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.
Sunday, May 5, 2019
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.
Sunday, April 14, 2019
Feast of Unleavened Bread and Jesus
Starting at sundown on Friday, April 19, the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins, and it ends at sundown on Friday, April 26. The seven-day festival of Unleavened Bread is celebrated in early spring, from the 15th day of the Hebrew month Nisan through the 21st day of Nisan. The Feast of Unleavened Bread commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. The feast is observed by avoiding the consumption of leaven; leavened bread is replaced with matzah, a flatbread which is similar in texture to a cracker.
The Story in a nutshell
After many decades of slavery to the Egyptian pharaohs, during which time the Israelites were subjected to backbreaking labor and unbearable horrors, God saw His people's distress and sent His servant, Moses, to Pharaoh with a message: "Send forth My people, so that they may serve Me." Despite numerous warnings, Pharaoh refused to heed God's command. God then sent upon Egypt ten devastating plagues. These plagues afflicted on the Egyptians many hardships, pain and destroyed everything from their livestock to their crops.
At the stroke of midnight on Nisan 15, God visited the last of the ten plagues on the Egyptians, killing all their firstborn. While doing so, God spared the children of Israel if they slaughtered a lamb and smeared its blood over their doorframe. The lamb's blood was an outward sign that the people inside the dwelling followed God and His commandments; it was a signal that God should passover the house. Pharaoh's resistance was broken, and he chased his former slaves out of the land. The Israelites left in such a hurry that the bread they baked as provisions for the way did not have time to rise. Six hundred thousand adult male Israelites plus many more women, children and other folks from other nationalities left Egypt and began the trek to Mount Sinai.
The feast of the LORD
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim, holy convocations even these are My appointed times.'" (Leviticus 23:1-2)
When Christians read the word "feast" we think of "food". But this could not be farther from the truth. The word "feast" in Hebrew is the word moed and means "a Divine appointment". The word "convocation" in Hebrew is the word miqra and literally means a "time of assembly", but it is better translated into English as "a dress rehearsal". This is why every year for 1500 years Israel would kill the Passover lamb on the 14th day of Nisan because it was a dress rehearsal for what was to come on that very day 1500 years later. Not only did it happen on that very day, but notice the times:
And they compelled one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear His cross. And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. (Mark 15:21, 25)
The third hour is the time of the morning sacrifice. The very moment they were putting the morning sacrifice on the altar they put Jesus on the cross! Scripture also says:
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani!" that is to say, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)
The ninth hour is the time of the evening sacrifice. On the day of Nisan 14 (Passover), it was also the time of the slaying of the Passover lamb. At the very moment the High Priest slew the Passover lamb was when Jesus died! It is also known the hour of prayer:
Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. (Acts 3:1)
Here Jesus is offering up His prayer to the Father at that ninth hour.
Blood and water
Josephus, a Roman-Jewish historian born around the time Jesus died, records for Passover, in one day they would slay 150,000 lambs. There were huge water cisterns that would flush all the blood, thousands of gallons of water, out the right side of the Temple in aqueducts down into the valley of blood to keep the Temple area clean. Imagine at the very moment the blood and water is flowing from the right side of Messiah, thousands of gallons of blood and water is flowing from the right side of the temple down into the Hinnom Valley.
Keriah
Within Judaism is a term known as keriah or the rending of the garment upon the notice of a loved one's death. It symbolizes a broken heart. The Bible records many instances of rending the clothes from top to bottom after the news of death. When Jacob saw Joseph's coat of many colors drenched with what he thought to be his son's blood, he rent his garments. Likewise, David tore his clothes when he heard of the death of King Saul. Also Job, who knew grief so well, stood up and rent his mantle. So what do we find but at the moment of the death of Jesus, the Father rends his garment, the veil of the Temple from top to bottom, mourning the death of His son and His broken heart.
Nisan 10
In Exodus 12:3, 5 we find the Passover lamb had to be brought in on the 10th day of Nisan and held until the 14th day of Nisan. It was to have no blemish. In John chapter 12, we read: "Then Jesus six days before Passover came to Bethany" (John 12:1) Since Passover is on the 14th, this had to be the 8th going on the 9th day of Nisan.
On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet Him, and cried, "Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that comes in the name of the LORD." (John 12:12-13)
Here it is the 10th day of Nisan when the Passover lambs are coming into the Temple. At the same time, here comes Jesus fulfilling prophecy. The lambs had to be inspected for four days to make sure they were without blemish. At the same time the Passover lambs were being inspected, so was Jesus. No one could find any fault in Him. Not Herod, Pilate, the thief on the cross, the Pharisees or Sadducees. He was truly a lamb without blemish.
Funeral songs
God even decided at creation what songs would be sung at His Son's funeral. Every year at Passover, the Israelites sing from their hymn book, which is the Book of Psalms. They would sing the Hallel, which consists of Psalms 113-118. God inspired David to write them with the Passover event in mind. Imagine a 100,000 member choir all singing at the time of the morning sacrifice when Jesus was being bound to the cross. What were the words Jesus heard as they were binding Him?
God is the LORD, which has showed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even onto the horns of the altar. (Psalm 118:27)
They would sing these Psalms at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. So at noon when it became dark, this is what they were singing: "The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; the right hand of the LORD does mighty things. The right hand of the LORD is lifted up; the right hand of the LORD does mighty things." (Psalm 118:15-16)
At 3 p.m. when Jesus died, they were singing: "From the rising of the sun to its going down, the LORD'S name is to be praised. The LORD is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens. Who is like the LORD our God, who dwells on high, who humbles Himself to behold the things in the heavens and in the earth!" (Psalm 113:3-6)
Even the hymn at the last supper has been recorded for all history. "The Stone which the builders refused has become the Head of the corner. This is from the LORD; it is marvelous in our eyes." (Psalm 118:22-23)
The Story in a nutshell
After many decades of slavery to the Egyptian pharaohs, during which time the Israelites were subjected to backbreaking labor and unbearable horrors, God saw His people's distress and sent His servant, Moses, to Pharaoh with a message: "Send forth My people, so that they may serve Me." Despite numerous warnings, Pharaoh refused to heed God's command. God then sent upon Egypt ten devastating plagues. These plagues afflicted on the Egyptians many hardships, pain and destroyed everything from their livestock to their crops.
At the stroke of midnight on Nisan 15, God visited the last of the ten plagues on the Egyptians, killing all their firstborn. While doing so, God spared the children of Israel if they slaughtered a lamb and smeared its blood over their doorframe. The lamb's blood was an outward sign that the people inside the dwelling followed God and His commandments; it was a signal that God should passover the house. Pharaoh's resistance was broken, and he chased his former slaves out of the land. The Israelites left in such a hurry that the bread they baked as provisions for the way did not have time to rise. Six hundred thousand adult male Israelites plus many more women, children and other folks from other nationalities left Egypt and began the trek to Mount Sinai.
The feast of the LORD
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim, holy convocations even these are My appointed times.'" (Leviticus 23:1-2)
When Christians read the word "feast" we think of "food". But this could not be farther from the truth. The word "feast" in Hebrew is the word moed and means "a Divine appointment". The word "convocation" in Hebrew is the word miqra and literally means a "time of assembly", but it is better translated into English as "a dress rehearsal". This is why every year for 1500 years Israel would kill the Passover lamb on the 14th day of Nisan because it was a dress rehearsal for what was to come on that very day 1500 years later. Not only did it happen on that very day, but notice the times:
And they compelled one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear His cross. And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. (Mark 15:21, 25)
The third hour is the time of the morning sacrifice. The very moment they were putting the morning sacrifice on the altar they put Jesus on the cross! Scripture also says:
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani!" that is to say, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)
The ninth hour is the time of the evening sacrifice. On the day of Nisan 14 (Passover), it was also the time of the slaying of the Passover lamb. At the very moment the High Priest slew the Passover lamb was when Jesus died! It is also known the hour of prayer:
Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. (Acts 3:1)
Here Jesus is offering up His prayer to the Father at that ninth hour.
Blood and water
Josephus, a Roman-Jewish historian born around the time Jesus died, records for Passover, in one day they would slay 150,000 lambs. There were huge water cisterns that would flush all the blood, thousands of gallons of water, out the right side of the Temple in aqueducts down into the valley of blood to keep the Temple area clean. Imagine at the very moment the blood and water is flowing from the right side of Messiah, thousands of gallons of blood and water is flowing from the right side of the temple down into the Hinnom Valley.
Keriah
Within Judaism is a term known as keriah or the rending of the garment upon the notice of a loved one's death. It symbolizes a broken heart. The Bible records many instances of rending the clothes from top to bottom after the news of death. When Jacob saw Joseph's coat of many colors drenched with what he thought to be his son's blood, he rent his garments. Likewise, David tore his clothes when he heard of the death of King Saul. Also Job, who knew grief so well, stood up and rent his mantle. So what do we find but at the moment of the death of Jesus, the Father rends his garment, the veil of the Temple from top to bottom, mourning the death of His son and His broken heart.
Nisan 10
In Exodus 12:3, 5 we find the Passover lamb had to be brought in on the 10th day of Nisan and held until the 14th day of Nisan. It was to have no blemish. In John chapter 12, we read: "Then Jesus six days before Passover came to Bethany" (John 12:1) Since Passover is on the 14th, this had to be the 8th going on the 9th day of Nisan.
On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet Him, and cried, "Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that comes in the name of the LORD." (John 12:12-13)
Here it is the 10th day of Nisan when the Passover lambs are coming into the Temple. At the same time, here comes Jesus fulfilling prophecy. The lambs had to be inspected for four days to make sure they were without blemish. At the same time the Passover lambs were being inspected, so was Jesus. No one could find any fault in Him. Not Herod, Pilate, the thief on the cross, the Pharisees or Sadducees. He was truly a lamb without blemish.
Funeral songs
God even decided at creation what songs would be sung at His Son's funeral. Every year at Passover, the Israelites sing from their hymn book, which is the Book of Psalms. They would sing the Hallel, which consists of Psalms 113-118. God inspired David to write them with the Passover event in mind. Imagine a 100,000 member choir all singing at the time of the morning sacrifice when Jesus was being bound to the cross. What were the words Jesus heard as they were binding Him?
God is the LORD, which has showed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even onto the horns of the altar. (Psalm 118:27)
They would sing these Psalms at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. So at noon when it became dark, this is what they were singing: "The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; the right hand of the LORD does mighty things. The right hand of the LORD is lifted up; the right hand of the LORD does mighty things." (Psalm 118:15-16)
At 3 p.m. when Jesus died, they were singing: "From the rising of the sun to its going down, the LORD'S name is to be praised. The LORD is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens. Who is like the LORD our God, who dwells on high, who humbles Himself to behold the things in the heavens and in the earth!" (Psalm 113:3-6)
Even the hymn at the last supper has been recorded for all history. "The Stone which the builders refused has become the Head of the corner. This is from the LORD; it is marvelous in our eyes." (Psalm 118:22-23)
Sunday, April 7, 2019
Judges Chapter 3 Part One (Verses 1-4)
Introduction
In Judges chapter two, the LORD told Israel that as a result of their blatant idolatry, He would allow many of the pagan Canaanite nations to stay rooted in the land and be a thorn in Israel's side. This was a punishment that was also a trial for Israel. The trial was not in the sense of bring a difficulty that they had to endure, but rather, it was a judicial trial that would be held in God's courtroom. He would look at the evidence (Israel's behavior) and acquit or convict them based on whether they followed God's commands. Acquittal meant peace, rest and security in the Promised Land. Conviction meant removal from the Promised Land. Israel (past, present or future) was never to think that because God severely punished His people that this was to be interpreted as Him revoking, abolishing, changing, replacing or otherwise breaking His covenant.
There is a hope in the Book of Judges, but it is an implied hope. It is a hope for a better future after a long and catastrophic time of people doing what is right in their own eyes, and by definition, being out of the will of God by their own choice. The hope is for revival and regeneration; the hope is for God's people to awaken from their self-imposed delusions.
In Judges chapter three, we will read about the first three shophetim (judges). We will see how they are characterized as imperfect saviors but saviors nonetheless. We will see that even when followers of God go astray that the LORD not only leaves the door open for their return, but that God pursues them. The LORD so loves His people that He has pity on them even when they are in the midst of heinous trespasses against Him--even when they are behaving as a people without shame and reveling in their adulterous affairs with other gods.
THE FIRST THREE JUDGES
A. The pagan nations remaining in the territory of Israel
1. (Judges 3:1-2) Why God allowed these nations to continue in Israel's territory
Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan; only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it formerly).
These are the nations which the LORD left: The current generation of the 12 tribes of Israel did not know the Holy War fought by their fathers and grandfathers in order to settle the Land of Canaan. Thus, they possessed an indifferent and naive attitude about how they arrived at their relatively peaceful and easy current situation.
To be fair, Joshua and his generation also went through a learning process. They listened and obeyed God. In doing so, Jericho literally fell into their hands. But then almost immediately, they decided to go to war against the residents of Ai according to their own strategies and were soundly defeated. After their loss, they realized their error, repented and then under the LORD'S leadership, they again attacked Ai. This time, the Israelites won.
This new generation of Hebrews in Canaan were the beneficiaries of their parents' sacrifices and ought to have taken advantage of the hard lessons of history learned by their parents, they did what almost all new generations do--they feel that the things of the past have no relevance to them. Therefore, the LORD was going to force them to experience war in order to learn how a Holy War was to be fought. Lesson number one was that the LORD only aids Israel when they are obedient and devoted to Him.
Today, in Israel, as during the time of the Judges, this new generation does not realize they are fighting a Holy War. They see little if any relevance to their ancient heritage as connected with current times. They only see their struggles with the Palestinians and myriad of terrorist groups as a series of battles and tests of will, fought in a modern world within a framework of global power agendas, with each battle having its own reason and outcome.
The modern Israeli government and people cannot seem to grasp that just as it was after Joshua's death, there remains a divine purpose for Israel to possess Canaan. There will be never-ending struggles for national and tribal dominance that will continue among men until Messiah returns and puts an end to it.
Holy War
Holy War is unlike any other kind of war. True Holy War is NOT declared by men; it is ordained by God. There has been, and always will be, only ONE Holy War. Holy War is not fought under a veneer of religious fervor; the outcome is not decided by the strongest and best armed. For example, Islamic Jihad is NOT Holy War. It is merely another of many religious and cultural wars mankind records in history. Holy War is a God-initiated, God-led battle that has not only divine purpose, but it must be fought according to well-defined divine rules and principles. The outcome is not the issue because it has been decided by God since eternity past. Rather, it is the PROCESS that is important. It is the experience we gain as God's Holy Warriors whereby we learn who God is that matters.
The LORD'S Holy War rules do not look much like the humanitarian philosophies that Israel operates until today in dealing with their ongoing fight for survival. Holy War does not involve peace treaties, prisoner swaps or attempting to minimize damage to enemy cities. Rather, it involves the identification of evil and then its total eradication of those who embrace it. It is not completed through diplomacy but through destruction. Holy War does not end at a treaty table. It ends when God's people join Him in total obedience, and evil exists no more.
Only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel be taught war: Verse 2 states something that applies to all who call upon the name of the LORD, Jew or Gentile, past or future generation. The LORD will see to it that we, His followers, His earthly army, are FORCED to learn the art of war. When I say war, I mean spiritual warfare--war that even though it begins with prayer, it most definitely involves physical acts, willful decisions, hard work and personal sacrifice.
As Believers of God, our lives are actually played out in the heavenliness even though it is largely invisible to us. To us, it seems only to only a physical earthly struggle. It is the LORD'S will that every single one who makes the choice to serve God will be drafted into His army. You WILL face battle; you WILL experience war. Each soldier is destined for the front lines. There are no cooks or orderlies to whom God assigns comfortable jobs that keep them far away from the conflict. There are only those who accept that they are in a state of war. They are God's Holy warriors; they are to put on the full armor of God. Those who deny it shrink away in fear and defeat.
As Believers, we are destined for warfare as much as we are destined for heaven. The two go hand in hand. Holy War is our job. God has created us, saved us and separated us away from those marked for destruction. The only question is will you allow yourself to be trained and used effectively? Will you don your battle gear? Will you follow orders and face the enemy? Will you refuse to serve God and hide thinking you can avoid the danger?
Israel, during the time of the Judges, generally chose to avoid danger. They figured they could comprise and make peace instead of continuing the war. The consequence was that God told Israel that they can try as they may to make peace, but He will cause their peace to fail. God has nearly an endless supply of people (such as the Canaanites) to harass Israel, and He does not hesitate to use them.
2. (Judges 3:3-4) The pagan nations are specifically listed
These nations are: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. They were for testing Israel, to find out of they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses.
The five lords of the Philistines: The five lords of the Philistines refer to the five Philistine kings who ruled over the five city-states located along the Mediterranean coast.
The Canaanites: There were the Canaanites who were the direct descendants of Canaan. There were also less distinct groups of people who lived in the land of Canaan and were given the general title "Canaanite".
Sidonians: These were the inhabitants of the city-state of Sidon, a great and powerful people who resided along the northern coast.
The Hivites: These people lived in the Northern hill country of Canaan.
What we get a picture of is that these pagan nations were ordained by God to stay in the land. They dotted the Land of Canaan from north to south and east to west. There would be no Israelite tribe and no clan of any tribe that would not be contending with one of these gentile nations sooner or later.
In Judges chapter two, the LORD told Israel that as a result of their blatant idolatry, He would allow many of the pagan Canaanite nations to stay rooted in the land and be a thorn in Israel's side. This was a punishment that was also a trial for Israel. The trial was not in the sense of bring a difficulty that they had to endure, but rather, it was a judicial trial that would be held in God's courtroom. He would look at the evidence (Israel's behavior) and acquit or convict them based on whether they followed God's commands. Acquittal meant peace, rest and security in the Promised Land. Conviction meant removal from the Promised Land. Israel (past, present or future) was never to think that because God severely punished His people that this was to be interpreted as Him revoking, abolishing, changing, replacing or otherwise breaking His covenant.
There is a hope in the Book of Judges, but it is an implied hope. It is a hope for a better future after a long and catastrophic time of people doing what is right in their own eyes, and by definition, being out of the will of God by their own choice. The hope is for revival and regeneration; the hope is for God's people to awaken from their self-imposed delusions.
In Judges chapter three, we will read about the first three shophetim (judges). We will see how they are characterized as imperfect saviors but saviors nonetheless. We will see that even when followers of God go astray that the LORD not only leaves the door open for their return, but that God pursues them. The LORD so loves His people that He has pity on them even when they are in the midst of heinous trespasses against Him--even when they are behaving as a people without shame and reveling in their adulterous affairs with other gods.
THE FIRST THREE JUDGES
A. The pagan nations remaining in the territory of Israel
1. (Judges 3:1-2) Why God allowed these nations to continue in Israel's territory
Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan; only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it formerly).
These are the nations which the LORD left: The current generation of the 12 tribes of Israel did not know the Holy War fought by their fathers and grandfathers in order to settle the Land of Canaan. Thus, they possessed an indifferent and naive attitude about how they arrived at their relatively peaceful and easy current situation.
To be fair, Joshua and his generation also went through a learning process. They listened and obeyed God. In doing so, Jericho literally fell into their hands. But then almost immediately, they decided to go to war against the residents of Ai according to their own strategies and were soundly defeated. After their loss, they realized their error, repented and then under the LORD'S leadership, they again attacked Ai. This time, the Israelites won.
This new generation of Hebrews in Canaan were the beneficiaries of their parents' sacrifices and ought to have taken advantage of the hard lessons of history learned by their parents, they did what almost all new generations do--they feel that the things of the past have no relevance to them. Therefore, the LORD was going to force them to experience war in order to learn how a Holy War was to be fought. Lesson number one was that the LORD only aids Israel when they are obedient and devoted to Him.
Today, in Israel, as during the time of the Judges, this new generation does not realize they are fighting a Holy War. They see little if any relevance to their ancient heritage as connected with current times. They only see their struggles with the Palestinians and myriad of terrorist groups as a series of battles and tests of will, fought in a modern world within a framework of global power agendas, with each battle having its own reason and outcome.
The modern Israeli government and people cannot seem to grasp that just as it was after Joshua's death, there remains a divine purpose for Israel to possess Canaan. There will be never-ending struggles for national and tribal dominance that will continue among men until Messiah returns and puts an end to it.
Holy War
Holy War is unlike any other kind of war. True Holy War is NOT declared by men; it is ordained by God. There has been, and always will be, only ONE Holy War. Holy War is not fought under a veneer of religious fervor; the outcome is not decided by the strongest and best armed. For example, Islamic Jihad is NOT Holy War. It is merely another of many religious and cultural wars mankind records in history. Holy War is a God-initiated, God-led battle that has not only divine purpose, but it must be fought according to well-defined divine rules and principles. The outcome is not the issue because it has been decided by God since eternity past. Rather, it is the PROCESS that is important. It is the experience we gain as God's Holy Warriors whereby we learn who God is that matters.
The LORD'S Holy War rules do not look much like the humanitarian philosophies that Israel operates until today in dealing with their ongoing fight for survival. Holy War does not involve peace treaties, prisoner swaps or attempting to minimize damage to enemy cities. Rather, it involves the identification of evil and then its total eradication of those who embrace it. It is not completed through diplomacy but through destruction. Holy War does not end at a treaty table. It ends when God's people join Him in total obedience, and evil exists no more.
Only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel be taught war: Verse 2 states something that applies to all who call upon the name of the LORD, Jew or Gentile, past or future generation. The LORD will see to it that we, His followers, His earthly army, are FORCED to learn the art of war. When I say war, I mean spiritual warfare--war that even though it begins with prayer, it most definitely involves physical acts, willful decisions, hard work and personal sacrifice.
As Believers of God, our lives are actually played out in the heavenliness even though it is largely invisible to us. To us, it seems only to only a physical earthly struggle. It is the LORD'S will that every single one who makes the choice to serve God will be drafted into His army. You WILL face battle; you WILL experience war. Each soldier is destined for the front lines. There are no cooks or orderlies to whom God assigns comfortable jobs that keep them far away from the conflict. There are only those who accept that they are in a state of war. They are God's Holy warriors; they are to put on the full armor of God. Those who deny it shrink away in fear and defeat.
As Believers, we are destined for warfare as much as we are destined for heaven. The two go hand in hand. Holy War is our job. God has created us, saved us and separated us away from those marked for destruction. The only question is will you allow yourself to be trained and used effectively? Will you don your battle gear? Will you follow orders and face the enemy? Will you refuse to serve God and hide thinking you can avoid the danger?
Israel, during the time of the Judges, generally chose to avoid danger. They figured they could comprise and make peace instead of continuing the war. The consequence was that God told Israel that they can try as they may to make peace, but He will cause their peace to fail. God has nearly an endless supply of people (such as the Canaanites) to harass Israel, and He does not hesitate to use them.
2. (Judges 3:3-4) The pagan nations are specifically listed
These nations are: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. They were for testing Israel, to find out of they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses.
The five lords of the Philistines: The five lords of the Philistines refer to the five Philistine kings who ruled over the five city-states located along the Mediterranean coast.
The Canaanites: There were the Canaanites who were the direct descendants of Canaan. There were also less distinct groups of people who lived in the land of Canaan and were given the general title "Canaanite".
Sidonians: These were the inhabitants of the city-state of Sidon, a great and powerful people who resided along the northern coast.
The Hivites: These people lived in the Northern hill country of Canaan.
What we get a picture of is that these pagan nations were ordained by God to stay in the land. They dotted the Land of Canaan from north to south and east to west. There would be no Israelite tribe and no clan of any tribe that would not be contending with one of these gentile nations sooner or later.
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Judges Chapter 2 Part Five (Verse 16-23)
3. (Judges 2:16-19) The cyclical pattern of bondage and deliverance in the days of the Judges
Then the LORD raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them. Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do as their fathers. When the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them. But it came about when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways.
Then the LORD raised up judges who delivered them: In verse 16, the first explanation of the protocol of the Judges is discussed which includes the correlation between the spiritual role and the human role of the Judge. The LORD Himself would raise up a judge, and the judge would be a savior who would rescue some tribe from whoever was oppressing them. But even then, Israel would quickly return to those false gods of their neighbors after the judge/savior had completed his mission. The thing to understand is that for as long as a judge whom the LORD established ruled, Israel was kept secure.
For the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning: We are told that the LORD was moved to pity because Israel's enemies were oppressing God's people. The Hebrew word that is translated as oppressed or afflicted is lachats. Lachats means to apply pressure or to squeeze. Lachats has a direct counterpart in the New Testament. The New Testament word in the Greek is thlipsis, which we translate as tribulation. It is used in both the Greek and Hebrew to mean oppressed or afflicted. However, the evangelical branch of the church has taught us to think of tribulation as equivalent to extreme subjugation, forced servitude and mortal danger to those who resist. But in fact, it can represent just a great pressure to do what is not right. We are all familiar with the term peer pressure, meaning that those who we have the closest relationship with and those whose admiration and acceptance we seek, apply a kind of unbearable psychological influence upon us to conform us to their ideals and morals. The force is more often a passive one of implicated social rejection for non-compliance and less usual is that such as aggressive coercion and physical harm.
When we read Judges, we see that unbearable pressure from both aspects is present on Israel due to their mixing the godly with the ungodly and the clean with the unclean. The LORD decides to take pity on them as a result. The two main pressure points on Israel are the immense social and psychological pressure to conform to what is seen as the common good, and some degree of physical coercion of the government to comply with the society's laws and customs. There is also a third minor pressure and that is the attacks from other nations who want to take land or crops from Israel.
The next time you read about tribulation (thlipsis, lachats) in the apocryphal books of the New Testament, do not automatically picture the situation as some kind of grossly evil fascist repressive government enslaving people or killing the opposition on a whim. More often tribulation is simply addressing a national situation whereby the pressures of a society that is far from God makes life for those living within that society who also seek to live in harmony with God terribly difficult. In the case of Israel dealing with their Canaanite neighbors, it points to a situation whereby the temptations placed in front of Israel to succumb to a pagan lifestyle are immense. The draw to personal pleasure, comfort and sexual deviance are nearly irresistible. The principle that economic advancement overrules everything else becomes Israel's focus.
They did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways: The Hebrew word translated as stubborn (and elsewhere in the Bible translated as stiff-necked) is a word that was also applied to Israel many times during the Exodus (Exodus 32:9, 33:3, 33:5). This shows that a change of location--even coming into the Promised Land--did not necessarily mean a change of heart for Israel. We should never count on sanctification by relocation. Wherever you go, you take everything with you. A new environment does not always mean a new attitude.
Additionally, the Hebrew word for stubborn (kawsheh) comes from the idea of being hard or severe. To be stubborn against the LORD is to have a hard and unyielding heart. It results in a very difficult life.
4. (Judges 2:20-23) God gives them over to their sinful compromise
So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He said, "Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers and has not listened to My voice, I will also no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, in order to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk in it as their fathers did or not." So the LORD allowed those nations to remain, not driving them out quickly; and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua.
So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel: Verse 20 continues to make the point that the LORD is VERY angry with Israel. Thus, there is NO chance that Israel will escape severe punishment.
Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded to their fathers: Hidden in the words of the second half of verse 20 is a kind of slap in the face to Israel by the LORD. In Hebrew this verse says, "Because hagoy haze violates My covenant..." Goy means gentile nation. Way back in Genesis, before the time of Abraham, goy or goyim meant nations as in any nation on earth. But when Abraham was declared by God as the first Hebrew, the earth was divided into the gentiles and Hebrews. Thus, the term goy applied ONLY to gentile people and nations but NOT to the Hebrews. So, here we have the LORD essentially saying, "because this gentile-like nation violates My covenant..." The bottom line, if a follower of God behaves as a non-follower then God will see you just as though you were a non-followed and not one of His people.
I will also no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, in order to test Israel by them: God says that He is leaving those Canaanite nations there for the tribes of Israel to contend with as a test or trial. This does not mean trial as in the sense of trials and tribulations. It does not indicate being put into a bad situation whereby the bad situation is of itself the punishment. Rather, in Hebrew the word is nassa, and it refers to a judicial kind of trial. In other words, the accurate sense of this statement is that God is going to put the tribes of Israel on trial in His courtroom. They are the accused, and He is the judge. Whether they are convicted and merit further punishment, or whether they are found to be innocent and merit mercy, will all depend on if Israel proves itself to have learned its lesson and becomes Torah observant as their immediate ancestors were. The alternative is that Israel will reject God's discipline (in the form of the Canaanites nations being divinely allowed to create problems for Israel's society), and God reacts with further and more sever punishments on His people.
Then the LORD raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them. Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do as their fathers. When the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them. But it came about when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways.
Then the LORD raised up judges who delivered them: In verse 16, the first explanation of the protocol of the Judges is discussed which includes the correlation between the spiritual role and the human role of the Judge. The LORD Himself would raise up a judge, and the judge would be a savior who would rescue some tribe from whoever was oppressing them. But even then, Israel would quickly return to those false gods of their neighbors after the judge/savior had completed his mission. The thing to understand is that for as long as a judge whom the LORD established ruled, Israel was kept secure.
For the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning: We are told that the LORD was moved to pity because Israel's enemies were oppressing God's people. The Hebrew word that is translated as oppressed or afflicted is lachats. Lachats means to apply pressure or to squeeze. Lachats has a direct counterpart in the New Testament. The New Testament word in the Greek is thlipsis, which we translate as tribulation. It is used in both the Greek and Hebrew to mean oppressed or afflicted. However, the evangelical branch of the church has taught us to think of tribulation as equivalent to extreme subjugation, forced servitude and mortal danger to those who resist. But in fact, it can represent just a great pressure to do what is not right. We are all familiar with the term peer pressure, meaning that those who we have the closest relationship with and those whose admiration and acceptance we seek, apply a kind of unbearable psychological influence upon us to conform us to their ideals and morals. The force is more often a passive one of implicated social rejection for non-compliance and less usual is that such as aggressive coercion and physical harm.
When we read Judges, we see that unbearable pressure from both aspects is present on Israel due to their mixing the godly with the ungodly and the clean with the unclean. The LORD decides to take pity on them as a result. The two main pressure points on Israel are the immense social and psychological pressure to conform to what is seen as the common good, and some degree of physical coercion of the government to comply with the society's laws and customs. There is also a third minor pressure and that is the attacks from other nations who want to take land or crops from Israel.
The next time you read about tribulation (thlipsis, lachats) in the apocryphal books of the New Testament, do not automatically picture the situation as some kind of grossly evil fascist repressive government enslaving people or killing the opposition on a whim. More often tribulation is simply addressing a national situation whereby the pressures of a society that is far from God makes life for those living within that society who also seek to live in harmony with God terribly difficult. In the case of Israel dealing with their Canaanite neighbors, it points to a situation whereby the temptations placed in front of Israel to succumb to a pagan lifestyle are immense. The draw to personal pleasure, comfort and sexual deviance are nearly irresistible. The principle that economic advancement overrules everything else becomes Israel's focus.
They did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways: The Hebrew word translated as stubborn (and elsewhere in the Bible translated as stiff-necked) is a word that was also applied to Israel many times during the Exodus (Exodus 32:9, 33:3, 33:5). This shows that a change of location--even coming into the Promised Land--did not necessarily mean a change of heart for Israel. We should never count on sanctification by relocation. Wherever you go, you take everything with you. A new environment does not always mean a new attitude.
Additionally, the Hebrew word for stubborn (kawsheh) comes from the idea of being hard or severe. To be stubborn against the LORD is to have a hard and unyielding heart. It results in a very difficult life.
4. (Judges 2:20-23) God gives them over to their sinful compromise
So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He said, "Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers and has not listened to My voice, I will also no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, in order to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk in it as their fathers did or not." So the LORD allowed those nations to remain, not driving them out quickly; and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua.
So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel: Verse 20 continues to make the point that the LORD is VERY angry with Israel. Thus, there is NO chance that Israel will escape severe punishment.
Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded to their fathers: Hidden in the words of the second half of verse 20 is a kind of slap in the face to Israel by the LORD. In Hebrew this verse says, "Because hagoy haze violates My covenant..." Goy means gentile nation. Way back in Genesis, before the time of Abraham, goy or goyim meant nations as in any nation on earth. But when Abraham was declared by God as the first Hebrew, the earth was divided into the gentiles and Hebrews. Thus, the term goy applied ONLY to gentile people and nations but NOT to the Hebrews. So, here we have the LORD essentially saying, "because this gentile-like nation violates My covenant..." The bottom line, if a follower of God behaves as a non-follower then God will see you just as though you were a non-followed and not one of His people.
I will also no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, in order to test Israel by them: God says that He is leaving those Canaanite nations there for the tribes of Israel to contend with as a test or trial. This does not mean trial as in the sense of trials and tribulations. It does not indicate being put into a bad situation whereby the bad situation is of itself the punishment. Rather, in Hebrew the word is nassa, and it refers to a judicial kind of trial. In other words, the accurate sense of this statement is that God is going to put the tribes of Israel on trial in His courtroom. They are the accused, and He is the judge. Whether they are convicted and merit further punishment, or whether they are found to be innocent and merit mercy, will all depend on if Israel proves itself to have learned its lesson and becomes Torah observant as their immediate ancestors were. The alternative is that Israel will reject God's discipline (in the form of the Canaanites nations being divinely allowed to create problems for Israel's society), and God reacts with further and more sever punishments on His people.
Sunday, March 24, 2019
Judges Chapter 2 Part Four (Verses 14-15)
2. (Judges 2:14-15) God's wrath upon their sin of idolatry
The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. Whenever they went, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had spoken and as the LORD had sworn to them, so that they were severely distressed.
The anger of the LORD burned against Israel: Literally, the first words of verse 14 say, "The aph of the LORD burned against Israel," which word for word translates as "The nostrils of the LORD burned against Israel." The LORD is furious about Israel's idolatry. They were bowing down to the Baal gods. They were presenting burnt offerings to the Baal gods and then also presenting these same offerings to God. These tainted offerings were unacceptable to God; they were defiled and anything but holy.
In the first five books of the Bible, God mentions that the smoke of Israel's offerings from the altar of burnt offerings would float up to God, and He would find them to be a pleasing aroma to His nose. The offerings were pleasing because they were offered in obedience. They were offered properly from the altar at the tabernacle/temple and were made by the proper mediators (the Levitical priests).
In verse 14, we find the opposite. When the LORD smelled the smoke of the burnt offerings it caused His nose to BURN. The odor of Israel's offerings were not pleasing to Him because they were offered according to pagan standards from pagan altars at pagan sanctuaries and many times by whatever official they wished to use.
God's people cannot substitute unclean offering for clean offerings and give them to the LORD. God's people cannot declare something good if God declares it evil. God's people must never think that we can without consequence wander after things we are told to reject because the result (at some point) can be that God will no longer block our path. At some point, He will let us go the way we have determined we will go. He will open His hand, and we will be allowed to be as the world. Think this is only an Old Testament curse?
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them...For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for the which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the women and burned in their desires toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper." (Romans 1:18-19, 26-28)
Just as Israel convinced themselves that God preferred peace with their Canaanite neighbors to war, so have many modern Christians convinced themselves that God prefers tolerance and inclusiveness to obedience and standing up for what is right. The commandments of God are crystal clear, but men have decided that any kind of love is godly love. Is there a consequence for doing this? According to Paul there is.
From the spiritual and heavenly point of view, there were five reasons recorded in Judges for Israel's fall from grace.
1. The tribes no longer fought for a common cause and were in a state of disunity. They even began to war among themselves. This led to the Wilderness Tabernacle becoming dilapidated. Even the Ark of the Covenant became dissociated from the Tabernacle in such a way that it would soon be seen as no longer necessary that the Ark of the Covenant be kept in the Holy of Holies. This led to a breakdown in the priestly system and the sacrificial system.
2. The 12 tribes decided that rather than following God's instruction to deport all Canaanites from the Promised Land and annihilate those who refused to go, they would establish good relations with them. Such a thing exposed Israel to customs and cultures that held too much temptation to resist.
3. The gods of the Canaanites were nature gods. As Israel had won the hills but not the productive valleys and plains, Israel had a hard time growing crops on their rocky ground while the Canaanites had almost ideal conditions to sow and plant. Israel would watch the Canaanites worship the sun god, rain god and goddess of fertility and concluded that unless they did the same, it was nearly hopeless that they could grow substantial crops in less suitable soil. So the Israelites followed the Canaanite ways.
4. Although it is not typically talked about in our religious institutions, sex played an enormous role in primitive societies. It was key for growing the families large, and it was just as key for the animals to procreate freely in order to grow the flocks and herds. Sex was seen as an integral part of worship practices. Temple prostitution (which is the scholarly name for sex acts as part of religious services) was normal and customary. In fact, it must have seemed strange for Israel to NOT employ sacred sex during services. Can you imagine what your worship experience would be like if suddenly it was deemed that no music or singing would be included during services? Most folks would find congregational assemblies less fulfilling and exciting. It would seem as though an important ingredient was missing. That is how ingrained and expected that sacred sex was among the Babylon Mystery Religions. This illicit mixing of Israel with the Canaanites and thus becoming intimately near their worship customs proved too attractive to Israel. Henceforth, they too adopted sacred sex as a part of their integrated worship of God and Baal.
5. Syncretism was the result of blending the politics and economics of the Canaanites with the Israelites. The two different societies looked almost identical because their condition before God was becoming identical. While they did not plan for this to happen, they also did not resist it.
The consequences of this apostasy were that God responded by turning Israel over to their enemies. Thus, they could not stand against them as they did under the godly leadership displayed by Joshua.
He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them: The purpose of this was to turn Israel's heart back to the LORD. God's goal was not punishment in itself but repentance. Therefore, we should see this as a manifestation of God's love for Israel instead of God's hate. The worst judgment God can bring on a person is to leave them alone and to stop trying to bring them to repentance.
We see the same principle in the relationship between parents and children. Though children often wish their parents would just leave them alone, it is really their worst fear that no one would love them enough to correct them.
The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. Whenever they went, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had spoken and as the LORD had sworn to them, so that they were severely distressed.
The anger of the LORD burned against Israel: Literally, the first words of verse 14 say, "The aph of the LORD burned against Israel," which word for word translates as "The nostrils of the LORD burned against Israel." The LORD is furious about Israel's idolatry. They were bowing down to the Baal gods. They were presenting burnt offerings to the Baal gods and then also presenting these same offerings to God. These tainted offerings were unacceptable to God; they were defiled and anything but holy.
In the first five books of the Bible, God mentions that the smoke of Israel's offerings from the altar of burnt offerings would float up to God, and He would find them to be a pleasing aroma to His nose. The offerings were pleasing because they were offered in obedience. They were offered properly from the altar at the tabernacle/temple and were made by the proper mediators (the Levitical priests).
In verse 14, we find the opposite. When the LORD smelled the smoke of the burnt offerings it caused His nose to BURN. The odor of Israel's offerings were not pleasing to Him because they were offered according to pagan standards from pagan altars at pagan sanctuaries and many times by whatever official they wished to use.
God's people cannot substitute unclean offering for clean offerings and give them to the LORD. God's people cannot declare something good if God declares it evil. God's people must never think that we can without consequence wander after things we are told to reject because the result (at some point) can be that God will no longer block our path. At some point, He will let us go the way we have determined we will go. He will open His hand, and we will be allowed to be as the world. Think this is only an Old Testament curse?
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them...For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for the which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the women and burned in their desires toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper." (Romans 1:18-19, 26-28)
Just as Israel convinced themselves that God preferred peace with their Canaanite neighbors to war, so have many modern Christians convinced themselves that God prefers tolerance and inclusiveness to obedience and standing up for what is right. The commandments of God are crystal clear, but men have decided that any kind of love is godly love. Is there a consequence for doing this? According to Paul there is.
From the spiritual and heavenly point of view, there were five reasons recorded in Judges for Israel's fall from grace.
1. The tribes no longer fought for a common cause and were in a state of disunity. They even began to war among themselves. This led to the Wilderness Tabernacle becoming dilapidated. Even the Ark of the Covenant became dissociated from the Tabernacle in such a way that it would soon be seen as no longer necessary that the Ark of the Covenant be kept in the Holy of Holies. This led to a breakdown in the priestly system and the sacrificial system.
2. The 12 tribes decided that rather than following God's instruction to deport all Canaanites from the Promised Land and annihilate those who refused to go, they would establish good relations with them. Such a thing exposed Israel to customs and cultures that held too much temptation to resist.
3. The gods of the Canaanites were nature gods. As Israel had won the hills but not the productive valleys and plains, Israel had a hard time growing crops on their rocky ground while the Canaanites had almost ideal conditions to sow and plant. Israel would watch the Canaanites worship the sun god, rain god and goddess of fertility and concluded that unless they did the same, it was nearly hopeless that they could grow substantial crops in less suitable soil. So the Israelites followed the Canaanite ways.
4. Although it is not typically talked about in our religious institutions, sex played an enormous role in primitive societies. It was key for growing the families large, and it was just as key for the animals to procreate freely in order to grow the flocks and herds. Sex was seen as an integral part of worship practices. Temple prostitution (which is the scholarly name for sex acts as part of religious services) was normal and customary. In fact, it must have seemed strange for Israel to NOT employ sacred sex during services. Can you imagine what your worship experience would be like if suddenly it was deemed that no music or singing would be included during services? Most folks would find congregational assemblies less fulfilling and exciting. It would seem as though an important ingredient was missing. That is how ingrained and expected that sacred sex was among the Babylon Mystery Religions. This illicit mixing of Israel with the Canaanites and thus becoming intimately near their worship customs proved too attractive to Israel. Henceforth, they too adopted sacred sex as a part of their integrated worship of God and Baal.
5. Syncretism was the result of blending the politics and economics of the Canaanites with the Israelites. The two different societies looked almost identical because their condition before God was becoming identical. While they did not plan for this to happen, they also did not resist it.
The consequences of this apostasy were that God responded by turning Israel over to their enemies. Thus, they could not stand against them as they did under the godly leadership displayed by Joshua.
He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them: The purpose of this was to turn Israel's heart back to the LORD. God's goal was not punishment in itself but repentance. Therefore, we should see this as a manifestation of God's love for Israel instead of God's hate. The worst judgment God can bring on a person is to leave them alone and to stop trying to bring them to repentance.
We see the same principle in the relationship between parents and children. Though children often wish their parents would just leave them alone, it is really their worst fear that no one would love them enough to correct them.
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