Judges 9

Judges 9:1

Joseph

Here we read about Joseph. Although the LORD is with him, as with Judah, we have indications here too that he does not fully trust the LORD. He goes up against Bethel in faith, and therefore is the LORD with him. But then he starts sending out spies. Has the LORD commanded this? This reminds of the history in Joshua 2, where Joshua orders to spy out the land. The difference is that there it is a work of faith and that is missed here. The man from Luz turns out to be a traitor. Instead of joining the people of God, like Rahab, he builds up the city destroyed by the LORD.

Time and again we are reminded that we should not trust or let any enemy escape. In spiritual matters we cannot profit from ideas of the world, of which Joseph’s negotiations with the man from Luz are a picture. In the long run, we will end up being deceived. It seems that we will benefit from it, but that is only for a short time. Anything that we justify in our lives, when it is something of the enemy, of the flesh or of our own will, will at some point turn against us. Just like here with the man from Luz. The whole city is destroyed, but that man and his family they let go.

The names show us the lesson in their meaning. Bethel means ‘house of God’, Luz means ‘separation’ and Hittites stands for ‘children of horror’. The name of the city is first Luz, ‘separation’. As such, it is in the possession of the enemy. Separation is a biblical truth, but it can be taught and put into practice in a reverse, unbiblical way. Thus, this biblical truth becomes ‘property’ of the enemy.

An example of this we see with the Pharisees. Their name means ‘separated’. There are positive exceptions among them, but in general the Pharisees are a group within the Jewish people that have separated themselves from the common people. They find themselves more holy than the rest. A few times the Lord Jesus calls them hypocrites. In Matthew 23 he denounces their hypocrisy in sharp words. They are characterized by tying up “heavy burdens” and laying “them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with [so much as] a finger” (Matthew 23:4). This Pharisaism is in our blood.

This enemy must be dealt with. Then Luz can be renamed: Bethel, that means ‘house of God’. In the house of God today, the church, God dwells (1 Timothy 3:15). All who have life from God also live there. If the wrong separation has disappeared from our lives, we can put the good separation into practice. Good separation is separation to God, it is serving Him in His house with dedication. To be in His presence means to take into account that He is the holy God Who cannot tolerate any evil. The Psalmist says of God’s house: “Holiness befits Your house, O LORD, forevermore” (Psalms 93:5b).

Another example of wrong separation is to live as a monk. Without judging the motives that lead someone to such a life, the principle of monastic life is alien to Scripture. It presupposes a special sanctification to God that goes so far, that one separates oneself from the ordinary affairs of life in the world to dedicate oneself to the higher things. What is forgotten, is that sin is in the heart of man. This wrong, outward form of separation must be overcome.

It is regrettable that in some respects we are still maintaining this wrong separation. This wrong will certainly become stronger over time. The Hittites, meaning ‘the children of horror’, find a breeding ground there. Those who do not get rid of the Pharisaism in their lives will sooner or later be dominated by Pharisaism. The consequence of this will be that his life has a horrible influence on others.

Judges 9:2

Joseph

Here we read about Joseph. Although the LORD is with him, as with Judah, we have indications here too that he does not fully trust the LORD. He goes up against Bethel in faith, and therefore is the LORD with him. But then he starts sending out spies. Has the LORD commanded this? This reminds of the history in Joshua 2, where Joshua orders to spy out the land. The difference is that there it is a work of faith and that is missed here. The man from Luz turns out to be a traitor. Instead of joining the people of God, like Rahab, he builds up the city destroyed by the LORD.

Time and again we are reminded that we should not trust or let any enemy escape. In spiritual matters we cannot profit from ideas of the world, of which Joseph’s negotiations with the man from Luz are a picture. In the long run, we will end up being deceived. It seems that we will benefit from it, but that is only for a short time. Anything that we justify in our lives, when it is something of the enemy, of the flesh or of our own will, will at some point turn against us. Just like here with the man from Luz. The whole city is destroyed, but that man and his family they let go.

The names show us the lesson in their meaning. Bethel means ‘house of God’, Luz means ‘separation’ and Hittites stands for ‘children of horror’. The name of the city is first Luz, ‘separation’. As such, it is in the possession of the enemy. Separation is a biblical truth, but it can be taught and put into practice in a reverse, unbiblical way. Thus, this biblical truth becomes ‘property’ of the enemy.

An example of this we see with the Pharisees. Their name means ‘separated’. There are positive exceptions among them, but in general the Pharisees are a group within the Jewish people that have separated themselves from the common people. They find themselves more holy than the rest. A few times the Lord Jesus calls them hypocrites. In Matthew 23 he denounces their hypocrisy in sharp words. They are characterized by tying up “heavy burdens” and laying “them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with [so much as] a finger” (Matthew 23:4). This Pharisaism is in our blood.

This enemy must be dealt with. Then Luz can be renamed: Bethel, that means ‘house of God’. In the house of God today, the church, God dwells (1 Timothy 3:15). All who have life from God also live there. If the wrong separation has disappeared from our lives, we can put the good separation into practice. Good separation is separation to God, it is serving Him in His house with dedication. To be in His presence means to take into account that He is the holy God Who cannot tolerate any evil. The Psalmist says of God’s house: “Holiness befits Your house, O LORD, forevermore” (Psalms 93:5b).

Another example of wrong separation is to live as a monk. Without judging the motives that lead someone to such a life, the principle of monastic life is alien to Scripture. It presupposes a special sanctification to God that goes so far, that one separates oneself from the ordinary affairs of life in the world to dedicate oneself to the higher things. What is forgotten, is that sin is in the heart of man. This wrong, outward form of separation must be overcome.

It is regrettable that in some respects we are still maintaining this wrong separation. This wrong will certainly become stronger over time. The Hittites, meaning ‘the children of horror’, find a breeding ground there. Those who do not get rid of the Pharisaism in their lives will sooner or later be dominated by Pharisaism. The consequence of this will be that his life has a horrible influence on others.

Judges 9:3

Manasseh and the Canaanites

From what is said about Manasseh, we get the impression that he has not taken full possession of any place. The whole region that has been allocated to him continues to breathe the Canaanite atmosphere. Although the Canaanites have become servants and their power has been broken in some way, they have managed to maintain themselves. Their will is stronger than the will of Manasseh. The will of the heathen peoples still has a strong influence on the weak people of God.

The influence of the world is a danger that threatens all Christians. The enemy may be obliged to acknowledge his superior in the believer, but when we ‘negotiate’ with him, he remains alive. We can be aware that the flesh should not be allowed to assert itself while at the same time we use it to achieve our goal. A certain Christian, for example, can speak well. For all sorts of reasons, he comes into a bad light, without being guilty. Will he now pull all his oratorical talent out of the stops to prove his innocence, or will he surrender it “to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:23)?

We can also look at our reaction when a brother has wronged us. Do we then go to the worldly court or do we rather be wronged (1 Corinthians 6:6-7)?

Judges 9:4

Manasseh and the Canaanites

From what is said about Manasseh, we get the impression that he has not taken full possession of any place. The whole region that has been allocated to him continues to breathe the Canaanite atmosphere. Although the Canaanites have become servants and their power has been broken in some way, they have managed to maintain themselves. Their will is stronger than the will of Manasseh. The will of the heathen peoples still has a strong influence on the weak people of God.

The influence of the world is a danger that threatens all Christians. The enemy may be obliged to acknowledge his superior in the believer, but when we ‘negotiate’ with him, he remains alive. We can be aware that the flesh should not be allowed to assert itself while at the same time we use it to achieve our goal. A certain Christian, for example, can speak well. For all sorts of reasons, he comes into a bad light, without being guilty. Will he now pull all his oratorical talent out of the stops to prove his innocence, or will he surrender it “to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:23)?

We can also look at our reaction when a brother has wronged us. Do we then go to the worldly court or do we rather be wronged (1 Corinthians 6:6-7)?

Judges 9:5

Ephraim and Zebulun

Ephraim and Zebulun also let the enemies live in their midst, they tolerate their presence. They do not realize that tolerating their enemies is dishonoring God. It is sin. It simply means an indifferent attitude to God’s land that He has given to all of Israel.

Judges 9:6

Ephraim and Zebulun

Ephraim and Zebulun also let the enemies live in their midst, they tolerate their presence. They do not realize that tolerating their enemies is dishonoring God. It is sin. It simply means an indifferent attitude to God’s land that He has given to all of Israel.

Judges 9:7

Asher and Naphtali

Asher and Naphtali make it even worse. They live in the midst of the enemies themselves, so they are more or less absorbed by the nations. Here the roles are reversed. The unfaithfulness of the people is having ever greater consequences. Now it is not the enemies living among the Israelites, which also means unfaithfulness to God, but the Israelites now live among the enemies. The enemies continue to control the land and tolerate the Israelites in their midst. What a weakness among the people!

It resembles someone who is a Christian, who has new life, but who is dictated in his life by his flesh, by his own thoughts. These thoughts are not formed by fellowship with God, but by fellowship with people and opinions of the world.

Judges 9:8

Asher and Naphtali

Asher and Naphtali make it even worse. They live in the midst of the enemies themselves, so they are more or less absorbed by the nations. Here the roles are reversed. The unfaithfulness of the people is having ever greater consequences. Now it is not the enemies living among the Israelites, which also means unfaithfulness to God, but the Israelites now live among the enemies. The enemies continue to control the land and tolerate the Israelites in their midst. What a weakness among the people!

It resembles someone who is a Christian, who has new life, but who is dictated in his life by his flesh, by his own thoughts. These thoughts are not formed by fellowship with God, but by fellowship with people and opinions of the world.

Judges 9:9

Asher and Naphtali

Asher and Naphtali make it even worse. They live in the midst of the enemies themselves, so they are more or less absorbed by the nations. Here the roles are reversed. The unfaithfulness of the people is having ever greater consequences. Now it is not the enemies living among the Israelites, which also means unfaithfulness to God, but the Israelites now live among the enemies. The enemies continue to control the land and tolerate the Israelites in their midst. What a weakness among the people!

It resembles someone who is a Christian, who has new life, but who is dictated in his life by his flesh, by his own thoughts. These thoughts are not formed by fellowship with God, but by fellowship with people and opinions of the world.

Judges 9:10

Dan, the Amorites and the House of Joseph

The tribe of Dan is the worst off. He cannot drive out the enemies, on the contrary, the enemies drive out the Danites from their inheritance. It is the last phase of the deterioration described in this chapter. The blessing of the land is no longer enjoyed in any way.

The attitude of the tribe of Dan is the same as that of the Christian who is completely absorbed by the things of the world. Certainly, he says he is still a Christian, sometimes he is in a Christian meeting, but his life and his speech hardly show anything that he is a real Christian. There is nothing to show that he likes to hear or talk about the things of God and the Lord Jesus. At home, his Bible remains closed and he does not think of praying.

The Amorites are the first enemies that Israel has met and defeated on its way to the promised land. In connection with the Amorite, God says to His people: “begin to take possession and contend with him in battle” (Deuteronomy 2:24). This battle takes place before the people have gone through the Jordan. It is a region that is not in the promised land, but on the wilderness side of the Jordan.

Therefore, it does not speak of spiritual blessings in the heavenly places, but of earthly blessings. These blessings must also be conquered; we should thank God also for all earthly blessings. By earthly blessings we can understand things like health, a good marriage, a satisfying job, an invigorating time of relaxation. These are not our actual spiritual, heavenly and eternal blessings. We have earthly blessings in common with unbelievers. The only difference is that the Christian accepts these things from God’s hand and thanks Him for it, while the unbeliever does not.

But when the Christian takes such blessings for granted and even lives for them, he is spiritually driven out of his inheritance by the Amorites. He does his utmost to stay healthy, forgetting that he is in God’s hand; he does his utmost to keep his marriage good and never has time to serve someone else spiritually; his job is all for him, he is a real workaholic, which is at the expense of visiting Christian meetings; he does his utmost to make his next vacation an even greater success than the previous one: studying travel guides, weighing the different destinations, taking in as much information as possible, to be fully prepared to go to the chosen destination. But there is no interest, no commitment, no time for what God has prepared for those who love Him.

Fortunately, Joseph’s house is so attentive that it stops the Amorites. Fortunately, there are still people in the people of God who have an eye for the dangers of earthly blessings. Let us listen to them and make a profit from them.

Judges 9:11

Dan, the Amorites and the House of Joseph

The tribe of Dan is the worst off. He cannot drive out the enemies, on the contrary, the enemies drive out the Danites from their inheritance. It is the last phase of the deterioration described in this chapter. The blessing of the land is no longer enjoyed in any way.

The attitude of the tribe of Dan is the same as that of the Christian who is completely absorbed by the things of the world. Certainly, he says he is still a Christian, sometimes he is in a Christian meeting, but his life and his speech hardly show anything that he is a real Christian. There is nothing to show that he likes to hear or talk about the things of God and the Lord Jesus. At home, his Bible remains closed and he does not think of praying.

The Amorites are the first enemies that Israel has met and defeated on its way to the promised land. In connection with the Amorite, God says to His people: “begin to take possession and contend with him in battle” (Deuteronomy 2:24). This battle takes place before the people have gone through the Jordan. It is a region that is not in the promised land, but on the wilderness side of the Jordan.

Therefore, it does not speak of spiritual blessings in the heavenly places, but of earthly blessings. These blessings must also be conquered; we should thank God also for all earthly blessings. By earthly blessings we can understand things like health, a good marriage, a satisfying job, an invigorating time of relaxation. These are not our actual spiritual, heavenly and eternal blessings. We have earthly blessings in common with unbelievers. The only difference is that the Christian accepts these things from God’s hand and thanks Him for it, while the unbeliever does not.

But when the Christian takes such blessings for granted and even lives for them, he is spiritually driven out of his inheritance by the Amorites. He does his utmost to stay healthy, forgetting that he is in God’s hand; he does his utmost to keep his marriage good and never has time to serve someone else spiritually; his job is all for him, he is a real workaholic, which is at the expense of visiting Christian meetings; he does his utmost to make his next vacation an even greater success than the previous one: studying travel guides, weighing the different destinations, taking in as much information as possible, to be fully prepared to go to the chosen destination. But there is no interest, no commitment, no time for what God has prepared for those who love Him.

Fortunately, Joseph’s house is so attentive that it stops the Amorites. Fortunately, there are still people in the people of God who have an eye for the dangers of earthly blessings. Let us listen to them and make a profit from them.

Judges 9:12

Dan, the Amorites and the House of Joseph

The tribe of Dan is the worst off. He cannot drive out the enemies, on the contrary, the enemies drive out the Danites from their inheritance. It is the last phase of the deterioration described in this chapter. The blessing of the land is no longer enjoyed in any way.

The attitude of the tribe of Dan is the same as that of the Christian who is completely absorbed by the things of the world. Certainly, he says he is still a Christian, sometimes he is in a Christian meeting, but his life and his speech hardly show anything that he is a real Christian. There is nothing to show that he likes to hear or talk about the things of God and the Lord Jesus. At home, his Bible remains closed and he does not think of praying.

The Amorites are the first enemies that Israel has met and defeated on its way to the promised land. In connection with the Amorite, God says to His people: “begin to take possession and contend with him in battle” (Deuteronomy 2:24). This battle takes place before the people have gone through the Jordan. It is a region that is not in the promised land, but on the wilderness side of the Jordan.

Therefore, it does not speak of spiritual blessings in the heavenly places, but of earthly blessings. These blessings must also be conquered; we should thank God also for all earthly blessings. By earthly blessings we can understand things like health, a good marriage, a satisfying job, an invigorating time of relaxation. These are not our actual spiritual, heavenly and eternal blessings. We have earthly blessings in common with unbelievers. The only difference is that the Christian accepts these things from God’s hand and thanks Him for it, while the unbeliever does not.

But when the Christian takes such blessings for granted and even lives for them, he is spiritually driven out of his inheritance by the Amorites. He does his utmost to stay healthy, forgetting that he is in God’s hand; he does his utmost to keep his marriage good and never has time to serve someone else spiritually; his job is all for him, he is a real workaholic, which is at the expense of visiting Christian meetings; he does his utmost to make his next vacation an even greater success than the previous one: studying travel guides, weighing the different destinations, taking in as much information as possible, to be fully prepared to go to the chosen destination. But there is no interest, no commitment, no time for what God has prepared for those who love Him.

Fortunately, Joseph’s house is so attentive that it stops the Amorites. Fortunately, there are still people in the people of God who have an eye for the dangers of earthly blessings. Let us listen to them and make a profit from them.

Judges 9:14

Introduction

Judges 1 deals with the decay of the Israelites with regard to the peoples around them, the world. They have been unfaithful in taking possession of the land and have not driven out the enemies.

Judges 2 is about decay with regard to God. They turned their back on God and began to serve the idols. This chapter provides a summary of the entire book. This summary shows that we are dealing with a kind of vicious circle, a cycle that keeps recurring in the following chapters. This cycle consists of the following steps:

1. The people leave God. 2. God uses enemies to awaken their conscience. 3. The people call to the LORD. 4. The LORD gives them in His mercy a judge to deliver them.

Then the cycle starts again: 1. The people leave God. 2. God uses … and so on.

In Psalms 107 we find something similar. We read first about need, then the call to the LORD, after which their salvation follows, after which He is praised. The chorus in that psalm is formed by the words “then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble” (Psalms 107:6; 13; 19; 28).

The LORD Goes From Gilgal to Bochim

In general, the Old Testament uses the name “Angel of the LORD” to denote the appearance of God in a visible form. Only in the New Testament is God “revealed in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16). He has become visible in the Lord Jesus. When the Lord Jesus is born, God is visible to men. Those who believe in Him see God in Him (1 John 1:1). The Lord Jesus is the incarnate Word (John 1:14). The eternal Son has become Man (1 John 5:20).

Also in the Old Testament, God appeared to people in Christ. There He takes the form of an Angel. There are some Scriptures which make clear that ‘the angel of the LORD’ means God (Genesis 16:7-14; Genesis 22:11; 15; 16). From what the Angel of the LORD says in those verses, it appears that He is none but God Himself.

If we compare the first verses of Isaiah 6 with the quote of these verses in John 12, we see something else special (Isaiah 6:1-5; John 12:37-41). Then we see that Yahweh, the LORD of the Old Testament, is the same as the Lord Jesus in the New Testament. If the context shows that “the Angel of the LORD” is an appearance of God, then this is in reality the Lord Jesus.

“Gilgal” is of great strategic importance in the book of Joshua. It forms the base camp, the place from which the Israelites always go out to conquer the land. They always return to that place. Shortly after they entered the land of Canaan through the Jordan, circumcision takes place at Gilgal. By this deed, the reproach of Egypt has been rolled away (Joshua 5:2-9).

The significance of circumcision for us is found in Colossians 2 (Colossians 2:11). In this verse we clearly see that for the Christian, circumcision is not a literal matter, but that it has a spiritual significance. We are not circumcised with a circumcision made with “hands” – that would have meant a literal circumcision – but we are circumcised “by the circumcision of Christ”. The latter does not speak of what happened to Christ when He is eight days old (Luke 2:21), but of what happened to Him on the cross when He received God’s judgment on sin. On the cross in Him the flesh is judged with the judgment of death.

Just as Israel has always returned to Gilgal to be remembered, as it were, to God’s judgment on the ‘I’, the nature of man, so we have to go back to the cross again and again to realize who we are by natural. There is no strength in us to conquer the land. The power for this can only be found in a dead and raised Christ. This means that the death of Christ must be applied every time, that is to say that we must condemn all kinds of manifestations of the flesh that may arise in us (Colossians 3:5).

Gilgal represents the spiritual circumcision of the heart that precedes victory and gives the heart new strength to overcome in battle. Gilgal speaks of a constant self-judgment. We are called up to this self- judgment. If we do not, we will be judged by the Lord, that is, disciplined by Him. “But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:31-32).

The Angel of the LORD leaves Gilgal and goes to Bochim. Bochim means ‘weeping’. It is a place of tears. These are tears for lost blessings. Doesn’t it make us feel sad to see how the people have deviated from God and have left Him? Those who do not know this grief do not know where the Spirit of God dwells. Bochim reflects the character of the church in decay. It is presumptuous to assume that one possesses great power in our time. The days of Joshua and Gilgal have been days of power and joy, but they are over now forever. The spirit of Laodicea comes to light when we say that we are rich and enriched, while in reality we are blind, naked and poor (Revelation 3:17).

But a place of weeping can become a place of blessing. Then we must take that place of sorrow, of humiliation because of our unfaithfulness. Then the valley of Baca can be made “a spring”, as it is so beautifully said in Psalms 84 (Psalms 84:6). The word baca is related to Bochim and means ‘tears’.

The Lord Jesus is as it were in ‘Bochim’ when He stands at the tomb of Lazarus. We read of Him that He “wept” there (John 11:35). Paul also knows this place (Philippians 3:18; cf. 2 Corinthians 2:4). The LORD points out to Ezekiel people who live in ‘Bochim’. He says of them that they are “the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst [that is in Jerusalem]” (Ezekiel 9:4).

The Angel of the LORD makes a solemn declaration for the reason of His departure from Gilgal. This declaration makes a deep impression on the people. He begins by reminding them that He has freed them from Egypt. That the Angel of the LORD says that He did this, underlines that the Angel is God Himself. He goes back to the origin of their existence as a people. They are a slave people in Egypt, but God has delivered them from the power of Pharaoh. This shows His great love for them.

If we know deviations in our personal lives, God will also always remind us of our deliverance from the power of sin. The main cause of any deviation is that we forget what salvation God has worked for us in the surrender of His Son on the cross.

The reminder of the redemption from Egypt is mentioned more often in this book (Judges 2:12; Judges 6:8; Judges 10:11). God does this to awaken His people. The Angel of the LORD also speaks about the land in which they now live. He brought them there because of the oath which He sworn to their fathers (Genesis 17:7-8). What He has promised, He has done.

This is also a great certainty for us. God will live up to what He has said. He does this not because of our faithfulness, but because of what the Lord Jesus did. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).

Judges 9:15

What Is This You Have Done?

God has done what He promised, but the people have disobeyed. The conditions for enjoying God’s blessings have not been fulfilled by Israel. They did not keep themselves separated from the people of Canaan, but mixed with them by marrying the inhabitants of the land. They did not destroy the altars of the nations, with the result that they have sacrificed to the gods of those nations, which means that they have sacrificed to the demons (Deuteronomy 32:17; 1 Corinthians 10:20).

Penetratingly, the question comes to them: “What is this you have done?” This question must go through their marrow and bone. It should lead them to reflection, repentance and acknowledgment of debt. God asks such questions more often in the Bible. He says to Adam: “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9) and Adam must come out. God asks Hagar: “Where have you come from and where are you going?” (Genesis 16:8).

God also has His questions for us when we have deviated. By doing so, He wants to bring us back on topic, to see the senselessness or sinfulness of our activities or of the way we go. We can then confess it and refocus on what God wants to give us. With this we honor Him and He fills our lives with joy and peace.

God has a double reason for the total destruction of Israel’s enemies. The first reason is the punishment for their sins. The second reason is to protect His people from the inevitable influence of the idols of Canaan. The latter is also the reason why we should not engage with the world and its thinking. We too are easily influenced by all the contacts we have (1 Corinthians 15:33). If we become less aware of God’s presence in our lives, it is because the world and its spirit have influenced us.

Judges 9:16

Who Does Not Want to Hear …

When the people have made themselves one with the nations around them, God gives them over to those nations. They will have to learn through experience what the consequences are of leaving Him. The people must also gain this experience under King Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. Because he has forsaken the law of the LORD and all Israel with him, the LORD sends Shishak, king of Egypt, to discipline them (2 Chronicles 12:1-5; 8). By experiencing the power of the enemy, we experience how cruel this enemy is and we long for relationship with God again.

It is as with the youngest son from the parable the Lord Jesus tells in Luke 15. This boy thinks he will be better off somewhere else than with his father. He leaves his father, but in the faraway country he discovers that the world is hard. Then he longs for his father again (Luke 15:12-20). There we see how it goes when God can no longer reach us in another way to repent. He will let us experience in His love the difference between serving Him and doing His will on the one hand and serving the world and doing our own will on the other hand.

Judges 9:17

The Reaction of the People

The LORD has spoken, and the people react with weeping. They see that they have acted the other way around. The admonition has been understood clearly and they acknowledge their unfaithfulness. Yet there is not much to be seen of real repentance. What they express is more the grief over the lost blessings.

Someone who has forsaken the Lord may acknowledge that he sinned without truly repenting of his deeds. Several times we read in the Bible about people who say “I have sinned”. This sounds for example from the mouth of Pharaoh and from that of Judas (Exodus 10:16; Matthew 27:3-4). It appears, however, that they only regret the consequences that their actions have for them. They do not repent of what they have done to God. In this context, the Bible speaks of the difference between “the sorrow that is according to [the will of] God” and “the sorrow of the world” (2 Corinthians 7:10).

Judges 9:18

Sacrifices

About Bochim something is said in the discussion of Jdg 2:1. Now it is mentioned that they call this place Bochim because the people have wept there. This makes it clear once again that the names in the Bible have a meaning. It is also mentioned here that they sacrifice the LORD at that place. Despite the little depth in their sorrow about the wrong, there is a need in their hearts to sacrifice to Him.

This is something to be pleased about. Unlike with Pharaoh and Judas, the Israelites have a bond with the LORD. It is not clear how much gratitude is expressed by these sacrifices. Given the decay, it may not be much. Yet they did it. They have made the place of tears a place of sacrifice.

This combination of tears and sacrifice is also beautifully expressed by the “woman in the city who was a sinner” (Luke 7:37). With her tears she wets the feet of the Lord Jesus and then anoints them with perfume. In the tears we see the grief over her sins and in the perfume we see a sacrifice to the Lord, because she understands Who He is. What the Lord Jesus says of her shows how much He appreciates what she has done. His words also clearly show her sense of sin. Precisely because of this she has conceived a great love for the Savior (Luke 7:38-50).

The Lord connects to her conduct a lesson for the Pharisee Simon and over his head for all of us. He tells about two debtors, one of whom has a small debt and the other a large debt. This debt is waived to both of them. If the question comes up as to who will be most thankful, the answer is not difficult: of course the one of whom the biggest debt has been remitted. The lesson is that out of our love for the Lord and our devotion to Him is seen how great the awareness is of the guilt of sin that has been forgiven us.

Paul knows like no other the grace God has given him. He calls himself of all sinners “foremost” (1 Timothy 1:15). This has made him the most dedicated servant who has ever lived. We will follow in his footsteps if we always realize all that has been forgiven us. Our whole life will then become a sacrifice to the Lord (Romans 12:1).

Judges 9:19

Each His Inheritance

The writer of Judges then tells a part of the history of Israel. That story runs from here, Judges 2:6, to Judges 3:6. He begins with the happy situation that exists, when each tribe has received its inheritance and started to live in it (Joshua 21:43-45). It is wonderful to read there how the LORD has given them rest on all sides. He has fulfilled all the good promises He has promised. At the time, the people really lack nothing.

Every Christian is also fully placed in the blessing God has wanted to give him. Nothing is withheld from him. We can read it in Ephesians 1 (Ephesians 1:3-14). If we only shortly know the Lord Jesus, we will fully enjoy it. Just like with Israel, everything is fresh and alive in the beginning. The same applies to professing Christianity as a whole.

In Acts we read how the first Christians live, of which they are full, what they do for the Lord Jesus and for each other. Then they do not yet know much about the blessings that the church has received in Christ. This was only later made known by Paul. But through their way of life, they are spiritually able to understand and enjoy the teaching of these blessings. They are happy about it and show it in their lives. It is in keeping with their focus on God and His Word.

Judges 9:20

The First Time in the Land

After this brilliant start, the shine of the blessings remains visible for some time. The people serve the LORD in the days of Joshua and in the days of the elders who survived Joshua (Joshua 24:31). However, there are already idols in the days of Joshua, so the germ for later aberration is present (Joshua 24:14). About such a germ Paul speaks in relation to the church when he writes that in his days “the mystery of lawlessness” is already at work (2 Thessalonians 2:7). In the days of John we see how this germ has already developed into “many antichrists” (1 John 2:18), a development that continues to this day.

Yet that radiant beginning also still has an effect in the next generation of Israel. The deeds done by the LORD are passed on to the next generation, even though this generation itself did not participate in the conquest of the land. It is important to notice the Lord’s actions in the lives of the elderly and to see from them how He works. This will help us to see God’s actions in our own lives. We remain in connection with Him and thereby build up our own relationship with Him.

Judges 9:21

The Decay Becomes Visible

Decay in Israel begins when Joshua and the elders have died, although signs of decay are already visible in their days. That is also how it went with the church. In the days of the apostles, decay is still being held back, but soon after that it becomes more and more visible. Paul and Peter have warned that after their passing away the evil consequences of unfaithfulness and rebellion will become manifest in the church (Acts 20:29-30; 2 Peter 1:12-14; 2 Peter 2:1-3). Mixing with unbelievers is the means by which evil can develop in the midst of the church and later overwhelm it, as was the case with Israel.

If we compare the name that the people here give to the burial place of Joshua with the name that his burial place in Joshua 24 has (Joshua 24:30), it turns out that the first impressions of the blessing are fading. The name change shows that other things have become more important than the blessing of the land. This shows the germ of decay.

The meaning of Timnath-heres is ‘a part of earth’. In Joshua 24 this place is called Timnath-serah, which is ‘an abundant part’ (Joshua 24:30). Thus our appreciation for our abundant, heavenly part can become no more than a piece of earth. The earthly things are sought and the heavenly inheritance is considered small. This shift in interest will be discussed in detail in the following chapters.

After Joshua and the elders after him died, the good influence ceases. By their personal faithfulness and faith they have had an influence on the people. Inasmuch as that influence has vanished, a generation is emerging who appears to serve the LORD only outwardly. The people of this generation do not have a bond with Him themselves. Their ancestors have fought for the land. They have told their children of the work that the LORD has done. But it is too long ago for the grandchildren to become really enthusiastic about what God has given His people and what their grandparents have acquired under much struggle. They suffer from what has been called the disease of the third generation: the grandfather acquires, the son inherits, the grandson corrupts.

To truly enjoy the blessings God has given His people, we must be in a personal and living relationship with God. We can hear from our parents and grandparents about great things God has done, but if we don’t have our own relationship with the Lord Jesus, those stories will ultimately have no meaning for us. Our interest is superficial and evaporates like a vapor.

We too will have to fight to take the blessings God has given us. It is not necessary that we corrupt the inheritance because our parents and/or grandparents have fought for it and that we don’t fight for it or to a lesser extent. It is so, that every generation has to fight that battle again. There is a huge challenge ahead of us.

Judges 9:22

The Decay Becomes Visible

Decay in Israel begins when Joshua and the elders have died, although signs of decay are already visible in their days. That is also how it went with the church. In the days of the apostles, decay is still being held back, but soon after that it becomes more and more visible. Paul and Peter have warned that after their passing away the evil consequences of unfaithfulness and rebellion will become manifest in the church (Acts 20:29-30; 2 Peter 1:12-14; 2 Peter 2:1-3). Mixing with unbelievers is the means by which evil can develop in the midst of the church and later overwhelm it, as was the case with Israel.

If we compare the name that the people here give to the burial place of Joshua with the name that his burial place in Joshua 24 has (Joshua 24:30), it turns out that the first impressions of the blessing are fading. The name change shows that other things have become more important than the blessing of the land. This shows the germ of decay.

The meaning of Timnath-heres is ‘a part of earth’. In Joshua 24 this place is called Timnath-serah, which is ‘an abundant part’ (Joshua 24:30). Thus our appreciation for our abundant, heavenly part can become no more than a piece of earth. The earthly things are sought and the heavenly inheritance is considered small. This shift in interest will be discussed in detail in the following chapters.

After Joshua and the elders after him died, the good influence ceases. By their personal faithfulness and faith they have had an influence on the people. Inasmuch as that influence has vanished, a generation is emerging who appears to serve the LORD only outwardly. The people of this generation do not have a bond with Him themselves. Their ancestors have fought for the land. They have told their children of the work that the LORD has done. But it is too long ago for the grandchildren to become really enthusiastic about what God has given His people and what their grandparents have acquired under much struggle. They suffer from what has been called the disease of the third generation: the grandfather acquires, the son inherits, the grandson corrupts.

To truly enjoy the blessings God has given His people, we must be in a personal and living relationship with God. We can hear from our parents and grandparents about great things God has done, but if we don’t have our own relationship with the Lord Jesus, those stories will ultimately have no meaning for us. Our interest is superficial and evaporates like a vapor.

We too will have to fight to take the blessings God has given us. It is not necessary that we corrupt the inheritance because our parents and/or grandparents have fought for it and that we don’t fight for it or to a lesser extent. It is so, that every generation has to fight that battle again. There is a huge challenge ahead of us.

Judges 9:23

The Decay Becomes Visible

Decay in Israel begins when Joshua and the elders have died, although signs of decay are already visible in their days. That is also how it went with the church. In the days of the apostles, decay is still being held back, but soon after that it becomes more and more visible. Paul and Peter have warned that after their passing away the evil consequences of unfaithfulness and rebellion will become manifest in the church (Acts 20:29-30; 2 Peter 1:12-14; 2 Peter 2:1-3). Mixing with unbelievers is the means by which evil can develop in the midst of the church and later overwhelm it, as was the case with Israel.

If we compare the name that the people here give to the burial place of Joshua with the name that his burial place in Joshua 24 has (Joshua 24:30), it turns out that the first impressions of the blessing are fading. The name change shows that other things have become more important than the blessing of the land. This shows the germ of decay.

The meaning of Timnath-heres is ‘a part of earth’. In Joshua 24 this place is called Timnath-serah, which is ‘an abundant part’ (Joshua 24:30). Thus our appreciation for our abundant, heavenly part can become no more than a piece of earth. The earthly things are sought and the heavenly inheritance is considered small. This shift in interest will be discussed in detail in the following chapters.

After Joshua and the elders after him died, the good influence ceases. By their personal faithfulness and faith they have had an influence on the people. Inasmuch as that influence has vanished, a generation is emerging who appears to serve the LORD only outwardly. The people of this generation do not have a bond with Him themselves. Their ancestors have fought for the land. They have told their children of the work that the LORD has done. But it is too long ago for the grandchildren to become really enthusiastic about what God has given His people and what their grandparents have acquired under much struggle. They suffer from what has been called the disease of the third generation: the grandfather acquires, the son inherits, the grandson corrupts.

To truly enjoy the blessings God has given His people, we must be in a personal and living relationship with God. We can hear from our parents and grandparents about great things God has done, but if we don’t have our own relationship with the Lord Jesus, those stories will ultimately have no meaning for us. Our interest is superficial and evaporates like a vapor.

We too will have to fight to take the blessings God has given us. It is not necessary that we corrupt the inheritance because our parents and/or grandparents have fought for it and that we don’t fight for it or to a lesser extent. It is so, that every generation has to fight that battle again. There is a huge challenge ahead of us.

Judges 9:24

Idolatry

It is a remarkable phenomenon that, when man leaves God, he exchanges God for other gods. It is not the case that a man gives up God to continue his own way. Man must have an object of worship. Someone once said: “If there was no God, it would be necessary to find out or invent one.” Man seems to have a religious instinct that demands a higher power or powers. Every human being has this ‘instinct’ within him, even the atheist who denies the existence of God. When you talk to such a person, it often turns out that he believes in himself, and thus that he is his own god.

The poignant thing in the book of Judges, however, is that it is a people who God has made to be His people and to which He has done so much good things. The cause is that they forget the LORD, the God of their fathers, Who led them out of the land of Egypt. For us it means that the door is open to evil when the personal knowledge of Christ and His work and the Word of God disappear into the background. Satan sees his chance and fills the resulting void with his means.

Two idols are mentioned by name, one male, Baal, and one female, Ashtaroth. Baal means ‘man’ or ‘lord’ with the thought of owner. Ashtaroth, the female idol, speaks of fertility in a natural sense. Both idols are perversely connected and show something of the mystery of lawlessness. Lawlessness means that there is no authority being acknowledged. It is doing one’s own will, satisfying one’s own lusts. This is the result when God and His Word disappear from the field of view.

Judges 9:25

Idolatry

It is a remarkable phenomenon that, when man leaves God, he exchanges God for other gods. It is not the case that a man gives up God to continue his own way. Man must have an object of worship. Someone once said: “If there was no God, it would be necessary to find out or invent one.” Man seems to have a religious instinct that demands a higher power or powers. Every human being has this ‘instinct’ within him, even the atheist who denies the existence of God. When you talk to such a person, it often turns out that he believes in himself, and thus that he is his own god.

The poignant thing in the book of Judges, however, is that it is a people who God has made to be His people and to which He has done so much good things. The cause is that they forget the LORD, the God of their fathers, Who led them out of the land of Egypt. For us it means that the door is open to evil when the personal knowledge of Christ and His work and the Word of God disappear into the background. Satan sees his chance and fills the resulting void with his means.

Two idols are mentioned by name, one male, Baal, and one female, Ashtaroth. Baal means ‘man’ or ‘lord’ with the thought of owner. Ashtaroth, the female idol, speaks of fertility in a natural sense. Both idols are perversely connected and show something of the mystery of lawlessness. Lawlessness means that there is no authority being acknowledged. It is doing one’s own will, satisfying one’s own lusts. This is the result when God and His Word disappear from the field of view.

Judges 9:26

Idolatry

It is a remarkable phenomenon that, when man leaves God, he exchanges God for other gods. It is not the case that a man gives up God to continue his own way. Man must have an object of worship. Someone once said: “If there was no God, it would be necessary to find out or invent one.” Man seems to have a religious instinct that demands a higher power or powers. Every human being has this ‘instinct’ within him, even the atheist who denies the existence of God. When you talk to such a person, it often turns out that he believes in himself, and thus that he is his own god.

The poignant thing in the book of Judges, however, is that it is a people who God has made to be His people and to which He has done so much good things. The cause is that they forget the LORD, the God of their fathers, Who led them out of the land of Egypt. For us it means that the door is open to evil when the personal knowledge of Christ and His work and the Word of God disappear into the background. Satan sees his chance and fills the resulting void with his means.

Two idols are mentioned by name, one male, Baal, and one female, Ashtaroth. Baal means ‘man’ or ‘lord’ with the thought of owner. Ashtaroth, the female idol, speaks of fertility in a natural sense. Both idols are perversely connected and show something of the mystery of lawlessness. Lawlessness means that there is no authority being acknowledged. It is doing one’s own will, satisfying one’s own lusts. This is the result when God and His Word disappear from the field of view.

Judges 9:27

In the Hands of Enemies

God loves His people too much to let them go on the wrong way. The remedy He uses may seem strange, but it is effective. It says strongly: “He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them.” If you are plundered, it means that you have nothing left. Everything has been taken away from you, you have lost it. We must always remember that it is about the people of God who live in the promised land and are allowed to enjoy everything God has given them. All these blessings are robbed from the people, they are lost because of their unfaithfulness and forsaking the LORD.

It’s the same with us. If we become unfaithful and forsake the Lord, no longer taking Him into account, we will no longer be able to enjoy the heavenly blessings. Other things have become more important to us such as earning money, making a career, luxury holidays. It can all become so important to us that we are totally seized by it. It is going to dominate us in such a way that it will eventually predominate us.

It gives no peace to the soul, no real happiness to the heart. It is fake happiness that is a yoke. Only when we understand its slavery and notice that we have lost our heavenly blessings a change can take place. Until then, they have disappeared from our lives, robbed by the enemy. This enemy does not leave us alone, he is chasing us to more and higher happiness in the world.

God has allowed this, yes, He has even worked it. He has withdrawn from our lives to give the enemy a free hand so that he can do with us what he wants. He wants us that we start to long again for Him and what He gives. We can learn this from the way in which He deals with Israel here.

Judges 9:28

In the Hands of Enemies

God loves His people too much to let them go on the wrong way. The remedy He uses may seem strange, but it is effective. It says strongly: “He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them.” If you are plundered, it means that you have nothing left. Everything has been taken away from you, you have lost it. We must always remember that it is about the people of God who live in the promised land and are allowed to enjoy everything God has given them. All these blessings are robbed from the people, they are lost because of their unfaithfulness and forsaking the LORD.

It’s the same with us. If we become unfaithful and forsake the Lord, no longer taking Him into account, we will no longer be able to enjoy the heavenly blessings. Other things have become more important to us such as earning money, making a career, luxury holidays. It can all become so important to us that we are totally seized by it. It is going to dominate us in such a way that it will eventually predominate us.

It gives no peace to the soul, no real happiness to the heart. It is fake happiness that is a yoke. Only when we understand its slavery and notice that we have lost our heavenly blessings a change can take place. Until then, they have disappeared from our lives, robbed by the enemy. This enemy does not leave us alone, he is chasing us to more and higher happiness in the world.

God has allowed this, yes, He has even worked it. He has withdrawn from our lives to give the enemy a free hand so that he can do with us what he wants. He wants us that we start to long again for Him and what He gives. We can learn this from the way in which He deals with Israel here.

Judges 9:29

The LORD Raises up Judges

Further on in this book we read a beautiful word about the feelings of God toward His people when He had to surrender them to their enemies because of their unfaithfulness: “He could bear the misery of Israel no longer” (Judges 10:16). What a God full of mercy and compassion! We read something like this in Judges 2:18 of our chapter. He starts to work for the deliverance of His people and for that He uses people who serve Him and judge evil.

The name ‘judge’ says it already. A judge is someone who points the finger at evil and administers justice. He pronounces his judgment and verdict on it. The judge is not someone who only judges between people, but he is also on behalf of the people the leader in confessing guilt to God. By doing so he restores the bond between God and His people. He is the new connection between the LORD and His people.

For us, who live in the time of the church, a judge is not primarily a person, but a principle. This means that God wants to bring us to self-judgment if we have become a slave of desire again through our unfaithfulness. He wants us to judge the wrong thing in ourselves. He awakens in us the longing to deal with sin, which has once again become boss over us.

This is the same as with the enemy. This is not a literal enemy for us either, but a spiritual power that wants to assert itself again, as we have read before: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places]” (Ephesians 6:12).

The fact that God gives judges speaks of a revival based on judgment. In other words, the self-judgment that a person comes to after a correct judgment of the true state of things. Self-judgment is to give the wrong thing in oneself the right place by judging it. This will enable the Lord to regain His proper place in life. The Lord is with this humble mind, this mind of self-judgment, and He delivers the person. The same goes for a local community of believers.

Judges 9:30

A Downward Spiral

Reading these verses may give us a feeling of despondency and depression. Is this people’s aberration then incurable? God wants to hold up a mirror to us with the recurring unfaithfulness of the people, for we are no better. For the people salvation lies in listening to the judge. As long as he lives, that is as long as he is in charge, it goes well. If he dies, which means, if evil is no longer judged, things go wrong.

For us this means that we can only go the way of the Lord and enjoy the blessing if we keep the flesh within us judged. Romans 6 tells us how we can live in self-judgment: “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11).

We have a powerful weapon in our hands, namely the Word of God. We read in it that we may see ourselves as dead in relation to sin. Sin no longer has a right to us because we have found our end in the death of Christ. “Our old self”, which we are by nature, is “crucified with [Him]” as we read in the same Romans 6 (Romans 6:6). Living in that consciousness guarantees enjoying the blessing in fellowship with God. The secret of the judge in our life or in the life of a local community is that we look at the Lord Jesus and what He did on the cross.

The history of Israel teaches us that after the death of a judge, an increase in evil is found. As a result, also the deliverances become smaller and less complete. The characters of the deliverers also become less strong. This downward spiral finds its lowest point in Samson, the last judge mentioned in this book. He dies as a prisoner of the enemy he has to chase away and the people are still in captivity after his death.

Judges 9:31

A Downward Spiral

Reading these verses may give us a feeling of despondency and depression. Is this people’s aberration then incurable? God wants to hold up a mirror to us with the recurring unfaithfulness of the people, for we are no better. For the people salvation lies in listening to the judge. As long as he lives, that is as long as he is in charge, it goes well. If he dies, which means, if evil is no longer judged, things go wrong.

For us this means that we can only go the way of the Lord and enjoy the blessing if we keep the flesh within us judged. Romans 6 tells us how we can live in self-judgment: “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11).

We have a powerful weapon in our hands, namely the Word of God. We read in it that we may see ourselves as dead in relation to sin. Sin no longer has a right to us because we have found our end in the death of Christ. “Our old self”, which we are by nature, is “crucified with [Him]” as we read in the same Romans 6 (Romans 6:6). Living in that consciousness guarantees enjoying the blessing in fellowship with God. The secret of the judge in our life or in the life of a local community is that we look at the Lord Jesus and what He did on the cross.

The history of Israel teaches us that after the death of a judge, an increase in evil is found. As a result, also the deliverances become smaller and less complete. The characters of the deliverers also become less strong. This downward spiral finds its lowest point in Samson, the last judge mentioned in this book. He dies as a prisoner of the enemy he has to chase away and the people are still in captivity after his death.

Judges 9:32

A Downward Spiral

Reading these verses may give us a feeling of despondency and depression. Is this people’s aberration then incurable? God wants to hold up a mirror to us with the recurring unfaithfulness of the people, for we are no better. For the people salvation lies in listening to the judge. As long as he lives, that is as long as he is in charge, it goes well. If he dies, which means, if evil is no longer judged, things go wrong.

For us this means that we can only go the way of the Lord and enjoy the blessing if we keep the flesh within us judged. Romans 6 tells us how we can live in self-judgment: “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11).

We have a powerful weapon in our hands, namely the Word of God. We read in it that we may see ourselves as dead in relation to sin. Sin no longer has a right to us because we have found our end in the death of Christ. “Our old self”, which we are by nature, is “crucified with [Him]” as we read in the same Romans 6 (Romans 6:6). Living in that consciousness guarantees enjoying the blessing in fellowship with God. The secret of the judge in our life or in the life of a local community is that we look at the Lord Jesus and what He did on the cross.

The history of Israel teaches us that after the death of a judge, an increase in evil is found. As a result, also the deliverances become smaller and less complete. The characters of the deliverers also become less strong. This downward spiral finds its lowest point in Samson, the last judge mentioned in this book. He dies as a prisoner of the enemy he has to chase away and the people are still in captivity after his death.

Judges 9:33

The Anger of the LORD

If the people deviate from the LORD, it justifiably arouses his anger. That the anger of the LORD burns against Israel is also said in Judges 2:14. God is not only sad, but He is also angry. He is holy and cannot bear sin in His people. The book of Leviticus regularly speaks of the holiness of God. He desires to see this holiness also among His people (Leviticus 11:44-45; Leviticus 19:2; Leviticus 20:7; 26). He cannot be connected with sin. Therefore, everything in Israel must be in accordance with His holy presence. What is infringing this must be removed from among the people.

God is not indifferent to sin in our lives. He wants us to remove everything in our lives which He cannot have fellowship with, which He cannot be involved in. To let something of sin exist in our lives or allow it again is unfaithfulness toward Him.

Israel violated the covenant God has made with their fathers. The fathers committed themselves to serve the LORD. They have said it, three times: “All that the LORD has spoken we will do!” (Exodus 19:8; Exodus 24:3; 7), once before God gives the law and twice after that.

But they have transgressed His covenant again and again. They have not fulfilled their obligations. They have not listened to the voice of God. Therefore God could not continue to bless them and had to discipline them. The surrounding peoples who remained after Joshua’s death will no longer be expelled before them by God. They shall be His rod of discipline.

If the Israelites leave the LORD to serve the idols, they will be surrendered by the LORD to serve the idolaters. These idolaters are a means in His hand to discipline His people, that they may return to Him.

Judges 9:34

The Anger of the LORD

If the people deviate from the LORD, it justifiably arouses his anger. That the anger of the LORD burns against Israel is also said in Judges 2:14. God is not only sad, but He is also angry. He is holy and cannot bear sin in His people. The book of Leviticus regularly speaks of the holiness of God. He desires to see this holiness also among His people (Leviticus 11:44-45; Leviticus 19:2; Leviticus 20:7; 26). He cannot be connected with sin. Therefore, everything in Israel must be in accordance with His holy presence. What is infringing this must be removed from among the people.

God is not indifferent to sin in our lives. He wants us to remove everything in our lives which He cannot have fellowship with, which He cannot be involved in. To let something of sin exist in our lives or allow it again is unfaithfulness toward Him.

Israel violated the covenant God has made with their fathers. The fathers committed themselves to serve the LORD. They have said it, three times: “All that the LORD has spoken we will do!” (Exodus 19:8; Exodus 24:3; 7), once before God gives the law and twice after that.

But they have transgressed His covenant again and again. They have not fulfilled their obligations. They have not listened to the voice of God. Therefore God could not continue to bless them and had to discipline them. The surrounding peoples who remained after Joshua’s death will no longer be expelled before them by God. They shall be His rod of discipline.

If the Israelites leave the LORD to serve the idols, they will be surrendered by the LORD to serve the idolaters. These idolaters are a means in His hand to discipline His people, that they may return to Him.

Judges 9:35

Tested

God does not leave the nations in the land only to discipline His people. The wonderful thing is that God also uses these peoples to test His people. God can have several goals in mind in a particular act. One of the reasons for not completely eradicating the enemies is to check with His people whether they will follow the way of the LORD or not.

It is not difficult to be permanently in the Lord’s way if everyone around us is also in the Lord’s way. Then there is no danger that anyone will lead us astray. The situation becomes different when we live among people who do not take God into account. To keep our course straight before God requires a lot more effort. We have to go against the tide. Just then we can show that we seriously want to live according to God’s Word and to His honor.

The same goes for our lives among people who say they are Christians, but fill in their being a Christian in their own way. How they justify their lifestyle can sometimes sound very plausible. Taking over their way of thinking will mean that the enemy has hit the target. It can be a trial of our faith if we discover what the Bible says about it. If we come to the conclusion that God’s Word says something other than they do and we obey the Bible, we have defeated the enemy. This is to God’s glory.

In local churches there are also situations where faith is put to the test and those who want to live according to God’s Word become evident. We have an example in the church in Corinth. The believers do come together in one building, but do not form a real unity; there is division among them. There are many causes for division. Such situations sometimes are allowed by God to see who is faithful to Him and His Word. Those who are approved become evident in this way (1 Corinthians 11:17-19).

Paul writes to Timothy about such a situation. He compares professing Christianity to a large house with all kinds of vessels. The vessels are of different materials and there is a distinction between vessels to honor and vessels to dishonor. Everything is mixed up. God uses the mixing of the honorable vessels with the vessels to dishonor to reveal the former (2 Timothy 2:21). The vessels to honor are the faithful believers who separate themselves from evil and go the way God indicates in His Word.

Judges 9:36

Tested

God does not leave the nations in the land only to discipline His people. The wonderful thing is that God also uses these peoples to test His people. God can have several goals in mind in a particular act. One of the reasons for not completely eradicating the enemies is to check with His people whether they will follow the way of the LORD or not.

It is not difficult to be permanently in the Lord’s way if everyone around us is also in the Lord’s way. Then there is no danger that anyone will lead us astray. The situation becomes different when we live among people who do not take God into account. To keep our course straight before God requires a lot more effort. We have to go against the tide. Just then we can show that we seriously want to live according to God’s Word and to His honor.

The same goes for our lives among people who say they are Christians, but fill in their being a Christian in their own way. How they justify their lifestyle can sometimes sound very plausible. Taking over their way of thinking will mean that the enemy has hit the target. It can be a trial of our faith if we discover what the Bible says about it. If we come to the conclusion that God’s Word says something other than they do and we obey the Bible, we have defeated the enemy. This is to God’s glory.

In local churches there are also situations where faith is put to the test and those who want to live according to God’s Word become evident. We have an example in the church in Corinth. The believers do come together in one building, but do not form a real unity; there is division among them. There are many causes for division. Such situations sometimes are allowed by God to see who is faithful to Him and His Word. Those who are approved become evident in this way (1 Corinthians 11:17-19).

Paul writes to Timothy about such a situation. He compares professing Christianity to a large house with all kinds of vessels. The vessels are of different materials and there is a distinction between vessels to honor and vessels to dishonor. Everything is mixed up. God uses the mixing of the honorable vessels with the vessels to dishonor to reveal the former (2 Timothy 2:21). The vessels to honor are the faithful believers who separate themselves from evil and go the way God indicates in His Word.

Judges 9:38

Introduction

In Judges 3 we get acquainted with the first three judges and their performance. Of all three we read something that gives their person a lower appearance. Othniel is the son of Kenaz, a younger brother of Caleb, Ehud is left-handed and Shamgar uses an oxgoad in battle. In general, such men do not get the most votes in an election. It makes it clear that they are men of God’s choice and not of the people, of man. This choice belongs to the ways God goes in broken situations, when the shine of the beginning has faded.

Just look at the origin of the church with its great apostles, and compare this with the later situation of decay. In the beginning, the Spirit can work mightily as an answer to the glorification of Christ. After the onset of decay, the instruments are also characterized by certain forms of weakness. Luther and Calvin, Darby and Kelly, all great men of God in their time, did not climb the height of men like Paul and Peter. Yet God wanted to use them for His purposes, in the reformation of the sixteenth century and in the revival of the nineteenth century. In this way God always wants, even today, to use weak, limited and insignificant people for the deliverance of His people.

Generally speaking, the reformation is the deliverance from the yoke of Rome, the ritualism; the reveille is the deliverance from the dead orthodoxy, the rationalism, in the Protestant churches. The deliverance needed today is the deliverance from the spirit of Laodicea, the spirit of complacency, the desire to have spiritual life without life from the Spirit. It’s about the experience: what do I feel good about?

The things of God are judged according to our taste and feelings and not according to the Word of God. The fact that these enemies are particularly active today does not mean that the old enemies, ritualism and rationalism, have been defeated forever. These enemies will constantly try to get God’s people back in their grip. This state of affairs means that we have to deal with these enemies over and over again and act as a judge.

Be Taught War

Judges 3:1-6 of this chapter belong to the previous chapter. They describe other reasons for which God has left the enemies in the land. God never does something without purpose. He has His own reasons for all His actions. Sometimes He even has multiple purposes in mind. He can work several things with one certain action or one certain word. The ultimate goal of God is to glorify Himself in the happiness and blessing of man in general and of His people in particular. The reason mentioned here is that God through the presence of the enemies wants to teach His people war.

When a man is prosperous, his life is going well and without hardship, it is not so clear what is present in his heart for God. Prosperity does not take away the unfaithfulness present in the heart. If everything goes well, there are no exercises and struggles to learn Who God is and how to use His power to overcome hardship. It is not God’s purpose that we allow ourselves to be overcome by the enemy, by evil, but that we overcome evil in His power.

God knows what is in man, but through the enemies left behind man will discover this for himself. His reaction to evil shows what is in his heart. If there is a real connection with God, he will go to God when danger threatens.

What is created by unfaithfulness – the people have been unfaithful and have failed to eradicate all enemies – is used by God for good. The spared enemies serve to teach generations who did not participate in the conquest of Canaan to fight for the blessings God has bestowed. By the presence of the enemies they can show if they appreciate the land of God.

Whoever appreciates what God has given, will not allow the enemy to take possession or keep this gift of God. He will fight for it. What is thus taken from the power of the enemy will have an extra valuable meaning. In daily life this is also the case. After all, it adds value to our property if we have worked for it ourselves, isn’t it? It is much more our property. We enjoy it more intense than things that have been fallen into our lap.

Times of decay are times of struggle for one who wants to be faithful to the Lord. In the second letter to Timothy, which describes the time of decay in professing Christianity, reference is made several times to fight (2 Timothy 2:3-4; 2 Timothy 4:7). In these texts the individual is called upon to remain faithful in the midst of decay. Fight reveals winners (Revelation 2:7; 11; 17; 26; Revelation 3:5; 12; 21).

In all this, we must always remember that our struggle is in the heavenly places and is not a struggle against flesh and blood. The peoples who remained are a picture of the flesh within us. The flesh is not left within us so that we may serve it, but so that we may learn to judge it. These peoples can also be a picture of a “thorn in the flesh” as Paul had it (2 Corinthians 12:7). The purpose of that thorn was not to paralyze him in his service to God, but to keep him humble and dependent.

In this way there can be things in our lives that we would like to get rid of, but that we still have to carry with us. These are not sins, for these we must condemn. It mostly is about unpleasant matters which, in our opinion, limit our functioning. But God has allowed these things to keep us humble so that we can function better for Him.

Judges 9:39

Introduction

In Judges 3 we get acquainted with the first three judges and their performance. Of all three we read something that gives their person a lower appearance. Othniel is the son of Kenaz, a younger brother of Caleb, Ehud is left-handed and Shamgar uses an oxgoad in battle. In general, such men do not get the most votes in an election. It makes it clear that they are men of God’s choice and not of the people, of man. This choice belongs to the ways God goes in broken situations, when the shine of the beginning has faded.

Just look at the origin of the church with its great apostles, and compare this with the later situation of decay. In the beginning, the Spirit can work mightily as an answer to the glorification of Christ. After the onset of decay, the instruments are also characterized by certain forms of weakness. Luther and Calvin, Darby and Kelly, all great men of God in their time, did not climb the height of men like Paul and Peter. Yet God wanted to use them for His purposes, in the reformation of the sixteenth century and in the revival of the nineteenth century. In this way God always wants, even today, to use weak, limited and insignificant people for the deliverance of His people.

Generally speaking, the reformation is the deliverance from the yoke of Rome, the ritualism; the reveille is the deliverance from the dead orthodoxy, the rationalism, in the Protestant churches. The deliverance needed today is the deliverance from the spirit of Laodicea, the spirit of complacency, the desire to have spiritual life without life from the Spirit. It’s about the experience: what do I feel good about?

The things of God are judged according to our taste and feelings and not according to the Word of God. The fact that these enemies are particularly active today does not mean that the old enemies, ritualism and rationalism, have been defeated forever. These enemies will constantly try to get God’s people back in their grip. This state of affairs means that we have to deal with these enemies over and over again and act as a judge.

Be Taught War

Judges 3:1-6 of this chapter belong to the previous chapter. They describe other reasons for which God has left the enemies in the land. God never does something without purpose. He has His own reasons for all His actions. Sometimes He even has multiple purposes in mind. He can work several things with one certain action or one certain word. The ultimate goal of God is to glorify Himself in the happiness and blessing of man in general and of His people in particular. The reason mentioned here is that God through the presence of the enemies wants to teach His people war.

When a man is prosperous, his life is going well and without hardship, it is not so clear what is present in his heart for God. Prosperity does not take away the unfaithfulness present in the heart. If everything goes well, there are no exercises and struggles to learn Who God is and how to use His power to overcome hardship. It is not God’s purpose that we allow ourselves to be overcome by the enemy, by evil, but that we overcome evil in His power.

God knows what is in man, but through the enemies left behind man will discover this for himself. His reaction to evil shows what is in his heart. If there is a real connection with God, he will go to God when danger threatens.

What is created by unfaithfulness – the people have been unfaithful and have failed to eradicate all enemies – is used by God for good. The spared enemies serve to teach generations who did not participate in the conquest of Canaan to fight for the blessings God has bestowed. By the presence of the enemies they can show if they appreciate the land of God.

Whoever appreciates what God has given, will not allow the enemy to take possession or keep this gift of God. He will fight for it. What is thus taken from the power of the enemy will have an extra valuable meaning. In daily life this is also the case. After all, it adds value to our property if we have worked for it ourselves, isn’t it? It is much more our property. We enjoy it more intense than things that have been fallen into our lap.

Times of decay are times of struggle for one who wants to be faithful to the Lord. In the second letter to Timothy, which describes the time of decay in professing Christianity, reference is made several times to fight (2 Timothy 2:3-4; 2 Timothy 4:7). In these texts the individual is called upon to remain faithful in the midst of decay. Fight reveals winners (Revelation 2:7; 11; 17; 26; Revelation 3:5; 12; 21).

In all this, we must always remember that our struggle is in the heavenly places and is not a struggle against flesh and blood. The peoples who remained are a picture of the flesh within us. The flesh is not left within us so that we may serve it, but so that we may learn to judge it. These peoples can also be a picture of a “thorn in the flesh” as Paul had it (2 Corinthians 12:7). The purpose of that thorn was not to paralyze him in his service to God, but to keep him humble and dependent.

In this way there can be things in our lives that we would like to get rid of, but that we still have to carry with us. These are not sins, for these we must condemn. It mostly is about unpleasant matters which, in our opinion, limit our functioning. But God has allowed these things to keep us humble so that we can function better for Him.

Judges 9:40

The Enemies

The enemies mentioned by name are the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites. The area of the enemies is also described. Each enemy has its own field of activity. The Philistines are mentioned first. So we find it also in Joshua 13 (Joshua 13:1-2). There the LORD says that there is still much land left to take possession of. When the land not conquered is listed, the area of the Philistines is mentioned first.

The Philistines occupy a special place among the enemies of Israel. They are the most persistent enemies. Only when David is king he will take away the strength from this enemy, but even then he is not completely eliminated. Even then he remains active, even if he is no longer the ruler over the people.

It is remarkable that not the Philistine people are mentioned here, but “five lords of the Philistines”. In Joshua 13 we read about the same five lords and the names of the places they reign are listed (Joshua 13:3). Three of these places Judah has captured (Judges 1:18). But here it turns out that they have not done this adequately.

The Philistines are a people who have nestled in the land and claim it for themselves. In Exodus 13 we read that God allows His people to leave Egypt and that He “did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near” (Exodus 13:17). The shortest route to Canaan would have been via the land of the Philistines. Yet this is not the way God has shown His people. He has had a different way for them in mind, a way in which they have had experiences with Him and through which they have come to know Him and also themselves better.

The Philistines entered the land by another way. They are a picture of a people who do not know the salvation out of Egypt, although they are connected to it, because they originally come from Egypt. In Genesis 10 Mizraim is mentioned as an ancestor of the Philistines, and Mizraim is Egypt (Genesis 10:13-14). This means that both Israel and the Philistines had to deal with Egypt.

The difference is that Israel has been there in slavery and redeemed by God, while the Philistines are a wandering people who have left Egypt but have never known salvation. They also know nothing of experiences with God in the wilderness and of a passage through the Jordan to get into the promised land.

The Philistines represent people who say they are Christians, who say they are entitled to the blessings of God, but who have no life from God. They have never sincerely confessed their sins before God and do not participate in salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus. They are nominal Christians. They are people who, in their so-called being Christians, are guided by their own thoughts and feelings.

Nominal Christians bend the Bible to their will. Serving God they do so in the way that seems best to them. Their religion is determined by the ‘five lords’. We can compare this with the five senses of man. In serving God, the nominal Christian is guided by what he hears, sees, smells, feels and tastes, that is to say, purely by his own perception and not by the Spirit of God, for he does not possess Him.

This way of religion is common in professing Christianity. It is not what God says that determines, but what man thinks. When the opinion of nominal Christians becomes decisive in the things of God, the Philistines as it were are in charge, and the people of God are robbed of God’s blessing and the enjoyment thereof.

About the second enemy mentioned here, the Canaanites, some things have been written about in the discussion of Judges 1:8-9. Further on, at Judges 3:5 of this chapter, some more will be added.

The third enemy comes from Sidon. This is in the area of Asher (Judges 1:31). Because of the unfaithfulness of Asher, this enemy is still alive and exercises his influence. Because of this, the Israelites began to serve the gods of Sidon (Judges 10:6). The judgment prophecy about Sidon (Ezekiel 28:21-24) shows that Sidon was for Israel a ‘prickling brier or a painful thorn’. God blames this city for the inhabitants having enriched themselves with His silver and gold and for having traded His people as merchandise (Joel 3:4-6).

The enemy Sidon represents to us is the thirst for wealth. When greed reigns over the people of God, it becomes a plague that prevents them from enjoying God’s blessings. The relationship between Sidon’s greed for money and the pain that Sidon brings to the people of God in all times is aptly expressed in 1 Timothy 6. There we read: “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10). Can it be said clearer?

The Hivites are discussed when we discuss Judges 3:5.

Judges 9:41

Obey the Commandments

The previous chapter states that Israel is put to the test to see “whether they will keep the way of the LORD” (Judges 2:22). Now we see another angle why the enemies remained in the land. The purpose here is “for testing Israel, to find out if they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses”. The presence of the enemies is therefore also a test of whether they will stick to the Word of God.

In short, it is about the way of the LORD (Judges 2:22) and about the law of the LORD (Judges 3:4; cf. Deuteronomy 8:2).

On the way we go, all kinds of things happen to which we react, consciously or unconsciously. Through our reaction we show whether we take into account God and His interests or whether we are concerned about ourselves and our own interests.

Judges 9:42

Among the Nations

The presence of the peoples in the midst of which Israel lives is caused by Israel’s unfaithfulness in the past. But God will not stop there. He uses these peoples to test the faithfulness of His people. He hands them over to the results of their disobedience, but does so that they may ask for Him again.

Day after day they live among these nations. They are thereby put to the test whether they will remain faithful and obedient to the LORD and chase away these enemies anyway. Their presence is on the one hand a testimony of their unfaithfulness in the past, and on the other hand it is a challenge to drive out their enemies and take possession of what God has given them, or to restore what they have lost.

What do these enemies represent? They are a picture of spiritual powers that want to influence the behavior of God’s people. What kind of influences these are, we can deduct from the meaning of their names. Every Christian or community of Christians is exposed to these influences. The big question is how we respond to it. Do we give in, let ourselves be influenced by these enemies, or are we going to attack them and defeat them with God’s Word? This is the test for us in the spiritual sense as it is for Israel in the literal sense.

Canaanites

About the meaning of the name Canaan (‘merchant’) another application can be made that we might recognize. Sometimes, without knowing or wanting, we can easily be influenced by this enemy. This is not about a financial benefit. There is also social benefit to be gained. Something can give a certain status to someone.

Some great men on earth claim to be Christians. Anyone who wants to come to the flattery of such prominent guys will have to show himself a Christian and adopt Christian values. In this way, the Christian goods are turned into merchandise. It is not a question of whether someone is a real Christian or just in name. In many cases only God can answer that question. What matters is the way we act, the way we deal with the things of God.

I read an illustration of this in the newspaper. A list of the top six favorite preachers of U.S. President Bill Clinton (president from 20-01-1993 to 20-01-2001) was published. You wonder what’s the value of that. If you’re part of that, of course, it scores well, especially if you’re number one for him. It puts the preacher’s person in the spotlight and also his supporters. That makes a profit. If you are number 1 or 5 or 6 for Clinton, there will be many more who want to join you and your group. Many would much rather identify with a celebrated and influential person in the world than with a rejected and despised Christ in heaven. How God judges the value and profit of such a top six, we will leave to Him.

Hittites

Their name means ‘sons of horror’. The influence they exert lies in the atmosphere of instilling fear. This enemy tries to strangle the mouths of Christians. His proven weapon is fear. Many Christians are afraid to open their mouths to testify of their Lord. This may be a word to unrepentant people, but it may also be a word to be heard among believers.

Why are so few believers preaching the gospel? Why do so few children of God in the church open their mouths to thank God or to pray? Fear grips the people of God. Afraid to lose your face. Afraid, because you are too busy with yourself. When the heart is full of the Lord Jesus, shyness and fear are overcome, for what the heart is full of the mouth speaks out (Matthew 12:34b). The presence of this enemy is the challenge to occupy yourself with the Lord Jesus. Then you can beat him.

Amorites

They are the ‘talkers’, that is one of the meanings of their name. It is a very different enemy than the previous one that gaggles you. Someone can talk a lot, but without really saying anything. An easy talker uses a lot of words. Please note here it is about an enemy. It’s about talking as a negative characteristic.

There are Christians who are afraid to testify of the Lord Jesus, but who can show up whole stories about Christian values. Just look at the ‘Christian’ politics. This enemy must be overcome by fellowship with the Lord. When the “mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16) begins to govern the thought life, the “talkers” are defeated. Then the words get substance and they work out something in those who hear.

Perizzites

Perizzites means, among other things, ‘rulers’. They represent a spiritual class above the common people. They are the people who can know, because after all, they have studied for it. It is not what they say, but what they are. A person who has not studied, has no title in his name, cannot speak with authority. In a community where this applies, the Perizzites are in charge.

The teaching of the Lord Jesus that He gives when He is on earth is not accepted, among other things, because He does not possess the papers that are judged necessary (John 7:15). That’s still how it works today. A person who has not followed recognized religious education is ignored in large parts of professing Christianity, no matter how much he speaks God’s truth. They just don’t listen to him, because he’s not a ‘colleague’. This enemy is overcome by listening to what the Lord Jesus says in Luke 22 (Luke 22:25-27).

Hivites

The Hivites are the counterparts of the Perizzites. In contrast to the Perizzites, the ‘rulers’, we see in the Hivites the ‘villagers’. This is the meaning of their name. They are the common people, the lay people. They are not concerned about the interpretation of the Bible. They have their ‘rulers’ for that, who are paid by them. The convenience serves mankind, and if one pays for it, one can thereby reassure one’s conscience. Many Christians like not having to take responsibility and refrain from any activity.

In 1 Corinthians 12 we meet both the Perizzites and the Hivites. There we hear someone say that he is “not [a part] of the body” (1 Corinthians 12:15-16). It seems that a ‘Hivite’ is speaking here. Although it is about someone who is dissatisfied with the place he has in the body, it can be applied to this enemy. The result of laziness and dissatisfaction is the same: nothing happens.

Every child of God has its own unique place in the body (the church) and may, yes, even has to perform the function that goes with it. Its function is for the benefit of the whole body (the whole church).

We also listen to a ‘Perizzite’(1 Corinthians 12:21-22). He can do it and doesn’t need the others. He is above it.

Both enemies are defeated by watching what God has wanted (1 Corinthians 12:18; 25). God wants this to be visible in the local church (1 Corinthians 12:27) and therefore these enemies must be ‘chased away’.

Jebusites

The Jebusites close the list. The meaning of their name, ‘trampling ones’, shows the end result of what we’ve noticed in the previous enemies. They trample all that is of God. They overrun it. They resemble the dogs and swine of Matthew 7 (Matthew 7:6). The Lord Jesus warns His disciples there that they will not give them “the holy” and “your pearls”, for they will trample it and tear them apart.

When we think of ‘the holy’ we can think of the Lord’s Supper. This is not for those who are not converted, but only for those who, through conversion to God and faith in the Lord Jesus, belong to the church. Unbelievers understand nothing of its meaning. They do not believe in the work of redemption of the Lord Jesus. All they can do with the Lord’s Supper is trample it under their feet.

When we think of ‘your pearls’ we can think of the precious truths that the Bible contains about the church and about so many blessings of the believer. All these truths are not for unbelievers, but for believers. Unauthorized people cannot appreciate these precious truths. They ridicule and mock them. That is why we should not discuss this with them.

This enemy can be conquered by ensuring that no unbeliever is accepted at the Lord’s Table. We must not allow someone who does not have life from God to participate in the service in the church. This can be done by maintaining discipline in the church, as Scripture indicates, among other things, in 1Corrinthians 5 (1 Corinthians 5:1-13). This can also be done by keeping to what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6-7 and in 2 Timothy 2 (2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 2 Corinthians 7:1; 2 Timothy 2:16-22).

Judges 9:43

Marriage and Worship

The enemy knows how to subdue the Israelites. The best way to do that is through love. He argues as follows: ‘Let our girls marry men from Israel and the girls from Israel marry our men. After a while, the Israelites will take over our habits. After all, they will even start worshiping our gods.’

This way has always proved to be successful. If the enemy is not dealt with in obedience to God’s Word, a love affair will arise with the world that means the demise of God’s people. It is impossible to be neutral with the enemy. The enemy never admits to be defeated and will take advantage of every occasion to submit God’s people to himself.

The same goes for us. If we feel at home in the company of the world, we will commit ourselves to it, while Christians are a people who, just like Israel, must live alone, separated from the world (Numbers 23:9b; cf. John 17:16). The next and final step is to serve the gods of the world. We see that the order is: first eat and drink together, then marry or connect and finally worship together.

In Numbers 25 and 1 Corinthians 10 there are several negative histories which also have to do with eating and drinking and which show the same result (Numbers 25:1-3; 1 Corinthians 10:7-8). Eating and drinking in these cases are not neutral things. They are used by the enemy to make contacts. These contacts gradually lead to closer ties, until the closest tie, that of the marriage, is established. A next, inevitable step is to serve the gods of the spouse.

Judges 9:44

Evil in the Sight of the LORD

Seven times we read in this book that “the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD” (Judges 2:11; Judges 3:7; 12; Judges 4:1; Judges 6:1; Judges 10:6; Judges 13:1). These words herald every time again a new period of decay. Forgetting the LORD their God and serving the idols are the two aspects of evil, both of which become visible here. The second evil results from the first. It can’t be any other way. He who forgets God no longer keeps His commandments and no longer listens to Him. A void is created.

If there is no place for God, there is place for an idol. He will fill the void that has arisen with all kinds of other things to which someone will devote his attention, time and energy. This other thing becomes an idol than. In the explanation of Judges 2:13 Baal has already been mentioned. The “Asheroth“ or “sacred poles”, as it also can be translated, are possibly a kind of fence around the idol, to protect it (cf. Judges 6:25).

Judges 9:45

Cushan-rishathaim

“Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.” God is deeply grieved by the actions of His people. He cannot stand idly by. Out of deep indignation, God is now going to act with His people in a way that does not exactly fit the wrong impressions we can have of a loving God. God is not the generous Father of Whom we sometimes think He condones sin. As if He would compare the actions of His people with bad guys tricks, which you should not judge too seriously. No, God takes the deeds of His people very seriously. He must discipline them for this.

However, God never acts from a feeling of irritation, as we can. If God must discipline His people, He does so with a view to their restoration. He wants them to repent and confess, so that He can bring them back to Himself and bless them again. Therefore they are surrendered by Him in the hand of the enemy. God says, as it were, to His people: ‘You want to serve the world? Well, then you will know what the world is like.’ Whoever as a believer wants the world will have the world, but as a master.

Mesopotamia means ‘land of the two rivers’ and is a picture of the world. Entertainment and pleasure on the one hand and religion on the other are the two rivers that make the world a pleasant abode for man without God. That Mesopotamia is a picture of the world can be deduced from Genesis 12 and Acts 7 (Genesis 12:1; Acts 7:2). It is an area where the idols are served. From this region Abraham is called to become the ancestor of Israel (Joshua 24:2).

Every believer is called by God to give up the world in the same way as Abraham did. Nowhere in the Bible do we read a call to stay in the world and to improve it (cf. Galatians 1:4). The believer is “not of the world” (John 17:16). Of course, he has a task there, as the Lord has had a task there, as He clearly says (John 20:21b), but the world no longer has a right to us.

The king of Mesopotamia is called Cushan-rishathaim. His name means ‘blackness (or: darkness) of double evil. This speaks of the darkness in which the world is shrouded. The world shuts itself off from the light of God, even rejecting the light (John 1:5; John 3:19). When the light shines, but it is still rejected, the greatest darkness arises.

Whoever professes to be a Christian, but turns his back on God and serves the idols, will lose all the light he once had. God will have to let such a man lose sight of Him, the Source of light, and of the Lord Jesus, the Light of the world (1 John 1:5; John 8:12). To such a person applies: “If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matthew 6:23).

Only when this situation has lasted eight years the people call to God. The number eight speaks of a new beginning after a complete period of seven years. Only when someone is completely stuck and can’t get out of it himself he will call to God and is willing to make a new start with God.

Judges 9:46

Othniel

From this situation, Israel can only be delivered by a man like Othniel. We have already met him in Judges 1 (Judges 1:13-15). There he emerges as a faithful man and an overcomer within his own circle. He is someone who has interest for the blessing of God. He lets himself be inspired to act in faith. The starting point of his life is the Word of God. After all, he has taken Debir, hasn’t he (Judges 1:12-13)? Debir means ‘speaking of God’.

We have also seen in Judges 1 how important his relationship with Achsah is. His marriage to Achsah shows that he does not participate in the general sin of Israel mentioned in Judges 3:5-6 of this chapter. He did not take a wife from the nations, but one from the people of God. He abides by God’s Word. To say it with a word from 1 Corinthians 7, he marries “in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:39). Because he is personally free from the sins of the people, God can use him. All these things make it clear how things stand in Othniel’s personal life.

He who does not manage his affairs at home according to God’s Word should not think that he can do anything for the benefit of the whole people. “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much” (Luke 16:10). The education at home, in the family, is still the best preparation for serving the Lord in the church.

As has already been mentioned, today we recognize the judges mainly in the overseers or elders in the church. It is written of an overseer that it must be someone “who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?)” (1 Timothy 3:4-5). These are the people who can help other believers today to escape the grip of the world that has caught them again. With their help these believers can enjoy God’s triumphs again.

Judges 9:47

The Enemy Defeated

Othniel did not owe his victory to himself. Although he is a suitable instrument, he has no power in himself to defeat the enemy. This requires the power of the “Spirit of the LORD”. Only the Holy Spirit can ensure that the wrong elements of the life of God’s people are removed.

The first activity we read about is that Othniel judges Israel. Only then does he go to war. He is first concerned with the condition of God’s people. He makes it clear where they are wrong. This must lead to self-judgment. Non-confessed sins weaken the people of God. There is no strength to fight. The first work of the Spirit is that He lets us discover in ourselves what is wrong, so that we can remove it from our lives. In this way we are freed and the Spirit can fill us.

Then what is referred to as the second can take place, that is to say, go out to war. The characteristic of the young men, that they have overcome evil (1 John 2:14-17), becomes visible in Othniel. He possesses the power of God – his name means ‘lion of God’. Also the Word of God abides in him – he has previously taken Kiriath-sefer and made it Debir (Judges 1:11-13).

After his victory, the land has rest forty years. If the power of God reigns, there is a situation where the enemy has no chance to do his corruptive work. But after forty years, Othniel dies, that is, the power of God has disappeared. The result is quickly apparent.

Judges 9:48

The Enemy Defeated

Othniel did not owe his victory to himself. Although he is a suitable instrument, he has no power in himself to defeat the enemy. This requires the power of the “Spirit of the LORD”. Only the Holy Spirit can ensure that the wrong elements of the life of God’s people are removed.

The first activity we read about is that Othniel judges Israel. Only then does he go to war. He is first concerned with the condition of God’s people. He makes it clear where they are wrong. This must lead to self-judgment. Non-confessed sins weaken the people of God. There is no strength to fight. The first work of the Spirit is that He lets us discover in ourselves what is wrong, so that we can remove it from our lives. In this way we are freed and the Spirit can fill us.

Then what is referred to as the second can take place, that is to say, go out to war. The characteristic of the young men, that they have overcome evil (1 John 2:14-17), becomes visible in Othniel. He possesses the power of God – his name means ‘lion of God’. Also the Word of God abides in him – he has previously taken Kiriath-sefer and made it Debir (Judges 1:11-13).

After his victory, the land has rest forty years. If the power of God reigns, there is a situation where the enemy has no chance to do his corruptive work. But after forty years, Othniel dies, that is, the power of God has disappeared. The result is quickly apparent.

Judges 9:49

Moab and Eglon

When Othniel has died, it does not take long or the Israelites do again what is evil in the sight of the LORD. It seems that they have learned nothing from the last time. Are they not a poignant example of who we are? It is significant that it says that the LORD strengthens the enemy. God’s power is not with His disobedient people of Israel, but with the enemy Moab. Is Moab better than Israel? No, he is not, but God wants to use Moab as a rod of discipline to get His people to return to Him.

This enemy also represents something. What that is, we can deduct from his name and from his history. His name means ‘from the father’. Who is his father? That’s Lot (Genesis 19:36-37). In Lot we see a man who loves the world. He looks at what he sees with his eyes. He is guided by the desires of the flesh, that is the old nature that every believer still has within. In Genesis 13 this is reflected in the choice he makes (Genesis 13:8-11).

In Moabs history two characteristics become visible that arise from the desires of the flesh, namely laziness and pride (Jeremiah 48:11; 29; Isaiah 16:6). Moab represents the deeds (or: the works) of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21).

The man who rules Moab is called Eglon. Eglon means ‘round’ or ‘circle’. We could say that with Moab (the flesh) everything takes place within the circle of own interest. ‘I’ is central, and there is no place for God in this circle. The previous enemy, Cushan-rishathaim, who is a picture of the world, is followed by an enemy who is a picture of the flesh. This enemy is now given power over God’s people.

In the life of a deviated believer, this means that he will behave himself carnal, that he is looking for the satisfaction of his own desires. That never gives real satisfaction.

Judges 9:50

Ammon and Amalek

Moab seeks the help of Ammon and Amalek. Ammon has the same horrible origins as Moab (Genesis 19:38). His name means ‘independent’ and shows the self-will of the flesh. Amalek is a descendant of Esau (Genesis 36:12). His name means ‘people of rulers’. It shows the assertiveness, the desires of the flesh to rule. “The city of the palm trees” is Jericho, the city that forms the entrance to the land and is captured by Israel (Joshua 6:1; 20). The enemy now takes possession of that city again and thereby has a strategic place in his hands.

If a believer is unfaithful, the flesh takes possession of important principles in his life. For example, when making important decisions he is not guided by the Spirit, but by the flesh. When flesh takes control in a local church, there is conflict and confusion.

In the Bible, the church in Corinth is an example of this. Paul must exhort them because they are carnal (1 Corinthians 3:1). In this situation he cannot speak to them about the blessings that are part of the Christian. He must remind them again of the most elementary things of faith, “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

Judges 9:51

Period of Oppression

During the previous domination, it took eight years before Israel cries to the LORD (Judges 3:8-9). Now eighteen years of domination are passing before the people reach that point. It seems that deviating again from the LORD makes the people more insensitive to the discipline that God sends. It is only after eighteen years that the awareness of becoming slaves begins to grow and they long for their freedom. That is the experience we too can have. The longer we forget God, the longer it takes for us to return to Him.

Judges 9:52

Ehud

Ehud is the man who God raises up to deliver His people. His name means ‘the decisive’, ‘the strong’. He is the son of Gera, which means ‘reflection’. He comes from the tribe of Benjamin, which means ‘son of my right hand’. If we think about these names, we can observe the following characteristics in Ehud. He is from Benjamin, which shows that he is connected with a position of strength, because this is what the name Benjamin speaks of.

However, it is not enough just to know that we are in a particular position. It also means that we make that position our property. That is, we are reflecting about what it means to have been given that place. This is derived from the name Gera, ‘reflection’. The result of this ‘reflection’ is that a powerful performance takes place.

Ehud is left-handed. Therefore he carries his sword on the right (Judges 3:16). That’s an unusual place, but for him it’s the best. This way he can use his weapon in the way that suits him best. From this we can learn that we should use the Bible in the way that suits us and that we should not imitate others in its use. That doesn’t work. Thus David has nothing to do with the armor and sword of Saul. He knows how to deal with sling and stone and therewith he kills the enemy (1 Samuel 17:38-39; 49-50).

The literal translation of the word ‘left-handed’ is ‘closed from his right hand’. Apparently he can’t use his right hand. In the life of a believer, something can go wrong, causing him to lose his grip on the things of God. For example, someone may know the blessings described in the letter to the Ephesians, but be so busy with the things of life on earth that he no longer has time and attention for those blessings. In that way ‘gifts are given to the flesh’, which we also see in Israel, which through the hand of Ehud brings tribute to Eglon. For us, this tribute may consist of letting pass by opportunities to learn more of God’s blessings. We never get those opportunities back. We live for ourselves. We are overwhelmed by earthly worries and do not think of “the things above” (Colossians 3:1).

Judges 9:53

A Two-Edged Sword

Here we see the basis for victory. This is achieved by Ehud making for himself a sword with “two edges”. With this he overcomes his personal handicap and becomes useful to God as a blessing for His people. In various places in the New Testament we can read that this two-edged sword is a picture of the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12; Ephesians 6:17; Revelation 1:16; Revelation 2:12; Revelation 19:15). The Word of God is the weapon with which any enemy can be defeated. But we have to be able to handle it, that is to say we have to get to know the Word so that we can use it.

The Lord Jesus uses this ‘sword’ against the devil when He is tempted in the wilderness. He parries every attack of the opponent with “it is written” and then cites a verse from the book of Deuteronomy (Matthew 4:4; 7; 10).

It is a two-edged sword, i.e. it cuts in two directions. For us, this means that we must apply the Word first to ourselves and only then to the opponent. This order Paul presents to Timothy when he says to him: “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching” (1 Timothy 4:16). We cannot defeat the adversary if we allow things in our lives that are contrary to the Bible. We must first listen to the Bible ourselves and remove what is contrary to it.

The sword is a cubit in length. It is a precisely measured size, not too big and not too small. We must not add anything to the Word, nor take anything away from it. We need the whole Word, not just our favorite parts. Nothing is unimportant. Nor should we add our ideas or traditions. A cubit also speaks of something insignificant (Luke 12:25-26). The Word of God is shabby for people who trust and build on their own mind. But the simplest truths of the Word of God are capable of striking the flesh in all its corruption when used in real faith.

Ehud wears the sword under his clothes. Nobody sees it. This is reminiscent of the word of the Psalmist: “Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You” (Psalms 119:11). At the same time, the Word gives strength to his walk: he wears it “on his right thigh”.

Judges 9:54

A Very Fat Man

Armed with his newly made sword, Ehud will bring the tribute to Eglon for the last time. Eglon is a very fat man. As said, this enemy is a picture of the flesh, where everything revolves around its own ‘I’. That cannot but result in slothfulness. Everything is viewed from the idea of how ‘I’ can benefit from it. There is no thought of others. Egoism reigns supreme. ‘I’ is getting big and voluminous. There is nothing in the flesh that attracts the spiritually-minded believer.

Judges 9:55

A Secret Message

God has raised up Ehud as a deliverer (Judges 3:15). After his personal preparation he is ready for his actual task. After he together with others has fulfilled the obligation, he sends the others away. The commission of God is addressed to him personally. He must fulfill it on his own, without any further attendees. He achieves his victory in secret, without any outward showing. The effect of his act of faith is public and benefits the whole people. Others, the people, will benefit from his deed.

Gilgal occupies an important place in his mission, from there he leaves. We have already met Gilgal before (Judges 2:1). There we saw that it is the place from which Israel has always left to conquer the land and to which the people have returned after a conquest. Ehud does the same (Judges 3:19; 26).

The circumcision of the people also took place at Gilgal (Joshua 5:2-9). The spiritual meaning of this is the judgment of the sinful flesh. Circumcision teaches us that every battle to be fought can never be fought in our own strength, in the strength of our flesh. If we go, while being aware of the fact that there is no power in us, God can fill us with His power.

The stones of Jdg 3:19 are probably those which Joshua erected as a memorial on the river banks after the people passed through the Jordan (Joshua 4:20). But here are they are transformed into “idols”. This also happened with statutes given by the Lord, such as baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The Bible states that both have to do with the death of the Lord Jesus. Because this meaning is abandoned in parts of professing Christianity, to the roman catholic church they have become sacraments with an idolatrous meaning. They have even become means by which, when one uses them, one thinks one receives eternal life.

Judges 9:56

A Secret Message

God has raised up Ehud as a deliverer (Judges 3:15). After his personal preparation he is ready for his actual task. After he together with others has fulfilled the obligation, he sends the others away. The commission of God is addressed to him personally. He must fulfill it on his own, without any further attendees. He achieves his victory in secret, without any outward showing. The effect of his act of faith is public and benefits the whole people. Others, the people, will benefit from his deed.

Gilgal occupies an important place in his mission, from there he leaves. We have already met Gilgal before (Judges 2:1). There we saw that it is the place from which Israel has always left to conquer the land and to which the people have returned after a conquest. Ehud does the same (Judges 3:19; 26).

The circumcision of the people also took place at Gilgal (Joshua 5:2-9). The spiritual meaning of this is the judgment of the sinful flesh. Circumcision teaches us that every battle to be fought can never be fought in our own strength, in the strength of our flesh. If we go, while being aware of the fact that there is no power in us, God can fill us with His power.

The stones of Jdg 3:19 are probably those which Joshua erected as a memorial on the river banks after the people passed through the Jordan (Joshua 4:20). But here are they are transformed into “idols”. This also happened with statutes given by the Lord, such as baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The Bible states that both have to do with the death of the Lord Jesus. Because this meaning is abandoned in parts of professing Christianity, to the roman catholic church they have become sacraments with an idolatrous meaning. They have even become means by which, when one uses them, one thinks one receives eternal life.

Judges 9:57

The Judgment on Eglon

Eglon is alone, in an environment that is completely adapted to his wishes. He sits there at ease, to satisfy all his desires. Here we see a striking picture of the selfishness of the flesh that wants everything for itself. There is only one answer to such an attitude and that is the message from God that Ehud speaks. This is how the judgment on Eglon is carried out (Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 19:13-15). The flesh can only be killed in the presence of God.

That Eglon arises from his seat seems to indicate a certain respect for the Word of God, but it is only an outward form. There is nothing in his heart that is really open to this Word. Such people have always been there and they are still there. However, that does not change the judgment that the Word pronounces on them. How they are by nature is obvious when the Word is applied in its full sharpness. That’s how it goes with Eglon. The sword goes into his belly and “the refuse”, that is his girth, comes out. The corruption that is in him comes out through the sword.

The corruption of the flesh is revealed by God’s Word. Don’t we get frightened of ourselves when suddenly disgusting thoughts come up in us? That is the only thing the flesh can produce. The flesh of an unbeliever and the flesh of a believer are exactly the same. The Word makes it public and passes judgment on it.

After Ehud applied it to himself (Judges 3:16; 19), he now applies it to the enemy of God’s people. He does so radically, deeply. He does not deal with his enemy in a sugary and superficial way. Nor is he content with a partial or temporary victory, but he wants a complete victory. He leaves the sword in the belly, he doesn’t pull it out. He also closes the room in which he killed Eglon.

As for him, he has done everything to completely eliminate this enemy of God’s people so that he cannot reappear. The application is clear. If we have judged a certain effect of the flesh in ourselves or in others by the Word that has caused it to disappear, then we must not allow it to reappear.