Judges 21

I knew that the results of the last chapter would not be good. Now the Israelites are regretful of their near-total destruction of the Benjamites. Instead of just living with their actions, they make it worse by wiping another whole Israeli city out and taking its virgin girls captive as wives for some of the remaining men. That isn't enough, so they also advise the Benjamites to kidnap the daughters of Shiloh. Frankly I don't understand why either of those groups of girls would be willing to submit to that sort of treatment, nor can I imagine that none of the other Israelites had friends or family in the towns that were wiped out; if you did, why would you allow this to happen? I think there are just a lot of cultural differences between our modern society and theirs, which probably account for many of the seemingly strange behaviors of those times. Women were obviously not treated as equals, and without a central leadership (no human king) we are told that 'each man did what he considered to be right' (verse 25). Anarchy, anyone?

Judges 20

I knew the events of the last chapter would not lead to anything good. The Israelites are rightly appalled at the behavior of those in the town of Gibeah, but their Benjamite brothers protect them rather than handing them over to be punished. Because of that, the whole country goes to war - and tens of thousands of soldiers are killed on both sides. Moreover, not only is Gibeah destroyed (a measure I can understand) but the whole Benjamite tribe is wiped out almost to a man. Even the women and children are erased, with only 600 men who escape the battles surviving. I'm pretty sure descendants of Benjamin still live today, though, so there should be some sort of resolution to this in the next and final chapter of Judges.

What surprises me here is the level of total warfare that is waged over this. In modern times we would call destruction of this degree 'genocide', and it was done by the Israelites against their own people. Why did all of them deserve to die? I understand killing the men responsible, and even the measure of destroying their city - and since the Benjamites sent soldiers to aid that city I understand defeating them too. However, it seems a bit much to go to the effort of them wiping out all the cities, towns, people and animals in that land; after all, what threat were they? Perhaps we should look back and shake our heads, or perhaps there is a lesson to be learned here about how war must sometimes be conducted. I just wish I knew which it was...

Judges 19

The story contained in this chapter is both sickening and saddening. We have another case like Sodom of a city so imbued with evil that they would rape guests, and at the same time a man who went out of his way to get his concubine back but then was willing to let her take the abuse that was demanded of him. Why would he go after her like that if he did not love her? Why would he let them do what they did to her if he loved her? Why would the people of a town be so evil? It all seems so pointless, but I'm sure that it is going somewhere; I guess we'll see tomorrow.

Judges 18

Well, this chapter didn't have nearly the bad consequences I was expecting it to have. Micah did have his priest and idols stolen, which was the least of what he deserved, but he wasn't punished or even reprimanded by God - nor were the Danites who stole his things, as best as I can tell. The final verses indicate that the tribe of Dan worshiped Micah's idol on their own until the time of the Exile; that means a few hundred years, and through the time of the various kings that Israel had. I am very surprised that God allowed that, but perhaps there was more to the story which was not recorded (or which is written elsewhere).

Judges 17

This short chapter describes the first 'cult' talked about in the Bible - and perhaps the only one, as I don't recall that being a theme or major issue anywhere else. The man named Micah and his family claim to be worshiping God, but he has idols and seems to have wrong impressions of what God's will is. Near the end he thinks that God will make him rich because he hired a Levite to serve as his priest - but I don't recall the Lord making any such statements previously. It will be interesting, and likely saddening, to see where this ends up.

Judges 16

It is pretty clear that Samson had women problems. I'm not sure what he did for the twenty years he led Israel, but his career started with a marriage gone bad, then he went in for a prostitute, and then fell in love with a woman who nagged him into giving away the secret of his strength. A flawed man, just like all of us, and it was his downfall.

In the end he got revenge, though, and the Bible says he killed more people in his death than he had in his life - which means quite a few, since he had already killed in excess of 1,030 (just in his early days).

Judges 15

I realized this evening that I haven't done my blog in several days - the first time since I started this over two hundred days ago that I missed it, and boy did I ever miss (at least three days without remembering). Anyways, I'm picking up tonight where I left off.

Samson really comes into his own, or more properly into God's power, in this section. He gets revenge first for his wife being given away to another man, and then when she and her father are killed he went on a rampage against those who did it. Lastly, he kills a thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey - amazing! A great example of God's purpose being carried out in a way which no mere human on his own could ever accomplish.

It also looks like Samson led the Israelites for a couple decades after these events, before he finally met his demise. But I am getting ahead of myself - that should be left for future entries.

Judges 14

The story of Samson picks up in this chapter, with some interesting exploits. It looks like God is setting him up to be hated by the Philistines, so that he will have cause to rise up against them. So far he has killed 30 of them, to provide clothes for a bet he made which he lost. I think this will also mark the beginning of 'women trouble' for Samson, as he was betrayed by the woman he was going to marry. If my memory serves, this will become a recurring theme in his life.

Judges 13

The cycle of disobedience among the Israelites is back yet again, and this time they are oppressed for 40 years. But as always in this chapter another judge is on his way - this time in the form of Samson. The account here in chapter 13 of how God told his parents about his coming is pretty cool; I especially like how God responds to the father's request to see the angelic messenger again, since only his wife had seen him at first. It is odd, though, that when he asks how the boy should be raised the answer is that the mother should avoid alcohol and unclean foods. I wonder if more was said that was not written down, or if that omission was intentional.

Judges 12

It looks like the loss of Jephthah's daughter was not the only negative result of his campaign - some of his fellow Israelites also took it badly, and there was a short but bloody civil war. After that was quelled he led Israel for six years before he died.

It seems, actually, that most of the judges listed in this chapter led short lives. None of them spent more than a decade leading the Israelites, so either they started their careers as old men they must have died at a rather young age. At least one had grandsons, though, so he was likely on the older side.

Judges 11

This chapter saddens my heart. It starts off well enough - a man is found to lead the Israelites efforts against their oppressors, and he appears to respect the Lord. However, before going to war he decides to make an oath that if he is given victory then the first creature to welcome him when he returns home would be offered as a burnt sacrifice to God. Of course he was successful in his campaign, but upon returning it is is only child, his daughter, who first comes out to greet him.

What a foolish thing to do! I can't imagine what would possess a man to make such an oath; I can understand offering any quantity of gold, goods, or animals - but to leave even the remotest chance that he would have to sacrifice a human... and a family member at that... it seems unconscionable.

There are apparently those who read this as the daughter being given to the Lord in a capacity of servitude instead: without the opportunity to marry and bear children, but not being literally given as a burnt offering. I don't know how they can read that from this text, but perhaps the original language doesn't translate well to English. I'd wish that were the case, but I can't see how it would have been as devastating a loss for the man (who truly seemed heart-broken over what had happened).

Judges 10

It looks like we are back to the cycle of sin and repentance found earlier in Judges, and this chapter is setting the stage for another character to rise and save Israel under God's direction. I look forward to where this is going in the next chapter.

Judges 9

The rather length chapter today reads more like Shakespeare than a passage of the Bible, as it is filled with treachery, murder, and tragedy. Despite Gideon's prodigious number of offspring his line is nearly wiped out: seventy of his sons, all but one, are killed by their half-brother (the son of his concubine). The one surviving heir curses both the half-brother and those who supported him, and the rest of the section tells of the ills that befall them as the curse runs its course. There is a lot that goes into the tale, but not really all that much to take out of it. I guess the moral here is not to conspire to commit evil, as God sees everything and will repay each person in turn for their actions.

Judges 8

Today the story of Gideon ends in victory over Israels enemies, but with a slightly tragic twist as well. Here are some observations:

- Gideon is older here than I thought, as he has a son already. Apparently his son was still young, though, and was afraid to execute the enemy kings as Gideon asked him to do.

- Even in victory, Gideon snares himself. While he rightly rejects becoming a king he does effectively make an idol, or something similar, which the Israelites elevate to a position higher than any man-made object should occupy. While it does not appear that God directly punished Israel or Gideon for the act, it does seem a poor way to end such a great military campaign.

- We are told that the enemies of this story, the Midianites, are descendants of Ishmael. Apparently even before the modern Islamic religion was founded his (Ishmael's) heirs were already a thorn in the side of Israel. History repeats itself, no?

Judges 7

More of the story of Gideon today - his first battle under the Lord's command. All it takes is three hundred men, less than one percent of the army that had answered Gideon's call, to throw the enemy army into disarray. Of course, it wasn't really the men who won the battle... it was God, and that is the reason He chose so few to go (so that they could not think it was their own strength that won the day). That is a good lesson for us all, even today: God can do anything through us, or with us, so we need to depend on Him and not ourselves.

Judges 6

Wow - Gideon rocks! I have the feeling that I am going to enjoy this continuing story. So far the Lord Himself came to Gideon, who was the youngest son in his family (reminds me of David - god seems to have a penchant for picking the 'underdog'), and commanded him to take on the foreigners who were harassing Israel. His first task was to destroy local shrines to Baal and Ashera, which he accomplished, and from there it looks like he is going to lead an army against the invaders.

A couple other things stood out to me here. Gideon saw God and knew it was a dangerous thing - but did not die. He also asked God for a sign of His identity and intent, three times in fact, and God never got angry with him. A pretty gutsy guy all around; I wonder just how old he was.

Judges 5

After the victory of Deborah and Barak in the last chapter, they sing a victory song. It is rather confusing in some places, but then I've never been a great lover of poetry - and poetry that has been translated is even trickier. It is very descriptive in places, almost to the point of being grotesque, but the theme is solid: when the Israelites cry out to God He hears them, He rescues them, and those who obey Him in the process are honored.

Judges 4

Today the reading covers the story of Deborah, who was the only female "judge" or leader of Israel during this era (at least as far as I know). She is often referenced when the question of having women in leadership roles in the church is discussed, and something along those lines came up a few weeks back in my small group / bible study. When reading through the chapter that night what struck me was that Barak, the man who she summons and tells to go lead an army against their oppressors, would not just take her word and go - he insisted that she come as well. We don't know for sure why he does this, but it strikes me as a rather cowardly thing to do. If the leader of your country orders you to do that, you go - especially when she is relaying a command from God! In return, though, the honor of killing the enemy general does not go to him; it goes to a woman.

I'm actually not entirely sure why she killed the fellow, as we are told that her family had a treaty with the enemy, but she did - and in a rather sneaky, violent (is there any way to kill someone not violently?), and ingenious way. And now history remembers her...

Judges 3

As much as I don't like the reason that the Israelites need the leaders or judges God is providing, I do like them as individuals (at least the three described in this chapter). I used the term 'kick-ass' to describe them to Rose tonight, and while she said that might not be the most appropriate thing to call a Biblical character I think it is quite accurate. It takes a lot of faith in God to walk into a king's mansion and assassinate him, as Ehud did, and a lot of strength to kill six-hundred (600!) people with an oxgoad. These are my kind of men; someone should do a 'superhero' movie about them :)

Judges 2

It looks like the events of the previous chapter may indeed have occurred before Joshua's death, as that is repeated here in Judges 2. After those in his generation died out those who followed did indeed turn away from God and His commandments - just as I has suspected might happen, given the stern warnings in the preceding books. The cycle that will be repeated throughout the rest of this section of Scripture is described here: a generation disobeys, is attacked or enslaved by those around them, and then cries out to the Lord who sends a leader to rescue them. When the leader dies, it is 'rinse and repeat'.

This sounds a lot like the cycle in my own life, though on a much smaller scale :/