James McNaught: October 2013

Judges 6:1–6, “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds. And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them; And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it. And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD.”

The Lord had promised Israel that they would be prosperous if they obeyed His Law as written down by Moses. They would have good crops and their animals would breed well so that they could have plenty of food and a place of respect among the nations. When they disobeyed the Lord brought other nations to oppress them so that they could understand what is was like to choose to do without the Lord. In this case, Israel like all the other nations on earth wanted to define good and evil in their own terms instead of the terms that the Lord God had defined. These terms also included oppression, hunger and fear. The Midianites came to Israel and everyone was oppressed and afraid. It was natural, in those days, for one nation to oppress other nations instead of asking their own people to support their own government by paying taxes and duties. The Midianites took everything that Israel had for themselves. When Israel was facing complete devastation they prayed to the Lord in desperation.

Deborah arose

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Judges 5:6–3, “In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways. The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel. They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel? My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the LORD. Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way. They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD, even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his villages in Israel: then shall the people of the LORD go down to the gates. Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam. Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the people: the LORD made me have dominion over the mighty. Out of Ephraim was there a root of them against Amalek; after thee, Benjamin, among thy people; out of Machir came down governors, and out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer. And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; even Issachar, and also Barak: he was sent on foot into the valley. For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart. Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart. Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches. Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field. The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money. They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength. Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones. Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty. Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent. He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish. She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples. At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead. The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots? Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself, Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two; to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of needlework, of divers colours of needlework on both sides, meet for the necks of them that take the spoil? So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.”

Before the printing press was invented every document had to be laboriously printed by hand. This meant that books were very expensive. However, instead of printing books for everyone, the people were encouraged to sing songs like this one so that they could remember the story of their great victories. In this case, the history that was composed into a Psalm gave the glory for the victory to the Lord because Israel were the Lord’s people and His angel lead them to this great victory. Although the people involved were given respect for the part they played in doing the Lord’s work.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Then sang Deborah

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Judges 5:1–5, “Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying, Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves. Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel. LORD, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water. The mountains melted from before the LORD, even that Sinai from before the LORD God of Israel.”

When the battle was over Deborah and Barak composed a song to celebrate their victory. They knew how important it was for them to remember all the good things that the Lord had done for them over the centuries since He called Abraham to be His servant. It is good to understand the pattern of this song. The song was a recital of the history they had just experienced. However, the song celebrated the Lord’s actions and not their own actions. As time went by Israel would learn to sing this song because it is easier to remember a song that some prose. The Lord’s plan is that His people remember all the good things things that He has done and the fact that He is good to have intervened on their behalf. The same it true today, we shouldn’t think about our own situation and how good it is we should think about the Lord and how good He is. The more we think about the Lord and the good things that He does the more inclined we will be to trust Him for the future.

Jael

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Judges 4:17–24, “Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle. And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him. Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No. Then Jael Heber’s wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples. So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.”

Sisera was hoping to escape from Barak in the confusion. He was a respected general and knew that he would be able to rebuild his life if he could return to his own people. However, as he travelled he came past a nomad’s tent. He was tired from the battle and needed to rest and refresh himself before he did anything else. He noticed that the tent belonged to a Kenite. Moses’ father in law was a Kenite so he though that the people who owned this tent would be his allies. (Judg 1:16, “And the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.”) Moses’ in laws were desert people and this would have given Sisera some hope that he would find friends and shelter. However, the Kenites were allied to Israel through marriage so their primary loyalty lay with Israel. Jael was the woman of that nomadic family and pretended to help Sisera. She treated him kindly and made him feel secure. When he was asleep, she killed him in the name of the Lord because his people had oppressed Israel and she accepted the right of a relative to seek revenge. The Lord called Deborah, the judge of Israel, to obey Him and defeat their enemies. Deborah obeyed the Lord and Israel was saved from this oppression.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Off his chariot

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Judges 4:10–16, “And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him. Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh. And they shewed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor. And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kishon. And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. And the LORD discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet. But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; and there was not a man left.”

There was no united Israelis nations in those days and, hence, no united army. The tribes were still trying to establish themselves in their own inheritance so they were not yet ready to come together as a united force. Barak was from the tribe of Naphtali, (Judg 4:6, “And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?”) So he raised an army from his own tribe and their neighbouring tribe before he went out to battle. As Barak had requested, Deborah went with the army to inspire and motivate them in the battle. On the other hand, Barak devised the battle plan and the tactics and they were successful against this huge army with the most powerful weapons available. Sisera, the invading general, realised that he was being defeated in the battle so he decided to leave his chariot, the most powerful battle device available to man at that time, and run. When we fight against the Lord and His people we need to understand that no manmade weapon is strong enough to defeat the Lord. The entire army was defeated and their general tried to run away and escape.

Deborah

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Judges 4:4–9, “And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand. And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go. And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.”

A judge in those days was not the same as a judge these days. Today a judge is responsible for the administration of the Law, to sit in judgment on a criminal and to determine the punishment under the Law. In those days the judge was bound by Israel’s constitution, the book of the Law, but they were responsible for making laws, administering laws and ensuring that the punishment was carried out. During the period under consideration, Israel was judged by a woman. She was the most qualified person in the entire nation to carry out all the responsibilities for which the judge was responsible. However, the was not free because she was under oppression by a foreign nation whose army had superior weapons. She decided, in her role as judge of Israel, that they were not free to obey the Law as the Lord required. She sent for solider called Barak and told him that the Lord had commanded that they fight against the occupying powers and free Israel. Barak didn’t have the confidence to lead the army in his own right so he asked Deborah, the judge, to come with him to oversee his military leadership. Deborah consented but promised Barak that he wouldn’t have the honour of carrying the Lord’s punishment on the cruel invading general.

Sisera

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Judges 4:1–3, “And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead. And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.”

This section is not just to show how Israel is evil and fails. We know that, from the beginning, mankind has always been sinful and tried to run away from the Lord’s will. We are all faced, on a daily basis, with the problem that confronted Eve; “Will I accept the Lord’s definition of what is good and evil or will I seek to define good and evil for myself. The Lord is the only Person in existence that has the wisdom and experience to define what is good and evil and as soon as someone else tries to take that responsibility then everything starts to fall apart. This section, however, illustrates a different point as well. The Lord works to bring His people back rather than drive then away. They chose to reject the Lord’s wisdom and He let them experience the worst that sin could offer and the awesome might of the Lord’s enemies so that His people would rely on Him and not on the power or might of sin

Ehud

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Judges 3:12–31, “And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees. So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab. But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh. And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man. And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the present. But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him. And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat. And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly: And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out. Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlour upon him, and locked them. When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlour were locked, they said, Surely he covereth his feet in his summer chamber. And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not the doors of the parlour; therefore they took a key, and opened them: and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth. And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirath. And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and he before them. And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the LORD hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over. And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valour; and there escaped not a man. So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.

“And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.”

The book of Judges is a a book detailing a time in Israel’s history when they existed in the absence of God. They knew what was required, in an historical sense but they refused to act in the present reality of the Lord’s requirements. Hence the Lord gave them over to the sin that they has chosen and their history was strewn with the random, arbitrary actions of sinful, godless mankind. In this case the Moabites came and oppressed Israel because they refused to obey the Law of the Lord. When they lived outside the Law of the Lord they also acted outside the context of the Law. In this case Ehud came and deceived the king who was oppressing Israel and the man that lived by the sword died by the sword. Israel was delivered by a man who trusted in the Lord and, later, Israel forgot the Lord again, were oppressed and then delivered by another man who obey the Lord.

Friday, October 25, 2013

He sold them

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Judges 3:8–11, “Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years. And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the LORD delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim. And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.”

There are many people who say that this section shows that the Lord God is both brutal and cruel because of the vicious things that happen during this episode in history. However, this section has to be read in context. From the beginning of His relationship with mankind, the Lord has offered us the choice of enjoying His will. The Lord is gracious, knowing that if we choose to enjoy His love them we will have a greater appreciation of His love. On the other hand, if the Lord just forced us to enjoy His love them that extra level of pleasure would be denied us. This is all about allowing to take full advantage of the Lord’s goodness. The Lord also demonstrates prefect integrity throughout His ongoing relationship with His people and giving us what we choose, even though the process is inevitable it is slow and gracious. Before the Spirit of the Lord began to move the earth was chaotic, confused, random and arbitrary. (Gen 1:2, “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”) When the Lord finished that work everything was perfect, predictable and orderly. (Gen 1:31, “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”) The book of Judges contrast the good and order of obeying the Lord with the evil and chaos of rejecting the Lord. The Lord is entirely innocent of any of the evil or chaos because it comes in the context of His absence. In this section we see a simple statement of the underlying premise: Israel rejected the Lord and He gave them their choice. The king of Mesopotamia came and occupied Israel so that they could see what it was like to be outside the Lord’s ordered protection. After a while, Israel realised what was going on and cried out in their agony, the Lord heard this cry and raised a leader to deliver them and bring them back to the Lord. This leader, Othniel restored the contract and Israel enjoyed the Lord’s order for forty years.

To prove Israel

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Judges 3:1–7, “Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan; Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof; Namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath. And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites:And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves.”

While Israel chose to make agreements with other nations, in spite of their exclusive agreement with the Lord, the Lord didn’t completely reject them. We have a catalogue of the people who were not driven out showing that the Lord was still in overall control. This section gives us a reminder of the Lord’s words during Moses farewell speech on the banks of the River Jordan. The first reminder was the fact that the Lord didn’t choose Israel because they were better than the other people but because the Lord loved them, had integrity and was faithful to His own promises. (Deut 7:7–8, “The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.) Secondly, the Lord reminded them of the specific reason for individual circumstances. (Deut 8:2–3, 16, “And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live… “Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;” Even during the time of the Judges, the Lord was intent on humbling Israel, the Lord doesn’t humble His people to make them feel bad about themselves but so that they will feel good about God. The Lord also was teaching Israel that His word was His final communication with them so that they would know everything that they needed to know about getting the best personal and corporate advantage from their relationship with the Lord. The Lord, also let them know that He was working so that things would be good when everything was finalised. In spite of this, Israel, like all the rest of the world, proved to be slow learners and the Lord had to be patient as He kept teaching them how to take advantage of His lovingkindness.

They served Baalim

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Judges 2:6–23, “And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land. And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash. And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed. Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so. And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died: That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not. Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.”

The first chapter of Judges gave context, looking back, comparatively to Joshua’s time but showed the failure of the possession phase even though the conquest phase was successful with just one small mistake, concerning Gibeon. The second chapter gave Israel a reminder of the Lord grace. In spite of this the chapter gives context looking forward to the next period in Israel’s history. This chapter also reminds us that the Lord was working in a wider context, the history of salvation-redemption and the Lord’s ultimate determination to bring Israel to their knees so that they could enjoy the full benefits of His steadfast love. This history is one of the Lord allowing Israel the partial consequences of their choices until such time as they submitted to Him agains and He restored them to the benefits of His love. However, the story is one only partial repentance and partial restoration even though we can see the Lord working towards His final goal.

Bochim

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Judges 2:1–5, “And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD.”

One good thing about the Lord is that He gives His people plenty of warnings before He finally brings about the consequences of the choices that we make. They had been warned repeatedly about making agreements with the Amorites. However, as soon as Israel forced the former inhabitants to become slaves they made an agreement with them. These agreements invalidated the covenant that they had made with the Lord because that covenant was an exclusive covenant. The Lord called Israel to give them a further warning to let them know that things were beginning to slide away from exclusivity. The people confessed their sin and wept, the offered sacrifices to the Lord but they didn’t show true love for the Lord for they didn’t change the way they acted.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Did not drive out

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Judges 1:21–36, “And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day. And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel: and the LORD was with them. And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.) And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy. And when he shewed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man and all his family. And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz: which is the name thereof unto this day. Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Bethshean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaanites would dwell in that land. And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out. Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them. Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries. Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob: But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not drive them out. Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Bethshemesh, nor the inhabitants of Bethanath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Bethshemesh and of Bethanath became tributaries unto them. And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley: But the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributaries. And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.”

This section gives context to the sad history of Israel during the period of the Judges. They were willing to obey the Lord and take possession of their inheritance but they were not completely obedient. The Lord had commanded them to take full possession of the Land and drive out all the previous inhabitants. This was to make sure that there would be no syncretism. (“Reconciliation or fusion of differing systems of belief, as in philosophy or religion, especially when success is partial or the result is heterogeneous.” (from www.thefreedictionary.com ) If syncretism occurred then there would be confusion among the Israelis as to Who was the One True God. In each case they failed to complete their task of possessing the Land and, later, they were confuses as to which God they should give their complete allegiance.

Afterward, Judah

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Judges 1:9–20, “And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley. And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron: (now the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba:) and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai. And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher: And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou? And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs. And the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people. And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah. Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof. And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron. And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak.”

It seems like Judah was acting as the leading tribe in those days and doing most of the possessing. Their inheritance included some high country and some of the coastal plain as well. They were prepared to fight against giants and other warriors with great reputations like Caleb their relative and they even defeated these giants. There might be some confusion about the repetition of this section but the book of Judges had a different author. It was probably complied by official archivists attached to the leaders during that time period. This was also true of Joshua, although he would have dictated his recollections to his official recorder as he obeyed the Lord during the invasion and the period of possession and then the recorder, or maybe the last of the official recorders, would have completed Joshua’s history by recording his death. (Compare 2 Chron 26: 22, 23, “Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write. So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the burial which belonged to the kings; for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.”) The official archivist who was acting after Joshua’s death wanted to make sure that his record was complete so he took care to record the history of his time period even though there may have been some overlap in the history. All these records were collected together and written down when the nation was united again under one leader. The histories recorded in the book of Judges were not all records of the activities of the united nation but they all had connections to the Tabernacle and the archives of the period were kept there for safety and to ensure that they were available to anyone who was interested.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Who shall go up?

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Judges 1:1–8, “Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand. And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him. And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men. And they found Adonibezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites. But Adonibezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. And Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died. Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.”

Joshua had completed his task and allocated the entire Promised Land to the Israeli tribes, as the Lord commanded. The next generation of leaders were still committed to Joshua’s task even though they had be slack during the last years of his life. Joshua passed the responsibility of taking possession of their inheritance to the tribes, individually and they had procrastinated as he got older. When Joshua was dead, the leaders had a spurt of inspiration and decided that they had better get on with the task so Judah and Simeon went in to completely take control of their inheritance. Remember, that Simeon’s inheritance was completely enclosed within Judah’s inheritance so they both had an interest in taking control of that territory. They treated the Adonibezek, the ruler of Bezek in the same way as he had treated any ruler that he had conquered.

Joshua died

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Joshua 24:29–33, “And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathserah, which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash. And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel. And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph. And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim.”

Even though Joshua was successful in his calling for the Lord, he made one big mistake when he didn’t consult the Lord. However, even Joshua came to the point when he was ready to go to his reward and his task was over. Some people try to say that Joshua wasn’t successful in his succession plan but that is not supported by the evidence. We read, here, that he performed some extra, essential tasks as well. He made sure that Joseph’s bones were buried in the Promised Land as Joseph requested. (Genesis 50:24–26, “And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.”) Mostly, we can see that the people who knew Joshua and grew up under his administration remained faithful to the Lord.

Monday, October 21, 2013

We will serve the Lord

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Joshua 24:15–28, "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods; For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed: And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God. And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good. And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD. And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses. Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel. And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey. So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God. So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance.”

There are many things that happen to us but we cannot stop them from happening. We may be caught in an accident or a malicious attack that takes us by surprise. However, we can always choose what we think and that determines our attitude to the situation. Some people look to their situation and act like a victim while other people to their situation and see it as in opportunity to learn, grow and develop into a better and stronger person. Joshua let Israel know that they were always in control of their own faith. This is a day by day proposition as well. We may start out by believing that God is loving and compassionate but if we experience prolonged hardship we will re evaluate our faith; do we believe according to our experience or do we remain with the faith that we have chosen before? Joshua told Israel that, on the day he was speaking, they had to choose whom they would believe. Were they going to believe the Lord, the gods from their history or the local gods’? He explained that, as far as he was concerned, he and his family would serve the Lord. When Joshua was with them and they knew that the Lord had given possession of much of the Promised Land the choice was not very hard. They would serve the Lord as well. After all, they were making this decision in the context of the Lord’s faithfulness and lovingkindness throughout the course of living memory, at that time. They recited their history with the Lord and decided, then, that it was best for them to serve the Lord. Joshua explained that the Lord has perfect integrity, He would always give them whatever they chose, with the overriding caveat explained in Psalm 103:6–12, (“The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”) The Lord would allow them to exist within our without the context of His everlasting love as they chose. If they chose to follow other gods then they would receive the protection of the other gods and the fact that these other gods were really representations of Satan, the Lord’s main enemy. They would be caught in the great spiritual battle between good and evil but be on the side of evil. The Israeli leaders confirmed that they would serve the Lord and Joshua built a monument to remind them of this fact. Every man then went back to his own land, that the portion of the Promised Land that they Lord had given them even though they didn’t deserve it. (compare Deut 26:5–8, “And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous: And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage: And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression: And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:”)

Now, therefore, fear the Lord

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Joshua 24:1–14, “And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac. And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt. I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out. And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea. And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season. And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you. Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you: 1But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand. And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand. And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow. And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat. Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.”

Joshua was old and knew that he would die soon. He summoned all the responsible leaders, at every level in Israel, and gave them his parting speech. He started by doing a quick summary of Israel’s history. Anyone with any kind of faith will find that this is an important procedure to follow, whether personally or collectively. There is no use having any faith at all if you don’t really understand why you believe what you believe. This is as true for atheists and agnostics as much as for people who believe in gods or God as well. For if you don’t really know why you believe what you believe then you are a fool. There is no use trying to brow beat another person into believing the same way as you believe if you are not really certain yourself. If you are certain then you will just present the truth, as you see it and let the truth convince anyone who is listening. Joshua explained how the Lord called Abraham and promised Canaan to Isaac’s descendants and Seir to Esau’s descendants, both the promised son and son born through Abraham and Sarah’s crisis in hope were blessed by the Lord. Joshua reminded them of everything that had happened until their present time and then encouraged them to fear the Lord and server Him. They were not expected to believe the Lord without context but in the context of His persistent and unchanging love.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Take good heed therefore

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Joshua 23:11–16, “Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God. Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you: Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you. And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof. Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you. When ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.”

The Lord gave Israel one responsibility and that was to remember that there is only one God. If there is only one God then their behaviour should be affected in certain ways. The one true God had delivered them from Egypt so that He could further His plan of blessing all the families of the earth through Abraham’s legitimate heirs. In order for the Lord to complete His plan Israel just had to accommodate themselves to the truth. They had to accept that the Lord God had defined good and evil and they were not to try and listen to other people and change the Lord’s definition to suit themselves. Since sin entered the world, each and every man wanted to define good and evil for themselves and the world had disintegrated into a chaotic mess. The Lord called Abraham aside and Abraham believed Him. It was very important that Israel remained separate from the other people of the world so that they wouldn’t become confused about the correct definition of good and evil. That is why they were told to drive out all the other nations. As long as they disobeyed the Lord in this matter they would struggle with obeying the Lord because they would have to fight against differing world views. On the other hand, the Lord kept every promise He had made to them and proved to be loving and faithful. Joshua, like Moses before him, urged Israel to remember that the Lord is faithful so that they could remain faithful to Him. The Maker always knows what is best for His creatures.

I am old

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Joshua 23:1–10, “And it came to pass a long time after that the LORD had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age. And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age: And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you. Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward. And the LORD your God, he shall expel them from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD your God hath promised unto you. Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left; That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them: But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day. For the LORD hath driven out from before you great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day. One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.”

Joshua was already an full grown man and a leader in Israel when the Lord delivered them from slavery in Egypt. He spent forty years in the wilderness then led Israel through the invasion of the Promised Land then he led them through the partial possession of the Land. He supervised the division of the Land and did everything that the Lord required of him. By that stage, he was an old man and no longer able to lead Israel as he had for many years. He called the responsible people from Israel and told them that he was reaching the end of his life. He didn’t take any credit for the great victories that the Lord had won for Israel or the fact that every family in the entire nation had their own inheritance. This was actually a form of superannuation allowing every person in Israel to have security in their old age, as long as they obeyed the Law. He had worked very hard to ensure that Israel obeyed the Law during his entire time as leader and he encouraged them to continue in the way that they began. He reminded them of the Lord’s faithfulness and told them to trust the Lord and not to follow after any other gods because these gods would not be able to do anything for them, unlike the Lord God.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

The altar Ed

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Joshua 22:30–34, “And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation and heads of the thousands of Israel which were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spake, it pleased them. And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we perceive that the LORD is among us, because ye have not committed this trespass against the LORD: now ye have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD. And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them word again. And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of Israel blessed God, and did not intend to go up against them in battle, to destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt. And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed: for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God.”

The high priest, Phinehas, was first and foremost responsible for Israel’s ceremonial relationship with the Lord and acting for both the Lord and Israel in that relationship. It was proper that he lead the expedition against the eastern tribes. When the situation was fully resolved the eastern tribes gave the altar a name to show that they were all in agreement that there is only on God and He was their true Lord at that time.

What have ye to do?

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Joshua 22:21–29, “Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel, The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD, (save us not this day,) That we have built us an altar to turn from following the LORD, or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meat offering, or if to offer peace offerings thereon, let the LORD himself require it; And if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing, saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel? For the LORD hath made Jordan a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no part in the LORD: so shall your children make our children cease from fearing the LORD. Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice: But that it may be a witness between us, and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the LORD. Therefore said we, that it shall be, when they should so say to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say again, Behold the pattern of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between us and you. God forbid that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn this day from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of the LORD our God that is before his tabernacle.”

Even though the two and a half tribes freely chose to live on the eastern side of the Jordan River, they understood that the river would act like a boundary between both sides. They had no intention of establishing an altar to another god. They wanted the rest of Israel to know that they had the same interest in the Lord God of Israel as all the other tribes had. When the other tribes came to punish them for rebelling agains the Lord they quickly explained their situation and a serious civil war was prevented.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

A great altar

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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