Syncretism – Page 5 – Old Testament Survey

1 Samuel 17

This chapter is not only a commentary on David’s replacing Saul as the military leader it is also a comment on the army and on Saul. Saul and his army shrink in fear before Goliath. I don’t think it is a spoiler alert but David slays the giant in God’s strength for His glory.

Map of Israel before David was king. This map shows the place where David met Goliath.

It seems from verses 1-11 that the people of Israel forgot an important part of their existence; they are the people of God, making them the army of God, and making them invulnerable as long as they are working toward His purpose. God called them to rid the nation of Philistines. It seems they could not remember that God promised them the land and promised that He would be with them. Partly because of Saul and his rebellion against God, partly due to their preoccupying their mind with the circumstances of the day, and partly because they were listening to the taunts of their enemy and believing what he said. Goliath reminded them each day that he was a Philistine, who the Israelites were to drive out, and that statement is true. He then told them a lie. He told the Israelites that they belonged to Saul’s army, not God’s army. The lie was enveloped in the truth and the Israelites did not take every thought captive. In so doing, they believed the lie.

Our enemy does this to us as well. He will tell us truth. For example, you are a Christian. He then will tell the lie that we cannot be accepted by God because of sinful habits. The only way to get closer to God is by breaking those habits before we attempt to get closer. We believe the lie that is in the truth and are crushed in despair. The truth is you are a Christian (if you have accepted Him into your life). The truth is you sin (we all do). The truth is you have sinful habits. The lie comes when he tells you that you have to get better before God wants you to come to Him. We cannot get better outside of Him. It is He that we go to get better. This same scheme was used on Adam in the Garden and on Jesus in the Wilderness. One fell because he relied on his own word and the other overcame because He relied on God’s Word. We need to know the truth to be free. John 17 reminds us that God’s Word is Truth and John 14 informs us that Jesus is the Truth (the Word personified in John 1). Zechariah 3 presents this truth as Satan accuses Joshua, the High Priest, of not being acceptable to God. God then rebukes Satan with the truth. Are you accurately handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2.15)?

Goliath asks for a man to do battle with him. There is no answer, merely an interlude on what David is doing. If you recall, David was anointed as king in 1 Samuel 16. This chapter is historically out of place to confirm that David, not Saul, is the true king of Israel. After this chapter, the troops and the citizenry of Israel hail David as greater than Saul, which produces the fugitive motif of the remaining chapters. David is the hero, and Saul is the zero. The latter seeks to destroy the former.

David is obedient to his father which is a godly character trait based on the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20). He does even the menial tasks his father asks him to do. He tends the sheep, plays for Saul, and takes lunches to three of his brothers. Where were the other four?

It is in this chapter we begin to see another character trait of David. He is full of passion that leads him to the heights of glory as he slays Goliath and the depths of corruption as he murders his best general because of his adultery. His passion for God’s glory is clear here. Each day for forty days Goliath taunts not just God’s army but God as well. David needs to do something about that. When God is being dishonored, do you step up and demand it stop, even preparing in your mind for battle? Have you already prepared your mind with words for such instances? You should. Peter commands us to be ready for times such as these (1 Peter 3.15).

A moment with Goliath. He is more than nine feet tall. His job is to battle other strongmen from other armies and to strike fear into the hearts of those who see him. He has four brothers (2 Samuel 21.18-21) which would explain the five stones and not one. He was ready to take out Goliaths’ entire family. He went ready.
We know the rest of the story. David asks permission to fight Goliath. He actually begs Saul for this privilege. He gives testimony of all God has done in and through him. David prepares to battle Goliath. Saul gives David his armor. David refuses because he does not know how to use them. He walks out with his sling and his stones. Goliath mocks not David because he is not a man and mocks God, again. David proclaims that his power is not in his sling nor in the stones. He states his power to defeat Goliath is in God; the God of Israel will defeat Goliath. This is where David did not believe the lie. He knew this was God’s army going in God’s strength, under God’s guidance, not Saul’s nor his. He killed Goliath. The Philistines did not surrender as promised. They ran away. David took the head of Goliath to Jerusalem. Legend has it that he buried it on a hill outside the city and this is where the name “Golgotha” or “Place of the Skull” came into being. This is also the place where Christ was crucified (Matthew 27.33).

A point of interest, in 2 Samuel 21.18-22 another Bethlehemite kills another Goliath of Gath. This could be one of the brothers of Goliath. The phrase states that David and his servants killed all them. I wonder if he carried the other four stones for such a time as that. After that moment, David sings a song of thanksgiving for God’s deliverance from them and other enemies (2 Samuel 22).

The Israelites chased the Philistines, killed them. David was brought before Saul. David submitted himself to Saul’s authority. This is another character trait of David that is evident in the remaining chapters of 1 Samuel.

David and Saul’s character are compared. One followed the truth, was obedient to the Word, was submissive to authority, the authority both of his father and of Saul, and was victorious. The other lived in fear of the lies he believed and was defeated. Who would you rather be like?

1 Samuel 15

The opening verses, as many in the Old Testament, can be misunderstood. Unless we look at the passage in terms of whom God is and what He has done, verse three seems to be overkill (literally).

The opening verses, as many in the Old Testament, can be misunderstood. Unless we look at the passage in terms of whom God is and what He has done, verse three seems to be overkill (literally). However, God is punishing them for their sins. The book of Romans reminds us that there are none who are innocent and all deserve death based on rebellion against God. This would include “child and infant.” God is also judging them, specifically, for not befriending the Israelites on their journey. The latter occurred because of the former. The key in these verses (1-3) is for Saul, as God’s anointed, to “utterly destroy” the Amalekites. When we do not obey God to the letter of what He commands, we will set up ourselves for future sorrow. We will see this later in the chapter with Agag and have already seen it through Joshua and Judges.

The command God gave to Saul was to destroy all living creatures from among the Amalekites. Saul musters more than 200,000 men to battle, which shows the entirety of Israel was under his kingship by this time. He allows the Kenites to leave. They were not under God’s judgment. He allows Agag, the king, and all the animals that were healthy to survive. These were under God’s judgment. He partially follows what God commanded. This always leads to trouble.

The next verse shows God’s displeasure with Saul. Not only does Saul disobey God but he erects a monument to himself (verse 12). He then greets Samuel as if nothing wrong had happened. Samuel calls out Saul for his disobedience. Saul blames it on the soldiers then on God. He then proclaims that he followed God’s commands to the letter.

Samuel lays down God’s judgment before Saul. Saul attempts to justify himself by his actions (works do not save us). He thinks his actions are better than what God had planned. This is the basis for all our sins. We believe our plan is better than the God of the universe’s plan. Samuel provides God’s heart. Verse 22 should be committed to memory. God rejects Saul. He informs him that his sin was as bad as seeking out a witch for advice. He does this later in the book.

Saul repents. Even in his “repentance” he is blaming the people for his sins. The kingdom is now given to the unnamed rightful first king of Israel, which we will see in the next chapter. Samuel had nothing to do with Saul after that night. Samuel grieved over what happened with Saul. We should have the same heart. When in disciplining people in our sphere of influence, we should never delight in the discipline but grieve over what has happened and be in prayer for restoration. In this case, there is no restoration. When it states that God was sorry that He made Saul king, it means He also grieved over the life and work of Saul. It does not mean that He made a mistake and wanted to do it all over again.

Samuel finished the work Saul did not complete. He killed Agag. Saul must not have killed all the people of the Amalekites. A few hundred years later, in Esther 3, a descendant of Agag is mentioned whose name is Haman.

Our lack of obedience to God will come back to us in the form of discipline. Hebrews 12 reminds us that as God’s children we should expect discipline when we go against His commands. His discipline is always for restoration to fellowship with Him and His people. The consequences of our disobedience today may not come upon us quickly but may manifest themselves later in life or in our children’s life. We need to be careful, therefore, in how we live that God’s blessing rather than discipline may be found in our life and in the future for our children and for those people in our sphere of influence.

1 Samuel 9

Chapter 9 begins innocently enough. It does not appear to be a continuation of the story from the previous chapter. Chapter 8 ends with the people clamoring for a king to lead them in battle, like the other nations (8.20). What did they think God was doing. I do realize that He did not lead them like other kings, but He led them victoriously and always. Where do we clamor for something less than God and His best? We know what He does for us and who He is and yet we seek to be like all the others.

Going back to the concept of a king, God had promised kings to Abraham from the beginning (Genesis 17.6, 16; 35.11). The people’s priority, however, was not to be placed in a king but in faithfulness to God (Deuteronomy 17.14-20). At the end of chapter 8, Samuel warns them that their decision will invite a harvest of regrets.

It is interesting what the word decide means. It comes from two words “de” and “cide.” The suffix -cide means to “kill off” as in suicide and homicide. The basic meaning of the word decide then is to kill off all other choices. The Israelites kill the other choices in their desire for a king, which means they killed off God as their choice for king.

A little more etymology for today. The word monarchy means “beginning,” as in Genesis 1.1 and John 1.1. It means “one chief,” “one ruler,” or “one sovereign.” The word arche means preeminent or first place as in archenemy, arch rivals, archangels, etc. The chief or big one. Read Colossians 1.15-23, the word is in verse 18, for God’s perspective on this word in relation to Jesus. Another meaning of the word is “one of one.” Up to this point in Israel’s history there was only one ruler and it was God.

The reason I began this entry by stating that chapter 9 and 8 seem to be disconnected is the tribe that Saul was from, Benjamin. God, through Jacob, established the royal lineage and it was not through Benjamin but through Judah. Jacob prophesied that kings would come from the tribe of Judah in Genesis 49:10. This verse is also a prophesy of the coming of Christ and the establishment of the kingdom in Christ (Shiloh would be a messianic reference).

The physical description of Saul is what appears to be the reason for choosing him to be the king. He was tall (a sign of being handsome, 9.2) and wealthy. Although God chooses Saul, 9.15-17, he is not the intended king because he is not from the tribe of Judah. He is God’s judgment on Israel. He gave them over to their sin (Romans 1) and allowed them to suffer the consequences of their choice. He would later choose the first and right king of Israel from the tribe of Judah, but that is later in the book.

God orchestrated the events to bring Saul to the town and Samuel to the same town. He let the sheep roam the country to place Saul in the right place at the right time. He allowed the people to sacrifice that day for Samuel to be there to offer the sacrifice for them.

Saul shows early promise given his physical superiority and his other attributes of modesty, being direct and to the point, as well as generous. Later, we will see that these are not based on a right relationship with God. He is trusting in his own power. When we do this, we cannot expect to see things like the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5.22-23) coming from us because our fellowship is not with God due to our trust in our own strength. What are we doing today that reflects our own power and not His?
By the end of the chapter Saul is still clueless as to what was happening. Over the next few days we will see his kingdom implode. As a point of interest, Saul was a Benjamite and from Gibeah. Read Judges 20 to recall what this might imply about the family of Saul (1 Samuel 10.26).

Our past does not determine our future, but our relationship with God does determine our future. Our relationship with God is either as adopted child or enemy (Romans 8.15 and Romans 5.10). If we are for Him, He is for us and our future is bright (Joshua 5). If we are not for Him that would mean we are against Him, our future is dim. Success comes in our faithfulness to Him not in our looks, abilities, talents, etc. What have we been focusing on that does not align with His work, His Word? Are we taking every thought captive to make sure it aligns with what God would have us do (2 Corinthians 10.3-6)? Or are we accepting everything we read and hear as acceptable to God?

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.

Ruth 1

Ruth provides the era of the judges as the setting for the book. Some have mentioned that Ruth is provided to show that not all was bad during the time of the judges. However, some interesting undertones are found in the first chapter. The first question we need to ask is why the man from “the house of bread” was leaving Israel to live in Moab to find bread.

Moab was cursed by God (research for the source) and for an Israelite to dwell there was restricted. Elimelech takes his family there. This implies he was relying on what God had forbade to provide for him instead of relying on the God who calls Himself “Jehovah-Jireh” (I will provide). Hopelessly he turns to sin for the answer to his dilemma. How often do we lose hope in what God has called us to and search for His answer in our sin?

He leaves due to the famine in Israel. If this were his only reason, he would not have stayed as long as he did. From all appearances, he allows his son, named Sick and Sickly, to marry non-Israelites, another taboo. Interestingly, the three males die and the three women are left to fend for themselves. Because they are not in Israel, there is no one to care for them. She hears the land in Israel is again prosperous and heads back home. Her two daughters-in-law follow her. I wonder if they were ostracized from their people for marrying Israelites?

One of the women, Orpah, returns home and the other woman, Ruth, goes with Naomi.

There is much symbolism in this book that points to what Christ did for us. The rich history of Israel is also enveloped in this book. I am not doing either justice at this point. I will return to the book of Ruth to consider these points in more depth.

Judges 17-18

Here we go with another strange story from the book of Judges.

Here are two maps to help you see the places: Israel in Canaan and The Kingdom Years.

Here we go with another strange story from the book of Judges.

Here are two maps to help you see the places: Israel in Canaan and The Kingdom Years.

Judges 17.6 reminds us of the times–there was no king in Israel and the people did what was right in their own eyes. I think this is a sad commentary on those days and for these days. We, in areas of our lives, live as if there were no ruler. Not just as individuals as Judges 17 expresses but as a nation as Judges 18 evinces. We live as if there is no God and if we express belief in a god it is a god we have chosen to worship, which can contain aspects of the true God. These passages overwhelm me with grief knowing how far we have fallen personally and nationally. What gods have we created? What do we place above the true and living God? What truth have we distorted?

On with the story. Micah, evidently an Ephraimite, was given silver by his mother who also built him an idol. He took this idol, made his son his priest, and began to worship this idol in his house. Ephraim is what we would know as Samaria. This becomes important when the kingdom is divided. Micah creates his own religion and brings his family into it with the thought that God will bless him because he is worshiping. To validate the religion Micah hires a wandering Levite as his priest. This must mean he fired his son. He believed that someone who calls themselves a priest, even with the lineage, can bring respectability to what is being done. It doesn’t matter, according to Paul in Galatians, if an angel were to come and participate in this religious effort. Paul states flatly that the participants are condemned. No amount of religiosity can validate what God has already condemned. What are we trying to validate that God says to walk away from in His Word?

To make matters worse, the Danites who did not take their land (Judges 1) are now attempting to capture land. They see this idol and this priest and believe that God will bless them in their efforts as long as they have a religion. In the end, they worship this idol and create a shrine to it and worship it as a nation for centuries. This is in the city of Dan north of the Sea of Galilee and will play a large role in the divided kingdom.

There is more to this story that can be expressed: treaties and weakness and bullying, etc. I may cover these in an updated writing.

Judges 15-16

If you remember, the cycle from yesterday was incomplete

Relapse: The people did evil in the eyes of God
Retribution: the Philistines ruled over the Israelites for 40 years
Repentance: Manoah and his wife called out to God for a child. God gave them Samson

Today we will complete the cycle in our study of Samson’s life.

Judges 15 presents the childish side of Samson. In Judges 14 it appeared as if Samson was spoiled in his demand for a Philistine wife. It seemed as if God uses that behavior and turns it for His glory for it accomplishes His purpose. Judges 15 shows Samson throwing a fit because he could not return to the woman he had almost married in chapter 14. When he returned to the bride, her father turned him away because Samson abandoned her. He gave her to the best man, as we see her and at the end of chapter 14. The reason for this may be cultural. I need to look into the cultural back ground for this.

God will also use this tantrum to accomplish His work. Sometimes God uses our sins to accomplish His work. Remember Joseph in Genesis who stated what his brothers intended for evil God used for good. Or, remember Paul’s reminder in Romans 8 that God causes all things to work together for His good (glory).

Samson accomplishes the defeat of the Philistines by burning the fields of the Philistines using torching foxes and setting them loose in the fields. The Philistines retaliate against his almost wife and father-in-law. In the eyes of the Philistines they were married. Samson swears vengeance on them for doing so a thing to his family.

Samson allows the men of Judah to bind him and turn him over to the Philistines as a means of killing them. When he was in the midst of them, he slew one thousand of them in the power of God with the jawbone of a donkey. It is here that the amount of years Samson ruled is given. Notice, though, that it does not state the Israelites were at rest. To finish the cycle:

Relapse: The people did evil in the eyes of God
Retribution: the Philistines ruled over the Israelites for 40 years
Repentance: Manoah and his wife called out to God for a child. God gave them Samson
Rescue: Samson led Israel for 20 years
Rest: None stated

I don’t think the Israelites rested due to the apparent spoiled nature of Samson. He never went to war to defeat the Philistines to remove them from power, he merely threw tantrums and killed many of them. Yet, he is listed in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11 and 1 Samuel 12. God can be glorified despite us.

Judges 16 introduces the sin that led him into captivity and his “greatest” victory over the Philistines. He allowed his lust to control him, again, and visited a prostitute. He then “fell in love” with a woman named Delilah. The Philistines use her to find the source of Samson’s strength. The pity of this is that she did what she was asked and that Samson gave into her, even after he realized what she was doing. It appears his pride overwhelms his senses. The other item to pity is that Samson believed his strength was in his hair, not in his God. The Hebrew of verse 19 states that Delilah began to torment him then his strength left him. I wonder what that means.

Because of his sin, the Spirit of God left him. This is unique to the Old Testament. The New Testament shows us that the Holy Spirit is our guarantor of salvation and will not leave us. Here, however, the Spirit leaves Samson and he is powerless. Even for us, who have the Spirit dwelling in us, if we refuse to maintain our fellowship with God as He commands, we are not living in the power of the Spirit and are weak and helpless before our enemies.

Verses 23-31 of chapter 16 presents Samson’s greatest victory and that was in his death. God gave him strength as he called to Him. Although he did this out of revenge, God used it to accomplish His goals.

What would Samson’s life had been like if he used God’s presence in his life in a godly manner instead of a self-centered manner? Would the Israelites have found rest? What about us? What would our lives look like if we submitted more to the Word of God and made our daily, moment-by-moment, decisions in light of Him? Would our area of influence be holier?

Thoughts to ponder.

Judges 13-14

Since I am not covering all the life of Samson today, the cyclical pattern of his life will be seen as complete today and completed tomorrow.

Since I am not covering all the life of Samson today, the cyclical pattern of his life will be seen as incomplete today and completed tomorrow.

Relapse: The people did evil in the eyes of God
Retribution: the Philistines ruled over the Israelites for 40 years
Repentance: Manoah and his wife called out to God for a child. God gave them Samson

Samson takes more space in the book of Judges than any other judge. He is mentioned only in 1 Samuel 12 and Hebrews 11 after chapter 16 of Judges. For a man of such importance and great life lessons it seems odd that he is not even used as an example of what happens when syncretism pervades a person’s life.

Here is a map to help see where the Judges ruled.

Under Jephthah the Israelites had six years of peace. Then came forty years of oppression at the hands of the Philistines. God appointed these people to rule over His people as disciplinarians. If we remember, God allowed the Israelites not to destroy all the people just for this purpose.

When the Old Testament mentions “the angel of the Lord,” as it does here, it is referring to a pre-incarnation of Christ. This is called a Christophany. Read verses 15-23 to see this played out, remembering that only God is to be worshiped and only God’s name is too wonderful. The angel of the Lord informs a barren woman that she will have a son and he should be separated or made holy (a nazarite) to God who will be raised for a specific purpose and that is to deliver Israel from th hand of the Philistines. Wouldn’t it be great if God did this for every mother? He does, but not so specifically. He tells us that we are made to bring Him glory, to choose to let His light shine through us so others will know Him better. Very great calling. How are you doing in your area of influence?

When Manoah, the husband, asks the angel of the Lord what to do, He gives a simple command: don’t drink alcohol and to watch what she eats. I know I would want to know what to do and would question the simplicity of this command. I would question why the command God gave was so basic. We do this today, don’t we? God commands us to read the Word and pray to grow closer to Him. We feel there must be more that we need to do to accomplish fellowship with Him. He tells us that belief in His Son is all that is needed for salvation and the works will follow because we are in His Word and in prayer [in fellowship with Him]. We seem to think we must do something else to be saved (the basis for many cults in this world) or that we must do something beyond what He has done to “keep” ourselves saved when it is He who does all this. Oh, that we were like Manoah and his wife and believe the simplicity of the commands of God.

The story continues in Judges 14 with Samson getting married to a non-Israelite. At first it appears as though Samson is spoiled and demanding. However, we read that God placed this act in the heart of Samson as a pretext to begin the destruction of the Philistines through Samson. In doing this Samson breaks many laws found in the Torah. He marries outside his nation, he touches a carcass, and he eats food from the dead carcass. There are probably more, but I just haven’t seen them yet.

All seems fine until he starts partying too much at the wedding. Is he drunk or what possesses him to make such a wager? Remember, he is not to drink alcohol either for he is a Nazarite. His riddle is good and he is right that no one should have known the answer. The result is the deliverance from the Philistines begins. Samson goes to a nearby Philistine town and kills the inhabitants, takes their clothes, and gives it to the inhabitants of Timnah.

Because his wife proved unfaithful in his eyes, he left her and his best man married her. This will play out in the next chapters.

Sometimes we are called to do strange things that God has called us to do. None of the things Samson was called to do were immoral. They broke ceremonial laws but not moral laws. When God asks us to do things, it will be within His moral laws. We will be mocked and ridiculed by our own group of friends or family because they may see that we are breaking their moral code. We need to realize that we need to obey Him and His Word not that of those around us.

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?