Milo

FEBRUARY 21

Reading 52

DEBORAH

Judges 4–5

“So may all your enemies perish, O Lord! But may they who love You be like the sun when it rises in its strength” (Jdg. 5:31).Women were not generally leaders in patriarchal Israel. But her sex did not disqualify Deborah, whose spiritual gifts were acknowledged by God’s people.

Overview

Deborah, the prophetess—leader of Israel, told a hesitant Barak to raise an army (4:1–11). The Israelite victory (vv. 12–24) is celebrated in one of the most beautiful of ancient poems, Deborah’s song (5:1–31).

Understanding the Text

Deborah.

Deborah is identified as a prophetess. God used her as His spokesman, communicating special messages to His people. The text also says she was “leading [judging] Israel at that time.” This was very unusual in a society that emphasized male leadership and female subordination. The text also says that Deborah served as a sort of supreme court and settled disputes that could not be decided locally. Any one of these roles would set off any individual as special, male or female. Possession of all three roles indicates that Deborah was a truly unusual woman, with great personal and spiritual gifts. Deborah reminds us that society’s stereotypes need not hold for God’s people. God’s choice of Deborah shows that He is free to work through any human being. That choice reminds us that a person’s sex does not automatically qualify or disqualify him or her for significant ministry. Barak. Barak himself is a fascinating study. Barak was hesitant and fearful, unwilling to face the enemy unless Deborah accompanied his army (4:8). This was despite the fact that Deborah had promised Barak victory in God’s name. Dependence on God is desirable. Dependence on human beings, even those who may represent God, is not. Barak’s mistake was to trust God to act only through Deborah, rather than trust God directly. We can appreciate and honor our spiritual leaders; but we must not exalt them to the extent that Barak exalted Deborah. “Jabin, a king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor” Jdg. 4:1–11. Hazor had been destroyed by Joshua. But the strategic site was rebuilt, and a new Jabin (probably a dynastic name) controlled the lowlands and “cruelly oppressed” Israel. That oppression is described in 5:6–10. The Israelites feared to travel by roads, abandoned many villages, and lacked weapons. On the other hand, the Canaanites, under their skilled commander, Sisera, had 900 iron chariots. A look at a map shows that the oppression affected only the northernmost of Israel’s tribes, notably Naphtali and Zebulun. Deborah’s location in Ephraim’s highlands suggests that she was not directly affected. We don’t need to be directly affected by suffering to become involved. Paul says of the body of Christ, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it” (1 Cor. 12:26). “Sisera gathered together his nine hundred iron chariots and all the men . . . to the Kishon River” Jdg. 4:11–16. In the dry season the Esdraelon Valley through which the Kishon trickled was ideal for chariot warfare: flat and hard, with room to maneuver. However, when wet, the valley turned to muck, making chariots a liability. While Judges 4:15 simply says that “the Lord routed Sisera” and that “Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot,” Deborah’s song explains. She describes how “the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water” (5:4). Baal, worshiped by the Canaanites, was originally a god of thunder and thunderstorms. Here the Lord turns the storm against the worshipers of the storm god and uses rain to neutralize their military advantage! The victory over the Canaanites was a divine judgment on the religion of the Canaanites as well as on their treatment of God’s people. “Please give me some water” Jdg. 4:17–23. Sisera’s request for water may suggest more than thirst. Among nomadic peoples even the most deadly of enemies who was given food or drink came under the protection of his host. In the absence of her husband, Jael acted as hostess. She gave Sisera the drink he requested and hid him in her tent. She then violated custom and with a single blow drove a sharpened tent peg through his forehead. We shouldn’t be surprised at Jael’s strength. Among nomadic Middle Eastern people women pitch the tents, so the tent peg and mallet would have been familiar tools. Despite her violation of hospitality, Deborah blessed Jael. Unlike others, Jael came forward “to help the Lord, to help the Lord against the mighty” (5:23). There are times when Christians too need to step forward, even when an act of conscience goes against community standards. Civil disobedience during the ’60s—the civil rights movement—was one such time. I suspect that picketing abortion clinics in the ’90s is another time when Christians need to be willing to come forward to “help the Lord against the mighty.” “Through the window” Jdg. 5:28–31. The imagery and irony of this brief passage has led to its recognition as perhaps the most brilliant of all ancient poems. “They destroyed him” Jdg. 4:24. The victory over Sisera’s army drained the strength of the Canaanites. The war wasn’t over. But that battle was the turning point. The text says that after the battle the Israelites grew stronger, and finally they destroyed the Canaanite king and his kingdom. Judges 5:31 adds, “Then the land had peace for forty years.” Some Christians believe that turning to Jesus solves all problems automatically. I’ve known one or two alcoholics who claimed that after their conversions they never wanted to touch another drop. But I’ve known many more who report that they have to struggle daily against the urge to take just one drink. The victory over Sisera reminds us that we do have to battle the things in life that oppress us. We have to take a stand and claim the victory. But the first battle in which the enemy suffers a crushing defeat may well be a prelude to years of struggle. We, like the Israelites, need to grow stronger and stronger, and to recognize that it may take a long time to “destroy him.”

DEVOTIONAL

Staying by the Campfire (Jdg. 5)

Deborah’s song is a victory shout. It vibrates with excitement and praise. It overflows with joy and enthusiasm. And no wonder. The battle with Sisera was the turning point for a whole generation. Twenty years of oppression were transformed into 40 years of peace. Deborah and Barak led an army of men whose proudest claim in years to come would be, “I was there, at the river Kishon.” No wonder the victory poem is so electric, so vibrant and filled with joy. Except for a few verses in the middle. Verses that describe the tribes who failed to answer the call to battle the Canaanites. The men of Ephraim came. The tribes of Zebulun and Issachar were there. But where was Reuben? Where were Gilead and Dan and Asher when “the people of Zebulun risked their very lives”? “In the districts of Reuben,” Deborah says, “there was much searching of heart. Why did you stay among the campfires to hear the whistling for the flocks?” (vv. 16–18) Why, when opportunity came to make history, did these people stay home, absorbed in the ordinary tasks of daily life? Sitting around the campfire. Caring for the sheep. As though nothing special were happening just over the mountain, where their brothers risked their very lives. There’s really no answer to that question. Was it a lack of vision? A failure to see the opportunity? Was it a lack of caring, a failure to be moved by the suffering of others? Whatever the reason, these members of God’s household failed to sense that the critical moment had arrived. They failed to act. And God won the victory without them. And what a lesson for us today. God will win His victories with whoever volunteers. But how sad it would be for us if we were to stay by our campfire while history was made.

Personal Application

What opportunity is too great for you to miss today?

Quotable

“We will lie down for such a long time after death that it is worthwhile to keep standing while we are alive. Let us work now; one day we shall rest.”—Agostina Pietrantoni

Judges

FEBRUARY 20

Reading 51

SPIRITUAL DECLINE Judges 1–3

“Another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel” (Jdg. 2:10).There is cause and effect in the spiritual as well as physical universe. The cause of the failure of the next generation to know God was rooted in the incomplete obedience of its parents.

Background

Centuries before, God had promised Abraham that his descendants would possess Canaan. Under Joshua these descendants, the Israelites, invaded the Promised Land. In an extended military campaign Joshua broke the power of the Canaanite city-states, and then distributed the land to Israelite tribes. But there were still pockets of resistance; areas occupied by the various ethnic groups that had settled Canaan long before. Each Hebrew tribe was responsible to drive out any Canaanites left as its population grew and its people needed more land. But there was one requirement. The Canaanites were to be exterminated or driven from the land, lest their religion corrupt God’s chosen people. The Book of Judges tells the tragic story of a people who have been blessed by God, but forfeit their future by incomplete obedience.

Overview

Judah boldly attacked Canaanites remaining in its territory (1:1–26). But other tribes failed to drive the Canaanites out (vv. 27–36). God refused further aid to His disobedient people (2:1–5). The next generations turned to idols and intermarried with the Canaanites, causing national decline. Even the judges God provided effect only temporary recommitment to the Lord (vv. 6–23).

Understanding the Text

“The Lord was with the men of Judah” Jdg. 1:1–26. After Joshua’s death the tribe of Judah demonstrated continuing faith in God. They boldly attacked the Canaanites still within their territory. The victories they won should have encouraged all Israel. One of the most significant things we can do to strengthen our faith is read Christian biographies. While these are not published frequently today, the life stories of men and women of faith can challenge and encourage us. Relatively recent publications like Through Gates of Splendor and Born Again, as well as older classics about Hudson Taylor and George Muller, can deepen our awareness of what God is able to do through individuals. If only the rest of the tribes of Israel had learned from Judah’s experience, the next few hundred years of Israel’s history might have been different. Archeology confirms the Old Testament picture of the Israelites confined in Canaan’s hill country (Jdg. 1:19). In the lowlands Canaanite chariot armies seemed too strong for the fearful Israelites to attack. Chariots like this one were the tanks of ancient warfare. By this era they were used to directly attack and smash formations of foot soldiers. “The Canaanites were determined” Jdg. 1:27–36. The other tribes did not follow Judah’s example. They hesitated to attack the Canaanites in their territory. The Canaanites were more determined to stay than Israel was to obey God and drive them out! This hesitation to obey God led to direct disobedience. When Israel did become strong, rather than attack the Canaanites they simply enslaved them. Any failure to obey is a step toward direct disobedience. “They will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare” Jdg. 2:1–5. God confronted Israel with the sin of disobedience and pronounced judgment. He would withdraw His support. Now Israel would not be able to drive out the Canaanites. In the spiritual life, “will not” all too soon becomes “cannot.” “Therefore the Lord was very angry” Jdg. 2:6–23. The author of Judges now injects a summary that traces a sequence of events which was repeated throughout this era. Each element of the cycle can be seen in most of the stories of the judges found in this book. The overall evaluation of the period is expressed powerfully in 2:19. “But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.” Each cycle saw the people of God pull farther away from the Lord, and subjected them to even harsher judgments. The normal Christian life is intended to be an unbroken walk of fellowship with the Lord. Those who see Christian experience as a cycle of sin, confession, restoration, temporary obedience, and sin again, have missed the message of this Old Testament book. Each time we choose to venture into sin we are likely to go farther. God is always willing to take us back. But sin will ultimately harden our hearts against Him. “Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord” Jdg. 3:12–31. Judges 3 briefly outlines the story of two early judges. Note that each story incorporates all elements of the cycle outlined below.

SIN	3:7	3:12
SERVITUDE	3:8	3:13–14
SUPPLICATION	3:9	3:15
SALVATION	3:9–10	3:13–29
SILENCE	3:11	3:30

We can break cycles like this in our lives only by resisting the temptation to sin. CYCLE OF EVENTS

SIN	2:11–13	The Israelites turn to Baal worship and immorality.
SERVITUDE	2:14–15	Foreign nations defeat, oppress Israel.
SUPPLICATION	2:15	Under oppression Israel confesses sin, prays.
SALVATION	2:16	God raised up judges to deliver His people.
SILENCE	2:18	During his life the judge keeps Israel more or less faithful to the Lord.

DEVOTIONAL

Growing the Next Generation (Jdg. 2)

Ever run into one of those sayings designed to make parents feel guilty? Like, “As the twig is bent, so grows the tree”? Or, “The apple never falls far from the tree”? Personally, I don’t buy the implication. Each person is responsible for his or her own choices. I can’t take credit for the godly choices my grown-up children make. And I’m not responsible for their wrong or foolish choices either. But this passage, like so many in these early books of the Old Testament, makes it clear that each generation does influence the next. Here the text tells us that “after that whole generation [which had fought with Joshua for Canaan] had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel” (v. 10). Somehow a whole generation had failed to communicate the reality of its experience with God to the next. If you wonder why they failed, the answer is right there in chapter 1 of this Old Testament book. After Joshua’s death, only Judah exhibited trust in God and took on the Canaanite enemy. The others hesitated, fearfully. And when, by sheer force of growing numbers, they overawed the Canaanites, rather than drive them out the Israelites enslaved them. The parents failed to trust God. They disobeyed God. And their children “knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel.” You and I can’t guarantee that our children will know the Lord or live for Him. But if we trust God enough to act on His Word, if we are obedient in our daily lives, our children will never be able to say of God, “I didn’t know Him.” The reality of who God is is displayed in the faith moms and dads put into practice, and in their obedience to His Word.

Personal Application

There’s nothing more important we can do for our children than love, trust, and obey the Lord.

Quotable

“There is just one way to bring up a child in the way he should go and that is to travel that way yourself.”—Abraham Lincoln

Judges

INTRODUCTION

The Book of Judges spans the period between the death of Joshua, about 1375 B.C., to the crowning of Israel’s first king, Saul, around 1040 B.C. The book traces the deterioration of Israel’s faith and fortunes. It explains why the people of God failed to experience His blessing. Judges takes its name from the charismatic leaders God raised up when Israel abandoned idolatry and turned to Him for help. The “judges” were national leaders in the fullest sense. Typically they functioned as military commanders, religious leaders, and governors of the tribes they served. This small book is usually valued for its stories of heroes like Deborah, Gideon, and Samson. But its message is more grim. The future is bleak for any nation that abandons God and the righteous way of life His Law describes.

OUTLINE OF CONTENTS

I.	Causes of the Judges Era	Jdg. 1:1–3:6
II.	Conditions During the Judges Era:	Jdg. 3:7–16:31
	Seven Cycles of Oppression/Deliverance
	1. Othniel	Jdg. 3:7–11
	2. Eglon	Jdg. 3:12–31
	3. Deborah and Barak	Jdg. 4:1–5:31
	4. Gideon	Jdg. 6:1–8:32
	5. Tola and Jair	Jdg. 8:33–10:5
	6. Jephthah	Jdg. 10:6–12:15
	7. Samson	Jdg. 13:1–16:31
III.	Human Consequences of the Judges Era	Jdg. 17:1–21:25

Question: “What is the cause of all the anti-Semitism in the world?”

Answer: Why does the world hate the Jews? Why is anti-Semitism so rampant in so many different nations? What is so bad about the Jews? History has shown that at various times over the last 1,700 years the Jews have been expelled from over 80 different countries. Historians and experts have concluded there are at least six possible reasons:

• Racial Theory – the Jews are hated because they are an inferior race.
• Economic Theory – the Jews are hated because they possess too much wealth and power.
• Outsiders Theory – the Jews are hated because they are different from everyone else.
• Scapegoat Theory – the Jews are hated because they are the cause for all the world’s problems.
• Deicide Theory – the Jews are hated because they killed Jesus Christ.
• Chosen People Theory – the Jews are hated because they arrogantly declare they are the “chosen ones of God.”

Is there any substance to these theories?

• With respect to the racial theory, the truth is that the Jews are not a race. Anyone in the world of any color, creed, or race can become a Jew.

• The economic theory citing that the Jews are wealthy doesn’t hold much weight. History has shown that during the 17th through the 20th centuries, especially in Poland and Russia, the Jews were desperately poor and had very little, if any, influence in business or political systems.

• As for the outsiders’ theory, during the 18th century, the Jews desperately tried to assimilate with the rest of Europe. They had hoped that assimilation would cause anti-Semitism to disappear. However, they were hated even more by those who claimed the Jews would infect their race with inferior genes. This was especially true in Germany prior to World War II.

• As for the scapegoat theory, the fact is that the Jews have always been hated, which makes them a very convenient target.

• As for the idea of deicide, the Bible makes it clear that the Romans were the ones who actually killed Jesus, though the Jews acted as accomplices. It wasn’t until a few hundred years later that the Jews were cited as the murderers of Jesus. One wonders why the Romans are not the ones hated. Jesus Himself forgave the Jews (Luke 23:34). Even the Vatican absolved the Jews of Jesus’ death in 1963. Nevertheless, neither statement has diminished anti-Semitism.

• As for their claim to being the “chosen people of God,” the Jews in Germany rejected their “chosen-ness” status during the later part of the 19th century to better assimilate into German culture. Nevertheless, they suffered the Holocaust. Today, some Christians and Muslims claim to be the “chosen people” of God, yet for the most part, the world tolerates them and still hates the Jews.

This brings us to the real reason why the world hates the Jews. The apostle Paul tells us, “For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!” (Romans 9:3-5). The truth is that the world hates the Jews because the world hates God. The Jews were God’s firstborn, His chosen people (Deuteronomy 14:2). Through the Jewish patriarchs, the prophets, and the temple, God used the Jews to bring forth His Word, the Law, and morality to a world of sin. He sent forth His son, Jesus the Christ, in a Jewish body to redeem the world of sin. Satan, the prince of the earth (John 14:30; Ephesians 2:2), has poisoned the minds of men with his hatred of the Jews. See Revelation 12 for an allegorical depiction of Satan’s (the dragon’s) hatred of the Jewish nation (the woman).

Satan has tried to wipe out the Jews through the Babylonians, the Persians, the Assyrians, the Egyptians, the Hittites, and the Nazis. But he’s failed every time. God is not finished with Israel. Romans 11:26 tells us that some day all Israel will be saved, and this cannot come to pass if Israel no longer exists. Therefore, God will preserve the Jews for the future, just as He has preserved their remnant throughout history, until His final plan comes to pass. Nothing can thwart God’s plan for Israel and the Jewish people.

Answer: Martin Luther was a 16th-century German monk and professor of theology at the University of Wittenberg. He is credited with being the catalyst for the Protestant Reformation. Luther rightly understood and taught that salvation is not earned by works but is received only as a free gift of God’s grace through faith in Jesus as redeemer from sin (Ephesians 2:8-9). His challenge of the authority of the pope of the Roman Catholic Church as head of the church and the posting of his famous “95 Theses” on the door of the Wittenberg church sealed his fate. In 1521, he was excommunicated by the pope and condemned as an outlaw by the emperor.

Luther’s many written contributions to the Christian faith and his stand for biblical authority are of monumental importance. He translated the Bible from Latin into German because he felt the common people should have the Word of God to read for themselves instead of relying on priests and popes to interpret it for them. However, as Luther aged, he seemed to develop an unaccountable antipathy against the Jewish people. As early as 1516, Luther wrote positively of the Jews, “…many people are proud with marvelous stupidity when they call the Jews dogs, evildoers, or whatever they like, while they too, and equally, do not realize who or what they are in the sight of God.” In 1523, Luther advised kindness toward the Jews in That Jesus Christ was Born a Jew, but only with the aim of converting them to Christianity. When his efforts at conversion failed, he grew increasingly bitter toward them. In 1543, his most egregiously anti-Semitic book was published, On the Jews and Their Lies, in which he makes outlandish statements regarding the Jews, calling them “a base, whoring people, that is, no people of God, and their boast of lineage, circumcision, and law must be accounted as filth.”

It’s impossible to know what was in Luther’s heart as he penned these awful things. Was he truly a Jew-hater? Or was his passion for the truth of Scripture and for Jesus Christ—who was rejected by the Jews—so overwhelming that he felt compelled to condemn the Christ-rejecters to whoredom in the same vein as the prophet Hosea who compared the Jews who rejected their God to whores and prostitutes? Whatever his motivation, it is clear that Luther’s writings were used as Nazi propaganda. Largely ignored during the 18th and 19th centuries, On the Jews and Their Lies surfaced during the run-up to World War II, when it was displayed at the Nazi rallies in Nuremberg. Of course, the long history of German hatred of the Jews played a much more significant role in bringing about the Holocaust than did Luther’s writings.

There is no doubt that Martin Luther has played an important role in the formation of Protestantism. Sadly, his great contributions are also hampered by his unwarranted and unbiblical hatred of the Jewish people. One thing to remember when wrestling with questions like Luther’s apparent anti-Semitism is the fact that believers in Christ are still natural-born sinners, and we retain the sin nature even after the new birth. Just because Martin Luther was in error on one subject does not deny that he was right on others. Conversely, just because he was able to teach God’s absolute truth does not mean that everything he said was absolute truth.

In the ministry of Apostle Paul, we have an example of how we are to approach any teaching. During his second missionary journey, Paul established a church in the Greek city of Thessalonica. Some of the Jews believed, along with many Gentiles, but Paul was driven out of the city by the unbelieving Jews, who refused to hear his message. In verse 11, Luke describes the Jews in the synagogue of Berea as “more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” To the Bereans, it didn’t really matter who the messenger was; they wanted to find out if the things being said were true according to God’s Word. For that, they are given the title of “noble.” When we read Martin Luther’s writings or sing his hymns, we ought to be “checking the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” If they are true to the Word, then we rejoice and accept them. If not, we are to set them aside and cling to the truth.