Judges. Lesson #9. The Judges: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar and Deborah (3: 7 5: 31)

Transcription

1 Judges Lesson #9 The Judges: (3: 7 5: 31) 1

2 Review With the land (to some degree) subdued and allocated, and with Joshua and his genera:on dead, who will now lead Israel? That was the big ques:on posed in Lesson #8. Recall that Israel was to be a theocracy, with God as king; Israel was not to have a person as king, a man (or woman) with absolute authority ruling over all. But consider the resul:ng problems. The tribal land alloca:ons followed natural geographic and topographic boundaries, with north-to-south strata separa:ng large groups of people. Who would govern this diverse land, control the interna:onal trade routes, defend communi:es against invaders, nego:ate trade agreements, manage water resources, maintain roads, collect taxes, and all of the other func:ons involved in running a na:on? And consider that the Israelites did not, in fact, control all the land. There were s:ll a great many indigenous people living among the Israelites, and they were certainly not willing to be governed by the johnnie-come-lately Israelites! 2

3 Preview We have seen that aper the death of Joshua and those of his era, the new genera:on falls far from God, intermarrying with the indigenous people and serving their gods. Consequently, as we move more deeply into the book of Judges, Israel begins a cycle of decline, and with each cycle, the na:on spirals lower and lower, un:l by the end of Judges, around 1050 B.C.: There was no king in Israel [including God]; everyone did what was right in their own sight (21: 25). With each cycle of decline God raises a judge. In the book of Judges we meet 13 judges, but they are not judicial figures, they are military or poli:cal leaders (although Deborah the only woman judge serves both judicial and military func:ons). Theore:cally, judges are to emerge at a :me of crisis, address the crisis, and then return to their ordinary lives as farmers and shepherds. But, of course, when people are given power (or take it), they are loathe to give it up, so as :me goes by the judges become more and more corrupt. By 1 Samuel the people are fed up with judges, and they demand a king, like all the other nakons, to rule us (8: 5). In lesson #9 we meet the first 4 of Israel s 13 judges: Othhiel, Ehud, Shamgar and Deborah. 3

4 If we date the Exodus at 1446 B.C. (the tradi:onal date based upon 1 Kings 6: 1), then the Israelites cross the Jordan River 40 years later in 1406 B.C. to begin the conquest, which takes 45 years (according to Joshua 14: 10), thus bringing us to around 1361 B.C. for the period of the Judges to begin. As we ve already seen, aper Joshua s death and the death of all those in Joshua s genera:on, chaos ensued, with the Israelites segling among the Canaanites, HiNtes, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and we learn that they took their daughters in marriage, and gave their own daughters to their sons in marriage, and served their gods (3: 5-6). 4

5 It doesn t take long for the consequences to begin: 5

6 Then the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; they forgot the Lord, their God, and served the Baals and the Asherahs, and the anger of the Lord flared up against them. He sold them into the power of Cushan-rishathaim, king of Aram Naharaim; and the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim for eight years. But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord he raised up a savior for them, to save them. It was Othniel, son of Caleb s younger brother Kenaz. The spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel. When he marched out to war, the Lord delivered Cushan-rishathaim, king of Aram, into his power, and his hold on Cushanrishathaim was firm. So the land was at rest for forty years, until Othniel, son of Kenaz, died. (3: 7-11) 6

7 No:ce the sequence of events: 7

8 Then 1) the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; they forgot the Lord, their God, and 2) served the Baals and the Asherahs, and 3) the anger of the Lord flared up against them. 4) He sold them into the power of Cushanrishathaim, king of Aram Naharaim; and 5) the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim for eight years. But when 6) the Israelites cried out to the Lord he 7) raised up a savior [a Judge] for them, to save them. It was Othniel, son of Caleb s younger brother Kenaz. The spirit of the Lord came upon him, and 8) he judged Israel. When he marched out to war, 9) the Lord delivered Cushan-rishathaim, king of Aram, into his power, and his hold on Cushan-rishathaim was firm. So 10) the land was at rest for forty years, until Othniel, son of Kenaz, died. (3: 7-11) 8

9 The Cycle of Sin in Judges The na:on serves God The na:on is delivered The na:on does evil God raises a Judge The na:on forsakes God The na:on repents The na:on follows its own way The na:on turns to God Depression and war result The na:on cries out to God The na:on is sold into slavery The na:on suffers servitude 9

10 Now, let s look closely at our first Judge, Othniel. We ve met Othniel before. He is the son of Caleb s brother Kenaz, and he s the one who captured Debir (southwest of Hebron) and was given Caleb s daughter, Achsah, in marriage as a reward (1: 11-13). Now the Israelites are under the power of Cushanrishathaim, King of Aram Naharaim. His name may be a play on words, sugges:ng doublywicked Cushan, and Aram Naharaim means between the two rivers, that is between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Mesopotamia, or Iraq of today. Once Othniel defeats Cushan-rishathaim Israel enjoys peace for 40 years, an en:re genera:on. We ve made one cycle on the clock. 10

11 Mediterranean Jerusalem è ç Hebron ç Debir Tradi:onal tomb of Othniel in Hebron miles km Tradi:onal tomb of Joshua

12 Again the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so he strengthened Eglon, king of Moab, against Israel because they did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Taking the Ammonites and Amalek as allies, he went and defeated Israel, taking possession of the City of Palms [Jericho]. So the Israelites served Eglon, king of Moab, for eighteen years. (3: 12-14) 12

13 Here we go again, around the clock! Not me. I m beginning to see the pagern! 13

14 But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord, he raised up for them a savior, Ehud, son of Gera, a Benjaminite who was left-handed. The Israelites would send their tribute to Eglon, king of Moab, by him. Ehud made himself a two-edged dagger a foot long, and strapped it under his clothes on his right thigh. He presented the tribute to Eglon, king of Moab; now Eglon was a very fat man. When he had finished presenting the tribute, he dismissed the troops who had carried the tribute. But he himself turned back at the sculptured stones near Gilgal, and said, I have a secret message for you, O king. And the king said, Silence! Then when all his attendants had left his presence, Ehud went in to him where he sat alone in his cool upper room. Ehud said, I have a word from God for you. So the king rose from his throne. Then Ehud with his left hand drew the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into Eglon s belly. The hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade because he did not withdraw the dagger from the body. (3: 15-22) 14

15 Ehud stabs Eglon Speculum Humanae SalvaKonis (illuminated manuscript, Hs 2505, fol. 55r), c University and State Library, Darmstadt, Germany. 15

16 Then Ehud went out onto the porch, shutting the doors of the upper room on Eglon and locking them. When Ehud had left and the servants had come, they saw that the doors of the upper room were locked, and thought, He must be easing himself in the cool chamber. They waited until they were at a loss when he did not open the doors of the upper room. So they took the key and opened them, and there was their lord lying on the floor, dead. (3: 23-25) 16

17 Ha, ha, ha! Big, fat Eglon wasn t easing himself in a cool room. The Hebrew word is cakak [saw-kak ], the same word used in 1 Samuel 24: 3 when king Saul goes into a cave to relieve Not himself me. before bagle. They thought big, fat Eglon was taking a dump! Now, that s funny! 17

18 During their delay Ehud escaped and, passing the sculptured stones, took refuge in Seirah. On his arrival he sounded the horn in the mountain region of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down from the mountains with him as their leader. Follow me, he said to them, for the Lord has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your power. So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, permitting no one to cross. On that occasion they slew about ten thousand Moabites, all of them strong warriors. Not one escaped. So Moab was brought under the power of Israel at that time; and the land had rest for eighty years. (3: 26-30) 18

19 Jordan River è Gilgal è Jericho è ( City of Palms ) Dead Sea MOUNTAINS OF MOAB miles km

20 After him there was Shamgar, son of Anath, who slew six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He, too, was a savior for Israel. (3: 31) 20

21 Poor Shamgar gets only one verse Not me. in Scripture. But he was one tough dude, killing 600 men with an oxgoad! That s one verse more than either of you get! 21

22 Shamgar kills 600 men with an oxgoad, Speculum Humanae SalvaKonis (illuminated manuscript, Hs 2505, fol. 31r), c University and State Library, Darmstadt, Germany. 22

23 Now we come to judge #4, the only woman who serves as a judge. And this is very odd. In a profoundly patriarchal culture, how is it that Deborah becomes the leader and savior of Israel? 23

24 The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; Ehud was dead. So the Lord sold them into the power of the Canaanite king, Jabin, who reigned in Hazor. The general of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. But the Israelites cried out to the Lord; for with his nine hundred iron chariots Jabin harshly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years. (4: 1-3) 24

25 Recall that in Lesson #6 Joshua fought Jabin, king of Hazor, and a coali:on of northern kings at the waters of Merom (the Hula Lake). Joshua and the Israelites defeated the coali:on, put their ci:es under the ban, killed Jabin and burned Hazor. Now 166 years have passed and Hazor has been rebuilt and rearmed with 900 iron chariots, all under the command of a new king Jabin. Given the strategic importance of Hazor in controlling the northern por:on of the Via Maris, Jabin has pushed south controlling the Jezreel Valley and the southern pass at Megiddo. 25

26 Via Maris è ç Hazor ç Capernaum ç Mt. Carmel ç Tiberias Nazareth è Megiddo è Jezreel Valley ç Mt. Tabor miles km Conquest & SeClement 26

27 Aerial view of Tel Hazor with the Via Maris (as it is today) beneath it. Conquest & SeClement 27

28 At that time the prophet Deborah, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. She used to sit under Deborah s palm tree, between Ramah and Bethel in the mountain region of Ephraim, where the Israelites came up to her for judgment. She had Barak, son of Abinoam, summoned from Kedesh of Naphtali. She said to him, This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, commands: Go, march against Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulun. I will draw Sisera, the general of Jabin s army, out to you at the Wadi Kishon, together with his chariots and troops, and I will deliver them into your power. But Barak answered her, If you come with me, I will go; if you do not come with me, I will not go. I will certainly go with you, she replied, but you will not gain glory for the expedition on which you are setting out, for it is into a woman s power that the Lord is going to sell Sisera. So Deborah arose and went with Barak and journeyed with him to Kedesh. (4: 4-9) 28

29 Mt. Tabor in the Jezreel Valley. Photography by Ana Maria Vargas 29

30 Barak is in Kadesh, just north of Hazor Mt. Tabor in the Jezreel Valley Deborah is in Ephraim between Ramah and Bethel ç Kedesh ç Hazor Barak brings 10,000 men from Naphtali and Zebulun 30

31 Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh, and ten thousand men followed him. Deborah also went up with him. Now Heber the Kenite had detached himself from Cain, the descendants of Hobab, Moses father-in-law, and had pitched his tent by the terebinth of Zaanannim, which was near Kedesh. (4: 10-11) 31

32 The Kenites were metal workers who lived in southern Judah and the Negev. Heber lep his clan to Not set me. up camp near Hazor. That makes sense. Jabin had 900 iron chariots, so there was a lot of work for him at Hazor. 32

33 It was reported to Sisera that Barak, son of Abinoam, had gone up to Mount Tabor. So Sisera called out all nine hundred of his iron chariots and all his forces from Harosheth-ha-goiim to the Wadi Kishon. Deborah then said to Barak, Up! This is the day on which the Lord has delivered Sisera into your power. The Lord marches before you. So Barak went down Mount Tabor, followed by his ten thousand men. And the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots and forces into a panic before Barak. Sisera himself dismounted from his chariot and fled on foot, but Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth-ha-goiim. The entire army of Sisera fell beneath the sword, not even one man surviving. (4: 12-16) 33

34 ç Mt. Carmel ç Harosheth-ha-goiim ç Wadi Kishon Sea of Galilee ç Mt. Tabor ç Megiddo miles km

35 Luca Giordano. The Defeat of Sisera (oil on canvas), c Prado Museum, Madrid. 35

36 Sisera fled on foot to the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin, king of Hazor, and the family of Heber the Kenite. Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, Turn aside, my lord, turn aside with me; do not be afraid. So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a rug. He said to her, Please give me a little water to drink. I am thirsty. So she opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and then covered him. Stand at the entrance of the tent, he said to her. If anyone comes and asks, Is there someone here? say, No! Jael, wife of Heber, got a tent peg and took a mallet in her hand. When Sisera was in a deep sleep from exhaustion, she approached him stealthily and drove the peg through his temple and down into the ground, and he died. Then when Barak came in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said to him, Come, I will show you the man you are looking for. So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera dead, with the tent peg through his temple. (4: 17-22) 36

37 Holy cow! That tent peg was the last thing that passed through Sisera s mind! 37

38 Gregorio Lazzaerini. Jael and Sisera (oil on canvas), c Private Collec:on. 38

39 Thus on that day God humbled the Canaanite king, Jabin, before the Israelites; their power weighed ever more heavily on him, until at length they finished off the Canaanite king, Jabin. (4: 23-24) 39

40 At a :me of na:onal crisis two women Deborah and Jael defeat Jabin, king of Hebron and his 900 iron chariots, commanded by his general, Sisera. Two ques:ons come to mind immediately: 1. Why are two women the unlikely heroines of the story? 2. How did they pull off their victory? 40

41 There are five men in the story: 1. Jabin, king of Hazor 2. Sisera, Jabin s commanding general 3. Barak, Deborah s commanding general 4. Deborah s husband, Lappidoth 5. Jael s husband, Heber the Kenite What do we know about each of them? 41

42 Jabin Although king of Hazor, armed with 900 iron chariots, Jabin is a foil to Deborah and Jael. Sisera Although commanding general, Sisera flees from bagle, begs for protec:on from Jael, and curls up like a baby wrapped in a blanket, aper drinking warm milk! Lappidoth Although Deborah s husband, he is missing in ac:on. In Hebrew, Lappidoth is a feminine plural meaning flames, perhaps not Deborah s husband at all, but a descrip:on of Deborah s character, juxtaposed to Barak, lightening. Barak Although commanding general, Barak s name means lightening, but he refuses to fight Sisera unless Deborah comes with him to hold his hand! Heber A Kenite and a descendant of Moses father-in-law, Jethro, he has lep his clan to work for Israel s enemies, exchanging loyalty for money. 42

43 Conversely, Deborah and Jael are strong characters: 1. Deborah is both a judicial judge and a military judge, leading Israel during the 20-year occupa:on by Jabin, king of Hazor; 2. Jael feigns innocence while luring Sisera to his gruesome death, a tent peg through the skull! 43

44 In the highly patriarchal, tribal culture of the Hebrew Scriptures, it seems that Deborah and Jael stepped up to the Not plate me. because the men of their day had abdicated their responsibility as men. Those men were a bunch of wimps! But Deborah and Jael were tough cookies! 44

45 That s right buster, and don t you forget it! 45

46 The story of Deborah and Jael ends with the Song of Deborah, a 31-verse song that celebrates their victory: 46

47 The Song of Deborah consists of two stanzas, each stanza with its own subsec:ons. It begins: On that day Deborah sang this song and Barak, son of Abinoam... 47

48 Stanza 1 The Song of Deborah Frame When uprising broke out in Israel, when the people rallied for duty bless the Lord! Proclama:on Hear, O kings! Give ear, O princes! I will sing, I will sing to the Lord, I will make music to the Lord, the God of Israel. Contrast with Lord, when you went out from Seir, :mes past when you marched from the plains of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens poured, Old :mes the clouds poured rain, the mountains streamed, before the Lord, the One of Sinai, before the Lord, the God of Israel. Now In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the days of Jael, caravans ceased: 48

49 In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the days of Jael, caravans ceased: those who traveled the roads now traveled by roundabout paths. Gone was freedom beyond the walls, gone indeed from Israel; when I, Deborah, arose, when I arose, a mother in Israel. New gods were their choice, then war was at the gates; no shield was to be found, no spear, among forty thousand in Israel! Frame My heart is with the leaders of Israel, with the dedicated ones of the people bless the Lord. 49

50 Stanza 2 Proclama:on Those who ride on white donkeys, seated on saddle rugs, and those who travel the road, sing of them to the sounds of musicians at the wells; there they recount the just deeds of the Lord, his just deeds bringing freedom to Israel. Recoun:ng Awake, awake, Deborah! the story Awake, awake, strike up a song! The plea Arise, Barak! Take cap:ve your captors, son of Abinoam! Then down went Israel against the mighty, the army of the Lord went down for him against the warriors. From Ephraim, their base in the valley; behind you, Benjamin, among your troops. The heroes From Machir came down commanders, from Zebulun wielders of the marshal s staff. The princes of Issachar were with Deborah, Issachar, faithful to Barak; in the valley they followed at his heels. 50

51 Among the clans of Reuben great were the searchings of heart! Why did you stay beside your hearths listening to the lowing of the herds? The cowards Among the clans of Reuben great were the searchings of heart! Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan; Why did Dan spend his :me in ships? Asher remained along the shore, he stayed in his havens. The bagle Zebulun was a people who defied death, The heros Naphtali, too, on the open heights! The kings came and fought; The enemy then they fought, those kings of Canaan, at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; no spoil of silver did they take. From the heavens the stars fought; The heros from their courses they fought against Sisera. The Wadi Kishon swept them away; The enemy the wadi overwhelmed them, the Wadi Kishon. Trample down the strong! Then the hoofs of the horses hammered, the galloping, galloping of steeds. 51

52 The cowards Curse Meroz, says the angel of the Lord, curse, curse its inhabitants! For they did not come when the Lord helped, the help of the Lord against the warriors. Jael, Most blessed of women is Jael, Israel s the wife of Heber the Kenite, heroine blessed among tent-dwelling women! He asked for water, she gave him milk, in a princely bowl she brought him curds. With her hand she reached for the peg, with her right hand, the workman s hammer. She hammered Sisera, crushed his head; she smashed, pierced his temple. At her feet he sank down, fell, lay s:ll; down at her feet he sank and fell; where he sank down, there he fell, slain. The enemy s From the window she looked down, women the mother of Sisera peered through the lasce: Why is his chariot so long in coming? why are the hoof beats of his chariots delayed? 52

53 The wisest of her princesses answers her; she e ven replies to herself, They must be dividing the spoil they took: a slave woman or two for each man, Spoil of dyed cloth for Sisera, spoil of ornate dyed cloth, a pair of ornate dyed cloths for my neck in the spoil. Conclusion So perish all your enemies, O Lord! But may those who love you be like the sun rising in its might! And the land was at rest for forty years. 53

54 Salomon de Bray. Jael, Deborah and Barak (oil on panel), Museum Catharijneconvent, Utrecht. 54

55 Ques:ons for discussion and thought 1. Othniel is Israel s first judge. Why is that important in our story s structure? 2. Why was it important to men:on that Ehud was lephanded? 3. How did Deborah become Israel s fourth judge? 4. When Sisera asks Jael for water, she gives him warm milk and covers him with a blanket. What does this tell you about Sisera? 5. What is the last thing that passed through Sisera s mind? 55

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