Some of what is written here in Judges isn't so much "the history of the nation" as it is biographical sketches of how being lost on earth damages the soul. There is a price tag associated with living far from God, whether you are a believer or an unbeliever. Our sickness is so grave and deep that to think we can live a day without God, connected intravenously to His Word, listening every moment to His Spirit to be led by the Spirit, is just crass foolishness and unbelief. It shows us for what we really think: that all this Jesus stuff is good, but not really vitally necessary. And so we can easily end up like the men we are about to read about, and not realizing that God put their stories here, publicly, in plain view, so that we could learn the lessons and avoid their tragic mistakes.
Notice too that almost nothing is said about Israel as a unified nation. The further you go, the more provincial things become. Rather than tribes banding together to help one another, they are a nation in name only. So where was that unity supposed to be if they didn't have a king? They were to be unified around their common worship at one place where all the men of Israel were to gather three times a year: At the Tabernacle. Once they lost their worship, they lost their unity. The same thing happens to us, but we are smarter in our disobedience. They worshiped idols, visibly, and neglected the only true worship that united the nation and people. We worship Sundays, often singing the same songs that everyone else is singing. But our worship isn't supposed to be around a building or a service, it is around a savior and His mission, the Great Commission.
Israel's worship was daily, in the offerings for sin, reminding them of the kindness of God and the depth of their need, and their worship on the feast days was in remembrance of their history of deliverance.
Our worship and following Jesus in the Great Commission does all of this for us. As we go out we are reminded of grace and kindness in our salvation, and we bring the message of the work of our savior, the power of which brings fruit and redemption as we speak. To worship on Sunday, and not worship in going forth in the harvest, might mean there are other things more important to us, that fill our needs and desires, and you can guess what the Bible calls those things. And so we end up in the same place as the people we're reading about. We need to constantly fight against that happening.
Judges 11-12
Judges 11
Notice that Jephthah's life history seems similar to Abimelech's, and that he also surrounds himself with worthless company. That he "went out," means he and his merry band robbed people and towns outside of Israel. He gained a reputation and part of his résumé said he was good at fighting and leading men.
Notice, too, that more is said about Jephthah and what he knew or didn't know, than about his battle. The battle against the Ammonites is only verses 32-33.
Vs. 4-11 You don't read anywhere here that the elders of Gilead sought God regarding their decision.
Vs. 12-28
Notice that Jephthah seeks a peaceful solution first.
Notice that his understanding of events and time (300 years) is pretty accurate.
V. 24 I like the way Jephthah makes this a duel of the gods. This reasoning works good if Israel is obedient. If they are ignoring God, God ignores them and it makes it look like the other gods are bigger.
Vs. 29-40
It is hard to find any verses in Scripture, next to each other, that are so stunning and frightening, than verses 29 thru 31. The Spirit came upon Jephthah. That's good. Jephthah makes a vow to God to offer the first person that comes out of his house as a burnt offering to God. How can that be? It shows that religious sincerity can be totally wrong and ignorant of God, even in the service of God.
I have done all the gymnastics with these verses trying to get Jephthah off the hook, imagining that there was a corp of people dedicated to God, like Samuel, who served at the temple for life as virgins, like nuns…but these people didn't exist. Also, vows could be broken that were in violation of the law. The most simple and obvious reading of the text is that Jephthah had mixed paganism into his sincere understanding of God. The worship at the Tabernacle had failed and the Levites were not doing their jobs. Jephthah was a victim of extreme ignorance in his worship of God.
I say this is all tragic in light of these guys, like Jephthah and Samson, being in Hebrews 11:32 in the "Hall of Faith." Their faith made them acceptable and pleasing to God, and they did amazing things, but their ignorance and sin ruined their lives.
I think God is trying to make a strong point here and in the three stories that follow. People can call upon God sincerely and follow Him sincerely, and, even His own people can still be ignorant of Him. When Jesus says that we need to hear His words and do them, He is commanding us with profound simplicity. We need to know His words. The Bible is meant to teach us about God, about our Lord, to know His heart and mind and plan and will. Then, we need to do what He says. The reality is that many believers don't know His word, but they know something about it, so they assume they know Him and His will. This "feeling" about God actually becomes an extension of their wills and desires and plans, baptized by good intensions and feelings of love and grace. Being a disciple means having one Lord, one Word, one Spirit and one command to follow.
Judges 12
Remember the Ephraimites who came after Gideon to make trouble? Their concern in verse 12 is that they wanted a share in the plunder. This time they picked on the wrong guy.
V. 6 Can you imagine losing 42,000 people in a single battle? There was no unity around worship, before God. This tragedy in Israel should have been mourned and wept. Here, it is symptomatic of the damage of sin and losing touch with God.
V. 7 just seems sad to me.
Vs. 8-15
These guys are all localized even though it says they judged Israel. Notice that two of these men were rich.
Notice that Abdon was buried in the hill country of the Amalekites. The Amalekites should have been gone.
John 1:1-28
This is one of the most amazing chapters of the Bible.
V. 1 The Jehovah's Witnesses insert an "a" in "…and the Word was a God." It is totally wrong, but they use it to support their view that Jesus was once Michael the Archangel who was turned into a god.
John's point in all of this is that the preexistent member of the Trinity, God the Son, became man and dwelt among us.
So, what does all of this mean for you as a disciple in the harvest? This is a rich chapter.
Psalm 101
This psalm begins sunny, but ends darkly in judgment, or does it?
We tolerate wickedness both in our lives, and out of necessity, in our towns, cities and world. But shouldn't there be a desire to see wickedness done away with? That may not be our heart, but it is the heart of God to judge all wickedness. Here is something that Jesus said regarding this judgment, and you'll see that the result is kind of unexpected. Unexpected in that none of us realize the dampening power that sin and wickedness actually have on a person, a family, a town, city, country or on the world in general.
Matthew 13:41 The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
Removing the wicked allows the righteous to shine like the sun.
Proverbs 14:13-14
When I read this, I think of what Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." By reading through the Bible like this, learning more about God and His heart, the Spirit is changing you and giving you a different treasure in your heart, out of which you learn to speak and live. Again, it is all about hearing and doing.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.
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