Juízes 3

Juízes 3

Wiersbe - Judges 3 - The presence of the enemy in the land was an opportunity for teaching, testing, and trusting. The younger generation could learn how to fight, and that would keep them from taking their inheritance for granted. God could test His people and encourage them to trust Him for victory. Even though the tribes had failed to drive out the enemy, God was still with His people and wanted to help them. God’s people must live in the world, but they must not live like the world (Jn 17:14-17). Israel forgot the Lord and adopted the ways of the enemy. It began with intermarriage, which led to the worship of idols. After all, when you visit your in-laws, you must be polite to their gods! Chastening The key passage is Hebrews 12:1–11. The word chastening (paideuo) means “child training” and refers to the process God uses to mature us and make us more like Jesus Christ (cf Ps 119:67, 71, Pr 6:23). He tests (peirazo) us to bring out the best in us, but Satan tempts (peirazo) us to bring out the worst in us (ED: NOTE THE SENSE OF peirazo DEPENDS ON WHO ALLOWS OR BRINGS THE "TEST!"). If we persist in disobeying God, He will discipline us to bring us to submission. This is an act of love, a Father maturing a child and not a Judge punishing a criminal (Pr 3:11–12). (With the Word - borrow for 1 hour - Devotional Commentary) THE STORY OF THE STEINWAY The Steinway piano has been preferred by keyboard masters such as Rachmaninoff, Horowitz, Cliburn, and Liszt--and for good reason. It is a skillfully crafted instrument that produces phenomenal sound. Steinway pianos are built today the same way they were 140 years ago when Henry Steinway started his business. Two hundred craftsmen and 12,000 parts are required to produce one of these magnificent instruments. Most crucial is the rim-bending process, where 18 layers of maple are bent around an iron press to create the shape of a Steinway grand. Five coats of lacquer are applied and hand-rubbed to give the piano its outer glow. The instrument then goes to the Pounder Room, where each key is tested 10,000 times to ensure quality and durability. Followers of Jesus Christ are also being "handcrafted." We are pressed and formed and shaped to make us more like Him. We are polished, sometimes in the rubbing of affliction, until we "glow." We are tested in the laboratory of everyday human experience. The process is not always pleasant, but we can persevere with hope, knowing that our lives will increasingly reflect the beauty of holiness to the eternal praise of God. Listen to the words of Cowper’s incomparable hymn “God Moves in a Mysterious Way” Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy and shall break In blessings on your head. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace; Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face. His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour; The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flower. Something Else To Serve - If you were to spend 26 hours a week staring at the same object, what would you call that? If you were so mesmerized by what you saw that you couldn't tear yourself away from it, what would it become to you? If you let it change the way you think and act, would it be too powerful? If you let this object show and tell you things that you knew were wrong and that God didn't want you to be involved with, would it be replacing Him? Wouldn't that be called an idol? The average American family spends 26 hours a week watching television. It certainly isn't the only idol we have in our society, but it's one of the most powerful. Other things that might be displacing our devotion to God are sports, money, work, hobbies, or even other people. Perhaps music or movies or the Internet has captured our devotion. Idols come in various forms, and they can control our lives. When they do, we need to look again at God's anger with the Israelites to see what He thinks of idols. They served Baals and Asherahs (Jdg 3:7), and "the anger of the Lord was hot" against them (Jdg 3:8). The gods of this world are empty and vain, They cannot give peace to our heart; The living and true One deserves all our love-- From Him may we never depart. —DJD An idol is anything that takes the place of God. QUESTION - Why does God test us? (See related video) ANSWER - When we ask why God tests us or allows us to be tested, we are admitting that testing does indeed come from Him. When God tests His children, He does a valuable thing. David sought God’s testing, asking Him to examine his heart and mind and see that they were true to Him (Psalm 26:2; 139:23). When Abram was tested by God in the matter of sacrificing Isaac, Abram obeyed (Hebrews 11:17–19) and showed to all the world that he is the father of faith (Romans 4:16). In both the Old and New Testaments, the words translated “test” mean “to prove by trial.” Therefore, when God tests His children, His purpose is to prove that our faith is real. Not that God needs to prove it to Himself since He knows all things, but He is proving to us that our faith is real, that we are truly His children, and that no trial will overcome our faith. In His Parable of the Sower, Jesus identifies the ones who fall away as those who receive the seed of God’s Word with joy, but, as soon as a time of testing comes along, they fall away. James says that the testing of our faith develops perseverance, which leads to maturity in our walk with God (James 1:3–4). James goes on to say that testing is a blessing, because, when the testing is over and we have “stood the test,” we will “receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12). Testing comes from our heavenly Father who works all things together for good for those who love Him and who are called to be the children of God (Romans 8:28). The testing or trials we undergo come in various ways. Becoming a Christian will often require us to move out of our comfort zones and into the unknown. Perseverance in testing results in spiritual maturity and completeness. This is why James wrote, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds” (James 1:2). The testing of faith can come in small ways and daily irritations; they may also be severe afflictions (Isaiah 48:10) and attacks from Satan (Job 2:7). Whatever the source of the testing, it is to our benefit to undergo the trials that God allows. The account of Job is a perfect example of God’s allowing one of His saints to be tested by the devil. Job bore all his trials patiently and “did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing” (Job 1:22). However, the account of Job’s testing is proof that Satan’s ability to try us is limited by God’s sovereign control. No demon can test or afflict us with beyond what God has ordained. All our trials work toward God’s perfect purpose and our benefit. There are many examples of the positive results of being tested. The psalmist likens our testing to being refined like silver (Psalm 66:10). Peter speaks of our faith as “of greater worth than gold,” and that’s why we “suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (1 Peter 1:6–7). In testing our faith, God causes us to grow into strong disciples who truly live by faith and not by what we see (2 Corinthians 5:7). When we experience the storms of life, we should be like the tree that digs its roots ever more deeply for a greater grip in the earth. We must “dig our roots” more deeply into God’s Word and cling to His promises so we can weather whatever storms come against us. Most comforting of all, we know that God will never allow us to be tested beyond what we are able to handle by His power. His grace is sufficient for us, and His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). “That is why,” Paul said, “for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”GotQuestions.org Judges 3:2 only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it formerly. might be taught war, Ge 2:17; Ge 3:5,7; 2Chr 12:8; Mt 10:34-39; Jn 16:33; 1Co 9:26,27; Eph 6:11-18; 1Ti 6:12; 2Ti 2:3; 2Ti 4:7 Related Passages: Exodus 13:17 Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, “The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” LEARNING TO FIGHT THE ENEMY only in order that (purpose clause) the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it formerly - Gary Inrig explains that "The Lord uses those difficulties to teach us how to wage spiritual war. He wants to shake us out of our apathy and teach us to trust Him. Often it is only when the enemy has run all over us, and our resources are gone, that we develop a teachable spirit. There are times in our lives when the roof gets blown off, and everything seems to fall to pieces. Those times of failure and crisis become teaching times as the Lord shows us how to make war—how to trust Him. The implication of this strategy of God in our lives is clear. We cannot stand still in our Christian experience. There are enemies to be faced. There is ground to be gained. If we try to stand still, we can be sure that the principalities and powers, against which we contend, do not. Either we advance, or we perish. There are areas of need in our lives. There is ground to be won in our families and churches. And as long as we live in a world of more than 4 billion people, more than half of whom have never heard of the Lord Jesus, we cannot stand still. We cannot stand by while men and women rush toward hell. (Hearts of Iron, Feet of Clay - borrow for an hour) Believers today need to be taught war - Temptations and trials detect the wickedness of the hearts of sinners; and strengthen the graces of believers today in their daily conflict with Satan, flesh [the main, root problem], and this evil world. They must live in this world, but they are not of it and are forbidden to conform to it But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Gal 6:14+) Do not love (present imperative with a negative = stop doing this) the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever. (1Jn 2:15+, 1Jn 2:16+, 1Jn 2:17+) You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (Jas 4:4+) And do not be conformed (present imperative with a negative = stop doing this) to this world, but be transformed (present imperative = keep on continually allowing this transformation to take place by yielding to the Spirit and the Word) by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Ro 12:2+). Friendship of the world is more fatal than its enmity; the latter can only kill the body, but the former can kill the soul. While we cannot be absolutely sure of Demas' eternal fate, Paul was clearly disappointed that "Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia." (2Ti 4:10+) Those who had not experienced it formerly - With the basic conquest completed, Joshua was told (Jos 13:1-7) to begin the allotment of the land that remained to be possessed. This allocation is described in Jos 13-21 (the main section given in Jos 14-19). Although Joshua had done a great work, great work remained to be done. This is always the case and as one has said "God's workers die, but His work goes on." As predicted in Ex. 23:27-33, the complete conquest was to be a gradual process. The area yet to be subdued by the tribes is described in Jos 13:2-6, moving from S to N. Austin-Sparks wrote that “So often in the battle we go to the Lord, and pray, and plead, and appeal for victory, for ascendancy, for mastery over the forces of evil and death, and our thought is that in some way the Lord is going to come in with a mighty exercise of power and put us into a place of victory and spiritual ascendancy as in an act. We must have this mentality corrected. What the Lord does is to enlarge us to possess. He puts us through some exercise, through some experience, takes us by some way which means our spiritual expansion, and exercise of spirituality so we occupy the larger place spontaneously. ‘I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. By little and little I will drive them out before thee, until thou be increased’ (Ex 23:29, 30). Judges 3:3 These nations are: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. five lords of the Philistines Jdg 10:7; 14:4; Josh 13:3; 1Sa 4:1,2; 6:18; 13:5,19-23; 1Sa 29:2 Canaanites - Jdg 4:2,23,24; Genesis 10:15, 16, 17, 18, 19; Numbers 13:29 Sidonians - Jdg 10:12; 18:7; Ge 49:13; Joshua 11:8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13; 19:28 Hivites - Numbers 34:8; Deuteronomy 1:7; 3:9; Joshua 11:3; 13:5 These nations are: the five lords of the Philistines: The famous Philistine pentapolis was composed of (1) Gaza, strategically located a few miles from the Mediterranean and controlling the Maritime Plain and caravan routes to Egypt and Arabia. (2) Ekron. This was a very wealthy market in the valley of Sorek, close to Danite territory. (3) Ashdod was on the main road to Joppa and lay E. of Lydda. (4) Askelon was a strong fort on the coast, controlling principal caravan routes. (5) Gath was N.E. of Gaza and bordered on the Shephelah. And all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath - The rest of the "ites" functioned much like "termites!" They ate away at the moral fiber of the Israelites, until they fell away from God and fell for the idolatry of the "ites!" The result was destruction as it always is with "termites!" Judges 3:4 And they were for testing Israel, to find out if they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses. And they were for testing Israel, Jdg 3:1 2:22 Ex 15:25 Dt 33:8 1Co 11:19 2Th 2:9-12 ANOTHER PURPOSE FOR THE DIVINE TEST And they were for testing (nacah/nasah; Lxx = peirazo) Israel, to find out if they would obey the commandments of the LORD: Note that it was the LORD Who left the idolatrous pagans and since the LORD does not tempt anyone to sin, His testing was for their good, not their destruction. When Satan "tests" us we call that "temptation" because he is trying to take us down. God's "testing" is His instrument to build us up. But whether it builds us up depends on how we respond to it. If we respond with trust in the good purposes of the LORD, the outcome of the test is positive. Unfortunately for the most part, Israel failed God's test and thus it became a temptation, one which the gave into and which angered the LORD. And so God's first purpose was that His inexperienced sons might learn war. And of course as they learned war they would learn about their God Who the ultimate Warrior and the Source of power for victory over the pagan enemies. And so this inexperienced generation needed to know Him personally/experientially and to know His ways (power, faithfulness, etc), which was their great lack as described in Jdg 2:10 which says they "did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel." THOUGHT - A New Testament passage to help understand God's "tests" of His children is Hebrews 12:5-11+ (see esp He 12:11+) where "discipline" or “child training” and refers to the process God uses to mature us and make us more like Jesus Christ. He tests us to bring out the best in us, but Satan tempts us to bring out the worst in us. If we persist in disobeying God, He will discipline us to bring us to submission. This is an act of love, a Father maturing a child and not a Judge punishing a criminal (Pr 3:11,12). Hebrews 12:5-11+ and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; 6 FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.” 7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 (TESTING SHOWS YOU ARE LEGITIMATE SONS) But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? 10 (TESTING IS FOR OUR GOOD THAT WE MIGHT BE HOLY AS HE IS HOLY) For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. 11+ (TESTING IS TRAINING WHICH LEADS TO RIGHTEOUSNESS) All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Which He had commanded their fathers through Moses: Note that the fathers of this generation had heard directly from God's "mouthpiece" Moses in preparation for entering the Promised Land. This generation had no direct revelation, but presumably they did have the written record of the Pentateuch to consult. Still the question lingers -- did the fathers fail to pass on these commandments or did the current generation simply refuse to heed what they heard? Dt 7:1-5+ gives us a good summary of Yahweh's commands to the fathers of the current generation... When the LORD your God shall bring you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and shall clear away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you, 2 and when the LORD your God shall deliver them before you, and you shall defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them. 3 "Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. 4 "For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and He will quickly destroy you. 5 "But thus you shall do to them: you shall tear down their altars, and smash their sacred pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire. God had made it very clear to the Jews that they were not to study “comparative religion” and get interested in the pagan practices of the Canaanites. It was that kind of curiosity that had brought divine judgment on Israel in the land of Moab (Nu 25:1-7+), because curiosity is often the first step toward conformity. Of course, Israel should have been a witness to the pagan nations and should have sought to win them to the true and living God, but they failed in that responsibility. What a difference it would have made if the Jews had won the Canaanites to the Lord instead of the Canaanites winning the Jews to Baal! ILLUSTRATION - The story is told of an old man who was traveling on an ocean liner, when a huge storm blew up without warning. One woman lost her balance and fell overboard. People stood frozen with horror. Suddenly, a man plunged into the waves, grabbed her, and held her until a rescue boat came. When they were pulled out, everyone was astonished and embarrassed to discover that the hero was the oldest man on the boat—a man in his eighties. That evening they held a party to honor him. When they called on him to make a speech, the old man rose slowly. He looked around at the people, then said, "I would like to know just one thing." There was an embarrassed silence. "Who pushed me?" Sometimes that is the only way we start moving. The Lord will keep pushing us out of our complacency, out of the second-generation syndrome, into a fresh, vital experience of walking with the Lord Jesus. Are you already moving, or do you need a push? Judges 3:5 And the sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; ISRAEL IN THE WORLD AND OF THE WORLD! And the sons of Israel lived among (LXX = mesos = in the middle of) - Among is a keyword (in my opinion) and found 6 times in the book of Judges, all in this introductory section (Jdg 1:29 Jdg 1:30 Jdg 1:32 Jdg 1:33 Jdg 2:12 Jdg 3:5) To be sure believers today are "in" the world, but are not to be "of" the world. The proximity of the promiscuous idolatry to Israel presented a powerful, seductive temptation. Recall Israel was Chosen to be holy to the Lord and here they are situated in the midst of abominable unholiness. This reminds me of the call in James 1:27 "to keep oneself unstained by the world." As Judges unfolds, it is clear that Israel became "stained" by the immoral world around them, a "clear and present danger" for all believers today in our sensual, sex crazed society that has lost all sense of moral decorum! THOUGHT Judges is a powerful book for America in 2022 as it sends a loud warning to believers to "not be bound together with unbelievers...COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,”...“AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN." (2Cor 6:14-18+) Judges 3:5-7 summarizes the total helplessness of Israel. We find the Israelites settling among the Syrian nations. They seemed too ready to live at peace with these other nations and to yield not a little for the sake of peace. They intermarried to make their position safer. They traded with the Amorites, Hivites and Perizzites. They determined on boundary lines to make things run smoothly. Next they accepted their neighbors’ religion (Jdg 3:7) and then their bad customs. She lives among the pagans, intermarries with the pagans, apes the pagan worship of the pagans and so a "generation's degeneration" is complete. Living among the pagans was a direct violation of the commands of God… instead of destroying the enemies, they surrounded themselves with them! Rebellion is really stupid when seen in such a dramatic context (see consequences below v6-8). But let us not be too critical of Israel -- we need to continually remember that these things happened as an example that we should not follow (1Co 10:6, 11, Ro 15:4+). God has not changed. He still judges rebellion. We have the advantage of "time compression" so to speak and can see what their rebellion cost them years later. THOUGHT - Is there any sin you are committing today that will cost you or your loved ones years later? Unrepentant sin is like the old commercial that speaks of the "gift which keeps on giving!" Do not be deceived, we will reap what we sow. We must all be brutally honest in our self examination (Ps 139:23-24, 2Co 13:5, 1Co 9:24-27). God desires to bless His children but if they refuse to obey, He must punish them because He is holy and because judgment begins in the household of God (1Pe 4:17). So again the question is: Do you live among any "enemies"? Have you in fact surrounded yourself with them and failed to annihilate them? Be honest. God had put a wall between Israel and her neighbors, not because Israel was better than any other nation, but because she was different or at least supposed to be different. Instead of worshiping idols, the Jews worshiped the one true God who made the heavens and the earth. Humans did not devise the laws and covenants of Israel; God did. Israel alone had the true sanctuary, where God dwelt in His glory; it was the true priesthood, ordained by God; and it had the true altar and sacrifices that God would respect (Ro 9:4, 5- see notes Ro 9:4; 5). Only through Israel would all the nations of the earth be blessed (Ge 12:1, 2, 3). When Israel obeyed the Lord, He blessed them richly; and both their conduct and God’s blessing were a testimony to their unbelieving neighbors. (Ge 23:6; 26:26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33; 30:27; 39:5) The pagan people would say, “These Jews are different! The God they worship and serve is a great God!” And the Jewish people would then have had opportunities to tell their neighbors how to trust Jehovah and receive His forgiveness and blessing. (Dt 4:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.) Alas, instead of trusting God to change their neighbors, the gods of their neighbors changed the Jews; and everything Moses warned them not to do, they did. The Jews broke down the wall of separation between themselves and their godless neighbors, and the results were tragic. Contrary to God’s law, Jewish men married pagan wives, and Jewish women married pagan husbands (Ge 24:3; 26:34,35; 27:46; Ex 34:15, 16; Dt 7:3,4; Jos 23:12). The idolaters gradually stole the hearts of their mates from worshiping Jehovah to worshiping false gods. King Solomon made this same mistake. After all, when you marry outside the will of God, you have to do something to keep peace in the family! (1Ki 11:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13; 2Co 6:14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 2Co 7:1) THE CANAANITES: (note) (71 uses in OT - Gen. 10:18f; 12:6; 13:7; 15:21; 24:3, 37; 34:30; 38:2; 46:10; 50:11; Exod. 3:8, 17; 6:15; 13:5, 11; 23:23, 28; 33:2; 34:11; Num. 13:29; 14:25, 43, 45; 21:1, 3; 33:40; Deut. 1:7; 7:1; 11:30; 20:17; Jos. 3:10; 5:1; 7:9; 9:1; 11:3; 12:8; 13:3f; 16:10; 17:12f, 16, 18; 24:11; Jdg. 1:1, 3ff, 9f, 17, 27ff, 32f; 3:3, 5; 2 Sam. 24:7; 1 Ki. 9:16; 1 Chr. 2:3; Ezr. 9:1; Neh. 9:8, 24; Job 41:6; Prov. 31:24; Ezek. 16:3; Obad. 1:20; Zech. 14:21) Remember that at this time all of these people were semi-nomadic and that, even though cities had been established in the land, no single group seems to have had clear possession of them. The term “Canaanites” is used as a general designation of all of the inhabitants of the land at the time of the Israelite conquest. THE HITTITES: (note) (47 uses in OT - Gen. 15:20; 23:10; 25:9; 26:34; 36:2; 49:29f; 50:13; Exod. 3:8, 17; 13:5; 23:23, 28; 33:2; 34:11; Num. 13:29; Deut. 7:1; 20:17; Jos. 1:4; 3:10; 9:1; 11:3; 12:8; 24:11; Jdg. 1:26; 3:5; 1 Sam. 26:6; 2 Sam. 11:3, 6, 17, 21, 24; 12:9f; 23:39; 1 Ki. 9:20; 10:29; 11:1; 15:5; 2 Ki. 7:6; 1 Chr. 11:41; 2 Chr. 1:17; 8:7; Ezr. 9:1; Neh. 9:8; Ezek. 16:3, 45) The Hittites, by contrast, were an Indo-European people who established a great empire in Asia Minor during the period from 1800-1200 b.c. On the significance of Hittite archaeological discoveries and their bearing upon patriarchal customs, and especially the significance of suzerainty treaties THE AMORITES, (note) (86 uses in OT - Gen. 10:16; 14:7, 13; 15:16, 21; 48:22; Exod. 3:8, 17; 13:5; 23:23; 33:2; 34:11; Num. 13:29; 21:13, 21, 25f, 29, 31f, 34; 22:2; 32:33, 39; Deut. 1:4, 7, 19f, 27, 44; 2:24; 3:2, 8f; 4:46f; 7:1; 20:17; 31:4; Jos. 2:10; 3:10; 5:1; 7:7; 9:1, 10; 10:5f, 12; 11:3; 12:2, 8; 13:4, 10, 21; 24:8, 11f, 15, 18; Jdg. 1:34ff; 3:5; 6:10; 10:8, 11; 11:19, 21ff; 1 Sam. 7:14; 2 Sam. 21:2; 1 Ki. 4:19; 9:20; 21:26; 2 Ki. 21:11; 1 Chr. 1:14; 2 Chr. 8:7; Ezr. 9:1; Neh. 9:8; Ps. 135:11; 136:19; Ezek. 16:3, 45; Amos 2:9f) THE PERIZZITES, (note) (23 uses in OT - Gen. 13:7; 15:20; 34:30; Exod. 3:8, 17; 23:23; 33:2; 34:11; Deut. 7:1; 20:17; Jos. 3:10; 9:1; 11:3; 12:8; 17:15; 24:11; Jdg. 1:4f; 3:5; 1 Ki. 9:20; 2 Chr. 8:7; Ezr. 9:1; Neh. 9:8) THE HIVITES (note) (25 uses in OT - Gen. 10:17; 34:2; 36:2; Exod. 3:8, 17; 13:5; 23:23, 28; 33:2; 34:11; Deut. 7:1; 20:17; Jos. 3:10; 9:1, 7; 11:3, 19; 12:8; 24:11; Jdg. 3:3, 5; 2 Sam. 24:7; 1 Ki. 9:20; 1 Chr. 1:15; 2 Chr. 8:7) THE JEBUSITES: (note)(39 uses in OT - Gen. 10:16; 15:21; Exod. 3:8, 17; 13:5; 23:23; 33:2; 34:11; Num. 13:29; Deut. 7:1; 20:17; Jos. 3:10; 9:1; 11:3; 12:8; 15:8, 63; 18:16, 28; 24:11; Jdg. 1:21; 3:5; 19:11; 2 Sam. 5:6, 8; 24:16, 18; 1 Ki. 9:20; 1 Chr. 1:14; 11:4, 6; 21:15, 18, 28; 2 Chr. 3:1; 8:7; Ezr. 9:1; Neh. 9:8; Zech. 9:7) Judges 3:6 and they took their daughters for themselves as wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods. they took their daughters for themselves as wives Ex 34:16; Dt 7:3,4; 1Ki 11:1, 2, 3, 4, 5; Ezra 9:11,12; Neh 13:23, 24, 25, 26, 27; Ezek 16:3 A DECEPTIVE DEADLY LIAISON And they took their daughters for themselves as wives: The Israelites failed God’s test, being enticed into (1) marriages with Canaanites and {2) worship of their gods. Disobedience was repeated frequently through the centuries, and led God to use the Assyrians (2Ki 17:6-18, 2Ki 17:19 = the southern kingdom, 2Ki 17:20-30) and Babylonians (2Ki 24:7-20; Following passages describe the 3rd and final siege of Jerusalem = 2Ki 25:1-17) to expel them from the land. To "pass the TEST" believer's today must separate from intimate, "yoke type" association with unbelievers, must not love and must not be conformed to the world… Do not be bound (present imperative with a negative = stop doing this) together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? (2Cor 6:14+) (See Jdg 3:2+ 1Jn 2:15, Jas 4:4+, Ro 12:2-+) And gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods: This was a bad exchange because when their daughters married they became one flesh with the idol worshipping husbands, making it difficult for them to remain faithful to Yahweh, their spiritual Husband! The Israelites ignored the warning of Moses (Dt 7:1-12. cp ) and intermarried with the pagan, gentile, natives, the consequence being the adoption of their seductive cults. Even the wisest man Solomon became seduced by pagan, idol worshipping women, reflecting his unfaithfulness to Yahweh, which cost him the kingdom (1Ki 11:1-11). And served their gods (Cp Ps 106:28 - Spurgeon's note): To review note that the Israelites descended three steps in their cultural accommodation to paganism - (1) they lived among the Canaanites, (2) they intermarried with them, and (3) they served their gods, each step naturally leading to the next level of degradation. Israel's apathy (to God's commandments) led inevitably to apostasy. THOUGHT - Today those who profess to know Christ and yet exhibit apathy toward the Word of God (and the God of the Word) are at risk of sliding into apostasy. It began with intermarriage, which led to idol worship. After all, when you visit your in-laws, you must be polite to their gods! As Israel compromised her call to be holy as God is holy, the surviving pagan nations adopted a “good neighbor” policy toward Israel that eventually corrupted Israel from within and led to God's sending enemies from without to oppress them. Sometimes Satan comes as a lion to devour, but often he comes as a serpent to deceive (1Pe 5:8+; 2Cor 11:3, Re 12:9, 2Cor 11:3, 13-15, Ge 3:1-5, 13, 2Th 2:9-11). The clarion, eternal, call to God's people has always been come out from their midst and be separate and do not touch what is unclean (Isa 52:11, 2Co 6:17, 2Ti 2:21, 22+). Judges 3:7 And the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God, and served the Baals and the Asheroth. Did what was evil - Jdg 3:12 Jdg 2:11-13 The Asheroth (KJV = the groves) - Ex 6:25; Ex 34:13; Dt 16:21; 1Ki 16:33; 18:19; 2Ki 23:6,14; 2Chr 15:16; 24:18; 33:3,19; 34:3,7 THE PRODIGAL PEOPLE We are all familiar with the story of the prodigal son, but in Judges we see the entire nation becomes a prodigal people. And the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD: - Evil doers is the repeated refrain in the book of Judges. Indeed, by the time one is finished reading Judges he has had his fill of the cycle of sin. This phrase (evil in the sight of the LORD) occurs 56 times with increasing frequency in Kings & Chronicles… interestingly it is found only 2x in 1 or 2 Samuel! Here are all 56 uses of "evil in the sight of the LORD" (Gen. 38:7; Num. 32:13; Deut. 4:25; 9:18; 17:2; 31:29; Jdg. 2:11; 3:7, 12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; 13:1; 1 Sam. 15:19; 2 Sam. 11:27; 1 Ki. 11:6; 14:22; 15:26, 34; 16:19, 25, 30; 21:20, 25; 22:52; 2 Ki. 3:2; 8:18, 27; 13:2, 11; 14:24; 15:9, 18, 24, 28; 17:2, 17; 21:2, 6, 16, 20; 23:32, 37; 24:9, 19; 2 Chr. 21:6; 22:4; 29:6; 33:2, 6, 22; 36:5, 9, 12; Jer. 52:2) Secret sin on earth is open scandal in heaven! How humiliating that the pagan nations Israel imitated were used as the instruments of God’s discipline! The conquerors were now the conquered. Wiersbe comments "They regretted their sufferings, but they did not repent of their sins. They experienced a painful cycle of disobedience, discipline, despair, and deliverance, only to go back into disobedience again." (With the Word) And forgot the LORD (see Jdg 2:1 note) their GOD: Forgot is Qal Impf which means again and again they ignored, became oblivious, and ceased to care for Yahweh. Moses had predicted this would occur declaring it as if it had already occurred "You neglected the Rock who begot you, and forgot the God who gave you birth." (Dt 32:18+, cf 1Sa 12:9) The Septuagint (LXX) translates forgot with the verb epilanthanomai which means to completely forget! Note that the forgetting of God precedes the commission of evil. The corollary of course is that keeping God in our remembrance is a strong preventative to doing evil. In Job 1:1 we read "There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil." Why did Job turn away from evil? Clearly it was his holy, reverential awe of God that served to buttress him from the temptations to commit evil. THOUGHT - Do you have a holy fear of the LORD? Holy fear will lead to a healthy life. ILLUSTRATION - After stopping in Montgomery, Alabama, for gas, Sam drove more than 5 hours before noticing he had left someone behind--his wife. So at the next town he asked police to help him get in touch with her. He admitted with great embarrassment that he just hadn't noticed her absence. It's hard to understand how Sam could forget his wife, but we're not much different in our relationship with God. We actually fail to remember the One Who created us and redeemed us. We're no different from Israel in the OT. If God seems far away, guess who moved? To forget the Lord involves neglect of his covenant demands, ingratitude for his blessings, and a self-sufficient attitude, which in turn opens the door to idolatry. Moses had given clear warning… "Then it shall come about when the LORD your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you shall eat and be satisfied, then watch yourself, lest you forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. (Dt 6:10-12, cf Dt. 8:10-20; Dt 32:15-18) Note the progression: >>> lived in the middle of & surrounded by their enemies >>> intermarried >>> ensnared with their idols >>>did evil in sight of God >>> forgot God (they weren't even "syncretistic"!) (2:12 "forsook" God) >>> served abominable sex gods Baal, Asheroth (2:12 "followed" "bowed") >>> anger of Lord kindled >>> God sold to enemies Cp Judges 2:13+ which is appears to be a SUMMARY STATEMENT: "FORSOOK the LORD and SERVED Baal" How quickly they went downhill when they failed to obey the first command to be a SEPARATED, HOLY people (cp similar commands to believers 2Co 6:14, 17+, 2Co 7:1+, 1Co 5:9,11+, Ro 16:17, 18+, Mt 9:9-12+) and have no other gods before Him (Ex 20:3-5+, 1Co 10:14+, 1Jn 5:21+, Isa 43:10, Isa 42:8). This is a sad but very instructive admonition to modern day believers. Paul writes... Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved....Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.(1Cor 10:6,11+) And served (became enslaved to) the Baals - The word Baal is instructive because it means masters, lords, possessors,and even husbands! Israel had a faithful Husband, Yahweh (Isa 54:5, Jer 31:32) and yet committed spiritual adultery. Instead of being bound to Yahweh, they became enslaved to their false gods because everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin (Jn 8:34). And notice the contrast between one true and living God (monotheism - cf Dt 6:4) and many false, dead "gods" (polytheism). And as alluded to above, not one Husband but many husbands. Israel's defection from the LORD and devotion to the world reminds one of the passage in James... You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (Jas 4:4+) Similarly Paul wrote to the Corinthian church who was being seduced by the worldly ways of pagan Corinth... For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. (2Co 11:2+) AND THE ASHEROTH - The Septuagint translates it with the Greek word "alsos" which refers to a glade or grove, referring in context to a "sacred" grove or a "hallowed precinct" because that is often where this despicable, detestable, abominable false worship took place. Asheroth = transliterated from the Hebrew word Asherah use 40 times in OT = Ex 34:13; Deut. 7:5; 12:3; 16:21; Jdg. 3:7; 6:25, 26, 28, 30; 1Ki. 14:15, 23; 15:13; 16:33; 18:19; 2Ki. 13:6; 17:10, 16; 18:4; 21:3, 7; 23:4, 6, 7, 14, 15; 2Chr. 14:3; 15:16; 17:6; 19:3; 24:18; 31:1; 33:3, 19; 34:3, 4, 7; Isa. 17:8; 27:9; Jer. 17:2; Mic 5:14. Notice the prevalence in Judges, Kings and 2Chronicles. It is curiously absent from first and second Samuel, the reigns of Saul and David! Interesting. Baker writes that Asheroth is A feminine noun which signifies the Canaanite fertility goddess believed to be the consort of Baal. Because of this association, the worship of Baal and Asherah was often linked together (Jdg. 3:7; 1Ki 18:19; 2Ki 23:4). The noun is most often used for a carved wooden image of the goddess instead of a proper name (Jdg 6:26; 1Ki 14:15). This image was frequently associated with high places and fresh (i.e., green) trees—the latter contributing to the misleading translations of the Septuagint and Vulgate that the word denoted “groves” (Dt. 12:3; 1Ki 14:23; Jer 17:2). The Israelites were commanded by God to cut down and burn the images (Ex 34:13; Dt. 12:3), and occasionally the Israelites took steps to eliminate them (1Ki 15:13; 2Ki 23:4, 6, 7). Nevertheless, throughout much of Israel’s pre-exilic history, false worship was a problem, even to the extent that Asherah’s image was erected in God’s temple itself (2Ki 21:7; Isa. 27:9). (Complete Word Study Dictionary- Old Testament) Groves or Asherahs, like high places, have been associated w idolatrous worship. Sometimes = "Asherah poles" [NIV] = also the idol enshrined there (Dt 16:21). This idol seems often to have been a sacred tree, the figure of which is constantly found on Assyrian monuments. In apostate Israel, however, such places were associated with every form of idolatry (2Ki 17:16,17). See "high places" (1Ki 3:2), and "Asthoreths" (Jdg 2:13-see note Jdg 2:13). David Jeremiah on 3:7-16:31 - The heart of the Book of Judges is the cycles section, which tells the stories of Israel's rebellion and God's deliverance. Together, these cycles form a downward spiral as the quality of the deliverers and their leadership deteriorates. With each cycle, the Israelites became more like their pagan neighbors, the Canaanites. (Jeremiah Study Bible - borrow for 1 hour). Judges 3:8 Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, so that He sold them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. CSB The LORD's anger burned against Israel, and He sold them to Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram-naharaim, and the Israelites served him eight years. ESV Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. KJV Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years. NET The LORD was furious with Israel and turned them over to King Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram-Naharaim. They were Cushan-Rishathaim's subjects for eight years. the anger of the LORD was kindled Jdg 2:14,20; Exodus 22:24; Deuteronomy 29:20; Psalms 6:1; 85:3 so that He sold them Jdg 4:9; Deuteronomy 32:30; 1Samuel 12:9; Isaiah 50:1; Ro 7:14 Related Passage: Psalm 106:40-45 Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against His people, and He abhorred His inheritance. 41 Then He gave them into the hand of the nations; And those who hated them ruled over them. 42 Their enemies also oppressed them, And they were subdued under their power. 43 Many times He would deliver them (BELOVED LET US READ THIS PERSONALLY!); They, however, were rebellious in their counsel, And so sank down in their iniquity. 44 Nevertheless He looked upon their distress, When He heard their cry; 45 And He remembered His covenant for their sake, And relented according to the greatness of His lovingkindness. (Spurgeon's comment) Judges 2:14 The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. Judges 4:2 And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; and the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. Judges 4:9 She said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. Judges 10:7 The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the sons of Ammon. YAHWEH'S WRATH FLAMES UP AGAIN Then the anger (aph-nose) of the LORD was kindled (charah) against Israel - Literally "Yahweh's nose became hot" as is rendered in KJV. This is a vivid (frightening) and expressive metaphor for the anger of Yahweh (Lxx here = orgizo) and one of the most obvious examples of the anthropomorphisms for God in the OT. This is true righteous anger, fully justified by the actions of Israel in the face of the truth about Jehovah and repeated warnings and commands regarding the "clear and present danger" of enemies in the land (and Israel in the very midst of those enemies). THOUGHT - Fallen flesh does not like to be told what to do… in the Old Testament or the New Testament (cp Ro 5:12+, Jn 8:34). That's why a believer needs to know and appropriate the truth of co-crucifixion with Christ & the rendering inoperative of our former master Sin (Ro 6:1-10+ = what you need to know; Ro 6:11+ = what you need to reckon or consider as the truth; Ro 6:12, 13, 14+ = what you are to do and who you are now to surrender to because you have the power to do so, Cp Gal 5:16-18+). Is it any wonder that God became angry? Is it any wonder He humiliated Israel by using pagan nations to discipline His own people? Since Israel was acting like the pagans, God had to treat them like pagans! “With the kind Thou dost show Thyself kind; With the blameless Thou dost show Thyself blameless; With the pure Thou dost show Thyself pure; And with the crooked Thou dost show Thyself astute.” (Ps 18:25,26). (Spurgeon) So that (purpose clause) He sold (makar) them - This is God's way of doing business (so to speak, a play on "sold") with rebels who refuse to submit to His loving leadership! (See makar in Jdg 2:14+ and Jdg 10:7+) In Isaiah 50:1+ we read Yahweh's question "to whom of My creditors did I sell you? Behold, you were sold (makar) for your iniquities, and for your transgressions your mother was sent away (PROPHECY OF FUTURE EXILE OF NORTH AND SOUTH KINGDOMS)." Sidlow Baxter comments that… Israel's servitudes were not just accidents. They were punishments. This is a point for serious consideration. God may confer special privileges on certain persons and nations, but He is no respecter of persons in any sense of indulgence to favourites. Those who sin against extra privilege bear heavier responsibility and incur heavier penalty. God may give many privileges, but He never gives the privilege to sin. Let us beware lest a sense of privilege should beguile our own hearts into the sin of presumption. As we read this book of Judges we may well feel amazed that such low living could go with such high calling. Yes - high calling and low living! A convention chairman once said: "It is possible to be moral without being spiritual: and it is even possible to be spiritual without being moral!" Paradoxical? Impossible? Yet have we not come across persons knowing the deeper and higher truths of the Christian life, able to converse freely in a most spiritual vein, and who, nevertheless, could stoop to behaviour that the average non-Christian would shrink from in disgust? It is only too easy for familiarity to engender callousness, and then for callousness to be hypocritically covered with an outer garment of seeming spirituality. We must watch and pray, lest we ourselves enter into this temptation… This recurrent emphasis is meant to do its own work in the reader's mind. Let us read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest. There are things in the moral realm which are indissolubly wedded. Sin and suffering always go together. They cannot be divorced. Oh that human hearts might be persuaded of this! It is also true that supplication and salvation are similarly joined. God will be entreated by a true supplication in which there is a putting away of the evil thing; and then He will show His salvation. (J. Sidlow Baxter. Explore the Book) Davis has some thought provoking comments on this cycle of sin and slavery noting that… This sequence is not a natural episode of cause and effect but flows from the searing heat of Yahweh’s wrath. We are so accustomed to our secularized, non-revelatory view of history that depicts events as resulting from various observable causes, conditions, and factors, and, paradoxically, we are so familiar with biblical historiography that we fail to recognize how strange biblical (prophetic) history is. Not a tame natural process but blazing supernatural wrath explains Israel’s servitude. Yahweh is the God who makes and orders history. And “who considers the power of thy anger, / and thy wrath according to the fear of thee?” (Ps. 90:11 RSV - Spurgeon's note). Yet even here, in Yahweh’s anger, is hope for Israel, for his anger shows that he will not allow Israel to serve Baal unmolested. Yahweh’s wrath is the heat of his jealous love by which he refuses to let go of his people; he refuses to allow his people to remain comfortable in sin. Serving Cushan–rishathaim may not sound like salvation to us — and it isn’t, but, if it forces us to lose our grip on Baal, it may be the beginning of salvation. We must confess that Yahweh’s anger is not good news nor is it bad news but good bad news. It shows that the covenant God who has bound himself to his people will not allow them to become cozy in their infidelity. “Steadfast love” pursues them in their iniquity and is not above inflicting misery in order to awaken them. The burning anger of Yahweh is certainly no picnic, but it may be the only sign of hope for God’s people, even though they may be yet unaware of that fact. (Judges: Such a Great Salvation - Focus on the Bible) (Bolding added) Into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: Into the hands is the repeated Hebrew idiom (and an idiom in English) for giving someone into the power or control of another. The meaning of "Cushan-Rishathaim" is not certain but the most frequent translations are "dark one of double evil"; "doubly-wicked Cushan"; "Cushan of Double Wickedness" or "Cushite of the double outrage". The "two fold" increase aspect of the name seems to be universally accepted, so in some way this man was especially evil, Hitleresque, so to speak! To the Greeks and Romans the term "Mesopotamia" ("between the rivers") was used to denote the area between the Tigris and Euphrates, and the lands around the headwaters and southernmost courses of those rivers. In the Bible it is restricted to Aram Naharaim, a rather vaguely defined region centering about the city of Haran in the NW sector of the broader region (cf. Ge 24:10). It is interesting that the Greek translation of "sold them into the hands" is the verb apodidomi which means to give or pay back which has a bad sense in this context but for believers has a good sense as in 2Ti 4:8+ ("will award"). God's giving Israel over was His righteous way of rendering just recompense. Indeed is not the pay (wages) of sin death? (Ro 6:23+ - cf "Pay day, some day") And so here we see Israel choose death rather God's gracious offer of life, clearly forgetting the memorable words (words that should have been memorable!) words of Moses... “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants," (Dt 30:19+). Into the hand* is a "key phrase" in the book of Judges - Jdg. 2:14; Jdg. 2:23; Jdg. 3:8; Jdg. 4:2; Jdg. 4:9; Jdg. 6:1; Jdg. 6:13; Jdg. 7:16; Jdg. 10:7; Jdg. 11:21; Jdg. 13:1; Jdg. 15:12; Jdg. 15:18 And the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years: God's judgment of releasing Israel into the control of sinful people is living proof of the truth in Proverbs 5:22+ that "His own iniquities will capture the wicked, and he will be held with the cords of his sin." (O MY - WHAT A WARNING TO ALL OF US!) Since they chose not to serve Jehovah but gods who are really no gods, Jehovah gave them into the hands of this "doubly wicked" pagan king to serve him. THOUGHT - Be aware (BEWARE!) that God sometimes gives us what we want if we persist in rebelling against His loving leadership. Woe! Israel learned by an oppressive experience that there is a way which seems right to a man but its end is death. (Pr 14:12,16:25) How foolish they had been to think they must adopt Baal worship in order to prosper in the new land. One motive for Baal worship that may have enticed them (in addition to the sensual gratification motives of promiscuous Baal worship) was the "fairy tale" of fecund fertility of the land as the "fruit (rotten)" engaging in the lewd, abominable Baal/Astheroth "fertility" rites! Had not Jehovah promised fertility, prosperity, and security to His people when they obeyed His commands? That's rhetorical of course (Read Dt 28:1-12+). By turning from God and to "no gods" they had brought upon themselves God's righteous CURSES instead of His BLESSINGS (Dt 28:15-19+). In the next verse we see that this distress drove Israel to cry out, as trials and tribulations in our life are prone to do! And the ever merciful, gracious Lord heard although He could have ignored them. Charles Spurgeon was as usual correct when he said that God never allows His people to sin successfully! Sin will either destroy us or it will invite the chastening hand of God (He 12:5-11). If the history of Israel teaches the contemporary church anything (cp 1Co 10:6, 11+) it’s the obvious lesson of the proverb that “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Pr 14:34) (ARE YOU LISTENING AMERICA, 2022?) Sold (sell)( 04376)(makar) means sold or surrender but as discussed above the Septuagint (LXX) translates with a verb that adds the nuance of paying back what is owed (Israel had sown to the flesh and from the flesh was being paid back with corruption cp Galatians 6:8) and given the meaning of the name (below) of the evil one to whom they were "sold" to, we get a sense of the meaning of (Hosea 8:7 "For they sow the wind, and they reap the whirlwind"), where sowing of the wind reaps multiplied grief pictured by the whirlwind. Makar means to sell, to dispose of or transfer or be disposed of or transferred to a purchaser in exchange for money or other consideration. The first use is by Jacob calling on Esau to "sell me your birthright" (Ge 25:31, 33). The verb can be defined variously as "to sell," "to sell one's self," "to be given over" and "to abandon." A variety of items are sold in the OT - Cattle (Ex. 21:35), sheep (Zech. 11:5), houses (Lev. 25:29), clothes (Pr 31:24), oil (2 Ki. 4:7), grain (Neh. 10:31) fish (Neh. 13:15). The Lord required fairness in the exchange, and warned, "Do not take advantage of each other" (Lev. 25:14NIV). Makar could describe the sale of person - Joseph to the Midianites (Ge 37:28), a fellow Jew who becomes indebted (is to be treated as a hired man) (Lev 25:39-40), a Jew sold to a foreigner could be redeemed (Lev 25:47) Israelites were not allowed to sell a wife taken as prisoner of war should he decide to break the marriage (Dt. 21:14). Selling a fellow Israelite was forbidden (Ex 21:16). If land in Israel was sold to cover debts, provision was made for the nearest kinsman (goel) to redeem it for that individual if he could not do it himself (Lev 25:25f). In the Year of Jubilee, all property reverted to the original landowner or family (Lev 25:28). Property could not be permanently sold, for ultimately it belonged to Yahweh. Makar is frequently applied figuratively, most often to apostasy. In another figurative use we are commanded to "Buy truth, and do not sell" (Pr 23:23) Makar - 75v - certainly sell(1), destruction(1), make(1), merchants(1), offer yourselves for sale(1), sell(23), seller(3), selling(1), sells(8), sold(40). Gen. 25:31; Gen. 25:33; Gen. 31:15; Gen. 37:27; Gen. 37:28; Gen. 37:36; Gen. 45:4; Gen. 45:5; Gen. 47:20; Gen. 47:22; Exod. 21:7; Exod. 21:8; Exod. 21:16; Exod. 21:35; Exod. 22:1; Exod. 22:3; Lev. 25:14; Lev. 25:15; Lev. 25:16; Lev. 25:23; Lev. 25:25; Lev. 25:27; Lev. 25:29; Lev. 25:34; Lev. 25:39; Lev. 25:42; Lev. 25:47; Lev. 25:48; Lev. 25:50; Lev. 27:20; Lev. 27:27; Lev. 27:28; Deut. 14:21; Deut. 15:12; Deut. 21:14; Deut. 24:7; Deut. 28:68; Deut. 32:30; Jdg. 2:14; Jdg. 3:8; Jdg. 4:2; Jdg. 4:9; Jdg. 10:7; Ruth 4:3; 1 Sam. 12:9; 1 Ki. 21:20; 1 Ki. 21:25; 2 Ki. 4:7; 2 Ki. 17:17; Neh. 5:8; Neh. 10:31; Neh. 13:15; Neh. 13:16; Neh. 13:20; Est. 7:4; Ps. 44:12; Ps. 73:18; Ps. 105:17; Prov. 23:23; Prov. 31:24; Isa. 24:2; Isa. 50:1; Isa. 52:3; Jer. 34:14; Ezek. 7:12; Ezek. 7:13; Ezek. 30:12; Ezek. 48:14; Joel 3:3; Joel 3:6; Joel 3:7; Joel 3:8; Amos 2:6; Nah. 3:4; Zech. 11:5 Judges 3:9 And when the sons of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the sons of Israel to deliver them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. Cried - Jdg 2:15; 4:3; 6:7; 10:10; 1Sa 12:10; Neh 9:27; Ps 22:5; 78:34; 106:41, 42, 43, 44; Ps 107:13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 CRY OUT TO THE HEAVENLY FATHER And when the sons of Israel cried (za'aq) to the LORD: - Sons of Israel speaks of the nation. Did they meet together to cry out or did they more likely do so from their individual homes? We cannot know with certainty. Notice the word "when"! One gets the picture that Yahweh was patiently waiting to hear their cry for deliverance! The LXX translates za'aq with krazo which can be used of urgent prayer or supplication, Krazo also means to make a vehement outcry, which can mean to scream or shriek, as when one utters loud cries, without words capable of being understood. Did Israel ask "Lord please deliver us?" We cannot state with certain. They may have been like the people on an airliner that suddenly loses power and begins to plunge to the earth, the passengers screaming and crying out, usually voicing the phrase "O God," even when they don't necessary believe in Him or have a personal relationship. Israel's "airline" was "crashing" down so they began crying out! When the context does not specifically indicate that the cry was accompanied by a confession of sin, it is best not to assume that repentance took place. Therefore we need not assume that Israel's cry for help in the present context constituted repentance. All we can safely say is that oppressed Israel cried out to the Lord to intervene. THOUGHT - Affliction makes those cry to God who before would scarcely speak to Him before. When you are at the end of yourself cry out for the Deliverer: Even better is to pray incessantly. He will hear. Say ''I can't Lord but You can!'' As alluded to above, although Israel cried out in their distress, there was no clear mention of repentance. Compare the previous descriptions that support the premise that as a nation they had no genuine change of heart (and remember that they are still living in the midst of the abominable Canaanites!) Judges 2:17+ Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them. They turned aside QUICKLY from the way (NOT A DESCRIPTION OF A REPENTANT HEART) in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do as their fathers. Judges 2:19+ But it came about when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly (AS IF THEY HAD BEEN MAKING PROVISION FOR THE SIN, JUST WAITING FOR THE JUDGE TO DIE - cf Ro 13:14+) than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways (FURTHER EVIDENCE THAT THEY WERE NOT TRULY REPENTANT). Dale Ralph Davis comments that the conclusion that there is no evidence that Israel repented is important "for it shows that when “Yahweh raised up a savior” for Israel he was not reacting to any repentance on Israel’s part. If anything, he was responding to their misery rather than to their sorrow, to their pain rather than to their penitence. Who then can ever plumb the abyss of Yahweh’s pity for his people, even his sinful people, who are moved more by their distress than by their depravity? Yahweh is indeed the one “who could bear Israel’s suffering no longer” (Jdg 10:16NJB+). What sheer grace then when Yahweh delivers! Our primary problem is that verse 9 moves us only to yawn. After all, we already know the theological truth of Jdg 3:9 — we’ve read that sort of thing often before. So we respond with a, pleasant, nodding ho–hum. Isn’t God nice? What’s for supper? If we fail to see, to feel, to delight in the miracle of God’s own nature, are we not strangers to rather than partakers of such unbelievable grace?" (Judges: Such a Great Salvation) Despite lack of evidence that the people genuinely repented of their sins when they cried out to God for help, the Lord responded to their plight and gave them a deliverer. It was the Exodus experience all over again: Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out (za'aq) ; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God. So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice (yada). ” (Ex 2:23-25+) COMMENT - The word “took notice" (yada) means much more than intellectual understanding, for God knows everything. It means that God identified with their trials and felt a concern for their welfare (cf yada in Ps 1:6 = "knows"), "for since (Jesus) Himself was tempted (peirazo) in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of (boetheo) those who are tempted (peirazo in present tense, passive voice - BELIEVERS ARE CONTINUALLY BEING TESTED!)." (Hebrews 2:18+). THOUGHT - Are you suffering affliction beloved? Then cry out for your Deliver, Yeshua. You might want to listen to this "oldie, but goodie" Maranatha song Cry Out. The LORD raised up a deliverer (yasha'; Lxx = soter = savior) for the sons of Israel to deliver (yasha'; Lxx = sozo = to rescue) them - Yahweh responded with action. The words deliverer/deliver (both yasha) mean to save, to help, to deliver, to defend. The underlying idea is bringing to a place of safety or broad pasture as opposed to a narrow strait, symbolic of distress and danger. Here the deliverer refers to a Spirit ordained man who He used as His instrument to rescue Israel from oppression With God there are no extraordinary people— only ordinary ones through whom He chooses to do extraordinary things. Alfred Edersheim - The Judges were Israel’s representative men—representative of its faith and hope, but also of its sin and decay. Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother -- Othniel means "God is might" and clearly he lived up to his name. He was already a proven conqueror (Josh 15:17+, Jdg 1:13+). God used a man but we must not think it was the man who delivered them. God was ultimately their Deliverer, their Savior (Titus 1:3+, Titus 2:10+). NET NOTE on Othniel - "Caleb's younger brother" may refer to Othniel or to Kenaz (in which case Othniel is Caleb's nephew). Cried out (02199)(za'aq) means to cry out, to call out for help (especially when in distress), to appeal (even making public sounds of physical and/or emotional anguish - Ex 2:23, 2Chr 20:9, Job 35:9). It is basically a cry of pain, often accompanied by a lament over one's condition and/or by a request for divine help. Za'aq can be summoned in the sense of to be assembled (Jos 8:16; Jdg 6:34, 35; 18:22, 23) Finally, za'aq can mean to issue a proclamation by sending out an official written document with instructions or principles (Jonah 3:7) There are several passages (Psalm 107:13, 19) where za’aq may seem to approach a hint of repentance; yet in each case the emphasis remains on the condition of distress rather than on any expression of repentance. Za'aq - 74x in OT - NOTE CONCENTRATION IN JUDGES - Ex 2:23; Jos. 8:16; Jdg. 3:9; Jdg. 3:15; Jdg. 4:10; Jdg. 4:13; Jdg. 6:6; Jdg. 6:7; Jdg. 6:34; Jdg. 6:35; Jdg. 10:10; Jdg. 10:14; Jdg. 12:2; Jdg. 18:22; Jdg. 18:23; 1 Sam. 4:13; 1 Sam. 5:10; 1 Sam. 7:8; 1 Sam. 7:9; 1 Sam. 8:18; 1 Sam. 12:8; 1 Sam. 12:10; 1 Sam. 14:20; 1 Sam. 15:11; 1 Sam. 28:12; 2 Sam. 13:19; 2 Sam. 19:4; 2 Sam. 19:28; 2 Sam. 20:4; 2 Sam. 20:5; 1 Ki. 22:32; 1 Chr. 5:20; 2 Chr. 18:31; 2 Chr. 20:9; 2 Chr. 32:20; Neh. 9:4; Neh. 9:28; Est. 4:1; Job 31:38; Job 35:9; Ps. 22:5; Ps. 107:13; Ps. 107:19; Ps. 142:1; Ps. 142:5; Eccl. 9:17; Isa. 14:31; Isa. 15:4; Isa. 15:5; Isa. 26:17; Isa. 30:19; Isa. 57:13; Jer. 11:11; Jer. 11:12; Jer. 20:8; Jer. 25:34; Jer. 30:15; Jer. 47:2; Jer. 48:20; Jer. 48:31; Lam. 3:8; Ezek. 9:8; Ezek. 11:13; Ezek. 21:12; Ezek. 27:30; Hos. 7:14; Hos. 8:2; Joel 1:14; Jon. 1:5; Jon. 3:7; Mic. 3:4; Hab. 1:2; Hab. 2:11; Zech. 6:8 Deliverer (savior) (03467)(yasha' is often translated by LXX with "sozo) means to save, to help, to deliver, to defend signifying primarily bringing to a place of safety or broad pasture as opposed to a narrow strait, symbolic of distress and danger - Deliverance from tribulation (Jdg. 10:13, 14); Deliverance from death (Ps. 22:21). Rescue from enemies (Dt. 28:31; Jdg. 6:14) Victory in war (1Sa 14:6). Shepherd's protection (Ezek. 34:22; cf. Jdg. 10:1); Avenging wrongs (1Sa 25:33); Aid in a time of need (2Ki. 6:26, 27; Ps. 12:1). Yasha describes the salvation that comes only from God (Isa. 33:22; Zeph. 3:17). First use in OT is of Moses who "helped" (yasha') Israel (Ex 2:17) but in truth the "LORD saved (yasha') Israel." (Ex 14:30). So judges would move the people from distress to safety which would equate with deliverance and liberation to those in bondage to evil masters. Yasha' in Judges - A Key Word - Jdg. 2:16; Jdg. 2:18; Jdg. 3:9; Jdg. 3:15; Jdg. 3:31; Jdg. 6:14; Jdg. 6:15; Jdg. 6:31; Jdg. 6:36; Jdg. 6:37; Jdg. 7:2; Jdg. 7:7; Jdg. 8:22; Jdg. 10:1; Jdg. 10:12; Jdg. 10:13; Jdg. 10:14; Jdg. 12:2; Jdg. 12:3; Jdg. 13:5 CHARACTERISTICS OF OTHNIEL - Outstanding solid family background which gave him the privilege of seeing the principles of trust & obedience demonstrated in the life of Caleb. He was a man of proven ability (see note Judges 1:13), of courage (and trust in God's promises) (Kiriath-sepher was a stronghold of giants), of faith (Judges 3:10 ). Jewish rabbis were so impressed with Othniel that they ranked him "first" among the judges. But the key to God's using Othniel is found in (Judges 3:10 ) - the Lord was his strength in the Person of the Holy Spirit Who every believer today possesses (1Cor 12:12, Acts 1:8). Thus Israel was kept from apostasy by this one godly leader. God + one man = a majority. As a young man Othniel had fought giants at Debir; as an older man he moved against the powerful Aramaeans. He was a man of faith, and at Kadesh-barnea he heard his older brother Caleb exhort the Israelites not to fear the giants in Canaan but to trust the Lord. (Nu 14:9). God is a God of great mercy… look what He had said to Abraham regarding the lands of the Kennizites [Caleb's & Othniel's relatives] = (Ge 15:19). QUESTION - Who was Othniel? ANSWER - Othniel, the first judge, is first mentioned in Joshua 15:17 as “Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother.” As a nephew of Caleb, Othniel took on the challenge of conquering the city of Debir (or Kiriath Sepher) and driving out the Canaanites there. As the victor, Othniel received the reward of Achsah, Caleb’s daughter, as his wife. Othniel had two sons named Hathath and Meonothai and was from the tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 4:13). Othniel lived in Debir in the land of Judah after this time. Through his wife’s influence, he obtained from his uncle Caleb the upper and lower springs in the land of the Negeb (Joshua 15:19). Othniel is important in biblical history as the first judge listed in the Book of Judges. After eight years of bondage to Cushan-Rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, the people cried out to God for help (Judges 3:9). In response, the LORD “raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them. The Spirit of the Lord came on him, so that he became Israel’s judge and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died” (Judges 3:9–11). We find in this passage that 1) Othniel was raised up as a judge and leader in Israel, 2) he defeated the king of Mesopotamia, and 3) Othniel and the Israelites lived in peace following this time. Othniel’s leadership spanned a long time, covering approximately 1350—1310 BC. Othniel is the first of 12 judges listed in the Book of Judges. His judgeship covered a transitional period connecting the leaders of the past to the leaders of his time. He was related to Caleb, who had left Egypt as a freed slave and entered the Promised Land as a leader. Important lessons learned from the life of Othniel include the influence of family, the role of the Holy Spirit in empowering a person’s life, and the tremendous value of godly leadership in keeping peace among a community of people. Interestingly, the tomb of “Othniel Ben Kenaz” is believed to be located in Hebron. Preceded by Joshua and followed by Ehud in Israel’s history, Othniel’s important legacy endures still today among the great leaders of Israel.GotQuestions.org Judges 3:10 And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. When he went out to war, the LORD gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand, so that he prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. Spirit of the LORD came upon him Jdg 6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 14:6,19; Nu 11:17; 27:18; 1Sa 10:6; 11:6; 16:13; 2Chr 15:1; 20:14; Ps 51:11; 1Co 12:4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11; Heb 6:4 THE SPIRIT - THE SOURCE OF OTHNIEL'S STRENGTH And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him: The Spirit of the Lord appears seven times in Judges. Note the prophetic passage in Isaiah 11:2 "And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD." Spirit of the LORD - 28x in the NAS OT and NT = Jdg. 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14; 1 Sam. 10:6; 16:13f; 2 Sam. 23:2; 1 Ki. 18:12; 22:24; 2 Ki. 2:16; 2 Chr. 18:23; 20:14; Isa. 11:2; 40:13; 61:1; 63:14; Ezek. 11:5; 37:1; Mic. 2:7; 3:8; Lk. 4:18; Acts 5:9; 8:39; 2Co. 3:17 It is interesting that the OT rarely links the terms holy and spirit, in the expression “Holy Spirit, a phrase appearing only three times in -- Ps 51:11; Isa 63:10, 11. Judges 3:9-10 emphasizes Jehovah's power and providential control, for His Spirit equips and empowers Othniel and by His power the enemy is given into Othniel's hand. There can be no missing the truth that “salvation (deliverance) is from the LORD” (Jonah 2:9) Brensinger summarizes the roles of the Spirit in the Old Testament writing that Generally speaking, the Spirit of God appears in the OT in three distinct contexts. First, the Spirit of God actively participates in both the creation and the preservation of the world (Gen. 1:2; Job 26:13, KJV and Heb.; Ps. 33:6; 104:30). In this way, the Spirit powerfully brings order and life out of chaos. Second, the Spirit of God frequently serves to energize and inspire Israel’s leaders (e.g., Ex 31:3; Nu 11:25-29). The Former Prophets typically envision the Spirit in this way—coming upon and empowering selected individuals assigned to perform specific tasks (Jdg 6:34, 11:29, 13:25, 14:6, 15:14-see notes Judges 6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 14:6; 14:19; 15:14; 1Sa 10:10; 11:6; 16:13). So too do the prophets themselves refer to the enabling operation of the Spirit in their ministries (Ezek 11:5; Mic. 3:8; Zech. 4:6; 7:12). Third, the Spirit of God plays a crucial role in ancient Israel’s eschatological hopes, in her dreams concerning the future. The same life-giving Spirit, for example, will restore flesh to parched bones and reestablish Israel (Ezek. 37:14). Furthermore, an anticipated outpouring of God’s Spirit upon all people resounds within the prophetic proclamation (Isa. 32:15; 44:3; Ezek. 39:29; Joel 2:28). With this outpouring will come transformation, renewal, and a longed-for spiritual vitality. Reflected in the OT’s depiction of the Holy Spirit, then, is a progression of sorts. What begins with the movement of the Spirit at creation and continues with the empowering of selected individuals eventually gives way to a remarkably comprehensive hope in which the Spirit of God will indwell all of God’s people—young and old, men and women. Herein lies a major qualitative difference between the OT and the New. What formerly could only be imagined has now come to pass: God’s Spirit not simply coming upon selected individuals, but actually dwelling within the hearts of the members of the entire community of faith (Acts 2:1-6f+; 1Cor. 3:16; Gal. 5:25+;). (Judges. Believers Church Bible Commentary. Page 232. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press) The Spirit came upon several other men in OT - Gideon - Jdg 6:34+, Jephthah Jdg 11:29+, Jdg 13:25+; 1Sa 10:9-10,1Sa 19:20,23; 2Chr 20:14; Nu 24:2; 16:13; 1Chr 12:18. The Spirit was also temporarily in some people (Nu 27:18+; Da 4:8; Da 6:3; 1Pe 1:11+) and filled some for special service (Ex 31:3; Ex 35:31). These relationships are characterized by the Lord, as the Spirit, being "with" them, in contrast to His permanent indwelling of all believers from the Day of Pentecost on (Jn 14:17). Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit’ says the LORD of Hosts -- Zechariah 4:6) The presence and power of the Spirit was the secret of Othniel’s, of Gideon (Jdg 6:34+), of Jephthah (Jdg 11:29+) and of Samson (Jdg 14:6, 19+, Jdg 15:14+). The Spirit must continually be the source of the believer’s power (Acts 1:8+; Ep 5:18+, Gal 5:16+, Gal 5:18+, Gal 5:25+. Believers are commanded to imitate Paul (1Cor 11:1+) who himself imitated Jesus' example - See Mt 4:1+, Mark 1:12+, Luke 4:1, 14, 18+, , Acts 10:38+ - See The Holy Spirit-Walking Like Jesus Walked! Little wonder that John Wesley was so used by God for he once declared that “I am sensible indeed that without [the Spirit of God,] we can do nothing” Brensinger emphasizes that "Obedience without divine empowerment, as self-driven activists often illustrate, is ultimately resourceless. Divine empowerment without obedience, as later judges will all too clearly demonstrate, is mournfully fruitless. (Believers Church Bible Commentary: Judges) One of the former directors of The Evangelical Alliance Mission, T. J. Bach, said, “The Holy Spirit longs to reveal to you the deeper things of God. He longs to love through you. He longs to work through you. Through the blessed Holy Spirit you may have: strength for every duty, wisdom for every problem, comfort in every sorrow, joy in His overflowing service.” THOUGHT - What is the NT parallel of Othniel's power to defeat the enemy as the result of God's Spirit descending upon him? The NT believer's power to wage spiritual war against and live victoriously over his or her enemies (world, flesh, devil) comes from the Holy Spirit Who indwells us and empowers us (e.g., "walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh… if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law." see Gal 5:16, 17, 18-see notes Gal5:16; 5:17; 5:18, cf Acts 1:8, Ro 8:13-note) Arthur Lewis makes an interesting comment - "In most cases, we may assume the personal salvation of these men, but the Spirit's work in convicting and forgiving sinners is not necessarily prerequisite in the OT to His work of guiding or empowering His instruments in history (ED: I THINK OF KING CYRUS - see 2Chr 36:22-23). At times we will come across a man such as Jephthah, whose life shows almost no evidence of spirituality, yet he too was moved by the Spirit to rescue the people of God." (Everyman's Bible Commentary Judges/Ruth - borrow for 1 hour) Be a Berean (Acts 17:11+) and think about this comment… don't take it as definitive. And he judged (shaphat) Israel - This meant that he exercised authority in managing the affairs of the nation, and it was his spiritual and civil leadership that brought rest to the land. Never underestimate the good that one person can do who is filled with the Spirit of God and obedient to the will of God. When he went out to war, the LORD gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand, so that he prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim: This was Othniel's responsibility. He could have stayed at home and said "Well I have His Spirit now, so I can just 'let go and let God'". But God's sovereign anointing always demands the recipient's obedient response to His gift. And so Othniel responded & God kept His part of the promise ("the LORD gave"), which He always does. Henrietta Mears comments on "The Holy Spirit in Judges—Othniel: “The Spirit of the LORD came upon him” (Judges 3:10); Gideon: “The Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon” (Judges 6:34); Jephthah: “The Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah” (Judges 11:29); Samson: “The Spirit of the LORD began to move him” (Judges 13:25; see also 14:6 and 15:14, among other passages). Zechariah’s words, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts,” might be written as a guide to the spiritual interpretation of Judges (Zechariah 4:6). (What the Bible is All About - borrow for one hour) G Campbell