Who Will Be
the First To Go and Fight?
(The Secret of Being
Content in All Circumstances)
Judges 1:1-21:25
Key Verses 1:1-2
“After the death of
Joshua, the Israelites asked the LORD, ‘Who will be the first to go up and
fight for us against the Canaanites?’ The LORD answered, ‘Judah is to go; I
have given the land into their hands.’ ”
Last week a friend of mine
experienced an emotional high and an emotional low. One day he was elated to
find out that his GPA was 4.0. Since he did so well in his school studies, he
was recognized by the principle of the school and was asked to apply for a
scholarship. But the next day a turn of the events worked against him and he
was hit with terrible news: on an important test he got the lowest possible
score among all the students in his class.
In the book of Judges, we
see the Israelites going through emotional ups and downs. For a while they went
through happy moments, but soon they were hit with terrible disasters, such as
drive-by shooters invading the land. For the most part, in the days of the book
of Judges, the Israelites went through the lowest lows in their career as a
chosen people. The net result was that the Israelites grew terribly
dissatisfied. Supposedly, they were saved out of Egypt and came to the so
called Promised Land expecting to be happy. But they ended up being hit with an
entirely different reality. So we can admit that something definitely went
wrong.
What then is the reason
for the Israelites' down-fall? Why was it that after going through so many good
training programs, such as 40 years of desert training or decades of war
experiences where they garnered so many victories, that they did not learn to
perpetuate their success, but rather ended up falling down to the bottom of
bottoms so miserably?
On a practical level, what
should guarantee that one would never fall down to the lowest pit but rather
permanently be planted in the land where the joy of life is constant?
Surprisingly, it is here
in the book of Judges that the Lord God reveals the secret that
"guarantees" a blessed life, and the Lord God is revealing this
secret against the backdrop of all the shameful failures. I believe the secret
is found in what the Lord God asked the Israelites to do first at the outset
the book of Judges and in the last two chapters of Judges. With this in mind
let us read Judges 1:1-2 and 20:18. Let us think about the Lord's secret in
three parts:
First, the problem
According to Hally's Bible
handbook during the period of the Judges, the Israelites went through 410 years
of failures and years of victories: 111 years of failure, and 299 years of
victory. Specifically, for the entire 111 years of failure they were oppressed.
But as they cried out, the Lord raised up judges (12 male, 1 female) through
whom the Lord allowed them to enjoy freedom from the oppressive rule of the
Canaanites. So the ratio of the time period between oppression and independence
is 1:3, not 3:1. This ratio shows that Lord was graceful upon his children.
Figuratively speaking, God is like a teacher who helps out a rebellious student
with enduring patience. Suppose you are a teacher to middle school kids and one
particular student starts acting out. What do you do? In love you discipline
him, for example, giving him a time-out for one hour. Then as the student begs
for mercy, you allow him to come back to the class. But three hours later, the
student again acts up. So you give him another time-out. Then the student begs
for mercy. You give the student freedom again. Three hours later the student
screws up again. So you give the student another time-out. And this happens
again and again. Question: Does the student learn anything from the time-outs?
No. The student gets worse.
This is exactly what
happened to the Israelites in the book of Judges. Instead of learning a lesson,
they grew worse. How worse did they become? Let us read 19:1-30; 20:46-21:3.
The Levites were called to serve the Lord full time. They were supposed to
please the Lord, not themselves. One of their main duties was to live as Bible
teachers. For this purpose the Lord intentionally spread them equally among the
twelve tribes of Israel. Yet, abandoning their mission they made themselves
busy chasing after women (19:1).
What about the women of
the days of the Judges? They were no different. For example, the concubine of
the Levite in Joshua 19 became unfaithful to her master. Yet the unfaithfulness
exhibited by the Levite and his concubine was just the tip of the iceberg. In
Genesis Chapter 18 we saw how and why the Lord overturned the cities of Sodom
and Gomorrah. But in Joshua 19:22 we see the same problem, that is, homosexuality
persisting among the so-called chosen people. In order to establish them as a
holy nation the Lord God made numerous efforts. Through years, decades, and
centuries of training, finally the Lord God led the Israelites to conquer the
land of Canaan and settle in their respective territories. Normally, one would
expect that they would rise to God's level and operate as members of a kingdom
of priests and a holy nation. But what did they become? Joshua 19:22-24
indicates that they came down to ground zero. The people of Gibeah became no
different, if not worse, than the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Judges 19:30 reads,
"Everyone who saw it said, ‘Such a thing has never been seen or done, not
since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Think about it! Consider it!
Tell us what to do!’ ” This passage ends with three sentences which all come
with an exclamation point: “Think about it! Consider it! Tell us what to do!”
These questions cry out for a solution! What then is the solution? Interestingly
their solution was a call to arms, to destroy the Benjamites! But it was the
wrong solution. It invited more troubles to the people of the Israelites than
solutions.
Second, the solution
What then is the solution?
Look at Joshua 1:1,2.
“After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the LORD, ‘Who will be the
first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?’ The LORD answered,
‘Judah is to go; I have given the land into their hands.’ ” Let us also read
Judges 20:18, “The Israelites went up to Bethel and inquired of God. They said,
‘Who of us shall go first to fight against the Benjamites?’ The LORD replied,
‘Judah shall go first.’ ” Here we see the Lord repeating the same remedy
saying, “Judah is to go,” and, “Judah shall go first.”
This repetition raises a
question: “Why did the Lord ask Judah to go first?” Was it because the people
belonging to the tribe of Judah were more adapt to fighting than the other
tribes? Was it because they had more Kung-Fu martial artists or champion gun
slingers than the rest of the tribes? The answers to these questions are all,
NO. Judges 20:44 indicates that the Benjamites had more valiant fighters than
any of the other tribes. Why then did the Lord choose Judah to go first?
We can find the answer to
this question in the name Judah, which means, “This time I will praise the
Lord.” This requires a short review on the background of how Judah was named.
Let us read Genesis 29:16-35, responsively. Now let us focus on the last five
verses where we can see the spiritual growth of Leah in naming her babies.
1) Reuben: Surely my husband will love me now.
2) Simeon: Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave
me this one too.
3) Levi: Now at least my husband will become attached to me,
because I have borne him three sons.
4) Judah: This time I will praise the Lord.
“Then she stopped having
children.”
The meanings of the name
of the four sons describe the spiritual growth of Leah. The names of the first
three sons indicate the nature of the problems she had. They represent her
times of failure. The name of the forth son shows that she finally found the
right solution to her problem. So the expression, “she stopped having children”
[after naming her fourth son Judah], represents the net effect of her spiritual
growth.
This observation then teaches us the way to total satisfaction,
which is the key point for our Bible study tonight. The key is found in the
meaning of the name Judah, that is, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Genesis
29:35b reads, "Then she stopped having children." Here a question
arises: "What does it imply that after Leah named her fourth son Judah she
stopped having children?" We can find the answer to this question from
what she "stopped" doing, that is, having children. Praising the Lord
put her to a complete "stop" to having children! This means that when
she started praising the Lord she stopped being thirsty for her husband's love.
As a result she stopped having children for a time. [Afterwards,
Leah bore a fifth son, named Issachar, meaning “Wages.” Interestingly prior to
her conception of Issachar, she had prayed to God, and God heard her prayers
(Genesis 30:17-18). Leah also conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son,
Zebulun, meaning “Dwelling” (verse 20).]
Her example reminds us of
the way God designed man, that is, God made man in such a way that man can find
true satisfaction of his soul in only one source: the Lord. In Leah’s case, she
tried to quench the thirst for love from Jacob. In an effort to secure her
husband's love, she kept enticing Jacob; as a result she kept producing
children out of Jacob. But again and again she failed to quench her thirst.
After failing three times, finally, it dawned on her that Jacob is not the
right source. As a last resort she turned to the Lord. Then, in the Lord, she
found what she was looking for. In a way then she is like the Samaritan woman
who looked to fill the needs of her soul in the wrong places, such as a
husband. Jesus understood her thirst. Through a divine appointment Jesus met
her at Jacob’s well. Through a personal bible study with her Jesus introduced
himself as the Savior of the world who alone can quench the thirsts of her
soul. At this point let us open the Bible and read John 4:10-14.
Now, let us compare this
passage with the key verses we have tonight. “After the death of Joshua, the
Israelites asked the LORD, ‘Who will be the first to go up and fight for us
against the Canaanites?’ The LORD answered, ‘Judah is to go; I have given the
land into their hands.’ ” Judah is to go! As we know, our Lord Jesus came
through the line of Judah. Unlike the other tribes, the tribe of Judah holds
the seed of the hope of salvation for all, that is, Jesus Christ. Looking to
the time of the Savior to come, Genesis 49:10 reads, "The scepter will not
depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes
to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his."
Third, applications
From Leah's example we
learn that God made man in such a way that he or she will never be fully
satisfied with what has been created. We humans can find true satisfaction only
in worshiping the Lord. The people of the days of the Judges did not learn this
Biblical truth and made mistakes one after another. Again and again they went after
people and the things of this world. As a result they became increasingly
thirsty, and then increasingly frustrated. The more they indulged in pleasure
seeking lifestyles, the more they were disappointed. They were disappointed in
themselves and they made others disappointed. But the Lord God had mercy on
them. Each time they ran into troubles, the Lord provided them with the remedy:
that is, Judah going out first to fight the problems they had.
In our generation there
are many who are like the people in the days of the Judges. Some people are
addicted to materialistic ways of life. Some people indulge in pleasure seeking
lifestyles. Like the people living in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, or like
the people who lived in the city of Gibeah, a town in the land of Benjamin,
people who live in our own generation suffer mostly in looking for the
spiritual water that could quench the thirsts of their souls. And they look for
the solution in all the wrong places. But thanks and praise be to the Lord who
sent Jesus Christ, who alone can fully quench the thirsts of our soul.
In the college campuses
there are many who are like Leah. Like Leah they look for solutions to their
thirst problem in all the wrong places, such as girlfriends or boyfriends. Like
the people in the day of the Judges, even many Christians suffer from such
problems as greed for money or lust for human recognition or thirst for human
love. As much as we know that nothing but the gospel of our Lord Jesus can
offer true solution to all of their problems, let us all pray to present the
gospel to the thirsty souls of our generation.
One word: Judah will go
first
Review
Questions
· After giving birth to her fourth son, she named the
baby Judah saying, “________________________________.”
· What happened when she started praising the Lord?
· Judah means in Hebrew: _________________
· Judges 1 begins saying, “After the death of Joshua,
the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who will be the first to go up and fight for us
against the Canaanites?” The Lord said, “Judah is to go.” Is/are there any application(s) to adopt in
day to day life?
· Who of the following is/are not the judge given to
Israel?
o Othniel
o Ehud
o Shamgar
o Deborah
o Gideon
o Abimelek
o Tola
o Jair
o Jephthah
o Ibzan
o Elon
o Abdon
o Samson
o Samuel
Review Notes
- This time I will praise the Lord. Judah means “praise” or “thankfulness”. In Hebrew the name Judah [ יְהוּדָה (Yĕhuwdah)] includes the name of the Lord consisting of four letters (Yud, Hey, Vab, Hey). On his death-bed Jacob blessed Judah stating, ““Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son.Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.”Later, as prophesied, Jesus, the Son of God, came from the line of Judah, crushed the head of the archenemy Satan.
- The prospect of her life changed from that which is gloomy and horrible to that which is bright and comfortable. It is said, “Under three things the earth trembles: … an unloved women who is married.” Proverbs 30:21-23 Leah was the one (at least in her mind). But now she gained the flight out of the gloom to the bliss of the Lord. She stopped having children at least for a while. This indicates that as she praised the Lord, the Lord quenched her thirst for husband (i.e., lust, jealousy). She was yet to grow in the knowledge of the Lord, but at least she got a major break-through in terms of her growth. The proof of this is seen in her praying to the Lord for child-bearing, so that as she prayed, she got Issachar. The expression “God listened to Leah” indicates that [perhaps while in bed with Jacob] she prayed to the Lord. Genesis 30:17 In Hebrew Issachar has the meaning of ‘reward’ which reveals that she believed in the Lord who rewards for those who come to him believing in the goodness of the Lord.
- One application is to begin each day with a moment of prayer, believing in the Lord’s goodness for his guidance. Another is to live each day praising the Lord first to finish, praising him not so much with lip services but from the bottom of our heart, believing and appreciating the Lord of grace the creator and sustainer of his creation, who willing to bestow upon his children all that are good, not just any good but the highest good, bent on giving more than we can bear.
- All of them are judges. Abimelek is a tempting choice but although he became a judge by treachery, still he ruled for 3 years.
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