Judges 6-7 Part 2: God turned Weakness into Strength

Have you experienced an event or time when what you considered your weaknesses turned out to be a key strength? Even after numerous direct confirmations provided by God, Gideon was hesitant to take the lead to fight against the Midianites. However, his deliberate, careful personality played a key role in the later part of war against the Midianites.

Gideon: The History Maker at Night

Many of the important events that transformed Gideon took place at night.

First, he took ten men to demolish the altar of Baal at night. Although his did this at night because because he feared other poeple who served Baal, he still obeyed the LORD (Judges 6:27). Second, God soaked and dried fleece at Gideon’s request over the night (Judges 6:36-40). Gideon was in a desperate need of God’s confirmation before going against the Midianites, and God responded to his request by showing the soaked and dried fleece over the night. Third, when Gideon led 300 men to cause a great confusion by the sound of trumpets and breaking of jars to the Midianite camps, it happened at night (Judges 7:16-21). This night was the harbinger of Gideon’s colossal victory over 135,000 Midianites.

God’s Delicate Walk with Gideon

From chapter 6 and 7, we see how God walked very delicately to build up Gideon’s trust in Him. Gideon was a very careful man who was in absolute need of certainty. However, God fully made the most of Gideon’s character and customized God’s lead over Gideon based on his character. In fact, Gideon’s deliberate, careful personality turned out to be his strength later in the battle. Let’s go over how the LORD God led Gideon in his pace to confirm numerous times that the LORD would give him victory over the Midianites.

The LORD sent his angel to Gideon to tell him that the LORD was with him (Judges 6:12, 14, and 16)
God confirmed that He would deliver Israel through Gideon by providing clear signs of fully soaking fleece and fully drying fleece (6:36-30)
The LORD confirmed that he would give the Midianites into Gideon’s hands with 300 men (Judges 7:7)
The LORD gave courage to Gideon that He would give the Midiniates into Gideon’s hands and told him to go down to their camp with his servant Purah (Judges 7:9)
The LORD allowed Gideon to hear the dream by a Midianite soldier that Gideon would turn the Midian camp upside down (Judges 7:13-14)

After these confirmations, Gideon in his own volition, finally, responded in worshipping God (Judges 7:15). It took at least five strong confirmation by the LORD for Gideon to soak in God’s promise of delivering the Midianites into Gideon’s hands. This whole process showed the patience of God and God’s willingness to work through Gideon’s weaknesses and hesitation.

Similarities between War with the Midianites and War with Jericho

There are some similarities between the conquest of Jericho by Joshua and the war with the Midinites by Gideon. The first element is the source of final courage from the enemy side. When Joshua sent two spies to Jericho, it was confirmed that the entire Canaanites were in fear of the Israelites as Rahab said. The extra morale boost came from the word of Rahab, an inhabitant of Jericho. Similarly, Gideon’s final courage was mustered when he personally heard the dream interpretation by the Midianites solider that Gideon would turn the Midianites camp upside down. The LORD used unexpected sources to confirm His deliverance and injected extra doses of courage to the Israelites leaders: Joshua and Gideon.

The second similarities between the two are the use of sound wave to defeat the enemies. Joshua’s Israel used the shouting to collapse the wall of Jericho. Gideon used the crashing sound of empty jars and sound of trumpet to instill confusion to the enemies into killing themselves.

What’s notable is how Gideon come up with this idea of confusing enemies by the sound of trumpet and breaking empty jars. God never gave this specific instruction, yet Gideon used this tactic. Was Gideon reminded of what Joshua did in his battle with Jericho? We do not know for sure, but it remains a possibility.

Swiftness of the Overall Process

Note the timeline of this entire process. The assembling of the armies took place in the morning, and the reduction of the army down to 1/100th of its original size probably happened over the next few hours. At that same night, Gideon and 300 men confused the enemy into harming each other and they started to flee. Gideon and 300 men started to pursue them.

Most of the important actions, events and turning points all took place within 24 hours. When God decided to deliver His people, His action was certainly very swift.

Why did God chose Gideon?

God was the ultimate source for Gideon’s victory. However, we can still learn a few important lessons from Gideon’s actions, especially what he did after the Midianites started to flee from the initial “sound” attack that caused confusion.

He seemed to be a man of meticulous planning, in which his military prowess shined. When the Midianites started to flee, he quickly assembled people from Naphthali, Asher, and Manasseh, probably knowing that 300 men would not be enough to finish them off (Judges 7:23). In addition, he quickly sent a message to the men of Ephraim to position themselves in strategic locations near the Jordan River to cut off the escape route of the Midianites (Judges 7:24).

Gideon’s quick summoning of the rest of Israel prompted a question. When did he plan to assemble the rest of the Israelite tribes to attak the fleeing Midianites? Did Gideon come up with this plan after Midianites started to flee? Based on the character that Gideon displayed from chapter 6, I think Gideon formulated multiple scenarios and contingencies between day and night time (from verse Judges 7:8 and 7:9), after finalizing 300 men and before the same night when the LORD started to speak to him again. In this time gap, from afternoon to night, Gideon may have devised many scenarios in which God will deliver the Midianites, and possibly during this time, Gideon planned to assemble other Israelites tribes to finish the enemy off.

Conclusion

God walked with Gideon according to Gideon’s pace and trust level. God made the best of Gideon’s character of meticulousness, which seemed to shine at the later part of the war with the Midianites. Let’s find comfort in God who makes the best of our character and personality in accomplishing His great works.

Judges 6-7 Part 1: What is the Condition of Your Heart?

What is one of the traits that great men and women of history have? Although there are many, I think the ability to self-examine objectively is one of them. In order to examine oneself, the person needs to have the right condition of the heart. These chapters, Judges 6-7, teach, indirectly, about the importance of self-reflection – that is the heart open to accept rebuke and repent.

Condition of the Heart of the Israelites: Unresponsiveness

Chapter 6 begins with a familiar phrase in the book of Judges, “Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord,” and the following response from the Israelites shows the alarming condition of their hearts.

Notable was the extent of the hardened heart of the Israelites as a nation in chapter 6. Back in chapter 2, when the LORD sent an angel from Gilgal to Bochim to rebuke the Israelites for their disobedience, the Israelites, at least, responded in some form. They reacted by lifting up their voices, weeping, and sacrificing offerings to the LORD (Judges 2:4-5) – even though their actions did not turn out to be genuine repentance. In chapter 6, God sent a prophet to rebuke the sons of Israel with a very similar message with that in chapter 2 that they had not obeyed the LORD despite His extraordinary deliverance of them from Egypt (Judges 6:7-10). However, in chapter 6, the Israelites showed no response whatsoever to the rebuke by the prophet even when they were severely oppressed by the Midianites. Despite having experienced God’s deliverance by Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah and Barak, from chapter 2 to chapter 5, the Israelites hardened their hearts and became totally unresponsive to the Word and rebuke of God.

Condition of the Heart of the Israelites: Blame Shift

Despite unresponsiveness of the Israelites, God did not give up on them. He sent his angel to someone who would, at least, respond – and that was Gideon in Ophrah (Judges 6:11). The conversation between the angel of the LORD and Gideon reveals deeper issues within the heart of Israel (Judges 6:12-13). The angel of the LORD told Gideon that the LORD was with him (6:12). Then, Gideon responded this way:

13 Then Gideon said to him,
“O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?
And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying,
‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’
But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
Judges 6:13 NASB

Here are four deeper issues within the heart of Israel that can be inferred from Gideon’s response.

First, Gideon’s response showed his incomplete understanding of the meaning of “the LORD being with us.” He assumed that the oppression of Israel by the Midianites was the sign of the LORD’s absence. The LORD God was not absent. That He sent His prophet (Judges 6:8-10) was a sign of the presence of God. That the angel of the LORD visiting Gideon was the sign of the LORD’s being with Israel (Judges 6:12). The outcome of the Israelites’ current condition being brought very low under the Midianites (Judges 6:6) was due to Israel’s collective sin, not the LORD’s absence. Gideon’s answer to the angel implicitly accuses the LORD for Israel’s misery.

Second, the LORD being with Israel does not always equate to prosperity. Detueronomy 28, Moses’ last public message to Israelite before crossing the Jordan Driver, clearly stated that Israel’s deliberate disobedience would result in tragic outcomes that were similar to what the Midianites did to Israel. Gideon clearly forgot about other parts of God’s promises. The promises of curses were still the promises of the LORD. When sins were committed, the LORD allowed curses and other difficult trials to bring suffering to the lives of His people – that was still the sign of the LORD’s presence with His people. Blessings and cursings both were packaged into God’s Word declared by Moses – clearly in Deuteronomy. We are not to cherry pick the Word of God that sounds good in our ears.

Third, Gideon’s response showed the overall condition of the heart of the Israelites that was prone to a “blame shift.” Gideon’s response “if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us?” showed a tinge of resentment. His response may be an overall attitude of the Israelites, who did not at all respond to the rebuke by the prophet (Judges 6:8-10) right before. In other words, the Israelites, whether consciously or unconsciously, resented the LORD their God for their misery. If they had a soft heart, they would examine their heart first and mourn. Jesus said that the blessed were those who were poor in spirit and those who mourn – these conditions reflect the soft condition of the heart that mourns over their sins. On the other hand, the Israelites demonstrated a hardened heart that shifted blame to the LORD for their misery instead of their evil act. Gideon’s response in 6:13 reflected the overall condition of the Israelites’ heart although they were committing evil acts by serving Baal and Asherah.

The fourth lesson from Gideon’s response is that the knowledge of the LORD God is not enough to live a life worthy of representing the holiness of God. Here, I am using the word knowledge to merely represent the cognitive recognition of the events that the LORD had done and His character. Personal relation with the LORD and wholeheartedly following the LORD, as Caleb did (Joshua 14:14), are required for a complete transformation. Gideon’s response showed that Israel knew well that the LORD brought their forefathers out of Egypt in a miraculous way (Judges 6:13). Although this seemed to be a common knowledge in the nation, knowing these did not transform Israel into serving and following the LORD. Nor did that knowledge empower Gideon to live out a life worthy of being called a man of God – as his household had an altar of Baal (Judges 6:25).

Many lessons can be learned from Gideon’s response from the answer. We must examine the condition of our heart. We must examine whether we are shifting blame to someone else, including God. We must examine whether the knowledge of God is transforming into a life of serving and following the LORD

Internal Battle must be Won Before Engaging in External battle

Back in Judges 3, God tested the Israelites internally and externally. Internally, God tested the condition of the heart of the Israelites to see if they would serve the LORD. Externally, God wanted Israelites to train to be able to battle against the surrounding nations. When God raised Gideon in Judges 6 and 7 to deliver Israel from Midian, Gideon underwent these two tests.

Before empowering Gideon to fight against the Midianites, the external enemy, God made Gideon undergo the test to examine the condition of his heart. This internal test was the first step of pulling down the altar of Baal, which belonged to his father (Judges 6:25). The test had three parts: 1) destroy; 2) rebuild; and 3) dedicate. Destroy the idols of Baal and Asherah by pulling down their altars, followed by building an altar to the LORD in an orderly manner. Then, offer a burnt offering. Gideon had to gather his courage and did this at night. His identity changed from Gideon to Jerubbaal (“Let Baal contend against him”).

After undergoing this internal transformation, then God poured His spirit on Gideon to summon people from Naphtali, Asher and Zebulun (Judges 6:34). In this external test, God wanted to see the obedience of Gideon. The initially summoned army of 32,000 was dwindled to 300 men. Although witnessing the army size down to 1/100th of the original size must have been a frightening experience (Judges 7:1-7), Gideon fully obeyed and did as the LORD told him. God used 300 men with Gideon to cause a great confusion into the enemy, and God delivered them into the hand of Gideon (Judges 7:17-22).

Gideon underwent both internal and external tests posed by the LORD God. Internally, he demolished the idol, built the altar to God, and dedicated himself to Him. Externally, against a vast army of Midianites, despite being fearful and hesitant from time to time, Gideon placed his trust in the LORD to pull out a miraculous victory.

Conclusion

This concludes the first part of Judges 6 and 7. Although the book of Judges mostly depicts the shortcomings of Israel, many great lessons are embedded. This post focused on the condition of the heart, and internal/external battles. I hope the post will motivate us to examine the conditions of our heart and identify wisely our internal and external battles and engage them according to God’s principle.

Judges 4-5: Barak’s Fear to Faith Journey

Are you interested in reading one of the examples of a person in the Bible who went through a journey of fear to faith? Continuing on with KOSTA’s theme of fear to faith this year, a relevant story, which you can perhaps empathize with, can be found in the story of Barak in Judges 4-5.

Content Summary

After Ehud’s death, the sons of Israel fell back again to committing evil acts against the LORD, and they were given to be oppressed by Jabin king of Canaan and his commander Sisera, who had nine hundred iron chariots. Debora, a prophetess, who was judging Israel at that time, relayed God’s message to Barak to gather men of Zebulun and Naphtali to fight against Sisera. Barak obeyed with the condition of Deborah’s accompaniment, gathered 10,000 men and marched against Sisera from Mount Tabor to the plain field near the Kishon river. As the LORD promised, He routed Sisera with the edge of the sword, along with torrential rain and the overflow of the torrent of Kishon, before Barak. Sisera fled to the house of Heber the Kenite. While he was taking refuge in the tent of Jael, a wife of Heber, Jael drove a peg into his temple and he was killed. Barak came later to see the dead Sisera.

Barak’s Reasoned Response

In response to God’s command to go against Sisera (Judges 4:6-7), Barak told Deborah that he would go only if Deborah would go with him (Judges 4:8). Barak is often discredited because of this response of a conditional obedience. Many commentaries and sermons state that Barak should have obeyed the command of the LORD with full trust. ESV Study Bible goes as far as stating that this response from Barak demonstrates his cowardice.

I disagree. Barak’s response did not demonstrate his lack of courage. First, his request for Deborah to come along to a crucial battle was reasonable as Deborah was the leader of Israel as judge. Similarly, this request also showed Barak’s respect to his leader. Second, Barak needed everything – crucially Deborah’s presence and her direct word of God – to persuade 10,000 men of Zebulun and Napthali to go against a fearsome army of iron chariots by Sisera. As fighting against Sisera’s iron chariots on a plain field is a suicide mission, this would be an incredibly burdensome mission for the leader. If Barak were to lose all 10,000 men from the battle, that would result in 10,000 sorrowful families in Israel – this would be a very fearful situation for Barak. For him to instill motivation and courage to these men to go on an extremely risky battle, he would need every confirmation from God. Bringing Debora, a respected judge and prophetess, would make his case easier.

God Gives Honors to Whomever He Wants

“I [Deborah] will surely go with you [Barak];
nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take,
for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.”
Judges 4:9 (brackets added to enhance clarity)

This verse spawned many thoughts and gentle debates with the bible study group. Often, this verse is interpreted as because Barak asked Deborah to go with him, the honor (which would have been given to Barak) was taken away from him to be given to a woman, who eventually turned out to be Jael.

I disagree with this interpretation. A close, objective examination of this statement by Deborah shows no causal link between the recipient of honor and Barak’s request for Deborah’s accompaniment. Debora simply stated that the honor shall not be Barak’s. There is no reason to believe that Barak would have been honored if he obeyed by going to battle alone without Deborah. All honor and glory ultimately belong to the LORD, therefore, Barak not receiving honor can be considered natural.

Let’s remember that God gives honors to whomever He wants. Similarly, God told Moses that “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion” (Exodus 33:19). God decided to sell Sisera into the hands of a woman under His sovereign will. God’s decision to sell Sisera into the hand of a woman is not because of Barak’s (timid) request for Deborah’s presence in his fight against Sisera. Also, this may have been God’s plan from the beginning – God wanted to use the weak to shame the strong.

Suicide Mission…

Personally, I would like to give my utmost respect to Barak for his bold obedience. When Deborah said to Barak to march ahead against Sisera (Judges 4:14), Barak obeyed by marching down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men from Zebulun and Naphthali. This was a suicide mission as they were going against 900 chariots on a plain level field, which gave a decisive advantage to iron chariots over infantry. The extent of the danger of this mission was also portrayed by Debora’s song, stating that “Zebulun was a people who despised their lives even to death, and Naphtali also, on the high places of the field.” (Judges 5:18). Despite knowing that honor would not be his, Barak and his 10,000 men were ready to lose their lives with their full trust in the LORD their God. For this reason, I give a high mark to Barak and men from these two tribes. Barak was a man of faith.

…Turned into Victory by God’s Intervention

God is the creator of the heavens and earth. Nothing is impossible with him. Chapter 5 provides a few clues on how Israel was able to achieve victory against an army of iron chariots led by Sisera. The earth quaked and the heavens and the clouds dripped water (Judges 5:5) and the torrent of Kishon (a river near where the battle took place) overflew (Judges 5:21). Soaked, muddy condition of the field would have rendered iron chariots useless. With the LORD’s help, 10,000 infantry led by Israel was able to convincingly defeat the fearsome army of iron chariots of chariots.

Jael and Sisera: Peg into Temple

Chapter 4:17 to 22 provides a detailed account of a gruesome killing of Sisera. Some of us wondered why Jael decided to kill Sisera in a cruel way? This is a good question, and my initial response is not to interpret this event with too much “spiritual” implication. The following is a summary from relevant commentaries.

Especially in the nomad communities, a man entering into another woman’s tent was considered a serious trespass. If found, both the man and woman were to be condemned to death by the community. Let’s unfold this event from Jael’s perspective. Jael may have been surprised that Sisera decided to come into her tent to escape (Judges 4:18). Although surprised, it would not be wise for her to confront Sisera because if he was refused, Sisera could have harmed Jael. For Sisera, Jael’s tent may have been an ideal place to hide from the Israelite army because women’s tents would be one of the last places for them to raid for search. With Sisera in her tent, Jael faced a stark choice. If other people saw a man other than her husband in her tent, she could be stoned to death. If Sisera regained his strength afterward, he could harm her anytime later. Therefore, Jael made a choice to end Sisera’s life while he was asleep. She did it quickly by driving a tent peg into his temple.

We do not need to interpret all the stories of the bible as if they need to be applied. These events sometimes are just described to provide the context of the society and character of the LORD. The killing of Sisera by Jael may be showing God’s character and His sovereign will to shame the strong with the weak. This may be for us, the reader now, and also for Debora, Barak, and all the Israelites that the LORD works with the weak to defeat the strong of this world.

God honors Jael based on His Sovereign Will

Although it may have been possible that Jael killed Sisera solely for her safety, God decided to honor her anyway (Judges 4:9 and 5:24). God gives honor to whomever He wants to honor, and God decided to honor Jael.

Barak’s Journey from Fear to Faith

Although the immediate honor belonged to Jael, Barak was listed as one of those “faith heroes” by the author of Hebrews (Hebrews 11:32).

In one aspect, Judges 4-5 portrayed Barak’s journey of fear to faith. A thought of facing Sisera must have spawned a large degree of fear in Barak. However, in faith, he and 10,000 men obeyed the command of the LORD to march against Sisera. The LORD gave victory and their trust (faith) in God was manifested.

I hope that you will live out a victorious, “fear to faith” life.

Judges 3: Opportunity Wasted by Israel

How do you, as a follower Christ, live out in this world? Jesus once told his disciples to “be shrewd as serpent and innocent as dove” as He sent them in the midst of “wolves” (Matt 10:26). The world can be a hostile place. The circumstance that the Israelites faced in the book of Judges was a similar situation that Jesus described – they were surrounded by “wolves”-like nations.

For that reason, the LORD God gave them tests – in fact, opportunities – for Israel to grow to be able to live out and represent the characters of God as a nation in the midst of hostile nations. This chapter shows how it went for Israel in the beginning of its nationhood.

Testing of the LORD (3:1-4)

In two dimensions the LORD God tested the Israelites – externally and internally. Externally, the LORD allowed some nations to remain so that the Israelites would learn how to wage war. Internally, the LORD tested the Israelites to see whether they would obey the commandments of the LORD. The testing of the LORD was a sign of His love and His father-son relation with Israel: the LORD God was discipling the Israelites just as a man disciplines his son (Duet 8:5). In order for the Israelites to establish a nation that would represent the characters of God and be a source of blessings to the surrounding nations, it was essential for them to undergo the two-dimensional tests.

Externally, the LORD tested the Israelites with the remaining nations for a very practical reason: to teach them how to defend themselves and to strategically wage war, if necessary. Military wars were unavoidable in a fallen world. In the fallen world, militarily strong nations would conquer weaker nations to oppress them and extract resources out of them. The land to be occupied by Israel would be surrounded by hostile nations that did not fear God. For this reason, the LORD left these nations to teach the generations who hadn’t experienced war how to fight. Connecting this to the New Testament, Jesus told his disciples “behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves (Matthew 10:26).” The Israelites needed to learn how to be as shrewd as serpents in the world filled with wolves.

Internally, the LORD tested Israel to examine the conditions of their hearts. In addition to the military and physical threat, the surrounding nations’ social system and the underlying philosophies posed a grave threat to the Israelites. Their society operated based on the principles where the strong dominate to exploit the weak and people serve false gods to worship prosperity and the desires of the flesh – all of them diametrically in contrast to the law of Moses. The author of the Proverbs urged people to guard their heart as springs of life flow from it (Prov 4:23). In order to live out a life worthy of their calling, the Israelites needed to learn how to defend their hearts, their thought systems against the worldview that diametrically opposed the values of the true God.

These were the tests given by the LORD God. From a different perspective, Israel was given an opportunity to grow by engaging in spiritual warfare to discern the truth from the falsehood.

Israelites Failed the Test (3:5-8)

Unfortunately, the Israelites utterly failed the test of the LORD in both dimensions.

Externally, they were tested to learn how to engage in warfare (3:2). Yet, the surrounding nations started to oppress them (3:8, 3:14). Internally, they were tested to follow the commands of the LORD by loving and following Him (3:4). However, Israel resided with the surrounding nations, adopted their culture, and intermarried them (3:5-6). Soon, Israel forgot the LORD and served other gods, committing what was evil in the sight of the LORD (3:7).

The moment Israel lost their identity as the people of the LORD by serving other gods, the LORD sold the Israelites into the hands of Cushan king of Mesopotamia (3:8). Is it strange to read that the LORD “sold the Israelites into” another nation? The default state is the world in which strong nations conquer and oppress the weak nations – this is considered “natural” in the fallen world. The protection by the LORD was solely due to His goodness and grace. The moment Israel gave up to be God’s people, they lost the special protection that the LORD provided according to His grace.

The LORD Delivers 1: Absence of Northern Tribes (3:9-11)

Cushan came from the Aram area (currently near Syria), north of Israel, to oppress the Israelites. Instead, when the LORD heard the cries of His people, God raised Othniel from Judah, the most south located tribe, to prevail over Cushan to deliver Israel.

It is written that “the Spirit of the LORD came upon” Othniel. Noticeable was the absence of the actions from the Israel tribes located in the northern areas, such as Asher, Naphtali, Zebulun and Manasseh given that Cusha came from the north. Perhaps, the Spirit of the LORD was searching for the appropriate person among the northern tribes to save, but was not able to find one. That no one from the northern tribes was raised as a judge to deliver may indicate a serious degree with which Israel fell away from God to serve other false gods.

The LORD Delivers 2: Ehud vs Eglon (3:12-30)

Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD again soon after Othniel’s period. As a result, Israel was defeated by the coalition of three nations: Moab, Ammon, and Amalek. Moab and Ammon were descendents of Lot. God clearly indicated that the Israelites were not to attack Moab or Ammon (Deuteronomy 2). However, Amalek was a different story. Amalek was the nation that enraged God (Exodus 17). God told the Israelites to utterly destroy Amalek, but because of their failure to do so, Amalek came back to bite back Israel. Afterward, the Israelites were oppressed by the Moabites for 18 years.

The detail analysis of Ehud vs. Eglon story is very well presented in this website. I will defer to this website if you would like to enhance your understanding of this part of the story.

The LORD Delivers 3: Shamgar the Non-Israelite (3:31)

The LORD God loves to work with the marginalized. Neither the name of Shamgar nor his father’s name, Anath, was Jewish. Commentaries say that he was likely to be a non-Israelites, perhaps, a Kenite, among one of those who followed the Judah tribe to settle with them. Therefore, Shamgar was not likely in the mainstream of the Israelite society. However, the LORD empowered Shamgar to deliver Israel from the Philistines.

Judges 2: The Gospel in Judges

Throughout the Bible, whenever the concept of the Gospel is introduced, it is usually accompanied by two components that could not be farther apart: 1) utter sinfulness of mankind; and 2) abundant grace and goodness of God. Just to list a few examples: God promised the restoration of mankind by crushing the head of the serpent as soon as Adam and Eve sinned (Gen 3); Romans 3 states that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” then says, “all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Judges 2 shows repeatedly this exact pattern: utter sinfulness and hopeless of the Israelites followed by God’s grace and compassion. Although the events in Judges 2 can be depressing, hope is embedded in between lines.

Fake Tears

The angel of the LORD came from Gilgal to Bochim to rebuke the children of Israel with stark news because they had failed to obey the LORD: He would no longer drive out other nations and they would become as thorns in Israel’s sides and their gods would be a snare to Israel (Judges 2:3). In response, all the sons of Israel lifted up their voices and wept and sacrificed to the LORD in Bochim (2:4-5).

The form of repentance was there, but missing was the true substance in Israel’s reaction to the rebuke of the LORD. To borrow the term used by Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians, this action by Israel is considered worldly sorrows (2 Corinth 7:10): frankly, fake tears, not repentance. Israel demonstrated all the outside elements that are typical of repentance: weeping, voiced lifted, and sacrifices. They were sorrowful because they were losing the privileges granted by the LORD, such as God’s fighting for them to drive out other nations. They were sorrowful because they were merely afraid. Mostly importantly, their behaviors did not change in the aftermath. Israel continued to do evil in the sight of the LORD, serving Baal (2:11), and they forsook the LORD and followed other gods and served Baal and the Ashtaroth (2:13). Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but wordly sorrows brings death (2 Corinth 7:10). This event was not godly sorrow, but worldly sorrow that led to the death (at least spiritually) in Israel.

Failed Education and Stubborn Heart

After the death of Joshua, it was said “there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel (2:10).” This is indeed a sad statement, yet very instructional for us.

First, the arising of another generation who did not know the LORD reflects the extreme difficulty of instilling the knowledge of the true LORD God to our children. All throughout the books of Moses, especially from Exodus to Deuteronomy, Moses implored the Israelites over and over the importance of knowing the LORD and teaching this core, life principle to their children. Deuteronomy 6 was just one of the many examples where Moses commanded to teach children and their children so that they may fear the LORD (Deuteronomy 6:2). Joshua relayed this message as well. When Joshua led Israel to cross the Jordan River, he picked up twelve stones to remind the LORD to their children (Josh 4:4-7). After defeating Ai, Joshua wrote down the entire word of the LORD on stone before all the sons of Israel as well as aliens (Josh 8:34-35). Before his death, Joshua made an emphatic statement in his last public address to urge Israel to follow the true LORD (Joshua 24:14-15). Yet, despite all these efforts from the godly leaders, the next generation quickly forgot the LORD.

Second, the arising of the next generation who did not know the LORD points to the inherent evil condition of the heart of mankind. Sin made a grand entry to this world with Adam’s transgression (Genesis 3). Since then, it was described “every intention of the thoughts of his was only evil continually (Gen 6:5).” It also points to the book of Romans, where Paul stated, “There is no righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands (Romans 3:10).”

Without God, Israel was hopeless. Without God, mankind is hopeless.

Utter Hopelessness

The Israelites were amazingly good at two things: 1) forsaking the LORD; and 2) serving/following other gods. Their actions were listed aplenty in this chapter. They did evil in the sight of the LORD (2:11). They forsook the LORD and followed other gods (2:12). That they forsook the LORD and served other gods is repeated again (2:13). Even when the LORD raised up judges who delivered Israel, they still did not listen to judges or the LORD and they continued to prostitute themselves and worshiped other gods (2:17). After the judge died, they would act more corruptly than before, in following other gods (2:19). They continued to hold on to their stubborn heart, refusing to abandon their evil practices (2:19).

The list is overwhelming. Is there any hope for Israel?

God’s Continued Compassion

God is amazingly persistent in pursuing His people by reaching out to them and giving a second chance over and over.

In contrast to Israelite’s stubborn ways, God continued to demonstrate His grace and compassion. The LORD in HIs mercy raised up the judges to deliver disobeying Israel from a strong enemy (2:16). Even when Israel did not listen to the judges, the LORD stayed with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies (2:18). The LORD had compassion for them when they were groaning because of the affliction and oppression (2:18)

Gospel: God’s Continual Pursuit over Utter Hopelessness of Mankind

This chapter shows these two components abundantly: Utter sinfulness of Israel and abundant grace and goodness of God.

Therefore, this chapter is the Gospel. Well, in fact, the entire Bible is the Gospel. I hope you perceive and experience this.

Judges 1: Diverging Paths and Deteriorating Heart

Joshua passed away. The path between Judah and the rest of the tribes began to diverge. Judah fought, conquered, utterly destroyed the inhabitants of Canaan. Judah led and partnered with the weak and demonstrated meek leadership. On the other hand, the other Israel tribes were not very “successful” as they did not drive out the inhabitants. The chapter describes the falling condition of the heart of the Israelites not long after Joshua passed away.

Judah Fights, Fights and Fights

The Judah tribe (Judah) was very active. As Caleb, the leader of Judah, showed his insatiable desire to fulfill the LORD’s promise before Joshua (Joshua 14:12), Judah was zealous to actively inherit the land that the LORD promised. Unlike other tribes of Israel, Judah actively fought against many nations in Canaan.

Judah fought against the Canaanites and Perizzites, defeating ten thousand men at Bezek (Judges 1:4). Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured the city (Judges 1:8). Judah defeated the Canaanites in the hill country, in the Negev, and in the lowland (Judges 1:9). Judah went against the Cannaanites in Hebron (Judges 1:10) and against the inhabitants of Debir (1:11). Judah struck down the Canaanites in Zephath (1:17). Judah drove out three sons of Anak from Hebron (1:20).

Judah Partners

We see that Judah partnered with Simeon twice in fighting against the Cannaanites. First, Judah went with Simeon against the Cannaanites and the Perizzites and defeated Adoni-Bezek (1:4-5). Also, when fighting against the Canaanites in Zephath, Judah partnered with Simeon.

This partnership was not that necessary from Judah’s point of view because Judah was already the largest and the strongest tribe with 76,500 people. On the other hand, Simeon was the weakest and the smallest with 22,200 people. Judah demonstrated leadership by partnering with the weakest tribe so that Simeon can inherit their allotted land. This is “meek” leadership – the strong used its power to help the weak.

We also see that the descendents of the Kenite, Moses’s father-in-law, went up with the sons of Judah to the wilderness of Judah and lived with them (Judges 1:16). Although it is difficult to know the exact reason for the Kenite’s decision to live with Judah, yet, it was possible that the Kenite saw what Judah had (their God) and Judah was willing to take in aliens to be incorporated within its boundary as commanded by the LORD in Leviticus 19:34 (The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God)

Judah was a warrior. Yet, they took good care of the weak, such as the Simeon tribe, and the aliens, such as the Kenite.

Judah Pursues and Destroys

There is a notable word in Judges 1:6, “pursued.” When Adoni-bezek (king of Bezek) fled, Judah pursued. That Judah pursued is very important for us to note. Winning a battle is one task. Pursuing and capturing a fleeing king is even more a difficult task, which takes an enormous amount of effort and will. Judah ensured that justice was done to Adoni-bezek, and this event shows the heart of Judah to fully obey the LORD’s promise and commands regarding the enemies. In addition, Judah utterly destroyed the cities (1:8, 1:17) as commanded by the LORD through Moses (Deut 20:17).

Judah faithfully obeyed the LORD. Unfortunately, we will soon see that this was not the case by the other tribes in Israel.

Ultimate Success

Let’s acknowledge the ultimate source of the victory. Although Judah did well in actively fighting and inheriting the land, it was ultimately the LORD’s presence that enabled Judah’s success (Judges 1:19).

Failures of the Others Tribes: Condition of their Hearts

With the exception of some successes by the sons of Joseph with the presence of the LORD (1:22), the rest of the Israel tribes were not successful in contrast to Judah. They neither actively fought the Canaanites, nor utterly destroyed inhabitants. The author of the book listed failures, from minor to major ones, for the rest of the tribes (Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, Naphthali, and Dan). The common phrase in this section was “they did not drive out the inhabitants of Canaanites” in their allotted land. Was the failure to drive out attributable to their inability or unwillingness? The phrase “did not” indicated their unwillingness, rather than inability, to drive out the inhabitants.

Why weren’t they willing to drive out the inhabitants? For some tribes, such as Zebulun, Naphtali, instead of driving out the inhabitants, they made inhabitants become forced labor for them. In other words, they made an “economic decision” to use them as forced laborers. For their well-being, this decision might have been rational. Driving them out completely and utterly destroying was not only difficult, but less economical than forcing them to work and labor.

Then, we wonder why didn’t they obey the LORD’s commands to utterly destroy the inhabitants as Judah did? Perhaps, the answer lies in the condition of their hearts. Let’s jump forward to the very last verse of the book of Judges: everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25). That’s what these tribes did. They did what was right in their own eyes, according to their standards and eventually implemented their decision, not the LORD’s commands – by making inhabitants forced labor, instead of utterly destroying them.

In the rest of the chapters of Judges, because of these remaining inhabitants, Israel was oppressed militarily and influenced to worship their gods.

Tribes that were not mentioned.

Although most tribes were mentioned in the first chapter, a few of them were not even mentioned. None of the two and a half tribes on the east side of the Jordan (Reuben, Gad, and half tribe of Manasseh) were mentioned. Isacchar was the only tribes on the west side of the Jordan not be mentioned.

Although the reason for their absence in this chapter is not exactly known, their absence seems to be an ominous sign that they became no longer relevant to the story of God – in other words, they might have become not distinguishable from other nations, no longer suitable to represent the holiness of God.

Chapter 2 continues to draw out depravity of the Israelites.

Joshua 24: Today, not tomorrow, Choose to Serve the LORD God

Two worldviews have clashed since the fall of mankind in Genesis 3. The last chapter of the book of Joshua depicts a microcosm of this clash: God vs. gods. Joshua, in love, confronted and challenged Israel to choose the truth over the falsehood.

Background

It has been about 10-15 years since the completion of the land distribution to all twelve tribes of Israel. Joshua might have seen how the Israelites behaved as they started to settle in the land that the LORD gave. Unfortunately, Joshua saw a few alarming signs among the Israelite community, who started to gradually allow the penetration of false gods in their presence in the past 10-15 years.

In the midst of this background, Joshua summoned Israel in Shechem to confront them by delivering his last public address.

The Place of Gathering: Shechem before the LORD

Shechem was a very suitable place for Joshua to make his purpose clear in his last address. He wanted Israel to make an important decision and urged them to serve the true God.

The actual physical place where Joshua gathered the Israelites was Shechem. Shechem was a special place for the Israelites. Shechem was one of the first cities in Canaan that Abraham visited and built an altar (Genesis 12:6-7). In Shechem, Jacob took all foreign gods in his household and buried them under the oak at Shechem (Genesis 35:4-5). Also, Shechem was one of the cities given to the Levites and also a city of refuge (Joshua 20:7). Thus, a special place for the Israelites.

More importantly than the physical place itself was the presence of the LORD as Joshua and Israel gathered “before God (Joshua 24:1).” When Joshua cast lots, it was done before the LORD. When Israel made a big, important decision, it was before the LORD.

Historical Account: The LORD led Israel (Joshua 24:2-13)

Therefore, Shechem was a suitable place for Joshua. It was the place where God was first acknowledged by Abraham and where all foreign gods were buried. Joshua gathered the Israelites and urged them to make almost exactly the same action – acknowledge the true God and bury all foreign, false gods.

Joshua recounted the history of the Israelites, starting from Abraham. Joshua determined that this historical account that highlighted a few characters of God was the essential element in his last public address to Israel. Again, as in his statement in chapter 23, his message solely focused on what God did and His associated characters, as highlighted on the four points below. In other words, Joshua was illuminating there is no god like the LORD God, the God of Israel, who loved, rescued and led His people.

The LORD who rescues and leads: Terah made and sold physical idols made of woods or iron, and his son, Abraham was his assistant in the land of Haran. However, we see that the LORD in His sovereignty personally pursued and chose Abraham to lead him away from a life under idols.

The LORD who listens and delivers: During 400 years of slavery, the Israelites cried out to the LORD. The LORD had compassion on His people and chose Moses and Aaron and sent them to “deliver” the Israelites out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt.
The LORD who continues to fight: After crossing the Red sea, the LORD fought for the Israelites against the Amorites. After crossing the Jordan River, the LORD sent hornets to defeat the Canaanites and gave their land to Israel.
The LORD who bestows grace: In addition to the land, God gave cities, vineyards, olive groves that the Israelites did not build. Receiving something that you did not labor for? They are gifts, which are grace.

You may not think you have a “grand” history as stated by Joshua about Israel. However, you do have it. Have a quiet time to meditate on your life. Your life before and after Christ is fundamentally different with a new status although it may not be apparent outside.

Now, Today (not tomorrow) Fear and Serve the LORD

“Now…fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth…
choose for yourselves today whom you will serve…
but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”
Joshua 24:14-15 (underline added)

Joshua made an emphatic message that it needed to be “now” and “today” that they make a determination. Why “now” and “today”? First, most of the Israelites at the time of Joshua’s final address, had experienced God personally. They saw how God parted the Jordan River. They saw how God fought for them in the battles of Jericho, Ai, southern and northern kings. They experienced the God who fought for them. Because Joshua knew that they experienced God, there was simply no excuse for them not to serve the LORD God “now” and “today.” That was why Joshua stated that “Now, therefore” and gave a command for them to “serve Him in sincerity and truth.” Joshua was asking them to come to their senses and do something very logical and natural – which was to serve God.

Joshua also made a second emphatic message in a declaration form and also a minor provocation to the rest of the Israelites. Regardless of external circumstance, whatever the rest of the Israelites would do, he claimed that he and his household would serve the LORD (Joshua 24:15). He, in fact, declared that he would choose the best option and would never let his faith in and serve of God be a “dependent variable” of the spiritual condition of the rest of society.

Wise Confrontation and Three Declarations (Joshua 24:16-24)

In this section, Joshua and Israel conversed back-and-forth. In this set of exchanges, we see wisdom displayed by Joshua in drawing out self-conviction of the Israelites instead of directly condemning them.

As soon as Joshua declared that his household would serve the LORD, Israel, who heard Joshua’s historical account, reiterated Joshua’ historical account in their word, and declared back “we will also serve the LORD (Joshua 24:18).” This was their first declaration.

Then, Joshua provoked them gently, responding back, “You will not be able to serve the Lord…” Perhaps, being challenged by this statement of Joshua, Israel emphatically made the same declaration the second time, “No, but we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:21)”

After hearing the declaration the second time, Joshua finally told them that “you are witnesses for yourself.” It was not until the second declaration that Joshua pointed out their core problem – foreign gods. Joshua told them to put away the foreign gods which were in their midst and incline their hearts to the LORD (Joshua 24:23). Israel had nothing to counter Joshua’s remark because they had already stated twice that they would serve the LORD. With this, they made the same declaration the third time: “We will serve the Lord our God and we will obey His voice (Joshua 24:24).”

I see a sheer brilliance in communication displayed by Joshua. Joshua knew that the presence of foreign gods and the spiritual condition of the Israelites was a looming problem. If Joshua told them to put away foriegn gods in their midst at first directly, Israel might have balked, denied, or rebelled. Instead, Joshua outlined all the good things that the LORD had done and how they had experienced and draw out their voluntary response that “they would serve the LORD.” Once they made these responses, they were possibly convicted in their heart and just had to agree with Joshua to put away foreign gods that resided in their midst.

Clash of Worldviews: God vs. gods

Since mankind sinned in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), there has been an inevitable clash between God and gods in our heart. Joshua chapter 24 also depicts a microcosm of this clash.

One of the most repeated vocabularies in this chapter is “God” – the true God. The other frequently repeated word in this chapter is “gods” – the false gods of this world. Joshua knew this fundamental, cosmic clash, and urged God’s people to choose and serve the true God.

How about you? This chapter is extremely relevant to our lives today. Let’s choose and serve the true God.

Conclusion

Chapters 23 and 24 together are Joshua’s last public address to Israel. He declared that his household and he would serve the LORD. In addition, he confronted the Israelites to draw out their declaration that they would serve the LORD God three times, and then made a witness of declaration in the stone under the oak tree in Shechem.

Acknowledgement

I am very thankful for the opportunity to participate in this bible study held by the UM Korean Bible Study Group, and congratulate on finishing the 2019-20 year strong, especially in such a time as turbulent as this, exacerbated by covid-19 pandemic. I appreciate all the dedication shown by every member of this group. The reflection on this blog is the product of discussion, thoughts, meditation by this group, guided by the Holy Spirit. Thank you, all.

Joshua 23: Where the Spirit of the LORD is, there is freedom

The title may seem strange and you may wonder where the concept of freedom resides in the first part of Joshua’s farewell address in Chapter 23. At the end of his leadership, Joshua was free from himself. The sole focus of his message was the LORD God. His humility was a byproduct of him being free in the LORD.

Chapters 23 and 24 together are Joshua’s Deuteronomy. Joshua’s last public message was essentially his will, which comprised both warning and love, before the sons of Israel.

The LORD: What He did

Although an incredible servant of God, godly leader, and brilliant military strategist, Joshua never boasted about his achievements. Rather, he highlighted what the LORD did and what He had shown to the Israelites.

His message started with “what the LORD God has done” for all the Israelites, and how He fought for them (Joshua 23:3). Joshua also emphasized that because the LORD fought for them, one man was able to fight a thousand and they were able to drive out other nations (Joshua 23:9-10). Although this was his last public message, his entire focus was on the LORD God, the true source of every blessing, victory, and miracle.

The Israelites: What to Do

In the midst of highlighting all the mighty acts of the LORD God, his message had three specific commands for the Israelites: 1) Be very firm to keep all that is written in the book of the law of Moses (Joshua 23:6); 2) Cling to the LORD your God as you have done to this day (Joshua 23:8); and 3) Diligently heed to yourselves and love the LORD your God (Joshua 23:11).

Does this sound like a set of burdensome commands to you? Perhaps. However, I think these “commands” are in fact a love call from the LORD God and his strong desire to have an intimate father-children relation. They are an expression from a loving Father and His desire to be close to the Israelites.

About Joshua: the LORD the Warrior

Joshua’s message in this chapter reveals a particular unique side of the LORD God he experienced. In more detail, how Joshua experienced God was different from how Moses experienced God. Moses’ first encounter with God was through the burning bush (Exodus 3:4). Another major encounter took place when Moses spent 40 days and nights to receive the word of God, the Ten Commandments. As such, Moses was a law giver to the Israelites. Mose experienced God the law giver.

On the other hand, Joshua experienced God the warrior. Joshua’s very first encounter with God was when he fought the Amalekites in Rephidim (Exodus 17:8-16). After the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, Joshua led the Israelites to major battles against Jericho, Ai, southern kings, northern kings, and many others. To Joshua, the most personal character of God was the LORD God who fought and gave victories for Israel. As such, Joshua gave his personal message with many references to God in this way: He has been fighting for you (Josh 23:3); He will thrust them [enemies] out before you and drive them before you (Josh 23:5); The LORD has driven out great and strong nations from before you (Josh 23:10); for the LORD your God is He who fights for you (Josh 23:10)

How was and has been your encounter with God? What is your personal description of God?

About Joshua: Humility

Many leaders usually do not think about the time they need to step away. Just take a look at many authoritarian leaders across the world today – they have done everything (i.e. rigging election, suppressing opposition parties, changing constitutions, etc.) to stay in power. However, Joshua admitted that his life on earth would end shortly and he did not worry too much about the next leadership as he fully trusted the LORD God. Even mentioning his death, he continued to emphasize the steadfastness of the LORD, who fulfilled all the promises He made (Joshua 23:14).

The LORD: Father heart of God

The message’s end may seem strange (Joshua 23:12-13, 15-16) as it comprises a set of very strong warnings and stark consequences. Some of these warnings may cringe you and wonder how can a loving God allow such atrocities to take place if they disobeyed?

I think imagining yourself as a parent (if you are not already) would help understand this part of the message. Because the world is a fallen place, most parents would give many warnings to children out of their love, such as: “make sure you cross the street after checking left and right”, “do not ever follow a stranger”,”do not take any food from a stranger”,”avoid dangerous places,” etc. So does God. He knows that His children are vulnerable in a place ruled by the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:3). Therefore, He provided a set of strong warnings and stark consequences – not to destroy, but to protect their lives.

A very similar message was given by Moses to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 28. His message covered a lot more curses and adverse consequences than blessings. God loves His children and wants to protect them in a fallen world. The only way they are protected is to stay within the LORD God and fully love Him by obeying His commands.

Conclusion

In his last public message, Joshua solely focused on the LORD His God. It was not about him, but about what the LORD God did for him and for the Israelites. Many of the most respected leaders in history started great, but fell precipitously at the end of their lives because they kept focusing on themselves and their glory, which eventually led to their downfall. By focusing on the true God, even at the end of his leadership tenure, Joshua was free. By focusing on the LORD God Himself and His love to His people, Joshua naturally imbued humility and peace in his farewell address to Israel.

Joshua 22: People of God – still just (sinful) people

This chapter describes a rather strange event that resulted in a misunderstanding between the Israel tribes on the west and east side of the Jordan River. Although the Israelites were chosen by God to be His people, from this episode, we find that they were just a group of people prone to sin, misunderstanding, and insecurity.

Summary

After the distribution of the land, Joshua commended the two and a half tribes (Rebeun, Gad, and half tribe of Manassah) for having faithfully engaged in a long battle with their fellow brothers in the past seven years to help them inherit the land on the west side of the Jordan River. Before sending them back to their land, Joshua blessed them, commanding them to follow the law of the LORD, to love the LORD their God, and to share their plunder with those who stayed on the east side of the Jordan River.

On their way back, the two and a half tribes built an altar on the west side of the Jordan River, which became a source of confusion to the rest of the Israelites (nine and a half tribes on the west side of the Jordan River), almost to the point of a civil war breakout. The two and a half tribes explained the true intent of the altar as a witness, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, and their explanation mitigated the tension. After listening to the explanation provided came the praise to the LORD God by the nine and a half tribes. Then, all of them went back to their land.

Compliment to the two and a half tribes (Joshua 22:1-9)

Joshua gave a full compliment to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh (the two and half tribes) because they had kept the charge of the commandments of the LORD God by fighting along with the rest of the Israel tribes for all the long seven years of battle. Joshua’s praise to the two and a half tribes was fitting as they remained steadfast for seven years for the land that would be inherited for the other tribes, not for themselves. For this reason, Joshua blessed them (Joshua 22:6-7).

Although the battles with the enemies might have ended, Joshua, in his blessing, also commanded the two and half tribes to observe the commandment and the law of the law and love the LORD. In addition, he also commanded them to share the wealth with those who stayed behind in their land on the east side of the Jordan. Note that this was Joshua’s version of the greatest command to the two and half tribes – first, love the LORD, and second, love your neighbor by sharing your great riches and spoil that they attained during the war time. The two and a half tribes would now face a different battle of keeping the law of the LORD to build up their society that would be worthy of God’s kingdom.

Large “Strange” Altar (Joshua 22:10)

Then an unexpected event took place. The two and half tribes on their way back to their home built a large altar in appearance by the Jordan, which would eventually cause confusion and an escalated hostile response from the rest of the Israelite tribes (nine and half tribes) on the west side of the Jordan River.

Why did they build the altar absent of God’s command? Let’s find out.

Fast and Furious Initial Reaction (Joshua 22:11-15)

After hearing about the altar, the Israelites on the west side of the Jordan were alarmed and reacted hostile and quickly mobilized to go up against the two tribes in war. Positively viewed, their reaction was based on the LORD’s strict command to worship Him only in one designated place and to purge any person who prophesied false gods based on Moses’ last words (Dueteronomy 12 and 13). Therefore, in accordance with these commands, their quick reaction and determination to punish anything that rebelled against the LORD was understandable.

On the other hand, however, in response to a strange, large altar, the rest of the Israel tribes could have sought first to have a session of conversations. In addition, given that two and half tribes fought along with them for a long seven years to help them settle over the Canaan region on the west side of the Jordan River, the rest of the Israelites could have demonstrated patience.

Premature Accusation (Joshua 22:16-20)

This section covers the accusation by the sons of Israel against the two tribes. The content of the accusation shows two elements: 1) danger of premature assumption; and 2) hidden superior mentality of the Israel tribes on the west side of the Jordan River.

First, this event shows that a premature, unverified assumption is dangerous. The sons of Israel assumed that the two and a half tribes already turned away from the following the LORD (Joshua 22:16) and built an altar. They already assessed that the sins committed by the two and a half tribes was commensurate with the iniquity of Peor (Numbers 25) and sin by Achan (Joshua 7). It was surprising to see how quickly this assumption was made by the Israelites on the west side of the Jordan. Didn’t they fight together with the two and a half tribes, and underwent a few life and death situations in the past seven years against the other nations? I thought that the camaraderie among them would have been stronger than what can be referred in this accusation.

Second, in this accusation some superiority mentalities were demonstrated. In Joshua 20:19, the sons of Israel told the two and half tribes that if their land were unclean, “cross ino the the land of possession of the LORD, where the LORD’s tabernacle stands.” This statement shows that the nine and half tribes on the west side of the Jordan River consciously or unconsciously viewed their land “cleaner” than the land on the east side of the Jordan River.

Although the entire Israel was chosen by God, the unity among the twelve tribes does not seem to be strong. Although chosen by God, they were still sinful humans.

Defense and Insecurity (Joshua 22:21-29)

In response, the two and a half tribes told the rest of the sons of Israel that they did not turn away from the LORD. They articulated the reason for building an altar (Josh 22:24). They were concerned that their children would be blocked out of the land of the LORD and His tabernacle by the sons of the nine tribes in the west of Jordan. Because of this concern, they build the altar as a witness between the east and west side of the Israelite tribes.

This was a strange reason. Why did the two and half tribes feared that in the future generation, the tribes on the west side of the Jordan River could block them from worshiping the LORD? Although all of them were one nation as God’s chosen people, a geographical division had already caused an anxiety and the fear of being left out. I would call this “insecurity.”

Again, this kind of insecurity seemed to be a byproduct of lack of unity among the Israelites although they fought together for seven years of long war against the inhabitants of the Canaan region.

Conclusion

Although the hostile reaction was mitigated by the explanation provided by the two and half tribes, building an altar that the LORD God did not command was not a good idea. This event brought a division embedded among the twelve tribes of Israel into the surface. Noticeably, the LORD God and Joshua remained absent throughout this episode. The event indirectly shows that the “people” of God were still just humans prone to sin.

On the other hand, we see a steadfastness of God – as demonstrated in the next chapters of Joshua (Joshua’s last messages) and all throughout the Bible – in continually pursuing His sinful people. Also, another aspect of the Bible is that it never shies away from depicting the shortcomings and depravity of people – even if they are people chosen by God.

Joshua 20-21: Signs that Point to God

Summary

After the distribution of land to the twelve tribes, chapters 20 and 21 describe cities given to the Levites, including cities of refuge. A total of 48 cities were given to the Levites, of which six were cities of refuges. With the allotted cities to the Levites, land distribution concludes. With the conclusion of the land distribution, the author attributed all the successes that Israel experienced to the LORD their God.

Institution of the Cities of Refuge

Although not a topic frequently highlighted in today’s Christianity, the cities of refuge must have been a very important topic for God and for the Israelites as it was repeated multiple times. The cities of refuge were given so that the man slayer who killed any person unintentionally could flee there to take asylum from the avenger of blood. The first set of commands associated with the cities of refuge were given by God to Moses in Numbers 35. In Deuteronomy 19, in his last message to the second-generation Israelites, Moses reiterated the importance of the cities of refuge. In Joshua 20, the LORD reminded Joshua of this command and told him to establish the cities of refuge. The repetition probably means the importance of this to the formation of Israel’s future society. Let’s find out why.

The institution of the cities of refuge embodied the loving, caring heart of God and His very practical wisdom to protect people in the fallen nature of the world.

The necessity of establishing cities of refuge originated from the fallen nature of the world since Adam transgressed God’s command to allow the entrance of sin to the world (Genesis 3). Because the world was tainted by sin, homicides as well as unintentional murder took place. To protect those people who accidentally kill others by mistake without any premeditation or hatred, God placed this institution. God knew the fallen world, and placed a very practical way to prevent unnecessary vengeance and murder.

The protection that the cities of refuge provided is two-way. The most visible purpose of the cities of refuge was to protect any person who accidentally kills another person from the hand of the avenger of the blood. The other important purpose, though not explicit, was to protect the avenger of the blood from committing a presumptuous sin by killing an innocent person. Hence, the cities of refuge provided a two-way protection: 1) person from the avenger of the blood; and 2) the avenger of the blood from committing an unnecessary murder. By establishing this institution, the LORD desired the society of His people to minimize the adverse effect of the revenge cycle.

Then, who was eligible to be protected? Note that in Joshua 21:9, these cities of refugees were appointed for all the sons of Israel as for the strangers. The strangers, in other words, even the foreigners or non-Israelites who resided within the Israelites communities were also to be protected. The heart of God was to encompass everyone.

Finally, this institution also pointed out the caring heart of God for especially the marginalized in the society. Unintentional killing of other people was probably more prone to occupations that were hazardous, requiring strenuous physical labors, as shown in the example provided in Deuteronomy 19 (i.e. when a man accidentally swung the axes to cut down the tree strikes someone else). God wanted to ensure that social structure would be in place to protect those in the hazardous occupations from unintentional, fatal mistakes.

Presence of Levites by Number and Table

The table below summarizes the number of cities, including the cities of refuge, given to the Levites by each tribe.

Tribe	Population (Based on Numbers 26)	Number of Levite cities	Refuge Cities (included in the Levite cities)
Reuben	43,730	4	1
Gad	40,500	4	1
Judah & Simeon	76,500 (Judah) and 22,200 (Simeon)	9	1
Issachar	64,300	4
Zebulun	60,500	4
Ephraim	32,500	4	1
Manasseh	52,700	4	1
Benjamin	45,600	4
Dan	64,400	4
Asher	53,400	4
Naphthali	45,400	3	1
Total	601,730	48	6

Number of Levite Cities by Tribe

The number of Levite cities were roughly given in proportion to each tribe’s population. Because Judah and Simeon together accounted for the largest population, they together provided the most number of cities to the Levites.

Ubiquitous Presence of Levite: A Sign that points to God

The Gospel of John uses this word more often than the other three Gospels when describing miracles done by Jesus. That word is “sign.” The Gospel of John highlights seven miracles of Jesus Christ and John deliberately use the word “sign.” A sign for what? Miracles in themselves were meaningless – unless they point to Jesus. In other words, miracles were merely a sign that points to Jesus Christ.

Land is one of the major topics of the book of Joshua. The LORD God swore to give this land to the Israelites with the first promise tracing all the way back to Abraham. Land is described as inheritance to the sons of Israel. Although land is a very important topic, it can and should never displace the LORD God. Other than providing a physical space for the Israelites to reside and settle, what was the purpose of the inherited land?

Land was to serve as a “sign” that points to the LORD God. That the Levites were dispersed to 48 cities across the twelve tribes was to facilitate this role. For the Levites, the land was not inherited because the LORD Himself was the inheritance to them. By having the Levites in inherited land for other tribes, other tribes were to be continually reminded that the “true” inheritance was the LORD Himself, not the land. For us, likewise all the blessings and great gifts are merely signs that nudged us to see the true origin of the blessing: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Fitting Conclusion: Acknowledge the True Source of the Promises

With the assignment of cities to the Levites, chapters 20 and 21 concluded the logistics section of the land distribution, which began back in Chapter 15.

Joshua acknowledged the true source of all the fulfilled promises – the LORD God. The LORD gave Israel all the land (Joshua 21:43). The LORD gave them rest on every side as He defeated all the enemies (Joshua 21:44). All the promises that the LORD had made to Israel were fulfilled (Joshua 21:45). These three statements ensured that the main subject was the LORD God, not the Israelites, not Joshua. This surely was the fitting conclusion of the land distribution section of the book of Joshua, from chapters 15 to 21.