Judges 10-15
7/66 | Author: Unknown | Old Testament | Genre: Historical | 1120 -1075 B.C. (estimated)
10: Israel's Repentance
Two rulers followed after Abimelech's leadership: Tola and Jair. After they each had served and subsequently passed, the Israelites pursued "what was evil in the Lord's sight" (10:6). Their worship of foreign idols led them to oppression. The Lord advised them to see if the gods they had chosen to worship would save them from calamity. This led the Israelites to no other choice but to suffer the corresponding consequences and remove these idols.
"Then the Israelites put aside their foreign gods and served the Lord. And He was grieved by their misery" (Judges 10:16, NLT).
The Israelites assembled in search of a warrior to fight against their enemies.
11: Jephthah
The Israelites chose Jephthah as their leader. He sent messengers to a nearby threat, the Ammonites, to understand why they felt that war was necessary. After some discussion about boundaries and resources, Jephthah advised the people to let God settle this dispute rather than the hasty hands of man. The Ammonite king was not interested.
Jephthah asked the Lord for guidance upon approaching the Ammonites in return for his first house guest to be presented as a sacrificial offering to the Lord. Yes, winning meant this much to Jephthah! When Jephthah safely and victoriously returned home, his only child visited him to celebrate his success. Remembering the vow he made to God, Jephthah was distraught. But his daughter responded, "My father, you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me as you have said, for the Lord brought vengeance on your enemies, the Ammonites" (11:36, CSB).
12: Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon
After the vow was fulfilled, Jephthah then fought and defeated Ephraim and went on to act as judge over Israel for six more years until he died. His position was then filled by Ibzan. This man offered his daughters to foreign men and retrieved foreign women for his sons. He passed and was replaced by Elon. Elon died after serving ten years. Then, Abdon judged the nation for eight years before dying.
13: Samson
The Israelites still participated in evil, so they faced oppression under the Philistines for forty years.
During this time, an angel visited the wife of a man named Manoah with news that they would soon conceive. They were told that they would have a son whose hair must remain untouched because "he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines" (13:5, NLT). The wife was also to refrain from forbidden, unclean foods. Manoah sought God and asked for more context. Following this prayer, the angel appeared again and said that the couple was to follow the instructions initially given to the wife. The couple did not yet understand that this man was an angel sent by the Lord.
"'Why do you ask my name?' the angel of the Lord replied. 'It is too wonderful for you to understand.'" (13:18, NLT).
Manaoh and his wife made a burnt offering to the Lord and witnessed the angel ascend into the fire. They praised God for displaying miracles.
They gave birth to a boy named Samson.
"And the Lord blessed him as he grew up. And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir in him..." (13:24-25, NLT).
14: Samson and the Spirit
When Samson was older, the Lord placed a desire in his heart to marry a specific woman from the Philistine tribe. When traveling to his soon-to-be wife, he attacked a lion and returned to see that bees had settled in the animal's dead body and produced honey. He shared this food with his parents without telling them where it originated.
Samson encountered moments of power and rage that were destructive to people, animals, and objects around him. The Bible prefaces these instances each time with, "the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on him" (14: 6, 19, CSB).
15: Samson and the Jawbone
Out of anger at losing his wife to another man, Samson set a field of grain belonging to the Philistines on fire. The Philistines reacted by murdering his wife and her father. Samson responded by viciously murdering the men. Thousands of men were ordered to carefully bind and transport Samson to the Philistines. With the strength granted by the Spirit of the Lord, Samson broke through the ropes. But he then killed one thousand Philistines with a bone from a donkey.
The chapter closes with Samson asking God for water, to which a stream gushed from the ground and replenished Samson's body.
Unfortunately, the judges of Israel progressively declined when striving to feed their egos through promiscuity, wealth, and war. Judges 10 shows us that it pains God when we struggle. We do not serve an oppressive disciplinarian but a God who believes we deserve to live in the realms of justice and righteousness. A God who may rightfully become frustrated with the circumstances we find ourselves in but dedicates Himself to delivering us from them. God is constantly working in the background. For example, chapter 14 gives insight into the spiritual ongoings when explaining that Samson's yearning for a Philistine woman was intentional since it would create an opportunity for the Israelites to face their oppressors (14:4). God stands close as we use free will to navigate His bigger picture.
History has repeated itself throughout the last seven books, not just with habitual sin but with patterns of God's divine intervention and observable faithfulness. Manoah and his wife are yet another couple visited with news of an incoming child, much like Sarah and Abraham. Sarah and Abraham bore generations, eventually leading to Manaoh, whose son would fight to protect the same evolving nation. And upon receiving this life-changing news, Manoah's first reaction was to pray to God for more insight. He approached this message carefully and expected that God would fulfill His word.
I gasped when I read Jephthah's homecoming story for the first time. He was so desperate to overcome his enemy and receive praise from his people that he promised to sacrifice the first person to visit him at his home, not thinking this would involve his only child. He completely misunderstood the character of God. God cannot be bribed—but does hold our promises to high standards. Regardless, his daughter said to let the Lord's will be done. She did not question or refute the plans made without her but reminded her father, a man likened to a warrior, that we are in the hands of God. This situation was convicting because I have felt the same twinges of overzealousness that caused me to speak too soon. We tend to get ahead of ourselves for the sake of satisfying our flesh and then backtrack when we sense the incoming consequences.
God gives people purpose and strength. When we think of spirituality, we tend to consider intangible characteristics like faith, wisdom, or patience. However, God constantly instilled undeniable physical strength in Samson that gave him super-human abilities. He was able to tear a lion apart with his bare hands! But Samson forgot that his strength was not from his own doing. He was graciously gifted the skills needed to be a vehicle for God when helping the Israelites against the Philistines. I can't help but spot the symbolism in Samson's story. For instance, Samson yielded a donkey's jawbone as a weapon. The jawbone of any mammal is necessary not only to communicate but also to process food for digestion. Jesus' response when being tempted by the devil was to be nourished by the word of God alone. Later, Jesus would ride into Jerusalem, positioned on a donkey, to preach the same Word we speak of and digest today. Another example is God presenting a source of life to strengthen Samson. The water quenched his thirst, just as Jesus referenced His impact on our lives in John 7:37, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" We are to nourish our existence with the living word of God and remember this source of eternal strength. This story, among many, prefaces what is to come!
Gratitude List:
Pecan-picking
Patio renovations
Tamales
Holiday decor shopping
Matcha lattes
Nugget ice
Pomegranates are back in season!
Completing to-do lists
Pregnancy pillows
Nostalgic picture book finds for our baby
The switch from Fall to Christmas!
Needing prayer? Submit a prayer request at the bottom of the page!
References:
Myers, R., & Williams, A. B. (2020). She Reads Truth Bible. Holman Bible Publishers.
