Promises – Page 5 – Old Testament Survey

1 Samuel 8

I was going to read and comment on 1 Samuel 8-10 and the crying out of the people with the choosing and the coronation of Israel’s king. However, 1 Samuel 8 proved to be too much.

First Samuel 8 is a chapter full of insight into the human psyche or, better, sin-nature. This book has already presented Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, who chose to follow their own desires and rules while forsaking the way of their father and of his God. In this chapter we are introduced to Samuel’s two sons, Joel and Abijah, who also rejected the way of their father and of his God. This should bring parents to their knees. Samuel named his children after God. Joel means “to whom Jehovah is God” and Abijah means “my father is Jehovah.” He taught them the ways of God and they still rebelled (2-3). This is an example of the saying: “God has no grandchildren.” Our children need to make a profession of faith on their own because they are not children of God because they are in our family. There is no guarantee that a family that follows God will have children who believe because salvation is a personal expression of faith not a familial profession.

These four children thought they could control and manipulate God and His gifts. They missed the central meaning of salvation. What about my children? How am I raising them? Do they see the central need for their salvation to be lived out in the presence of the family, the school, church, and the world? Or, do they merely state they believe. The older two profess salvation, but Joseph doesn’t as of now. I need to continually be on our knees for them, and for Karen and me.

The lifestyle of the two sons of Samuel did not escape the leaders of Israel and they demanded a king in response to the actions of Joel and Abijah. From our studies of Joshua and Judges we have noticed that Israel is always seeking to conform to the patterns of this world by pursuing the Canaanite religion and lifestyle rather than being transformed by their fellowship with God (Romans 12.1-2). This is syncretism.

The book of Judges shows us that Israel first desired the Canaanite religion and, 1 Samuel shows, they desire their political institutions as well. Although God pronounced that Israel would have a king in Deuteronomy, it was more as a judgment than a blessing (Deuteronomy 17.14-20; 28.36). God never intended Israel to be an oligarchy, an aristocracy, a monarchy, or even a democracy, but rather a theocracy in which God was their king. They forgot who their king was in God.

Israel s request for a king is a rejection of the entire ministry and career of Samuel. They rejected everything he had worked for during his entire life. More than this, it was a rejection of the God he represented to the people. When people reject us for living like Christ, they are essentially rejecting Him for it is He whom we represent.

In the books we have studied this far, God presents himself like the father of the prodigal son. He lets the son go on to follow his evil desires. He allows him to do what is right in his own eyes (Proverbs 14.12). Romans 1 informs us that God gives us over to our sinful ways to suffer the consequences of our choices. This is the worst kind of judgment God can bring. He leaves us to our own sinful natures.

God gives Israel their request for a king but has Samuel warn the nation of the negative consequences which were already stipulated in the Torah. I think I would have given more thought in the decision after the warning Samuel gives. It doesn’t seem too exciting.

Even though the beginnings were steeped in sinful desire, God uses the monarchy in Israel to bring glory to Him (Romans 8.28-29). God will use this beginning, this institution, to bring the one true King, Jesus. Who is of the tribe of Judah (Jacob prophesied that kings would come from the tribe of Judah in Genesis 49.10) and whose name is Jesus.

Even though it had a bad beginning, God still used it for His glory and for His kingdom. Sometimes we start things due to our sinful nature. God doesn’t promise that He will bring good because of our sin but that He will be glorified through all things. What have we begun that needs to be turned for His glory?

A lot to pray over today.

1 Samuel 1-2

The book of 1 Samuel is a continuation of the book of Judges with Samuel being the last and greatest judge. There are few others as venerated in Israel as is Samuel.

The book of 1 Samuel presents great stories involving Samuel, Saul, and David all the while presenting a portrait of the greatness of God.

First Samuel 1 presents us with problem concerning yet another barren woman. She is loved by her husband, despised by the others, and living a life of misery because she is unable to bear children. We think of Sarai and Rachel as examples of this nature.

Her husband loves her, even though she is barren. She continually goes to the house of God at Shiloh seeking an answer to her prayer. One time she is in the house of God and she is weeping so hard that Eli, the priest, thinks she has been drinking and is drunk. He reprimands her. All through this story Hannah is being reprimanded by her husband, his wives, and, now the one who is to support her in her time of need, the priest. Whom do we know like this? How do we react to them?

After noticing she was weeping due to her barrenness, Eli pronounced a blessing of birth to her. She had a son, named him Samuel, raised him as a nazarite (remember Samson), and delivered him to work in the house of God at age twelve (according to Josephus). It was then and there that God called him to be the last judge over Israel.

As you read through 1 Samuel 2.1-10, read through Luke 1:46-55. The prayer of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2 is very similar to the Magnificat sung by Mary in Luke 1:46-55 with regard to the birth of Jesus.

Directly after Hannah’s song, Eli’s wicked sons are introduced. Here their sin was to extort meals from the sacrifices. Later they attempt to offer a sacrifice that God rejected. From these incidents, God will destroy them on the same day.

What are we doing that is offensive to the Lord? Why hasn’t He destroyed us?

The end of chapter 2 sets the stage for the priest who will be faithful and that priest will be Samuel.

Judges 10-12

The next two judges are not listed with mighty actions but are listed as judging for a combined total of 45 years which is mighty enough. Tola is mentioned as a mighty warrior in 1 Chronicles 7 and Jair is mentioned in a list of importance later in 1 Chronicles.

Judges 10.1-2: The pattern that produced Tola is incomplete. There is an implied relapse, retribution, and repentance due to the sending of Tola.

Rescue: God raised Tola to save Israel
Rest: 23 years of peace

Judges 10.3-5: The same pattern holds for Jair. It is incomplete with an implied relapse, retribution, repentance, and rescue.

Rest: 22 years of peace

In looking at Jair’s method of judging, I see wisdom. He uses his thirty sons as circuit judges ruling more than thirty towns or territories, which allow Jair to judge/rule over all the area without the burden. This is reminiscent of what Moses’ father-in-law Jethro advised him to do in Exodus 18.

A period after these two judges presents the Israelites returning/relapsing to idol worship. This time it is so bad that God washes His hands of His people and refuses to rescue them. He reminded them of what He had already done for them then informed them that He would not do the same again.

They repent, remove their idols, and cry out to God. God hears and brings a deliverer, a judge, to rule over them. Second Chronicles 7.12-22 reminds us that God listens to those who are repentant and will supply a ruler. It also states that He will bring judgment on those who refuse to follow Him. Where does our nation stand? Where does the church in America fall? What about your life?

Judges 10.6-12.7: Jephthah is mentioned as a hero of the faith in 1 Samuel 12 and Hebrews 11. He is a different judge in that he was a social outcast, rejected by his family do to his father’s promiscuity. He was told he was worthless, so he behaved as someone who is worthless would be expected to behave. What we tell others can influence them to become like those whom we described. If I tell my daughter she is a godly girl and full of virtue, she will tend to walk that way. If I tell her she is not smart, she will tend to believe that as valid, whether it is true or not. What are the implications from this in our daily dialogue with others?

When the leaders of the tribes recognized their troubles and Jephthah’s gifts, they called on him. To Jephthah’s credit, he turned to God for help and recognized that his victory would come from God.

Jephthah recounts the history of Israel as his defense to the king of the Ammonites. He knows what God has done for His people. Do we know what God has done for us and through us for others? Do we remember His greatness?

Jephthah’s logic is well-thought. The Ammonites have no basis for attacking the Israelites. So, Jephthah asks the king why he would do this. The king does not answer and is defeated.

The vow Jephthah made should remind us not to make rash vows. We need to take every thought captive to determine if it is alignment with God’s Word (2 Corinthians 10.4-5). He promised to offer whatever came through his doors as a sacrifice, a burnt offering to the Lord, if God gave him the victory. Having only one child, a daughter, who did he think would come through the door? Also, isn’t human sacrificing forbidden by God? Many commentators grapple with this passage and attempt to make it less horrific. We need to remember the beginning of chapter 11. Jephthah is born from the actions his father took with a prostitute. It is commonly held that she was a foreign woman. Jephthah did not live in Israel but in the land of Tob (Syria) where human sacrifices were common. He, in the situation he found himself in, called on God in light of how he was raised to know god. So, it seems as though he did offer his daughter as a burnt offering. This passage states what he did, it does not claim he was right in doing what he did.

Jealousy is evident in Judges 12.1-7. Because of this jealousy, the Ephraimites are almost destroyed. The remainder of Judges contains accounts of judges that are based in the territory of Ephraim. When a study is conducted, at a later date, of Ephraim, it will show that this tribe was the cause of much trouble for Israel. When you picture Ephraim, picture Samaria.

Relapse: the people served the Canaanite gods
Retribution: Philistines and Ammonites oppressed Israel for 18 years
Repentance: The people acknowledged their sins and cried out to God.
Rescue: The son of a prostitute led the people to victory
Rest: 6 years of peace

After all these years and all these troubles the Israelites found themselves in due to their rebellion, you would think they would learn. However, the book of Judges continues and so does the cycle. Judges 12.8 introduces three judges and twenty-five years of time. Each ruled in separate territories, Elon in the north (Galilee), Abdon in the middle (Samaria), and Ibzan in the south (around Jerusalem/Bethlehem). This chapter is the only mention of these three judges in the Scripture. There is no mention of relapse, retribution, repentance, nor rescue. All are implied because a judge was sent.

What can be said of your life? Which portion of the cycle are you in? Are you returning to old ways, being judged because of them, in a period of repentance, is God rescuing you from your sin, or are you in a period of rest? What state do you find yourself in? Tough questions.

Judges 6-8

Judges 6 introduces us to Gideon who is only mentioned outside of Judges 6-8 in Hebrews 11 before Barak. However, his alias “Jerubbaal” is mentioned in 1 Samuel 12 along with Barak and this name is used in reference to the next judge, his son Abimelech. Gideon comes onto the scene after “the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD” again. The phrase, in the NRSV, “was evil in the sight of the LORD” eight times in Judges, thirty-four times in the history of the kings (mostly in the northern kingdom), and once in Jeremiah. A common phrase that does not occur in the New Testament. I guess we will find out what that is when we get there.

What was the evil? It seems they were worshiping the gods of the Amorites (verse 10). The Midianites and Amalekites were cruel people who would allow the Israelites hope for a season and then would crush that hope by removing from their hands all they had worked for during that season. God is a jealous God who does not allow people to replace Him with that which is not a god at all. His reply in verse 10 to the Israelite’s plea in verse 7 is interesting. He basically tells them that they call to Him as God and yet worship other gods and, it is implied, that He will not listen to their pleading because they do not listen to His. However, they do repent and then He listens. This is something we need to understand as we go through the Scriptures. God hears our pleas/prayers when we are in right fellowship with Him. In order to have fellowship with Him, we need to be in right relationship with Him too. We cannot have fellowship with someone we do not have a relationship with and we cannot have meaningful relationship with someone we are not getting to know on a personal level. This is why, I believe, Gideon went through the measures he did when God called him. If we are in fellowship with someone we know and are getting to know better, when they speak we will recognize their voice. Jesus tells us that His sheep know His voice.

Gideon is wondering who is speaking to him. If you notice, in verse 11-18, he is asking about those things he remembers his ancestors doing. He wants to know where the God of those adventures is and why He is not present with the Israelites. He wants to create his own adventures to remember. God is gracious and gives Gideon a sign and a command to tear down the altar his father has to Baal. This is Gideon’s first test to see if he fears man more than God.

What area of our lives are we being tested to see whether we fear God or man?

To his credit, he accomplishes the task (although under the cover of night).

Gideon then tests God. This is an anomaly in the Scripture. It is not suggest we “throw out a fleece” to determine what God has called us to do.

Judges 7-Throughout the book of Judges, God is intent on letting the people know that He is the one who delivers not the people. Zechariah tells us that it is not by might nor by power but by His Spirit that God produces much. In this section, God hones the army of Israel down from 32,000 to 300. He then commands Gideon to give them trumpets and lamps for battle. With these men and these tactics Gideon conquers and kills more than 100,000 men.

Judges 8 is a strange chapter. People refused to help Gideon in fear of the men he was pursuing. He vows to destroy them for not caring for him and does so after he is victorious over the Midianites. He then asks his youngest son to kill the kings but he does not because he is too young. There is much taunting in this passage.

Gideon is called to be the king. The people ask him and his sons and grandsons to rule over them. He refuses and gives credit to God. The next judge, his son, attempts to be king. Gideon then makes an altar that was not to God. He rules, dies, and the people turn to Baal once more.

The cyclical pattern we see in these chapters is as follows:

Relapse: The people did evil in the eyes of God
Retribution: 7 years of captivity to the Midianites
Repentance: After great persecution, the Israelites finally cried to God for help.
Rescue: God used Gideon to deliver the nation
Rest: 40 years of peace

What do we make a stumbling block for ourselves? How do we prostitute ourselves? When we are gone from our sphere of influence, what legacy will we have left? Who will have drawn closer to God and who will walk away?

Joshua 20-21

Joshua 20-City of Refuge. Christ is sometimes called our city of Refuge. I don’t know how that could be because He is also called our High Priest. This is an interesting concept found in the Torah as well. I wonder what would happen if the US established something like this (would drunk driving be included?).

Joshua 21-This is merely a telling of the land/cities given to the Levites.

Verses 43-45 are interesting because they state the land was taken and all the promises of God were fulfilled. Why does the history of Israel turn ugly in later chapters? Did they stop relying on God’s promises/curses? When things promised are given and fulfilled, do we stop relying on Him and turn from Him too?

Joshua 13-17

Joshua 13-This is the second time we read that the Israelites did not utterly destroy a nation. I wonder what is going to become of those listed in verse 13 and how they will affect Israel?

It is better to read this with a map of the lands conquered by Joshua. This is a long list of places, towns, and people.

Joshua 13-This is the second time we read that the Israelites did not utterly destroy a nation. I wonder what is going to become of those listed in verse 13 and how they will affect Israel? The same question could be asked in 14.12, 15.63, 16.10, 17.13

Peter says that we are all priests, like the Levites (13.14, 33; 14.4). Does this mean we should not be concerned with our inheritance on this earth and that we should seek no possessions except the Lord Himself? If so, what does this state our values should be and are we focusing on those values which honor Him?

Joshua 14-Caleb is interesting. This passage shows us that it took five years from the crossing of the Jordan to the conquering of the land at this point. How do I infer this?

Joshua 15-I wonder if my daughter would go for the deal that Caleb set forth and Othniel took. Verse 63 states that Jerusalem could not be conquered. I wonder why God didn’t allow them to take it at this point but allowed David to establish it at a later date.

Joshua 17-The closing is interesting. Why did the tribes of Joseph get more and why did they receive the place they did in the manner God told them? Does God do that for us? Does He have more for us, but we need to ask and work harder for it?

No one was left out from the tribes of Israel. All that God called were blessed.

God continually gave to the Israelites according to His promises, not beyond what He spoke but beyond what they thought. How does that apply to how we should interpret Scripture?

I realize this was not as in-depth as the earlier ones but I do get lazy at times when lists are involved even though I have found some great treasures in lists.

Have a blessed day and possess the promises God has made to us.