DEBORAH AND BARAK
Introduction
Now we have the fourth cycle of the seven cycles of Judges. It involved a common name even Sunday school students know--Deborah. Up to this point, we have watched Israel capture Canaan under Joshua because Joshua led Israel to be obedient to God. Rapidly, upon Joshua's death, Israel slid into idolatry. God punished Israel with oppression by a nation from the area of Edom, and God raised up Othniel as a Judge.
Othniel died some years later, and Israel went right back to its lax ways and idolatry. God responded by allowing Moab to oppress the southeastern tribes, but then He raised up Ehud to break the oppression. After eight decades of peace, Ehud dies. Immediately, Israel goes right back to its idolatry. On the west coast of Israel, a different group of tribes learns nothing from what has happened to their brothers on the east. They begin worshiping idols, and God punishes them by opening the door for the Philistines to conquer them. Again, the LORD took pity on them and raised up Shamgar, who pushed the Philistines out of the Israelite territory.
And this all leads us to chapter four. We are right back to where we were at the beginning. There is another region of Israelite tribes doing what was evil in God's eyes. They again are punished by God. They cry out to God, and faithful God raises up another Judge.
Underlying all these cycles of apostasy and deliverance was the LORD convincing Israel that they could not operate without a king. I am sorry to tell you that this goes for all mankind and not just Israel. What God wants for Israel is to have a king in the mold of Joshua, who was a servant both to God and to the people. But as we will see at the end of the Book of Judges and as we move into the lifetime of Samuel, even though they finally recognized their need for a king, they wanted one that operated in the mode of their gentile neighbors. Why would they want to leave behind the freedoms of the tribal structure that they have for a central government ruled by a king? It was inevitable because of their human nature.
Here is where we need to look into the mirror of God's Word and apply it to our day and our lives. We are reliving the era of the Judges, but we generally refuse to see it. Look at the Western cultures of today. We revel in the notion of the USA having created the most free, wealthiest society the world has ever known. We have done it with the kind of self-rule that we call a republic and have an economic system called capitalism. America was created that way intentionally. The whole point of America's creation was to get out form under the rule of a king and serfdom. At first, Christians came to the USA for freedom of religious expression; so, godly principles are what we strove for. But every year, our existence as a nation has slowly eroded away these principles.
Rome was an even earlier attempt at self-rule, although having an emperor meant it was no democracy as we think of it. Even so, every society of any kind has eventually failed. Why? Because no society that is not obedient to God and no governmental body that does not abide by the principles of the Torah is going to survive for long. That is the stark but undeniable lesson of the Book of Judges.
Many Believers have spent lots of sleepless night as we watch our nation dash headlong towards a secular based government, and a society that wants nothing to do with God. The end result is predictable. The world wants a king! The world is looking for a king to save us from where we all instinctively know we are heading--world war and worldwide calamity. European socialism is an intermediate step along the road back to a dictatorship or monarchy. And America is catching up quickly to Europe.
Anyone who has been a Christian for any length of time has been taught about the Anti-Christ and the end of days. The Bible makes it very clear that the entire world will be in such a mess and the earth's population will be so confused that we will INSIST that we turn it all over to one man to save us and to rule over us. While he will probably not have the title of "king", he most definitely will be a king. He will be a king with more power and authority than history has ever seen.
Mankind must be ruled by a king. That is what God is going to great lengths to show Israel during the time of the Judges. It is our nature, and it is the way the universe was created to be. All humans inherently know that we need a strong leader. The problem is, man has his definition of a king, and God has His definition. The two are light years apart.
The king that men always insist upon is created in our own image. We want him to have the best at his disposal. We want him to be regal and handsome. We want him to take control and make rules that address our current dilemmas. We only want to go about our lives, pursue enjoyment and leave the details to the leader. The king that men want inevitably gives great personal power and wealth to the leader.
But the king that God wants is a sacrificial servant. His appearance is irrelevant. The rules he should employ in every situation have been ordained by the Creator since eternity past. They do not change or shift with the situation, times or our needs. This kind of king seeks only the LORD'S will and serves in an attitude of humility, putting people's needs before his own.
While we do not need to be accepting of what we see Israel doing during the time of the Judges, we do need to have understanding because we are on the same path. In the Book of Judges, whenever the people of Israel repent of their evil ways and cry out to the LORD, God sends a Savior. Some Christians think that we can stave off the coming of Messiah and all the bittersweet happenings which will accompany His return by repenting. I do not believe this is so. The Biblical pattern is that by our being obedient and crying out to the LORD, repenting can only hasten the return of Messiah. But if we do not repent, we will have a king soon--the Anti-Christ. If we do repent, we will assuredly have a king soon--the Son of the Living God. Ancient Israel made the wrong choice too often. It was very costly and painful. Either road they chose, they WOULD have a king in time. Down one path was oppression and servitude; down the other was blessing and shalom.
Up to this point in the Book of Judges, it is the southern tribes that have been oppressed. The scene now shifts northward in Judges chapter four.
With the Judge Deborah, the scene shifts to the northern end of Canaan and the Israelite tribes who lived there. Thus, it was the Canaanites and other nations whose kingdoms and nations were located to the north and northeast that created havoc for those particular Israelite tribes
Note, that the result of this northern versus southern picture that is painted for us means that when we look at the list of Judges, the order they are presented, which appears on the surface to be chronological is likely only partially correct. Certainly, some judges in the south were operating at the same time as some judges in the north; there was some overlap. This happened because the various enemies of Israel were not acting in concert with one another but in their own interests. Thus, what occurred in the north had little to do with what went on in the south.
It is important to note this north/south dynamic. Israel by the time of Deborah has only been in the land for a little more than a century. The natural terrain of Israel with a ridge of hills at the northern end of Judah provides a natural boundary between the three main tribes in the south (Judah, Simeon and Benjamin) and the remaining tribes in the north. This geography will have an ongoing effect on Israel's politics and economy. The Book of Judges sets the stage for the conditions that would establish and cement the north versus south mindset among the Israelites, which in turn would make it a challenge for the 12 tribes to ever unite into one sovereign nation under one ruler. The unintended alliances would greatly affect Israel's history and will even continue to play out in our present and future.
A. Deborah, the fourth Judge
1. (Judges 4:1-3) The cycle begins again; apostasy, servitude and supplication
Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, after Ehud died. And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; and the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. The sons of Israel cried to the LORD; for he had nine hundred iron chariots, and he oppressed the sons of Israel severely for twenty years.
Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor: Jabin is not actually this king's personal name. Like Adoni-Bezek, Jabin is the dynastic title of a line of kings who ruled from Hazor. About 150 years earlier in the Book of Joshua, Israel fought against Jabin at Hazor and burned the city. But, Israel did not inhabit it. So, some years later, Hazor was rebuilt, and the descendants of the same royal family ruled again over a group of people called the Canaanites. Do not think that this mean that Jabin ruled over all the Canaanites. Canaanite is being used as a general and generic term for any group of gentiles living in Canaan.
Sisera: Jabin was king, but his military commander was Sisera. Sisera lived in a place called Harosheth-hagoyim, which translated means the Woodlands of the Gentiles. Exactly where this place is has not been identified, but it is not far from Hazor. The ancient city of Hazor has been discovered.
Hazor: Hazor is located north of the Sea of Galilee at the southern end of the Hulah Valley. It was a strategic location along the ancient trade superhighway called the Via Maris. Via Maris was the most important trade route of those times as it began in Egypt and traveled all the way to Western Asia.
Hazor was the lead nation in a coalition of other Canaanite nations that were located in the north. This was a role Hazor played off and on for centuries. For the time, Hazor was a large city. It was more than 200 acres and was home to around 40,000 people.
Nine hundred iron chariots: The army that Sisera commanded was enormous, well-funded and fully equipped. Nine hundred iron chariots for this time in history is simply astounding. It was by means of these chariots that Sisera, Jabin and the other coalition kings were able to keep the northern tribes of Israel under their control. This round of oppression lasted 20 years.
We must keep in sight that there was a duality occurring here. From an earthly/human standpoint, it was Sisera's military might that permitted these Canaanites to subjugate Israel. But from a heavenly/spiritual perspective, this was only possible because the LORD ordained precisely this as a punishment for these Northern Israelite tribes' idolatry and apostasy.
Sunday, June 2, 2019
Sunday, May 26, 2019
Judges Chapter 3 Part Four (Verses 16-31)
3. (Judges 3:16-25) Ehud's daring assassination of Eglon
Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his cloak. He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. It came about when he had finished presenting the tribute, that he sent away the people who had carried the tribute. But he himself turned back from the idols which were at Gilgal, and said, "I have a secret message for you, O king." And he said, "Keep silence." And all who attended him left him. Ehud came to him while he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." And he arose from his seat. Ehud stretched out his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh and thrust it into his belly. The handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly; and the refuse came out. Then Ehud went out into the vestibule and shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him, and locked them. When he had gone out, his servants came and looked, and behold, the doors of the roof chamber were locked; and they said, "He is only relieving himself in the cool room." They waited until they became anxious; but behold, he did not open the doors of the roof chamber. Therefore they took the key and opened them, and behold, their master had fallen to the floor dead.
Ehud made himself a sword: Ehud devised a plan. He would assassinate King Eglon, thereby causing turmoil and political instability between Moab and their allies. Israel would then have an opportunity to be free. Ehud fashions a specially designed sword that was unusually short in length. One cubit is about 18 inches in length. This particular weapon was a hybrid between a dagger and a sword. It had no cross piece at the top and thus it could lay flat against Ehud's leg.
He bound it under his right thigh under his cloak: Since Ehud was left-handed, he would strap the sword to his right leg. The advantage was that since he was left-handed, he would reach across his body to draw the sword from his right leg and stab the unsuspecting king. Records indicate that very few people were left-handed. So, when Ehud made his move, it was with his left hand. He would not have caused the king to suspect a coming attack. That deception would provide an extra second or two for Ehud to reach under his garment to grasp his sword and kill Eglon.
He sent away the people who had carried the tribute: As was typical, Ehud went with several other Israelites to deliver the tribute. We do not know exactly what the tribute was, but it was probably produce of some kind as this was the standard tribute given. If Ehud had come alone, he would have raise suspicion. So, after the proper respect was given to Eglon, Ehud left with the other Israelites.
But he himself turned back from the idols which were at Gilgal: The word translated as idols is the Hebrew word psillim and is better translated as sculpted statues. These were god images, statues of the Moabite gods and goddesses. It is interesting to note that they were located at Gilgal. It was at Gilgal where Joshua had erected the memorial stones in honor of what God had done for Israel in bringing them across the Wilderness, across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land. Very likely, the god statutes were located next to Joshua's memorial stones because this was the standard operating procedure for a conqueror. A conqueror would move quickly to place his gods at the holy places of the conquered people as a way of demonstrating that his gods were more powerful. It was a form of constant humiliation and a reminder of who was in charge.
Ehud returns alone and tells the king there is something he must tell him in private. The king believes Ehud. Eglon was so confident in Ehud's loyalty that he dismisses his royal guards. They were in a two-story building. The king, who is said to be fat, was upstairs because a desert breeze would blow through the windows making it cooler for him.
And Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you.": Eglon, anxious to hear what juicy piece of news Ehud had for him rose out of his chair. Ehud sprang into action. He reached across his body with his left-hand, pulled out the concealed weapon and plunged it into Eglon. We are given some rather gory details such as that because the weapon had no cross piece at the top, the entire length of the sword entered Eglon's body. The fat engulfed what little of a handle there was. In fact, the sword went completely though Eglon's body and poked out the other side.
Then Ehud went out into the vestibule and shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him: Ehud left the sword embedded in the dying king and left, closing the doors and locking them behind him. Yes, they did have rudimentary door locks and keys in those days. The key was a flat piece of wood that was fitted with pins corresponding to the holes in a hollow bolt. The hole in the door gave access to the bolt, which was located inside. Inserting the flat key into the bolt pushed out the pins of the lock. This allowed the bolt to be removed from the sockets of the doorpost. The way it operated, Ehud could have locked the door without a key, but it wold have required a key to gain entry.
They waited until they became anxious: When the king's servants noticed that Ehud had gone, they went up to check on the king, but the doors were closed and locked. They assumed that he was (as the Hebrew literally translates) "covering his feet". This is a Hebrew euphemism that means he was using the toilet. So, the servants patiently waited and waited. They waited but the door never opened. Finally, they reached the point where they felt that they had to risk bothering the king at a rather private moment. When he did not respond to opening the door, they got the key, opened the door and found him lying dead on the floor. The delay had given Ehud more than ample time to make his escape.
4. (Judges 3:26-30) Ehud leads the Israelites in battle against the Moabites
Now Ehud escaped while they were delaying, and he passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah. It came about when he had arrived, that he blew the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was in front of them. He said to them, "Pursue them, for the LORD has given your enemies the Moabites into your hands." So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross. They struck down at that time about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men; and no one escaped. So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land was undisturbed for eighty years.
He passed the idols and escaped to Seirah: Ehud went back the same route he came, through the area where the god images had been erected in Gilgal. I suspect he looked upon those statues with a sense of dark satisfaction knowing that these gods certainly had not protected the king who had worshiped them. From there, he crossed to Seirah, which would have been on the border territory of Ephraim. Once safely back in Canaan, he went into the hill country and began sounding the shofar. This was a battle cry, a call to arms. Ehud realized that now was the favorable moment for Israel to attack their enemies while amid a vacuum of leadership in Moab. The people of Israel responded, and volunteers flooded in. Ehud would have naturally been their leader.
So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan opposite Moab: Their first move was to capture the fording points of the Jordan. This not only allowed no Moab reserve troops to come to Israel and fortify the garrison there, but it also served to cut-off the escape route of the Moabite soldier stationed in Israel. Ehud led the slaughter of 10,000 troops from Moab, Ammon and Amalek. The Moab's oppression over the southern Israelite tribes was broken. The land then had rest for two generation, 80 years.
The land was undisturbed for eighty years: We must assume from the pattern and what comes at the beginning of the next chapter that Ehud judged the southern tribes of Israel that entire eighty years of rest. Therefore, he must have been a very young man when he assassinated Eglon. No other period of rest was nearly as long in the remaining account of the time of the Judges.
D. The third Judge: Shamgar
1. (Judges 3:31) The brief story of Shamgar
After him came Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad; and he also saved Israel.
Shamgar: Shamgar is not Hebrew: it is a Hurrian name. Shamgar, however, was a Hebrew. The family name is Anath. We see the terrible influence of the Canaanite pagan society on the tribe of Israel. Anath is the Canaanite goddess of sex and war. So here is a Hebrew man, given a gentile name and his father's family name was made in honor of a pagan god. Nonetheless, God picked this man to deliver Israel from a period of oppression from the Philistines. We are told that he must have been quite a warrior because he personally killed 600 Philistine soldiers. And his weapon of choice was an oxgoad.
Many scholars of the Book of Judges have speculated on why we find the use of improvised weapons mentioned prominently in the Book of Judges, especially as concerns Shamgar and later on Samson. Samson, you recall, killed a slew of Philistines using the jawbone of a donkey as his weapon. Every conqueror had a little different method of subjugation. One of the Philistine's methods was to carefully and completely disarm those whom they conquered. So regular weapons like bows, spears and swords would have been banned.
An oxgoad: An oxgoad, though not designed as a weapon, was deadly and formidable nonetheless. It was used to train teams of oxen. It was an eight or nine foot long wooden pole with a sharp metal point much like a spear on one end and a sharpened chisel-like end on the other end for scrapping dirt off the plow.
Shamgar is a good example of how the characteristics of a Judge cannot always be so easily defined. There is no mention of God raising him up or putting the Holy Spirit upon him. There is no mention of how long he ruled. In fact, he is never called a Judge, but he is referred to as a savior of Israel.
There is also the matter that although it says Shamgar came AFTER Ehud, it does not say it was after Ehud died. And this fuzziness is continued in the first verse of Judges chapter four when it begins with, "But after Ehud died" Israel did what was evil and was handed over to a king from the north that was based in Hazor. So the commonsense of this is that Shamgar delivered another and different region of Israel during Ehud's lifetime. The Philistines were located along the Mediterranean coast and afflicted tribes of Dan and Judah due to their close proximity. This was on the opposite side of Israel from where Moab had conquered sections of Canaan. So very probably, Ehud and Shamgar were contemporaries.
Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his cloak. He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. It came about when he had finished presenting the tribute, that he sent away the people who had carried the tribute. But he himself turned back from the idols which were at Gilgal, and said, "I have a secret message for you, O king." And he said, "Keep silence." And all who attended him left him. Ehud came to him while he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." And he arose from his seat. Ehud stretched out his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh and thrust it into his belly. The handle also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly; and the refuse came out. Then Ehud went out into the vestibule and shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him, and locked them. When he had gone out, his servants came and looked, and behold, the doors of the roof chamber were locked; and they said, "He is only relieving himself in the cool room." They waited until they became anxious; but behold, he did not open the doors of the roof chamber. Therefore they took the key and opened them, and behold, their master had fallen to the floor dead.
Ehud made himself a sword: Ehud devised a plan. He would assassinate King Eglon, thereby causing turmoil and political instability between Moab and their allies. Israel would then have an opportunity to be free. Ehud fashions a specially designed sword that was unusually short in length. One cubit is about 18 inches in length. This particular weapon was a hybrid between a dagger and a sword. It had no cross piece at the top and thus it could lay flat against Ehud's leg.
He bound it under his right thigh under his cloak: Since Ehud was left-handed, he would strap the sword to his right leg. The advantage was that since he was left-handed, he would reach across his body to draw the sword from his right leg and stab the unsuspecting king. Records indicate that very few people were left-handed. So, when Ehud made his move, it was with his left hand. He would not have caused the king to suspect a coming attack. That deception would provide an extra second or two for Ehud to reach under his garment to grasp his sword and kill Eglon.
He sent away the people who had carried the tribute: As was typical, Ehud went with several other Israelites to deliver the tribute. We do not know exactly what the tribute was, but it was probably produce of some kind as this was the standard tribute given. If Ehud had come alone, he would have raise suspicion. So, after the proper respect was given to Eglon, Ehud left with the other Israelites.
But he himself turned back from the idols which were at Gilgal: The word translated as idols is the Hebrew word psillim and is better translated as sculpted statues. These were god images, statues of the Moabite gods and goddesses. It is interesting to note that they were located at Gilgal. It was at Gilgal where Joshua had erected the memorial stones in honor of what God had done for Israel in bringing them across the Wilderness, across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land. Very likely, the god statutes were located next to Joshua's memorial stones because this was the standard operating procedure for a conqueror. A conqueror would move quickly to place his gods at the holy places of the conquered people as a way of demonstrating that his gods were more powerful. It was a form of constant humiliation and a reminder of who was in charge.
Ehud returns alone and tells the king there is something he must tell him in private. The king believes Ehud. Eglon was so confident in Ehud's loyalty that he dismisses his royal guards. They were in a two-story building. The king, who is said to be fat, was upstairs because a desert breeze would blow through the windows making it cooler for him.
And Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you.": Eglon, anxious to hear what juicy piece of news Ehud had for him rose out of his chair. Ehud sprang into action. He reached across his body with his left-hand, pulled out the concealed weapon and plunged it into Eglon. We are given some rather gory details such as that because the weapon had no cross piece at the top, the entire length of the sword entered Eglon's body. The fat engulfed what little of a handle there was. In fact, the sword went completely though Eglon's body and poked out the other side.
Then Ehud went out into the vestibule and shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him: Ehud left the sword embedded in the dying king and left, closing the doors and locking them behind him. Yes, they did have rudimentary door locks and keys in those days. The key was a flat piece of wood that was fitted with pins corresponding to the holes in a hollow bolt. The hole in the door gave access to the bolt, which was located inside. Inserting the flat key into the bolt pushed out the pins of the lock. This allowed the bolt to be removed from the sockets of the doorpost. The way it operated, Ehud could have locked the door without a key, but it wold have required a key to gain entry.
They waited until they became anxious: When the king's servants noticed that Ehud had gone, they went up to check on the king, but the doors were closed and locked. They assumed that he was (as the Hebrew literally translates) "covering his feet". This is a Hebrew euphemism that means he was using the toilet. So, the servants patiently waited and waited. They waited but the door never opened. Finally, they reached the point where they felt that they had to risk bothering the king at a rather private moment. When he did not respond to opening the door, they got the key, opened the door and found him lying dead on the floor. The delay had given Ehud more than ample time to make his escape.
4. (Judges 3:26-30) Ehud leads the Israelites in battle against the Moabites
Now Ehud escaped while they were delaying, and he passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah. It came about when he had arrived, that he blew the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was in front of them. He said to them, "Pursue them, for the LORD has given your enemies the Moabites into your hands." So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross. They struck down at that time about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men; and no one escaped. So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land was undisturbed for eighty years.
He passed the idols and escaped to Seirah: Ehud went back the same route he came, through the area where the god images had been erected in Gilgal. I suspect he looked upon those statues with a sense of dark satisfaction knowing that these gods certainly had not protected the king who had worshiped them. From there, he crossed to Seirah, which would have been on the border territory of Ephraim. Once safely back in Canaan, he went into the hill country and began sounding the shofar. This was a battle cry, a call to arms. Ehud realized that now was the favorable moment for Israel to attack their enemies while amid a vacuum of leadership in Moab. The people of Israel responded, and volunteers flooded in. Ehud would have naturally been their leader.
So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan opposite Moab: Their first move was to capture the fording points of the Jordan. This not only allowed no Moab reserve troops to come to Israel and fortify the garrison there, but it also served to cut-off the escape route of the Moabite soldier stationed in Israel. Ehud led the slaughter of 10,000 troops from Moab, Ammon and Amalek. The Moab's oppression over the southern Israelite tribes was broken. The land then had rest for two generation, 80 years.
The land was undisturbed for eighty years: We must assume from the pattern and what comes at the beginning of the next chapter that Ehud judged the southern tribes of Israel that entire eighty years of rest. Therefore, he must have been a very young man when he assassinated Eglon. No other period of rest was nearly as long in the remaining account of the time of the Judges.
D. The third Judge: Shamgar
1. (Judges 3:31) The brief story of Shamgar
After him came Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad; and he also saved Israel.
Shamgar: Shamgar is not Hebrew: it is a Hurrian name. Shamgar, however, was a Hebrew. The family name is Anath. We see the terrible influence of the Canaanite pagan society on the tribe of Israel. Anath is the Canaanite goddess of sex and war. So here is a Hebrew man, given a gentile name and his father's family name was made in honor of a pagan god. Nonetheless, God picked this man to deliver Israel from a period of oppression from the Philistines. We are told that he must have been quite a warrior because he personally killed 600 Philistine soldiers. And his weapon of choice was an oxgoad.
Many scholars of the Book of Judges have speculated on why we find the use of improvised weapons mentioned prominently in the Book of Judges, especially as concerns Shamgar and later on Samson. Samson, you recall, killed a slew of Philistines using the jawbone of a donkey as his weapon. Every conqueror had a little different method of subjugation. One of the Philistine's methods was to carefully and completely disarm those whom they conquered. So regular weapons like bows, spears and swords would have been banned.
An oxgoad: An oxgoad, though not designed as a weapon, was deadly and formidable nonetheless. It was used to train teams of oxen. It was an eight or nine foot long wooden pole with a sharp metal point much like a spear on one end and a sharpened chisel-like end on the other end for scrapping dirt off the plow.
Shamgar is a good example of how the characteristics of a Judge cannot always be so easily defined. There is no mention of God raising him up or putting the Holy Spirit upon him. There is no mention of how long he ruled. In fact, he is never called a Judge, but he is referred to as a savior of Israel.
There is also the matter that although it says Shamgar came AFTER Ehud, it does not say it was after Ehud died. And this fuzziness is continued in the first verse of Judges chapter four when it begins with, "But after Ehud died" Israel did what was evil and was handed over to a king from the north that was based in Hazor. So the commonsense of this is that Shamgar delivered another and different region of Israel during Ehud's lifetime. The Philistines were located along the Mediterranean coast and afflicted tribes of Dan and Judah due to their close proximity. This was on the opposite side of Israel from where Moab had conquered sections of Canaan. So very probably, Ehud and Shamgar were contemporaries.
Sunday, May 19, 2019
Judges Chapter 3 Part Three (Verses 12-15)
C. The second Judge: Ehud
1. (Judges 3:12-14) The cycle continues: Israel sins and is sold into servitude
Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. And he gathered to himself the sons of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and defeated Israel, and they possessed the city of the palm trees. The sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
The sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD: This is the final part of the pattern of the era of Judges. Even after their deliverance, Israel rebels again, and God judges them as doing evil. It is significant to note that one and often two generations pass after the primary victory of a Judge. It is the NEW generation who, after the death of the Judge, did not experience war or participate in battle causes the next cycle of sin, oppression, punishment, raising up a new Judge and deliverance to begin again.
Verse 12 does not tell us precisely what the evil was that this new generation of Israel committed. We can guess that idolatry was at its core because invariably idolatry played a starring role in all of Israel's apostasies. Apostatizing does not mean that the people necessarily renounced God. Rather, they broke faith with Him by mixing the worship of other gods with the worship of Him.
Something that needs to change in the hearts and minds of modern Believers is that our behavior plays a key role in how the LORD perceives and deals with us. We often meet as a congregation and just love to talk about "the world" as though we actually shun it or have successfully avoided being tainted by it. Yet, for other than what is inside us, our outward appearance, behavior and choices are often times nearly indistinguishable from the unsaved world. We tend to go to the same movies, watch the same TV programs, have the same jobs, act the same way when someone cuts us off in traffic, etc. And we expect our fellowships to operate in the same fashion as secular governments or organizations.
It is when Israel became indistinguishable from the Canaanites in their appearance, behavior, choices and worship that God became angry and acted. It did not matter that internally they were His redeemed. As mush as we may wish it otherwise, God watches and evaluates what we DO because He is the one who has given us redemption. He already knows who is redeemed and who is not. He does not have to observe our behavior to find that out. How must God perceive us that unless we TELL someone we are Christians, no one might ever suspect it? Our Christian bumper sticker are there to tell others of our faith because by our behavior and lifestyles, that is about the only way anyone might ever know.
Israel during the time of the Judges merely wanted what we all typically want--to blend in, not seem odd or out of step and certainly not be criticized or ridiculed and told we are ignorant and full of hate because we do not go along with what everyone else wants.
Eglon the king of Moab: In response to Israel's apostasy, the LORD divinely energizes a new oppressor, Eglon king of Moab. Like every kingdom, Moab had its allies. In this case, it was Ammon and Amalek.
The city of palm trees: Eglon attacked and took the city of palm trees (which some say was Jericho while others contend it was a place just a little but farther south of Jericho). This was an important city both politically and economically for Israel. Eglon brought this area of Israel under subjugation and after taking the city of palm trees would rule them for 18 years.
2. (Judges 3:15) God raises up a deliverer for Israel: Ehud
But when the sons of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamin, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.
The LORD raises up a deliverer: The LORD chooses a man and separates him to be His servant for the purpose of delivering Israel from their oppressors. His name is Ehud.
Ehud: Ehud is from the tribe of Benjamin and the tribe of Benjamin is under the most pressure by Eglon. This is a similar pattern to God choosing Othniel from the tribe of Judah because Judah was under the most pressure from Cushan-rishathaim. Like Othniel's oppressor, this trouble is also occurring in the southern end of the tribal territories.
A left-handed man: It is prominently mentioned that Ehud is left-handed, a trait that was apparently rather common among the tribal members of Benjamin but often not present in the other eleven tribes. Interestingly, it does NOT say in the Hebrew that Ehud was let-handed. Rather, it says that he was "bound up on the right". In the Bible era, the right side of anything was seen as the "correct" side, the strong side and the best side. The right hand was used for blessing. The royal scepter was always held in the right hand because it denoted power and authority. So, for people in that time period, a person who was left-handed was considered as having a defective right hand. Not being strong and coordinated in one's right hand meant that the person had a disability. In that era, a left-handed person to be used by God was another example of the LORD using the person with the least human ability to do His divine will, which is why Ehud was mentioned as being a lefty.
It is rather ironic that Benjamin had so many people genetically predisposed to being left-handed. The name Benjamin means "son of my RIGHT hand". This so-called disability would prove to be quite helpful for Ehud.
The sons of Israel sent tribute by him: One of the main goals of one nation conquering another nation was to gain tribute, ties and wealth from the conquered people. The tribute could be anything from animals to produce to precious metals. Whatever that particular people had that the ruler prized would be the tribute.
1. (Judges 3:12-14) The cycle continues: Israel sins and is sold into servitude
Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. And he gathered to himself the sons of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and defeated Israel, and they possessed the city of the palm trees. The sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
The sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD: This is the final part of the pattern of the era of Judges. Even after their deliverance, Israel rebels again, and God judges them as doing evil. It is significant to note that one and often two generations pass after the primary victory of a Judge. It is the NEW generation who, after the death of the Judge, did not experience war or participate in battle causes the next cycle of sin, oppression, punishment, raising up a new Judge and deliverance to begin again.
Verse 12 does not tell us precisely what the evil was that this new generation of Israel committed. We can guess that idolatry was at its core because invariably idolatry played a starring role in all of Israel's apostasies. Apostatizing does not mean that the people necessarily renounced God. Rather, they broke faith with Him by mixing the worship of other gods with the worship of Him.
Something that needs to change in the hearts and minds of modern Believers is that our behavior plays a key role in how the LORD perceives and deals with us. We often meet as a congregation and just love to talk about "the world" as though we actually shun it or have successfully avoided being tainted by it. Yet, for other than what is inside us, our outward appearance, behavior and choices are often times nearly indistinguishable from the unsaved world. We tend to go to the same movies, watch the same TV programs, have the same jobs, act the same way when someone cuts us off in traffic, etc. And we expect our fellowships to operate in the same fashion as secular governments or organizations.
It is when Israel became indistinguishable from the Canaanites in their appearance, behavior, choices and worship that God became angry and acted. It did not matter that internally they were His redeemed. As mush as we may wish it otherwise, God watches and evaluates what we DO because He is the one who has given us redemption. He already knows who is redeemed and who is not. He does not have to observe our behavior to find that out. How must God perceive us that unless we TELL someone we are Christians, no one might ever suspect it? Our Christian bumper sticker are there to tell others of our faith because by our behavior and lifestyles, that is about the only way anyone might ever know.
Israel during the time of the Judges merely wanted what we all typically want--to blend in, not seem odd or out of step and certainly not be criticized or ridiculed and told we are ignorant and full of hate because we do not go along with what everyone else wants.
Eglon the king of Moab: In response to Israel's apostasy, the LORD divinely energizes a new oppressor, Eglon king of Moab. Like every kingdom, Moab had its allies. In this case, it was Ammon and Amalek.
The city of palm trees: Eglon attacked and took the city of palm trees (which some say was Jericho while others contend it was a place just a little but farther south of Jericho). This was an important city both politically and economically for Israel. Eglon brought this area of Israel under subjugation and after taking the city of palm trees would rule them for 18 years.
2. (Judges 3:15) God raises up a deliverer for Israel: Ehud
But when the sons of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamin, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.
The LORD raises up a deliverer: The LORD chooses a man and separates him to be His servant for the purpose of delivering Israel from their oppressors. His name is Ehud.
Ehud: Ehud is from the tribe of Benjamin and the tribe of Benjamin is under the most pressure by Eglon. This is a similar pattern to God choosing Othniel from the tribe of Judah because Judah was under the most pressure from Cushan-rishathaim. Like Othniel's oppressor, this trouble is also occurring in the southern end of the tribal territories.
A left-handed man: It is prominently mentioned that Ehud is left-handed, a trait that was apparently rather common among the tribal members of Benjamin but often not present in the other eleven tribes. Interestingly, it does NOT say in the Hebrew that Ehud was let-handed. Rather, it says that he was "bound up on the right". In the Bible era, the right side of anything was seen as the "correct" side, the strong side and the best side. The right hand was used for blessing. The royal scepter was always held in the right hand because it denoted power and authority. So, for people in that time period, a person who was left-handed was considered as having a defective right hand. Not being strong and coordinated in one's right hand meant that the person had a disability. In that era, a left-handed person to be used by God was another example of the LORD using the person with the least human ability to do His divine will, which is why Ehud was mentioned as being a lefty.
It is rather ironic that Benjamin had so many people genetically predisposed to being left-handed. The name Benjamin means "son of my RIGHT hand". This so-called disability would prove to be quite helpful for Ehud.
The sons of Israel sent tribute by him: One of the main goals of one nation conquering another nation was to gain tribute, ties and wealth from the conquered people. The tribute could be anything from animals to produce to precious metals. Whatever that particular people had that the ruler prized would be the tribute.
Thursday, May 9, 2019
Yom HaAtzmaut: Please pray!
Since last week Friday, Hamas and Palestinian Istalic Jihad have launched over 600 rockets at Israel. This latest attack comes as Israel prepares to celebrate Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel's Independence Day. Four Israeli civilians have been killed.
Today marks Israeli's 71st birthday. For 71 years, tiny Israel has survived in the midst of enemies all around her. Time and time again, Israel's neighbors have attacked her. And time and time again, Israel stands her ground...and sometimes such as the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel gains more land.
During World War II, one in every three Jews in all the world were killed. After the war, the Jews who survived the onslaught of concentration camps and having most of their cities destroyed were faced with a new dilemma--a place to call home. With nothing more than a determination to start a new life, thousands of Jews sought their native homeland, Israel. Amazingly, in 1948, Israel became a nation...and by God's protection, tiny Israel has survived!
Now, Israel bustles with commerce. It is a leading exporter of agriculture and grows almost every kind of fruit except pineapple. A scan of the land reveals thousands of tour buses packing the streets and Biblical landmarks as Christians and Jews travel from around the world to experience the Holy Land. Shops and kiosks line the streets selling every kind of sacred trinket imaginable--t-shirts, key chains, miniature menorahs, magnets, matzah bread and even ram's horns (just in case you want your own personal shofar to wake up all your neighbors).
Please pray for Israel as the nation continues to recover from the recent attacks. Please pray for all the people injured and for the families of those who passed away. Please pray the land has peace. Happy Independence Day Israel!
"Now that LORD said to Abram, 'Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed'" (Genesis 12:1-3)
Sunday, May 5, 2019
Judges Chapter 3 Part Two (Verses 5-11)
B. The first judge: Othniel
1. (Judges 3:5-7) The apostasy of Israel in the days of Othniel
The sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizztes, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and they took their daughters for themselves as wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods. The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.
They took their daughter for themselves as wives: Part of the accommodation of Israel to the pagan nations surrounding them was their sin of intermarriage.
The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD: Verse seven sets the stage for the entrance of the first judge of Israel. It says that Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. This is an important little phrase that is in the middle of the sentence. It was NOT from Israel's perspective that they were doing evil, but it was from God's viewpoint that Israel was doing evil. Israel believed they were doing nothing wrong. They believed they were doing nothing evil, or they would not be doing it. We will see illustrations of this attitude in the next several chapters. In the end, however, God did not submit to Israel's rationalizations and excuses. Moreover, He did not accept their denials. Disobedience is disobedience, whether from willful ignorance of the Law of from willful intention to violate it. He has given them a manual for living redeemed lifestyles in the Torah and told them to use it. They have instead chosen to incorporate some of their own ideas and to disregard many of God's commands. But at the bottom of it all was idolatry. Israel adopted the Canaanite gods into their worship practices.
2. (Judges 3:8) Israel's servitude to the king of Mesopotamia
Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, so that He sold them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.
Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel: The result of Israel's idolatry was that a ruler came down and subjugated parts of Israel.
Cushan-rishathaim: The first part of the ruler from Mesopotamia's name means Cush; he was a descendant from Cush. It is said by most scholars that this man came from an area near the Euphrates River. Now this name for him is Hebrew; so, it could have not been this king's actual foreign name. Rather, it is a title roughly translated as "the double-wicked Cushite". This was how the Israelite tribes who were conquered by his armies saw this king.
Now comes an interesting problem: Cushan-rishathaim conquered southern tribal areas of Israel even though we are told in verse eight that he was from Mesopotamia (a better translation is Aram, another name for Mesopotamia). Aram is located far to the north. So we have that: 1. Cushan was a northerner, 2. he was a Cushite, but 3. he attacked the southern Israelite tribes. That does not make much sense. Why would the king have led his army all that way only to attack the southern tribes? It defies any known political or military agenda.
Jewish scholars have long known that the words Aram and Edom are often transposed in the Bible. It is rather common. Why? Aram is spelled in Hebrew resh-mem. Edom is spelled dale-mem. A resh and dalet look nearly identical; they were common copyist errors. Therefore, it is more likely than not that Cushan was actually from the area of Edom, which is where the Cushites were known to live. Edom was located in the southern desert areas adjacent to the souther Israelite tribes.
So, now we have the first part of the God-pattern for the era of the Judges established. It is a pattern we will see throughout all the Book of Judges. First, the people sin (idolatry in this case); second, the LORD declares them guilty and punishes them with the oppression by a gentile nation.
3. (Judges 3:9-11) God's deliverance through Othniel
When the sons of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the sons of Israel to deliver them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. When he went out to war, the LORD gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand, so that he prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. Then the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
The sons of Israel cried to the LORD: The third thing which happens over and over again is the people of Israel cry out to God to save them from their oppressor.
The LORD raised up a deliverer for the sons of Israel to deliver them: The fourth item which occurs is God hears Israel and raises up a savior to rescue them.
Othniel: The first Judge God raises up is a logical choice. Othniel, who name means lion of God and is from the tribe of Judah, is Caleb's younger brother. Othniel was the husband to Caleb's daughter Akhsah. Othniel is a logical choice because he won the hill country of the south from some of the descendants of Anakim as a challenge from his older brother, and Akhsah was the prize. Why would Akhsah be such an attraction for Othniel? Understand from a clan perspective, the brother next in line in Caleb's clan who then marries the clan chief's daughter makes it almost a guarantee that Othniel would eventually become the new clan leader. Thus, the reward was worth the risk. Furthermore, it is equally obvious that Othniel must have been considerably younger than Caleb, who was one of the 12 spies sent out by Moses many years earlier.
The Spirit of the LORD came upon him: This statement sounds simple enough; however, it opens up many questions. There is perhaps not a more difficult person, essence or manifestation of the Godhead to describe that the Holy Spirit. We also have the challenge to understand what, if any, difference there is between the concepts of the Holy Spirit being UPON someone versus the Holy Spirit being AROUND someone versus the Holy Spirit DWELLING IN someone.
Although we can often skip right over these words to seemingly greater theological issues, fundamental to our understanding ought to be to answer the questions, "What IS the Spirit of God, and what does He do?"
The Spirit of God
The Spirit of God is the spiritual essence that creates or induces life both into the world of nature and into the human being. For humans, there are two discernible aspects of the work of the spirit. First, it is this kind of life spark which is given to cause general physical human life by means of the normal birth process. This life spark continues our existence and operation into the physical realm. The second aspect of the spirit in humans is that it provides a means of eternal life for operation of our spiritual souls in the spiritual realm. It occurs only by divine declaration. One could make the case that for mankind, the Spirit of God first enables GENERATION of life (pregnancy and childbirth), and then it enables RE-GENERATION of a higher life.
In the Old Testament, the Spirit of God is a spirit of wisdom, understanding, strength and the proper fear, awe and knowledge of the LORD. In Judges, the Spirit of God is usually an enabling power. It is a power given or loaned to a human to carry out a special assignment of heavenly purpose and by means of heavenly direction that otherwise could not be done or would not produce an outcome that is in harmony with the will of God were it merely a humanly directed endeavor.
The expression "The Spirit of the LORD came upon him" indicated a supernatural and extraordinary influence of God's spirit upon the human spirit. It is something that only a handful of people in the Old Testament era would ever experience.
In verse 10, the Hebrew word used which is translated as "came upon" is the word hayyah. Hayyah is a general term that depending on the context can mean "became", "come to pass" or "befell". When the Holy Spirit hayyah, (comes upon) a man, it operates in a manner to overcome the resistance of the man's own natural free will such that it is God's will that replaces it. It is this ability to perform bravely in the face of humanly impossible odds against him, or showing equally impossible strength and battlefield skills that most of the Judges displayed.
Once we enter the New Testament, we have nothing but Greek texts available and precise word comparisons between Old Testament Hebrew terms and New Testament Greek terms become very difficult. This becomes especially so when trying to determine what exactly is the difference between the Holy Spirit being upon someone versus the Holy Spirit indwelling someone. Other than that we do know, the outcome of a Believer in Messiah being indwelled by the Holy Spirit since Pentecost immediately following Jesus' death and resurrection is that something fundamental about our souls and spirit nature changes such that we qualify to live eternally in the presence of a Holy God. This was not the case with the Judges and the Prophets. So far as we know upon death they dwelt in a specially prepared chamber that at some point became known as Abraham's Bosom. This was their temporary spirit residence (a short term paradise) until Christ gave them the good news that because of His work, they were now free to leave that abode and go live with God. (For more information about Abraham's bosom, please read Luke 16:19-31.)
When he went out to war: Othniel, with the Spirit of God upon him, went to war with Cushan-rishathaim to try to eject him and his army from the areas of Judah and southern Ephraim. Othniel prevailed, and the area of the Promised Land under his jurisdiction had rest from oppression for 40 years. That period of rest ended upon the death of Othniel. This seems to be the pattern in the era of the Judges. A Judge would be raised up and would be a Judge until his death. During his lifetime, he would be victorious against gentile enemies.
1. (Judges 3:5-7) The apostasy of Israel in the days of Othniel
The sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizztes, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and they took their daughters for themselves as wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods. The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.
They took their daughter for themselves as wives: Part of the accommodation of Israel to the pagan nations surrounding them was their sin of intermarriage.
The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD: Verse seven sets the stage for the entrance of the first judge of Israel. It says that Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. This is an important little phrase that is in the middle of the sentence. It was NOT from Israel's perspective that they were doing evil, but it was from God's viewpoint that Israel was doing evil. Israel believed they were doing nothing wrong. They believed they were doing nothing evil, or they would not be doing it. We will see illustrations of this attitude in the next several chapters. In the end, however, God did not submit to Israel's rationalizations and excuses. Moreover, He did not accept their denials. Disobedience is disobedience, whether from willful ignorance of the Law of from willful intention to violate it. He has given them a manual for living redeemed lifestyles in the Torah and told them to use it. They have instead chosen to incorporate some of their own ideas and to disregard many of God's commands. But at the bottom of it all was idolatry. Israel adopted the Canaanite gods into their worship practices.
2. (Judges 3:8) Israel's servitude to the king of Mesopotamia
Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, so that He sold them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.
Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel: The result of Israel's idolatry was that a ruler came down and subjugated parts of Israel.
Cushan-rishathaim: The first part of the ruler from Mesopotamia's name means Cush; he was a descendant from Cush. It is said by most scholars that this man came from an area near the Euphrates River. Now this name for him is Hebrew; so, it could have not been this king's actual foreign name. Rather, it is a title roughly translated as "the double-wicked Cushite". This was how the Israelite tribes who were conquered by his armies saw this king.
Now comes an interesting problem: Cushan-rishathaim conquered southern tribal areas of Israel even though we are told in verse eight that he was from Mesopotamia (a better translation is Aram, another name for Mesopotamia). Aram is located far to the north. So we have that: 1. Cushan was a northerner, 2. he was a Cushite, but 3. he attacked the southern Israelite tribes. That does not make much sense. Why would the king have led his army all that way only to attack the southern tribes? It defies any known political or military agenda.
Jewish scholars have long known that the words Aram and Edom are often transposed in the Bible. It is rather common. Why? Aram is spelled in Hebrew resh-mem. Edom is spelled dale-mem. A resh and dalet look nearly identical; they were common copyist errors. Therefore, it is more likely than not that Cushan was actually from the area of Edom, which is where the Cushites were known to live. Edom was located in the southern desert areas adjacent to the souther Israelite tribes.
So, now we have the first part of the God-pattern for the era of the Judges established. It is a pattern we will see throughout all the Book of Judges. First, the people sin (idolatry in this case); second, the LORD declares them guilty and punishes them with the oppression by a gentile nation.
3. (Judges 3:9-11) God's deliverance through Othniel
When the sons of Israel cried to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the sons of Israel to deliver them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. When he went out to war, the LORD gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand, so that he prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. Then the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
The sons of Israel cried to the LORD: The third thing which happens over and over again is the people of Israel cry out to God to save them from their oppressor.
The LORD raised up a deliverer for the sons of Israel to deliver them: The fourth item which occurs is God hears Israel and raises up a savior to rescue them.
Othniel: The first Judge God raises up is a logical choice. Othniel, who name means lion of God and is from the tribe of Judah, is Caleb's younger brother. Othniel was the husband to Caleb's daughter Akhsah. Othniel is a logical choice because he won the hill country of the south from some of the descendants of Anakim as a challenge from his older brother, and Akhsah was the prize. Why would Akhsah be such an attraction for Othniel? Understand from a clan perspective, the brother next in line in Caleb's clan who then marries the clan chief's daughter makes it almost a guarantee that Othniel would eventually become the new clan leader. Thus, the reward was worth the risk. Furthermore, it is equally obvious that Othniel must have been considerably younger than Caleb, who was one of the 12 spies sent out by Moses many years earlier.
The Spirit of the LORD came upon him: This statement sounds simple enough; however, it opens up many questions. There is perhaps not a more difficult person, essence or manifestation of the Godhead to describe that the Holy Spirit. We also have the challenge to understand what, if any, difference there is between the concepts of the Holy Spirit being UPON someone versus the Holy Spirit being AROUND someone versus the Holy Spirit DWELLING IN someone.
Although we can often skip right over these words to seemingly greater theological issues, fundamental to our understanding ought to be to answer the questions, "What IS the Spirit of God, and what does He do?"
The Spirit of God
The Spirit of God is the spiritual essence that creates or induces life both into the world of nature and into the human being. For humans, there are two discernible aspects of the work of the spirit. First, it is this kind of life spark which is given to cause general physical human life by means of the normal birth process. This life spark continues our existence and operation into the physical realm. The second aspect of the spirit in humans is that it provides a means of eternal life for operation of our spiritual souls in the spiritual realm. It occurs only by divine declaration. One could make the case that for mankind, the Spirit of God first enables GENERATION of life (pregnancy and childbirth), and then it enables RE-GENERATION of a higher life.
In the Old Testament, the Spirit of God is a spirit of wisdom, understanding, strength and the proper fear, awe and knowledge of the LORD. In Judges, the Spirit of God is usually an enabling power. It is a power given or loaned to a human to carry out a special assignment of heavenly purpose and by means of heavenly direction that otherwise could not be done or would not produce an outcome that is in harmony with the will of God were it merely a humanly directed endeavor.
The expression "The Spirit of the LORD came upon him" indicated a supernatural and extraordinary influence of God's spirit upon the human spirit. It is something that only a handful of people in the Old Testament era would ever experience.
In verse 10, the Hebrew word used which is translated as "came upon" is the word hayyah. Hayyah is a general term that depending on the context can mean "became", "come to pass" or "befell". When the Holy Spirit hayyah, (comes upon) a man, it operates in a manner to overcome the resistance of the man's own natural free will such that it is God's will that replaces it. It is this ability to perform bravely in the face of humanly impossible odds against him, or showing equally impossible strength and battlefield skills that most of the Judges displayed.
Once we enter the New Testament, we have nothing but Greek texts available and precise word comparisons between Old Testament Hebrew terms and New Testament Greek terms become very difficult. This becomes especially so when trying to determine what exactly is the difference between the Holy Spirit being upon someone versus the Holy Spirit indwelling someone. Other than that we do know, the outcome of a Believer in Messiah being indwelled by the Holy Spirit since Pentecost immediately following Jesus' death and resurrection is that something fundamental about our souls and spirit nature changes such that we qualify to live eternally in the presence of a Holy God. This was not the case with the Judges and the Prophets. So far as we know upon death they dwelt in a specially prepared chamber that at some point became known as Abraham's Bosom. This was their temporary spirit residence (a short term paradise) until Christ gave them the good news that because of His work, they were now free to leave that abode and go live with God. (For more information about Abraham's bosom, please read Luke 16:19-31.)
When he went out to war: Othniel, with the Spirit of God upon him, went to war with Cushan-rishathaim to try to eject him and his army from the areas of Judah and southern Ephraim. Othniel prevailed, and the area of the Promised Land under his jurisdiction had rest from oppression for 40 years. That period of rest ended upon the death of Othniel. This seems to be the pattern in the era of the Judges. A Judge would be raised up and would be a Judge until his death. During his lifetime, he would be victorious against gentile enemies.
Sunday, April 28, 2019
The 7th Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread: Freedom from slavery
The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a seven-day festival, which begins on Nisan 15 (sundown on April 19) and ends on Nisan 21 (sundown on April 26). During this time, God commands that the first day is a day of holy convocation (a Sabbath in which no work is to be done). Moreover, God also commands that the seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is also a day of holy convocation. In Numbers 28:25 we read, "On the seventh day you are to have a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work." What is the meaning of these two Sabbath days?
The first holy convocation
The first holy assembly is directly connected to the Passover, which led to the deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt. In Exodus 12:17, we are told, "You are to observe the festival of matzah, for on this very day I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. Therefore, you are to observe this day from generation to generation by a perpetual regulation." After the Destroyer passed over Egypt and took the lives of the firstborn, the Egyptians urged the people of Israel to leave Egypt. The tribes of Israel left in haste. They left in such a hurry that their bread did not have time to rise. Thus they only had matzah (unleavened bread) for their journey. The first Sabbath day reminds us of these events.
The second holy convocation
But what about the seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread? Why does God also command a holy convocation on this day? And what happened on this day in which God wants us to remember? As we continue reading the Book of Exodus, we read about Israel's journey from Egypt. "They traveled from Sukkot and set up camp in Tema, at the edge of the desert. God went ahead of them in a column of cloud during the daytime to lead them on their way, and at night in a column of fire to give them light; thus they could travel both by day and by night. Neither the column of cloud by day nor the column of fire at night went away from in front of the people" (Exodus 13:20-22). And after several days of journeying, we read "God said to Moses, 'Tell the people of Israel to turn around and set up camp in front of Pi-Hachirot, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Ba'al-Tz'fon; camp opposite it, by the sea'" (Exodus 14:1-2).
The seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread commemorates the splitting of the Red Sea, the final climax of the Israelites' deliverance from Egypt. It was on the seventh day of traveling from being delivered from the Egyptian masters that they reached the Red Sea. It was there that they encamped together; it was there that the people of Israel found themselves trapped between the Egyptian army pursuing them from behind and the waters of the Red Sea, which lay before them. It was on this day that God would perform a final miracle that would completely deliver Israel from their Egyptian masters. However, until Israel witnessed the Egyptians dead on the seashore, they remained in dread of Pharaoh and his military. As Israel was fearing for their lives, many were even prepared to submit to slavery again rather than trusting in God.
Lessons we can learn
After we have taken our first few steps to freedom, walking in the direction in accordance with God's instruction, we often face adversity from the world and from Satan. Troubled with this fear and the demands of this world, we often give into fear and return to our former bondage and taskmasters in the hope we will somehow preserve ourselves instead of trusting God and His plan for our lives, which will ultimately lead us to true deliverance. For those of us who have done this or for those of us who may do this in the future, out of our fear we may think to ourselves, "God understands and surely He would not want me to perish or suffer. I will return to my former way of life; He will understand. I will not be punished." This thinking is quite erroneous. God does not condone our fear and our lack in trusting in Him, especially after we have gotten a taste of His goodness and power, and have seen He is capable of great miracles and deliverances.
Psalm 106:7-12 sates, "Our ancestors in Egypt failed to grasp the meaning of Your wonders. They didn't keep in mind Your great deeds of grace but rebelled at the sea, at the Red Sea. Yet He saved them for His own name's sake, to make known His mighty power. He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; He led them through its depths as through a desert. He saved them from hostile hands, redeemed them from the power of the foe. The water closed over their adversaries; not one of them was left. Then they believed His words, and they sang His praise."
As He brings us to this point in our faith and walk with Him, He gives us a final opportunity to choose Him or choose our former ways of life and our former gods. Likewise, in Joshua 24:14:15 we are told, "Therefore fear God, and serve Him truly and sincerely. Put away the gods your ancestors served beyond the river and in Egypt, and serve God! If it seems bad to you to serve God, then choose today whom you are going to serve! Will it be the gods your ancestors served beyond the River? or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living? As for me and my household, we will serve God!" And the proper response for us is what the next few verses say: "The people answered, 'Far be it from us that we would abandon God to serve other gods; because it is the LORD our God who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from a life of slavery, and did those great signs before our eyes, and preserved us all along the way we traveled and among all the peoples we passed through; and it was God who drove out from before us all the people, the Amorites living in the land. Therefore we too will serve the LORD, for He is our God!'" (Joshua 24:16-18)
Although some Believers are blessed with a great faith and jump into God's promises and instructions head first, even if we have doubts and if we exercise just a little faith and wait on His deliverance, He will not fail us. He will increase our faith and make us true Believers as He delivers us from what seems like hopeless situations. In Mark 9:23, a man who begins with a little faith cries out to Jesus to increase his faith. "Jesus said to him, 'What do you mean, "if you can"? Everything is possible to someone who has trust!' Instantly the father of the child exclaimed, 'I do trust--help my lack of trust!'"
For us to demonstrate the minimum faith requirements and break with our former way of life and from our own personal Egypt, we need to take steps with the intent to jump into God's promises with both feet. We must not put only one foot in the water, only to turn back out of fear. We cannot be double-hearted before God. In the Book of James we read, "Now if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all generously and without reproach; and it will be given to him. But let him ask in trust, doubting nothing; for the doubter is like a wave in the sea being tossed and driven by the wind. Indeed that person should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord, because he is double-minded, unstable in all his way" (James 1:5-8).
If we simply trust God for what He says, even when it does not seem logical, even in the midst of our doubt and fear, He will part the sea that stands between ourselves and deliverance. But if we do not trust we will be delivered, instead of splitting the sea for us we will be like one of the waves being tossed around and driven by the wind. We will once again fall victim to the cruel taskmasters of this world.
It is often worldly and fleshly material, which stands like a vast sea between us and the true freedom that God has for us. But, if we can reject the call of Egypt for us to return to it, we can move in faith toward God's call. If through His Spirit we can see His will and confirm it through His word, even if we move forward and feel like the water will be over our heads and we might drown, we must continue moving forward and move past the great sea. It is only then can we see true freedom and realize God's promises for us.
In Exodus 14:21, we read, "Moses reached out his hand out over the sea, and God caused the sea to go back before a strong east wind all night. He made the sea become dry land, and its water was divided in two." And shortly thereafter in Exodus 15:8 it says, "With a blast from Your nostrils the waters piled up-the waters stood up like a wall, the depths of the water became firm ground." Instead of following the winds and elemental spirits and doctrines of this world, we are to walk straight forward through the path, which the Wind of God makes for us. That is, we are to follow the straight path provided by the Holy Spirit, and the doctrine He gives us. In the splitting of the sea, God shows us that if we walk in accordance with His Spirit and instruction, we can walk in the midst of the world. With God, we will not be overcome and will not be immersed by its raging waters.
Often times we cry and we wail for God to deliver us from certain circumstances in life, but out of fear, we refuse to move forward with Him and follow His instructions. Likewise, we read in Exodus 14:15 God says to Moses, "...Why are you crying to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward!" There is a wonderful story of faith, which is told by the Jewish scholars in connection with the parting of the Red Sea. It is said that after Moses related the message "to go forward", Nachshon the son of Aminadav, the leader of the tribe of Judah, plunged into the Red Sea and was followed by his tribe and then by the entire nation of Israel. However, the sea had not yet split. Nevertheless, it is said that they continue to press onward until the waters began reaching their nostrils. And it was not until this point that the Red Sea miraculously split. Speaking of this persistent faith, Jesus teaches us in Matthew 17:19-20, "...I tell you that if you have trust as tiny as a mustard seed, you will be able to say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there!' and it will move indeed, nothing will be impossible for you!"
Moving forward in faith through the sea, which was divided and crossing over and leaving Egypt behind is a powerful picture of completely leaving our former way of life. We shed our bondage to the kingdom and gods of Egypt, leaving their ways and their doctrines behind us. When we have reached the other side, God rewards us with a substantial increase in our faith. We will have been brought to a place where we have confirmed our resolution to cling to God and commit ourselves to where He is taking us. We see an example of this in Exodus 14:31, "When Israel saw the mighty deeds that God had performed against the Egyptians, the people feared God, and they believed God and in his servant Moses." This is one of the purposes of the 7th day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
May we all personally experience these things with God as He completes our deliverance from our own Egypt. It is these truths that we are to meditate upon on the seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. When we cross over to the other side, and have chosen to follow God, leaving Egypt behind, this is the true essence of being a Hebrew. The word "cross over" in Hebrew is from the root "avar", which is where we get the word "Ivri", which is translated into English as Hebrew.
It is after we have learned these lessons that we are given a special song that only the redeemed can truly grasp. We read the first few verses of the song in Exodus 15:1-2, "Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to God: 'I will sing to God, for He is highly exalted: the horse and its rider He threw in the sea. God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation. This is my God: I will glorify Him; my father's God: I will exalt Him.'"
Conclusion
We must demonstrate our faith, as little or as great as it may be, by moving forward while walking according to God's instructions. We must place both feet in the water while trusting that He will go before us, preparing the way. But if we are paralyzed by our fear, or even worse, turn back to our former Godless ways, we will not experience God's true deliverance because we will not trust Him for the path He has provided us that leads to life. It is by faith we choose to walk that path. It is not enough to simply have knowledge of the path and of God's word. If we fail to personally experience it and walk it out for ourselves, we will not grasp the deliverance and true salvation--our Messiah Jesus. And even if we sing salvation, if we have not truly experienced a personal deliverance by trusting in God and turning from our former way of life by clinging to His words, then our song will be meaningless. We will not be able to sing the song as it was intended. With God's help, may all of us be able to sing in sincerity and in truth the following words: "God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation" (Exodus 15:2). Happy Feast of Unleavened Bread! Chag Sameach!
The first holy convocation
The first holy assembly is directly connected to the Passover, which led to the deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt. In Exodus 12:17, we are told, "You are to observe the festival of matzah, for on this very day I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. Therefore, you are to observe this day from generation to generation by a perpetual regulation." After the Destroyer passed over Egypt and took the lives of the firstborn, the Egyptians urged the people of Israel to leave Egypt. The tribes of Israel left in haste. They left in such a hurry that their bread did not have time to rise. Thus they only had matzah (unleavened bread) for their journey. The first Sabbath day reminds us of these events.
The second holy convocation
But what about the seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread? Why does God also command a holy convocation on this day? And what happened on this day in which God wants us to remember? As we continue reading the Book of Exodus, we read about Israel's journey from Egypt. "They traveled from Sukkot and set up camp in Tema, at the edge of the desert. God went ahead of them in a column of cloud during the daytime to lead them on their way, and at night in a column of fire to give them light; thus they could travel both by day and by night. Neither the column of cloud by day nor the column of fire at night went away from in front of the people" (Exodus 13:20-22). And after several days of journeying, we read "God said to Moses, 'Tell the people of Israel to turn around and set up camp in front of Pi-Hachirot, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Ba'al-Tz'fon; camp opposite it, by the sea'" (Exodus 14:1-2).
The seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread commemorates the splitting of the Red Sea, the final climax of the Israelites' deliverance from Egypt. It was on the seventh day of traveling from being delivered from the Egyptian masters that they reached the Red Sea. It was there that they encamped together; it was there that the people of Israel found themselves trapped between the Egyptian army pursuing them from behind and the waters of the Red Sea, which lay before them. It was on this day that God would perform a final miracle that would completely deliver Israel from their Egyptian masters. However, until Israel witnessed the Egyptians dead on the seashore, they remained in dread of Pharaoh and his military. As Israel was fearing for their lives, many were even prepared to submit to slavery again rather than trusting in God.
Lessons we can learn
After we have taken our first few steps to freedom, walking in the direction in accordance with God's instruction, we often face adversity from the world and from Satan. Troubled with this fear and the demands of this world, we often give into fear and return to our former bondage and taskmasters in the hope we will somehow preserve ourselves instead of trusting God and His plan for our lives, which will ultimately lead us to true deliverance. For those of us who have done this or for those of us who may do this in the future, out of our fear we may think to ourselves, "God understands and surely He would not want me to perish or suffer. I will return to my former way of life; He will understand. I will not be punished." This thinking is quite erroneous. God does not condone our fear and our lack in trusting in Him, especially after we have gotten a taste of His goodness and power, and have seen He is capable of great miracles and deliverances.
Psalm 106:7-12 sates, "Our ancestors in Egypt failed to grasp the meaning of Your wonders. They didn't keep in mind Your great deeds of grace but rebelled at the sea, at the Red Sea. Yet He saved them for His own name's sake, to make known His mighty power. He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; He led them through its depths as through a desert. He saved them from hostile hands, redeemed them from the power of the foe. The water closed over their adversaries; not one of them was left. Then they believed His words, and they sang His praise."
As He brings us to this point in our faith and walk with Him, He gives us a final opportunity to choose Him or choose our former ways of life and our former gods. Likewise, in Joshua 24:14:15 we are told, "Therefore fear God, and serve Him truly and sincerely. Put away the gods your ancestors served beyond the river and in Egypt, and serve God! If it seems bad to you to serve God, then choose today whom you are going to serve! Will it be the gods your ancestors served beyond the River? or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living? As for me and my household, we will serve God!" And the proper response for us is what the next few verses say: "The people answered, 'Far be it from us that we would abandon God to serve other gods; because it is the LORD our God who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from a life of slavery, and did those great signs before our eyes, and preserved us all along the way we traveled and among all the peoples we passed through; and it was God who drove out from before us all the people, the Amorites living in the land. Therefore we too will serve the LORD, for He is our God!'" (Joshua 24:16-18)
Although some Believers are blessed with a great faith and jump into God's promises and instructions head first, even if we have doubts and if we exercise just a little faith and wait on His deliverance, He will not fail us. He will increase our faith and make us true Believers as He delivers us from what seems like hopeless situations. In Mark 9:23, a man who begins with a little faith cries out to Jesus to increase his faith. "Jesus said to him, 'What do you mean, "if you can"? Everything is possible to someone who has trust!' Instantly the father of the child exclaimed, 'I do trust--help my lack of trust!'"
For us to demonstrate the minimum faith requirements and break with our former way of life and from our own personal Egypt, we need to take steps with the intent to jump into God's promises with both feet. We must not put only one foot in the water, only to turn back out of fear. We cannot be double-hearted before God. In the Book of James we read, "Now if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all generously and without reproach; and it will be given to him. But let him ask in trust, doubting nothing; for the doubter is like a wave in the sea being tossed and driven by the wind. Indeed that person should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord, because he is double-minded, unstable in all his way" (James 1:5-8).
If we simply trust God for what He says, even when it does not seem logical, even in the midst of our doubt and fear, He will part the sea that stands between ourselves and deliverance. But if we do not trust we will be delivered, instead of splitting the sea for us we will be like one of the waves being tossed around and driven by the wind. We will once again fall victim to the cruel taskmasters of this world.
It is often worldly and fleshly material, which stands like a vast sea between us and the true freedom that God has for us. But, if we can reject the call of Egypt for us to return to it, we can move in faith toward God's call. If through His Spirit we can see His will and confirm it through His word, even if we move forward and feel like the water will be over our heads and we might drown, we must continue moving forward and move past the great sea. It is only then can we see true freedom and realize God's promises for us.
In Exodus 14:21, we read, "Moses reached out his hand out over the sea, and God caused the sea to go back before a strong east wind all night. He made the sea become dry land, and its water was divided in two." And shortly thereafter in Exodus 15:8 it says, "With a blast from Your nostrils the waters piled up-the waters stood up like a wall, the depths of the water became firm ground." Instead of following the winds and elemental spirits and doctrines of this world, we are to walk straight forward through the path, which the Wind of God makes for us. That is, we are to follow the straight path provided by the Holy Spirit, and the doctrine He gives us. In the splitting of the sea, God shows us that if we walk in accordance with His Spirit and instruction, we can walk in the midst of the world. With God, we will not be overcome and will not be immersed by its raging waters.
Often times we cry and we wail for God to deliver us from certain circumstances in life, but out of fear, we refuse to move forward with Him and follow His instructions. Likewise, we read in Exodus 14:15 God says to Moses, "...Why are you crying to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward!" There is a wonderful story of faith, which is told by the Jewish scholars in connection with the parting of the Red Sea. It is said that after Moses related the message "to go forward", Nachshon the son of Aminadav, the leader of the tribe of Judah, plunged into the Red Sea and was followed by his tribe and then by the entire nation of Israel. However, the sea had not yet split. Nevertheless, it is said that they continue to press onward until the waters began reaching their nostrils. And it was not until this point that the Red Sea miraculously split. Speaking of this persistent faith, Jesus teaches us in Matthew 17:19-20, "...I tell you that if you have trust as tiny as a mustard seed, you will be able to say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there!' and it will move indeed, nothing will be impossible for you!"
Moving forward in faith through the sea, which was divided and crossing over and leaving Egypt behind is a powerful picture of completely leaving our former way of life. We shed our bondage to the kingdom and gods of Egypt, leaving their ways and their doctrines behind us. When we have reached the other side, God rewards us with a substantial increase in our faith. We will have been brought to a place where we have confirmed our resolution to cling to God and commit ourselves to where He is taking us. We see an example of this in Exodus 14:31, "When Israel saw the mighty deeds that God had performed against the Egyptians, the people feared God, and they believed God and in his servant Moses." This is one of the purposes of the 7th day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
May we all personally experience these things with God as He completes our deliverance from our own Egypt. It is these truths that we are to meditate upon on the seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. When we cross over to the other side, and have chosen to follow God, leaving Egypt behind, this is the true essence of being a Hebrew. The word "cross over" in Hebrew is from the root "avar", which is where we get the word "Ivri", which is translated into English as Hebrew.
It is after we have learned these lessons that we are given a special song that only the redeemed can truly grasp. We read the first few verses of the song in Exodus 15:1-2, "Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to God: 'I will sing to God, for He is highly exalted: the horse and its rider He threw in the sea. God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation. This is my God: I will glorify Him; my father's God: I will exalt Him.'"
Conclusion
We must demonstrate our faith, as little or as great as it may be, by moving forward while walking according to God's instructions. We must place both feet in the water while trusting that He will go before us, preparing the way. But if we are paralyzed by our fear, or even worse, turn back to our former Godless ways, we will not experience God's true deliverance because we will not trust Him for the path He has provided us that leads to life. It is by faith we choose to walk that path. It is not enough to simply have knowledge of the path and of God's word. If we fail to personally experience it and walk it out for ourselves, we will not grasp the deliverance and true salvation--our Messiah Jesus. And even if we sing salvation, if we have not truly experienced a personal deliverance by trusting in God and turning from our former way of life by clinging to His words, then our song will be meaningless. We will not be able to sing the song as it was intended. With God's help, may all of us be able to sing in sincerity and in truth the following words: "God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation" (Exodus 15:2). Happy Feast of Unleavened Bread! Chag Sameach!
Sunday, April 21, 2019
Feast of First Fruits 2019
These last few days have been a whirlwind of events. Friday began the first of the spring holidays, Passover (Pesach). Saturday commenced the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread which will continue through Friday, April 26. Today (Sunday) is the Feast of First Fruits.
Feast of First Fruits
The church continues to celebrate First Fruits in its New Testament essence, as Resurrection Sunday or Easter, but most fail to realize its full impact or its glorious promise for the future, unless it is understood from its original command given by God.
The church appreciates Passover in that the Lord Jesus cited this feast Himself as a holy convocation. The church uses the Passover wine and bread as symbols used in its communion remembrance of Jesus' last Passover meal on earth. Jesus says, "Do this in remembrance of Me" (Luke 22:19). Similar to Israel's deliverance from Egypt in the Book of Exodus, Christians are encouraged to remember their deliverance from bondage by the blood of the Lamb.
However, with the Feast of First Fruits, Christians have confused an ancient pagan fertility rite with the original directions given by God. Today, we have a mixture of a Babylonian festival with a Biblical holy day.
Resurrection Sunday
We should look carefully at the original instructions for the Feast of First Fruits to fully understand their implications:
"Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, 'When you come into the land which I give you, and shall reap the harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it'" (Leviticus 23:10-11).
To paraphrase, God is saying to Moses, "I am taking My people into a fruitful land. I would like them to acknowledge the land's rich abundance. Each spring, when the first harvest of the year is available, the people should bring some of their first pickings of their crops to the Temple so that the high priest can acknowledge My generosity. This must be done on the Sunday ("the morrow after the sabbath") during the week of Unleavened Bread.
God honors Resurrection Sunday, the Sunday after Passover, as representing the things which come out of the ground spontaneously and miraculously after a long, dead winter. We see this miracle every spring, and we usually take it for granted. What do we have to do to our crops, and trees to make them come forth with their first fruits? The answer is nothing. God miraculously causes the growth and rejuvenation of these plants. We simply watch and wait. They are free gifts from God, as is our coming resurrection.
Easter and its pagan roots
Where Easter is concerned, we have confused a pagan ritual with the Feast of First Fruits. Each spring, the Babylonians saw the first fruits and assumed it would the perfect time to ask their goddess, Ishtar (Easter), for new babies. They worshiped the things in nature which represented fertility such as the egg and rabbits. The people, in celebration of the new buds on the trees and shrubbery, wore new costumes. Today, most Christians continue the Babylonian rite by celebrating first fruits with the Easter Bunny, painting eggs bright colors (commemorating the new flowers and spring growth of the plants), and wearing new outfits to church and other gatherings during Easter. Of course, no Easter celebration would be complete without an egg hunt, which represents the ancient pagan ritual of attempting to conceive a baby.
First Fruits: Its true meaning and future implications
The original Feast of First Fruits, however, contains a great truth. If there are first fruits, then there must be a second, a third and so on. That is the true meaning of this Sunday. We do not merely celebrate the resurrection of the Lord on First Fruits, but the resurrection of the entire church. The Lord rising from the dead is cause for great wonder and blessing, but are we really surprised? He could feed thousands, walk on water and could raise the dead. The greater miracle is that we ordinary, mortal sinners will all rise!
As Paul states in his first letter to the Corinthians: "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming" (1 Corinthians 15:22-23).
Those "in Adam" die, since all descendants of our sinning original father have inherited his terrible trait. But in Christ, we are made alive again.
Jesus celebrated First Fruits in the appropriate manner by rising from the dead on that day. He also gave the Father His First Fruit offering. Graves were opened and the dead rose and were seen after Jesus' resurrection (Matthew 27:53). Our Lord, not unlike any farmer of the soil, gratefully brought before the Father a few early "crops" of what would be a magnificent harvest later on. We sometimes fail to note that Jesus was not the only deceased person to rise on that miraculous day of First Fruits. Those He brought forth from their graves represent a type of church. Christians shall be brought forth from their graves for the big fall harvest--the Rapture--at the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah). It was not only the Lord's resurrection that demonstrates the promise to Christians, but also the resurrection of those chosen saints of the time, which assures Christians of their own resurrection.
The Future
First Fruits, in essence, means that Jesus as Lord and Savior will return for His people. Buddha and Mohammed have not promised their followers that they will return for them. With these worldly religious, what you see is what you get. But the King is coming! First Fruits represents the whole point of Christianity--what you see is not all that you get. This life is only the beginning. Even if a Christian dies, he shall rise...just as those dead branches of winter bear fruit every spring.
Feast of First Fruits
The church continues to celebrate First Fruits in its New Testament essence, as Resurrection Sunday or Easter, but most fail to realize its full impact or its glorious promise for the future, unless it is understood from its original command given by God.
The church appreciates Passover in that the Lord Jesus cited this feast Himself as a holy convocation. The church uses the Passover wine and bread as symbols used in its communion remembrance of Jesus' last Passover meal on earth. Jesus says, "Do this in remembrance of Me" (Luke 22:19). Similar to Israel's deliverance from Egypt in the Book of Exodus, Christians are encouraged to remember their deliverance from bondage by the blood of the Lamb.
However, with the Feast of First Fruits, Christians have confused an ancient pagan fertility rite with the original directions given by God. Today, we have a mixture of a Babylonian festival with a Biblical holy day.
Resurrection Sunday
We should look carefully at the original instructions for the Feast of First Fruits to fully understand their implications:
"Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, 'When you come into the land which I give you, and shall reap the harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it'" (Leviticus 23:10-11).
To paraphrase, God is saying to Moses, "I am taking My people into a fruitful land. I would like them to acknowledge the land's rich abundance. Each spring, when the first harvest of the year is available, the people should bring some of their first pickings of their crops to the Temple so that the high priest can acknowledge My generosity. This must be done on the Sunday ("the morrow after the sabbath") during the week of Unleavened Bread.
God honors Resurrection Sunday, the Sunday after Passover, as representing the things which come out of the ground spontaneously and miraculously after a long, dead winter. We see this miracle every spring, and we usually take it for granted. What do we have to do to our crops, and trees to make them come forth with their first fruits? The answer is nothing. God miraculously causes the growth and rejuvenation of these plants. We simply watch and wait. They are free gifts from God, as is our coming resurrection.
Easter and its pagan roots
Where Easter is concerned, we have confused a pagan ritual with the Feast of First Fruits. Each spring, the Babylonians saw the first fruits and assumed it would the perfect time to ask their goddess, Ishtar (Easter), for new babies. They worshiped the things in nature which represented fertility such as the egg and rabbits. The people, in celebration of the new buds on the trees and shrubbery, wore new costumes. Today, most Christians continue the Babylonian rite by celebrating first fruits with the Easter Bunny, painting eggs bright colors (commemorating the new flowers and spring growth of the plants), and wearing new outfits to church and other gatherings during Easter. Of course, no Easter celebration would be complete without an egg hunt, which represents the ancient pagan ritual of attempting to conceive a baby.
First Fruits: Its true meaning and future implications
The original Feast of First Fruits, however, contains a great truth. If there are first fruits, then there must be a second, a third and so on. That is the true meaning of this Sunday. We do not merely celebrate the resurrection of the Lord on First Fruits, but the resurrection of the entire church. The Lord rising from the dead is cause for great wonder and blessing, but are we really surprised? He could feed thousands, walk on water and could raise the dead. The greater miracle is that we ordinary, mortal sinners will all rise!
As Paul states in his first letter to the Corinthians: "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming" (1 Corinthians 15:22-23).
Those "in Adam" die, since all descendants of our sinning original father have inherited his terrible trait. But in Christ, we are made alive again.
Jesus celebrated First Fruits in the appropriate manner by rising from the dead on that day. He also gave the Father His First Fruit offering. Graves were opened and the dead rose and were seen after Jesus' resurrection (Matthew 27:53). Our Lord, not unlike any farmer of the soil, gratefully brought before the Father a few early "crops" of what would be a magnificent harvest later on. We sometimes fail to note that Jesus was not the only deceased person to rise on that miraculous day of First Fruits. Those He brought forth from their graves represent a type of church. Christians shall be brought forth from their graves for the big fall harvest--the Rapture--at the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah). It was not only the Lord's resurrection that demonstrates the promise to Christians, but also the resurrection of those chosen saints of the time, which assures Christians of their own resurrection.
The Future
First Fruits, in essence, means that Jesus as Lord and Savior will return for His people. Buddha and Mohammed have not promised their followers that they will return for them. With these worldly religious, what you see is what you get. But the King is coming! First Fruits represents the whole point of Christianity--what you see is not all that you get. This life is only the beginning. Even if a Christian dies, he shall rise...just as those dead branches of winter bear fruit every spring.
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