TODAY’S READING IN THE ONE YEAR BIBLE:
MAY 2- Judges 15-16:31; John 2:1-25; Psalm 103:1-22; Proverbs 14:17-19
The Book of Judges anticipates the gospel’s surprising means of deliverance that is yet to come.
God raises up some unlikely human instruments to provide deliverance from the enemies of His people: Ehud was from the tribe of Benjamin (‘ben’ ‘htayemini’- meaning ‘son of my right hand’) and was ‘left-handed’ (‘itter yadyemino’ literally meaning ‘handicapped in the right hand’). Shamgar used an ox-goad rather than a sword or spear to defeat the enemy. In a male-dominated society, God used Deborah to lead Israel to victory and a Gentile woman, Jael to slay the enemy’s commander, Sisera, with a tent peg. Gideon would have been voted least likely to lead as he was the least of the least clan in Manassseh. Jephthah was the disowned, cast-off, son of a prostitute.
The fallibility and depravity of mankind are vividly portrayed in these dark days of spiritual declension in the Promised Land described in the Book of Judges. When the Messiah arrives an apostate Judaism will exist in an enemy-occupied Palestine. He will not be recognized and received by His own. He will appear to be one who is at great disadvantage, presumed to have had an ignoble birth in Bethlehem, being raised in the slums of a disreputable town (‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’), a prophet without honor among those to whom he was familiar, betrayed by friends and handed over to Gentiles. Yet He will defeat the enemy in His death and resurrection accomplishing a supernatural deliverance.
THE SIXTH CYCLE OF DELIVERANCE- JEPHTHAH
God recognized that His people had given themselves to idolatry more deeply than they had realized. He was not quick to answer their cries. When they finally repented of their sin it took some time for them to call for the Deliverer He had chosen.
Jephthah was the valiant warrior that no one really wanted on their team until the Ammonites proved to be an enemy too difficult to handle without a skilled leader. His own half-brothers despised him because his mother was a prostitute. Because of his shameful birth he was driven from his father’s household and denied an inheritance. When it was perceived that victory could come no other way, his brother requested his skills in the battle and pledged that they would submit to his leadership with the LORD as their witness (11:10-11).
Jephthah proves to be a godly leader. With tactful diplomacy he seeks to avoid an unnecessary war by sending messengers to carefully recount the historical record in order to expose the illegitimacy of the Ammonite claim that the Israelites had taken their land.
But the sons of Ammon have their hearts set on war and disregard Jephthah’s message.
The Spirit of the Lord comes upon Jephthah. He crosses the Jordan to the Ammonites making a vow that if the Lord delivers the Ammonites into his hand whatever comes out of the doors to meet him when he returns from victory he will offer to the Lord.
The words indicate that he was anticipating offering one of his livestock. The Lord does deliver the enemy into his hand. Instead of one of the farm animals coming out to greet him, his only child, a daughter comes out.
Scholars give three strong arguments that Jepthah fulfilled his vow, not by putting his daughter to death but by her being set apart for service to God, never to marry. Human sacrifice although practiced by the Moabites, was forbidden in the Mosaic law (Leviticus 18:21; 20:1-5).
Even during this period of spiritual declension, the Israelites abhorred such abominations. No Levitical priest would have assisted in such a sacrifice. Judges 11:39 does not say that she died, but that she returned to her father, remaining a virgin and never marrying.
The incident reminds us that a vow should be taken seriously. Jephthah did not imagine that he would be deprived of grandchildren and cutting off his family line when he made this promise.
THE SHIBOLETH
Jephthah is a man whose excellence in character stands in contrast to many of his contemporaries. The Ephraimites are insulted that Jepthah did not ask them to join the battle against the Ammonites. They boastfully threaten that they will burn down Jepthah’s house with him in it. The truth is that the Lord gave the victory to Jephthah without their aid.
Jepthah patiently endures their foolishness and attempts to reason with them. When he and his people were previously in conflict with the Ammonites they had asked the Ephraimites for help but they refused to do so. They had proved to be unreliable and unwilling in the past. Why should he appeal to them again?
Ephraim is unrepentant of its arrogant threat to destroy Jephthah. Gilead goes to war against the Ephraimites and soundly defeat them. When the surviving Ephraimites wanted to cross the Jordan River to return to their home territory, the Gileadites took control of the fords in an attempt to stop them.
When they asked those trying to cross the River if they were fugitive Ephraimites, they denied it. The Gileadites tested their claim by asking them to pronounce the word ‘shibboleth’ which in Hebrew means an ‘ear of corn’ or ‘stalk of grain’. Ephraimites were not able to pronounce the ‘sh’ sound as in ‘shoe’. Their inability to pronounce this word would prove that they were from Ephraim even though they denied it. (12:6)
Today we call any distinguishing practice that is indicative of one's social or regional origin a ‘shiboleth’.
In George Stimpson's “A Book about a Thousand Things”, the author notes that, in second World War, Japanese spies would often approach checkpoints posing as American or Filipino military personnel. A shibboleth such as "lollapalooza" would be used by the sentry, who, if the first two syllables come back as ‘rorra’, would "open fire without waiting to hear the remainder".
Jephthah judged Israel for 6 years. He was followed by Ibzan of Bethlehem. He is known for nothing other than his thirty sons, thirty sons, and thirty daughters-in-law brought in from outside. He judged Israel for one year longer than his predecessor,
Elon, the Zebulunite served as a judge for ten years.
Abdon judged for 8 years and is known for the family parade of forty sons, thirty grandsons who rode seventy donkeys.
THE SEVENTH CYCLE OF DELIVERANCE- SAMSON, ONLY A BEGINNING
Chapter 13 begins with the seventh and final repetition of what is now a familiar phrase in the Book of Judges:
“Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, so that the Lord gave them into the hands of the Philistines forty years.” (Judges 13:1)
This is the longest period of oppression recorded in the Book of Judges. Samson’s 20 year reign would be DURING the years of Philistine rule (Judges 15:20). The Philistines disarmed the Jews (1 Sam 13:19-23) and the Jews were accustomed to being in bondage to the degree that they did not want Samson to disturb the status quo (Judges 15:9-13). There is no record that the Israelites cried out for deliverance during this period. Yet the very fact that the Son of God would visit the parents of Samson shows that there is an important link to the overarching story of God’s redeeming work recorded in the Bible.
We know that Samson did not deliver the Israelites from Philistine domination. The Son of God prophesied that Samson would begin a work that others would complete.
“he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines." (Judges 13:5)
Israel would not be delivered from the hands of the Philistines until the time of David (2 Sam 5:17-25). And the deliverance of God’s people from their greater bondage to sin and death would require the greater Son of David, Christ Himself.
MANOAH’S WIFE
When I casually expressed my disappointment in not knowing the name of Manoah’s wife, my wife responded that if she had a son who behaved like Samson and would be discussed for centuries, she would prefer that people not know her name either.
Rarely do we read of a man who had so much opportunity and power for doing good make such poor choices and come to such a tragic end. However, God would use Samson’s weaknesses (his self-will, carnal appetites, his capacity to be easily seduced and manipulated by women, and his poor judgment) to deliver the Israelites from the Philistines. He would accomplish more by his death than he did in his lifetime.
Once again we see the difference between the two different aspects of God’s will- God’s moral will of command and His permissive will, otherwise known as His sovereign will of decree. God in His mercy uses Samson’s decisions that violate His revealed will of command, to ultimate accomplish the deliverance He has decreed.
Samson’s life had a spectacular beginning. His birth was heralded by Christ Himself. His mother was told by the angel of the Lord, a preincarnate appearance of Christ, that she who was barren would conceive a child. The angel of the Lord, whose name is “Wonderful” (13:8), commanded that this child grow up as one who fulfills the Nazirite vow. When Manoah asks the LORD that the man of God who spoke to his wife return to tell him how to bring up his son, the LORD responds with another visitation in which He announces Himself as “I AM” (13:11).
The Nazirite vow was one that was taken for a short period in their life. The Hebrew word, “Nazirite” means “to set apart” or “to dedicate”. Those who took the vow were to dedicate themselves to God and abstain from certain things. They were not to drink of the fruit of the vine, vinegar or eat any fruit of the vine. He was also not to shave his head or touch a corpse, even if it is a close relative. Samson was to live the vow until his death. This was the claim of God upon his life.
The LORD is faithful to his word and Manoah’s wife delivers a blessed child named Samson, meaning “sunny” or “brightness:. The Spirit is said to have stirred in him. While others in the Book of Judges were clothed with the Spirit (Othniel- 3:10; Gideon 6:34; and Jephthah 11:29) Samson has the unique distinction among them of having it said that “the Lord blessed him”. (Judges 13:24)
The secret of Samson’s strength was not his physical ability. There is nothing said of him having a distinctive physique. His strength was in his being set apart to the Lord, symbolized by his unshorn hair.
Through the Lord he was able to manifest supernatural strength. This was in evidence when he killed a lion bare-handed (14:5-6) slew thirty Philistines as part of a bargain to the Philistines who cheated him of the answer to his riddle and asked for thirty coats (14:19), catching thirty foxes or jackals and somehow tying torches to their tails (15:3-5), breaking free from bonds be they made of bow string, old rope, fresh rope, loom fabric even when it is attached to the loom! (15:4; 16:9, 12, 14) slaying a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey (15:15) uprooting and carrying the city gates at Gaza away from the city up to the top of the hill that faces Hebron(16:3) and destroying the pillars and the magnificent Philistine building that housed 3000 people (16:30)
Samson breaks the Nazirite vow in handling the dead carcass of the lion and obtaining honey. He breaks the law of Moses in marrying a Philistine woman and committing fornication (Deut 7:3).
Samson’s story reminds us that God is faithful to accomplish His purposes in spite of how little cooperation He may find among His people. He is preparing a people to redeem and enjoy for eternity and He is able to use whoever He chooses towards that end.
PRAY FOR THE NATIONS
(from the recommended Prayer Guide “OPERATION WORLD”) www.operationworld.org
TODAY: COTE D’IVOIRE
The recent disputed election has been resolved.
President Alassane Ouattara is moving ahead with the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission as the first step toward reconciliation and peace. Members of the new government will be nominated throughout the month of May. Mr. Ouattara underlined that security will be fully restored within two months.
The new regime in Côte d’Ivoire is faced with the critical challenge of revitalizing the economy, which greatly suffered from the post-electoral crisis.
TCI (Television Côte d’Ivoire) announced that preliminary investigations have been re-opened against former President Laurent Gbagbo and those close to him.
Answer to Prayer
The establishment of a peace agreement after years of effective civil war and uneasy ceasefires. While all the issues that generated the troubles are not resolved, the return of stability to the country is a point for praise, since economic activity, education, development and rebuilding can now resume – and since the north is once again much more accessible for Christian ministry.
Challenge for Prayer
The country has been essentially divided between Muslim north and multi-faith but predominantly Christian south. Although peace is established and the nation is moving forward, the loss of life, of infrastructure and of confidence in Côte d’Ivoire’s fundamental unity will leave scars on the nation’s psyche. Pray for political leaders who are visionary, non-partisan, free of corruption and able to boldly take the nation forward and past this unfortunate episode in Côte d’Ivoire’s history. Pray also for a satisfactory solution to the remaining challenge – how to handle the millions of immigrants from neighboring countries, a problem at the core of the conflict of 2002-2007.
Pastor David
So, naturally, we proclaim Christ! We warn everyone we meet, and we teach everyone we can, all that we know about him, so that, if possible, we may bring every man up to his full maturity in Christ. (Colossians 1:28, J.B. Phillips paraphrase)
New Life Community Church, Concord, MA 10742
Meeting Sundays at 10:30 AM at the Emerson Umbrella for the Arts, 40 Stow Street, Concord MA
Mailing Address: Post Office Box Five, Concord, MA 01742
Church Offices: 35 Bypass Rd. Lincoln, MA 01773 978-369-0061
Home Office: 978-371-3176
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