No King in Israel (48)

As we expect from historical narrative, Judges 20 is descriptive rather than prescriptive. The chapter is not loaded with heavy-handed editorializing. At the same time, the New Testament teaches us that at least some of the things Israel experienced are lessons for us today. The apostle Paul writes, “They were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.”

So, provided what we observe in the story proves consistent with the instructive parts of scripture, let’s see what we can take away for ourselves today. The most obvious lesson I can see here concerns effective corporate prayer.

Engine Lights and Manuals

For me, 2025 was the year of the engine light.

My ancient Toyota has many commendable qualities, but I was on the highway far more than usual last year. Even the most reliable vehicle — and this one has given me some stellar low-cost years — eventually needs aging parts replaced. This car is close to the 200,000 km mark, and all four wheels needed new bearings over a twelve-month period. Those, some brake work and a few other exciting moments pushed me over the $7,000 mark (Cdn) for the year.

Okay, technically, shot wheel bearings trigger the ABS and emergency brake icons, not the engine light. But I saw plenty of warning lights last year, and I quickly tired of them all.

No King in Israel (47)

Can you think of any current law so unjust that you would be willing to give your life to prevent its enforcement?

ICE agents killed two Minneapolis protesters attempting to prevent the deportation of foreign illegals in separate incidents recently, resulting in a level of public controversy almost impossible to miss. I suppose it’s conceivable one or both of the deceased was committed to his or her cause to the point of martyrdom, but my uneducated guess is that the protestors simply did not believe that, even when personally endangered, enforcement agents were prepared to open fire on American citizens in the charged atmosphere of post-George Floyd Minneapolis. Now they know.

No King in Israel (46)

Three interesting verses early in Exodus: Moses had reluctantly accepted the Lord’s commission to lead Israel out of Egyptian slavery into the land God had promised them. He, his Midianite wife Zipporah and their young son Gershom then began the trek to Egypt to present God’s agenda to Pharaoh. On the way, “the Lord met him and sought to put him to death”. Zipporah wisely intervened, emergency-circumcised her son and touched her husband’s feet with the bloody foreskin, averting the crisis.

Readers get totally confused, and rightly so. We do not have all the necessary information in the immediate context.

No King in Israel (45)

There’s no getting around it, I hate this part of the story. When I’m preparing a chapter-by-chapter book study like this one, my morning Bible reading consists of a chapter of the Old Testament twice through, a chapter of the New twice through, plus the chapter of the book I’m working on for the study twice through, usually in that order.

This story is so distasteful that I had to switch my reading order around for the past few weeks or go into my prayer time feeling slightly defiled. I needed a Psalm and a chapter of Matthew to wash the taste of Judges 19 out of my mouth.

No King in Israel (44)

English translations of the Bible call the tribe made up of the children of Benjamin either Benjamites or Benjaminites. Literally, the Hebrew is “of Benjamin”. The numerous English versions extant split about 60/40 in usage, with the older versions like the KJV mostly leaning toward the truncated form of the name. At this point, neither is really right or wrong.

I’ll go with the shorter version here because it’s … shorter. Having read Judges 19 as many as thirty times in the process of preparing this series, I’m inclined to dwell on the evil men of Gibeah as fleetingly as possible.

No King in Israel (43)

Years ago, my aunt appeared at her mother’s door only a few days into her honeymoon, wailing about her “impossible” new husband. My grandmother was a worthy old gal with a very traditional, even biblical view of the importance of keeping one’s word once given. She briskly turned her daughter around in the yard and pointed her right back where she had come from with the trenchant observation, “You married him.”

Hrm. I loved my aunt. She was quite a woman. But I’ve always enjoyed that story.

No King in Israel (42)

One of the more interesting features of this final, very unsavory episode in Judges is that while it gives us both the spiritual nadir and narrative climax for the book, it is chronologically out of sequence. Rather than coming at the end of the period when the judges governed Israel, I believe the culling of the Benjamites actually occurred some 300 years prior; before Samson, Jephthah, Gideon and many others lived, fought and ruled.

How do we know this? By the major logistical difficulties placing it anywhere else creates.

No King in Israel (41)

The tribe of Ephraim was contrary, rebellious and idolatrous. The half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead refused to obey the judges God raised up to defend Israel, provoking a brief civil war. The histories in Judges reveal the persistent moral failings of Joseph’s children during this period.

However, Ephraim and Manasseh were hardly the only Israelite tribes whose cultures bottomed out during the rule of the judges.

No King in Israel (40)

Others have noted Judges does not recount certain events in chronological order. The story in chapters 17 and 18 appears to have taken place after the death of Samson during a period in which Israel had no named judge, maintaining a more-or-less linear march through time to this point in the book. However, it’s evident the final three chapters (19-21) actually took place quite a bit earlier and probably find their place at the end of the book for theological, dramatic and/or thematic reasons.

Historically speaking, chapter 18 concludes Judges.

No King in Israel (39)

Judges were not kings. We have seen that they performed some functions we expect of royalty: leading the army, delivering the nation from oppression, and rendering decisions in disagreements between Israelites. Some functions, but not all.

When God appointed Saul Israel’s first king, he had something more in mind for him than waving a sword, calling out the troops or sitting under a tree passing judgment. “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you,” God said. “He it is who shall restrain my people.”

Restrain. Hmm.

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Abraham gave Isaac to God and ended up the father of eight sons by three different women. He received Isaac back as well. Hannah dedicated Samuel to God, afterwards conceiving three more sons as well as two daughters. Rebekah was barren until her husband prayed for her, after which she conceived not one son but two, both of whom became fathers of nations. Mary said, “Let it be to me according to your word”, and conceived not only the Lord Jesus but also four other sons and unnumbered sisters.

Short version, you cannot out-give the Lord. We will see that again shortly.

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Truth is objective and its importance paramount. Technical precision is one aspect of truth and its importance situational. On several occasions the Lord Jesus was technically precise in quoting the Old Testament. On many others it would not be outrageous to say that he wildly paraphrased.

The standard for quoting a conversation as evidence in a court proceeding is not the same as the standard for reporting dialogue that took place during historical events for which the author could not possibly have been personally present. The former ought to be as close to word-to-word as possible. The latter permits or even necessitates some stylistic license, and everyone but a pedant makes allowance for it. Expecting an author to recount a conversation that took place a hundred years ago with the technical precision of a legal transcript is manifestly unreasonable; a paraphrase or summary in his own words is frequently more than adequate.

Well-constructed prose often makes for a better story anyway.

No King in Israel (35)

Othniel led an army to drive out Israel’s oppressors in his generation. Ehud used a successful solo mission to raise an army to do the same. Deborah’s general Barak, Gideon and Jephthah were all leadership figures behind which the nation (or parts of it) rallied and successfully defeated invaders.

In every case to date, a judge’s appearance on the scene meant Israel entered a period of rest and relief from its enemies.

No King in Israel (34)

Bible students online differ concerning the extent to which Samson was truly heroic or any kind of role model for believers. The four chapters that chronicle his life and death portray him as impulsive, turbulent and temperamental, driven by his whims and easily pushed off course by events around him. Rarely do we see evidence of serious devotion to the Lord, or the fruit of such a relationship in his life, though there’s absolutely no question the Lord used him, and used him in a major way. Like Jehu centuries later, Samson was a wrecking ball when Israel needed one.

The New Testament portrays Samson as a man who in at least one instance exercised remarkable faith. Even then, in typical Samson style, his faith basically amounted to the conviction that God would make an exception to his own rules by special request …

No King in Israel (33)

The story of Samson is full of miraculous events. The narrative has a big, mythical quality to it: the robust young hero smiting his enemies in impossible numbers. A child reading it may find himself caught up in the action and missing the subtext. I certainly did. Nevertheless, like so many other Old Testament characters, this “hero” has feet of clay; he cannot seem to get out of his own way. His failures and temptations are all too human.

Never mind. God can use that too. We can take some encouragement from that fact at least.

No King in Israel (32)

Ahab listened to a lying spirit sent out from the presence of God. He consequently perished in battle. It was inevitable. The Lord had purposed to put him to death. He knew Ahab would follow the word of four hundred false prophets telling him exactly what he already wanted to hear rather than one lone man with the truth of God in his mouth.

Thus, the will of God profoundly influenced Ahab without Ahab having the slightest personal insight into it, and without him deriving any benefit from it.

As we will see, our twelfth judge had far too much in common with Ahab.

No King in Israel (31)

We have been examining the third and final appearance of the angel of the Lord in the book of Judges. In chapter 2, he rebuked Israel for its disobedience, setting the stage for both the judgments he would inflict on the nation throughout the book and the repeated miraculous deliverances these punishments would necessitate. In chapter 6, he appeared to Gideon, causing him to fear for his life. In this chapter, he appears to the woman who would shortly become Samson’s mother, and to her husband Manoah.

Manoah’s wife described the angel of the Lord as “very awesome”. She and her husband were shortly to discover he was much more than that.

No King in Israel (30)

Judges is a grim book. It shows fallen man the way he truly is, even when favored with a level of access to divine revelation that many nations never experienced. Few of its chapters are consistently uplifting or their positive aspects unmitigated by reminders of human wickedness and fallibility. Jephthah’s story, which we have just finished, mingled God-given victory with bad judgment, betrayal and brother-against-brother violence. Our final judge’s life was a notorious mess, and the book gets even bleaker from there.

In between, chapter 13 is a brief, cheery respite from the darkness. From verse 2 on, it’s all wonderful, including a rare pre-incarnate glimpse of Christ himself.

No King in Israel (29)

Today’s instalment takes us to the eleventh of our twelve judges of Israel. We are getting there.

At least eight tribes provided Israel with leadership and deliverance during the period of the judges, and perhaps as many as ten.* The tribal affiliation of at least two judges is questionable, so we cannot confirm precisely which tribes did not receive representation in leadership during the period. We can say with certainty that Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Gad go unmentioned.