Week Three

Week 3
Introduction: This week we cover a time from the book of Judges, Ruth, through the reign of Solomon. During this period of time, we will see how God patiently keeps his remnant preserved within a world corrupted by sin. Please keep in mind that all these individuals have flaws within their character because no matter who we are, we are all corrupted with the stain of sin. This period of time will cover from 1380 to 931 BC. Amidst the tumult and chaos, we will see hope. It is always darkest just before the dawn.
The Interlude between Joshua and the beginning of the Monarchy
· This period of time is known as the time of the Judges. After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel fell into the entrapment of the surrounding indigenous people’s penchant for idol worship. If you will recall from last week’s discussion when Joshua had given his farewell address, he challenged to the people to follow the Lord. They had promised they would follow the Lord. The people had answered Joshua’s challenge in Joshua 24:16-18. (The people answered and said, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; for the LORD our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did these great signs in our sight and preserved us through all the way in which we went and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed. "The LORD drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites who lived in the land. We also will serve the LORD, for He is our God."). Joshua had even warned them that judgment would follow, yet they did not heed the challenge of Joshua. This begins the time of the Judges. This time frame runs from 1380 to 1060 BC. The key theme of the book is deliverance. The 1st time we see this is found in Judges 2:16.
· During this period of Israel’s history, we see a recurring cycle. (Turning away from God to Idols, Oppression by a neighboring country or tribe of people, Repentance and turning to God, God calling a judge to deliver the people, and turning once again away from God.)
There were a total of 16 Judges or deliverers. The 1st Judge being Othniel and the last judge being Samuel. Deborah is included in this list along with her General Barak. Deborah was also considered to be a prophetess according to Judges 4:4. Yet History recalls her to be more of a political and judicial leader rather than her gifts in the area of ministry. Her most famous battle was Sisera near the brook of Kidron in the Jezreel valley.
· On the coast just south of Acco is the modern city of Haifa
· Sisera would meet his fate at the hands of a woman by the name of Jael. Jael would drive a tent peg through the head of Sisera while he slept. (Judges 4:21). Forty years of peace and prosperity would follow under Deborah’s leadership, but the people would soon forget the sacrifices others had made on their behalf and fall once again into the sin of idolatry. Following Deborah, would come Gideon.
Gideon, was considered to be a reluctant judge. He had no political aspirations yet God would call Gideon into his service to battle the Midianites. Gideon would come from the tribe of Manasseh.
We find the account of the calling of Gideon in Judges 6:11-16. Gideon is known best for paring down his army from 30000 to 300 under the Lord’s guidance and counsel. At the time of the battle, the Midianites and the Amalakites had joined forces to battle the Israelites
The Lord would deliver the leaders of the Midianites (Oreb and Zeeb) into the hands of the tribe of Ephraim and the heads of these men would be delivered to Gideon.
· Gideon was known to have worn an ephod according to Judges 8:27. The ephod was a rich elaborate garment that was supposed to be only worn by the priests. (Exodus 28:4). The only short coming of Gideon was that the ephod became a snare. For all his short comings though, Gideon was by far a man of prayer. The association of professional men and business owners who distribute Bibles in hotels, doctor’s offices, restaurants and places around the world carry out the spirit of Gideon by doing just that being men of prayer in distributing the word of God in public places for people to read.
· The broken hearted Judge was Jephthah. His military campaign was against the Ammonites.
· From our previous discussions, Ammon came from the incestuous relationship between Lot and his younger daughter. (Genesis 19:32-38).
Jephthah came from the tribe of Gilead. He was the son of a prostitute. He made a very foolish vow to the Lord by promising to offer up the 1st thing that greeted him when he came home from his victory. Sadly the 1st thing to meet him upon his return was his little girl. The scriptures indicate to us that he would fulfill his vow in Judges 11:30-40, yet even though the scriptures clearly forbid human sacrifice (Deuteronomy 12:31), there is little indication that Jephthah did not refrain from offering up his daughter. There is some indication that she may have been redeemed with the offering according to Leviticus 27:7. The idea that she lived a life in celibacy is hinted at, but not really explained. The one thing we do know is that Jephthah is listed in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11:32.
One of the more colorful Judges was Samson. Samson was from the tribe of Dan.
Samson was the son of Zorah and Manoah. Samson was to be a Nazirite from his birth to his death. The scriptures explain to us what this means in Numbers 6:1-8. Yet Samson would have a great weakness for pagan women. Samson would be the one to battle against the Philistines.
· The Philistines worshiped a fish god called Dagon. From thehttp://www.bible-history.com/isbe/D/DAGON/ we obtain this explanation of the fish god Dagon: (da'-gon (daghon; apparently derived from dagh, "fish"): Name of the god of the Philistines (according to Jerome on Isaiah 46:1 of the Philistines generally); in the Bible, Dagon is associated with Gaza (Judges 16) but elsewhere with Ashdod (compare 1 Samuel 5 and 1 Maccabees 10:83 f; 11:4); in 1 Chronicles 10:10 there is probably an error (compare the passage 1 Sam 31:10). The god had his temple ("the house of Dagon") and his priests. When the ark was captured by the Philistines, it was conducted to Ashdod where it was placed in the house of Dagon by the side of the idol. But on the morrow it was found that the idol lay prostrate before the ark of the Lord. It was restored to its place; but on the following day Dagon again lay on the ground before the ark, this time with the head and both hands severed from the body and lying upon the miphtan (the word is commonly interpreted to mean "threshold"; according to Winckler, it means "pedestal"); the body alone remained intact. The Hebrew says: "Dagon alone remained." Whether we resort to an emendation (dagho, "his fish-part") or not, commentators appear to be right in inferring that the idol was half-man, half-fish. Classic authors give this form to Derceto. The sacred writer adds that from that time on the priests of Dagon and all those that entered the house of Dagon refrained from stepping upon the miphtan of Dagon. See 1 Samuel 5:1-5. The prophet Zephaniah (1:9) speaks of an idolatrous practice which consisted in leaping over the miphtan. The Septuagint in 1 Samuel indeed adds the clause: "but they were accustomed to leap." Leaping over the threshold was probably a feature of the Philistine ritual which the Hebrews explained in their way. A god Dagon seems to have been worshipped by the Canaanites; see BETH-DAGON.
Sampson would perish by destroying the Philistine temple during a celebration to this fish god. (Judges 16:23-31).
During this time frame and just before the arrival of Samuel as the last judge, we read about a remarkable love story. It is the story of Ruth. Ruth was from the land of Moab.
· Ruth was a young widow who’s Mother in Law was an Israelite. Her name was Naomi. Naomi and her husband Elimelech were from the tribe of Judah. We learn from the book of Ruth that they had two sons (Mahlon and Chilion). These young men had married Moabite women Ruth and Orpha. Elimelch, Mahlon and Chilion all died while in the land of Moab. Naomi decides to return to Judah. Apparently there was a deep love between these women because Naomi calls them her daughters. (Ruth 1:11). Naomi urges Ruth and Orpha to return to their mother’s homes. Orpha agrees with a great deal of tears and anguish. But Ruth replies in these immortal words that are often used in wedding ceremonies to this day. (Ruth 1:16-15 But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. "Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.”) Ruth and a near relative of Naomi’s, Boaz will soon fall in love. Boaz will redeem Naomi and Ruth. In fact the theme of the book of Ruth is Redemption by a near kinsman. Ruth and Boaz will have a son named Obed. According to Hebrew tradition, Ruth conceived Obed on her wedding night with Boaz. Obed will care for and comfort his grandmother Naomi. Obed will sire a son named Jesse and Jesse will sire a shepherd son named David.
· The last of the judges would be Samuel. Samuel was the son of Elkanah. Elkanah was from the tribe of Ephraim. Elkanah had two wives. One was named Peninnah and the other was named Hannah. Peninnah had children but Hannah had none. Elkanah dearly loved Hannah and it broke his heart that she had no children. Hannah was tormented by Peninnah because she had not borne any children to Elkanah. Hannah goes to the temple to pray and there she makes a vow that if the Lord will open her womb and grant her a son, she would dedicate this boy to the Lord’s service. The Lord hears her prayer. She bears a son and he is named Samuel. In the Hebrew, his name means “heard of God” After the baby was weaned, Hannah brings her son to Eli the priest. Samuel is to be a servant of God.
Eli’s sons were worthless men according to the scriptures. They would consume the fat from the meat sacrificed. This was forbidden in the book of Leviticus chapter 3, the fat was to be offered as a sacrifice. The fat belonged to the Lord. (Leviticus 3:16). So here were these men who were from the tribe of Levi, designated as priests of God and they were robbing from God. The land of Israel once again needed a judge to call them to repentance and to call them to honor and serve God. God was about to call this Boy Samuel to do the work of a Judge and Prophet.
While Samuel was just a lad in the service of Eli, he would have a dream. In that dream, Samuel would here his name called. Naturally, because he was in the service of Eli, he felt that Eli was calling him, so Samuel goes to Eli and says, Here I am, you called? Eli eventually understands that it is God calling Samuel to serve him, so Eli tells Samuel that when he hears the voice, he is to answer: “Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:9). Samuel hears that God is about to pass judgment upon Eli and his sons for their disobedience. When quizzed by Eli, Samuel does not withhold any information from Eli concerning his coming judgment. Eli’s response is: “It is the LORD; let Him do what seems good to Him.” (1 Samuel 3:18).
· Samuel would lead the Israelite army to take back the Ark of the Covenant. (1 Samuel 7). The people of Israel would soon become convinced that they needed a political leader like the other nations around them. This would greatly trouble Samuel. The elders of Israel had valid concerns though. Samuel was old and his sons were not like him because they perverted justice and took bribes (1 Samuel 8:3). They wanted a king. Samuel prayed because the idea of a king did not set well with him. The Lord answers Samuel and says: "Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. "Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day--in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods--so they are doing to you also. "Now then, listen to their voice; however, you shall solemnly warn them and tell them of the procedure of the king who will reign over them." (1 Samuel 8:7-9).
· Samuel warns the people as the Lord commands: “So Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to the people who had asked of him a king. He said, This will be the procedure of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots. He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants. He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants. Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day."
· The people refuse to listen. So Samuel under the Lord’s guidance chooses Saul, Israel’s 1st king.
· Saul would come from the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Kish. Saul would be the military leader that would lead the fight against the Philistines. After being anointed King over Israel, Saul would overstep his boundaries as political leader. He would foolishly act also as a spiritual leader by sacrificing animals at Gilgal (1 Samuel 13:8-14). He would command his army to fast before a battle (1 Samuel 14:24-26) and refusing to obey God’s command to utterly destroy the entire Amelek people and all their livestock. Because of this disobedience Samuel gave Saul this final judgment: “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king." (1 Samuel 15: 22-23). This final act of disobedience would forever plague Saul. He would be cursed with an unsettled spirit. This “evil spirit” as the scriptures say would cause great consternation.
· Samuel would be called upon to select the next King. His name would be David. He would be from the tribe of Judah. David was the youngest son of Jesse. David was the great grandson of Ruth and Boaz. David would be the one who would kill Goliah and comfort Saul with his playing of the lyre. David would pen a great many of the Psalms. David would capture the city of Jerusalem from the Jebusites. When he establishing Jerusalem as his capital, he would carry out the fulfillment of Abraham’s promise and conquer all the surrounding lands.
For all his accomplishments, David had a grievous flaw in his character. He had a great desire to have many wives and concubines. This was in direct disobedience against the Laws of God: “When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, and you possess it and live in it, and you say, 'I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me, you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman. Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the LORD has said to you, 'You shall never again return that way. He shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself" (Deuteronomy 17:14-17). This lustful nature within David would cause him to commit adultery and murder. Specifically the sin with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah. Because of this, David would be confronted by Nathan the prophet. Nathan confronts David using the story of a shepherd. David, who was a shepherd and upon hearing the story by Nathan demands that the man who has done this great injustice be brought before him. Nathan tells David. “You are the Man” (2 Samuel 12:7). David would pen Psalm 51 after his confrontation with Nathan. Even though God would forgive David this sin would cost David greatly. The baby conceived would die, his only daughter Tamar would raped by his oldest son. His son Absolom would avenge his sister Tamar by killing the crown prince Amnon who had raped Tamar. Absolom would lead a rebellion against his father. Joab would kill Absolom. There would be great upheaval in David’s house because of his sin. Yet though all this, David would still be the apple of God’s eye and his son Solomon would be the one to build the 1st Temple. David would reign for forty years. His life would span from 1040 to 970 BC.
Solomon was a man of wisdom. This is what he sought most of all before God. It was wisdom to rule well. (2 Kings 3:5-15). Under Solomon’s reign, Israel would begin her Golden age. The kingdom would prosper largely because of the trade routes and the fact that Israel had a very strong army to protect her assets. Solomon would build the 1st Temple. He would pen the book of Proverbs and the Book of Ecclesiastes. Yet for all his accomplishments, Solomon would be subject to the same sexual excesses that his father David suffered from. In fact the Bible records that Solomon had over seven hundred wives and 300 concubines. (1 Kings 11:1-3 “Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the sons of Israel, "You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods." Solomon held fast to these in love. He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away.”) It is sad that Solomon had not harkened to the very advice he had given his own son: (Proverbs 5). This giving into his wives would lay the foundation for idol worship in the land, infant sacrifice, the division of the kingdom and eventually God’s judgment from Assyria and Babylon. Solomon would reign for 40 years. At the end of his reign, taxation of the people had gone completely out of control. He would reign from 970 to 930 BC.