to confront him. (v.11-12) The specific reference to nine hundred chariots of iron in verse 13 emphasizes the power and might of Sisera’s army. Harosheth of the Gentiles (v.13, 16) is a “…city in the north of the land of Canaan on the west coast of the lake Merom.” (Brown-Driver-Briggs Bible dictionary.) Deborah encourages Barak by reminding him that the Lord has promised him the victory and Barak obeys. (v.14) God keeps His word, and though the Israelites are successful in destroying Sisera’s army, Sisera himself manages to escape. (v.15-16) Verses 17-24: Sisera flees to the tent of Heber’s wife, Jael, and she welcomes him with open arms. (v.17-18) He is weary from battle and thirsty too, so she gives him milk to drink. (v.19) It’s very likely that the milk acted as a sedative in addition to being a thirst quencher. Sisera asks Jael to protect him by lying to anyone who might come looking for him. (v.20) After this he falls asleep. Jael then drives a tent spike through his skull. (v.21) Sometime later, when Barak shows up looking for Sisera, Jael invites him into her tent to show him the body of the Canaanite captain. (v.22) As Deborah had prophesied, the final victory went to Jael, a woman, instead of Barak. God punished him for his lack of faith which is a form of disobedience. God’s original plan was for Barak to step up and lead the army without Deborah as well as being the one to kill Sisera. But because of his disobedience, the Lord gave the victory to a woman instead, emphasizing once more just how badly and deeply Israel had strayed from God. The Israelites, by the hand of God, eventually defeat King Jabin, and are granted another period of prosperity and rest. (v.23-24)
0 Comments
 Era of the Judges. Courtesy of the Moody Bible Atlas. A total of twelve judges are described in this book, six major and six minor. The six major ones are Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson. Their stories make up the bulk of this book. (Judges 3-16) The six minor ones are Shamgar (3:31), Tola (10:1-2), Jair (10:3-5), Ibzan (12:8-10), Elon (12:11-12), and Abdon (12:13-15). The accounts of Micah and his priest (chapters 17-18) and the Levite and his concubine (chapters 19-21) are meant to show the appalling level of anarchy and depravity to which Israel as a nation had fallen. During those years there was no judge at all and “…every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25)
Verses 1-8: The author continues the point he made at the end of chapter 2. Verse 1 makes it clear that God used Israel’s disobedience to not only test them but also punish them for their sin. The nations that Israel failed to drive out are listed in verses 3 and 5: the Philistines, Sidonians, Hivites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, and Jebusites. Verse 2 gives a third reason that God used these foreigners: to teach the sons of Israel how to fight. One of the other consequences of the peace and rest that God gave the previous generation that conquered the promised land under Joshua was that their sons did not know proper warfare. Not only did their fathers not teach them of God and His law, but they also failed to continue to train their sons in the art of war. As a result, the fathers and sons take for wives the daughters of those nations previously listed and also give their daughters and sisters as wives to the sons of those heathen. (v.6) This causes exactly what God had warned His people would happen: they turn away from Him and begin worshiping the false gods of the Canaanites. (v.7) We know from other passages of the OT, especially that of Leviticus, that that worship included all forms of sexual immorality and perversity (i.e. homosexuality and bestiality) as well as child sacrifice. That’s what the author means in verse 7 when he says, “…the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD…”. As a result, “…the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel…”, and He punishes them by allowing the army of King Chushan-rishathaim (translation: “Cushan of double evil”) of Mesopotamia to invade and conquer them. (v.8) His rule over them lasts eight years. Judge #1: Othniel (Judah) Verses 9-11: Othniel is the younger brother of Caleb (v.9), and though his exact age isn’t stated in the text we can logically infer that he is well into his eighties based on what we know of Caleb from the book of Joshua. (Joshua 14:10) A phrase that is repeated often in the OT is “…the Spirit of the Lord came upon him…” (v.10), meaning that the Holy Spirit indwelt them in order to give them the ability they needed to do whatever task God has assigned to them. (Numbers 27:18, 1 Samuel 11:6, 2 Chronicles 15:1) In this case, God gives Othniel and the Israelite army victory over King Chushan-rishathaim and his army. Othniel judges Israel for forty years, during which time the people remember the Lord and obey Him. Thus the land has rest until Othniel dies. (v.11) Judge #2: Ehud (Benjamin) Verses 12-30: the cycle begins anew. As soon as Othniel dies the people of Israel forget God and fall back into sin. (v.12) This time God uses Eglon, king of Moab, to chasten His chosen people. Both the Moabites and the Ammonites (v.13) are descendants of Lot (Genesis 19:36-38), and the Amalekites are descended from Esau. (Genesis 36:10-12) The city of palm trees referenced in verse 13 is Jericho. (Deuteronomy 34:3, Judges 1:16, 2 Chronicles 28:15) But that city, which had been destroyed by the Israelites nearly a century earlier, is still in ruins. What this verse is most likely referencing, therefore, is that Eglon sets up his headquarters near the ruins of Jericho, and that includes the palace where he is eventually assassinated by Ehud. After eighteen years of oppression by Eglon (v.14) Israel repents of their sin and cries out to God for deliverance. (v.15) Ehud is a Benjamite, the son of Gera, and one of his unique physical traits is that he is left-handed. The Moody Bible Commentary has this comment on verse 15: “Archaeology demonstrates that the left-handed were not considered a serious military threat. Figures on monuments in victorious military poses are almost always right-handed.” This helps explain why Eglon did not consider Ehud a threat when he arrived with the Israelite’s tribute. (v.15) After giving the king his present Ehud tells him he has a secret message for him, and this causes Eglon to send his bodyguards out of the room. (v.19) Ehud also dismisses his fellow Israelites, and now the two of them are alone in Eglon’s summer parlor. (v. 18, 20) Verse 17 states that Eglon is obese, and he is sitting when Ehud approaches him with the statement, “I have a message from God unto thee.” (v.20) Ehud then draws his dagger and stabs the king in his stomach. The dagger is described in verse 16 as being a cubit long, which is about 18 inches including the handle. It sinks so far into Eglon’s belly that it gets stuck, and he bleeds to death. (v.21-22) Ehud makes a hasty exit, locking the doors behind him. (v.23) After Ehud departs the palace, Eglon’s servants approach the parlor door, but when they find it locked they surmise he’s using the toilet. (v.24: “…covereth his feet in his summer chamber.”) But sometime later, when the king has still not emerged from his chambers, the servants grow fearful and they unlock the door. King Eglon’s body is on the floor of his parlor. (v.25) Ehud successfully escapes to Seirath where he gathers Israel’s army at mount Ephraim. (v.26-27) God gives them the victory over the Moabites whose army is about ten thousand mighty men. (v.28-29) After this, Israel has peace and rest for 80 years. (v.30) Judge #3: Shamgar (Tribe unknown) Verse 31: The name “Shamgar” is not Hebrew, according to Strong’s concordance, and the name “Anath” was derived from a Canaanite goddess who was the sister and wife of Baal, according to the Thomas Nelson Bible commentators. She was worshiped as the goddess of love and war, and so this verse has caused problems for many Biblical scholars and theologians. Besides the fact of his non-Israelite first name, the commentators also dispute the mention of the Philistines here since it seems to contradict established historical records that claim the Philistines didn’t arrive in Canaan as an established people and nation until much later than the time period of these early judges. Add to this the fact that Shamgar is mentioned in Judges 5:6, which would make him a contemporary of Deborah and Jael, and the logical conclusion seems to be that Shamgar was not a judge at all, technically speaking. None of that, however, matters in the final analysis. God’s word states clearly in this verse that Shamgar “…slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.” Enough said. We don’t need to dissect and dispute and try to second guess God’s word with man’s “wisdom”. God said it, so that makes it so. Period. Shamgar is the third judge, and he delivered the Israelites from their enemy, the Philistines, with only an ox goad. According to the Moody Bible Commentary, this “…was a long stick with a point at one end for poking the ox and a shovel at the other for doing necessary work around the ox. Sharpening either or both ends would produce a formidable weapon in the hands of a stout peasant warrior.” Whether or not he was an Israelite is irrelevant. He was chosen by God to fulfill a divine purpose, and he carried out his mission accordingly, same as all the other judges recorded in this book. 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. |
Click here to get back to the chapter links on the Bible study homepage.
Archives
June 2026
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed