Juízes 2

Juízes 2

Barber comments that "They adopted for themselves an Independent lifestyle. It is very important in our understanding of covenant to realize that you can’t live independently any longer." Example of Wayne’s marriage covenant with his wife… he better live like he is in covenant with his wife. He had better act like he is in covenant with his wife. Wayne’s wife is very quiet but she carries a big stick. He has no right whatsoever now to live independently of his covenant relationship… Wayne and his wife live dependent on one another. As you study covenant, you will see this principle that there is no such thing as an independent lifestyle. (Eve wanted to live independent of God and God called it SIN! Anytime we live independent of God the result is SIN.) The problem with Israel was that they did evil in the sight of God = they stepped out of line. This fits with the whole theme of the book of Judges: ‘’Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.’’ (LIVING INDEPENDENT OF GOD) The result of this action God called ‘’EVIL’’. Remember that although we might say that their evil was, for example, lust, immorality, etc., EVIL is what God says is EVIL! There are many today who do not understand their relationship with God… they do not understand the covenant of grace (when we get to Hebrews 8:6 you will get excited… when you begin to understand that the NEW COVENANT is something totally different than the other covenants and you begin to realize the worthlessness of what we can do in the flesh and you begin to recognize the beauty and purity of what God can do in and through us you begin to see the significance of this NEW COVENANT relationship… there are many who do not truly understand what this entails with the result that they are still working in their own way in an attempt to somehow please God… they are not those who live and abide and walk in the Word… they’ve got religious works stacked ‘’bigger than Dallas’’ and God calls it EVIL! You may be the sweetest person in the room… why you would never commit adultery… you would never murder anyone… but in your heart there might be an Attitude that will not allow God to be God in your life and you are not willing to walk in ONENESS with Him. So whatever you call ‘’good’’ in your life, God calls it ‘’evil’’! (From notes on Wayne Barber's Lectures on Covenant - Covenant Precept Upon Precept -- The best course you will ever take -- take it then teach it and yes, pastors [jettison pride, put on the clothing of humility - 1Pe 5:5+], take it and then preach it -- I can guarantee individuals will be saved, marriages will be saved [It saved mine! All glory to Jehovah, the Covenant keeping God - see Covenant: As It Relates to Marriage], and there may well be a Spirit energized spark of revival in your congregation from this powerful teaching.) (See also Covenant: Why Study It? See the "Related Resources" Index at took of the page - follows along with the Precept Course if you cannot take it -- at least go through the notes!) And served the Baals (ba'al)(contrast Jdg 2:7) - This defines the "evil" which could be succinctly summarized as they practiced idolatry! Served (abad) is in the imperfect tense and in the Septuagint the verb latreuo (from latris = one hired or latron = reward, wages) is also in the imperfect tense which means they carried out this service to Baal over and over, again and again. The verb latreuo in the NT meant to render service to God (in Jdg 2:11 gods plural all with a little "g"!), to worship, to perform sacred services or to minister in a spirit of worship. With the death of Joshua and the following generation, the last living link with Mount Sinai was gone, and the result was gross sin. The result is that were enslaved, (cf 2Pe 2:19+, Jn 8:34, Pr 5:22+) in bondage to the Baals (plural). The quickly jettisoned the idea of the Shema (Dt 6:4) for many gods, throwing themselves into idolatry, the sin of all sins. The greatest sin a human being can commit is not murder or rape or other despicable acts of atrocity. It is to turn one's back on the living God and serve man-made gods that are no gods! And so the Israelites sank to the level of the people they were commanded to destroy. What is not recorded here is the fact that Baals and Asthoreths were sex deities and their worship involved not only bowing down before stone idols but also engaging in obscene sexual practices (See "PG-13" discussion by Davis). In short Israel quickly sank into abominable idolatry and gross immorality. Mark it down as a principle that Idolatry is almost always associated with immorality! The Hebrew word ba'al means to be master over another. Instead of allowing God to be their husband, His people followed "the Baals" Jeremiah 2:23 "How can you say, 'I am not defiled, I have not gone after the Baals'? Look at your way in the valley! Know what you have done! You are a swift young camel entangling her ways" The Canaanite religion was based on the idea that you worship your god by behaving as he does. The result was Baal worship which was perhaps the most degraded and degrading form of worship ever practiced on earth. The Canaanites engaged in temple prostitution, fertility rites, drunken sexual orgies of the most debased variety, idolatry, snake-worship, homosexuality, and even human sacrifice. John Whitcomb and John Davis - The Canaanite cultic practices relating to the worship of Baal and Ashtoreth are well known to us through recent discoveries. Their system included animal sacrifices, in many cases using the same animals as Israel did in her sacrifices. Temple prostitution was a widespread practice and one that was thoroughly degrading. Moses was careful to warn against such a practice (Deut. 23:17). Fertility rites using libations of wine, oil, and so on, were common in attempting to assure fertility of the land. In some places human sacrifice was practiced. The more one studies the activities involved in the worship of Baal, the clearer it becomes as to why Jehovah demanded complete destruction of this religious system and its followers.(Israel From Conquest to Exile). Baal worship was bad wherever it existed, but in Canaan it existed in its rawest form. Everything about it—its view of God, moral standards, ethics and values, rituals—stood in absolute and total contradiction to everything God had revealed about Himself to His people. However, the Israelites did the unthinkable. They did not stop speaking of Yahweh or forget Him entirely. Rather, they borrowed the rites, practices, and idols of Canaanite paganism and grafted them onto their existing worship, in a new syncretistic religion, forgetting that God said He was a Jealous God, and that He would not share His glory with another. They were tolerant of that which God commanded them to destroy. They accepted what God called them to hate, and they compromised when God called them to wholehearted obedience. And thus the period of the Judges was a seemingly endless cycle of rebellion, punishment, lament, new leadership, and deliverance. Repeatedly Israel suffered because they refused to commit themselves to God alone. They wanted to worship Him along with the gods of their neighbors. Often the evil God's people suffer comes because we want to be God's people with minimum commitment. But beloved, commitment has only one level--total devotion. Anything else is not commitment. Frances Ridley Havergal well expresses the essence of commitment writing Take my life, and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to thee THOUGHT- Do we sing this hymn and mean it? Notice it is clearly a cry to God. Do we really understand what we are asking Him to do? Or do we just mouth the words, because everyone else is singing out so lustily? Are we sincere or sincerely hypocritical? (Click to play the entire hymn and ponder the words of Francis Havergal… if you're not convicted, then you didn't read every stanza!) George Sweeting writes that "God calls us to be 100 percent committed. His resources can make us willing to take a stand with our friends and neighbors against abortion. We can write our senators and oppose laws legalizing pornography and homosexuality. Ours need not be the day of the placid pulpit and the comfortable pew. Dante said, "The hottest place in hell is reserved for those who, in times of crisis, preserved their neutrality." Lack of commitment and lack of devoted, dedicated leadership led to loss of sense of God's holiness and His great works. In their deceived, stuporous condition they were ensnared by the demon gods and intoxicated by the lusts of the flesh and eyes so they lost the proper reverential awe and fear of Jehovah and wantonly pursued their goals and desires all the more becoming enslaved. Sounds like America, at the turn of the 21st century! Served (05647) abad means to work (to cultivate, till - Ge 2:5, 15 - Lxx = ergazomai before the fall! Ge 3:23 after the fall, Lxx = ergazomai), to serve (be enslaved or hold in bondage - Ex 6:6 - Lxx = katadouloo = make a slave; Lev 25:38, 39 Lxx = douleuo)(Ge 14:4, 15:13, 14 - Lxx = douleuo), worship. Labor (as when Israel was in Egyptian bondage - Ex 1:13,14 but same word abad translated worship after redemption Ex 3:12, 7:16, 8:1, 8:20, 9:1, et al where Lxx = latreuo). Baal (01168) ba'al refers to the pagan god who was called by the name "Baal". Elijah contended with and exterminated the prophets of Baal (1 Ki 18:18, 19, 21, 22, 25, 26, 40). One of the more incredible mentions of Baal is Jehu's eradication of them from the northern kingdom (see 2 Ki 10:18-28). Before God would use Gideon to deliver His people from the Moabites, He first had him tear down his father's backyard altar to Baal (Jdg 6:25, 28, 30-31-note). As a result Gideon was named Jerrubball ("Let Baal contend against him" - Jdg 6:32-note). Under Gideon Israel was set free from Moabite oppression, but apparently they people were not set free from the "seed" of Baal worship in their hearts for "Then it came about, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the sons of Israel again played the harlot (SPIRITUAL ADULTERY!) with the Baals, and made Baal-berith their god" (Jdg 8:33-note)! Wow! Our hearts are more deceitful than all else and are desperately sick (Jer 17:9)! In 1 Sa 7:4 we see that "Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served the LORD alone" but they must have backslide because we see their cry in 1 Sam 12:10! Beware of idols. Idols need to be radically uprooted lest they revive and return! Baal - page article in Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible - note that on the following pages has all of the hyphenated names of Baal (Baal Toponyms, Baal-Berith, Baal-Gad, Baal-Hamon, Baal-Hazor, Baal-Hermon, Baal-Judah, Ball-meon, Baal of Peor, Baal-Perazim, Baal-Shalisha, Baal-Shamen, Baal-Tamar, Ball-Zaphon, Baal Zebub). BAAL: (see dictionary articles) (KJV = Baalim = Hebrew ending "-im" = plural) Greek also = masculine plural. Like most of the world they rejected the "SHEMA" of [Dt 6:4] and became in effect "polytheists"! (cf Solomon in 1Ki 11:5, 7) When you depart from the One True God it's amazing & frightening how far you will go from Truth! (Cp 2Ti 4:3, 4+). “Baals” not only refers to images of Baal but also to various manifestations of the god (cf. 8:33; 9:4; Nu 25:3). The Canaanites were "addicted" (ensnared, enslaved) to Baal worship, which was conducted by priests in temples and outdoors, in fields and on hilltops called “high places.” Cult activities included animal sacrifice, ritualistic meals, and provocative dances. Near the altars the Canaanites placed symbols of fertility: the sacred pillar (massebah) and a wooden cult object (asherah). High places housed chambers where male prostitutes and harlots (qedeshim and qedeshot) practiced cult prostitution (cf. 1Ki 14:23; 2Ki 23:7). God had previously judged Israel for her association with Baal of Peor (Nu 22:41; 25:1-18; Dt 4:3, 4), but the fleshly hearts of the Israelites were attracted to the gaiety and provocative character of Baal worship. Baal's "consort" was Ashtoreth (see notes) were figurines and various manifestations of Ashtoreth (or Asherah), the Canaanite goddess of fertility. Closely associated with the Babylonian Ishtar, goddess of sensual love, maternity, and fertility, she also became identified as the patroness of war as well as sex. Her worship was early entrenched at Sidon (cf. 1Ki 11:5, 33; 2Ki 23:13), where she was identified as Astarte (Greek for her name). During times of spiritual decline and apostasy, Israel continually forsook the Lord God and served Baal and Ashtoreth (Judges 3:7; 10:6-16; 1Sa 7:3-4; 12:10; 31:10; 1Ki 11:4-8; 2Ki 23:1-14). Related Resources: Who was Baal? | GotQuestions.org What is an Asherah pole? | GotQuestions.org Why was the worship of Baal and Asherah a constant struggle for the Israelites? | GotQuestions.org George Bush - Notes, Critical and Practical on the Book of Judges (Judges 2) Served Baalim. This word, the plural of ‘Baal,’ signifies lords. Their false gods the Canaanites considered as supernatural rulers or governors, each having his peculiar district and office. But when they wished to express a particular ‘Baal,’ or lord, they usually added some distinctive epithet, as Baal-zephon, Baal-peor, Baal-zebub, &c. The pl. is here used to intimate that these imaginary deities were various, and that the worship of the Israelites, like that of the Canaanites, was not confined to any one of them. Lords many and gods many had dominion over them. From this verse onwards to the end of the chapter, the writer’s drift seems to be to give in brief terms a summary or compend of the whole book. It is a general and condensed statement of the leading features of the history of Israel, during the period of the Judges, which in the ensuing chapters is expanded into the various details of oppression and deliverance which are so briefly touched upon in these verses. This is according to the common usage of the sacred writers, and we have no doubt that the more minute is the reader’s inspection of the structure of the book, the more plausible will this view of the subject appear. Before the Face of God - Syncretism and Pluralism Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. [Judg. 2:11] No one is conceived in the womb as a Christian. All of us start out with our old Adamic nature under the judgment of God. It is necessary for salvation that each person be born again at some point in life. Some people are born again by the action of the Holy Spirit so early in life that they cannot remember it—John the Baptist was born again before he exited the womb (Luke 1:41, 44). But whenever it happens, new birth must happen to each person individually. What this fact means for the history of a culture is that each generation must decide for itself to follow or to reject Christ. The generation Moses raised up in the wilderness was faithful to God and they continued faithful all the days of Joshua. The next generation, however, chose not to follow in their parents’ footsteps but departed from the ways of the Lord. They committed the fundamental sin that underlies all other sins—idolatry. Idolatry means treating as God something that is not. It means orienting your life around an ultimate concern that is not the true Maker of heaven and earth. Idolatry can take the visible form of bowing down to images made with hands. It also can take the invisible form of addiction to the things of this world, or of loyalty to a set of false ideological concepts. The Israelites did not completely abandon outward worship of the Lord. Rather, they kept giving lip service to the central sanctuary while they paid homage to the baals and asherah poles in the groves and high places. This mixture of true religion with false is called syncretism. Syncretism is smorgasbord religion, combining a little of this with a little of that while calling itself orthodox. Pluralism is modern syncretism. Pluralism rejects the idea that our culture should be based exclusively on fundamental Christian principles, while tolerating other religions. Pluralism is an ideology that says there is no such thing as absolute truth. Society becomes based upon the “plural”—the inclusion of all ideas and beliefs without any discrimination as to whether each is true or false. Pluralism denies monotheism, rejecting the claims of one true God. The greatest offense to our idolatrous society’s values has come to be any insistance that there is only one truth. Tabletalk - THE BASIS OF ETHICS JUDGES 2:11; 21:25 “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (21:25). Moral relativism is the rule for most people today, which is clear whenever we hear it said, matter of factly, that “you cannot legislate morality.” Of course, any common-sense appeal this statement might have vanishes immediately when we realize that the sole purpose of law is to legislate morality. The only question is whose morality we are going to legislate. The most ironic thing of all about moral relativism is that moral relativists consider it to be an absolute truth, as seen in the objections that are raised each time someone tries to define ethics objectively. Yesterday, we were reminded that our culture believes in moral relativism. If, however, all people have the “right” to believe whatever they want, relativists cannot be consistent in their relativism and condemn those who adhere to universal, objective standards. The book of Judges reveals that when society embraces a consistent ethic of relativism, it is in for disaster. We read in 2:11 how Israel practiced evil during the time the judges ruled Israel. Moral relativism led to this evil, for Judges 21:25 tells us everyone in Israel did what was right in his own eyes in that day. Refusing to obey God, Israel pursued autonomy with a vengeance, and each person became a law unto himself. The author of Judges evaluated this autonomy as evil because he knew that the Lord determines ethics, not the individual. Biblically speaking, ethics are theonomic—determined by God’s law. This objective standard must bind the consciences of all people, for our Creator has put the basics of ethics on the consciences of everyone (Rom. 1:18–32). There is no excuse for immorality; as creatures, we owe the Creator our all, and we are rightly condemned for insolently refusing to bow to Him. Though God has built the basic standards of right and wrong into creation itself, He has also provided Scripture as a fuller and sufficient revelation of His standards. These standards are based on the Lord’s own holy character and make up what the Reformed tradition has often called the moral law. This law is the “law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2), reflected in the Ten Commandments and the ethical teachings of the apostles. Finally, describing Christian ethics as theonomic is not to endorse reconstructionist theonomy, which argues that the civil penalties of the Mosaic law are still in force. All we are doing is affirming the permanence of God’s ethical rules (1 Cor. 6:9–10). X CORAM DEO Living before the face of God. The way in which the Mosaic law applies to believers today is a contentious matter, and there are many different opinions on the subject even within the Reformed tradition. All agree, however, that the coming of Christ did not suddenly make the Ten Commandments and the other ethical portions of the law of Moses invalid. Let us endeavor to know the moral law, that we might live in a way pleasing to our God. We Have a King! In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. Judges 21:25 Today's Scripture: Judges 2:11–23 After attacking my husband with hurtful words when a situation didn’t go my way, I snubbed the Holy Spirit’s authority as He reminded me of Bible verses that revealed my sinful attitudes. Was nursing my stubborn pride worth the collateral damage in my marriage or being disobedient to God? Absolutely not. But by the time I asked for forgiveness from the Lord and my spouse, I’d left a wake of wounds behind me—the result of ignoring wise counsel and living as if I didn’t have to answer to anyone but myself. There was a time when the Israelites had a rebellious attitude. After the death of Moses, Joshua led the Israelites into the promised land. Under his leadership, the Israelites served the Lord (Judg. 2:7). But after Joshua and the generation that outlived him died, the Israelites forgot God and what He’d done (v. 10). They rejected godly leadership and embraced sin (vv. 11–15). Jesus, please help us remember You are our living King of Kings and Lord of Lords, almighty and worthy of our loving obedience and trust. God gives us the power and the privilege to enjoy the rewards of doing things His way. Free To Do What's Right In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. —Judges 17:6 Today's Scripture: Judges 2:11-23 What confusion! I had never seen anything like it. On the road from the Leonardo da Vinci Airport to downtown Rome was an intersection where cars had converged from every direction. Each driver was inching his way forward. Horns were blaring. Passions were flaring. No stoplights or traffic cops were there to bring order to this chaos of cars. But there was one positive note: No one was breaking the law—there was no law! Back in the days before Israel had a king, a similar situation prevailed. Although they had God’s law, people ignored it and did what was right in their own eyes (Jud. 17:6). What a bitter price they paid for such freedom! The book of Judges tells of their disobedience, which resulted in oppression by pagan neighbors. Still today, many people, and even some professing Christians, ignore God’s clear revelation of Himself in His Word. They think they are free to form their own ideas of what God is like and what He expects. Strongly influenced by a godless culture, they live at the center of their own little world and walk in their own ways. That creates moral and spiritual confusion. Christ came to give us liberty By dying in our place; Now with new freedom we are bound To share His love and grace. —DJD Freedom doesn't give us the right to do what we please, but to do what pleases God. Judges 2:12 and they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the LORD to anger. they forsook the LORD the God of their fathers: Dt 13:5 Dt 29:18,25 Dt 31:16,17 Dt 32:15 Dt 33:17 followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them: Jdg 5:8 Dt 6:14-15 bowed themselves down to them ; thus they provoked the LORD to anger: Ex 20:5 Dt 5:9 Related Passages: Deuteronomy 29:25+ “Then men will say, ‘Because they forsook the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt. Deuteronomy 31:16-17+ (THEIR FORSAKING PROPHESIED!) The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land (ISRAEL WIFE OF JEHOVAH), into the midst of which they are going, and will forsake Me and break My covenant (MOSAIC COVENANT) which I have made with them. 17 “Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will come upon them; so that they will say in that day, ‘Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us?’ Deuteronomy 32:15+ “But Jeshurun (Term of affection from the Hebrew verb yashar, "be upright" speaks of Israel "in an ideal situation, with its 'uprightness' due more to God's help than his own efforts") grew fat and kicked– You are grown fat, thick, and sleek– Then he forsook God who made him, And scorned the Rock of his salvation. Deuteronomy 9:7+ “Remember, do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness; from the day that you left the land of Egypt until you arrived at this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD. Deuteronomy 9:22+ “Again at Taberah and at Massah and at Kibroth-hattaavah you provoked the LORD to wrath. 1 Kings 15:30;and because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, because of his provocation with which he provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger. 1 Kings 22:53 So he (Ahaziah the son of Ahab - 1Ki 22:51) served Baal and worshiped him and provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger, according to all that his father had done. 2 Chronicles 28:25 In every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked the LORD, the God of his fathers, to anger. FORSAKING THE TRUE GOD TO FOLLOW FALSE GODS! And they forsook ('azab) the LORD the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt - The pronoun is painful - "they" not "he!" This was not one or two individual Israelites and not even just one or two tribes of the 12 tribes, but in fact was all Israel, all 12 tribes! This truth boggles our mind and especially since it does not say they had not heard about the deliverance of Israel from Egypt by a mighty hand of Yahweh. They simply forsook this truth which speaks of the intrinsic attitude of their heart! In the Septuagint the Hebrew verb ('azab) is translated with the verb egkataleipo which means to leave behind, desert, abandon. The idiom "to leave in a lurch" means to leave helpless. In this case it was not Yahweh Who was left "helpless," but ironically the very one's who left Yahweh were themselves left "helpless!" One other point of note about the verb egkataleipo is that it is the aorist tense which describes a completed past action and even worse is in the active voice which means they man a choice of their will, a volitional choice to disengage from Yahweh! Little wonder that their "national mantra" became "we now can do whatever is right in our own eyes!" (Jdg 21:25+) since they had no regard (no FEAR! cf Ro 3:18+) for the "eyes of the LORD (that) are in every place, watching the evil and the good." (Pr 15:3+) A sense of finality of the verb forsook ('azab) is illustrated by its first and familiar use in Ge 2:24 where we read "a man shall leave ('azab) his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." The irony is that now the Wife of Jehovah, Israel, does not cleave, but leave! In a word, they in effect committed apostasy, eschewing allegiance! God Who has everything and needs nothing sought and bought Israel (redeemed and "brought...out of...Egypt") who was nothing without Him and yet who now in utter deception and spiritual stupidity broke their covenant with Him and sought Him not instead seeking gods who are NOT! THOUGHT - O God Who pursues us when we are so wicked as to spurn the precious infinite mysterious love of Calvary for that which perishes. Woe are we O God. Forgive us O God for we have run from Your favor, Your love, Your sweet tender mercies and constant bidding for us to 'Come'. Adulterers. Harlots, every one of us. Weep and mourn. Cleanse your hands you sinners. O God forgive us in "Christian" America. We have rejected You, the "Fountain of Living Waters". For Your Name's sake. Amen. [compare Daniel's prayer in Daniel 9:20] Regarding the statement that Yahweh had "had brought them out of the land of Egypt" it seems clear that they were totally not totally ignorant of the Passover. We can know with certainty that they actually obeyed God's charge to keep the Passover, but we do know that it was the inaugural feast when the second generation entered the Promised Land (Joshua 5:10-11+). Had the third generation (the generation of the book of Judges) ever celebrated the Passover? We cannot say. But surely they had heard about one of the greatest events in Israel's history! And they also had the written record of Moses in the Pentateuch. The upshot is that they were absolutely without excuse. Their forsaking Yahweh was in the face of clear evidence that He was to be their God and they were to have no other gods! It was bold faced arrogant, flagrant, in Your Face (God), sin! Woe! Gary Inrig asks "How could a people who had seen so much of the power of God drift so far from Him? It did not happen all at once. It never does. 1. They lost fellowship with God by incomplete obedience. When Israel did not drive out the people as God commanded, they were sowing the seeds of their own spiritual failure. 2. They did not consciously remind themselves of the grace of God. They forsook God, when they forgot all that He had done for them. That is the reason we have the Lord's Supper in the New Testament. "Keep on doing this in remembrance of Me," the Lord said; and every time we come to the Lord's table, we confront ourselves afresh with the great truths of what He has done for us. 3. They rejected the Word of God. Israel began to look at life the way the Canaanites did. Instead of being controlled by the truths of Scripture, they were controlled by the opinions and impulses of their sinful natures. (Hearts of Iron, Feet of Clay - archive.org allows you to borrow for an hour) W A Criswell - And they forsook God (Jdg 2:12) and did evil in His sight (Jdg 2:11). I say that’s a sorry sentence, isn’t it? That’s a sorry come to pass. You feel penniless. You feel historically impoverished when you read it. A generation like that is the weight that time must carry. A generation like that is the burden of the ages. A generation like that lets history die. And they forgot and forsook the God of their fathers [Judges 2:12]. They forgot about Abraham. They forgot about Israel, Jacob. They forgot about Moses. They forgot about Joshua. And they forsook the Lord. It’s a sorry sentence, isn’t it? And it’s a sorry generation. No wonder they fell into apostasy, and into skepticism, and into unbelief, and into endemic powerlessness. For religion is historically conditioned and connected. It happens in a time, and in a place, and in a day, and in a year. It’s not something philosophical, or metaphysical, or peripheral, or intangible, but it is actual, and real, and it happens. And when we forget the past, we’re unfit for the present or the future. The real faith, the real religion of God binds us to the past in order that we may be ready for the future. And no generation of people can forget their past and be worthy of any kind of a future. And that is precisely and exactly what is happening today in America. We have a generation rising up who says, "That is old hat. This is the old establishment. Let’s blot it out." And they live as though time and life were just now. And they are forgetting our forefathers and the God of our people. Consequently, they have no other choice but to give themselves to sensuality, and promiscuity, and pleasure. It is a sorry generation, a cheap one, for no people who forget their past is worthy of any kind of a future. (Sermon) Bush on forsook - a mere enlargement in its more minute particulars of the general fact stated in the preceding verse. Chald. ‘they forsook the worship of the Lord God,’ as they that forsake the worship of God, do in effect forsake God himself. (Notes) The God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt - Yahweh brought them out (redemption by blood of the Passover lamb) and He now had brought them into the Promised Land. He had just said they "did not know the Lord" or "the work which He had done for Israel". And followed other gods from - Followed is used metaphorically here which conveys the idea of allegiance and loyalty. The expression "walk after other gods" is prominent in Deuteronomy, where it is used of idolatry (Dt 8:19+, Dt 12:30+, Dt 13:2+, Dt 28:14+). Followed is the Hebrew verb halak which literally means to walk, depicting Israel as walking after vanity rather than the true and living God. The Septuagint translates halak with exago (same verb used in Acts 7:40+) which means to lead out from a place. It was as if they were led out of the safety of their Refuge and Shield, Jehovah, and exposed to the dangers and death found in the world that lies in the power of the evil one (1Jn 5:19+). From among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down (shachah) to them - False gods of Canaan were everywhere: El (strong, powerful) = supreme Canaanite deity, of uncontrolled lust, bloody tyrant in writings at Ras Shamra in N Syria. Baal (“lord, possessor”) = son & successor of El, “lord of heaven,” farm god of rain & storm. Baal cult at Phoenicia = animal sacrifices, ritual meals, licentious dances. There were Temple chambers for so-called "sacred" prostitution with both men and women (1Ki 14:23,24; 2Ki 23:7). Anath, sister-wife of Baal = Ashtoreth (Astarte), patroness of sex and war, called “virgin” and “holy” but actually a “sacred prostitute.” Jdg 5:8+ “New gods were chosen; Then war was in the gates. Not a shield or a spear was seen Among forty thousand in Israel. Jdg 8:33+ Then it came about, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the sons of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and made Baal-berith their god. Jdg 10:6+ Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him. Thus they provoked the LORD to anger - This is a frightening statement. The omnipotent God became angry! Moses had given a clear and frightening warning to Israel regarding the consequences of idolatry declaring "You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, for the LORD your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth. (Dt 6:14-15+) Is the provocation of Yahweh any surprise? How long will God hold back His hand against any so-called "Christian" nation that leads the world in crimes, prostitution, drug abuse and world wide exportation of pornography?! Can you guess the name of that nation? Forsook (left) (05800)('azab) means that they abandoned and neglected Jehovah. The verb basically means to depart from something -- to leave, to forsake (48x), to leave (26x; "left" 22x), to loose, to depart, to abandon. Things that can left behind or forsaken include persons (Ge 44:22; Nu 10:30; Ru 1:16; 2Ki4:30), people who should left behind (Ge 2:24); places (2Ki 8:6; Jer 18:14; 25:38) and objects (Ge 39:12,13; 50:8; Ex 9:21). Men can forsake God (apostatize) (Dt 28:20, 31:16, Jer 1:16), can abandon qualities of virtue (1Ki 12:8, 2Chr 10:8, 13), the way (of righteousness) (Pr 15:10), instruction/wisdom (Pr 4:2, 6), reproof (Pr 10:17 - "ignore" = forsake), kindness (lovingkindness, faithfulness) (Pr 3:3). God promises to not forsake His people (Ge 24:27, 28:15, Dt 31:6,7 contrast what God's people will do = Dt 31:16). In a use similar to Pr 28:13, we are instructed to "forsake wrath." (Ps 37:8) To abandon, reject, desert or leave a former association (1Ki 18:18). Abandoned, deserted or rejected, forsaken (Isa 6:12; 10:14; 17:2, 9; 54:6; 60:15; 62:4; Jer 4:29; Zep 2:4). 1828 Webster - Forsake = To quit or leave entirely; to desert; to abandon; to depart from. 2. To abandon; to renounce; to reject. 3. To leave; to withdraw from; to fail. In anger, the color forsakes the cheeks. In severe trials, let not fortitude forsake you. 4. In scripture, God forsakes his people, when he withdraws his aid, or the light of his countenance. Azab - 6x in Judges and a key verb in Judges 2 which establishes the pattern for the entire book! - Jdg. 2:12, 13, 21; Jdg 10:6, 10, 13 Bow down (07812) shachah means to worship, prostrate oneself and was used to describe idol worship, such as the golden calf in the wilderness (Ex 32:8+, Ex 34:14+ and both in Lxx = proskuneo; contrast appropriate bowing down in Ex 33:10+, Ex 34:8+). In Jdg 2:12 bowed down is translated in the Septuagint (Lxx) with proskuneo, which is often translated worship and gives the picture of falling down before that which one worships, even literally prostrating one's self. Shachah in Judges - Clearly a key verb in Judges 2, the chapter that presents the pathogenesis of the sins in the remainder of the book. Jdg. 2:12; Jdg. 2:17; Jdg. 2:19; Jdg. 7:15; FAILURE - JUDGES RULE ISRAEL - C. T. Studd, the great missionary to China, India, and Africa, ended his life as a morphine addict. Despite all of his success, his last days were dark ones. His mission board dismissed him; he died a few weeks later. Israel showed power and promise in escaping from Egypt. The people, however, unlike Studd, displayed their selfish addictions early. Trouble erupted only a few miles from Egypt. The faithless people, grumbling and carousing, played out a drama of disaster and death for forty years in the desert. Joshua's leadership brought new hope to the nation when the people finally entered the Promised Land, but his successors, the judges, gave Israel a topsy-turvy season of success and failure. Some judges ruled wisely and in peace, but others did not. And the people were mostly wicked during the whole period. The failure of the judges led the people to demand an earthly king. Saul, David, and Solomon gave Israel some success, but many of the mad monarchs that followed wrote their stories of failure in blood. Judges 2:13 So they forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. served Baal and the Ashtaroth: Jdg 2:11 3:7 10:6 1Sa 31:10 1Ki 11:5,33 2Ki 23:13 Ps 106:36 1Co 8:5 10:20-22 FORSAKING TRUTH FOR THE LIE So - Translated and in most of the translations. Either "so" or "and" convey the sense that what is now described is intimately related to and a consequence of the description of Israel's heart in the preceding section. They forsook (made a choice to abandon, to walk away from) the LORD (Hebrew = Husband --ba'al-- as in Isaiah 54:5): Forsook ('azab - see previous discussion) means abandoned, apostatized, departed from Jehovah even though He had given clear commands (Ex 20:3-5 cf Ro 1:25+, Jer 2:5) God made man as a spiritual creatures with a "spiritual vacuum" so to speak. If that "vacuum" is not filled with the true and living God, by default it will be filled by false gods and idols! And remember we become like that which we worship! The children of Israel sought to be free by making themselves "god" and doing what was right in their own eyes. You can mark it down beloved - True Freedom is not the right to do as we please but the power to do as we should. Their attempts at "freedom" brought them even deeper into bondage! Isn't our response to God often like rebellious Israel? Let us repeat the axiom… lest we forget it… SIN will take you further than you ever meant to STRAY, Will keep you longer than you ever planned to STAY, Will cost you more than you ever dreamed that you'd PAY! And served Baal (ba'al in Jdg 2:11 it is in plural form Baalim) and the Ashtaroth ('ashtaroth/astarot) - Serve the true God or you will surely serve the false gods (Mt 6:24+)! Ashtoreth (Astarte), is the singular noun and and Ashtaroth is plural indicating many of these female gods. This is the name of the patroness of sex and war. "She" was called “virgin” and “holy” but was in truth nothing but a “sacred prostitute.” Figures of Ashtoreth (1Ki 11:5), the equivalent of the Phoenician goddess of fertility, Astarte (Dt 16:21), which were worshiped as idols during times of spiritual declension in Israel (Jdg 10:6+; 1Sa 7:3,4; 1Sa 12:10; 1Sa 31:10; 1Ki 11:5,33; 2Ki 23:13). The Hebrew form Ashtaroth (NIV, "Ashtoreths") is the plural of Ashtoreth. This name is a deliberate distortion of Astarte's name that vocalizes the last two syllables of the name to reflect the Hebrew word boset, "shame." Modern readers often miss the import of Canaanite idolatry (see See "PG-13" discussion by Davis) and how it so closely parallels sexuality being practiced in the "civilized" world of the 21st century. The worship of a Canaanite god or goddess was no minor blemish in Israel's history. Besides having a devastating and debasing effect on the practitioner, the acts of worship included male and female cultic prostitutes in hetero- and homo-sexual liaisons which were fundamentally opposed to the worship of the living God, and were acts of treason against His Covenant. Hindson and Kroll on Baal (KJV more accurate - Baalim) - The statement that they served Baalim (Jdg 2:11) indicates that they worshiped localized Baal deities, thus the plural form im is used. Baal was a fertility god. He was looked upon as the chief vegetation god of the Canaanites and was thought to bring productivity to crops, animals, and men. He was also associated with the occurrences of weather and was usually depicted in Canaanite carvings as holding a lightning bolt in his hand. Thus, he is also called the “god of fire,” indicating the significance of Elijah’s challenge to the prophets of Baal (1 Kgs 18). The Hebrew word ba˓al means “master,” or “lord.” When the Israelites settled in Canaan, they soon discovered the local Baal deities were looked upon as the individual lords of the land. Thus, by worshiping him they were forsaking the lordship of their God for the lordship of Baal! (KJV BIBLE COMMENTARY - JUDGES - free online) R. K. Harrison, after describing the gross and savage worship system of the Canaanites, concludes: "its sordid and debased nature stand in marked contrast to the high ethical ideals of Israel. The absolute lack of moral character in the Canaanite deities made such corrupt practices as ritual prostitution, child sacrifice, and licentious worship the normal expression of religious devotion and fervor. In consequence there could be no compromise between the morality of the God of Israel and the debased sensuality of Canaanite religion" George Bush - Notes, Critical and Practical on the Book of Judges (Judges 2) Served Baal and Ashtaroth. Ashtaroth, like Baalim above, is of the plural number, and is probably here used as a general name for all the female deities of these nations, as Baal or Baalim is of the male. The sing. Ashtereth (Astarte) is the name of the Syrian Venus, who was worshipped with the most revolting and abominable rites. It is supposed that the moon was worshipped under this name, as was the sun under that of Baal. Ashtaroth (06252)('ashtaroth/astarot) Ashtoreth or Astarte See related article - Asherim (0842) Asherah Canaanite goddess of sex & war vivid picture of paganism in its most corrupt manifestations Babylonian = Ishtar Greek = Aphrodite Phoenicians = Astarte Sumerians = Inana Roman = Venus Roman = Easter (fertility signs = rabbit and an egg!!!). Functioned with Baal as a fertility deity 'Sexual union' w Baal thought to bring annual renewal/fruitfulness Often depicted as a naked female figure (often multi-breasted) worship included bizzare sexual practices - sacred prostitution Ritual prostitution part of religious ceremonies since 3000BC Sexual rituals = futile attempts to prompt gods > earth fertile. Appears by name of Ishtar in Mesopotamian texts One of >70 deities worshiped by Canaanites. Philistines gave homage by placing weapons of their defeated foe in the temple of the Ashtoreths. As the sword of Goliath was put in the house of the Lord behind the ephod (1Sa21:9), so the weapons of Saul were taken by the Philistines and put in the temple of the Ashtoreths. Military victory was attributed to the gods, since the belief was that military encounters were battles between the deities of rival nations. Asherah = El’s wife, mother of gods goddess of the sea (“Lady Asherah-of-the-Sea”). 1Ki15:13; 18:19; 2Ki 21:7; 23:4; 2Ch15:16 “wooden images” (Hebrew lit = “Asherahs”) associated w cult Dt 16:21; Jdg 6:25, 26, 28, 30; 2Ki23:6 deliberate distortion of Canaanite “ashtart,” re-vocalized based on the Heb. word for “shame.” goddess of love and fertility esp worshiped at Tyre and Sidon. Ashtoreth (Astarte), patroness of sex and war, called “virgin” and “holy” but was actually a “sacred prostitute.” The plural Baals and Ashtoreths describe the many local shrines of Canaanite nature deities. Baal, variously identified as son of El (chief of the Canaanite pantheon) son of Dagan (the Mesopotamian deity), particularly recognized as the god of thunder and rain whose task was to make the earth fertile annually. Asherah appears in a drawing found in southern Israel. A picture shows bull representing God and cow representing Asherah w inscription “For Yahweh & His Asherah.” Tragically, these worshipers felt that God needed a wife just as El did!!! NIDOTTE - עַשְׁתֹּרֶת (ʿaštōret), Astarte (NIV Ashtoreth/s, #6956; עַשְׁתָּרֹת, place-name, #6958). *עַשְׁתֶּרֶת (ʿašteret), offspring (function of Astarte, #6957). The vocalization of the name of the goddess in the MT may be that of (בֹּשֶׁת), shame. WestSem., עשׁתרת may be derived from עשׁר, be rich, with infixed /ת/ and metathesis. But it may be derived from East Sem. Ishtar with quadriliteral root. ANE Astarte is not prominent in Ugar. myths, where she is inferior not only to Asherah but also to Baal’s “sister” Anat (found in place-names in OT). In the ritual texts and god lists she is more prominent, found, e.g., as “Hurrian Astarte” and “Astarte-name-of-Baal” ʿṯtrt. šm.bʿl KTU 1.16. 6: 56. But no personal names formed with hers have been discovered to date. There is also a god ʿṯtr (masc. form), son of Asherah and rival of Baal. Astarte was known in Egypt at least from the time of Amenophis II (fifteenth century) and was very prominent in Phoenicia and Carthage in the later first millennium, whence she became known to the Greeks, who identified her with Aphrodite. She was a goddess of sexuality, of fruitfulness, and a warrior goddess. OT 1. As an (individual) foreign god (singular), Astarte is the/a city god of Sidon in particular. In the deut. condemnation of Solomon (1 Kgs 11:5, 33), Solomon is accused of following “Ashtoreh, the goddess of the Sidonians” (v. 5, along with Chemosh and Milcom). In 2 Kgs 23:13 he is accused of making high places for the three gods (in 1 Kgs 11:7 Astarte is [accidentally?] omitted). Only in 2 Kgs 23:13 is Astarte called the abomination (שִׁקֻּץ) of the Sidonians instead of the god; Chemosh and Molech/Milcom are also called abominations (1 Kgs 11:5, 7). This is a further example of the replacement of the word “god” for some term of abuse. 2. Astarte is also a general term for goddess. Prior to the time of the kings, the deut. history sees a recurring apostasy of the Israelites, when they abandon Yahweh and turn to “the Baals and the Ashtoreths” (Judg 10:6; 1 Sam 7:4; 12:10; cf. Judg 2:13). This phrase is equivalent to “other gods” or “foreign gods” (1 Sam 7:3), who within the deut. theology are seen as imports into the worship of the nation. 3. In Deut 7:13; 28:4, 18, 51 the connection with the goddess seems completely lost (as may also be the case with the Asherim/Asherah). TWOT - עַשְׁתֹּרֶת (ʿaštōret) Ashtoreth, Ashtoroth (plural). This is the name of a Canaanite goddess of sex and war, a vivid representation of paganism in its most corrupt manifestations. Derivatives 1718a עַשְׁתָּרוֹת (ʿaštārôt) I, flocks. 1718b עַשְׁתָּרוֹת (ʿaštārôt) II, Ashtaroth. עַשְׁתָּרוֹת (ʿaštārôt) I. Flocks (ASV, RSV, NASB, “young”). The term occurs four times in Deut (7:13; 28:4, 18, 51) in the phrase, ʿaštĕrôt ṣōʾnekā, rendered “the flocks of thy sheep” (KJV), or’ “the young of thy/your flock” (ASV, RSV, NASB; “ewes” by KB, Holladay). Albright observes, “Since Astarte was best known as the patroness of sexual reproduction, this is a very natural development, quite acceptable in Israel, as the Israelites had little feeling for the religious connotations of the expression” (YGC, pp. 185–86). עַשְׁתָּרוֹת (ʿaštārôt) (ED: NOTE 2 MEANINGS - A PLACE AND AN IDOL) II. Ashtaroth. (ASV, RSV similar.) A place name, perhaps associated with the worship of Astarte, some twenty miles east of the Sea of Galilee, Tell ’Ashtarah; mentioned in the Amarna texts and Assyrian inscriptions (see maps 21, 23, 24, etc., in The Macmillan Bible Atlas). Ashteroth [near] Karnaim was conquered by Chedorlaomer in the war of Gen 14. Ashtaroth in the time of Moses was the principal city of Og, king of Bashan (Deut 1:4; see Josh 9:10; 12:4; 13:12, 31; I Chr 6:71 [H 56]–gentilic). The goddess Astarte, as she is known in Greek transliteration, figures prominently in the religious world of the ancient Near East as a mother-goddess associated with sexual reproduction as well as warfare. The Hebrew ʿaštōret is cognate to Akkadian išhtar and Ugaritic ʿttrt (there is also a masculine deity, ʾttr; cf. Moabite ʿštr [masc.], Phoenician ʿshtrt, Aramaic ʿtr, Old South Arabic ʿattar [masc.]). The Hebrew ʿaštārôt is the plural form. Albright and Pope suggest that the plural refers not to many such goddesses, but reflects “an increasing tendency to employ the plural of the name ”in the clear sense of totality of manifestations of a deity’ ” (Pope, p. 20, quoting Albright, p. 213). The BDB lexicon observes that the singular form ʿaštōret may be an artificial pronunciation to suggest the vowel pattern of the Hebrew bōšet “shame” (q.v.); the Akkadian, Ugaritic [normalized ʾattart], and Greek renderings show no vowel between the last two consonants. This singular Hebrew form is used three times in the book of Kings of a Sidonian goddess worshiped by Solomon (I Kgs 11:5, 33; II Kgs 23:13, called the šiqqûṣ “abominable idol,” of the Sidonians). Elsewhere in the OT the plural ʿaštārôt is found, usually associated with Baalim (the plural of Baal [q.v.], Jud 2:13; 10:6; I Sam 7:4; 12:10), and once with “strange gods” (I Sam 7:3). Saul’s armor was placed in a temple of Ashtaroth upon his death (I Sam 31:10). Some scholars dissent, but it appears likely that the goddesses Ashera (q.v.) and Astarte are one and the same (e.g. Kapelrud, p. 62). In the Hebrew Bible, as in the Ugaritic texts, Astarte is used much less often than Ashera. Yet they are both associated with Baal (and in Ugaritic, with El). To complicate the picture of the Canaanite pantheon further, some scholars suggest that the goddess Anat (Ugaritic ʿnt, UT 19: no. 1889), the consort of El and the sisterspouse of Baal, is identified at times with Ashera and Astarte (e.g. Harrison, p. 167). Anat does not occur in the OT as the name of a goddess, but is the name of Shamgar’s father (Jud 3:31; 5:6; cf. Anathoth, a place name, Josh 21:18). The devotees of these goddesses glorified Astarte, Ashera, and Anat (or, as some suggest, one goddess under three designations) in terms of exaggerated sexual features (so the terra cotta figurines) coupled with vicious sadism (so the nauseating scenes in the Ugaritic epic literature). Modern readers of the OT doubtless miss occasionally the import of Canaanite idolatry. The worship of a Canaanite god or goddess was no minor blemish in Israel’s history. Besides having a devastatingly debasing effect on the practitioner, the acts of worship, which included male and female cultic prostitutes in hetero- and homosexual liaisons, were fundamentally opposed to the worship of the living God, and were, in fact, acts of treason against his suzerainty. R. K. Harrison, after describing the gross and savage worship system of the Canaanites, concludes that “its sordid and debased nature stand in marked contrast to the high ethical ideals of Israel. The absolute lack of moral character in the Canaanite deities made such corrupt practices as ritual prostitution, child sacrifice, and licentious worship the normal expression of religious devotion and fervor. In consequence there could be no compromise between the morality of the God of Israel and the debased sensuality of Canaanite religion” (see Bibliography, p. 170). Bibliography: Albright, William Foxwell, Yahweh and the Gods of Canaan: A Historical Analysis of Two Contrasting Faiths, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, & Co., Inc., 1968. Cassuto, U., The Goddess Anath: Canaanite Epics of the Patriarchal Age, Tr. Israel Abrahams, Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1971. Cross, Frank Moore, Jr., Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic: Essays in the History of the Religion of Israel, Harvard University, 1973. Harrison, R. K., Old Testament Times, Eerdmans, 1970. Kapelrud, Arvid S., The Ras Shamra Discoveries and the Old Testament, Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1965. Pope, Marvin H., El in the Ugaritic Texts, Supplements to Vetus Testamentum, II, Leiden: Brill, 1955. (ALLEN, Ronald B., Th.D., Professor of Old Testament Language and Exegesis, Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, Portland, Oregon) Article from Dictionary of Deities and Demons - See also 6 page article on Asherah (on page 132/950 and in the actual book it is page 184 (See also The extensively revised second edition of Dictionary of Deities and Demons) ASTARTE עשׁתרת I. The divine name Astarte is found in the following forms: Ug ʿṯtrt (‘Athtart[u]’); Phoen ʿštrt (‘Ashtart’); Heb ʿAštōret (singular); ʿAštārôt (generally construed as plural); Eg variously ʿsṯrt, ʿsṯrṯ, isṯrt; Gk Astartē. It is the feminine form of the masculine ʿṯtr (‘Athtar’, ‘Ashtar’) and this in turn occurs, though as the name of a goddess, as Akkadian →Ishtar. The Akkadian Aš-tar-[tum?] is used of her (AGE 330). The etymology remains obscure. It is probably, in the masculine form, the name of the planet Venus, then extended to the feminine as well (cf. A. S. YAHUDA, JRAS 8 [1946] 174–178). It is unlikely that ROBERTSON SMITH’s suggestion (Religion of the Semites [Edinburgh 19273] 99 n. 2, esp. 310, 469–479), referring to Arabic ʿāṯūr, ‘irrigated land’, is of help; because it still leaves the t, which cannot be infixed, unexplained. Both god and goddess are probably, but not certainly, to be seen as the deified Venus (HEIMPEL 1982:13–14). This is indeed the case, since if the morning star is the male deity (cf. Isa 14:12), then the goddess would be the evening star: as she is in Greek tradition. (The two appearances of Venus are also probably to be seen as deified, cf. →Shahar and →Shalem.) II. Ugarit. The goddess Ashtart is mentioned 46 times in the Ugaritic texts, but appears relatively rarely in the mythological texts. These appearances are as follows: in the Baal cycle (KTU 1.2 i 7–8) →Baal curses Yam (→Sea), inviting →Horon (cf. →Horus!) and ‘Ashtart-šm-Baal’ (see below) to smash his skull—Keret uses the same curse on his son Yaṣib in KTU 1.16 vi 54–57, showing it to be formulaic language. When Baal loses control in the divine council at the appearance of Yam’s ambassadors, →Anat and Ashtart restrain him forcibly (KTU 1.2 i 40). When Baal is about to kill Yam, Ashtart intervenes: either to taunt Baal(?), or more probably to urge him to deliver the coup de grâce (KTU 1.2 iv 28–30). In the Keret story, in addition to the curse noted above, Hurriya is compared in her beauty with Anat and Ashtart (KTU 1.14 iii 41–44 = vi:26–30). The fragmentary KTU 1.92 seems to have contained a myth concerning Ashtart (PRU 5, 3–5: §1; HERRMANN 1969:6–16). In KTU 1.100, a series of spells against snake-bites, she is paired with Anat (in the order Anat and Ashtart) in ll. 19–24, in addition to further mentions alone, twice as a toponym (cf. KTU 1.108.2). In the fragmentary KTU 1.107, another such text, Anat and Ashtart are invoked. The latter appears again as a toponym. In KTU 1.114 (the Marziḥu text), Ashtart and Anat (in that order) summon the dog-like Yarihu in order to throw him meat (ll. 9–11); and, when →El becomes drunk, Anat and Ashtart go off to find purgatives, returning as Ashtart and Anat (a chiastic arrangement, ll. 22–26). The relation of Ashtart and Anat suggested by these occurrences is evidently close. It may represent an early stage in a process of syncretism of the two goddesses. It may be noted that their iconography is similar; because both appear armed and wearing the Egyptian Atef crown. This close relationship is also reflected in the Egyptian evidence. They are commonly understood to be consorts of Baal; but there is no direct evidence for this at Ugarit. The interpretation of various texts as describing sexual intercourse between Anat and Baal has recently been questioned (P. L. DAY, The Bible and the Politics of Exegesis [ed. D. Jobling; Cleveland 1991] 141–146, 329–333; id, JNES 51 [1992] 181–190), and no such relationship between Ashtart and Baal is mentioned. (The evidence cited could equally well be used to define her as Horon’s consort.) The nearest the tradition comes even to associating them is in the title ʿṯtrt šm bʿl. This has been interpreted in two ways: as ‘Ashtart-name-of-Baal’, sc. as the reputation, honour, or even ‘Shakti’ of Baal (e.g. GINSBERG, ANET 130a), or as ‘Ashtart-heavens-of-Baal’ (DUSSAUD 1947:220–221, who cites Astarte’s epithets Asteria, Astroarche, Astronoë and Ourania). The latter sense is to be preferred. This title also appears on Eshmunazar’s sarcophagus (below). In addition to various mentions in minor texts, Ashtart appears in the pantheon lists (KTU 1.47.25 = KTU 1.118.24) as the equivalent of Ishtar in RS 20. 24. 24. Egypt. Astarte is mentioned a number of times in texts from Egypt. In one instance, her name is written ʿntrt. Even if this is simply a misspelling, as LECLANT (1960:6 n. 2) suggests, it is still ‘revealing’ (but cf. ANET 201a n. 16). In the Contendings of Horus and Seth (iii 4), →Seth is given Anat and Astarte, the daughters of →Re, as wives. This is a mythologisation of the importing of Semitic deities into Egypt under the Hyksos and later, and the New Kingdom fashion for the goddesses in particular. Seth and Baal were identified. But this does not justify retrojecting Egyptian mythological relationships into the Ugaritic context. Anat and Astarte are described in a New Kingdom text (Harris magical papyrus iii 5 in: PRITCHARD [1943:79]) as “the two great goddesses who were pregnant but did not bear”, on which basis ALBRIGHT (1956:75) concludes that they are “perennially fruitful without ever losing virginity”. He also asserts that “sex was their primary function”. Both assumptions are questionable, not to say mutually incompatible! As wives of Seth, who rapes rather than makes love to them, their fruitless conceptions are an extension of his symbolism as the god of disorder, rather than qualities of their own. In the fragmentary ‘Astarte papyrus’ (ANET 17–18; see HELCK 1983) the goddess is the daughter of →Ptah and is demanded by the →Sea in marriage. This myth may be related to a recension of the Ugaritic Baal myth: as well as to that of →Perseus and Andromeda. Astarte’s primary characteristic in Egypt is as a war-goddess. An inscription at Medinet Habu (ARE iii 62, 105), for instance, says of Rameses III that Mont and Seth are with him in every fray, and Anat and Astarte are his shield. She frequently appears in New Kingdom art armed, wearing the Atef crown and riding a horse (LECLANT 1960). A Ptolemaic text (ANET 250 n. 16) calls her “Astarte, Mistress of Horses, Lady of the Chariot”. The first part may echo KTU 1.86.6, which appears to link Ashtart (and Anat?) with a horse (PRU 5, 189 [§158], WYATT, UF 16 [1984] 333–335). In the now lost Winchester stela (EDWARDS, JNES 14 [1955] 49) the goddess appears on a lion (a trait normally associated with Ishtar) and was apparently identified with Qadeshet and Anat. Phoenicia. Though she was undoubtedly an important deity in Phoenicia throughout the first millennium, there is surprisingly little direct written evidence. KAI lists only 11 Phoenician examples: ranging from Ur and Egypt to Malta and Carthage. The most important items are the following. The sarcophagus of Tabnit from Sidon dates from the sixth century BCE (KAI 13, ANET 662a). Since the king is also priest of Ashtart, we may suppose she was an important goddess in the city: if not its patroness. This is in interesting tension with Athirat’s apparently similar status in the Keret story (KTU 1.14 iv:34–36). The curse of the goddess is invoked against grave-robbers. The sarcophagus of his son Eshmunazar (KAI 14, ANET 662ab), from the beginning of the following century, states that his mother was priestess of Ashtart; and that the royal family sponsored (rebuilt?) a temple for Ashtart (in the form Ashtart-šm-Baal) in →Sidon, thus benefitting her cult in Byblos. A votive throne from south of Tyre, dating to the second century BCE (KAI 17), addresses the goddess as ‘my Great Lady’ (rbty); but perhaps without the old ideological overtones. The same expression is used of Ashtart and ‘Tanit of the Lebanon’ (this may denote a local feature at Carthage) on an inscribed slab, of uncertain date, from Carthage (KAI 81). It will be apparent from the lack of biblical references to a living cult of Anat that the goddess must have undergone some transformation by about the beginning of the first millennium BCE. The constant juxtaposition of the goddesses in the Ugaritic and Egyptian records indicates what must have happened. They appear to have fused into the goddess →Atargatis; although we have just seen that Ashtart also retained her independence for centuries. The name Atargatis (Greek, Aramaic ʾtr̂tʾ) is generally agreed to be made up from the Aramaic development of Ashtart (ʿštrt) into Atar (ʾtrʾ note the weakening of the guttural) together with Anat (ʿnt) weakened by assimilation of the medial n into ʿt(t)ʾ. Some see Asherah assimilated to Anat (see ASTOUR, Hellenosemitica [19672] 206); but this is less likely. Occasional inscriptions to the goddess are found in Aramaic (KAI 239, 247, 248). Atargatis, in her form at Hierapolis in the second century CE, is the subject of Lucian’s work De Dea Syria. Lucian writes of Astarte of Sidon, §4, whom he identifies as the →Moon. He also claims that the local priesthood identified her with Europa. He identifies the goddess of Byblos (probably another local Astarte) with →Aphrodite. The common identiate in the Cypriot cult (§6), the Astarte of a temple on the Lebanon mountain (sc. at Afqa), he says was founded by Kinyras (sc. Kinnor) (§9). The goddess (Atargatis) of Hierapolis, founded by Deucalion or Semiramis, he identifies with →Hera or Derceto (§§12, 14). Given the character of Atargatis, it is perhaps significant that Anat is called both ‘mistress of dominion’ and ‘mistress of the high heavens’ (bʿlt drkt bʿlt šmm rmm: the Ugaritic equivalents of Derceto and Semiramis) among other titles in KTU 1.108.6–7. Much of Lucian’s information seems to be a loose mixture of Greek and Syrian traditions, but still has some genuine echoes from the past. Another important source reflecting a Graeco-Semitic rationalising of tradition is Eusebius’ Praep. Ev., which has Astarte as a daughter of Ouranos (→Heaven) and sister to Rhea and Dione: all three become wives of Kronos. Astarte has seven daughters by Kronos. The latter appears to be the equivalent of →El. A direct quotation from Philo Byblius states that “Astarte, the great goddess, and Zeus Demarous, and Adodos king of gods, reigned over the country (sc. Phoenicia) with the consent of Kronos. And Astarte set the head of a bull upon her own head as a mark of royalty, and in traveling round the world she found a →star fallen from the sky, which she took up and consecrated in the holy island Tyre. And the Phoenicians say that Astarte is Aphrodite.” (1.10:17–18, 21) The Greek goddess →Artemis may also preserve traits of Phoenician Ashtart (WEST, UF 23 [1991] 379–381). III. The divine name Ashtart occurs nine times in MT, from which one should perhaps be subtracted (1 Sam 7:3) and to which a further instance should perhaps be added, i.e. Judg 3:7. This alteration, widely accepted, is based on the wording of Judg 2:13. It summarises the popular devotions of the pre-monarchical period as apostasy. This verse raises some interesting questions. MT reads labbaʿal wĕlāʿaštārôt, using the singular of baʿal, (supported by LXX) but, on most scholars’ assessment, the plural form for the goddess (supported by LXX!). Thus RSV, REB, read respectively ‘the Baals and the Ashtaroth’ and ‘the baalim and the ashtaroth’. Note, however, that bĕʿālîm does occur in the plural in 2:11. (Clearly there is some redundancy in vv 11–13.) RSV recognises the names, though plural. REB genericises them. JB, on the other hand reads ‘Baal and Astarte’. The ‘Baalim’ are often referred to in the plural (‘emphatic plural’: BDB 127) and are so construed by many commentators. The Ashtaroth are, thus, understood as a class of goddesses. Whether or not ʾăšērôt should be corrected at Judg 3:7, it is the same principle. But, given the phonology of the divine name, we should perhaps question the plural interpretation: even if it be allowed that it came to be understood in this way. The only vocalised forms of the name are, of course, the Hebrew and Greek. The other West Semitic forms are conventionally vocalised ‘Ashtart’ or ‘Athtart’; but it is quite possible that the original vocalisation was *ʿaṯtarāt(u), which, with the southern shift of ā to ô (as in Dāgān > Dāgôn) would become ʿaštārôt in Hebrew. Conversely, the expected singular—if the form found were the plural—would be *ʿaštārâ, with the final -at weakening to â. The toponyms mentioned below support this alternative explanation. Further, the three-vowel formation is supported by the other form occurring, viz. ʿaštōret. To argue that this formation is due to the adoption of the vowels of bōšet begs the question. There would have needed to be at least the vocal skeleton (that is, a word or in this case part of a word carrying two vowels) for the bōšet vowels to fit. The adoption of this vowel pattern (bōšet) is perhaps not in dispute, though the reason commonly given is arguably misconstrued. JASTROW’s suggestion (1894) makes better sense, in offering a closer parallel to the revocalising of the tetragrammaton to carry the vowels of ʾădōnay. It is suggested, therefore, that ‘Ashtaroth’ is in fact a singular form, though it might well come to be interpreted in the plural, as an indication of the scribal tradition’s view of the enormity of worshipping other deities, and thus representing all such cults as polytheistic. As for ‘Ashtoreth’ (ʿaštōret), this may well be explained as the singular carrying the vowels of bōšet; albeit on JASTROW’s understanding of the usage (1894). It is, however, possible that another explanation of this form is the assumption of an early form *ʿaštārit, in which case the conventional shift of ā-i to ō-ē (as in šāpiṭ > šōpēṭ) would occur. If this is so, we should look for dialectal variants of the name. Jdg 10:6, 1 Sam 7:4 and 12:10 all refer to ‘the Baals and the Ashtaroth’. In the second instance, LXX has the curious reading tas Baalim kai ta alsē Astarōth, “and the (f.!) Baals and the (n. pl.!) groves-Ashtaroth”, an impossible combination of Ashtart and Asherah elements, while in the third, LXX reads tois Baalim kai tois alsesin. In 1 Sam 7:3 the allusion looks like a secondary addition at the end of the sentence (hāsîrû ʾet-ʾĕlōhê hannēkār mittôkĕkem wĕhāʿaštārôt). LXX, however, reads … kai ta alsē, thus presupposing hāʾăšērîm. In 1 Sam 31:10, the armour of Saul is hung on the walls of ‘the temple of Ashtart (ʿaštārôt)’ (LXX to Astarteion, // 1 Chr 10:10: bêt ʾĕlōhêhem). Commentators usually change the pointing to ʿaštōret (thus SMITH, The books of Samuel [ICC; Edinburgh 1899] 253) or regard the temple as dedicated to ‘the Ashtaroth’ (pl.: thus HERZBERG, I and II Samuel [London 1964] 233). On the basis of the argument that the form is singular, no change to MT is required. The other three occurrences all point the name ʿaštōret and do not use the article. These passages overtly refer, however, not to an Israelite or Judahite goddess, but to ‘Ashtoreth, goddess (ʾĕlōhê!) of the Sidonians’ in 1 Kgs 11:5, 33 as importations by Solomon to please his wives; while in 2 Kgs 23:13, in the account of Josiah’s destruction of Ashtart’s shrine, she is referred to as šiqqūṣ, →‘abomination’. It is probably Ashtart who was denoted by the title →‘Queen of heaven’, referred to in cults of the end of the monarchy (Jer 7:18; 44:17–19, 25). As well as serving as the divine name, the word appears in the expression ʿaštĕrōt ṣōʾn in Deut 7:13; 28:4, 18, 51. It means something like ‘lamb-bearing flocks’ or ‘ewes of the flock’. This appears to be an application of the name of the goddess as a term for the reproductive capacity of ewes. It also appears in a toponym, which goes back to the pre-settlement era. It denotes a city named after the goddess. Gen 14:5 mentions Ashtaroth Qarnaim, which ASTOUR (ABD 1 [1992] 491; contrast DAY, ABD 1 [1992] 492) takes to be Ashtaroth near Qarnaim, and identifies with the Ashtaroth associated with →Og king of →Bashan (Josh 9:10). In Josh 21:27, this appears as bĕʿeštĕrâ, (LXX Bosoran = Bosra!) which should, however, be harmonised with ʿaštārôt (LXX Asērōth) in 1 Chr 6:56 (71). In Josh 12:4; 13:12, 31, this is linked with Edrei (the latter added to Josh 9:10 in LXX), and the two cities appear together as the seat of the chthonian god ‘Rapiu’ in KTU 1.108. 2–3 (most recently PARDEE, RSOu IV [Textes paramythologiques; Paris 1988] 81, 94–97). It is probably also the city Aštartu mentioned in the Amarna letters (EA 197:10, 256:21). This pronunciation and obvious sense (as the name of a singular goddess) may be taken to confirm the singular interpretation of the biblical toponym and divine name. It is supported by the reference to the Beth-Shean temple of the goddess in 1 Sam 31:10; 1 Chr 11:44 is the gentilic of the city. The problem of pointing may be resolved thus: ‘Ashtaroth’ is the Hebrew and ‘Ashtoreth’ a Phoenician (Sidonian) form of the same name. The goddess is well-established as a war-goddess (by the Egyptian epigraphic and iconographic evidence, as well as the trophies offered at Beth Shean), while her ‘sexual’ role, conceived as primary by ALBRIGHT (1956), is scarcely hinted at by the evidence adduced. It appears, rather, to belong to a blanket judgment on Canaanite goddesses made by biblical scholars on the basis of meagre evidence such as Hosea’s sexual allusions. It is better explained as a metaphor for apostasy (cf. B. MARGALIT, VT 40 [1990] 278–284). The Hebrew singular form ʿaštārôt has subsequently been read as a plural and incorporated into the reference to bĕʿālîm wĕhāʿaštārôt. In doing so, it has simply become, like bĕʿālîm, a generic term. It is comparable to the Akkadian expression ilānu u ištarātu, ‘gods and goddesses’. IV. Bibliography W. F. ALBRIGHT, Archeology and the Religion of Israel (Baltimore 19564) 73–78; P. BORDREUIL, Ashtart de Mari et les dieux d’Ougarit, MARI 4 (1989) 545–547; D. J. A. CLINES, Mordecai, ABD 4 (1992) 902–904, esp. 902; A. COOPER, Divine names and epithets in the Ugaritic texts, RSP III §23, 403–406; J. DAY, Ashtoreth, ABD I (1992) 491–494; M. DELCOR, Le culte de la ‘Reine du Ciel’ selon Jer 7, 18; 44, 17–19, 25 et ses survivances, Von Kanaan bis Kerala (FS. Van der Ploeg, eds. W. L. Delsman et al., AOAT 211; Neukirchen-Vluyn 1982) 101–122; DELCOR, LIMC III.1 (1986) 1077–1085; R. DUSSAUD, Astarté, Pontos et Baal, CRAIBL (1947) 201–224; W. HELCK, Zur Herkunft der Erzählung des sog. “Astarte Papyrus”, Fontes atque Pontes. FS. H. Brunner (ed. M. Görg; Wiesbaden 1983) 215–223; W. HEMPEL, A Catalog of Near Eastern Venus Deities, SMS 4 (1982) 9–22; W. HERRMANN, Aštart, MIO 15 (1969) 6–52; F. O. HVIDBERG-HANSON, La déesse TNT (Copenhagen 1979) i 106–112, ii 147–155; HVIDBERG-HANSON, Uni-Ashtart and Tanit-Iuno Caelestis, Archaeology and Fertility Cult in the Ancient Mediterranean (ed. A. Bonanno; Valetta 1986) 170–195; M. JASTROW, The element bošet in Hebrew proper names, JBL 13 (1894) 19–30; *J. LECLANT, Astarté à cheval d’après les représentations égyptiennes, Syria 37 (1960) 1–67; R. dU MESNIL dU BUISSON, ʿAštart et ʿAštar à Ras-Shamra, JEOL 3 (1946) 406; C. A. MOORE, Esther, Book of, ABD 2 (1992) 633–643, esp. 633; S. M. OLYAN, Some Observations Concerning the Identity of the Queen of Heaven, UF 19 (1987) 161–174; M. H. POPE, ʿAṯtart, ʿAštart, Astarte, WbMyth I/1, 250–252; *J. B. PRITCHARD, Palestinian Figurines in Relation to Certain Goddesses Known through Literature (AOS 24; New Haven 1943) 65–76, 90–95; M. WEINFELD, The Worship of Molech and the Queen of Heaven and Its Background, UF 4 (1972) 133–154. N. WYATT QUESTION - Who was Asherah / Ashtoreth? ANSWER - Asherah, or Ashtoreth, was the name of the chief female deity worshiped in ancient Syria, Phoenicia, and Canaan. The Phoenicians called her Astarte, the Assyrians worshiped her as Ishtar, and the Philistines had a temple of Asherah (1 Samuel 31:10). Because of Israel’s incomplete conquest of the land of Canaan, Asherah-worship survived and plagued Israel, starting as soon as Joshua was dead (Judges 2:13). Asherah was represented by a limbless tree trunk planted in the ground. The trunk was usually carved into a symbolic representation of the goddess. Because of the association with carved trees, the places of Asherah worship were commonly called “groves,” and the Hebrew word “asherah” (plural, “asherim”) could refer either to the goddess or to a grove of trees. One of King Manasseh’s evil deeds was that he “took the carved Asherah pole he had made and put it in the temple” (2 Kings 21:7). Another translation of “carved Asherah pole” is “graven image of the grove” (KJV). Considered the moon-goddess, Asherah was often presented as a consort of Baal, the sun-god (Judges 3:7, 6:28, 10:6; 1 Samuel 7:4, 12:10). Asherah was also worshiped as the goddess of love and war and was sometimes linked with Anath, another Canaanite goddess. Worship of Asherah was noted for its sensuality and involved ritual prostitution. The priests and priestesses of Asherah also practiced divination and fortune-telling. The Lord God, through Moses, forbade the worship of Asherah. The Law specified that a grove of trees was not to be near the altar of the Lord (Deuteronomy 16:21). Despite God’s clear instructions, Asherah-worship was a perennial problem in Israel. As Solomon slipped into idolatry, one of the pagan deities he brought into the kingdom was Asherah, called “the goddess of the Sidonians” (1 Kings 11:5, 33). Later, Jezebel made Asherah-worship even more prevalent, with 400 prophets of Asherah on the royal payroll (1 Kings 18:19). At times, Israel experienced revival, and notable crusades against Asherah-worship were led by Gideon (Judges 6:25-30), King Asa (1 Kings 15:13), and King Josiah (2 Kings 23:1-7).GotQuestions.org Judges 2:14 And 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. And the anger of the LORD burned against Israel: (literally "an it became hot the nose of Yahweh") - Jdg 3:7,8 10:7 Lev 26:28 Nu 32:14 De 28:20,58 Dt 29:19,20 Dt 31:17-18 2Ch 36:16 Ps 106:40-42 and He gave them into the hands of plunderers: 2Ki 17:20 2Ch 15:5 He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them: Jdg 3:8 4:2 Ps 44:12 Isa 50:1 they could no longer stand before their enemies: Jdg 1:19,34 Lev 26:37 De 32:30 Jos 7:12,13 Ps 44:9,10 Jer 37:10 Related Passages: Psalm 106:40-42 Therefore the anger (aph) of the LORD was kindled (charah) 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. 2 Kings 17:20 The LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel (REFERRING TO NORTHERN KINGDOM TAKEN EVENTUALLY TO ASSYRIA) and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them out of His sight. Nehemiah 9:27 “Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their oppressors who oppressed them, But when they cried to You in the time of their distress, You heard from heaven, and according to Your great compassion You gave them deliverers who delivered them from the hand of their oppressors. Deuteronomy 28:20+ “The LORD will send upon you curses, confusion, and rebuke, in all you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken Me. Deuteronomy 31:17-18+ “Then My anger (aph) will kindled (charah) against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide My face from them, and they will be consumed, and many evils and troubles will come upon them; so that they will say in that day, ‘Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us?’ 18 “But I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they will do, for they will turn to other gods. 2 Chronicles 36:16 but they (SOUTHERN TRIBES OF JUDAH AND BENJAMIN) continually mocked the messengers of God (TANTAMOUNT TO MOCKING GOD - Gal 6:7-8+), despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, until there was no remedy. DIVINE DISCIPLINE In Jdg 2:12 Yahweh's anger is briefly mentioned ("they provoked the LORD to anger") but now in Jdg 2:14ff God's anger is described in detail. And the anger (aph) of the LORD burned (kindled - charah) against Israel: God cannot be mocked. Israel would reap what they sowed (and we will also beloved!) God is angry and is beginning to fulfill the curses promised for disobedience in Deuteronomy 28-29+. And if you keep in mind that fact that Yahweh was the true "Husband" of Israel by virtue of the vows they declared in cutting the Mosaic Covenant (Ex 24:3,7+), it will help you understand why the LORD was angry when His "wife" began to play the harlot (zanah) with the Baals (recalling that the word Baal meant husband or master!) Anger is the Hebrew word for "nose or nostril" and so this verse literally reads "His nose became hot" (glowed, was kindled, grew warm, burned). The KJV rendering as "the anger of the LORD was hot" is an expressive metaphor for His anger and an example of an anthropomorphism. This word charah differs from other Hebrew words for anger in that it emphasizes the "kindling" of anger, like the kindling of a fire, or the heat of the anger, once started. It is used of Potiphar's anger burning against Joseph when his servants falsely accused Joseph of sexual assault on Mrs. Potiphar in Gen 39:19. This picture also recalls to mind God giving Himself the Name "Jehovah Who is a jealous God (Ex 20:5, Ex 34:14).This Name for Jehovah, does not refer to the shallow, childish human emotion men and women exhibit, but emphasizes the principle that God will not tolerate a divided loyalty (Mt 6:24+). God's anger is not the petty anger of hurt feelings, but the holy anger of a righteous response to sin. Block has an interesting comment that "According to the covenant (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28), this abandonment of Yahweh not only absolves him of responsibility for them; it also renders them his enemy." (Judges, Ruth. Vol. 6: New American Commentary - archive.org allows you to borrow this book for an hour at no charge and renew. While you cannot copy and paste, this is still a useful resource.) And He gave them into the hands of plunderers (shasah) who plundered them (NET = "robbers who plundered them.") - He gave...over (Lxx = paradidomi - used of Jesus given over to Pilate Mt 27:2) speaks of Jehovah's active, "personal" role in the punishment to Israel. Jehovah repeatedly gave Israel into the hands of their enemies. To be given into someone's hands was an idiomatic way of saying Israel was given over to the power of the enemy. We see an excellent illustration of plundering by the Midianites in Jdg 6:1-6. (See this repeated theme in Jdg 2:14+, Jdg 6:1+, Jdg 11:32+, Jdg 13:1+) We see this same idea of giving one over to the power of another in Ro 1:24+, Ro 1:26+, Ro 1:28+. Moses had prophesied that "Jehovah will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them, but you shall flee seven ways before them, and you shall be an example of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. And your carcasses shall be food to all birds of the sky and to the beasts of the earth, and there shall be no one to frighten them away. (Dt 28:25-26+) And He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies: The Hebrew idiom sold into hands (lit., "sell into the hand of") pictures the Lord as the owner of His people who decides to sell them to another because of their unfaithfulness. See similar idea in Jdg 3:8+, Jdg 4:2+, Jdg 10:+7. Israel’s enemies eventually became their masters! That is the nature of sin. If we don't kill it, it will seek to kill us! Solomon records that "His own iniquities will capture the wicked, and he will be held with the cords of his sin." (Pr 5:22+) Hindson and Kroll make an excellent point that "Because of the Israelites’ tendency to turn to Baal worship in times of peace, God kept the pressure on them by allowing invasions of their enemies so that they were greatly distressed. Since their worship of Yahweh was the unifying factor among the Israelite tribes, the apostasy into Baal worship also tended to decentralize the strength of the nation. Their neglect of the covenant which bound them to the Lord, and also bound them together, caused them to present a divided front to their enemy invaders." (KJV BIBLE COMMENTARY - JUDGES - free online) Gary Inrig writes that "As Christians, we must not forget that God and evil cannot coexist. Because of the Lord Jesus, we know that God's anger blazed out at Calvary, and we will never come under His wrath. We have been saved from wrath through Christ. But it is impossible for us to live in sin and have fellowship with God (1 John 1:6). The disciplining hand of God will work in our lives if we choose sin in deliberate disobedience to Him (Heb 12:5-11). Sin that is not confessed to the Lord (1Jn 1:9) brings servitude and bondage in our lives. The joy fades (Ps 51:12) and the frustration builds. One of my favorite hymns is "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing (play it now)." It is a great hymn of praise to God, but there is a sad story related to it. Two strangers were riding in a coach—a miserable-looking man and a happy-faced woman, who was reading the hymn. She showed the hymn to her unknown companion and told him how much the words meant to her. The man looked at it and suddenly broke into tears. Sobbing, he said to her, "Madam, I am the poor, unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feeling I had then." Robert Robinson had drifted out of fellowship with God, and he knew the awful bondage that sin brings. (Hearts of Iron, Feet of Clay - archive.org allows you to borrow for an hour) Ray