Judges 4:8
Do you remember when you were a child and your parents told you to go get something in the room just down the hall? You wouldn’t have thought twice about going during the day, but it’s night! What could possibly be lurking in that room that you couldn’t handle? But the thought of going alone is just too much, and so you ask your sibling, who is only an inch taller and not much stronger, to come along. Somehow their presence brings you the courage you need to face the unknown. After all, they have more knowledge and experience in discerning the hidden foes of darkness. And so it was with Barak, the warrior from Kedesh in the land of Naphtali. Obviously, God knew that Barak was capable of handling the Canaanites, the foes of Israel, and called him to lead the army to fight against the troops of King Jabin. But Barak was not courageous enough to head down that “dark hallway” along, and requests Deborah to go with him. What was it that Deborah would do that he couldn’t do? Would she fight the Canaanites for him? Would God say anything through Deborah that He hadn’t already told Barak?
Although the victory that God ordained was a sure thing, Barak’s apprehension and need for the moral support of Deborah had certain consequences. The nation would have the victory, Barak would be the recognized leader, but the prize “trophy” would go to a woman. Was there anything wrong with Barak wanting Deborah to come along? Why was this such an issue? The answer is that all too often we put more trust in the person who speaks God’s word, than we do in the God who spoke the words. As a result, the honor God intended for Gideon went to a descendant of Moses’ in-law, not even to an Israelite.
As we continue to meet the judges of Israel, we are constantly reminded of the times the people lived in. We read on several occasions that, “There was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Although this is not stated in the account of Gideon, we see the truth of it in the lives of Gideon’s family. Gideon is told to go and tear down the family idols and altars. Gideon wisely makes sure he is hearing from God before he attempts anything this risky. But once he knows he has heard from God, he fulfills YHWH’s request. Don’t you find it interesting that God tells Gideon to deal with his family first, and then sends him to go fight the Midianites. How often do we find it easier to deal with those in the world, than to deal with those we are related to? Gideon’s actions in dealing with his family can give us wisdom in our difficult family matters. Rather than confront the family head on, Gideon dealt with the root of their actions. He tore down the altars and Asherah poles, builds an altar and sacrificed to God. Although none of this was done in the eyes of his relatives, it soon became known that it was Gideon who was responsible. May God teach us how to deal with the “idols” of our families at the altar of God! I have no doubt that, like Gideon, it will be our Father who stands in our defense.
As we continue our journey with Gideon, we see him grow into the role God intended – a mighty warrior! Gideon was quick to learn that the power of God is much more to be desired than the strength of man. As he prepared to fight the Midianites, God orders him to reduce his army to 1.36% of its original size. Can we even comprehend that? How many pastors of a 1,000 member church would be willing to reduce their congregation to 13.6 prepared individuals to go fight the battles? (I’m not quite sure how you get six tenths of a person) Although the rest of the warriors he left behind were there to help with the extended battle, only 300 soldiers armed with the sound of the ram’s horn and the revealed light could declare “A SWORD FOR YHWH AND FOR GIDEON!”
Through Gideon’s victory, a deep-seeded root in the tribe of Ephraim is revealed, which continued to be problematic through the existence of Israel. When Gideon went to war with the Midianites, he called the tribes of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali to come join the battle. A quick look at our maps will tell us why. But Gideon didn’t invite Ephraim to the fray. Could it be that Gideon was aware of the Ephraimites “take-over” attitude, and didn’t want to deal with it? As it was, he had to diminish his army to 1.36% of its original size. What would he have done if the warriors from the tribe of Ephraim had come? This pride in the tribe of Ephraim caused problems in Israel for centuries to come! We see Gideon placate the anger of the men of Ephriam and ward off civil war, but three judges later, when the warriors of Ephraim once again raised their pride-filled protest, the outcome was not a peaceful resolve!
On Thursday, we find ourselves in the city of Shechem. Isn’t it interesting that, although many years have gone by since Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, had annihilated the men of Shechem, Gaal stirs up the people of Shechem to turn their allegiance back to the descendants of Hamor? I am sure you remember that Hamor was the father of Shechem, the one who had raped Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. But in all actuality, it is not at all surprising! The danger of terrorism in the world today goes back to the argument of the right of property ownership that is much more ancient! Those of the mid-east embrace inheritance with a stronger understanding than that of our western modern concept. Today people think it is clever to spend their inheritance and leave nothing of their lives for their children. If only we truly understood God’s view of inheritance, right of ownership and legacy!!! I’m sure we would approach the battles of our lives with greater tenacity.
By Friday, we have watched the deterioration of Israel’s judges. We wonder why God ever chose Samson to be a judge of Israel! Here is a man who brings no glory to the call of God on his life. He loves the women and the ways of the world around him. He holds on to his Nazirite vow by the skin of his teeth! In spite of his waywardness, God still used Samson to bring judgment on Israel’s enemies, but it was only when Samson was stripped of his flesh-filled eyes and was willing to die to himself, that he knew his greatest victory.
By the end of the week, we long to see this roller-coaster ride of unfaithfulness and deliverance end. Obviously, the leadership of the judges only brings temporary respite to the Israelites’ waywardness, and we end the week looking for the better way.
2 comments:
On page 380, it says that Israel has been living living in the promised land for 300 years. Then on page 388, it states that the Tribe of Dan had not yet moved into the lad assigned to them. The timeline if very interesting. I thought occupation was much sooner.
We shared a bit about this at the Monday Bible study. Laura had a question that related to this. We saw that the initial campaigns captured strategic areas, but did not conquer the whole territory. Each tribe was responsible for subduing their designated area. God had said He would drive out their enemies little by little so that the land didn't become overrun with wild animals. It was up to each tribe to do their part and to trust God for victory in their inheritance.
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