Purim

One of my favorite holidays of the year is the festival of Purim. Unlike other Jewish holidays in which there are strict observances set forth in the Torah, the only command for Purim is that it is to be celebrated on the 14th day of the Jewish month Adar (which occurs in February or March on the Gregorian calendar.) This year Purim will be celebrated from sunset on March 20 through sunset on March 21. Purim is mostly a holiday filled with lots of fun events including dressing up as your favorite character from the book of Esther!


The Basics
The entire holiday of Purim is set aside to celebrate the Jews triumphal victory over the wicked Haman and his evil plot to exterminate the Jews as detailed in the Book of Esther. During the holiday, the Book of Esther is read in synagogue. (And I would suggest, if you wish to appreciate all the characters and things associated with Purim, it would be very beneficial to read the Book of Esther as well.) When the book is read, any time Queen Esther or Mordecai are mentioned, the audience breaks out into spontaneous cheers and shouts of joy. When the evil character Haman is mentioned, the crowd stomps its feet and shouts out booing.

The word Purim is derived from the Persian language which translated into English means lots. In the Book of Esther, Haman casts lots (i.e., throws dice or uses some sort of divination) to determine when he should carry out his evil plan of exterminating the Jews. The 13th of Adar (the 12th month on the Jewish calendar) was slated to be the date. On the 13th of Adar, the Jews and the Persians fought. On the 14th of Adar, the Jews in the Persian kingdom celebrated a glorious victory over their foes. (The Jews in the Persian capital city of Sushan fought for a second day on the 14th of Adar. On the 15th of Adar they held a giant celebration.) From this time forth, the 14th of Adar has been remembered and celebrated as a joyous day when the Jews defeated their enemies.


The Story in a Nutshell
The Persian Empire of the 4th Century BC extended across 127 lands from northern Africa and Asia Minor in the east across to India in the west. All the Jews living in this region were ruled by the Persians. When King Ahasuerus has his wife, Queen Vashti, dethroned for failing to follow his orders, he arranged for a search to find a new queen. (I like to call this the very first beauty pageant, Miss Queen of Persia.) A young Jewish woman, Esther, found favor in the king's eyes and became the new queen. Under the command of her cousin, Mordecai, Esther never divulges her Jewish nationality.

Subsequently, Haman, a Jew-hating man, was appointed as prime minister of the empire. Mordecai defies the king's orders and refuses to bow down to Haman. Haman becomes infuriated and convinces the king to issue a decree ordering the extermination of all the Jews on the 13th day of the month Adar, a date picked via casting lots (purim).

When the decree is made public, Mordecai rallies the Jews, convincing them to repent, fast and pray. Moreover, he entreats Esther to ask the king to rescind his decree. Esther bravely goes before the king's throne and asks him (and Haman) to join her for a feast. After her courage fails her the first day, Esther asks the King and Haman to join her on the following day for another feast. At the second feast, Esther reveals to the king her Jewish identity. Haman begs the queen's forgiveness, but the king orders Haman to be hung. When Esther reveals to the king that Mordecai is her cousin, the king appoints Mordecai to be prime minister. A new decree is issued, granting the Jews the right to defend themselves against their enemy.

On the 13th of Adar, the Jews kill many of their enemies. On the 14th of Adar, they rest and celebrate their triumphant victory. In the capital city of Sushan, the Jews take one more day to finish killing their enemies.


Other Facts
Esther's name is derived from the goddess Ishtar. Ishtar was the Babylonian and Persian goddess of war, love and fertility. She was called Ashteroth by the Phoenicians. Esther's Hebrew name is Hadassah. Hadassah is derived from the Hebrew word hadas which means myrtle tree. According to Jewish tradition, a myrtle trees represents righteousness in Scripture. The sages in the Midrash take this one step father and say just as a myrtle tree has a sweet smell and a bitter taste, so too Esther was good and listened (sweet) to the righteous Mordecai. She was adverse (bitter) to the wicked Haman.

The Book of Esther, known as "the Scroll" (Megillah) in Hebrew, is a book in the third section (Ketuvim "Writings") of the Jewish Bible. It is one of five scrolls (Megillot) in the Hebrew Bible. The Books of Esther and Song of Solomon are the only books which do not explicitly mention God in the text.

The book of Esther consists of an introduction in chapters 1 and 2; the main action occurs in chapters 3 to 9:19; and a conclusion is given in chapter 9:20-10:3. The plot is structured around banquets (mishteh), a word that occurs 20 times in the Book of Esther and only 24 times in the rest of the Hebrew Bible. This is apropos given that the Book of Esther describes the origin of a Jewish feast, the feast of Purim.

The Book of Esther became the last of the 24 books of the Tanakh (Old Testament) to be canonized by the Sages of the Great Assembly. It is usually dated to the fourth century BC. The Greek Book of Esther included in the Septuagint is a re-telling of the events of the Hebrew Book of Esther rather than a translation. The Greek book includes additional traditions which do not appear in the original Hebrew version. One such addition is the identification of Ahasuerus with Artaxerxes and includes details of various letters. The Coptic and Ethiopian versions of the Book of Esther are translations of the Greek version rather than the Hebrew version of the Book of Esther.

(Side note: The Tanakh also called the Mikra or the Hebrew Bible, is the canonical collection of Jewish texts, which is the textual source for the Christian Old Testament. These texts are composed mainly in Biblical Hebrew, with some passages in Biblical Aramaic. The traditional Hebrew text is known as the Masoretic Text. The Tanakh consists of 24 books.

Tanakh is an acronym of the first letter of each of the Masoretic Text's three subdivisons: Torah ("Teaching", also known as the Five Books of Moses), Nevi'im ("Prophets") and Ketuvim ("Writings"). Hence it is called TaNaKh. The name Mikra, meaning "that which is read", is another Hebrew word for the Tanakh. The books of the Tanakh were passed on by each generation, and according to rabbinic tradition, they were also accompanied by oral tradition called the Oral Torah.)

Purim Observances
1. Hear the Megillah
At synagogues across the world, the whole Megillah scroll (aka, the Book of Esther) is publicly read twice--once on Purim night and again on Purim day. This year, that is Wednesday night, March 20 and Thursday, March 21.

2. Give to the needy (Matanot LaEvyonim)
One of Purim's main themes is Jewish unity. Haman tried to kill all the Jews. Being unified in danger, the Jews also unify in celebrating. During Purim, there is a special emphasis on caring for the less fortunate. A main act of kindness is giving food or money to at least two needy people. On Purim, a donation is given to whomever asks. Many synagogues take up special offerings during this time to give to charity in their communities.

3. Send food gifts to friends (Mishloach Manot)
The holiday of Purim emphasizes the importance of friendship and community. One way of showing this spirit is by sending food gifts to friends. The tradition is to send at least two ready-to-eat food and/or beverage items to at least one acquaintance. Men send gifts to men; women send gifts to women. It is preferable that the gifts be delivered via a third party. As with all the observances, children also participate in sending gifts. Additionally, children are often employed as the messengers in delivering the gifts.

4. Masquerade!
On Purim, children (and some enthusiastic adults) dress in costumes, an allusion to God's hand in the Purim miracle, which was disguised by natural events. Girls often dress up as Queen Esther, and boy often dress up as Mordecai. Many synagogues have a masquerade party, along with prizes for the children during or after the Megillah reading.

5. Feast!!!
During Purim day (March 21), families gather together and often invite guests to celebrate a Purim meal. Traditionally, the meal begins before sundown and lasts well into the evening. The table is covered with a nice tablecloth; candles give the illumination. The meal features meat, wine, Jewish songs, words from the Torah and lots of laughter and joy. The feast is a great celebration of eating, singing and having fun.


Purim Food
1. Hamantaschen
The most famous Purim food is hamantaschen (Yiddish for Haman's pockets). These treats are thinly rolled dough cut into circles with their sides folded up around a dollop of filling. The cookie can be crumbly if made with oil or soft when made with butter or cream cheese. The hamantaschen can be filled with almost anything--fruit, cheese, chocolate, nutella or savory ingredients.

The cookie itself is highly symbolic. The most common interpretation is that they resemble the three cornered hat worn by Haman. In Hebrew, the cookies are called ozney Haman which means "Haman's ears". This refers to the custom of cutting off a criminals ears before his execution. A third idea suggests that each corner of a hamantaschen represents one of the fathers of Judaism--Abraham, Isaac and Jacob--whose power weakened Haman and gave strength to Esther to save the Jews. Lastly, one more thought is that because the German word taschen means "pouch" or "pocket", the cookies could signify Haman's pockets, and the money he offered to the king for permission to kill the Jews.

2. Challah
Challah is a traditional Jewish braided bread made with eggs, flour, water, yeast, sugar and salt. A special Purim Challah is usually oversized and extensively braided. The braids on the challah are intended to remind people of the rope used to hang Haman. The term challah originally refers to the commandment of separating a portion of the dough before braiding it. This portion of the bread is set aside as a tithe for the priests. In Hebrew, this commandment is called hafrashat challah or "separating challah". This obligation applies to any loaf of bread, not just to the Sabbath bread.

3. Bean dishes
Bean dishes include salted beans, and boiled chickpeas seasoned with salt and pepper. These dishes are to remind the people that Esther would not eat anything at the court of King Ahasuerus that was not kosher. So, she mainly ate peas and beans.

4. Kreplach
Kreplach are triangle pouches filled with chopped meat, mashed potatoes or other filling. They are usually boiled and served in chicken soup; although they may also be served fried and served alone as a side dish. They are similar to the Polish uszka, Russian pelmeni, Italian ravioli or tortellini and Chinese wontons. The dough is traditionally made of flour, water and eggs. It is kneaded and rolled out thin. Some modern-day cooks use frozen dough sheets or wonton wrappers. Ready-to-eat kreplach are also sold in the kosher frozen foods section of some grocery stores.

Amalek and the Book of Esther

Have you ever wonder what might happen if you disobey a command God gives specifically to you? The answer may not be as dramatic as that of Amalek and the Israelites, but it might be. We have a limited view as to how our actions can affect the future. The Book of Esther gives us great insight into how one person's actions can greatly influence the lives of many in the generations to come.

In Genesis 36:12, we are introduced to Amalek. "And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau's son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek: these were the sons of Adah Esau's wife."

Jewish tradition holds that Timna was from royal Egyptian lineage. She wanted to be part of Jacob's family; however, she was not accepted. After being rejected, Timna did the next best thing she could think of, she attached herself to Jacob's brother's family, Esau. Remember that Esau and Jacob were twin brothers. Jacob bought the first born rites from Esau for a bowl of stew (Genesis 25:29-34). Jacob also received the favored blessing from his father Isaac after deceiving him (Genesis 27:1-29). Esau had a son named Eliphaz. Timna became Eliphaz's concubine and bore Amalek. Thus, Amalek was Esau's grandson.

Although Genesis 36:12 proclaims the birth of Amalek, the Amalekites are first mentioned all the way back in Genesis 14:7. ("And they returned, and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and conquered all the country of the Amalekites.") If one counts the Hebrew letters from the first letter of the word Amalekites and counts until the last letter in Amalek's name in Genesis 36:12, one counts 12,110 Hebrew letters. The Book of Esther also has exactly 12,110 Hebrew letters. God knew from the beginning that that Amalek's birth would be a thorn in Israel's side for many, many generations.


Leaving Egypt
When the Israelites left Egypt and had crossed over the Red Sea, the first person to attack them was Amalek. "Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said onto Joshua, 'Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand'" (Exodus 17:8-9). All the nations feared the Israelites when they heard how God delivered the Israelites through the Red Sea and destroyed Pharaoh and his army. However, Amalek's attack on Israel cooled some of the surrounding nations' fear. As one rabbi said, "Israel coming out of Egypt was like a boiling pot. No one wanted to get near them. When Amalek attacked Israel, he cooled down the pot. This gave courage to the surrounding nations that Israel could be defeated."

God's anger is stirred up over Amalek attacking His people. God gives several promises to Amalek that his end will be destruction. "The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation" (Exodus 17:16). "And he looked on Amalek, and took up this parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his end shall come to destruction" (Numbers 24:20). "Blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget it" (Deuteronomy 25:19).

Lastly, God gives Israel one last command regarding Amalek: once Israel is settled in the land, they should destroy Amalek.

"Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God. Therefore when the LORD your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget." (Deuteronomy 25:17-19)


Saul's commission to utterly destroy the Amalekites
Saul was Israel's first king. He was from the tribe of Benjamin and the son of Kish. "Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor. He had a son, whose name was Saul" (1 Samuel 9:1-2a).

Once Saul was established as king, he received instructions from the prophet Samuel to go to war with the Amalekites and completely destroy them. "Then Samuel said to Saul, 'The LORD sent me to anoint you as king over His people Israel; now therefore, listen to the words of the LORD. Thus says the LORD of hosts, "I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both men and women, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey"'" (1 Samuel 15:1-3).

Saul goes to war with the Amalekites and defeats them. However, Saul fails to carry out God's complete command to destroy Amalek and everything associated with the Amalekites. "So Saul defeated the Amalekites, from Havilah as you go to Shur, which is east of Egypt. He captured Agag the king of the Amaleites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the failings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were not willing to destroy them utterly; but everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed" (1 Samuel 15:7-9).

Saul seems blind to his disobedience. He believes he has fulfilled God's command. Samuel, however, can see through Saul's lies and knows Saul has disobeyed God. "Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, 'Blessed are you of the LORD! I have carried out the command of the LORD.' But Samuel said, 'What then is the bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?'" (1 Samuel 15:13-14) There is an interesting play on words here in the Hebrew. To obey in Hebrew is shema which translates to hear, listen and/or obey. Samuel is saying if you heard and obeyed the word of the LORD why is it I hear sheep and oxen which God commanded to be destroyed?

Saul's disobedience to spare Agag and the best of the things from the Amalekites has many implications for the future. First, God takes away the kingdom from Saul. "Samuel said, 'Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king'" (1 Samuel 15:22-23). "And Samuel turned to go, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. So Samuel said to him, 'The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you'" (1 Samuel 15:27-28).

Second, Agag's descendants live on. If Agag and all his descendants would have been executed, the Amalekite's lineage would have been cut off. However, since Saul spares them, their descendants continue into the future. Nearly 400 years later, Agag's descendant, Haman, attempts to craft a plan to exterminate the Jews. ("The king took off his ring from his hand, and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the Jews' enemy" Esther 3:10.) This is the basis for the Book of Esther. Interestingly, the heroes of the story, Esther and Mordecai are descendants from Saul. ("There was a certain Jew in the citadel of Susa, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite" Esther 2:5.) So, although Saul does not obey God, his descendants do.


The Book of Esther
Set nearly 400 years after the reign of king Saul, the Book of Esther takes place in the Persian kingdom in a city called Susa. In a nutshell, the king becomes very angry at his wife and dethrones her. He holds a beauty contest, and Esther is chosen. Esther never discloses her heritage as being a Jew. Mordecai, Esther's uncle, is an official in the king's gate. Mordecai refuses to bow down to the king's second in command, a man named Haman. Haman becomes enraged and learns Mordecai is a Jew. Haman devises a plan to kill all the Jews and deceitfully gets the king to sign the decree. Before the decree is carried out, Esther reveals her Jewish lineage and begs the king for his help. The king allows Esther and Mordecai to send out another decree stating the Jews may take up arms and defend themselves against anyone who attacks them. Esther and the Jews win the war. Haman and his sons are hung. God's command to execute the Amalekites is completed nearly 400 years after Saul was supposed to obey God. One man's disobedience almost causes the complete extinction of the Jewish people. It is amazing to see how one act of disobedience can completely change history.

Judges Chapter 2 Part Three (Verse 7-13)

3. (Judges 2:7-10) The new generation in Israel
The people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the LORD which He had done for Israel. Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of one hundred and ten. And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.

From verses 6-10, we have essentially a repeat of Joshua chapter 24. The editor of this book of Judges was obviously trying to make a link between the time of Joshua and the time of the Judges. It is explained that after the covenant renewal ceremony at Shechem, whereby all agreed to continue to abide in the Mosaic Covenant, Joshua dismissed the people to go home to what was now their own land, given as a gift from God. It is stated that Joshua and his staff were obedient followers of the LORD God. Thus, Joshua lived to the ripe old age of 110 years. He was given the privilege of being buried on his own property, in the Promised Land, in close proximity to his ancestors.

The servant of the LORD: This is a deeply meaningful title for Joshua. It is applied only to great men of God such as Moses (Deuteronomy 34:5), David (Psalm 18:1, title) and the courageous prophets (2 Kings 9:7).

These verses end with a phrase we have heard so many times up to this point when it is written that the entire generation (the second generation of Exodus) "was gathered to his ancestors". Here we have that phrase described how it was for the Hebrew people looking upon death; it was with a foundation of Ancestor Worship in mind. They would go to their graves and some essence of them would commune in some unknown way with their ancestors. Of course, this was only possible (in their minds) because those ancestors (mainly the Patriarchs) were buried in the same place (Canaan) and thus were not separated by spiritual or territorial boundaries.

There arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD: We are told there is a new generation who arose after Joshua, one that did not know the LORD or know the work He had done on Israel's behalf. We are only talking about the passing of ONE generation after Joshua died. ONE GENERATION!!! In only a couple decades the mixing with the Canaanites had so perverted the Israelites that they were quite familiar with Baal and Ashtoreth, but they know almost nothing about God. To say that they did not know of what God had done for them does not mean they were ignorant and uninformed. It means that they rendered it as irrelevant to their lives. They had no gratitude to those who came before them and fought to give them the life they now took for granted. Syncretism had made the God of Israel barely a second thought for them.

Every time we have Veteran's Day or Memorial Day and I see those proud and wrinkled men (and how very few of them that still remain), handing out poppies or flag pins in malls or on street corners. Some of them wear parts of their well-worn uniforms or perhaps service medals from WWII. I watch as younger men and women pass them by without a glance. A generation of people who have no idea what war really is, or what sacrifice really is. People who have no concept (or interest) that millions gave their lives for the good and free life they now live. I listen to them as they naively pontificate about how THIS time in our modern and progressive era, unlink all the other time in history, THIS time instead of fighting wars we will be able to have civilized talks with our enemies--who will do almost anything to destroy us. With the right words from the right men, our enemies will fold before us. THIS time if we appease them just a little bit more, if we can just understand their side of it Bettie, they will be satisfied and not bother us any more.

I cringe as I listen to the news and our political representatives who tell us that the current state of mankind is now unlike any other. We are so inherently good and our knowledge so great, we can come together in world peace if we determine to do so. We are told Allah just wants the same things, and we are to label no one as evil (even a vicious terrorist who openly speaks of his desire to lay Israel waste, to rule the world and kill all who resist the will of his god Allah). If we speak about any evil, we are labeled as being hateful, unintelligent and counterproductive to the greater good. After all, who is so arrogant as to be the one who thinks he can identify a line between evil and good?

This prevalent and popular mindset has developed a mete 60 years after 100 million people died either as victims or from fighting to save the world from the greatest evil we have known up to this point in mankind's history. But now, after only six decades, it all counts as meaningless history only revelant for old people and recorded in dusty history books. So it ought to be awfully easy for us to identify with what is being described in the second chapter of the Book of Judges whereby in a remarkably short time the conquest of Canaan and the God who freed Israel from Egypt have become old news to the very people who benefited the most from it.


B. A summary of Israel's history during the time of the Judges

1. (Judges 2:11-13) Israel falls into idolatry
Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals, and they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the LORD to anger. So they forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.

The sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: After the death of Joshua, Israel falls hard into idolatry. It is strange that anyone would want to trade a personal, real, living God for a false god that is the figment of man's imagination. Yet, there is something within man that is afraid of the exact God we need. We would rather serve a god of our own creation than the real, living God whom we cannot control. The gods we create are the gods wanted by our sinful desires.

And served the Baals: The Canaanite idol Baal was an attractive rival to God because he was thought to be the god over the weather and nature for the Canaanites. He was essentially the god of agricultural success. In an agricultural society, people served Baal because they wanted good weather for abundant crops and flocks. One might say that the bottom line with Baal was the "the bottom line". He was effectively the god of personal wealth.

The word "Baal" means husband, owner or lord (like landlord). Therefore, when Israel worshipped the Canaanite god Baal, they entertained the idea of having another owner or husband.

And they forsook the LORD: Verse 12 is one of the saddest verses in the Book of Judges...and just maybe the whole Bible. There is no hiding the truth. By worshipping other gods, Israel abandoned God. As we will see in coming chapters, Israel did not think they had abandoned God. Most of them still had a place in their worship for Him. However, it was not their main focus. God was more of an afterthought or even just a ritualistic practice. Most worshipped some combination of the Baals and God. But this, Israel would have insisted that they had NOT abandoned God. But, their standard of what abandonment amounts to does not matter. What matters is the LORD'S standard that He will use as a measure. Most of Israel did not measure up to God's standard. I wonder if we measure up to His standard?

The gods who surrounded Israel went by many different names. Most of the gods had the same name, but they were just translated into the local language. "Canaanite god" was just a general term meaning the gods of the various tribes and nations who lived within the borders of the former land of Canaan. Baal became Hada in Syria to the north. Dagon was Philistine for El in the south and west. Astarte was Sidonian for Ashtoreth in the northeast. Eostre was Anglo-Saxon for Ashtoreth, and Easter was English for Ashtoreth. Mot was the Assyrian god of the underworld, and Yam was the same as Neptune, the god of the sea. On and on it goes, but all those names of the gods were of the same Mystery Babylon pantheon of gods that arose from Nimrod's era.

(Side note: Ashtoreth was thought to be the goddess of sex, love and fertility. She was usually honored when folks practice ritualistic sex with a priestess or temple prostitute.)

What was God's reaction? He became angry. The words to "follow other gods" were more literal than we typically think. In those days, and still in many cultures, a god image would be held and carried by the priests, servants or king who served that god. A procession of followers and worshippers would march in procession behind it. A parade of sorts was held to honor that god as they took his image to or from his/her temple. When he Bible speak about following other gods, it brought a very vivid and real picture to the minds of those who wrote and read these verses. Perhaps a more modern illustration is of an evil Pied Piper who enchants all those who pay attention to him and leads them (much to their surprise) off a cliff and into destruction.

One biblical illustration with God is to describe it as a marriage relationship between a husband and wife. It would be wrong for a wife (or husband) to add many lovers to the marriage, claiming that a person could simply love them all. A husband or wife was a righteous claim on the exclusive affection of their spouse. God has a righteous claim on our exclusive worship.

The LORD created marriage to give us a visible, tangible and physical way of practicing and acting out the kind of relationship (with all its benefits, obligations and challenges) that He has with His followers. He sees Israel (and all of His Believers) in the context of a wife to Him. He wants us to see Him in the context of a husband to us. Thus, when a spouse is unfaithful in a marriage, it is said (even in our secular courts of civil law) that the marriage has been legally abandoned. Even if the couple has not separated and even if the unfaithful spouse did not have in his/her mind to legally terminate the marriage or to marry another person, the level of unfaithfulness crossed over at some point. The bond was broken.

One of the most graphic depictions of this concept of the marriage relationship between God and His followers is contained in the book of Hosea. We will not read all of it, but I do want for us to read the short first chapter as it helps us to understand the LORD'S attitude towards those who break faith with (and abandon) Him.

READ HOSEA CHAPTER ONE

Whoring is a word often used in the Bible for a spouse breaking faith in a marriage relationship. It is virtually a synonym for idolatry when it pertains to man's broken relationship with God. When this faith-breaking reaches some tipping point that only the LORD determines, then he springs into action with the result expressed in the Hosea's three children: Yizre'el (God sows catastrophe); Lo-Ruchamah (God will no longer have pity) and Lo-Ammi (His followers will become not-my-people (and He will become not-their-god)).

It will always be for mankind that our viewpoint is irrelevant when contrasted with God's. It does not matter if we consider ourselves moral people or a good person or saved and secured for eternity. God's definition of all things is what we must adhere to or we are deluding ourselves. It is much easier and more comfortable for us to ignore the commandments of Torah where God defines sin, holiness, righteousness and purity and instead believe that with our salvation we will somehow simply "know" what these definitions are. Without scriptural investigation in the Torah, we will then solely rely on the so-called goodness of our own hearts. We will more often than not rely on religious doctrines and traditions to determine our beliefs and explain what is proper behavior. When we walk down this dangerous but wide road, we will also find ourselves in the exact same position as this new generation of Israelites who (as verse 10 says), "knew neither the LORD of the work He had done for Israel." Israel chose to willingly be ignorant. Therefore, they blindly went about their lives confident that they were in a good standing with the Almighty, when in His eyes, they were rebellious and unfaithful. The wife (Israel) in the marriage had committed adultery against her husband (God).

Judges Chapter 2 Part Two (Verses 1-6)

ISRAEL'S FAILURE, GOD'S MERCY
A. From Gilgal to Bochim

1. (Judges 2:1-3) The Angel of the LORD preaches to Israel
Now the angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, "I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers: and I said, 'I will never break My covenant with you, and as for you, you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land: you shall tear down the altars.' But you have not obeyed Me; what is this you have done? Therefore I also said, 'I will not drive them out before you; but they will become as thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.'"

The angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal: The Hebrew is "the malach of YHWH". Malach does NOT mean angel; it means messenger. It is only in certain contexts in which it is taken to mean that the messenger is an angel, a spirit being.

In many places in the Bible, we come across this term. Jewish scholars and rabbis insist that this is actually a HUMAN messenger, a prophet that is being referred to. And that is one way around the problem that Christianity also struggles with about he identity of "the angel of the LORD". The problem is what or who is the angel (the malach) or the LORD? Here in Judges 2:1. Many of the greatest Hebrew sages say that this is simply a human prophet who has journeyed from Gilgal to deliver a message from God. They assume this because if it is a spirit being, then one has the spirit being speaking in the first person "I". And if that is the case, then it is hard to deny that the spirit being is identifying himself as God. That is not something Judaism accounts for. However, it is common for a prophet to speak the actual words from God, like reading a prepared speaking using the first person "I". The difference is that the prophet ALWAYS prefaces those words with some form of, "this is a message from God". And this is not the case here.

Christianity, on the other hand, has adopted the concept of the Trinity, whereby God can manifest Himself as God in as many as three forms. Therefore, to have a spirit being speak as "I, the LORD" and yet not necessarily be identified as God the Father still leaves two other choices: the Holy Spirit and the Son (Jesus). With this doctrine of the Trinity the only argument becomes which of the Trinity is the angel of the LORD. The usual answer is the Son.

Even if we have a nice selection of three different square pegs in the Trinity, we are still trying to pound them into a round hole called the angel of the LORD. I believe that while in the era of Jesus, we indeed saw recorded primarily the workings of the Father, the Holy Spirit and the Son (all are one, God), I am skeptical that these are the ONLY possible manifestations of the LORD. There is nothing Scripturally that says God is three in one and ONLY three in one. There is the Shekinah that is spoken of that does not fit the description of any of those three. There is the angel of the LORD that presents another variation. We have the physical apparition that appeared to Abraham and spoke and ate with him. There is another physical being which wrestled with Jacob.

Wherever you fall in this debate, there is no doubt that the angel of the LORD is a spirit being and not a man. In the long run, we are better off to accept that the angel of the LORD is a direct manifestation of YHWH (LORD) and be satisfied to leave it there rather than trying to rationalize it with any doctrine, Jewish or Christian. When it comes to the spirit world, we are so limited in our insight, ability to comprehend and to find words of this physical world to describe and illustrate the spiritual.

Bochim: The angel of the LORD then proceeds to speak to the people of Israel at a place identified as Bochim. We do not know where this place is and in reality, Bochim is not a proper name or title. It simply means weepers, as in people crying. In a couple verses we will see weeping is Israel's collective reaction to the words spoken by the angel of the LORD.

I brought you up out of Egypt: The first thing the angel of the LORD does is to remind Israel of God's great love and faithfulness to them. He has rescued them from Egypt and then brought them to the land He promised Abraham. He has fought ahead of Israel and won, and now Israel can rest in their own land. Yet, they are not completely at rest because they did not fully follow God's commands to rid the land of the Canaanites. Still, the LORD says despite this disobedience, He is not going to break the covenant He made with Israel. God implies that Israel deserves the covenant to be revoked; however, because of His own holy nature, He will not do it. Israel can walk away from the covenant, disassociate themselves from the covenant and therefore not be under the covenant; however, the covenant still remains intact.

It is God's general pattern to remind us of His great love and faithfulness to us before calling us to obedience or confronting our sin. We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19), and we can only really obey Him as we walk in His love and abide in His covenant with us.

I will never break My covenant with you: What did God just say? He said, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER will I break My covenant with you, Israel. He did NOT say if you break the covenant then I will break the covenant. He did NOT say that under the right circumstances, He will break the covenant. Compare Matthew 5:17-18:

"Don't think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish but to complete. Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as the smallest letter or a stroke will pass from the Torah--not until everything that must happen has happened."

God says that He will not break the covenant, and later Jesus says He will not break the covenant. The angel of the LORD brings the good news to Israel that despite the difficulties and chastisement from God that may be coming their way, Israel's covenant with God will NEVER be broken. The covenant spoken of here is the Covenant of Moses.

Make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land: We are reminded here that the Covenant of Moses is conditional. The condition is that Israel must remain faithful and obedient to God if they expect to have fruitfulness and rest in Canaan. That faithfulness and obedience was generally wrapped up in the LORD'S demands that Israel makes no covenants (peace treaties and political agreements) with the Canaanites. Additionally, Israel should destroy all the pagan idol and places of worship which covered the land.

But you have not obeyed Me: Next, the LORD points His finger at Israel and says, "You have not what I have asked of you." In other words, the LORD accuses Israel of blatantly not doing the very things He said were mandatory and would have dire consequences if Israel did not obey.

I will not drive them out before you: After the accusation (and conviction), God issues His judgment upon them. Whereas when Joshua was alive, God lead the battles and ensured the victories. Now, He says He is backing away; Israel will be on their own.

As Christians, we find ourselves wanting God to fight our battles for us. We want Him to do the work of maturing us as Christians. We want to wake up one morning and certain sins would be gone. Sometimes God does grant us such miraculous deliverance, and we praise Him for it. However, it is more common for Him to require our partnership with Him in the process of Christian growth. Our partnership with God is important because it shows that our heart is where His heart it. It shows that we are truly growing close to God.

They will become as thorns in your sides: God's punishment to Israel for their disobedience was not a surprise. The announcement that the Canaanites would remain as problems to the nation was promised beforehand to Israel if they would not faithfully drive out the Canaanites. "But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell" (Numbers 33:55).


2. (Judges 2:4-6) The people respond with weeping and sorrow
When the angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. So they named that place Bochim; and there they sacrificed to the LORD. When Joshua had dismissed the people, the sons of Israel went each to his inheritance to possess the land.

The people lifted up their voices and wept: Israel's response to this startling revelation and judgment was that they wept bitter tears and began wailing loudly at what they had done. They lamented what this would mean for their present and future. This is why the place was given the name Bochim, the place of weepers.

This emotional response of the people was very hopeful. With all the weeping and wailing, there was reason to believe that God's word had a deep impact upon them; they were on their way to a genuine revival of God's work among them.

Sadly, this was not the case. The subsequent record in the Book of Judges shows that this initial reaction of sorrow and repentance did not mature into a real, lasting repentance. Real repentance shows itself in action, not necessarily in weeping. We can be sorry about the consequences of our sin whiteout being sorry about the sin itself. One can weep outwardly and show repentance without ever inwardly repenting. This is the LORD challenges Israel in Joel 2:13: "So rend your hearts and not your garments; return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness."

There they sacrificed to the LORD: Israel did the right thing here. Any awareness of sin should drive us to God's appointed sacrifice. In their day that meant sin offerings of bulls and rams. In our day, we should remember God's sacrifice for us on the cross--Jesus.

When Joshua had dismissed the people: This shows that Judges chapter 2 begins as retrospect, looking back to the days before the death of Joshua, which was described in Judges 1:1. This hopeful response to the Angel of the LORD started when Joshua was still alive.

Judges Chapter 2 Part One (Introduction)

Introduction
Judges chapter one gave us a short background on the political situation in the land of Canaan that reflects the time approaching Joshua's death and then perhaps the next decade as the elders closest to Joshua took over leadership after he was buried. In a nutshell, the people of Israel failed to conquer Canaan. After the land was divided up, it became each tribe's duty to finish ridding itself of any remaining Canaanite tribes and pagan worship sanctuaries.

It is important to understand that the land was divided up based NOT on what was actually conquered, or on merit. Rather, it was divided up based on how God had assigned the territory through lots at the time of Moses. That allotment put the various tribes in general regions of the Promised Land--the north, south, near the Jordan River, near the Mediterranean Sea, etc. Joshua fine-tuned this arrangement with another ceremony whereby the relative SIZE of each territory was adjusted to account for the population difference among the tribes, i.e., the bigger the tribe, the bigger the territory. Moreover, these land assignments were meant to be a responsibility to each tribe to finish up the job of conquering their own particular land holding.

In the Book of Joshua, we see the LORD defeats His enemies using Yehoshua (Joshua in English) as His earthly, physical agent. We are told of the great battles of northern and southern Canaan. We see these battles fought with vast armies on both sides, employing hundreds of thousands of soldiers. And we saw that as the LORD decisively won these battles, Israel won the battle. This meant that Israel could now attain sufficient rest in the land that they could rightfully declare as their own.

However, after Joshua's victory and death, the battling did not end. Each tribe was obligated to continue the fight for his own immediate territory indefinitely. Israel was told repeatedly that IF they were obedient to the LORD, then He will fight for them and victory would be theirs. If not, then the struggle would be painful and full of many difficulties and defeats.

This is a great illustration that foreshadows the battle that the army of another Yehoshua who came 1300 years later would face--the one known as Jesus of Nazareth, whose name is indeed Yehoshua, grammatically shortened to Yeshua. He would also lead us to a great victory IF we will follow Him.

Perhaps the picture is already forming in your minds. God through Jesus fights an enormous battle and defeats His great enemy, Satan, for our benefit. Jesus is the physical human agent of this Holy War, but God is the one who fights and leads the victory. Jesus dies in the process, and then each of His followers who are part of the victory must continue to fight his or her own turf--our lives--as the battle will continue until a time preordained by God but unknown to man.

It is interesting that BOTH the major but incomplete victories of Joshua and then Jesus will become complete at the same moment: the Battle of Armageddon. All the daily turf wars and individual battles we fight will be finally over because the Holy War will finally be complete. The conquest for earth and for the eradication of evil will finally be at an end.

Judges chapter one went into some length to show that NONE of the tribes properly carried through with their own individual turf wars. Some tribes won additional cities and surrounding area. Some tribes lose some areas. Other tribes were not able to gain an inch. Again, I see an illustration so perfectly paralleled to the daily life of a Believer. We will fight every day; some battles we win, and others we lose. Some of us will be more determined and dedicated. Others of us will sadly put up little resistance. But, in the end, none of us will have perfectly executed God's plan for our lives.

Moreover, we are told that the Israelites tended to make forced laborers out of the residents of areas they did gain control over instead of destroying them as the LORD had instructed them. In other cases, the Israelites simply went through a process of assimilation and blended with their neighbors.

All of this led to Israel sliding so rapidly into idolatry that it is truly breath-taking. We tend to see everything from ancient times as happening in slow motion as compared to modern times. This is not necessarily so. There are wicked actions that we can take, some turns down a road that is not God's will that can be so drastic and explosive in their consequences that the negative changes begin to happen almost overnight. Israel's behavior and decision process at the end of Joshua's time and then during the ear of the Judges was one such action.

I greatly fear that the unease we Believers feel today within the Western World in general as we watch millions of our fellow citizens enthusiastically revel in moving rapidly toward a secular society will lead us to exactly a similar point as we will read in the era of the Judges. The eerie parallel between the time of the Judges and today is amplified when we consider that it was a huge population of people of a false religion that Israel decided to appease rather than extinguish. They decided to engage them in diplomacy and compromise. They decided to give up some land to them, and in other instances let them live in Israel. The Hebrews found ways to rationalize away God's instructions, the immediate principles that govern this universe. They forgot mankind's own history which proved at every turn that in compromise only evil wins when at first it may seem like the peaceful and logical thing to do.

Chapter 2 begins with God's only possible response to Israel's collective decision to follow their own way and abandon Him. God's nature is such that He can do nothing else but employ righteous justice upon His own set-apart people when they rebel and sin against Him.

I marvel in disbelief when Christian leaders proudly tell their flock that the days of God's justice upon His own people are over. If that is true then we have no choice but to drop our assertion that God never changes. We are told that we indeed have purchased our Heavenly fire insurance policy at salvation. We are then exempt from expecting discipline and punishment when we freely rebel and trespass against our LORD. This is NOT true! Nowhere in the Old or New Testament is that said. Such a license to sin so long as we are redeemed is so against God that it boggles the mind. It is terribly dangerous to the spiritual health of each Believer and to the body of Messiah in general.

The people of Israel during the time of the Judges generally adopted this exact same attitude. They believed since they were the LORD'S redeemed people that the Father would NEVER do anything but BLESS His own people. However, this doctrine was quite erroneous. They were able to find out that if God does not administer His justice then He is not truly holy. As we have learned, the LORD is so perfectly holy that He will destroy the entire universe and everything in it to protect that holiness. This is the same divine purity and righteousness that He places upon all who freely choose to call upon His name.

Judges Chapter 1 Part Three (Verses 21-36)

B. Incomplete victory and defeat

1. (Judges 1:21) The tribe of Benjamin does not take possession of Jerusalem
But the sons of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem; so the Jebusites have lived with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

The sons of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites: This was a case where the battle had already been won (Judges 1:8). The tribe of Benjamin simply had to enter into what was already theirs. It would take some effort, but the critical battle was over. Jerusalem belonged to them.

The Jebusites have lived with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day: Up until the time the Book of Judges was written, the tribe of Benjamin had failed to cast out the Jebusites. Therefore, they lived in constant military and spiritual danger.


2. (Judges 1:22-26) The house of Joseph conquers the city of Bethel
Likewise the house of Joseph went up against Bethel, and the LORD was with them. The house of Joseph spied out Bethel (now the name of the city was formerly Luz). The spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to him, "Please show us the entrance to the city and we will treat you kindly." So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man and all his family go free. The man went into the land of the Hittites and built a city and named it Luz which is its name to this day.

The house of Joseph: The house of Joseph attacks the city of Bethel. The city of Ai was very nearby. In fact, Ai and Bethel (if not sister cities) may well have been the same city just slightly relocated after a destruction. 

The house of Joseph spied out Bethel: When the house of Joseph approached the city, a man of Bethel decides to cooperate with the Israelite spies and shows them a good way to break into the city. In return, the spies promise to let the man and all his family go before the coming onslaught.

This has tones of the attack on Jericho where the prostitute Rehab and her family are spared from destruction during the early parts of the Book of Joshua. But this is where all the similarity ends between the two stories. This man of Bethel expresses no interest in Israel's God. His only motive was self-preservation to the point that he was willing to commit treason to save his own life. There was no honor in what happened here as there was when Rehab had converted before she met the spies--her allegiance to God was at the heart of her decision.

The man went into the land of the Hittites: We get an interesting and instructional footnote here that says the man of Bethel went into the country of the Hittites, which is modern day Turkey. There, he built a city and called it Luz. In other words, he turned his own home city over for destruction by the Israelites. He then constructed a new city and gave it the same name as his former hometown. Guilt? Probably.


3. (Judges 1:27-29) Manasseh and Ephraim fail to drive out all the Canaanites
But Manasseh did not take possession of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; so the Canaanites persisted in living in that land. It came about when Israel became strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not drive them completely out. Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who were living in Gezer; so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.

Beth-shean and its villages: From here to the end of the chapter, we get mostly a list of failed attempts by various Israelite tribes to drive out various Canaanites from their territories. Basically, this is setting the stage for what we will see happen in the rest of the Book of Judges.

Manasseh, half of the house of Joseph, could not drive out the Canaanites from Beth-shean and its surrounding areas.

Megiddo and its villages: The Israelites could not drive out the Canaanites from Megiddo, which was a very important fortress on a major trade route. It was at a crossroads as well as a place which overlooks an extensive portion of the Jezreel Valley.

They put the Canaanites to forced labor: We are told that Israel was able to sufficiently subdue the Canaanites to use them as forced labor. But here again, we see how the new Israeli mindset had taken hold. Israel no longer was following God's commands, but they were giving in to apathy and living with the nations instead of separating themselves from them.


4. (Judges 1:30) The tribe of Zebulun compromises and accommodates the Canaanites, putting them under tribute.
Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, or the inhabitants of Nahalol; so the Canaanites lived among them and became subject to forced labor.

Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants: Each tribe had its own responsibility, and its own battle to fight. In Zebulun's battle, they failed to take all that God had portioned for them.

The Canaanites lived among them: The tribe of Zebulun thought they could make their incomplete disobedience work to their advantage, especially economically. They failed to appreciate that the Canaanites who dwelt among them would eventually bring them into both social and spiritual ruin.

The destruction of Zebulun was not immediately known. Therefore, it was easy to think that it was not real. Yet, it was certain to come. Only a trusting obedience to God could spare them the later cycle of crisis that marks the Book of Judges.


5. (Judges 1:31-32) The tribe of Asher fails in taking full possession of their land.
Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab, or of Achzib, or of Helbah, or of Aphik, or of Rehob. So the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.

Asher did not drive out the inhabitants: The tribe of Asher also failed to take what God had apportioned for them. Each tribe who failed made it easier for the other tribes to also fail.

So the Asherites lived among the Canaanites: Of the tribe of Zebulun, we read that the Canaanites lived among them (verse 30). However, in Asher it was worse! It was the Asherites who lived among the Canaanites. They suffered a worse degree of social and spiritual crisis.


6. (Judges 1:33) The tribe of Naphtali compromise and accommodates the Canaanites, putting them under tribute.
Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, but lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; and the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath became forced labor to them.

Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants: The tribe of Naphtali found it difficult to counter the trend of the other tribes. The defeat of one affects the condition of the others.

God never intended for Israel to conquer the land of Canaan easily. He never intended it to happen quickly. In Exodus 23:29-30 and Deuteronomy 7:22-24, God says that He intended to give Israel the land little by little. Though God planned for Israel to take the land through constant trust in Him, they failed to do this. Therefore, they did not drive out the inhabitants of the land. It was almost as if Israel was saying, "If we cannot have it easy, then we do not want it at all."

Lived among the Canaanites...became forced labor to them: The tribe of Naphtali combined both facets of capitulation to the enemy. In some regions of their territory, they lived under the shadow of the dominating Canaanites. In other regions, they put them under tribute. Both facets fell well short of God's command and intent for the people of Israel.


7. (Judges 1:34-36) The tribe of Dan fails in taking full possession of their land.
The Amorites forced the sons of Dan into the hill country, for they did not allow them to come down to the valley; yet the Amorites persisted in living in Mount Heres, in Aijalon and in Shaalbim; but when the power of the house of Joseph grew strong, they became forced labor. The border of the Amorites ran from the ascent of Akrabim, from Sela and upward.

The Amorites forced the sons of Dan: Here, we see the people of God being pushed around by their enemies. This should never happen when God's people are walking in the strength of their God.

When the power of the house of Joseph grew strong: Again, instead of doing what God said should have been done (driving out their enemies), they decided to use them as they thought best--they put their enemies under tribute.

The border of the Amorites: The end result was that the Amorites had an appointed boundary within the inheritance of God's people. This was an unnecessary and dangerous accommodation to the social and spiritual enemies of God.

There is a very similar and seductive form of pacifism in the Christian life, which ignores the reality of the spiritual battle so clearly described in Ephesians 6:10-20 and referred to in the Book of Judges. This pacifist attitude will happily make peace with the devil that basically says, "I will not harm your interests if you leave me mostly alone." This attitude of spiritual surrender is very dangerous for the Christian.

The infamous Communist leader, Leon Trotsky, once said, "You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you." To take an attitude of spiritual surrender is to willingly lose that war.

These last couple verses set the stage for the migration of Dan away from their territory that was contiguous with Judah, which was located to the east. Dan not only could not defeat the people in their territory, the Amorites who lived there ran the Danites into the hills. A little later in history, Dan eventually moves north to the border of Lebanon. Judah soon annexes Dan's former territory, and they are able to defeat the Amorites. Again, Judah elects to use the Amorites as forced labor rather then to follow God's instructions to rid the land entirely of them.

In the end, we can say this about the 12 tribes of Israel:

1. Israel simply could not drive out the Canaanites. So, the Canaanites dug in, and Israel's mindset switched from conqueror to diplomat. They change from wanting to be a sole possessor of the land to co-habitating with those God found unacceptable.

2. Israel found their freedom of movement highly impeded because their holds on the territories were spotty.

3. Even more problematic in the long run was that the wickedness of the Canaanites' worship of false gods remained intact. This presented an acute danger to Israel's purity and holiness. They constantly had a daily temptation to dilute their devotions to God.

4. Israel decided it was better to create and maintain good relationships than it was to eject the Canaanites from the land. In fact, they saw that in many ways the Canaanites were useful force labor. So, it made no sense for the Israelites to drive them out of the land.

In summary, the peace that men construct is not the peace that God instructs. For men, peace is inevitably the result of one of two things: war or compromise. In war, one side wins; the other side loses. One side is subjugated to the other and is forced to comply to the demands of the victor. Now more than ever, it is a compromise type of peace that men seek. This is NOT the type of peace that God is speaking of in His word. His peace is absolute. It does not involve compromise. It comes from men's free will choice to serve the LORD as He demands to be served and nothing else.

Israel saw nothing wrong in their approach to settling Canaan. Israel saw nothing wrong in their approach to battle. Their new goal was to become a peacemaker with their neighbors. So, they participated in their neighbors' festivals and customs. They gave respect to their former enemies' beliefs and even to their false gods. As a result, they enjoyed a measure of rest and fruitfulness that was mostly man-made. Thus, it bore little resemblance to what Godly rest and fruitfulness actually looks like.

Intermarriage between Canaanites and the Israelites became an every day affair. There was little resistance, and most on both sides saw it as a good thing. Israel was blind to their condition, and they would not accept that they had broken faith with their God because they felt so good about themselves and their ability to contrive their own morality WITHOUT the direction of the LORD.

Judges Chapter 1 Part Two (Verses 8-20)

4. (Judges 1:8-20) Judah's victories in the southern part of the land given to Israel
Then the sons of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire. Afterward the sons of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country and in the Negev and in the lowland. So Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (now the name of Hebron formerly was Kiriath-arba); and they struck Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai.

Then from there they went against the inhabitants of Debir (now the name of Debir formerly was Kiriath-sepher). And Caleb said, "The one who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will even give him my daughter Achsah for a wife." Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, captured it; so he gave him his daughter Achsah for a wife. Then it came about when she came to him, that she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. Then she alighted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Give me a blessing, since you have given me the land of the Negev, give me also springs of water." So Caleb gave her the upper and the lower springs.

The descendants of the Kenite, Moses' Father-in-law, went up from the city of palms with the sons of Judah, to the wilderness which is in the south of Arad; and they went and lived with the people. Then Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they struck the Canaanites living in Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. So the name of the city was called Hormah. And Judah took Gaza with its territory and Ashkelon with it territory and Ekron with its territory. Now the LORD was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley because they had iron chariots. Then they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had promised; and he drove out from there the three sons of Anak.

Sons of Judah fought against Jerusalem: Judah and Simeon fight against Jerusalem and capture it from the Jebusites. We are told the city is burned, which is a common practice. This was actually done to keep the Law of Herem (the law of the ban). Since this was a holy battle, the spoils belonged to God. The only way to give God a city was to send it up to Him in smoke by burning it. Unfortunately Judah would only capture Jerusalem for a short time.

Interestingly, Jerusalem was not in either Judah's or Simeon's territory. Rather, it was in Benjamin's area. We find later in verse 21 that after Jerusalem is captured, it is quickly turned over to Benjamin. Either Benjamin had little interest in holding it, or he was just incapable of keeping it and lost it back to the Jebusites. Under the leadership of King David, Israel conquered the city again some 400 years later (2 Samuel 5:6-10).

What tended to happen at this point in history was that an Israeli tribe would capture a Canaanite city, but it would often allow the inhabitants to stay as subjects and serfs. The captives would pay tribute (taxes) to the victorious Israelites. It did not always work out well. Jerusalem is one of those instances. Judah and Simeon fought for it and took the city. They gave it to Benjamin. Benjamin allowed the Jebusites to remain in the land. The few Benjamites who settled Jerusalem soon found themselves in the minority to the more dominant Jebusite king. This story would repeat itself over and over again in the land of Canaan.

For future reference, we need to firmly plant in our minds this expanding contrast between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Here we find Judah in victory after victory. We are told the reason for their success was that the LORD was with them. On the other hand, Benjamin's lot is failure. Judah wins Jerusalem; Benjamin loses it. King Saul, Israel's first king, was of the tribe of Benjamin. King Saul had many character flaws and numerous failures as king. The second king was David from the tribe of Judah. David was close to God's own heart and had stunning victories.

Judah went against the Canaanites living in Hebron: Next, Judah and Simeon attack Hebron, which is also known as Kiriath-arba. Double, even triple names were typical in that day as they reflected the changing of hands of cities to various nations who spoke various languages. Kiriath-arba means city of four. This refers to the confederation of four city-states who allied for mutual protection and economic gain. Hebron means confederacy or association. It essentially has the same meaning as Kiriath-arba.

Hebron was the ancient city of Abraham. It was also the city the ten unfaithful spies gave the bad report about (when Israel was supposed to go in and take the promise land) in Moses' day because the Anakim lived there (Numbers 13:22-23).

Side note: There are three major geographical areas described in this part of Scripture.

1. The mountains: this area is often called the hill country. It describes the mountainous regions between Jerusalem and Hebron.

2. The South: This area is also known as the Negev. It is a semi-arid region between Hebron and Kadesh-barnea.

3. The lowland: This area is sometimes called the shelphelah. This is the area of the foot-hills which runs north to south between the coastal plain and the central mountain range.

Sheshai, Achiman and Talmai: These were the three lords over three of the city-states that formed this confederacy. They were sons of Anak. They were Anakim, the race of giants who were related to Goliath.

Debir: After that, Judah and Simeon made war with Debir, which is also known as Kiriath-sepher. Kiriath-sepher means city of the book. There were a number of cities named Kiriath-sepher because it is more of a description than a name. Sepher not only means "book", but it can also mean "records" (as in brith records and marriage records). Once a region or a confederacy became large enough, they would designate a city as the common place where they would keep their records. The place would garner the title Kiriath-sepher, or the City of Records.

Caleb said: The next several verses retell the story told in Joshua chapter 15 about a clan leader of Judah named Caleb (the same person who was one of the 12 spies who scouted out Canaan for Moses and came back with a good report). Caleb assigned the task of taking Debir to Othniel, the son of Kenaz. It is interesting to understand that Caleb (and Othniel, his brother) actually came from Edomite heritage. (Remember, Edomites were descendants of Jacob's brother Esau). Somehow, Caleb's ancestors became part of the tribe of Judah and even became the most powerful tribe within Judah. This is something we should not easily forget. It demonstrates how early the Israelites became a diverse and genealogically mixed people.

In return for taking Debir, Caleb gave his daughter Achsah to Othniel. Othniel was Achsah's uncle. As part of her dowry, she received land and then later rights to water wells, which was an important affair in an area of the Negev--a place with great soil but precious little water available.

Give me a blessing: Achsah's prayer is a great example for us to follow when petitioning our Father in heaven.

1. Achsah thought about what she wanted before she went to her father. Before you pray, know what you need before God. She came to God with a very definite request that had been considered before-hand. Think about what you are going to ask before you begin to pray and then pray like you mean business. This woman did not say to her father, "Father, listen to me," and then uttered some pretty oration about nothing. Instead, she knew what she wanted and asked directly for ir.

2. Achsah asked for help with her request. Achsah asked her husband to help petition father. Although we often feel the need to keep our requests to ourselves, it is often best to enlist the help of family and/or friends to aid us in prayer.

3. Achsah knew whom she was asking. Achsah knew whom she needed to ask to receive her request. She could have sent out a Christmas wish list to her family and friends and hope they would in turn acquiesce her request; however, the person she really needed to ask was her father. Such is our lives. When we need something, we should go to our Father first. Perhaps He will use others to fulfill our request, but God is the One we need to ask.

4. Achsah went humbly and yet eagerly to her father.

5. Achsah is a good example to follow because her father asked her what she wanted. God will ask us the same thing. We should know what we want.

6. Achsah shows us that we should ask for what we really want before God. We should not ask for a lesser item in hopes God will give us what we truly desire. Instead, we should ask for what we want straightway.

7. Achsah prayed simply. She did not use many words for her prayer. She said, "Give me a blessing."

8. Achsah mingled prayer with gratitude. She acknowledge past blessings ("You have given me the land of the Negev").

9. Achsah used a past blessing as a reason to ask for more.

10. Achsah realized that what she had been given before was of no use without springs of water. Although she had received one blessing, the blessing was of little worth without the addition of a second blessing.

11. Achsah's father gave her what she wanted.

12. Achsah's father gave to her in large measure.

13. Achsah's father was not critical of her request in the slightest way.

The descendants of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law: The summary of history continues in verse 16 with a reference to Moses' father-in-law's clan the Kenites. This should not be confused with the Kennezites. The Kenites were a clan of the tribe of Midian. They lived where the mountain of the Burning Bush rose up out of the desert floor. Moses' wife's side of the family migrated under the protection of Judah and Simeon to an area called the City of Date Palms. There is no agreement on exactly where this is. It is usually thought to be Jericho. However, there are many scholars who insist it is a little farther south than Jericho.

Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron: Judah and Simeon continue their victories by warring against Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron. These three cities are commonly said to be cities of the Philistines, but as of the time of the opening verses of the Book of Judges, the Philistines had not yet established themselves in those places. Therefore, these three cities were comprised at this time by various Canaanite people.

They could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley: Judah was successful in taking more of the hill country away from the Canaanites. However, they were unable to drive out the Canaanites in the valleys. The Canaanites had iron chariots. Chariots need relatively flat ground to operate. They are nearly useless on steep hills or rocky places. Therefore, the Canaanites could not use their most feared weapons--the chariot--in the hills. Thus, they lost their advantage to Judah. The area of the plains and valleys was another matter. The fearsome chariots enabled the Canaanites to successfully maintain the fertile valleys.

As impressive as Judah's victory was, it was incomplete because they feared the Canaanites and their chariots. This speaks more of a lack of trust than it did to Canaanite superiority. Chariots were no problem for God's people when they trusted God. (See Exodus 14:7-29, Joshua 11:1-8 and 1 Kings 20:21.) The Israelites should have the attitude reflected in Psalm 20:7; "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the LORD our God."