Conspiracy of Power

Judges 9:1-21
    1 Then Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, to his mother's brothers, and spoke with them and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying, 2 “Please speak in the hearing of all the men of Shechem: ‘Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal reign over you, or that one reign over you?’ Remember that I am your own flesh and bone.” 3 And his mother's brothers spoke all these words concerning him in the hearing of all the men of Shechem; and their heart was inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.” 4 So they gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men; and they followed him. 5 Then he went to his father's house at Ophrah and killed his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, because he hid himself. 6 And all the men of Shechem gathered together, all of Beth Millo, and they went and made Abimelech king beside the terebinth tree at the pillar that was in Shechem.
    7 Now when they told Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim, and lifted his voice and cried out. And he said to them: “Listen to me, you men of Shechem, That God may listen to you!  8 “The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them.
    And they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us!’  9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘Should I cease giving my oil, With which they honor God and men, And go to sway over trees?’
    10 “Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us!’ 11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘Should I cease my sweetness and my good fruit, And go to sway over trees?’
    12 “Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us!’ 13 But the vine said to them, ‘Should I cease my new wine, Which cheers both God and men, And go to sway over trees?’
    14 “Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us!’ 15 And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in truth you anoint me as king over you, Then come and take shelter in my shade; But if not, let fire come out of the bramble And devour the cedars of Lebanon!’
    16 “Now therefore, if you have acted in truth and sincerity in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to him as he deserves— 17 for my father fought for you, risked his life, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian; 18 but you have risen up against my father's house this day, and killed his seventy sons on one stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his female servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother— 19 if then you have acted in truth and sincerity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. 20 But if not, let fire come from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and Beth Millo; and let fire come from the men of Shechem and from Beth Millo and devour Abimelech!” 21 And Jotham ran away and fled; and he went to Beer and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

The conspiracy of power and for power is seen here with Abimelech in taking the throne by hiring killers to murder his seventy brothers for seventy pieces of silver from an idol’s temple.  His brothers from his mother plotted and financed Abimelech’s thugs to kill his brothers from his father Jerubbaal.  Such a conspiracy to gain the throne for power over others and the pride of life to be seen ruling over them!  Only Jotham survived and he spoke this prophetic parable of their actions and demise in verses 8-14.  It used trees as people looking for a king to rule them, and how each type of tree found excuses to avoid the responsibility.  The olive tree was more concerned with continuing to produce its oil to be used for God by men in worship.  The fig tree worried about its sweetness and fruit to give pleasure in the eaters mouths and likewise could not be bothered with the honor and responsibility.  The trees then lowered their standards to ask a grape vine, and the vine refused because it only wanted to make wine to make God and the senses of men cheerfully happy.  The trees finally asked the worthless bramble with its sharp thorns of pain; it accepted the role but warned those asking for a ruler that if they did not submit fully under its shade of control that it would burn them up and devour them.  There was a price for the trees to not want a tree like themselves which was worthy and appropriate to rule as king over them, just as the people should have allowed the line of Jerubbaal to reign instead and indicted the Shechemites for choosing the ignoble Abimelech as king.  This desire for what is seen, what feels good, and was based on pride, all leading to murder, is similarly spoken of in 1 John 2:15-16 concerning the desires of selfish pleasure, greed, and pride.  These were idolatrous and wandered away from God, so they easily fell into this plot and ungodly actions.  We who are in Christ know better and can learn from these things concerning power and conspiracy to desire and grab it at the expense of fidelity to the Lord.  The parable is a warning and gives understanding to us as well. 

Ruled by the LORD or a Man?

Judges 8:22-35 

    22 Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also; for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.”
    23 But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you.” 24 Then Gideon said to them, “I would like to make a request of you, that each of you would give me the earrings from his plunder.” For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.
    25 So they answered, “We will gladly give them.” And they spread out a garment, and each man threw into it the earrings from his plunder. 26 Now the weight of the gold earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments, pendants, and purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that were around their camels’ necks. 27 Then Gideon made it into an ephod and set it up in his city, Ophrah. And all Israel played the harlot with it there. It became a snare to Gideon and to his house. 28 Thus Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted their heads no more. And the country was quiet for forty years in the days of Gideon.
    29 Then Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house. 30 Gideon had seventy sons who were his own offspring, for he had many wives. 31 And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, whose name he called Abimelech. 32 Now Gideon the son of Joash died at a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
    33 So it was, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and made Baal-Berith their god. 34 Thus the children of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side; 35 nor did they show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (Gideon) in accordance with the good he had done for Israel.

After Gideon was used as the LORD’s instrument of His mighty hand to deliver Israel from Midian, the people begged him to rule over them as king.  Gideon made it clear that he would not nor his son (due to Gideon’s age), but that the LORD their God ruled over them.  The question and issue was whether to be ruled by a man or by the LORD.  Gideon then asked for gold from their booty and crafted it into an ephod, which rightly should have been a breastplate worn by a priest to represent the twelve tribes and used while discerning God’s will.  Instead it became a golden idol of worship which dragged them away from their Master over time yet again.  We can be carried away so easily from God when we compromise and begin worshiping anything or any man more than our Lord; it is our fallen natural man who runs after or crawls toward the shining objects, forgetting who is in heaven and rules over us all in heaven above or earth below (Exodus 20:4, Deuteronomy 4:39).  Such is the definition and folly of idols we place before the Lord God.  We see in spite of this in this passage that the country had peace for forty years and Gideon himself prospered until his death.  God’s good grace was with him in spite of the errors, not that the Lord honors sin but that He is long-suffering and gracious in His dealings with us.  But right after Gideon died, the people went directly to other false gods and put the LORD who delivered and ruled over them far behind.  They even refused to treat their deliverer’s descendants with respect or honor for all Gideon did for them to set them free.  How easily some even now come to salvation, deliverance from the enemy and sin, and then choose to wallow in the mud again by putting the Lord far from the forefront of their consideration and out of sight of their own idolatrous pursuits.  Idols and other so-called gods come in many forms, often shiny like the golden ephod, and the attraction of other desires and the pride of life (1 Hohn 2:15-17) can lead us to be as rebellious as Israel was if we do not learn from these examples given us (Romans 15:4, 1 Corinthians 10:11) such as this.  Who rules us? 

Midianites Finished Off

Judges 8:1-21
    1 Now the men of Ephraim said to him, “Why have you done this to us by not calling us when you went to fight with the Midianites?” And they reprimanded him sharply. 2 So he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? 3 God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. And what was I able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger toward him subsided when he said that.
    4 When Gideon came to the Jordan, he and the three hundred men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit. 5 Then he said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.” 6 And the leaders of Succoth said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?” 7 So Gideon said, “For this cause, when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers!” 8 Then he went up from there to Penuel and spoke to them in the same way. And the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. 9 So he also spoke to the men of Penuel, saying, “When I come back in peace, I will tear down this tower!”
    10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were at Karkor, and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand, all who were left of all the army of the people of the East; for one hundred and twenty thousand men who drew the sword had fallen. 11 Then Gideon went up by the road of those who dwell in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah; and he attacked the army while the camp felt secure. 12 When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them; and he took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and routed the whole army.
    13 Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle, from the Ascent of Heres. 14 And he caught a young man of the men of Succoth and interrogated him; and he wrote down for him the leaders of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men. 15 Then he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you ridiculed me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your weary men?’ ” 16 And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth. 17 Then he tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
    18 And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?” So they answered, “As you are, so were they; each one resembled the son of a king.” 19 Then he said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.” 20 And he said to Jether his firstborn, “Rise, kill them!” But the youth would not draw his sword; for he was afraid, because he was still a youth. 21 So Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise yourself, and kill us; for as a man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.

Gideon  now finishes off the Midianites and chases down  Zebah and Zalmunna, two kings of their kings.  Along the way he asks for food to sustain his weary three hundred chosen warriors, but is refused twice.  He later returns and teaches them a lesson for not supporting God’s forces through thorns and a leveled tower with death as promised, consequences for their inaction and lack of support.  Then he finds out who killed his brothers at Tabor after routing the Midianite army, and these he kills by his own sword.  These told Gideon that strength is demonstrated by action when Gideon’s youngest son could not kill them, and so Gideon did so.  We do not go around routing armies and executing our enemies, but we do take the sword of the spirit to defeat enemies in heavenly places in the war for men’s souls, and do so ourselves to demonstrate faithfulness in obedience.  Likewise, we do not harm or kill those not supporting the gospel through their disobedience, but exercise church discipline to keep order and help them turn back to do what is right and restore their fellowship.  This is how we are men of valor, valiant for the truth in the love of Christ. 

The Chosen Valiant Three Hundred

Judges 7:1-25 

    1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley. 2 And the LORD said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ 3 Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’ ” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.
    4 But the LORD said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ the same shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.” 6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water. 7 Then the LORD said to Gideon, “By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.” 8 So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
    9 It happened on the same night that the LORD said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand. 10 But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant, 11 and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men who were in the camp. 12 Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.
    13 And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion. He said, “I have had a dream: To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed.”
    14 Then his companion answered and said, “This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp.”
    15 And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.” 16 Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. 17 And he said to them, “Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do: 18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, ‘The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!’ ”
    19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers—they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing—and they cried, “The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!” 21 And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled. 22 When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the LORD set every man's sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath.
    23 And the men of Israel gathered together from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and pursued the Midianites. 24 Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the mountains of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites, and seize from them the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan.” Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together and seized the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan. 25 And they captured two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.

Back in Judges 6:14, the LORD called Gideon to fight for Him against Midian to set the people free.  He was called a man of valor in Judges 6:12, one of strength and valiant ability.  Now we see God directing him to go with a God-picked force against the enemy, that the victory could be clearly attributed to Him and not to the men He uses.  The final army ended up as three hundred out of the original thirty-two thousand.  The victory and glory were the LORD’s.  The fearful left first, then those not humbling themselves to drink ingloriously as dogs.  When Gideon heard the Midianite’s dream from God foretelling him as Israel’s chosen deliverer, he knew the victory was assured.  God have the wisdom to divide the three hundred into three groups to surround the Midianite camp with torches hidden in clay jugs and trumpets to blow all while breaking open all the jugs at once to cause confusion and dread upon the enemy.  It worked so well that the Midian army defeated itself and Israel caught the stragglers in retreat, with more of God’s people joining along the way to fight together.  The main lessons for us include first and most of all that God gets the glory in our endeavors, for it is wisdom and strength and valor given to us by Him and not works out of ourselves which honor Him.  Secondly, we learn that our part is to follow His commands and instructions by trusting faith which works through obedience.  Lastly, we who are in Christ know our righteousness and victory are in Him alone also.  The final battle is won by the sword of the word of His mouth against the enemy, not our warring efforts (Revelation 1:16, 19:15, 19, 21).  This is living faithfully by faith and honoring the Lord Jesus Christ, valiant for the truth and faithful unto death. 

True Worship and Testing God’s Call

Judges 6:25-40
    25 Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to him, “Take your father's young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it; 26 and build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the LORD had said to him. But because he feared his father's household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night.
    28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, there was the altar of Baal, torn down; and the wooden image that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was being offered on the altar which had been built. 29 So they said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” And when they had inquired and asked, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.” 30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the wooden image that was beside it.”
    31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead for Baal? Would you save him? Let the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!” 32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, “Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar.” 33 Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34 But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him. 35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.
    36 So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said— 37 look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.” 38 And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.” 40 And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.

To honor God begins with putting aside worthless worship of false gods as Gideon did here, building an altar of sacrificial worship in the place where he tore down the Baal altar and its idol of his father.  He had help of ten others to do the heavy lifting, but also feared the his family and the people enough to do it at night where nobody could see who did it or possibly try to stop him.  This fear did not keep him from destroying the idol and the altar of unrighteousness because Gideon feared God more.  When the people knew what he had done, they stormed the house of his father Joash and demanded he hand over his son to face execution for tearing down the altar and its idol.  The father wisely held them off by pointing out that if Baal was divine and powerful, let him defend himself.  He even named Gideon as Jerubbaal (let Baal plead his cause) to be a constant living reminder of Baal’s impotence.  There was no power but the living God’s, and Gideon demonstrated this fact by showing the worshippers of a god who did not really exist that he did not have any power or sway outside of what they ascribed to him.  Then God’s Spirit moved Gideon to deliver Israel.  Bit Fideon wanted proof of his call and commission before moving forward.  He put out his infamous fleece to test God and basically make Him prove Himself and His power before committing his trust (faith) completely to the LORD and the task ahead.  He doubted.  How often we make similar mistakes!  We know we are called by and for the gospel to follow Christ as we daily die and shoulder the cross of dying to our own goals for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Yet we often question the call of total commitment and demand (humbly with the excuse of wanting to be certain when His word states the fact clearly) that He validates and convinces is first.  Walking by faith, on the other hand, skips this unnecessary step and moves forward in faith even when the unseen appears risky or downright dangerous.  Therefore, we can learn from Gideon’s fleece and also from his boldness for true worship and for acceptance of the commission and command of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

YHWH Shalom

Judges 6:11-24
    11 Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!”
    13 Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”  14 Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”  15 So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.”  16 And the LORD said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”
    17 Then he said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me. 18 Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You.” And He said, “I will wait until you come back.” 19 So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and presented them. 20 The Angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so.
    21 Then the Angel of the LORD put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the LORD departed out of his sight. 22 Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the LORD. So Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord GOD! For I have seen the Angel of the LORD face to face.” 23 Then the LORD said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

The LORD is peace. YHWH Shalom.  This how Gideon came to build an altar to the LORD as a sign of the reconciling peace given him.  It began with a call by God while he was threshing wheat in a wine press to keep it from being stolen by the Midianites.  The Angel of the LORD showed up and told him that God was with him as a mighty and valorous man.  Gideon’s first question was not why the LORD sent an angel nor why He called him mighty or valorous; no, it was the question of why Israel was enslaved and where was the God who was told of that delivered His people from Egypt with signs and wonders.  God responded with the command to go in strength to do the liberating as an instrument of His mighty hand.  He was sent, and the LORD promised to be with him to gain the victory as if singlehandedly.  Gideon then offered an offering; when he put it down on a designated rock, the Angel touched it with His staff and it went up in glorious fire as a burnt offering.  Then the Angel left and Gideon realized in whose presence he was.  Many believe that this was the pre-incarnate Christ, hence the reaction as if he saw the Divine before him.  The LORD then said peace be with you, you will not die.  Therefore he built an altar and named it YHWH Shalom, the LORD is Peace.  We today find our peace with God in the same person of Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1, 15:13) whom we worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24).  Let us then conform to His image as our reasonable spiritual worship in the tabernacle of our bodies (Romans 12:1, 1 Corinthians 6:19) on the altar of a obedient and submitted life to His glory. 

In the Midst of Midianites

Judges 6:1-10
    1 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years, 2 and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains. 3 So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up; also Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. 4 Then they would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey. 5 For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it. 6 So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. 7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried out to the LORD because of the Midianites, 8 that the LORD sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage; 9 and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 Also I said to you, “I am the LORD your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not obeyed My voice.’ ”

Israel again disobeyed the LORD after the successful conquest to free themselves from serving the Canaanites.  They did evil in thought and deed, not putting foreign gods away nor staying away from their prohibited practices.  They were then reminded by a prophet of the LORD of their deliverance as Gods people from Egypt’s bondage, symbolic of sin, and from all who oppressed and fought against them.  He had driven out the ungodly score them as they approached and entered the promised land.  He then reminded them that He alone was the LORD their God, not those of the Amorites in the midst of whom they were living.  They just did not do what God commanded; it was not a suggestion or best practice, but essential and commanded.  Therefore they made caves to hide in for protection, which was just a way of hiding their heads in the dirt like an ostrich from God’s judgment of the defeat in battle, the raids on their crops, and loss of life.  They were reaping their consequences.  We are also not to fear our adversaries and live our own way, but to live by His word as best we can, running the race of sanctification in conformity to Christ by obeying the scriptures out of remembrance and love of our salvation and for His glory in holiness.  Let us learn from those who went before us, living by faith and not sight lest we also end up in the midst of our own Midianites of compromise with the world. 

The Victory Song of Deborah

Judges 5:1-31 

    1 Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying: 2 “When leaders lead in Israel, When the people willingly offer themselves, Bless the LORD!
    3 “Hear, O kings! Give ear, O princes! I, even I, will sing to the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel. 4 “LORD, when You went out from Seir, When You marched from the field of Edom, The earth trembled and the heavens poured, The clouds also poured water;5 The mountains gushed before the LORD, This Sinai, before the LORD God of Israel.
    6 “In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath,In the days of Jael, The highways were deserted, And the travelers walked along the byways.7 Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel, Until I, Deborah, arose, Arose a mother in Israel. 8 They chose new gods; Then there was war in the gates; Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.
    9 My heart is with the rulers of Israel Who offered themselves willingly with the people. Bless the LORD! 10 “Speak, you who ride on white donkeys, Who sit in judges' attire, And who walk along the road. 11 Far from the noise of the archers, among the watering places, There they shall recount the righteous acts of the LORD, The righteous acts for His villagers in Israel; Then the people of the LORD shall go down to the gates.
    12 “Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, Barak, and lead your captives away, O son of Abinoam! 13 “Then the survivors came down, the people against the nobles; The LORD came down for me against the mighty.
    14 From Ephraim were those whose roots were in Amalek. After you, Benjamin, with your peoples, From Machir rulers came down, And from Zebulun those who bear the recruiter's staff. 15 And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; As Issachar, so was Barak Sent into the valley under his command; Among the divisions of Reuben There were great resolves of heart. 16 Why did you sit among the sheepfolds, To hear the pipings for the flocks? The divisions of Reuben have great searchings of heart. 17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan, And why did Dan remain on ships? Asher continued at the seashore, And stayed by his inlets. 18 Zebulun is a people who jeopardized their lives to the point of death, Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.
    19 “The kings came and fought, Then the kings of Canaan fought In Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; They took no spoils of silver. 20 They fought from the heavens; The stars from their courses fought against Sisera. 21 The torrent of Kishon swept them away, That ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon. O my soul, march on in strength! 22 Then the horses’ hooves pounded, The galloping, galloping of his steeds.
    23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the LORD, ‘Curse its inhabitants bitterly, Because they did not come to the help of the LORD, To the help of the LORD against the mighty.’
    24 “Most blessed among women is Jael, The wife of Heber the Kenite; Blessed is she among women in tents. 25 He asked for water, she gave milk; She brought out cream in a lordly bowl. 26 She stretched her hand to the tent peg, Her right hand to the workmen's hammer; She pounded Sisera, she pierced his head, She split and struck through his temple. 27 At her feet he sank, he fell, he lay still; At her feet he sank, he fell; Where he sank, there he fell dead.
    28 “The mother of Sisera looked through the window, And cried out through the lattice, ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarries the clatter of his chariots?’ 29 Her wisest ladies answered her, Yes, she answered herself, 30 ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil:To every man a girl or two; For Sisera, plunder of dyed garments, Plunder of garments embroidered and dyed, Two pieces of dyed embroidery for the neck of the looter?’
    31 “Thus let all Your enemies perish, O LORD! But let those who love Him be like the sun When it comes out in full strength.” So the land had rest for forty years.

After the LORD gave victory over the army of Canaan led by the army commander Sisera at the hand of a faithful woman as foretold by the judge Deborah, she sang this song to commemorate God’s work by His mighty hand.  It began with praise for faithful leaders who do as they are called and faithful people who submit willingly to follow as to the LORD.  She sang of how the very earth trembled as the LORD went forth with His people to conquer, and how He called Deborah as a mother and judge to her people when the people were defenseless and idle, having lost the will to resist their conquerers.  She spoke of the leaders, the judges, needing to tell of the LORD’s righteous deeds to remind Israel of their calling to lead the people and speak to them in the entrance of the city that all may hear them encourage and lead for His namesake and victory once more.  The people were reminded of their past faithfulness and victories, and then the latest win by Barak at Deborah’s urging by the LORD’s command to pursue and overtake Jabin’s Canaanite forces. The song then honored the Kenite, Jael, for her faithful bravery in killing Sisera.  It ends with a call to end all God’s enemies that His glory would shine to light the world with His glory.  The lesson for us here is to be engaged in God’s work, the war against the forces (Ephesians 3:10, 6:12) enslaving people in sin by means of the gospel, faithfully engaging in following Him and the leaders He appoints to set souls free from darkness (1 Peter 2:9, Acts 26:18) that His light may be clearly seen in setting them free.  What we see in verse 2, this pattern holds true in the church today as an example for us.  Leaders must follow Christ according to God’s word as the ultimate authority, willingly and zealously, not staying on the sidelines nor compromising.  Equally must the congregation do their part to willingly sacrifice and serve.  By the body so working, we bless and honor our Lord.  This pattern is fleshed out in Ephesians 4:11-16 where leaders lead and the people follow by doing their part, willingly and sacrificially to honor the Lord whose we are. 

Deborah as God’s Instrument

Judges 4:1-24
    1 When Ehud was dead, the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD. 2 So the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth Hagoyim. 3 And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD; for Jabin had nine hundred chariots of iron, and for twenty years he had harshly oppressed the children of Israel. 4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 And she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim. And the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6 Then she sent and called for Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “Has not the LORD God of Israel commanded, ‘Go and deploy troops at Mount Tabor; take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun; 7 and against you I will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude at the River Kishon; and I will deliver him into your hand’?”
    8 And Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go!”  9 So she said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; he went up with ten thousand men under his command, and Deborah went up with him.
    11 Now Heber the Kenite, of the children of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, had separated himself from the Kenites and pitched his tent near the terebinth tree at Zaanaim, which is beside Kedesh.  12 And they reported to Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor. 13 So Sisera gathered together all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth Hagoyim to the River Kishon.
    14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day in which the LORD has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the LORD gone out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. 15 And the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot. 16 But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth Hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left.
    17 However, Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me; do not fear.” And when he had turned aside with her into the tent, she covered him with a blanket.  19 Then he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a jug of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him. 20 And he said to her, “Stand at the door of the tent, and if any man comes and inquires of you, and says, ‘Is there any man here?’ you shall say, ‘No.’ ”  21 Then Jael, Heber's wife, took a tent peg and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went down into the ground; for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. 22 And then, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him, “Come, I will show you the man whom you seek.” And when he went into her tent, there lay Sisera, dead with the peg in his temple.
    23 So on that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan in the presence of the children of Israel. 24 And the hand of the children of Israel grew stronger and stronger against Jabin king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

After Ehud and the other two judges whom God raised up to deliver or save Israel from their enemies as well as their sin of rebellion, God gave Deborah as a judge, one of the few female leaders we find in the scriptures.  She was a prophet and leader, and gave direction to the people who came to her for guidance.  Here she commanded Barak go against their enemy the king of Canaan who ruled over Israel because of their sin, and against his army’s commander, Sisera specifically.  Barak refused to go unless she went also, and so Deborah revealed that the LORD would give the glory of the kill to a woman instead of him, and left with Barak and the ten thousand warriors with him.  They thoroughly defeated Sisera’s forces and got him on the run after Deborah urged them on by telling that the LORD had gone out before them to gain the victory (using Barak and the many troops as instruments of His mighty hand).  Sisera escaped to find refuge with an ally, Jael the Kenite, and she fed him, ticked him in, then drove a tent peg through his head to kill Sisera instantly.  The victory of God was not for Barak who held back from initially following the LORD into battle, but to a woman who had the faith and resolve to take action against their enemy.  This was the beginning of Israel’s uprising against the Canaanite oppression until they finally killed the king as well.  God delivers by many means, most of which show man’s weakness in His strength (Proverbs 21:31, 1 Samuel 17:47, 2 Corinthians 12:10).  This applies to us as well, for even in the final battle the Lord Jesus Christ will use the sword of His mouth to defeat the enemy with His faithful followers behind (Revelation 19:11-15, 21).  We are instruments in our Master’s hand to be used for His glory and honor and praise as He wins the battles we engage in as we fight the good fight of faith which is the gospel in His strength and wisdom and power.  Amen. 

Remaining Sin to Test the Heart

Judges 3:1-31
    1 Now these are the nations which the LORD left, that He might test Israel by them, that is, all who had not known any of the wars in Canaan 2 (this was only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known it), 3 namely, five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath. 4 And they were left, that He might test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. 5 Thus the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6 And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons; and they served their gods.
    7 So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs. 8 Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the children of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years. 9 When the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them: Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. 10 The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the LORD delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim. 11 So the land had rest for forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
    12 And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. 13 Then he gathered to himself the people of Ammon and Amalek, went and defeated Israel, and took possession of the City of Palms. 14 So the children of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.
    15 But when the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. By him the children of Israel sent tribute to Eglon king of Moab. 16 Now Ehud made himself a dagger (it was double-edged and a cubit in length) and fastened it under his clothes on his right thigh. 17 So he brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.) 18 And when he had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who had carried the tribute. 19 But he himself turned back from the stone images that were at Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.”  He said, “Keep silence!” And all who attended him went out from him.
    20 So Ehud came to him (now he was sitting upstairs in his cool private chamber). Then Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” So he arose from his seat. 21 Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. 22 Even the hilt went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the dagger out of his belly; and his entrails came out. 23 Then Ehud went out through the porch and shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.  24 When he had gone out, Eglon's servants came to look, and to their surprise, the doors of the upper room were locked. So they said, “He is probably attending to his needs in the cool chamber.” 25 So they waited till they were embarrassed, and still he had not opened the doors of the upper room. Therefore they took the key and opened them. And there was their master, fallen dead on the floor.  26 But Ehud had escaped while they delayed, and passed beyond the stone images and escaped to Seirah. 27 And it happened, when he arrived, that he blew the trumpet in the mountains of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mountains; and he led them. 28 Then he said to them, “Follow me, for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him, seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over. 29 And at that time they killed about ten thousand men of Moab, all stout men of valor; not a man escaped. 30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years.
    31 After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad; and he also delivered Israel.

Because of Israel’s disobedience, the LORD allowed the five lords of the Philistines, the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites to remain unconquered as thorns for testing their hearts.  He wanted to give them the chance to hear His word and live obediently to His commands; He wanted to see whose hearts were completely His.  Unfortunately, Israel intermarried the godless and served their false gods instead of their Creator and Lord who sustained them.  They failed to hive Him honor and glory, choosing to run from Him and pursue sinful alliances and beliefs.  The LORD then let those around His people defeat them and then deliver them after a number of years, over and over as He waited for them to follow and show them that they were without excuse (Romans 1:20) in their denial of Him and in their disobedience to the evidence all around them of His presence and work on their behalf.  He sent men to judge His people, for which judges this book is named.  This began a cycle of sin, temporary repentance, punishment, then deliverance - all which increased the downward spiral over time as they sinned more and turned back from disobedience and towards the LORD less and less.  There were times of rest in between each cycle, but they did not pass the test in an enduring manner to return to their Lord and God, choosing the passing pleasures of sin and refusing accountability.  We find the same battle now in our repentance and sanctification, often returning to sin instead of turning our backs to it, while He tests our hearts and calls us to follow Him only and wholeheartedly once more.  Our enemy is with us until the Lord’s return to be a thorn in our sides as well, yet we have His very presence within us to do battle now with strength for lasting victory (1 Corinthians 15:57)!  We can therefore learn from the past of these examples to not repeat sin until it consumes us because we are in Christ.  In our sanctification, we should view our remaining sin as tests for trusting and obeying from gratefully regenerated hearts as new creations in Him (Galatians 2:20).

Disobedience and Death

Judges 2:1-23
    1 Then the Angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: “I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you. 2 And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? 3 Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’ ” 4 So it was, when the Angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5 Then they called the name of that place Bochim; and they sacrificed there to the LORD. 6 And when Joshua had dismissed the people, the children of Israel went each to his own inheritance to possess the land.
    7 So the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD which He had done for Israel. 8 Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died when he was one hundred and ten years old. 9 And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash. 10 When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel.
    11 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals; 12 and they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger. 13 They forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. 15 Wherever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for calamity, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed.
    16 Nevertheless, the LORD raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do so. 18 And when the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them. 19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.
    20 Then the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My voice, 21 I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, 22 so that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the LORD, to walk in them as their fathers kept them, or not.” 23 Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out immediately; nor did He deliver them into the hand of Joshua.

The disobedience of God’s people resulted in God keeping His promise to not drive out all the inhabitants of the land promised to Israel by covenant.  The people had great sorrow over this, and served the LORD until Joshua died along with all the others of his generation who remembered the great works God had done to deliver and fight for His people.  Then they did evil and found other gods of those not driven out of the land because of their unfaithfulness to the one God over them all.  The wrath of God brought the consequences as promised, in defeat by their enemies and resulting anguish and distress of soul.  In spite of this, because they were called and chosen as His people, He gave them judges to rule and guide them out of pity and love, though this would eventually prove to be ineffective against their rebellious spirit and would lead to a long downward spiritual and national spiral over the years to follow.  The original dwellers in the promised land were kept there by the LORD to test their hearts and offer chances to follow again on obedience to His word of commandments, and the rest is a long history of upward and downward spirals in their journey echoing their previous forty years of wandering in the wilderness.  Grace offered chances, but disobedience led to spiritual and physical death.  We see in Christ that we also have a more certain covenant relationship, yet He still tests our hearts for faithfulness in following as we are transformed and conformed to His image.  There are still consequences for continued or grave sin, such as Ananias and Saphira in Acts and other warnings such as in 1 Corinthians 11:30-32, Galatians 6:7-8, James 1:15, and Romans 6:23 and Romans 8:13.  We see in 1 Corinthians 3:14-17 also that salvation is guaranteed forever, but we still answer for our continued disobedience if left unchecked.  A healthy fear of God therefore does not fear eternal death (though physical death is still on the table), but longs to please Him who bought us at such a price, and knows there are consequences for unrepentant sin. 

Incomplete Conquests

Judges 1:1-36
    1 Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, “Who shall be first to go up for us against the Canaanites to fight against them?”  2 And the LORD said, “Judah shall go up. Indeed I have delivered the land into his hand.”
    3 So Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me to my allotted territory, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I will likewise go with you to your allotted territory.” And Simeon went with him. 4 Then Judah went up, and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand; and they killed ten thousand men at Bezek. 5 And they found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek, and fought against him; and they defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6 Then Adoni-Bezek fled, and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes. 7 And Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to gather scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has repaid me.” Then they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.
    8 Now the children of Judah fought against Jerusalem and took it; they struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire. 9 And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who dwelt in the mountains, in the South, and in the lowland. 10 Then Judah went against the Canaanites who dwelt in Hebron. (Now the name of Hebron was formerly Kirjath Arba.) And they killed Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.  11 From there they went against the inhabitants of Debir. (The name of Debir was formerly Kirjath Sepher.)
    12 Then Caleb said, “Whoever attacks Kirjath Sepher and takes it, to him I will give my daughter Achsah as wife.” 13 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it; so he gave him his daughter Achsah as wife. 14 Now it happened, when she came to him, that she urged him to ask her father for a field. And she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you wish?” 15 So she said to him, “Give me a blessing; since you have given me land in the South, give me also springs of water.”  And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
    16 Now the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the City of Palms with the children of Judah into the Wilderness of Judah, which lies in the South near Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people. 17 And Judah went with his brother Simeon, and they attacked the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. So the name of the city was called Hormah. 18 Also Judah took Gaza with its territory, Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory. 19 So the LORD was with Judah. And they drove out the mountaineers, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the lowland, because they had chariots of iron. 20 And they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had said. Then he expelled from there the three sons of Anak. 21 But the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem; so the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.
    22 And the house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the LORD was with them. 23 So the house of Joseph sent men to spy out Bethel. (The name of the city was formerly Luz.) 24 And when the spies saw a man coming out of the city, they said to him, “Please show us the entrance to the city, and we will show you mercy.” 25 So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man and all his family go. 26 And the man went to the land of the Hittites, built a city, and called its name Luz, which is its name to this day. 
    27 However, Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land. 28 And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites under tribute, but did not completely drive them out.
    29 Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; so the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.
    30 Nor did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or the inhabitants of Nahalol; so the Canaanites dwelt among them, and were put under tribute.
    31 Nor did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Acco or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob. 32 So the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.
    33 Nor did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh or the inhabitants of Beth Anath; but they dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were put under tribute to them.
    34 And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountains, for they would not allow them to come down to the valley; 35 and the Amorites were determined to dwell in Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim; yet when the strength of the house of Joseph became greater, they were put under tribute.  36 Now the boundary of the Amorites was from the Ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela, and upward.

Judges begins with Caleb taking over for Joshua after his death to act as mediator of the LORD’s will to continue the taking of the land promised them.  This demonstrates that God’s people are responsible to participate in God’s work by having the resolve and follow through to fight the good fight and inhabit what is promised by action.  They would never have taken any serious thought to the modern misaligned phrase of “let go and let God,” for they knew that God tests our hearts to find loyalty in our obedience (2 Chronicles 16:9, 1 Kings 8:58, Job 24:23, 1 Thessalonians 2:4), even though He provides the deliverance by His work and not ours; this is the participation of our involvement by stepping out in God-given faith to trust His word in our actions.  These of Israel stopped short of driving out all the Canaanites and made them slaves instead, yet would eventually reap the consequences of that disobedience as promised (Numbers 33:55).  Likewise, we do well to mortify our own sin which wars against our soul and not keep it around to become a hindrance over time.  These examples are lessons for us to deal with individual sin as those under the Old Testament covenant did as a nation as well as individuals.  We are receiving a much better and unending inheritance, and should count the cost with the purpose of resolving to learn wholehearted following of Christ, not stopping short in our pursuit of holiness as incomplete conquests.

Covenant of Willing Obedience

 Joshua 24:1-33 

    1 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from the other side of the River, led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac. 4 To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the mountains of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5 Also I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to what I did among them. Afterward I brought you out. 6 ‘Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 So they cried out to the LORD; and He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, brought the sea upon them, and covered them. And your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. Then you dwelt in the wilderness a long time. 8 And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, who dwelt on the other side of the Jordan, and they fought with you. But I gave them into your hand, that you might possess their land, and I destroyed them from before you. 9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose to make war against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. 10 But I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he continued to bless you. So I delivered you out of his hand. 11 Then you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho. And the men of Jericho fought against you—also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I delivered them into your hand. 12 I sent the hornet before you which drove them out from before you, also the two kings of the Amorites, but not with your sword or with your bow. 13 I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’
    14 “Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
    16 So the people answered and said: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; 17 for the LORD our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people through whom we passed. 18 And the LORD drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We also will serve the LORD, for He is our God.”
    19 But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. 20 If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good.”
    21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the LORD!”  22 So Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD for yourselves, to serve Him.” And they said, “We are witnesses!”  23 “Now therefore,” he said, “put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD God of Israel.”  24 And the people said to Joshua, “The LORD our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!”  25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.
    26 Then Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone, and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God.” 28 So Joshua let the people depart, each to his own inheritance.
    29 Now it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being one hundred and ten years old. 30 And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Serah, which is in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash.  31 Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the LORD which He had done for Israel.  32 The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in the plot of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of silver, and which had become an inheritance of the children of Joseph.  33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died. They buried him in a hill belonging to Phinehas his son, which was given to him in the mountains of Ephraim.

Joshua’s final speech turned to remind the people called by God of their origin and God’s work to lead and guide them for His name’s sake,for His glory.  He recounted Abram coming from Terah as men of other gods who were led through Canaan and multiplied to fill the earth as the original command to Adam was first given.  He recounted Jacob called temporarily to Egypt tomultiply more and his descendants to suffer greatly until drawn out to the LORD by His mighty hand of deliverance.  He reminded them of the Red Sea making a way out of darkness and covering the darkness of Egypt’s slavery in the depths.  Then there was the wilderness wandering and battles against their enemies, and deliverance to take the land of Canaan which Abram was promised long before as he traveled through it.  Because of all the LORD had done by grace in His calling, they were reminded to serve Him truly in sincerity by putting away all other so-called gods and being devoted entirely to Him as the only one who just is, the only God that really exists.  Joshua pledged to serve Him only, along with his family, and challenged the people to commit to the same.  They agreed to do so, even after Joshua warned them about turning away again.  This he said several times to them so there was no mistaking their commitment, no glib assent to quickly forget.  They promised to put away other gods and serve Him only and obey His word.  Then they made a covenant to seal the deal and remain truly accountable before God and man, and Joshua then recorded this in writing, putting the book in the sanctuary as a testimony to witness their commitment.  Then he laid down to die at one hundred ten years old, the people holding to their promise for a while after his and his son Eleazar’s passing.  They were not to remain loyal to the LORD for much longer, unfortunately.   This is a warning and example for us as well to continue running the race toward the upward call of God in Christ as Paul reminded us later in the scriptures; these things are examples for us to learn from, and an encouragement to know He now lives in us according to a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31, 33-34, Hebrews 8:9-13) of His sacrificial blood (Colossians 1:20) to make willing obedience possible at last so that we do not continually wander away and lose our sole devotion to follow and worship the Living God all our lives.  This is our covenant of willing and joyful obedience.  Amen and amen!  

Farewell Message of Faithfulness

Joshua 23:1-16
    1 Now it came to pass, a long time after the LORD had given rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua was old, advanced in age. 2 And Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them: “I am old, advanced in age. 3 You have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the LORD your God is He who has fought for you. 4 See, I have divided to you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, as far as the Great Sea westward. 5 And the LORD your God will expel them from before you and drive them out of your sight. So you shall possess their land, as the LORD your God promised you. 6 Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, 7 and lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them; you shall not serve them nor bow down to them, 8 but you shall hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day. 9 For the LORD has driven out from before you great and strong nations; but as for you, no one has been able to stand against you to this day. 10 One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you. 11 Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the LORD your God. 12 Or else, if indeed you do go back, and cling to the remnant of these nations—these that remain among you—and make marriages with them, and go in to them and they to you, 13 know for certain that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. But they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the LORD your God has given you.
    14 “Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed. 15 Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good things have come upon you which the LORD your God promised you, so the LORD will bring upon you all harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this good land which the LORD your God has given you. 16 When you have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.”

Joshua gave his farewell message of hope based on God’s faithfulness and the example of his own to the LORD’s people as he approached the “way of all the earth.”  We all die and face the Lord (Hebrews 9:27-28) and are judged by our faithfulness; this includes our following Christ and His word as well as believing the Father who sent the Son to be judged for our sin’s eternal punishment.  This is our legacy of faithfulness of believing the gospel, and should be our farewell speech to others in this world when we go the way of all people into death to the Lord.  We remind others, as Joshua did so eloquently here, that God is ever faithful to His promises - not a single promise or word given fails to do His work (Isaiah 55:10-11).  The challenge to others left behind then is to remain faithful to His promise as disciples who watch out for the traps of life, the misdirected desires of the flesh, eyes, and pride (1 John 2:15-17), as Joshua warned Israel of the idolatry around them, which pull us out of the race to the heavenward call of God in Christ (Philippians 3:14).  Our parting message should be a challenge to courageously trust God in all things, to remain set apart according to His Holy will and to be faithful, and to finish the race well as a testimony to His grace from an ever thankful heart.  Let us remember the example of Joshua and lead by following well.  This should be our farewell message of faithfulness, both His and ours. 

Altar of Witness

Joshua 22:10-34
    10 And when they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan—a great, impressive altar. 11 Now the children of Israel heard someone say, “Behold, the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan—on the children of Israel's side.” 12 And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered together at Shiloh to go to war against them.
    13 Then the children of Israel sent Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, 14 and with him ten rulers, one ruler each from the chief house of every tribe of Israel; and each one was the head of the house of his father among the divisions of Israel. 15 Then they came to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them, saying, 16 “Thus says the whole congregation of the LORD: ‘What treachery is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the LORD, in that you have built for yourselves an altar, that you might rebel this day against the LORD? 17 Is the iniquity of Peor not enough for us, from which we are not cleansed till this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD, 18 but that you must turn away this day from following the LORD? And it shall be, if you rebel today against the LORD, that tomorrow He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. 19 Nevertheless, if the land of your possession is unclean, then cross over to the land of the possession of the LORD, where the LORD'S tabernacle stands, and take possession among us; but do not rebel against the LORD, nor rebel against us, by building yourselves an altar besides the altar of the LORD our God. 20 Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.’ ”
    21 Then the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the heads of the divisions of Israel: 22 “The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, He knows, and let Israel itself know—if it is in rebellion, or if in treachery against the LORD, do not save us this day. 23 If we have built ourselves an altar to turn from following the LORD, or if to offer on it burnt offerings or grain offerings, or if to offer peace offerings on it, let the LORD Himself require an account. 24 But in fact we have done it for fear, for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your descendants may speak to our descendants, saying, “What have you to do with the LORD God of Israel? 25 For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between you and us, you children of Reuben and children of Gad. You have no part in the LORD.” So your descendants would make our descendants cease fearing the LORD.’ 26 Therefore we said, ‘Let us now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice, 27 but that it may be a witness between you and us and our generations after us, that we may perform the service of the LORD before Him with our burnt offerings, with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your descendants may not say to our descendants in time to come, “You have no part in the LORD.” ’ 28 Therefore we said that it will be, when they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say, ‘Here is the replica of the altar of the LORD which our fathers made, though not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between you and us.’ 29 Far be it from us that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn from following the LORD this day, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for grain offerings, or for sacrifices, besides the altar of the LORD our God which is before His tabernacle.”
    30 Now when Phinehas the priest and the rulers of the congregation, the heads of the divisions of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them. 31 Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh, “This day we perceive that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed this treachery against the LORD. Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD.”  32 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the rulers, returned from the children of Reuben and the children of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought back word to them. 33 So the thing pleased the children of Israel, and the children of Israel blessed God; they spoke no more of going against them in battle, to destroy the land where the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.  34 The children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar, Witness, “For it is a witness between us that the LORD is God.”

The tribes which received their inheritance on the eastern side of the Jordan were faithful to support the rest of their brothers in battling with them on the western side until they had their inheritance before returning to their families on the east side.  These two and and a half tribes were so thankful to God that they built an altar of witness to His faithfulness, but the others assumed they were setting up a substitute worship of another God instead.  They also built it out of the fear that they might forget the LORD over time since they were isolated from the rest of God’s people, both among their own descendants and those of the rest of Israel.  Israel was upset and concerned enough to send Phinehas the son of the priest Eleazar to talk to them.  The priest heard their confession of fear and faithfulness and was relieved, taking the good news back to the rest of Israel.  Because of this, those of Gad and Reuben named the huge memorial altar ‘Witness,’ as a reminder to the LORD and the people of God of His provision and keeping.  We have the witness of the Holy Spirit within us (Romans 8:16) and our altar is in the temple of our bodies (1 Corinthians 3:16, Ephesians 2:19-22) as a reminder (Ephesians 1:13-14) of His grace and reconciling mercy in Christ by His sacrifice in our place!  We then are altars of witness to His grace of the gospel (Romans 12:1) to offer acceptable sacrifices (1 Peter 2:5) through Him as more than a mere memorial or hedge against fear of losing our standing as His people (John 5:24, 1 John 4:17-18, 5:12-13).  We also have trust among ourselves by the witness of Spirit-transformed lives from which we serve our Lord together. 

Faithfulness and its Rewards

Joshua 22:1-9
    1 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, 2 and said to them: “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. 3 You have not left your brethren these many days, up to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God. 4 And now the LORD your God has given rest to your brethren, as He promised them; now therefore, return and go to your tents and to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan. 5 But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” 6 So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents. 7 Now to half the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, but to the other half of it Joshua gave a possession among their brethren on this side of the Jordan, westward. And indeed, when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them, 8 and spoke to them, saying, “Return with much riches to your tents, with very much livestock, with silver, with gold, with bronze, with iron, and with very much clothing. Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.”
    9 So the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, which they had obtained according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

Here the Eastern tribes returned to their lands on the other side of the Jordan as the agreed condition for settling outside the promised land’s original border (Numbers 32:1-5, 28-32, Deuteronomy 3:18-20).  They did as they promised to support the others of Israel in their battles to take their lands, then were able to return to their families where they had settled before the other tribes settled in their lands.  They showed faithfulness and were rewarded with the fertile grazing lands they were previously given by Moses’s hand in God’s Grace.  Just as the LORD had faithfully promised rest and an inheritance to the other tribes, so these two and a half tribes faithfully stood by their promise of support in return.  They were further exhorted to continue in God’s word, to love Him and live accordingly in a life of worship and obedience from the heart, just as we are called to do.  Our calling in Christ is to an inheritance that is certain and immutable (1 Peter 1:4), and our faithfulness to live obediently out of love in His word should demonstrate our devotion to God which brings great eternal rewards (1 Corinthians 3:14, Colossians 3:24, Revelation 22:12).  And so should we faithfully live in holiness, dedicated to His work (2 Corinthians 7:1) in His way in gratitude for our unearned inheritance.   Let us do battle in the heavenly realm for the souls of men and women held captive in the darkness (Ephesians 6:12, 1 Peter 2:9, Acts 26:18, 2 Timothy 2:25-26).  This is true faithfulness and its rewards.