Old Testament

Judges 18:1-20
No King in Israel, Part III

(Typed 10 June 2024) There are various approaches to translating the word. One is word-for-word literal. From there, one can swing all the way to the other end of the spectrum and have a paraphrase that conveys the sense of what is recorded in a way that even a poor reader can understand.

There is also what is known as dynamic equivalence. An idea is presented in an understandable way, carrying the same meaning as something that may be completely obscure to someone reading a literal translation.

For example, if I were to say to you, “Until when you leaping upon two the branches?” that wouldn’t make much sense to you. But that is a literal translation of 1 Kings 18:21. Translators will normally use dynamic equivalence and say something like, “How long will you waver between two opinions?” (NKJV).

That is fine to get the intent, but when doing a detailed analytical sermon on that passage, the most literal translation is necessary. This is why we consult the original text.

Text Verse: “Blessed be the Lord my Rock,
Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle.” Psalm 144:1

Every Monday, when I sit down to type a sermon, I essentially repeat the words of this psalm. It is as if I am going into battle with the words of Scripture, trying to wrestle out what it is telling us. It isn’t always easy. Actually, it hardly ever is. It is a true battle as I struggle with the text.

In the first verse of the passage today, the KJV says, “… for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.” The italicized words “all their” are entirely wrong, and they give a completely false sense of what is being conveyed. If someone wanted to know what was being said, and then align it with any chronology or typology that was intended, it would be impossible to do so.

This narrative actually occurred long before, either during the time of Joshua or shortly after his death. That will be explained as we go through the verses, but understanding this tells us that the events recorded here are presented for a categorical reason, apart from the actual chronology.

This is why going through verses in a line-by-line (or verse-by-verse) manner is really the only way to be sure about what the text says. It is true that my translation could be wrong, or my conclusions could be completely off base, but that will certainly be the case without a competent literal translation.

Despite taking up more time and making things more confusing at the beginning, it will lead to a better understanding of what is being presented at the end. So, let’s get into another deep dive into what God has for us. Great things are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. God Has Given It Into Your Hands (verses 1-10)

In those days there was no king in Israel.

bayamim hahem ein melekh b’Yisrael – “In the days, the those, naught king in Israel.” It is a letter for letter copy of the words of the corresponding clause in Judges 17:6. There is not a unified leadership to direct the people. As seen in the previous sermon, this represents the time of the church age. Despite having the word, including the epistles, to direct us, churches are left to follow their own ideas of what is right and what is wrong.

Israel had the law, but there was not a unified leadership to unite the tribes and direct them accordingly. Thus, everyone was out doing whatever he thought was best, whether that included adherence to the word or not. As for the narrative, it next says…

^{1 (con’t)} And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in;

u-vayamim hahem shevet ha’dani m’baqesh lo nakhalah lasheveth – “And in the days, the those, tribe the Danite seeking, to him, inheritance to dwell.” Here the entire tribe of Dan is spoken of in the singular, the Danite. Note that in Joshua 19, the tribe of Dan is the last listed tribe to receive an inheritance. Only after Dan’s inheritance is listed is Joshua’s portion detailed.

This is why I concluded that the events now being detailed could actually go back as far as the time of Joshua. While they are waiting for their allotted inheritance, some of the tribe became restless…

^{1 (con’t)} for until that day their inheritance among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them.

The word “their” in the NKJV or “all their” in the KJV are italicized, meaning they are inserted for supposed clarity. However, if this is at the time of Joshua, their presupposition damages the readers’ ability to grasp what is actually occurring: ki lo naphlah lo ad hayom hahu b’thokh shivte Yisrael b’nakhalah – “For not fallen to him until the day, the it, in midst tribes Israel in inheritance.”

Without any presuppositional insertions, the text tells us that this falls before the assignment of the seventh and final tribal allotment detailed in Joshua 19:40-48. Notice the differences:

“for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel” (KJV). This implies some of their inheritance had been attained, but some had not. This removes the narrative completely out of the time of Joshua and moves it to any point in time afterward.

“for until that day their inheritance among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them” (NKJV). The understanding depends on what “inheritance” means. Does it mean the lot had not yet been cast, or does it mean that the tribe has simply not gone in and acquired what had been previously allotted to them?

“For not fallen to him until the day, the it, in midst tribes Israel in inheritance” (CG). The falling of the lot has not yet taken place. Thus, the Danite has no allotted inheritance as of yet.

The word “fallen” could mean taking of the land after the inheritance (as with the NKJV), but that could also be explained in other ways. Thus, it appears that this occurs during the time of Joshua and it could very well explain these words of Joshua –

“Now therefore,” he said, “put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.” Joshua 24:23

Already, even before Joshua’s death, idolatry had entered into the lives of the people. However, this account in Judges 18 is provided to give us categorical rather than chronological information, thus providing a basis for future typology.

Dan means Judge. Israel means He Strives with God.

² So the children of Dan sent five men of their family from their territory,

Again, the translation is poor and thus probably gives a false sense of what is being conveyed: vayishl’khu b’ne dan mimishpakhtam khamishah anashim miqtsotham – “And send, sons Dan, from their family, five men from their extremities.” Rather than “their territory,” it says miqtsotham, “their extremities.” The NKJV assumes this means the extremities of their territory. However, the word is speaking of their people, as it is used elsewhere, such as –

“So they feared the Lord, and from every class [miqtsotham] they appointed for themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places.” 2 Kings 17:32

Five is the number of grace.

^{2 (con’t)} men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and search it.

anashim b’ne khayil mitsr’ah u-meeshtaol l’ragel eth ha’arets ul’khaqrah – “men sons valor, from Zorah and from Eshtaol to foot the land and to search her.” The word khayil, valor, gives the sense of being strong and substantial in power, authority, riches, honor, virtue, etc. In this case, they would be strong, brave men who would be able to carry out the necessary task of footing the land, meaning walking throughout to determine a suitable location to meet the intended purpose.

The words here cause scholars to say that Dan had, in fact, received its allotted inheritance already. These men are in the area of Zorah and Eshtaol. These were given to Dan in Joshua 19:41. Thus, it must mean that they have received their allotment.

However, that dismisses the words of Joshua 15:33 where these two cities were located within the allotment of Judah. As was seen during the Joshua sermons, Judah’s land was too big for them, and Simeon’s inheritance was placed within Judah’s tribal allotment.

Other cities, such as Zorah and Eshtaol eventually were placed within the allotment of other tribes. As Dan was already dwelling there, it would make complete sense to give them that land when their allotment came up in Joshua 19. As seen previously, Zorah means Affliction, and Eshtaol means both Entreaty and Bride of God.

^{2 (con’t)} They said to them, “Go, search the land.” So they went to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there.

The words explain the introduction of Micah and the surrounding narrative in the preceding chapter: vayomru alehem l’khu khiqru eth ha’arets vayavou har ephrayim ad beith mikhah vayalinu sham – “And say to them, ‘Go, search the land.’ And go mount Ephraim until house Micah. And lodge there.” As they footed the land, they passed by the area where Micah dwelt. It is customary for travelers to be welcomed in. Thus, they stayed with him.

Ephraim means Twice Fruitful and Ashes. Micah, as it is spelled here, means Who is Like This.

³ While they were at the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite.

hemah im beith mikhah v’hemah hikiru eth qol hanaar ha’levi – “They with house Micah. And they scrutinized voice the servant, the Levite.” The word nakar means to scrutinize, as in looking intently at, hence with recognition implied. Therefore it can be translated as recognize, discern, be acquainted with, and so forth.

Because of this, one of numerous possibilities arises. It could be that they heard the Levite’s voice and recognized it, having known him before. It could be that his accent caught their attention, knowing it was from their area. Some suppose that they heard sounds from him praying or ministering, such as wearing bells on his garments as the high priest at the temple would.

The simplest reading is that they heard his voice and recognized it. However, to make any option possible, I went with scrutinized. It is something that would be done no matter which option is correct. They heard a voice (or sound), thought about it, made a connection to it, and then…

^{3 (con’t)} They turned aside and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What do you have here?”

vayasuru sham vayomru lo mi heviakha halom umah atah oseh bazeh umah l’kha phoh – “And they turned aside there. And say, to him, ‘Who brought you hither, and what you doing in this? And what to you here?’” Something alerted them to the fact that he was not from there and that he was now there. Further, what would a Levite be doing there at a private residence?

And more, being a Levite, how was he able to support himself? The whole thing seemed odd to them. Regardless of how they scrutinized his voice, a simple evaluation of it told them that something was peculiar. Therefore…

⁴ He said to them, “Thus and so Micah did for me. He has hired me, and I have become his priest.”

vayomer alehem kazoh v’khazeh asah li mikhah vayisk’reni vaehi lo l’khohen – “And says, unto them, according to this and according to this done to me, Micah. And hires me to be to him priest.” A short explanation of his situation followed, notably ending with the idea of him, a Levite, being a personal priest.

If this is truly the grandson of Moses, as the text later implies, it is a truly abominable situation that he should have known better than to accept, much less brag about openly.

⁵ So they said to him, “Please inquire of God, that we may know whether the journey on which we go will be prosperous.”

The words contain a cohortative: vayomru lo sh’al na belohim v’nedah hathatsliakh darkenu asher anakhnu holkhim aleha – “And say to him, ‘Ask, we pray, in God. And we will know surges our journey which we walking upon her.” Like women priests or pastors in the church today, the matter here really is an “in Your face” situation toward God.

The Danites, join in with the delusions of the Levite by asking him to be their mediator to God (or gods), seeking Him (or them) concerning their expedition. The word elohim can mean the true God, a false god, or many gods. We aren’t standing there with the Danites, so we can only speculate about their intent.

As for the word tsalakh, it means to rush upon or surge. It is the same word used when the Spirit came upon Samson. In this case, they want to know if their way will prosper.

One can think of starting out and wondering if you will hit a wall or have a breakthrough in success. We get the same sense when prosperity preachers speak of a breakthrough in finances. They are promising a surge of money from the cosmic ATM in the sky. These Danites want to know if they will likewise prosper…

⁶ And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. The presence of the Lord be with you on your way.”

vayomer lahem hakohen l’khu l’shalom nokhakh Yehovah dark’khem asher telkhu bah – “And says, to them, the priest, ‘Walk to peace. Fronted, Yehovah, your way which walking in her.’” The Levite, here acknowledged as “the priest,” tells them not to worry (walk to peace). This is because Yehovah would be with them.

Regardless of what they were asking (God, god, or gods), the Levite acknowledges the name of the Lord. This, however, does not necessarily mean anything more than what might be said by a false preacher in the world today when referring to the Lord or Jesus. And more, it is the only time Yehovah is seen in the passage.

As for his words, “Fronted, Yehovah, your way…”, like going to a palm reader, that can actually mean whatever someone wants it to mean. The word nokakh means in front of, opposite to, or over against. It is a true statement, no matter what is said.

The Lord is always opposite all people at all times. However, because of the words “Walk to peace,” they would certainly assume this meant that He would be watching over them in a positive manner as they went…

⁷ So the five men departed and went to Laish.

vayelkhu khamesheth ha’anashim vayavou laysha – “And walks, five the men, and goes Laish-ward.” This is the first note of Laish in the Bible, and yet it is stated as if it is the obvious destination, thus telling us that this is where they will wind up. The name is identical to layish, a word for lion used three times in the Bible. Thus, it is called Lion.

However, that comes from lush, to knead, as in bread – which is how the word is always used. Thus one gets the sense of a lion’s paws delivering blows. Or one can think of a cat kneading his paws on your tummy as felines are known to do. Thus, Kneading is possible.

If it is derived from a similar word originally spelled with two yods (our y), Sergio notes it would have the sense of I Have, To Me Possession, I Possess, etc. It is not uncommon for a letter to drop out in such cases. Thus, this is a possible secondary meaning. This location was called Leshem in Joshua 19:47 –

“And the border of the children of Dan went beyond these, because the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem and took it; and they struck it with the edge of the sword, took possession of it, and dwelt in it. They called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father.”

It will be renamed in the verses ahead, and it will become the northernmost settlement in the land. John Lange assumes the root of Leshem is lesha, to break through (as in water boiling up). Thus, this is where the waters from Mount Hermon break through and form the beginning of the Jordan.

It is the same root for the name Lesha, which is found in Genesis 10:19, where the springs of the Dead Sea come forth. Laish, Lion, is explained by Lange to be used as a symbol of flowing stream sources. Thus, this would explain why the name may have been used in this manner. This might explain Moses’ prophecy over Dan in Deuteronomy 33, even though a different word for lion is used there –

“And of Dan he said:
‘Dan is a lion’s whelp;
He shall leap from Bashan.’” Deuteronomy 33:22

Of this area and for the Danites, upon arriving…

^{7 (con’t)} They saw the people who were there, how they dwelt safely, in the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure.

There are a couple of peculiarities in the words: vayiru eth ha’am asher b’qirbah yosheveth lavetakh k’mishpat tsidonim shoqet u-voteakh – “And see the people who in her midst, dwelling to security, according to judgment Sidonians – reposing and trusting.” The first peculiarity is that there is a gender discord. The word people is masculine, but the corresponding verb, dwelling, is feminine. Likewise, the words security, reposing, and trusting are each masculine.

Available commentaries fail to give any suitable explanation for the discord. For example, Lange says, “the writer’s imagination identifies the people with the city in which they live, and so speaks of them as feminine.”

Also, the noun security is from the same root as the verb trusting. Ellicott sees this as a tautology, (something said more than once, a repetition, reiteration, redundancy, superfluity, iteration, duplication, periphrasis, prolixity, etc.). But why? Rather, it seems the verbs are simply describing the state of security.

^{7 (con’t)} There were no rulers in the land who might put them to shame for anything.

Everyone agrees the words are complicated. Translations vary widely, and the usual suspects cry out that the text is corrupt: v’ein makhlim davar ba’arets yoresh etser – “And naught wounding word in the land – possessing restraint.” The word kalam comes from a primitive root and means to wound. It is always used in a figurative manner, such as humiliate, insult, reproach, etc.

The noun etser is found only here and it is assumed to come from the verb atsar, to hold back or restrain. With a literal translation as I have given, the words appear to be saying that the people were not only reposing and trusting, but there was no internal strife where people would argue or insult one another. And more…

^{7 (con’t)} They were far from the Sidonians, and they had no ties with anyone.

urkhoqim hemah mitsidonim v’davar ein lahem im adam – “And far they from Sidonians, and word no to them with man [adam].” It is taken from these words that these people were related to the Sidonians but had settled in this area. However, it is estimated that they were a full day’s journey from Sidon.

Therefore, they would have no one nearby to come to their rescue if attacked. And more, they held no regular communication with anyone. Therefore, their disappearance would go unnoticed by anyone.

The last word, adam, is rendered by some Greek texts as aram, meaning Syria. The two letters are almost indistinguishable when not very clearly written out ר (resh) and ד (daleth). It would then mean they had no relations with the Syrians to the east. The name Sidon means Fishery. If Aram is correct, which seems unlikely, it means Elevated or Highland.

⁸ Then the spies came back to their brethren at Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brethren said to them, “What is your report?”

The verse is short and to the point. The final portion lacks any verb at all: vayavou el akhehem tsarah v’estaol vayomru lahem akhehem mah atem – “And go unto their brothers, Zorah and Eshtaol. And say to them, their brothers, ‘What you?’” The five return to their starting point and are greeted with the simple words, “What you?” The words are so basic that the meaning could be one of several things. However, the five perfectly understood that it meant to give a report of their survey…

⁹ So they said, “Arise, let us go up against them. For we have seen the land, and indeed it is very good. 

vayomru qumah v’naaleh alehem ki rainu eth ha’arets v’hineh tovah meod – “And say, ‘Arise! And we will go upon them. For have seen the land, and behold! Good, very.” It is certain that more is left out of the report than is provided. Their brothers can’t know what land they are referring to unless they are told. And they can’t know who “them” is referring to unless it is explained to them.

The narrative is excitedly giving just enough for the reader to follow along without being at all specific. That continues in the next words…

^{9 (con’t)} Would you do nothing? Do not hesitate to go, and enter to possess the land.

v’atem makhshim al teatslu lalekheth lavo laresheth eth ha’arets – “And you, hushed? Not dawdling to walk to enter to possess the land!’” A new word is brought in, khashah. It comes from a primitive root meaning to hush. The sense is probably something like, “Get up and raise a war cry!” With that, another word seen only here is used, atsel. It comes from a primitive root meaning to lean idly.

One can imagine the folks simply leaning up against the doorposts, shuffling their feet. Instead of strapping on their swords, they are just dawdling around, waiting for someone else to make the first move, and so more prompting is needed…

¹⁰ When you go, you will come to a secure people and a large land.

k’voakhem tavou el am boteakh v’ha’arets rakhavath yadayim – “According to your going, coming unto people trusting, and the land roomy hands.” The description is enticing. The people are trusting. Keil says, “careless security.” They figured that they were doing their own thing and nobody cared at all about them or where they were.

Also, the words rakhavath yadayim, roomy hands, give the sense of the men spreading out their hands with their fingers splayed and then reaching out in both directions. Their fingers symbolically claim everything in eyesight as being a part of the possession…

^{10 (con’t)} For God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth.”

ki n’tanah elohim b’yedkhem maqom asher ein sham makhsor kal davar asher ba’arets – “For given, God, in your hands place where no there lack all word which in the land.” They had asked the Levite to inquire of God for them. The Levite told them that the Lord would be with them on their way.

Now, upon their return, they default back to elohim (God, god, or gods) again. Chances are they are referring to God in general, but they have not used the name of the Lord as might be expected.

As for their statement about the location, the word davar, word, is used in the sense of a matter, issue, or thing. There was nothing lacking there. Everything necessary to live out life in their own possession was available to them.

What does it mean to be faithful in life
When all around there is only faithlessness
It is a world of enmity and strife
Man has certainly caused quite a mess

But in this wicked world we can prevail
And do what God would ask us to do
Any loss now will in heaven pale
Compared to the rewards He offers you

So be a faithful soul all your days
And live for the Lord with this life you’ve been given
Take time and give Him all your praise
Someday we’ll move on to what is really livin’

Until then, remember the Lord Jesus
And consider all the things He has done for us

II. Consider What You Should Do (Verses 11-20)

¹¹ And six hundred men of the family of the Danites went from there, from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war.

vayisu misham mimishpakhath ha’dani mitsarah u-meeshtaol shesh meoth ish khagur k’le milkhamah – “And pull up from there, from family the Danite, from Zorah and from Eshtaol – six hundreds man girded implements war.” This does not mean that the entire tribe of Dan went up from this area.

Rather, it means that a small portion of the tribe went up, as is clearly seen in the words “from family the Danite.” The rest of the tribe was still in the general area and was given its inheritance according to Joshua 19 –

“The seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families. ⁴¹ And the territory of their inheritance was Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir Shemesh, ⁴² Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Jethlah, ⁴³ Elon, Timnah, Ekron, ⁴⁴ Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, ⁴⁵ Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon, ⁴⁶ Me Jarkon, and Rakkon, with the region near Joppa. ⁴⁷ And the border of the children of Dan went beyond these, because the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem and took it; and they struck it with the edge of the sword, took possession of it, and dwelt in it. They called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father. ⁴⁸ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families, these cities with their villages.” Joshua 19:40-48

However, their actions fulfill the prophecy of Moses from Deuteronomy 33 exactingly.

As for the number six hundred, it is derived from six and ten. Bullinger defines six, saying, “…it has to do with man; it is the number of imperfection; the human number; the number of MAN as destitute of God, without God, without Christ.” Simply stated, it speaks of fallen man.

As for the number ten, Bullinger says, “Completeness of order, marking the entire round of anything, is, therefore, the ever-present signification of the number ten. It implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete.”

¹² Then they went up and encamped in Kirjath Jearim in Judah.

vayaalu vayakhanu b’qiryath y’arim bihudah – “And ascend, and camp in Kirjath Jearim in Judah.” The trek from where they were to where they encamped is an ascent. For whatever reason, they stopped and camped at Kirjath Jearim, which means City of Forests or City of Honeycombs. Judah means Praise. Next, it says…

^{12 (con’t)} (Therefore they call that place Mahaneh Dan to this day. There it is, west of Kirjath Jearim.)

al ken qaru lamaqom ha’hu makhaneh dan ad hayom hazeh hineh akhare qiryath y’arim – “Upon thus called to the place, the it, Mahaneh Dan, until the day, the this. Behold, behind Kirjath Jearim.” It says they camped in Kirjath Jearim and then it says that the location is behind Kirjath Jearim. So is it these are referring to the same place or not?

If not, then Mahaneh Dan would be where they initially started from. However, that is not the nearest antecedent in the narrative and confuses things. Because of this, it is hard to know what is going on. Judges 13:25 says –

“And the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.”

Some say that these are referring to the same place and some disagree. If it is the same place, it means that these events, without any doubt at all, precede the life of Samson. This makes sense either way, but it would make it explicit.

If they are not the same place, then there are two Mahaneh Dans. Either way, the names are stated with all certainty for the sake of typology. Therefore, we can go with the narrative without actually knowing which option is historically correct.

Mahaneh Dan means Camp of Dan and, thus, Camp of the Judge.

¹³ And they passed from there to the mountains of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.

vayaavru misham har ephrayim vayavou ad beith mikhah – “And pass over from there Mount Ephraim. And come until house Micah.” Leaving Kirjath Jearim, their direction of travel heads northward into the mountainous area of Ephraim, collectively called Mount Ephraim. It is the area where Micah lives. The Danites followed the known route coming as far as his house.

In Scripture, a har, mountain, is a lot of something gathered. In typology, it is synonymous with a large but centralized group of people. Upon arriving, the original trekkers have some news to share…

¹⁴ Then the five men who had gone to spy out the country of Laish answered

vayaanu khamesheth ha’anashim ha’holkhim l’ragel eth ha’arets layish – “And answered, five the men, the walkers to foot the land Laish.” The Bible is filled with this terminology where the first speaker is said to answer.

Without saying a word, one can see them walking along and coming to the settlement of houses where Micah is. Rather than wait for a question or simply pass by without referring to the place, these men initiate what would normally be a response to a question.

^{14 (con’t)} and said to their brethren, “Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod, household idols, a carved image, and a molded image?

vayomru el akhehem haydatem ki yesh babatim ha’eleh ephod utraphim u-phesel u-masekhah – “and say unto their brothers, ‘Known that is in the houses, the these, ephod, and teraphim, and carved image, and molten image?’”

The others didn’t know. Rather, they are being told this. We do this all the time. For example, “Did you know that he’s a movie star?” It’s a way of stating something emphatically but with a subtle hint of something behind the question. In this case, the subtle hint concerning named items is that they could be beneficial to the tribe. Without saying what it is, they simply continue with…

^{14 (con’t)} Now therefore, consider what you should do.”

The verb is imperative: v’atah d’u mah taasu – “And now, know what you will do.” In other words, “You know what to do, so go do it.” They have plans for the stuff that belongs to Micah.

¹⁵ So they turned aside there, and came to the house of the young Levite man—to the house of Micah—and greeted him.

vayasuru shamah vayavou el beith hanaar halevi beith mikhah vayishalu lo l’shalom – “And turn there-ward, and come unto house the servant, the Levite – House Micah – and ask to him to peace.” The words appear to indicate that the settlement is called Beith Micah, House Micah. When the five men arrived, they went to the individual house belonging to the Levite and greeted him.

¹⁶ The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.

v’shesh meoth ish khagurim k’le milkhamtam nitsavim pethakh hashaar asher mibne dan – “And six hundreds man, girding implements their war, stood entrance the gate – who from sons Dan.” The reason for these words may be to show a united decision on the part of all of the warriors.

They probably broke off from the main caravan, which included women and children and any older folks who continued along. Noting the girding of their weapons is intended to show that they were willing to use force if necessary to obtain what they wanted.

Also, by the narrative stating the disassociated but obvious words that they were from the sons of Dan again ensures that it is known that their actions were intentional, that it was Dan alone who was involved, and that the narrator wants it to be known as such.

¹⁷ Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up. Entering there, they took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image.

The aspect of the verb changes in the middle of the sentence from imperfect to perfect: vayaalu khamasheth ha’anashim ha’holkhim l’ragel eth ha’arets bau shamah laqhu eth ha’pesel v’eth ha’ephod v’eth ha’traphim v’eth ha’masekhah – “And ascend, five the men, the walkers to foot the land: entered there-ward, took the carved image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image.”

The change in aspect gives the narrative an almost haunting tone. It is as if the narrator is telling us to read each word as if it is a singular crime being committed. It’s not just Micah’s household doing wrong. Rather, an entire portion of the tribe of Dan has succumbed to the same fatal idolatry. Meanwhile…

^{17 (con’t)} The priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men who were armed with weapons of war.

v’ha’kohen nitsav patakh ha’shaar v’shesh meoth ha’ish he’khagur k’le ha’milkhamah – “And the priest stood entrance the gate, and six hundreds the man, the girding implements the war.” The priest went out to the gate when the men arrived. They were probably just talking when the five walked around him and went into the house to take the items. As they went in, he probably got curious as to what was going on…

¹⁸ When these went into Micah’s house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image,

v’eleh bau beith mikhah v’yiqkhu eth pesel ha’ephod v’eth ha’traphim v’eth ha’masekhah – “And these entered house Micah, and take carved image the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image.” The words essentially repeat what was said, but the aspect goes from the perfect to the imperfect. Put side by side, you can see the difference –

17. “And ascend, five the men, the walkers to foot the land: entered there-ward, took the carved image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image.”
18. “And these entered house Micah, and take carved image the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image.”

And more, in these words, it appears that the carved image belongs to the ephod. Only the JPS Tanakh translates the words this way, but the terminology appears specific –

“And when these went into Micah’s house, and fetched the graven image of the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said unto them: ‘What do ye?’” JPS Tanakh

Even though they are two separate things, it appears that they serve a united purpose. When the priest wanted to consult the carved image, he would wear the ephod.

^{18 (con’t)} the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”

vayomer alehem ha’kohen mah atem osim – “And says unto them, the priest, ‘What you doing?’” In seeing what the five were doing, he must have felt either suspicious or betrayed, depending on how he perceived what was going on. Thus, it was natural to ask what they thought they were doing with the objects of his priesthood.

¹⁹ And they said to him, “Be quiet, put your hand over your mouth, and come with us; be a father and a priest to us.

Several verbs are imperative: vayomru lo hakharesh sim yad’kha al pikha v’lekh imanu veyeh lanu l’av ulkhohen – “And say, to him, ‘Keep silent! Put your hand upon your mouth, and walk with us, and be to us to father and to priest.’” In essence, “You need to do these things. Otherwise, it won’t go well with you.”

Telling him to put his hand upon his mouth is a way of saying, “Shut your trap!” They are being firm but are willing to give him a new opportunity if he is willing to take it. To get him to think it through…

^{19 (con’t)} Is it better for you to be a priest to the household of one man, or that you be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?”

ha’tov heyothkha khohen l’veith ish ekhad o heyothkha khohen l’shevet u-l’mishpakhah b’yisrael – “The good you being priest to house man one, or you being priest to tribe and to family in Israel?” “Listen, is it better to be priest to just one guy, or would it be better for you to be priest to our entire clan?” The answer should be obvious whether he agreed with the way things were done or not.

It notes both a tribe and a family. The tribe of Dan descended from a single son of Dan. Therefore, if he was a priest to even part of the tribe and family of Dan, he was a priest to all of it. They are tempting him with a great offer.

*^{20 (fin)} So the priest’s heart was glad; and he took the ephod, the household idols, and the carved image, and took his place among the people.

vayitav lev hakohen vayiqakh eth ha’ephod v’eth hatraphim v’eth ha’pasel vayavo b’qerev ha’am – “And pleased heart the priest, and takes the ephod, and the teraphim, and the carved image, and goes in midst the people.” One can see that his allegiance to Micah was completely based on the money and clothing he received.

It would explain the odd statement in verse 10 where he was given an offer by Micah, and then it said, “And walks, the Levite.” After he got the offer, he continued walking while considering the proposition and maybe looking for a better opportunity elsewhere. However, he eventually accepted the offer.

Now, a better offer has come along, and he is immediately elated about it. So he took charge of the priestly things and joined the people. Saying that he went into their midst is a way of saying that he joined them wholeheartedly, probably enjoying lots of pats on the back and compliments for being their official priest.

With that, we are finished for the day. If you care at all about proper worship of the Lord, treating your fellow man with due respect, or having concern for those to whom you owe allegiance, the narrative is both disappointing and disheartening.

However, it is generally what can be expected in the world in which we live. And this doesn’t just mean the secular world. It is becoming rarer by the day to find decent seminaries, denominations, churches, pastors, and Christians who will do what is expected of them from a biblical perspective.

What we need to do is press on in doing right and be the faithful souls we are called to be. Life is short, and we have choices to make. Work out your life, your allegiances, and your friendships with decency, honesty, and integrity. This is key to happy living and a warm and friendly welcome when you stand before the Lord.

First and foremost, however, you need to be right with the Lord. There is only one way that can happen, so be sure to get it right. Have faith in what God has done in Christ. Let me tell you that simple good news before we finish…

Closing Verse: “If you have been foolish in exalting yourself,
Or if you have devised evil, put your hand on your mouth.” Proverbs 30:32

Next Week: Judges 18:21-31 Another great story to tell, and that is for shor… (No King in Israel, Part IV) (51^st Judges Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. It is He who judges His people according to their deeds. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

No King in Israel, Part III

In those days there was no king in Israel.
And in those days the tribe of the Danites (descendants of Shem)
Was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in
For until that day their inheritance among the tribes of Israel
———-had not fallen to them

So the children of Dan sent five men of their family
From their territory, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol
To spy out the land and search it
They said to them, “Go, search the land, not a part but the whole

So they went to the mountains of Ephraim, that is where
To the house of Micah, and lodged there

While they were at the house of Micah
They recognized the voice of the young Levite
They turned aside and said to him
“Who brought you here, to this site?

What are you doing in this place?
What do you have here, from greatest to least?
He said to them, “Thus and so Micah did for me
He has hired me, and I have become his priest

So they said to him, “Please inquire of God, yes for us
That we may know whether the journey on which we go
———-will be prosperous

And the priest said to them, “Go in peace, yes, I say
The presence of the LORD be with you on your way

So the five men departed and went to Laish
They saw the people who were there
How they dwelt safely, in the manner of the Sidonians
Quiet and secure, with nota care

There were no rulers in the land
Who might put them to shame for anything
They were far from the Sidonians
And they had no ties with anyone, not even by a shoestring

Then the spies came back to their brethren at Zorah and Eshtaol
And their brethren said to them, “What is your report?
———-Tell us the whole

So they said, “Arise, let us go up against them
For we have seen the land, and indeed it is very good
Would you do nothing?
Do not hesitate to go, and enter to possess the land. Understood?

When you go, you will come to a secure people
And a large land with no dearth
For God has given it into your hands
A place where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth

And six hundred men
Of the family of the Danites went from there
From Zorah and Eshtaol
Armed with weapons of war, Laish had best beware

Then they went up and encamped in Kirjath Jearim in Judah
(Therefore they call that place Mahaneh Dan to this day
There it is, west of Kirjath Jearim
That’s how the name got to be this way

And they passed from there to the mountains of Ephraim
And came to the house of Micah with a little scheme

Then the five men who had gone
To spy out the country of Laish
Answered and said to their brethren
(First, did you know that Laish rhymes with quiche?)

“Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod
Household idols, a carved image too
Also a molded image
Now therefore, consider what you should do

So they turned aside there
And came to the house of the young Levite man
To the house of Micah
And greeted him as a part of their plan

The six hundred men
Armed with their weapons of war, lookin’ great
Who were of the children of Dan
Stood by the entrance of the gate

Then the five men who had gone
To spy out the land went up, so they did do
Entering there, they took the carved image and the ephod
The household idols, and the molded image too

The priest stood at the entrance of the gate, so was the score
With the six hundred men who were armed with weapons of war

When these went into Micah’s house
And took the carved image, the ephod (bad things were brewing)
The household idols, and the molded image
The priest said to them, “What are you doing?

And they said to him, “Be quiet, put your hand over your mouth
And come with us; be a father and a priest to us – they did tell
Is it better for you to be a priest to the household of one man
Or that you be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?

So the priest’s heart was glad
And he took the ephod with the household idols too
And the carved image
And took his place among the people, this he did do

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in; for until that day their inheritance among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them. ² So the children of Dan sent five men of their family from their territory, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and search it. They said to them, “Go, search the land.” So they went to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there. ³ While they were at the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young Levite. They turned aside and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What do you have here?”

⁴ He said to them, “Thus and so Micah did for me. He has hired me, and I have become his priest.”

⁵ So they said to him, “Please inquire of God, that we may know whether the journey on which we go will be prosperous.”

⁶ And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. The presence of the Lord be with you on your way.”

⁷ So the five men departed and went to Laish. They saw the people who were there, how they dwelt safely, in the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure. There were no rulers in the land who might put them to shame for anything. They were far from the Sidonians, and they had no ties with anyone.

⁸ Then the spies came back to their brethren at Zorah and Eshtaol, and their brethren said to them, “What is your report?”

⁹ So they said, “Arise, let us go up against them. For we have seen the land, and indeed it is very good. Would you do nothing? Do not hesitate to go, and enter to possess the land. ¹⁰ When you go, you will come to a secure people and a large land. For God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything that is on the earth.”

¹¹ And six hundred men of the family of the Danites went from there, from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war. ¹² Then they went up and encamped in Kirjath Jearim in Judah. (Therefore they call that place Mahaneh Dan to this day. There it is, west of Kirjath Jearim.) ¹³ And they passed from there to the mountains of Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah.

¹⁴ Then the five men who had gone to spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their brethren, “Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod, household idols, a carved image, and a molded image? Now therefore, consider what you should do.” ¹⁵ So they turned aside there, and came to the house of the young Levite man—to the house of Micah—and greeted him. ¹⁶ The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate. ¹⁷ Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up. Entering there, they took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image. The priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men who were armed with weapons of war.

¹⁸ When these went into Micah’s house and took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”

¹⁹ And they said to him, “Be quiet, put your hand over your mouth, and come with us; be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest to the household of one man, or that you be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?” ²⁰ So the priest’s heart was glad; and he took the ephod, the household idols, and the carved image, and took his place among the people.

 

 

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson.

Judges 17:7-13
No King In Israel, Part II

(Typed 3 June 2024) The contents of the passage today, as they point to Christ, were as difficult for me to think through as any in recent memory. Analyzing and explaining the content of the verses only took until about 9:30 in the morning.

Once that was done, I needed to sort out what we are being told. At 10:54, I sent a message to Sergio, “I have no idea what Judges 17 is telling us.” After sitting, rereading time and again, and praying the entire time, I sent another message at 2:31, “I think I got it. Had to pray to the Lord for over 3 hours.”

What seems obvious now wasn’t easy to come by. But a few moral lessons did show up along the way. Matthew Henry provides these words concerning the verses in this passage –

“Thus those who please themselves with their own delusions, if Providence unexpectedly bring any thing to their hands that further them in their evil way, are apt from thence to think that God is pleased with them.”

It is a correct analysis and it fits well with a news headline on the same day this was typed. A U.S. House of Representatives member informed the public that she has pancreatic cancer. In her statement, like bookends, she said, “My adult life has been defined by my faith in God… By God’s grace, I will be back at full strength soon.”

For a person who has spent her entire political career doing anything but honoring God, she suddenly has a need to invoke his name. Providence, indeed, brought her many opportunities. And she has taken every one of them to further her work in the evil decisions she has made, all the while thinking that God must be pleased with her.

She is just one example of innumerable people throughout the ages who have treated God as a secondary weapon in their arsenal of iniquity. They will utter His name if it is convenient and beneficial to them, but He is far from their hearts.

Text Verse: “Has a nation changed its gods,
Which are not gods?
But My people have changed their Glory
For what does not profit.” Jeremiah 2:11

Judges 17 is well reflected in the words of Jeremiah, even if Jeremiah is dealing with an individual and not the entire nation. The name of the Lord is mentioned twice by Micah’s mother and only once by Micah in this passage. And his selfish proclamation is only found in the last verse.

So how does this story point to Jesus? It seems hard to make any comparisons. And yet, Abarim insightfully did so –

“To give a hint to the literary complexity of this story: the Levite from Judah who was forced to hire himself to a wealthy Ephraimite is obviously a manifestation of the Suffering Servant of which Jesus is the most familiar. Then note how the Book of the formally unrelated prophet Micah deals with the same themes and even how Matthew weaves these into the gospel of Immanuel.” Abarim

Even if this priest is brought into the picture in order to do inappropriate things, things entirely unlike Jesus, the overall premise that Abarim speaks of is exactly right.

The whole story speaks of total apostasy mingled with nothing more than lip service to the Lord. And yet we can find Jesus in it. It begs us to each consider our own situation. Are we proclaiming Jesus outwardly and yet living as if He is only an afterthought? Or are we truly living with Him on our minds at all times?

Let us not be like the faithless representative from Texas who has spent her years enriching and exalting herself while paying mere lip service to the Lord. Now, while facing her time of crisis, who does she piously return to with the general word “God?”

It is the God who will not be mocked. We all have choices to make and will all stand before Him someday and give an account for our actions. This is a lesson that is on prominent display in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. A Levite, a Servant, a Father, a Son, and a Priest (vss. 7-13)

The narrative of Micah and his mother, as detailed in Judges 17:1-6 ended with the words, “In the days, the those, no king in Israel, man the straight in his eyes does” (CG). It is a time of lawlessness. Those words provide an explanation for the coming words…

⁷ Now there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah,

vayhi naar mibeith lekhem y’hudah – “And is, servant, from Bethlehem Judah.” The word translated as servant, naar, comes from the verb naar, to shake. That, in turn, is identical to naar, to growl. Thus, one can think of the rustling of a lion’s mane as he growls, shaking his head.

Typically, naar signifies young men as they are often restless or active. However, at times it plainly indicates a person in a position of service –

“And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant [naar], and said to him, ‘I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. ¹⁰ You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son shall eat bread at my table always.’ Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.” 2 Samuel 9:9, 10

If Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants, he wasn’t a young man. Thus, the term is clearly being used in a technical sense as a servant. This would be like the Greek word deacon. It comes from diá, thoroughly, and konis, dust. He is one who thoroughly raises the dust as he scurries about.

It is of note that the root naar is used in relation to the dust in Isaiah 52 –

“Awake, awake!
Put on your strength, O Zion;
Put on your beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the holy city!
For the uncircumcised and the unclean
Shall no longer come to you.
² Shake [naar] yourself from the dust, arise;
Sit down, O Jerusalem!
Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck,
O captive daughter of Zion!” Isaiah 52:1, 2

The deacon raises the dust through activity and the servant shakes, as if removing the dust that might be raised during his time of activity.

A detailed explanation is given because of the complicated nature in the words of the next clause. He is from Bethlehem Judah. This is stated to distinguish it from another Bethlehem located in Zebulun as noted in Joshua 19:15.

Bethlehem means House of Bread (lekhem), but without the vowel pointing it is identical to the verb meaning war (lakham). Thus, it has a secondary meaning of House of War (Battle). The connection between the two terms is that in battle, those being killed are consumed like food.

Judah means Praise. Of him, it next says…

^{7 (con’t)} of the family of Judah; he was a Levite,

The words are debated, difficult to explain, and initiate some interesting thoughts that will be more fully looked into elsewhere: mimishpakhath y’hudah v’hu levi – “from family Judah. And he, Levite.”

The words “from family Judah” cause complications. He cannot be a Levite if he is from the family of Judah, not Levi, unless the word Levite is being applied in a technical sense. The tribe of Levi and those who descend from it had a job to perform which then became associated with the name.

So if someone else performed the Levitical duties, he could claim to be a Levite. This would be like saying, “he is a plumber,” even though he is not from the Plumber family. This explanation doesn’t seem likely though, especially because we will be told more about him later.

Some look to the words as a further explanation, “He came from Bethlehem Judah … which is of the family of Judah.” Why this repetition of Judah would somehow be necessary is hard to explain.

One possibility is that his mother was of the family of Judah, so he settled in Bethlehem because of his relationship to her, even though tribal ancestry (being a Levite) comes through the line of the father.

Another view is that his family settled in Bethlehem and he was then considered a member of the family in regard to civil matters.

As usual, there are those who claim the text is wrong and that the words are spurious. However, it is hard to see how such words could be erroneously entered into the text and not weeded out immediately. Thus, the words are original. They are specifically stated to give typology, regardless of which explanation just given (or another) is the correct one. Of him…

^{7 (con’t)} and was staying there.

v’hu gar sham – “and he sojourning there.” He is a servant from Bethlehem Judah, of the family of Judah (whatever that actually means), a Levite, and he was staying in Judah.

Here we have a person introduced who is believed to be the same person noted in Judges 18:30, Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh (Moses). This will be more carefully evaluated when we get there, but the words now, v’hu gar sham, “and he sojourning there,” are the same words that the name Gershom is derived from.

The name comes from gur, to sojourn, and sham, there. Thus, the name means Stranger There, Exile, Expelled. There is more to that name as we will see later. There is a connection being made between this verse and his name as recorded in verse 18:30. For now…

⁸ The man departed from the city of Bethlehem in Judah to stay wherever he could find a place.

vayelekh ha’ish meha’ir mibeith lekhem y’hudah lagur baasher yimtsa – “And walks, the man, from the city, from Bethlehem Judah, to sojourn in which finding.” He is looking for a place to live and work.

Here the word ish, man, is used. However Judges 18 will again speak of the naar, servant, as just used in verse 17:7. Because of this, Cambridge says that these cannot be the same person. They conclude, therefore, that this is not the same young man just mentioned in the previous verse. The ongoing narrative does not bear this out.

Rather, the term naar is being used in the sense of a servant, which may help explain the unusual wording of the previous verse. Thus, the words of verse 7 probably contain a parenthesis which then explains his technical relation to Judah –

“And is, servant (from Bethlehem Judah) from family Judah. And he, Levite.” As a Levite, he ministered to the family of Judah. This is a suitable resolution to the otherwise complicated words.

As the previous sermon ended with the thought that there was no king and everyone did what was right in his own eyes, this would include a neglect of the Levites. Such was the case at other times as well –

“I also realized that the portions for the Levites had not been given them; for each of the Levites and the singers who did the work had gone back to his field.” Nehemiah 13:10

The Levites were not given a tribal land inheritance in Israel. They were attached to tribes, given cities to dwell in, and they were to minister to the people of the tribes of Israel. This young Levite might have been neglected in Judah, and he decided to find some other place where he could live and minister. And so he walked…

^{8 (con’t)} Then he came to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.

vayavo har ephrayim ad beith mikhah laasoth darko – “And comes Mount Ephraim until house Micah, to make his way.” Here is the uniting of the previous narrative with the account of the Levite. This Levite, looking for a new place to do his shaking, came to Mount Ephraim and eventually wound up at Micah’s house.

⁹ And Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?”
So he said to him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am on my way to find a place to stay.”

vayomer lo mikhah meayin tavo vayomer elav levi anokhi mibeith lekhem y’hudah v’anokhi holekh lagur baasher emtsa – “And says to him, Micah, ‘From whence come.’ And says unto him, Levite, ‘I from Bethlehem Judah, and I walking to sojourn in which find.’”

Nothing is said about how the Levite wound up here. Micah appears to live on a main road. As will be evidenced later. The Levite may have simply stopped there as he traveled.

Or, he may have heard that Micah had a house with a shrine. Therefore, he went there in hopes of employment. If the latter, it would perfectly explain the next words…

¹⁰ Micah said to him, “Dwell with me, and be a father and a priest to me,

vayomer lo mikhah sh’vah imadi vehyeh li l’av u-l’khohen – “And says to him, Micah, ‘Dwell with me and be to me to father and to priest.’” Here we have the word av, father, being used as an honorific title and in an ecclesiastical sense, just as it is used today. Some denominations use the term father when referring to their priest. This is seen several times elsewhere for spiritual leaders –

“Then it shall be in that day,
That I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah;
²¹ I will clothe him with your robe
And strengthen him with your belt;
I will commit your responsibility into his hand.
He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem
And to the house of Judah.” Isaiah 22:20, 21

Micah is saying that the Levite will be the spiritual head of the house. He will be the one to seek out God’s will, favor, mediation, and atonement as needed…

^{10 (con’t)} and I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your sustenance.”

v’anokhi eten l’kha asereth keseph layamim v’erekh b’gadim u-mikhyathekha – “and I give to you ten silver to the days, and arrangement garments, and your sustenance.” It is not a lot of money but would equate to only a few dollars “to the days,” meaning in a year of days. However, with an arrangement of clothing, and his food and lodging, it would be what a Levite might expect, having no land inheritance of his own.

^{10 (con’t)} So the Levite went in.

Rather: vayelekh ha’levi – “And walks, the Levite.” What this seems to imply is that the Levite continued on, considering the proposition while looking for a better opportunity elsewhere. However, he eventually accepts the offer…

¹¹ Then the Levite was content to dwell with the man;

vayoel ha’levi lasheveth eth ha’ish – “And determines, the Levite, to dwell with the man.” The word is yaal, to yield, be willing, etc. He considered his options and determined that this was the best avenue open to him. Therefore, he dwelt with Micah. Ironically, it next says…

^{11 (con’t)} and the young man became like one of his sons to him.

vayhi ha’naar lo k’akhad mibanav – “And is, the servant, to him according to one from his sons.” In verse 5, Micah had ordained one of his sons to be his priest. In verse 10, Micah promised the Levite he would be a father to him. Now, as his father, the Levite is like one of his sons –

5. The man Micah … consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
10. Dwell with me, and be a father and a priest to me.
11. Then the Levite … became like one of his sons to him.

Even though he is a servant, an attendant, he is also like a son in the family of Micah…

¹² So Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and lived in the house of Micah.

vaymale mikhah eth yad ha’levi vayhi lo ha’naar l’khohen vayhi b’vieth mikhah – “And fills, Micah, hand the Levite. And is to him, the servant, to priest. And is in house Micah.” To fill the hand signifies to consecrate. This was explained in verse 5. Upon his consecration, he attends in Micah’s house as a priest.

Because of the events that have now come to pass…

*^{13 (fin)} Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since I have a Levite as priest!”

vayomer mikhah atah yadati ki yetiv Yehovah li ki hayah li ha’levi l’khohen – “And says, Micah, ‘Now I knew that Yehovah does good to me, for have to me the Levite to priest.’” Being fully ignorant of the law, including all of his violations of it in the thirteen verses of this chapter, he assumes that having a Levite will bring him blessing and prosperity.

However, this is an additional violation of the law. Levites were not to perform the duties of a priest. An exception to this, due to the surrounding situation, is noted in 2 Chronicles 29:34 –

“But the priests were too few, so that they could not skin all the burnt offerings; therefore their brethren the Levites helped them until the work was ended and until the other priests had sanctified themselves, for the Levites were more diligent in sanctifying themselves than the priests.”

In fact, this is exactly the type of situation that brought about the wrath of the Lord against Korah while in the wilderness –

“Then Moses said to Korah, ‘Hear now, you sons of Levi: ⁹ Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the work of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to serve them; ¹⁰ and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also? ¹¹ Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the Lord. And what is Aaron that you complain against him?’” Numbers 16:8-11

The entire passage has been wrought with apostasy.

Now I know that the Lord will be good to me
Because I have all of these things:
I have idols, garments, and a priest, you see
I shall see what each of these things brings 

This idol thingy is like the Lord, whoo hoo!
And so is this one, can’t you see
This thingy is like the Lord too
Good things for sure will be coming to me

And this is what it is all about
It’s about how the Lord will be good to me
We can be certain of this, no doubt
I have idols, and garments, and a priest, you see

II. Keep Yourselves From Idols

Judges 17 was about as hard to decipher as a super-enigma machine. A lot of contemplation was needed, but a lot of prayer was needed even more. This is because there are times when pictures of Christ don’t seem possible.

The corruption of the people and the troubling events that take place make it difficult to see the glory of who Jesus is and what He has done. But sometimes a contrast reveals more than a direct comparison. This is how it is in this passage.

The narrative is in Canaan, and thus, it refers typologically to events after the coming of Christ. As was noted, the events occur chronologically early in the narrative of Judges, even though they are recorded towards the end of the book.

Verse 1 noted that the story is in Mount Ephraim. The mount has consistently been seen as synonymous with a large but centralized group of people. Ephraim has consistently pictured the work of Christ, Twice Fruitful, signifying His work as effective for saving both Jews and Gentiles. Its second meaning, Ashes, speaks of His afflictions that have made salvation possible.

The man’s name is first given in verses 1 & 4 as Micayehu, Who is Like Yehovah. It refers to the church, those who bear the image of the Lord as in Colossians 3 –

“Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, ¹⁰ and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, ¹¹ where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.” Colossians 3:9-11

In verse 2, the narrative focuses on the eleven hundred of silver that was taken from his mother. Silver signifies redemption. Eleven hundred points to an entire period of a completed cycle (10) marked by disorder, disorganization, imperfection, and disintegration (11).

It is a good description of the church age. Even if its people are perfected in Christ and redeemed, they are still a completely imperfect group of people that form a body that could easily be thought of as a basket case.

The son admits taking the silver and his mother pronounces a blessing of the Lord on him. In verse 3, he is said to return the silver to his mother. She then says that she dedicated the silver to the Lord for her son to make a carved image and a molded image, meaning idols.

At that declaration, he says, “And now, I return it to you.” Verse 4 confirms that he returned it. Upon receiving it, she took two hundred of silver and had it fashioned into her idols. Two hundred is the number of insufficiency.

Despite silver signifying redemption, its weight and purpose mean that it is insufficient to do what it is intended to do. Also in verse 4, it said that the smelting guy made the images. Then they were put in the house of Micayehu, Who is Like Yehovah.

Immediately after that, in verse 5, the man’s name is changed from Micayehu to Micah. It no longer refers to Who is like Yehovah, but Who is Like This. Even if the person, represented by Micah, is supposedly in the church of the Lord, he is not like the Lord. As Jeremiah says –

“Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge;
Every metalsmith is put to shame by an image;
For his molded image is falsehood,
And there is no breath in them.
¹⁵ They are futile, a work of errors;
In the time of their punishment they shall perish.
¹⁶ The Portion of Jacob is not like them,
For He is the Maker of all things,
And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;
The Lord of hosts is His name.” Jeremiah 10:14-16

Micah made a house of gods, an ephod and teraphim. It is a marvelous depiction of the Roman Catholic Church and many other sects and denominations. They may claim they serve in the House of God, but it is really a house of gods.

The note about consecrating one of Micah’s sons to be his priest fits perfectly with the thought of the Roman Catholic Church because they have priests who supposedly mediate to God for them. Other large (un)orthodox denominations have similar structures.

Verse 6 noted that there was no king in Israel in those days. This is a true statement. Israel has no king during the church age, even if they have remained as a people. Likewise, there is no king apart from Jesus in the church, which is a part of the commonwealth of Israel, but He is not a king in the sense of active rulership over the churches that comprise His church. He is the King of Israel, but not currently the King in Israel.

Instead, each church essentially does what is right in its own eyes. If they follow the word, this is great. If not, it isn’t, but it is up to the people to do what they want, attend where they want, and so forth. There is no mandated structure that is meticulously ruled over by a single authoritative king.

Verse 7 introduces the naar, the servant, from Bethlehem Judah. What we have here is a picture of Jesus Christ in every sense, even if it is not necessarily a picture of Him to those who welcome Him in. In other words, the apostate church naturally proclaims to be a church under Christ.

No matter how many idols clutter up the house of God, the church falls under the broad category of belonging to Jesus. Even Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses supposedly confess Jesus. Hence, they fall under the broad category of being Christian.

The word naar is never directly equated to Jesus in a notable comparison in any Old Testament passage, but at least two times it is used when referring to Him in prophecy –

“For before the Child [ha’naar] shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings.” Isaiah 7:16

“When Israel was a child [naar], I loved him,
And out of Egypt I called My son. Hosea 11:1

Matthew 1 cites both Isaiah 7:14 and the second half of Hosea 11:1. As those refer to Jesus, then these Old Testament references do also.

Being from Bethlehem (House of Bread) in Judah (Praise) is a reference to Jesus. Being of the family of Judah is a reference to Jesus. And, as was seen in many previous passages concerning the Levites (Attached), they anticipate Jesus as the Firstborn because they replaced the firstborn males of Israel. It is He who is Attached to God as the Firstborn of God.

Verse 8 says that the Levite departed from Bethlehem in Judah. It is fitting of Jesus who is from heaven. This Levite who is so much like Jesus in every way came to Mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah (Who is Like This).

In verse 9, the man was queried by Micah, and he provided the details of who he was, where he was from, and what he was looking for. Micah (Who is Like This) asked him in verse 10 to dwell with him and be a father and a priest to him. It is what any apostate church that claims to be a Christian church would do.

Micah offered silver, clothes, and sustenance to the Levite. What does Jesus do? He offers us redemption, garments of righteousness, and sustenance – exactly the opposite of what occurs here. Jesus does the offering to His people, not the other way around.

To understand this, think of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Or better, the Church of Christ. They say you must be baptized and it must be in one of their churches. Instead of Jesus offering salvation to the flock, they offer their (supposed) salvation to Jesus. It is essentially what the Roman Catholic Church does as well.

After that, the Levite walks, a strange set of words that seem to make no sense. The Levite considers whether he will accept. In verse 11, the Levite determined to dwell with Micah, and he became like one of his sons to him.

If Micah already had a son who was his priest, then it means that this Levite is just another priest to him, even if he is in a different category. This typifies churches where Jesus is just another way of getting through to God.

In verse 12, Micah consecrated the Levite and the servant became his priest, “And is in house Micah.” Who is Like This has a representation of Jesus in his church, even if it isn’t the Jesus he really needs. With that feeling of satisfaction, the narrative ended with, “Now I knew that Yehovah does good to me, for have to me the Levite to priest.”

Micah is hoping to get good out of the Lord because he has his supposed priest along with his idols and vestments. But he, and the churches he reflects, will find out that what he wants and what he will get are not the same thing.

When I typed about the congresswoman I mentioned as we opened, I could only feel pity for her. Hideko has gone through cancer. Regardless of how you treat it, there is no simple way to get through it.

There is a difference though. Hideko has faithfully trusted Jesus each step of the way and has taken this as a part of what He has allowed in her life. And it has been a life of faithfully following Jesus for many years.

However, since I originally typed this, the congresswoman died. She now will face the Lord on whatever her relationship was with Him. As far as I know, she never committed her life to Him. And if not, her end will not be a good one.

Regardless of her, the God people suddenly reach out to in their distress is often forgotten in their victory over the affliction. This can even be to the point where they double down in their sin, thinking they have been so blessed in order to continue the wayward life they were previously leading, as if this was God’s way of demonstrating this to them.

Each of us needs to consider how we are appealing to Him and in what circumstances we are doing so. And so, let us do so every day. Think about your relationship with Him and how you can honor Him more each day.

Talk to Him like you would talk to any friend you are walking with. Think of Him as you think of your sweetest friendship, and be sure that your conversations are not just lip service in hopes of getting something out of Him. Instead, let your words return good things to Him.

Our God is great and deserving of all our praise, glory, and adoration. Be sure to give it to Him in whopping doses every day.

Closing Verse: “But our God is in heaven;
He does whatever He pleases.
⁴ Their idols are silver and gold,
The work of men’s hands.
⁵ They have mouths, but they do not speak;
Eyes they have, but they do not see;
⁶ They have ears, but they do not hear;
Noses they have, but they do not smell;
⁷ They have hands, but they do not handle;
Feet they have, but they do not walk;
Nor do they mutter through their throat.
⁸ Those who make them are like them;
So is everyone who trusts in them.” Psalm 115:3-8

Next Week: Judges 18:1-20 Dan is looking for an inheritance – so I tell and so you will see… (No King In Israel, Part III) (50^th Judges Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. It is He who judges His people according to their deeds. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

No King In Israel, Part II

Now there was a young man
From Bethlehem in Judah, that is where
Of the family of Judah; he was a Levite
And was staying there

The man departed from the city of Bethlehem in Judah
To stay wherever he could find a place
Then he came to the mountains of Ephraim
To the house of Micah, as he journeyed, coming to Micah’s space

And Micah said to him
“Where do you come from, I pray?
So he said to him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah
And I am on my way to find a place to stay

Micah said to him, “Dwell with me
And be a father and a priest to me (when can you begin?)
And I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes
And your sustenance.” So the Levite went in

Then the Levite was content to dwell with the man
And the young man became like one of his sons to him
———-(but later we’ll see he is a louse)
So Micah consecrated the Levite
And the young man became his priest, and lived in Micah’s house

Then Micah said
“Now I know that the LORD will be good to me
Since I have a Levite as priest!”
Not a clear thinker, as you can see

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

⁷ Now there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah; he was a Levite, and was staying there. ⁸ The man departed from the city of Bethlehem in Judah to stay wherever he could find a place. Then he came to the mountains of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. ⁹ And Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?”

So he said to him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am on my way to find a place to stay.”

¹⁰ Micah said to him, “Dwell with me, and be a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your sustenance.” So the Levite went in. ¹¹ Then the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man became like one of his sons to him. ¹² So Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and lived in the house of Micah. ¹³ Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since I have a Levite as priest!”

 

 

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson.

Judges 17:1-6
No King In Israel, Part I

(Typed 27 May 2024 – Memorial Day and miserably sick) Without checking Exodus 20, I bet you can already spot several violations of the Big Ten in our passage today. In just five verses, Micah and his mother not only broke several of the Ten Commandments, but they broke other laws that further explain those ten or that define other aspects of the religious laws of Israel.

If you have followed the sermons on the books of Moses for the past few years, you must almost want to cringe at what is recorded here. You might even ask yourself, “How can anyone be so stupid?”

But if you think it through, it is nothing uncommon or unusual. The people are living in a time without TV, internet, cars, and so forth. There weren’t even local synagogues to walk to.

Today, we have churches on every street corner, the Bible in print in our homes, TV with Christian (well…) stations, and the internet to search for information on anything we want to know about our relationship with the Lord.

We can’t defend the actions of the people in today’s verses, but if we condemn them, we are really condemning ourselves. We have laws in the land and the Bible expects us to live by them in order to live in harmony with the government set over us.

And yet, I will bet that many of us got here today by breaking a law or two in the process. I don’t mean, “Well, cops won’t pull you over in a 40 zone if you are doing 45.” I mean that a 40mph speed zone is a 40 zone. If the police don’t enforce the law, it doesn’t mean that the law doesn’t exist. It probably means they are enjoying their donuts and can’t be bothered.

Text Verse: “And the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; you only heard a voice. ¹³ So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone.” Deuteronomy 4:12, 13

After saying this to the people, Moses again forbid the idolatry of making images, even if they were to worship Yehovah, because the people have no idea what He looks like. And more, it would be taking something that He had made and forming into something to represent Him.

The process itself is illogical when thought through. Isaiah speaks of the illogical nature of idolatry in several key passages. John warns against idolatry as he closes out his first epistle. Anything that diverts our attention away from the Lord can easily become an idol.

Once He is out of the picture, we are prone to fill up our existence with other things that simply replace Him. Thank God for Jesus who actually helps resolve this for us. When we read the gospels about Jesus, our minds form a picture of the Man.

Some of us may be a bit more precise in how we perceive Him, but the notion of Him as a man comes through. When my great-grandfather left China after his years as a medical missionary, the Chinese people he tended to gave him some paintings that they had made from the gospels.

The depictions of Jesus and those with Him were of Chinese men. I have passed churches where Jesus is depicted as black. This is true in any place where Jesus has been proclaimed. People form a picture in their minds of Jesus based on their own culture and experience. No, this is not idolatry. It is the human connection of God in Christ that we form.

Jesus is our way of understanding what God has done. We don’t have any paintings of the true Jesus. Therefore, God has allowed us to consider Him in our own way. He is the Christ of the nations.

Even though we know that Jesus was from the Mideast and we have an idea of what people there look like, there are millions of Mideast people and none of them look just like Jesus. Again, thank God for Jesus. He is our connection to the unseen God. Because of His human nature fulfilling the Law of Moses, we can be free from the burdens that so heavily weigh us down.

This is a truth that is to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Sanctifying, I Sanctified, the Silver (verses 1-3)

With the narrative of Samson complete, the narrative of individual judges is also complete. Rather than focus on a judge, the book will now focus on events that occurred during the time of the judges, before any king reigned.

As Saul will be the first king, these events occur before his reign. That will be seen in verse 6. As for the events themselves, two specific stories are given. The first will comprise chapters 17 and 18. The second will finish the book in chapters 19-21.

These stories are not to be considered chronologically. For example, a grandson of Moses will be noted in Judges 18:30 and Phineas will be noted as the high priest in Judges 20:28. These place both stories very early in the time of the Judges.

Thus, these stories are selected out of this period to tell us things we need to know in the greater story of redemption. They are stories like Ruth, even if they are contained within the book of Judges itself. As for the first of these accounts, it begins with…

Now there was a man from the mountains of Ephraim,

vayhi ish mehar ephrayim – “And is man from mount Ephraim.” The narrative begins within the tribe of Ephraim. The tribe is north of Judah, Benjamin, and Dan and stretches from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea.

What is interesting is that the same words, with some local information added, are used to begin the narrative of Samuel, “And is man…from mount Ephraim.” The apostacy of Israel is highlighted in this early narrative in of the time of the judges which necessitated the calling forth of a judge. That continues through the life of Samuel, Israel’s last judge, and eventually leads to Israel calling for a king.

The name Ephraim means Twice Fruitful and also Ashes.

In Scripture, a har, mountain, is a lot of something gathered. In typology, it is synonymous with a large but centralized group of people.

^{1 (con’t)} whose name was Micah.

ushmo mikhay’hu – “and his name Micayehu.” The name Micayehu is given here, but it will take another form soon. This secondary form will continue throughout the narrative. The name, as it now stands, means Who is Like Yehovah.

² And he said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you, and on which you put a curse, even saying it in my ears—here is the silver with me; I took it.”

The Hebrew is complicated: vayomer l’imo eleph umeah ha’keseph asher luqakh lakh v’athi alith v’gam amart b’aznay hineh ha’keseph iti ani l’qakhtiv – “And says, to his mother, ‘Thousand and hundred the silver which taken to you, and you adjured, and also said in my ears – behold the silver with me. I, I took it.”

The l (ל – lamed) prefix indicates motion toward something. The most literal rendering is to simply say “to” each time it is used, but then the context must be determined. At times, it can signify “for,” “from,” etc. In this case, it probably means “from.” As such, “which was taken from you.”

The Greek translation conveys the sense of “for” or “of” rather than “from,” saying, “And he said to his mother, ‘The eleven hundred pieces of silver which thou tookest of thyself.’”

In other words, they place the theft on the part of the mother. However, “from” seems more likely based on the rest of the narrative. The mother had eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken. When she realized it was stolen, she pronounced an alah, or curse.

This is the first time the word is used in Scripture. It comes from a primitive root and signifies to adjure. For example, and usually in a bad sense, to pronounce an imprecation.

The mother found the money missing, and so in front of her son, she pronounced an imprecation. In hearing it, he was frightened. This is because of the spirit of the words of Leviticus 5 –

“If a person sins in hearing the utterance of an oath, and is a witness, whether he has seen or known of the matter—if he does not tell it, he bears guilt.” Leviticus 5:1

The context of Leviticus is a bit different, but the sense is still obtained. He has stolen from his mother, he hears her curse, and he then acts to correct his conduct by admitting he is the one who took it. The fact that she said it right in his hearing may be an indication that she suspected him all along.

If so, then rather than “curse,” she may have simply adjured him to tell the truth. If he lied, then he would be accountable to the Lord. Either way, he feels convicted and comes clean.

Of the number eleven hundred, it is a multiple of 10 and 11. Of ten, Bullinger says, “Completeness of order, marking the entire round of anything, is, therefore, the ever-present signification of the number ten. It implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete.”

Eleven is the number that marks “disorder, disorganization, imperfection, and disintegration.”

It is probably significant that this amount of silver is the same as that promised to Delilah by each of the rulers of the Philistines. That was in the previous chapter, but it is like a set of bookends in Judges from a chronological perspective. This is early in the history of the book, and that came towards the end of the time of the judges.

As for silver, it signifies redemption.

^{2 (con’t)} And his mother said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my son!”

vatomer imo barukh beni l’Yehovah – “And said, his mother, ‘Blessed, my son, to Yehovah.” Rather than leaving a curse upon her son, she accepts his confession and pronounces a blessing upon him. With that, the family goes from one sin to another…

³ So when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother,

The words “So when” simply read “and”: vayashev eth eleph u-meah ha’keseph l’imo – “And returns thousand and hundred the silver to his mother.” The son heard the adjuration or the curse and, being guilt stricken, admitted his wrongdoing. After that, he returns the entire sum to his mother. During this process of giving her the money, which will actually take place in the next verse…

^{3 (con’t)} his mother said, “I had wholly dedicated the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son,

vatomer imo haqdesh hiqdashti eth ha’kespeh l’Yehovah miyadi livni – “And says, his mother, ‘Sanctifying, I sanctified, the silver to Yehovah from my hand to my son.’” There are two ways to read this. The first is in the past perfect, as if it was in the past, anticipating the future – “I had sanctified it.” The other is that she is now making a vow to sanctify it – “I have now sanctified it.”

If the words are past perfect, then there are again two possibilities. She had the money and had decided at some point in the past that she would sanctify it to the Lord for a particular purpose. Or it could be that when the money was stolen, she promised that she would sanctify it to the Lord if it was recovered.

If the words are simply a reflection of her joy at getting the money back, then she decided to sanctify it to the Lord after her son confessed and returned it. No matter which of the three options, she has emphatically vowed (sanctifying, I sanctified) that it was to be dedicated to the Lord…

^{3 (con’t)} to make a carved image and a molded image;

laasoth pesel u-masekhah – “to make carved image and molten image.” The words here are debated. Does this mean a carved image that is then covered with a layer of metal, or a carved image along with a molten image? It must be the latter based on what is said in the next chapter –

“Then the five men who had gone to spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their brethren, “Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod, household idols, a carved image, and a molded image? Now therefore, consider what you should do.” ¹⁵ So they turned aside there, and came to the house of the young Levite man—to the house of Micah—and greeted him. ¹⁶ The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate. ¹⁷ Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up. Entering there, they took the carved image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molded image. The priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men who were armed with weapons of war.” Judges 18:14-17

By placing the ephod and the household idols in the narrative between the carved image and the molded image, it specifies that two images were made.

The pesel is a carved image, coming from pasal, to hew. The masekhah, or molten image, comes from nasak, to pour out. Thus, it is an image that is poured out. It can signify the covering of a hewn image, but that is not the case here. Because of her words, we read the next words which are probably the son speaking…

^{3 (con’t)} now therefore, I will return it to you.”

v’atah ashivenu lakh – “And now, I return it to you.” Contextually, it seems that these words are the son speaking to the mother, not the mother speaking to the son, although it could be either.

After hearing his mother’s words, he excitedly says that he is returning it so that she can whip up some household gods. Before that, a brief poetic interlude…

No other gods before Me, that is one
How many more can you blow today
Do not steal, but this you have done
You are not following the proper way

 No carved images… whoops, that makes three
How hard your head is for sure
No coveting! Yet, your heart I can see
You blew it again, but I have the cure

How about if I do it all for you
And then you just trust in Me
That is all you need to do
And yet you turn it down! How can it be?

II. A Shrine, Images, Idols, Etc. (verses 4-6)

⁴ Thus he returned the silver to his mother.

This is a confirmation that he is now handing it back to his mother: vayashev eth ha’keseph l’imo – “And returns the silver to his mother.” Verse 3 says he returned the money to her. This repetition explains that so that the coming words logically follow. It is she, not he, who takes the action with the silver.

There is confusion because many translations say something like, “from my hand for my son to make a carved image and a molten image.” But that is probably not what is said.

Rather, it more likely says, “from my hand, to my son, to make carved image and molten image.” The sanctification vow was for her, not him, to make these images. The images would then be given to her son as the leader of the household.

This is why determining the meaning of l (ל – lamed) isn’t always easy. The context has to be considered. For example, various psalms begin with l’David. Does that mean “to David” as if the song were written to him? Does it mean “of David” as it is written about him? Or does it mean “from David” (which “of” often also means), as if it is written by him?

The context indicates that David is writing the psalms, especially when he refers to himself in many of them and speaks of things that are recorded elsewhere in Scripture that he did or participated in.

However, rabbis who disagree that David wrote a psalm for one reason or another will argue that the psalm is written “to David.” That takes care of theological boxes about Christian beliefs that they don’t want to be stuck in.

Here in Judges, Micah is the man of the house now. Thus, it is likely his father has died. Naming him mikhay’hu, Who is Like Yehovah, showed that his father was probably a sound worshipper of Yehovah, or at least he had the Lord on his mind.

His mother determined that this money would be dedicated to the Lord to make these images in order to serve the Lord, and she is doing it with the thought that Micah will be the one who was to oversee the worship rites. Therefore…

^4 (con’t) Then his mother took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to the silversmith,

Rather than a noun, it is a masculine verb: vatiqakh imo matayim keseph vatitnehu latsoreph – “And takes, his mother, two hundred silver, and gives it to the smelting [guy].” The mother is the one who dedicated the silver and is having the silver fulfill its vowed purpose.

Of the number two hundred, Bullinger says that it is tenfold of twenty. Twenty is the number of expectancy. Ten indicates that the whole cycle is complete. As such, it is as if the expectancy is never realized and thus, he says –

“The significance of this number is suggested by John 6:7, where we read, ‘Two hundred pennyworth of bread is NOT SUFFICIENT for them.’ And so we find this number stamping various things with insufficiency.”

Thus, in short, it signifies insufficiency.

^4 (con’t) and he made it into a carved image and a molded image; and they were in the house of Micah.

vayaasehu pesel u-masekhah vayhi b’veith mikhay’hu – “And he makes it carved image and molten image. And is in house Micayehu.” The smelting guy made the images. The amount is curious because the mother dedicated the entire sum to Yehovah, but it says she only gave two hundred to the silversmith.

Various suggestions have been made as to why. Some seem reasonable. But the words are focused on the number, and thus insufficiency. That is what is being tied into the narrative concerning these images.

Another issue arises in Judges 18. Despite both the carved image and the molten image having been carried away by the Danites, it will later say –

“Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.” Judges 18:30

Because only the carved image is set up, this begs the question: Where is the molten image? Some scholars think they are one unit where the molten image is the base of the carved image. But because the carved image is always mentioned first, noting it was set up could simply be a note that everything else was set up with it.

Regardless, at this time, it says…

⁵ The man Micah had a shrine,

v’ha’ish mikhah lo beith elohim – “And the man, Micah, to him house gods.” Of verse 5, Keil interestingly says the following –

His mother did this, because her son Micah had a house of God, and had had an ephod and teraphim made for himself, and one of his sons consecrated to officiate there as a priest. מיכה האישׁ (the man Micah) is therefore placed at the head absolutely, and is connected with what follows by לו: ‘As for the man Micah, there was to him (he had) a house of God.’ The whole verse is a circumstantial clause explanatory of what precedes, and the following verbs … are simply a continuation of the first clause, and therefore to be rendered as pluperfects.”

In other words, he is placing this verse after verse 1 and saying all the rest of what we have analyzed fills in the blanks –

“And is man from Mount Ephraim, and his name Micayehu. … The man Micah had a shrine.”

This is an interesting take on the narrative and it is not without precedent in Judges. We have seen two narratives overlap and later meet up to continue on as one narrative. However, I think there is a problem with that in this story which is seen in the name of the man.

His name changes permanently here: v’ha’ish mikhah lo beith elohim – “And the man, Micah, to him house gods.” The name in verses 1 & 4 was mikhay’hu and here it is mikhah. It is hard to imagine that the name change would happen chronologically before the narrative aligns as Keil suggests.

Here is what his suggestion looks like chronologically –

1. And is man from Mount Ephraim, and his name Micayehu.
5. And the man, Micah, to him house gods [already filled with gods].
4. And he makes it carved image and molten image. And is in house Micayehu.

As his name is changed, information is being assigned to that name. The assignment of the information isn’t contingent on chronology, but it appears that the change of information assigns chronology. Micah comes from the word mi, who, and the [כה] kah at the end becomes debatable.

The letters correspond to the word koh, a demonstrative adverb indicating manner, place, or time. It specifically means “like this.” The name could then read Who’s Like This, Who is Thus, Who’s Here, Who Now, etc. Less likely, but still possible, the כה could also be from one of a couple of similar roots which would lead to possibilities such as Who is Disheartened, Who is a Coward, Who is Afraid, etc.

The name mikhay’hu was used twice. This new name, mikhah, will be used seven times in this chapter and twelve in the next. He has built a house of gods for his images. It is not uncommon to read commentaries that say it should read House of God, as if the images were to worship only the true God, Yehovah.

If that was the case, one might assume that it would be called Beith Yehovah, House of Yehovah rather than house of gods. And more, if there is more than one image, that option could in no way be considered as such. There is one Yehovah.

If someone incorrectly had a single god and associated it with Yehovah, he might get away with that as Aaron tried to do with the golden calf. But there is no way two or more idols could be equated to the sole worship of Yehovah.

Adam Clarke thinks that Micah’s shrine is a replica of the tabernacle and he has set up a little ark with a mercy seat and all the other tabernacle furniture. There is nothing to suggest this.

As for the money, if the two hundred of silver was for the two images, then it is possible that the rest may have gone into the things mentioned here, such as the shrine and what follows…

^{5 (con’t)} and made an ephod and household idols;

vayaas ephod utraphim – “And makes ephod and teraphim.” An ephod is a priestly garment set apart for ministering to the gods of the house.

This is comparable to what is seen in the Roman Catholic Church with their supposed priestly garments that are used when ministering to the ten thousand images and idols they have set up. One might say that is the House of God, but it is a house of gods.

As for the teraphim, it is unknown what they are. It is a plural word and the singular is never used. They were first seen in Genesis 31:19 where Rachel stole her father’s teraphim. In verse 31:30, Laban specifically calls them his gods.

In 1 Samuel 15, the word is used in a truly negative sense –

“So Samuel said:
‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
²³ For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry [teraphim].
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
He also has rejected you from being king.’” 1 Samuel 15:22, 23

There are fifteen uses of teraphim in the Old Testament but none of them clearly define what they are. Whatever they are, they can in no way be considered in the proper worship of the Lord. It is no wonder that the name of Micah changes in this verse.

He has gone from Who is Like Yehovah to Who is Like This. We could pick up one of his little gods and toss it on the ground where it would shatter into the nothingness that it always was.

^{5 (con’t)} and he consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.

vaymale eth yad akhad mibanav vayhi lo l’khohen – “And fills hand one from his sons. And is, to him, to priest.” To fill the hand signifies to consecrate. In the case of Aaron and his sons, that was done with the sacrificial offerings –

“Also you shall take the fat of the ram, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, the two kidneys and the fat on them, the right thigh (for it is a ram of consecration), ²³ one loaf of bread, one cake made with oil, and one wafer from the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the Lord; ²⁴ and you shall put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons, and you shall wave them as a wave offering before the Lord. ²⁵ You shall receive them back from their hands and burn them on the altar as a burnt offering, as a sweet aroma before the Lord. It is an offering made by fire to the Lord.” Exodus 29:22-25

The mother sanctified the silver to be used for this purpose. She followed through for her son to receive charge of the ministry to these images. He now delegates the actual service of these things to a son whom he has consecrated to be his priest for this purpose.

During these four verses, there has been an explicit violation of at least half of the Ten Commandments –

You shall have no other gods before Me. Fail.
You shall not make for yourself a carved image. Fail.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Possible fail.
Honor your father and your mother. Fail.
You shall not steal. Fail.
You shall not covet. Fail.

There are also violations of other parts of the Mosaic Code as well. This is one house out of the innumerable homes in Israel at the time. It is a time of lawlessness despite being under the law. The sad state of affairs leads the author to implicitly state what he feels is the remedy for this situation.

Unfortunately, what is stated will simply lead to other problems. That point begins with the words…

⁶ In those days there was no king in Israel;

bayamim ha’hem ein melekh b’Yisrael – “In the days, the those, naught king in Israel.” These words tell us that the narrative was either written or compiled and edited during the time of the kings. Until there was a king, there was no king. To write that this was in the days when there was no king acknowledges that there was a king when the narrative is being presented.

The words imply that a king would rectify the situation. And this is just what the author (compiler or editor) next presents…

*^{6 (fin)} everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

ish ha’yashar b’enav yaaseh – “Man the straight in his eyes does.” As there was no king in Israel, everyone saw his own path as the straight or right one and then took it.

We are being reintroduced to a thought that was already presented in Genesis. From those first events in Genesis, a dispensational model developed within the pages of Scripture. But here we find a set of dispensations within the dispensation of the law.

It began in Exodus, but these words show us that this is what has been going on.

What is straight to one person won’t be straight to another. And what is straight to most people is not what the Lord sees as straight. If a king is appointed over these people, what would be the result?

This is what these words are asking us to consider. The answer would logically be, “Whatever is straight in the king’s eyes.” This will be borne out in the coming books, from 1 Samuel to 2 Chronicles, along with the prophets which fill in detail concerning the time of the kings.

And another point, if Jesus is the King of Israel, and this is typologically anticipating something else, then what is this time with no king anticipating? This will be fleshed out as we continue through these final chapters of Judges.

The covenant was cut and the law was set
“Do these things and you will live.”
Be sure that My word, you don’t forget
And the blessings of heaven I will give

But when you fail in this, that is sin
And with that, My law is broken
Without mercy, you would be done in
But mercy I give as a faithful token

And on the day when the law is done
You no longer need to follow that path
All is accomplished in the giving of My Son
It’s either Jesus or all those laws, you do the math

III. Right In His Own Eyes

In Genesis, God gave a law to Adam. Adam did what was straight to him, regardless of what the Lord said. He thought it was a blast. And because of what he did, out of the garden he was cast.

Without any further instruction from God, but simply living under the law of conscience, fallen man did what was straight in his own eyes as if spiritually asleep. That lasted till the year 1656 Anno Mundi and then down came the rains and up broke the fountains of the great deep.

From there, God set up the nations under various governments of peoples through the manipulation of their speech. This was based on his words to Noah in Genesis 9, but it was most fully realized when the nations were divided in Genesis 11, in humanity came the language breach.

People had minimal instruction on what the Lord expected, and they were structured to set up their own laws and live within governments and territories that were carefully monitored by the Lord, as can be inferred from Daniel –

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
For wisdom and might are His.
²¹ And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.” Daniel 2:21, 22

This same thought is expressed elsewhere in various ways. The Lord is guiding human history. But during that time of government, which continues today, He called out a group of people to preserve a proper understanding of Him through a set and detailed worship of Him, showing them His way.

He gave them His law, just as He had done for Adam. It was a bit more detailed than Adam’s, but it was nonetheless a law that He expected to be obeyed, even if He knew they would not obey it.

From there, mini-dispensations have been introduced. Like Adam, the Israelites immediately failed at Sinai by rejecting Him and His law, even while Moses was on the mountain receiving more of it.

There was the time of Moses’ stewardship of the law, which was a time of disaster as well, both by the people’s failing to adhere to it and Moses failing to do as he was told at one key point. There was the transition to Joshua where there were setbacks, such as with Aachan. But things went reasonably well.

However, at the end of the final chapter of Joshua, we saw these words –

“Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the Lord which He had done for Israel.” Joshua 24:31

By reading that verse, one can tell that trouble is just the turn of a page away.

And sure enough, after that, there was the time of the Judges. They were localized in their rule and they met with some degree of success, but there was no overall king to guide the nation. And so, everyone did what was straight for them, ignoring the fact that God had already set forth His commandments for them to live by.

Israel found itself in a time not unlike that of conscience that preceded the flood. They did have the law, but there was no mechanism to enforce it. Without that, the law was essentially forgotten.

The last story in Judges, even if it chronologically dates to early in the time of the Judges, shows us that it was a time of rule where the majority made the decisions while at least consulting the Lord. And even when a judge was appointed, there was very little to enforce any meaningful rule he may have determined.

When the kings are introduced, the nation will be expected to abide by the laws of the king who reigns at that time. Governments were even set up under the king to ensure it would be so. But the problem is that it was up to each king to determine if he would follow the Lord or not.

And more, when the nation divided, there were even more complications in ruling the people of God. But each story within the time of the law and each situation in which the people found themselves was, supposedly, to help prepare them for the coming Messiah.

If a Messiah was coming, however, what was the point of all of the failed history? Why didn’t God just send the Messiah at the beginning and be done with it? It is the same reason why the dispensation in Eden failed.

Human beings cannot appreciate what they have not experienced. Without a minute record of the failings, we could not know that the better way given by God is truly the best way.

This is what makes law observance by people in the world today so maddening to consider. Man has already gone that route. And not just once under ideal circumstances as in Eden. It has been repeatedly brought forth in one situation or another since then. These accounts are showing us that law is not what man needs.

The words of the final verse today say, “In the days, the those, no king in Israel. Man the straight in his eyes does.” This is not God telling us that a king will resolve the situation. It is Him telling us that another attempt at fixing the problem of man under law is forthcoming but which will be no remedy at all. Well, at least in relation to a king who is not the Lord.

If you have read those books, you already know this. If you haven’t, pick up your Bible and read it. Things do not go well for the people under the kings. A good king with a proper-running and God-honoring society is a rare thing. And as soon as he is gone, things will normally devolve in the turn of a single page.

After the time of the kings, Israel will be ruled by foreign governments. That era of Israel’s history didn’t pan out well either. What man needs is something entirely different, something not initiated or maintained by himself.

What we need is grace. Grace comes from outside ourselves as God is the One who lavishes it upon us. But we are so prone to law, even if it means going under it so that we can break it, that is the path that most choose. It is hard to set self aside and simply yield to God, but that is what He asks us to do.

Jesus came and took care of the law problem. Now, He offers us God’s grace. Are you ready to accept the grace and give up on self? If so, God has a place for you in His kingdom. Receive His gift by faith and it will be yours forever.

Closing Verse: “I will extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.” Psalm 145:1

Next Week: Judges 17:7-13 Things are not looking swell. Yes, it’s true… (No King In Israel, Part II) (49^th Judges Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. It is He who judges His people according to their deeds. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

No King in Israel, Part I

Now there was a man
From the mountains of Ephraim
Whose name was Micah
This guy was a bit extreme

And he said to his mother
“The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you
And on which you put a curse, even saying it in my ears
Here is the silver with me; I took it. Sad but true

And his mother said in her state of stun
“May you be blessed by the LORD, my son!

So when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver
To his mother, his mother said about what was done
“I had wholly dedicated the silver
From my hand to the LORD for my son

To make a carved image and a molded image, yes, it’s true
Now therefore, I will return it to you

Thus he returned the silver to his mother
Then his mother took two hundred shekels of silver
———-(amazing but true)
And gave them to the silversmith
And he made it into a carved image and a molded image too

And they were in the house of Micah
Idolatry all day, zippedeedoodah

The man Micah had a shrine
And made an ephod and household idols, an idolatry feast
And he consecrated one of his sons
Who became his priest

In those days there was no king in Israel
Everyone did what was right in his own eyes
———-a sad story to tell

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now there was a man from the mountains of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. ² And he said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you, and on which you put a curse, even saying it in my ears—here is the silver with me; I took it.”

And his mother said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my son!” ³ So when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, “I had wholly dedicated the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son, to make a carved image and a molded image; now therefore, I will return it to you.” ⁴ Thus he returned the silver to his mother. Then his mother took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to the silversmith, and he made it into a carved image and a molded image; and they were in the house of Micah.

⁵ The man Micah had a shrine, and made an ephod and household idols; and he consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest. ⁶ In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

 

Heroic artwork by Douglas Kallerson.

Judges 16:23-31
Samson, Judge of Israel, Part IX

(Typed 20 May 2024) There are various views on what it means to be justified before God. Within those views, people often get caught up in semantics in order to justify their own position on a point of doctrine.

In an article by Bob Wilkin, where he argues for Free Grace, he writes about an opposing doctrine, “It seems reasonable to call this process progressive justification. After all, Evangelicals already speak of progressive sanctification. If progressive sanctification is necessary to obtain final justification then progressive justification is another name for progressive sanctification.”

The Bible doesn’t teach that progressive sanctification is needed to obtain final justification. Paul says, “But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

We are sanctified. We are also justified. Paul speaks of justification in a legal sense. That is known as forensic justification. A person is declared righteous because of the merits of Christ. On the other hand, this is not what James speaks of.

In James 2:21, he says, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?” Was that before or after Isaac’s birth? Long before. Therefore, he cannot be saying that Abraham had to prove something to be justified. He goes on to say…

Text Verse: “Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? ²³ And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. ²⁴ You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” James 2:23, 24

James cites Genesis 15:6 saying that God counted it to Abraham for righteousness. He stood justified. So what is the point James is making about his willingness to offer Isaac? He cannot be speaking of forensic justification. Therefore, he must be saying that Abraham in his state of humanity, is justified by works.

If God came to Abraham and asked him to sacrifice his son Zimran, that would be a test of obedience. He had no promises from God concerning that son. If God said to do it, he would either be obedient or disobedient. He would not be justified in his humanity for his disobedience, even if he stood justified by God through the declaration of righteousness.

However, God promised Abraham that Isaac would carry on his name. When God asked him to sacrifice Isaac, that was not a test of obedience as much as it was of his faith. The reason for this is that God cannot lie.

Therefore, in asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, the child of promise, it must be a test of faith that somehow Isaac would still receive the promise. This is verified by Hebrews 11:17-19 –

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, ¹⁸ of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called,’ ¹⁹ concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.”

How is justification relevant to what we will see in the verses about Samson? It is because of who the Philistines picture. They are those who weaken the faith of others or completely steal it from those who have no faith.

If a saved person is told he needs to do something to be saved, if he believes that, his faith is weakened. The same is true if he is told he needs to continue to do something in order to stay saved. God never said to Abraham, “If you don’t sacrifice Isaac, you are no longer righteous.”

Abraham’s trial was one of faith in his salvation, not for his salvation. If you are saved, you are saved. Don’t let anyone weaken your faith! The Philistines are out there! Don’t let them rob you of your joy in Christ.

It’s all to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Remember Me, I Pray (verses 23-31)

²³ Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice.

v’sarne plishtim neespu lizboakh zebakh gadol l’dagon elohehem u-l’simkhah – “And lords Philistines gathered to sacrifice, sacrifice great, to Dagon their god, and to gladness.” Because the narrative is condensed, it may seem like this gathering was held because of the capture of Samson. However, it may simply be an annual feast or a sacrifice for some particular event.

Because it says, “to their god and to gladness,” it is hard to be dogmatic about any further reason for it. Israel had their annual pilgrim feasts. Other nations had feasts around the equinoxes and solstices. The rest of this verse, however, seems to tie the feast to their triumph over Samson. Whatever the reason for calling the feast, Dagon, their god, was the center of the worship.

Dagon comes from dag, fish which signify abundance. Hence, the word daga means to multiply or increase. The word dagan refers to cereal crops in general, thus natural abundance. Therefore, Dagon can mean Fish, Increase, or Cultivation of Natural Abundance.

Being coastal cities, having a fish as their deity is logical, at least from a fallen human standpoint. The idol representing Dagon was believed to have the upper half reflecting a man and the lower half reflecting a fish.

One Assyrian depiction has a man somewhat wrapped up in a fish with the mouth of the fish looking like one of the pointy hats of Catholic bishops. The rest of the fish hung like a garment around the man.

^{23 (con’t)} And they said:
“Our god has delivered into our hands
Samson our enemy!”

vayomru nathan elohenu b’yadenu eth Shimshon oyvenu – “And they said, ‘Given, our god, in our hand Samson our enemy.’” As just noted, these words seem to make the reason for the gathering as the victory over Samson, but it also may be that he was the subject of people’s conversation. If so, then it would be that these words are parenthetical –

Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice. (And they said: “Our god has delivered into our hands Samson our enemy!” ²⁴ When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said: “Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy, The destroyer of our land, And the one who multiplied our dead.”) ²⁵ So it happened, when their hearts were merry, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may perform for us.” So they called for Samson from the prison, and he performed for them. And they stationed him between the pillars.

This seems like a logical order of how the narrative is structured. However, whatever the flow of the narrative actually is, the people’s victory over Samson was a point of conversation and joy…

²⁴ When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said:

vayiru otho ha’am vayhal’lu eth elohehem ki amru – “And see, him, the people, and praise their god, for they said…” As noted, the lines seem out of place because only later do the people call for Samson. For this reason, it has been suggested that the words “And sees him” are speaking of Dagon, not Samson.

However, Samson is the nearest antecedent, and so my suggestion that the lines are parenthetical sufficiently explains the matter. It also fits well with other such instances in the book of Judges where the narrative breaks and then catches up with the chronological events. For example, this was seen at the introduction of Jephthah into the narrative in Judges 11. As for their praises…

^{24 (con’t)} “Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy,
The destroyer of our land,
And the one who multiplied our dead.”

The words form four lines, each ending with the nun/vav suffix indicating “our.” The first line also contains its own internal nun/vav suffix. Thus, they form a poetic effect: nathan elohenu b’yadenu eth oyvenu v’eth makhariv artsenu vaasher hirbah eth khalalenu – “Given our god, in our hand: our enemy, and desolating our land, and who multiplied our pierced.”

It is like a song that the people learned and sang together just as people do at rallies and demonstrations all the time. It is intended to easily call to mind the heroic acts of their god.

²⁵ So it happened, when their hearts were merry, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may perform for us.”

vayhi ki tov libam vayomru qiru l’shimshon visakheq lanu – “And is when good their heart, and they say, ‘Call to Samson and laughs to us.’” If the previous verses are parenthetical, then this is where the narrative meets up with the earlier narrative –

“Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice. … So it happened, when their hearts were merry, that they said, ‘Call for Samson, that he may perform for us.’”

A new word, sakhaq, is used. It signifies to laugh in either pleasure or derision. In this case, it signifies to have him amuse them. This could be from them deriding him, beating on him, spitting on him, etc. It could also mean that they ordered him to do things like dance, bow down, and so forth. Whatever it was that made them happy, that is what Samson was called to do…

^{25 (con’t)} So they called for Samson from the prison, and he performed for them. And they stationed him between the pillars.

vayiqru l’shimshon mibeith haasirim vaytsakheq liphnehem vayaamidu otho ben ha’amudim – “And call to Samson from house the bonds, and laughs to their faces. And stands him between the pillars.’” Here, a similar but different verb is used, tsakhaq. It is the thirteenth and last time that it is used in the Bible. It carries essentially the same meaning as sakhaq. Interestingly, one word is finished in Scripture when the other is just beginning to be used.

The structure of the words in this sentence indicates active performance by Samson. The people demanded that Samson perform for them, probably in dancing or some other activity. The great hero is reduced to embarrassing subjugation and degradation before their eyes.

But it may be that Samson then uses this as a pretext to act as stated in the following words…

²⁶ Then Samson said to the lad who held him by the hand,

vayomer Shimshon el ha’naar hamakhaziq b’yado – “And says, Samson, unto the lad, the strengthening in his hand…” It is of note that a mere lad is used to guide Samson around. A single youth directs where the once-great Samson – who slayed a thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey – went. And not only is he guided by a youth, but in his blindness, he is totally dependent on the lad to identify the place he desires to go.

^{26 (con’t)} “Let me feel the pillars which support the temple, so that I can lean on them.”

The first verbs are imperative and the last is cohortative: hanikhah oti vahemisheni eth ha’amudim asher ha’beith nakhon alehem v’eshanen alehem – “Resting, me, and I am feeling the pillars which the house support upon them, and I will lean upon them.” If Samson actively performed for the people, he could pretend to be tired from the efforts. After all, the great champion of Israel lost his power and endurance.

In these words is a verb found only here in Scripture, yamash, to feel, coming from a primitive root meaning to touch. Because he is blind, he is asking for the lad to guide his hands so that he can feel the supporting pillars…

²⁷ Now the temple was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there

The NKJV makes the whole verse seem like one category of people, all on the roof. That is not the intent: v’habayith male ha’anashim v’hanashim v’shamah kol sarne p’listim – “And the house filled the men and the women, and there-ward all lords Philistines.” In other words, the temple itself was filled with the ruling class, here designated by the plural of the words enosh and ishah, men and women. These people are within the walls of the temple, and…

^{27 (con’t)} —about three thousand men and women on the roof watching while Samson performed.

v’al ha’gag kishlosheth alaphim ish v’ishah ha’roim biskhoq Shimshon – “And upon the roof according to three thousands man and woman, the seeing in laughing Samson.” This is another category, ish and ishah, cumulatively numbered with the plural “three thousands,” and thus they are designated in the singular.

Of the number, it is a multiple of three and ten. Three signifies Divine Perfection. Expanding on that, Bullinger says –

“The number three, therefore, must be taken as the number of Divine fulness. It signifies and represents the Holy Spirit as taking of the things of Christ and making them real and solid in our experience. It is only by the Spirit that we realise spiritual things. Without Him and His gracious operation, all is surface work: all is what a plane figure is to a solid.”

Of the number ten, Bullinger says –

“Completeness of order, marking the entire round of anything, is, therefore, the ever-present signification of the number ten. It implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete.”

With this great number of people standing there enjoying his humiliation, Samson has a plan that he is about to execute…

²⁸ Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, “O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God,

Samson doesn’t merely call out to God, but to the God: vayyiqra Shimshon el Yehovah vayomar adonay Yehovah zakhreni na v’khazqeni na akh ha’paam hazeh ha’elohim – “And calls, Samson, unto Yehovah, and says, ‘Adonai Yehovah, remember me, I pray, and strengthen me, I pray, surely the beat, the this, the God.’”

When speaking of the true God, the term elohim, or “God” has been seen twelve times in the Samson series. Of them, six have been preceded by the definite article, ha’elohim, or “the God.” The first five times were in Chapter 13 when his parents interacted with the man of “the God” in verses 13:6-9. This is the only instance by Samson.

He first acknowledges Him as Adonai Yehovah, or Lord Yehovah. He then acknowledges Him, before all these people who have thought their god greater than Samson’s God, as the one true God. He knows that Yehovah is the source of His strength. With the hair again on his head, the Lord is being asked to again acknowledge his state as a Nazirite to God…

^{28 (con’t)} that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!”

The verb is cohortative: v’inaqmah n’qam akhath mishthe enay miplishtim – “and I am avenging vengeance, one from two – my eyes – from Philistines.” The meaning cannot be as most translations read, one vengeance for two eyes. The word naqam, vengeance, is masculine. But the form of the word one, akhath, is feminine. The word eye, however, is feminine. What he is saying is “I am avenging vengeance for one of my two eyes.”

Only the God’s Word translation got the sense, even if it is a bit of a paraphrase – “Let me get even with the Philistines for at least one of my two eyes.” The sense is that his vengeance is hardly compensation for one of his eyes, much less two.

²⁹ And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left.

vayilpoth Shimshon eth sh’ne amude hatavekh asher ha’bayith nakhon alehem vayisamekh alehem ekhad bimino v’ekhad bismolo – “And wrenches, Samson, two pillars the midst which the house supporting upon them, and propped upon them, one in his right and one in his left.”

Here is a new and rare word, laphath. It signifies to twist, turn, or grasp with a twisting motion, and, thus, to wrench or wring. It is a verb that gives the sense of sudden and excited motion. It is used in Ruth when Ruth startled Boaz as he slept –

“Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself [laphath]; and there, a woman was lying at his feet.” Ruth 3:8

Samson was probably standing there calmly resting against a pillar, maybe with his head down as if he was exhausted, but he suddenly wrenches himself so that he is now directly between the pillars where he props himself into a fully extended position between them, and…

³⁰ Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!”

vayomer Shimshon tamoth napshi im plishtim – “And says, Samson, ‘Dies my soul with Philistines.’” Samson knows that this is his end, but it is worth his death to destroy the Philistines, the Weakeners, in the process. In this, they would not be able to afflict Israel as they once had…

^{30 (con’t)} And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it.

vayet b’koakh vayipol habayith al hasranim v’al kal ha’am asher bo – “And stretches in strength. And falls the house upon the lords and upon all the people who in it.” It is thought impossible that the temple could collapse in this manner with just two pillars being pushed over. However, depending on the construction, which is unknown, and with the weight of three thousand people on the roof, the act was sufficient to bring it down. (See Sergio’s opening comments on 16 June 2024 for archaeological evidence of such a temple and its design).

Those inside would have been crushed like Crimson Seedless grapes under the foot of an African elephant. Those on top would tumble into the falling debris and be broken to pieces like a pile of shortbread cookies in a hydraulic press… what a mess.

^{30 (con’t)} So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life.

vayihyu hamethim asher hemith b’motho rabim measher hemith b’khyav – “And is the dying which killed in his death greater from which killed in his life.” Samson’s great deeds with his eyes didn’t match the great act he brought about without them. By the power of the Lord strengthening him, his final battle was accomplished…

³¹ And his brothers and all his father’s household came down and took him, and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah.

vayerdu ekhav v’khal beith avihu vayisu otho vayaalu vayiqbru otho ben tsarah u-ben Eshtaol beqever manoakh abiv – “And descend his brothers and all house his father. And take him, and ascend, and bury him between Zorah and between Eshtaol in grave Manoah, his father.” Based on the wording, it appears Manoah and his wife had other children.

The term brothers can extend to others within a tribe, but because it mentions brothers and then the extended members of the household of his father, it seems that Samson had actual brothers as well. Either way, they came to Gaza, gathered up his body, and carried him back to be buried in his father’s grave.

Zorah (Tsorah) means Affliction. It comes from either tsirah, a collective word meaning hornets, or tsaraath, leprosy. Thus, it literally means either Hornet(s) or Leprosy. However, both are a type of affliction because the hornet is metaphorically used as an instrument of war, driving out enemies.

Eshtaol is listed by Strong’s under the root shaal, to ask for or inquire. Thus, he defines it as Entreaty. However, Sergio noted that the word Eshtaol without the vowel points, which were added much later, would say Bride of God, Wife of God, Woman of God, etc.

Manoah means Rest or Quiet.

*^{31 (fin)} He had judged Israel twenty years.

v’hu shaphat eth Yisrael esrim shanah – “And he judged Israel twenty years.” This is a general repeat of Judges 15:20 –

“And he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines.”

Of the number twenty, Bullinger notes –

It “…is the double of ten, and may in some cases signify its concentrated meaning. But its significance seems rather to be connected with the fact that it is one short of twenty-one, 21 – 1 = 20; that is to say, if 21 is the three-fold 7, and signifies Divine (3) completion as regards spiritual perfection (7), then twenty, being one short of 21, it would signify what Dr. Milo Mahan calls expectancy.”

The Philistines are there, working out their evil
Ready to rob your joy in Christ
They work the works of their father, the devil
Telling you that by works your soul is priced

But God’s gift of life is one of grace
It comes by trusting His word
Only through faith will you see God’s face
In the radiant glow of Jesus our Lord

Have faith! Don’t be duped by the Philistines
God has done it all through Jesus our Lord
The devil will try to deceive you through any means
So hold fast to the truth of grace, found in the word

II. Pictures of Christ

Judges 15 revealed to us the work of Christ in atonement and how that allowed for the Spirit to come forth. The Fountain of the Caller was opened and it remained open.

The first three verses of Chapter 16 detailed Samson’s symbolic victory over Gaza. While Israel is in a state of national apostasy, pictured by the harlot, Samson (Place of the Sun meaning the Word of God in Christ) pulled up the doors of the gate of Gaza.

That symbolically represents Christ completely removing the state, ability, authority, etc. of Weakeners to afflict God’s people through law observance. Taking them and placing them before Hebron (the Alliance of God in Christ with His people) shows the effectiveness of Christ’s power, recorded in His word, over the Weakeners. It is Christ, not the law, that prevails.

After that, the account immediately (verse 4) turns to the narrative of the harpy hellcat Delilah who dwelt in the Valley of Sorek. The words nakhal and soreq together would signify the Inheritance of the Choice Vine.

This is a picture of the inheritance of the church which came from the atoning work of Christ (seen in Chapter 15) and which bears the power of God in Christ (seen in the short Gaza narrative that opens Chapter 16). The name Delilah means something akin to Languisher, Debilitator, etc. I translated her name as Drawer Out which would be the cause leading to the effect where she draws out in order to afflict.

She is used by the Philistines in an attempt to harm Samson. Their intent is to bind him in order to afflict him. If she prevails the five lords promise (verse 5) eleven hundred of silver from each of them.

As noted, 1100 is a derivative of 10 and 11. Bullinger says ten is the number of “Completeness of order, marking the entire round of anything, is, therefore, the ever-present signification of the number ten. It implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete.”

Eleven is the number that marks “disorder, disorganization, imperfection, and disintegration.”

If she prevails, it will have come about after a cycle of time which will bring about disorder and so forth. Starting in verse 6, Delilah, the dangerous dragon, begins her series of entreaties. Samson’s responses are not true, but each gives hints about what causes God’s people to stumble. In verse 7, his first response was –

‘If binding me in seven cords [yether], fresh [lakhim], which not dried [kharav], and weakened, and became according to one the man.’”

The cord, yether, signifies excess, abounding, or preeminence. The words “fresh, which not dried” are the opposite of what can hurt. The lakhim, or fresh, signifies the time of God’s favor (see Ezekiel 17:24 and Luke 23:31).

The word dried, kharav, is identical to the spelling of Horeb, the mountain of the law. It was used in the account of Gideon and the fleece in the same manner.

Whatever is preeminent is the state of the thing. The dry law will harm but the fresh gospel will not. This is more certain because the form of the verb kharav is khorvu. That is identical in spelling to kharvo, [חרבו] His sword. It speaks of the law that only Christ can fulfill.

The first attempt failed, so she tried again. In verse 11, his next answer was –

“If binding they bind me in ropes [avoth] new [khadash], which not worked [asah] in them, and weakened, and became according to one the man.”

Here Samson uses the word avoth, ropes. They are strands woven together which are used for binding, drawing, holding, etc. For example, in Isaiah 5, it says –

“Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity,
And sin as if with a cart rope [avoth];
¹⁹ That say, ‘Let Him make speed and hasten His work [maaseh, from asah],
That we may see it;
And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come,
That we may know it.’” Isaiah 5:18, 19

In this case, however, they are never to have “done in them work.” In other words, like the fresh, not dried cords of the previous attempt. It again provides a picture of the opposite. The gospel of the New [khadash] Covenant says, “no work.”

That attempt also failed, and so she tried a third time. In verse 13, Samson’s next answer was –

“And says unto her, ‘If weaves seven locks [machalaphah, noun, fem.] my head with the warp.’”

This time, he actually reveals the source of his strength to Delilah, but he doesn’t reveal how it is his strength. Samson is the Place of the Sun, the word of God in Christ. That is currently revealed in the church, of which there are seven individual churches (noun fem.) noted in Revelation 1-3.

They represent the state of all churches of the church age at any given time. In other words, one may be like the church of Laodicea and another like the church at Thyatira. It is ironic that Christ is called the head of the church and the locks on his head are being compared to the seven churches which form the church.

These seven locks (noun fem.) have not been noted until this verse. As his unshaved hair is the connection to the Source of his strength, this is sufficient to mirror the other two accounts. Blasting it with the peg, as she did, doesn’t change its status. Like the first two attempts, the secret is left undiscovered.

In verse 15, Delilah noted his three mockings. It is the number of Divine Perfection, but Bullinger says further –

“The number three, therefore, must be taken as the number of Divine fulness. It signifies and represents the Holy Spirit as taking of the things of Christ and making them real and solid in our experience. It is only by the Spirit that we realise spiritual things. Without Him and His gracious operation, all is surface work: all is what a plane figure is to a solid.”

God’s favor is realized in trusting Christ’s fulfillment of the Old Covenant, not in our works. His grace is found woven into the New Covenant, based on what He has done, not in what we do. And these are then on display in His church.

This is the state of the true church from its inception. It has been one of trusting in Christ. However, Delilah continued to harass Samson until his soul was reaped (verse 16). Eventually he blabbed (verse 17) and gave up his secret that the connection was in his hair. It had never been cut.

Samson’s mother was to participate in the Nazirite vow until his birth. The line leading to Christ brought forth Christ who brought forth the church. Hair in Scripture consistently symbolizes awareness, particularly an awareness of sin. That reflects the state of the church.

Using a morah, or razor, on him means there will be a change in appearance. The root of it, mur, means to change or exchange. Thus, there will no longer be the awareness of sin. It is the state of man noted by Paul in Romans 1:18-32 where he explains how man suppresses the knowledge of God and no longer has shame or an awareness of sin. That is why the words of verse 17 say –

“If shaved, and departs from me my strength. And weakened, and became according to all the man [ha’adam].”

When shaved bald, there is no longer this consciousness of sin. It is the carnal man, the unregenerate Adam, ha’adam, without the Spirit. That is why he kept saying, “If you do XXX, I will be like any other man (ha’adam).” In verse 19, the Philistine lords brought the silver for payment. The time for the promise of redemption is ending.

I would deduce that the rapture of the church fits in at this point. This is because Delilah, the Debilitator hired by the Philistines (the Weakeners), is about to completely remove the consciousness of sin from the church, just as Paul explains in 2 Thessalonians 2.

She “sleeps” him on her knees, meaning she calls to him and he is asleep, and then she shaves away his consciousness of sin, as is perfectly described by the sleeping church in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10.

The place of the word of God in Christ is disarmed through her afflicting him, “And he not known that Yehovah departed from upon him.” He no longer has the Spirit upon him.

The rapture, the snatching of the church, is akin to the grasping and cutting away of the locks. Anything left of the church is without the Spirit and without the connection to Christ.

As such, the true church is gone even if the word of God in Christ remains. Verse 21 said that they put out Samson’s eyes and brought him down to Gaza, bound him in bronze, and he was grinding wheat in the bonds.

For a time, there will be no knowledge of the truth. The world will be blinded and there will only be works, judgment, and bondage. However, immediately, it said in verse 22 that Samson’s hair began to sprout. As quickly as his hair was cut off, so also an awareness of sin began to arise again, just as Revelation shows in the tribulation saints.

Law observance and bondage are celebrated and will multiply (verse 23), symbolized by the Philistines worshiping Dagon, Increase. They will celebrate their supposed victory over Samson (Place of the Sun, which is the word of God in Christ) while God is building up his believers during the tribulation.

The spiritual battle is being described by the events of Samson’s life. Noting that the Philistines call for Samson that he may perform for them anticipates what Daniel says –

“I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, ²² until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.

²³ “Thus he said:
‘The fourth beast shall be
A fourth kingdom on earth,
Which shall be different from all other kingdoms,
And shall devour the whole earth,
Trample it and break it in pieces.
²⁴ The ten horns are ten kings
Who shall arise from this kingdom.
And another shall rise after them;
He shall be different from the first ones,
And shall subdue three kings.
²⁵ He shall speak pompous words against the Most High,
Shall persecute the saints of the Most High,
And shall intend to change times and law.
Then the saints shall be given into his hand
For a time and times and half a time.’” Daniel 7:21-25

However, there is a time when this persecution will end. The narrative notes three thousand on the roof. The roof, gag, comes from gaah, to rise up or (figuratively) exalt. The time of divine fulness where the whole cycle is complete will come when all those who exalt themselves will be brought down.

Understanding this, Samson prepared himself as stated in verses 28 & 29, calling out, “and I am avenging vengeance, one from two – my eyes – from Philistines.” The highly unusual wording shows the totally devasting nature of what had taken place.The eye is the channel of information into a person. Jesus said –

“No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. ³⁴ The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵ Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. ³⁶ If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.” Luke 11:33-36

Samson, Place of the Sun, is the word of God in Christ. By taking away his eyes, even if one, there was only darkness. How can a lamp that is dark bring others to the light?

The Philistines, the Weakeners, are those who take away the light of Christ. At the time determined by God, that will come to an end. He will, for all intents and purposes, bring down the house around them.

The two main pillars of the temple (verse 29) represent the two pillars of the end times apostasy, the Antichrist and the False Prophet. In bringing them down, the rest of the house of apostasy will collapse with them.

The final verse said his brothers and all the house of his father “buried him between Zorah and between Eshtaol in grave Manoah his father.” Literally, it would mean “between Affliction and between Entreaty/Bride of God, in grave Rest his father.”

Samson, the man, had to die. Ignoring that for the sake of the narrative, these words mean that the place of the Word of God in Christ stands between the state of the people waiting to be glorified and the Bride of God.

The dual meaning of Eshtaol, which includes Entreaty, then looks to the believer’s life of affliction while awaiting their final glorification. Rest being in the middle of the two confirms that they possess God’s rest as an assurance. Hebrews 4:3 notes, “we who have believed do enter that rest.”

The seventh day millennium, which follows the tribulation, is a picture of that. God created in six days, followed by His rest. That follows in the six thousand years awaiting the thousand-year reign of Christ, something our closing verse will refer to.

Once again, as has been the case time and again in Judges, we have been shown picture after picture of the contrast between the law and grace. The law is what makes sin possible. In violating the law, there is the imputation of sin.

For those who come to Christ, we are told, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” Romans 6:14. The choice belongs to each person. Will we live in the grace of God that comes through faith in Christ, or will we try to work our way back to God through our own effort?

The Weakeners are out there. A spiritual battle is going on all around us. It is insistent and constant. Its mantra is, “It can’t be that simple. You must earn your way back to God.”

The world is filled with this notion. Every religion on the planet insists that you must perform, you must do, you cannot trust what God has done in Christ. Unfortunately, much of the church is filled with this same doctrine. But what God wants from you is faith.

Trust Him for your salvation and then trust Him in your salvation. His word has things that you are to do, but they are things that come after you have been saved. Doing the same things before you are saved won’t get you an inch closer to God.

And because once you are saved you are in Christ, doing them after salvation won’t get you one inch closer to Him either. Rather, they will be reckoned for rewards or losses. Abraham could have decided to not go up Mount Moriah with Isaac.

But he had faith in the sure promises of God. And so he went. Be people of faith, living out your salvation in the ever-increasing knowledge of God in Christ. And that will come by staying in His word, so read it daily!

Closing Verse: “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea.
¹⁰ “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse,
Who shall stand as a banner to the people;
For the Gentiles shall seek Him,
And His resting place shall be glorious.” Isaiah 11:9, 10

Next Week: Judges 17:1-6 It’s a sad story to tell, but we’ll get it done… (No King In Israel, Part I) (48^th Judges Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. It is He who judges His people according to their deeds. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Samson, Judge of Israel, Part IX

Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together
To offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice
And they said: “Our god has delivered into our hands
Samson our enemy! Everyone raise your voice!

When the people saw him, they praised their god
For they said: “Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands
The destroyer of our land
And the one who multiplied our dead, and now, here he stands

So it happened, when their hearts were merry
That they said, “Call for Samson, that he may perform for us
———-(how sad and grim)
So they called for Samson from the prison, and he performed
———-for them
And they between the pillars stationed him

Then Samson said to the lad
Who held him by the hand
“Let me feel the pillars which support the temple
So that I can lean on them while here I stand

Now the temple was full of men and women
All the lords of the Philistines were there, a big gathering
———-had formed
About three thousand men and women
On the roof watching while Samson performed

Then Samson called to the LORD, saying
“O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray! May Your Spirit arise
Strengthen me, I pray, just this once
O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines
———-for my two eyes!

And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars
Which supported the temple (of which it would soon be bereft)
And he braced himself against them
One on his right and the other on his left

Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!
And he pushed with all his might (as if urged on by a midwife)
And the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it
So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had
———-killed in his life

And his brothers and all his father’s household came down
And took him, and brought him up and buried him
———–certainly with many tears
Between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah
He had judged Israel twenty years.

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown; Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

²³ Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice. And they said:

“Our god has delivered into our hands
Samson our enemy!”

²⁴ When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said:

“Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy,
The destroyer of our land,
And the one who multiplied our dead.”

²⁵ So it happened, when their hearts were merry, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may perform for us.” So they called for Samson from the prison, and he performed for them. And they stationed him between the pillars. ²⁶ Then Samson said to the lad who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars which support the temple, so that I can lean on them.” ²⁷ Now the temple was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there—about three thousand men and women on the roof watching while Samson performed.

²⁸ Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, “O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!” ²⁹ And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left. ³⁰ Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life.

³¹ And his brothers and all his father’s household came down and took him, and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. He had judged Israel twenty years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson.

Judges 16:10-22
Samson, Judge of Israel, Part VIII

(Typed 13 May 2024) The Hebrew in the passage that we will look at today has some interesting nuances. In one verse, it will take more time to explain what is being said in just a few words of the text than might seem necessary, but little variations in how something is considered or concerning its translation can make a world of difference in what is ultimately being pictured.

Because of that, care towards the intent of what is being presented needs to be given. Despite this, however, there are some great life lessons that can be drawn out from a casual reading. For example, Matthew Henry says –

“Samson had been more than once brought into mischief and danger by the love of women, yet he would not take warning, but is again taken in the same snare, and this third time is fatal. Licentiousness is one of the things that take away the heart. This is a deep pit into which many have fallen; but from which few have escaped, and those by a miracle of mercy, with the loss of reputation and usefulness, of almost all, except their souls. The anguish of the suffering is ten thousand times greater than all the pleasures of the sin.” Matthew Henry

As I read his thoughts, Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels immediately came to mind. Regardless of what actually happened between the two, they have both spent an inordinate amount of time and money trying to get past it.

In fact, they are still trying to put it behind them, and it will probably hound one or both of them for years to come. The same is true with innumerable politicians, pastors, and plumbers throughout the years. They are in jobs intended to help others with their problems, and yet many end up flushing their families, finances, and careers right down the drain.

Text Verse: “And it shall be that the elders of the city nearest to the slain man will take a heifer which has not been worked and which has not pulled with a yoke.” Deuteronomy 21:3

It may seem like an odd text verse for evaluating the life of Samson, or for a moral lesson about making bad choices, but it’s not really. Someone had to kill the person who lay slain in the field. And the person in the field may have done something to deserve getting whacked.

Consequences will arise from such things. At the same time, a heifer that has never been worked is specified for the atonement process being explained in Deuteronomy 21.

Likewise, Samson said that if he is bound in ropes that were never used for work, he would be like any other man. Even though he wasn’t telling the truth, there is a reason he said this. In Scripture, concepts build upon other concepts. Similarly, one story will, at times, be used to explain things going on in other stories.

We should pay heed to the subtleties. They can give us marvelous insights into what is going on in any given passage. For now, let us get into evaluating the verses. Great things are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. How Can You Say, ‘I Love You?’ (verses 10-14)

In the previous sermon, the Philistines came to Delilah and asked her to allure Samson in an attempt to find out where his great strength lies. He gave her a false answer. When she tried it, her attempt failed. With that remembered, the account now provides her response to his deception…

¹⁰ Then Delilah said to Samson, “Look, you have mocked me and told me lies.

vatomer d’lilah el Shimshon hineh hethalta bi vatdaber elay k’zavim – “And says, Delilah, unto Samson, ‘Behold, deceived in me and speaking unto me lies.’” It is apparent that the Philistines lords’ presence was not made known to him.

Rather, Delilah bound him and made it look like she was pretending. When he broke the cords, she playfully came back with her pitiful response. “Oh poor me. You’re just making fun of me with your lies.” He would have thought playing a trick on the object of his affection was a fun thing to do.

Despite this, she tries again…

^{10 (con’t)} Now, please tell me what you may be bound with.”

atah hagidah na li bameh teaser – “Now declaring, I pray, to me, in what binding?” This is probably after a period of time, be it the next day or a few days later. He broke the bonds, and she probably said something like, “Oh, you… such a bad boy.”

Later, she acted offended. Then after revealing how her poor heart was broken over the deception, she asked again what made him so strong. And so, once again, he has a bit of fun with her…

¹¹ So he said to her, “If they bind me securely with new ropes that have never been used, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”

vayomer eleha im asor yaasruni baavothim khadashim asher lo naasah bahem m’lakha v’khalithi v’haythi k’akhad ha’adam – “And says, unto her, ‘If binding they bind me in ropes new, which not worked in them, and weakened, and became according to one the man.’” Samson responds with an obvious lie because in Judges 15, we read this, using the same word for rope, avoth, as here –

“So they spoke to him, saying, ‘No, but we will tie you securely and deliver you into their hand; but we will surely not kill you.’ And they bound him with two new ropes [avoth] and brought him up from the rock.
¹⁴ When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him. Then the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him; and the ropes [avoth] that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands.” Judges 15:13, 14

It didn’t work with the men of Judah. Thus, we can be confident of the outcome here as well…

¹² Therefore Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them, and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!”

vatiqah d’lilah avotim khadashim vataasrehu bahem vatomer elav plishtim alekha Shimshon – “And takes, Delilah, ropes new, and binds him in them. And says unto him, ‘Philistines upon you, Samson.’” Following his instructions exactingly, she binds him with the new ropes, hoping she will chance to cash in on the big money. With him securely bound, she lets out her cry of hoped-for riches…

^{12 (con’t)} And men were lying in wait, staying in the room.

v’ha’orev yoshev bekhader – “And the lying-in-wait sitting in the chamber.” The same word, the verb arav, that was used in verse 9, is used again. It comes from a primitive root signifying to lurk. The Philistines were lurking, waiting for a chance to overcome Samson…

^{12 (con’t)} But he broke them off his arms like a thread.

vaynatqem meal zerootav kakhut – “And tears them from upon his arms according to the thread.” The unworked cords became like mere thread. The word is khut, the same word used when Rahab was told to tie a scarlet thread in her window. It is a thread also used to indicate a measuring line, such as in 1 Kings 7:5.

Samson once again kept Delilah from knowing the source of his strength, but the account has been giving us clues concerning it in the process. As for the viperous vixen…

¹³ Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me what you may be bound with.”

vatomer d’lilah el Shimshon ad henah hethalta bi vatdaber elay k’zavim hagidah li bameh teaser – “And says, Delilah, unto Samson, ‘Until here deceived in me and speaks unto me lies. Declaring, her, to me in what binding.’” The deceitful dragon again plays the offended party.

This is probably on a later date. At the time he broke the bonds, she may have laughed or snorted at him as if it was a joke. But later she pretends like she has thought about it and is offended that he wouldn’t trust her with his secret. And again, Samson sees it as funny enough to spin another yarn…

^{13 (con’t)} And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head into the web of the loom”—

His words form an ellipsis: vayomer eleha im taargi eth sheva makhl’photh roshi im ha’masakheth – “And says unto her, ‘If weaves seven locks my head with the warp.’” Samson’s words get closer to the source of his strength but still without revealing it.

The word arag signifies to weave. It can be literal but still used in a metaphorical way, such as in Isaiah 59 –

“No one calls for justice,
Nor does any plead for truth.
They trust in empty words and speak lies;
They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.
⁵ They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave [arag] the spider’s web;
He who eats of their eggs dies,
And from that which is crushed a viper breaks out.” Isaiah 59:4, 5

Also, there are two new words used here. The first is makhalaphah, a ringlet of hair and thus a lock. It is derived from khalaph, to pass away or pass through. The idea is that locks glide over one another, forming a full head of hair.

The next new word is masseketh, the warp of a loom. It is derived from nasak, to weave. This root is found only in Isaiah 25 –

“And He will destroy on this mountain
The surface of the covering cast over all people,
And the veil that is spread [nasak] over all nations.
⁸ He will swallow up death forever,
And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces;
The rebuke of His people
He will take away from all the earth;
For the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 25:7, 8

Leaving the sentence elliptical, Samson tells her that if she weaves his hair in the loom, she will receive the desired result. The reason for the ellipsis is simple enough. He is in her home and she obviously had a loom. He would have simply nodded in the direction of it as he spoke. The rest would be perfectly understood by her.

As for the number, seven is the number of spiritual perfection. What seems likely is that Samson had purposefully plaited his hair into seven locks, somewhat like Viking braids. It is these seven locks that he is referring to.

Also, as a side note, the Greek translation completes the thought, thus removing the ellipsis. Hence, some translations include the words of that text – “If thou shouldest weave the seven locks of my head with the web, and shouldest fasten them with the pin into the wall, then shall I be weak as another man.”

This is unnecessary, but the Greek adds it because of what is in the next verse…

¹⁴ So she wove it tightly with the batten of the loom,

The Hebrew is way less descriptive: vatitqa bayated – “And blasts in the peg.” The words essentially say the same thing as when Jael killed Sisera. There, it said vatitqa eth ha’yathed, “and blasts the peg.” There, Jael took a tent peg and blasted through the temple of Sisera, pinning his head to the ground.

Here, however, Delilah, the traitorous temptress, blasted the peg while weaving. The debate on what this means is long, and there is no firm resolution. I lean towards the words of the Pulpit Commentary that this refers to the weaver’s shuttle. Others completely disagree.

But this is what Delilah was told to do, which is to use his hair as the woof and weave it into the warp that was preset in her loom. Thus, she affixes his locks to the shuttle, here called a peg, and blasts it through the warp to form a mesh. Once her task was complete…

^{14 (con’t)}  and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep, and pulled out the batten and the web from the loom.

vatomer elav p’listim alekha Shimshon vayiqats mishnatho vayisa eth haythad ha’ereg v’eth hamasakhet – “And says unto him, ‘Philistines upon you, Samson.’ And awakens from his sleep, and pulls up the peg, the loom, and the warp.”

Here is another rare word, ereg. It comes from arag, the word used which indicates to weave. It is used only one more time, in Job 7:6. Most translations say, “weaver’s shuttle,” implying the speed of the shuttle in a loom. That may or may not be correct. It may simply refer to the loom itself. If so, then the verse would read –

“My days receded from a loom.” The meaning would then be “My days receded faster than the speed of a loom.” Therefore, the words are describing what happened when Samson arose from his sleep. The loom was sitting on the ground, his hair was woven into the warp, and the peg was still in the loom. In rising, he pulled all of this up and out. The whole shebang fell apart from the force of his rising.

What is it that will bind you?
And where is it that the source of your strength lies?
How are you able such great things to do?
Won’t you tell me? Please apprise!

There must be something behind your great power
I would like to know what keeps you so strong
A person could get tired just observing you, hour by hour
And who could keep it up all day long?

I long for the strength you possess
Tell me your secret so I know it too
How I wish you’d confide, this I confess
Is this strength that the Lord has given to you?

II. He Has Told Me All His Heart (verses 15-22)

¹⁵ Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me?

vatomer elav ekh tomar ahavtikh v’libkha ein iti – “And says, unto him, ‘How saying, “I love you,” and your heart not with me?’” This is not unlike what he has already faced. In Chapter 14, his Philistine wife accused him of hating, not loving, her. Delilah questions his love and notes that his heart isn’t geared toward her. How can he love her if he keeps telling her untruths…

^{15 (con’t)} You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength lies.”

zeh shalosh p’amim hethalta bi v’lo higadta li bameh kokhakha gadol – “This three beats deceived in me, and not declared to me in what your strength, great.’” Like three beats on an anvil as it is being used to pound out metal, Samson has steadily refused to allow Delilah to be united to him. Instead, he has deceived her each time.

Three signifies Divine Perfection. Expanding on that, Bullinger says –

“The number three, therefore, must be taken as the number of Divine fulness. It signifies and represents the Holy Spirit as taking of the things of Christ and making them real and solid in our experience. It is only by the Spirit that we realise spiritual things. Without Him and His gracious operation, all is surface work: all is what a plane figure is to a solid.”

¹⁶ And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death, 

v’hi ki hetsiqah lo bidvarekha kal hayamim vatalatsehu vatiqtsar naphsho lamuth – “And is when compressed to him in her words all the days, and presses, and reaps his soul to death.” The words here confirm that the three instances so far were spread over a period of time. She continues with her incessant moaning about not being privileged enough to know his secret.

There is a word found only here in Scripture as well, alats. It signifies to urge or press, coming from a primitive root meaning to press. She compressed him with her words and she pressed him with her insinuations.

She kept nagging him while probably cooking him some pretty swell meals and telling him all the stories of her life. Each time she did something nice for him, she would remind him that he was not reciprocating. Also, the word qatsar is used. It signifies to curtail or shorten and is often used to indicate reaping.

It is the same word used to describe the Lord’s attitude towards Israel as they worked to be harmoniously in line with Him in Judges 10 –

“So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.” Judges 10:16

There, it literally says, “And reaped His soul in toil Israel.” They ingratiated themselves to Him by repenting of their ways and serving Him. Eventually, His soul was reaped through their pleas.

The same tactic is used here by Delilah, finally bringing Samson to the point where he can’t stand it any longer, and a state of uxoriousness takes over. He was finally overcome so…

¹⁷ that he told her all his heart,

vayaged lah eth kal libo – “And declares to her all his heart.” In the Bible, the heart is not the seat of emotion. Rather, it is the seat of reasoning and understanding. He was so drained from her tactics that he reasoned she could be no threat at all to him.

Unlike the previous times when she had attempted to remove his source of strength, he must have thought, “This is a permanent change. I’ve opened my heart to her because she is so desirous to know, so she would never even contemplate really cutting my hair.”

Such a notion is unthinkable to him. But Calmet rightly states, “The weakness of Samson’s heart in the whole of this history, is yet more astonishing than the strength of his body.” And so, letting his seat of reasoning slip, he told her all he knew…

^{17 (con’t)} and said to her, “No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb.

vayomer lah morah lo alah al roshi ki n’zir elohim ani mibeten imi – “And says to her, ‘Razor not ascended upon my head, for Nazirite God, I, from womb my mother.’” Here is the second of three uses of morah, razor, in the Bible.

Two uses are in relation to Samson and one is at the announcement of the coming birth of Samuel. It is derived from mur, to change or exchange. The connection is that when one uses a razor, there is a change in appearance.

As for what changes in the use of a razor, it is the removal of hair. Hair in the Bible signifies awareness, but in particular it speaks of the awareness of sin. As sin comes through a violation of the law, it is the law itself that introduces and brings about the imputation of sin. Samson is about to give away this important information…

^{17 (con’t)} If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”

im gulakhti v’sar mimeni khokhi v’khalithi v’khayithi k’kal ha’adam – “If shaved, and departs from me my strength. And weakened, and became according to all the man.” His power is not in his hair. It is in the connection to God that is upon him. The hair is the sign of this covenant between the two. In cutting his hair, he will bear the appearance of all men, stained with sin. Thus, he will be “according to all the man [ha’adam].”

¹⁸ When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart.”

vatere d’lilah ki higid lah eth kal libo vatishlakh vatiqra l’sarne p’lishtim l’mor alu ha’paam ki higid lah eth qal libo – “And sees, Delilah, that declared to her all his heart. And sends, and calls to lords Philistines to say, ‘Ascending the beat,’ (for declared to her all his heart).” It is apparent that she is absolutely certain he is telling the truth.

The third time he fooled her, it never mentioned those Philistine lords lying in wait. They may have been there, but the account doesn’t mention them, implying that she didn’t call them. However, Samson has brought God into his words, and his sincerity is otherwise evident.

Before she takes any action, however, she wants to be sure the money is there when Samson is subdued.

^{18 (con’t)} So the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand.

v’alu eleha sarne p’lishtim vayaalu ha’keseph b’yadam – “And ascend unto her, lords Philistines, and ascend the silver in their hand.” This is the eleven hundred per man of silver promised in verse 5. She waited for them to bring the money up first. With them at hand, along with the promised silver…

¹⁹ Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees,

It is an unnecessary paraphrase. The words are much simpler: vatyashnehu al birkeha – “And sleeps him upon her knees.” Using her as his personal pillow, Samson goes off to la la land. Once he was out, it then says…

^{19 (con’t)} and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head.

Though this is possible, I think it is an unlikely translation: vatiqra laish vatgalakh eth sheva makhl’photh rosho – “And calls to the man, and shaves (fem. sing.) seven locks his head.” The question is, “Who is the man?” No additional person has been identified and yet it uses the definite article. It isn’t “a man,” but “the man.”

The meaning is one of three things. The first option, which I affirm but no translation or scholar agrees with, is that she called to Samson. He is both the nearest antecedent and subsequent in the account. Thus, she is determining if he is still awake, “Samson, oooh deary Samson, are you up?”

The text, not Delilah, calls him “the man.” Thus, it cannot be said that she has changed wording. Rather, it is how the narrative is preparing for a change in circumstances. He has repeatedly said that if his power was taken from him, he would be like any other man (ha’adam).

The text appears to be showing that he is a man, even if not like every other man, but that is about to change. Grasping the overall context makes the odd verbiage of this verse understandable. Therefore, after calling to him and getting no response, she shaves his head.

The same form of verb is used in the first clause, “And sleeps him” as is used here “and shaves him.” It is indisputable that she is the one who put him to sleep on her knees. It is she who calls to the man. It is she who will afflict him in the coming clause as well. It makes no sense to say that someone else shaves him.

For example, Lange agrees with the verb of her shaving. But he then has to wonder why a man is called. And so, he gives an excuse as to why he would be there –

“… ‘and she shaved.’ The piel [verb form] is not causative here; … Delilah calls on him, in order to have somebody near to defend her should Samson wake during the shearing process.” John Lange

In this, he has to insert something that is not in the text to make the wording make sense. To me, it only makes the narrative more complicated.

A second option, however, is that she may have called to a Philistine and made the scissor sign with her fingers, indicating the thought, “Bring me a pair of scissors.” From there, she shaved him. Seeing as she had a loom, why she wouldn’t have them there with her kind of kills that thought though.

Or she may have called to a Philistine, had him come, and she then caused him to shave Samson, even though Lange says the verb is not causative. This is, however, the prevalent view, and the Hebrew allows it, but it is not indisputable. It also requires scholars to conclude things that are not explicit.

In each previous instance, she did all of the work, and only then did the Philistines get called. Why she would leave this simpler task to one of them is hard to figure. It would also put their lives in jeopardy without knowing if it worked. And more, the next clause is clearly her, not another person, doing the action…

^{19 (con’t)} Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him.

vatakhel l’anotho vayasar kokho mealav – “And begins (fem. sing.) to afflict him. And departs his strength from upon him.” It is referring to Delilah. She is the one to afflict him. Despite this, it is debated what “afflict him” means.

If it means that in each cut of his locks he was afflicted, then it is certainly she who is also the one to cut his locks. If it was after he was shaved, it could be that she started pinching him or slapping his face, egging him on.

I would go with the former. It is his hair by which the Spirit rested upon him. If his hair was cut, and then she afflicted him, and then the Lord departed from upon him, it means that there is a step in the process which is superfluous. However, if afflicting him is an explanation of her cutting his locks, then there is nothing superfluous. One thing is the consequence of the other.

²⁰ And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!”

The NKJV is more of a paraphrase, but it gets the sense: vatomer p’lishtim alekha Shimshon vayiqats mishnato vayomer etse k’paam b’paam v’inaer – “And says, ‘Philistines upon you, Samson.’ And awakens from his sleep, and says, ‘Going out according to beat, in beat, and shake.’”

The words here tend to indicate that the afflicting mentioned in the previous verse was, in fact, the shaving. Otherwise, he would be awake from her afflictions and would not need to be called. But he was still deeply asleep. Only in calling him was he then roused. Then he proclaimed to himself that he would go out in the same manner as previously. Tragically, however…

^{20 (con’t)} But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.

v’hu lo yada ki Yehovah sar mealav – “And he not known that Yehovah departed from upon him.” In verse 17, he said, “If shaved, and departs from me my strength. And weakened, and became according to all the man.”

He has equated his hair to his strength. He noted that he was a Nazirite to God in that verse, but it is the presence of the Lord from which his strength was derived. In cutting his hair, the symbol of his consecration, he was no longer a Nazirite to God.

His strength had departed from him because the Lord had departed from upon him. Keil’s commentary includes this quote –

“The whole of Samson’s misfortune came upon him, therefore, because he attributed to himself some portion of what God did through him. God permitted him to lose his strength, that he might learn by experience how utterly powerless he was without the help of God. We have no better teachers than our own infirmities.” Berleb Bible

²¹ Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.

vayokhazuhu p’lishtim vaynaqru eth enav vayoridu otho azzatah vayaasruhu bankhushtayim vayhi tokhen b’beith haasirim – “And grasp him, Philistines, and bore his eyes, and descend him Gaza-ward, and bind him in the bronzes, and is grinding in house the bonds.”

Each clause is an added embarrassment laid upon Samson. Before, the Philistines couldn’t touch him without harm. Now they grasp him without effort. Next, they bored out his eyes, taking away his ability to effectively fight against them ever again and also taking away the delights of his eyes, as he had customarily looked upon the form of women.

They took him toward Gaza, the very place he had symbolically defeated when he pulled up the doors of the gate of the city along with its gateposts, bar, and all. As we saw, he had proclaimed boldly and openly that he had arrived in Gaza. Now, he would be taken there as a captive.

Next, it says he was bound in the bronzes. The dual nature of the noun means that they were fetters made of two parts that joined together, or that he was bound in both legs, or both his hands and his feet were bound. Whichever is the intent, he was shackled in bronze, a metal weaker than iron, of which the Philistines possessed (1 Samuel 17:7 & 2 Samuel 12:31).

Further, grinding is a task accomplished in Scripture by women, captives, and slaves. It is a repetitive, menial, tedious task that was unfit for a regular workman. And more, his work was accomplished in the house of bonds, meaning confinement.

Where he once freely roamed and did according to his own will, he was now completely subjugated to a humiliating, degrading existence.

As for the name, Gaza is a feminine form coming from az, strong. It signifies Strong or Strong Place. Bronze in Scripture signifies judgment.

*^{22 (fin)} However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven.

The word “however” is more exciting and tends to get us thinking about what is coming. Despite this, the Hebrew simply says “and.” And yet, it bears the same powerful and hopeful effect: vayakhel sear rosho l’tsameakh kaasher gulakh – “And begins, hair his head, to sprout according to which shaven.”

The “and” is definitely used as an exciting introduction to what lies ahead. But more, it is supplemented with other words intended to excite. The first is tsamach, to sprout. It is not the same word as was used in Numbers 6 when referring to the Nazirite –

“All the days of the vow of his separation no razor shall come upon his head; until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. Then he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow [gadal].” Numbers 6:5

The word tsamach is purposefully used to indicate that something is happening, which is “according to which shaven.” In other words, it didn’t take long for his hair to be cut off. It happened while he lay sleeping on Delilah’s knees.

But as quickly as his hair was removed from him in a time of sleep, so his hair began to sprout in a time of toil. The contrast is purposeful to elicit the imagination of the reader. Don’t expect the end of Samson’s life to be spent keeled over a grinding mill in a dirty Gazan prison.

With this hope-filled verse, we are finished for today. Samson had to learn the lesson that it is the Lord, not his own strength or effort, that allows him to win the battles of life. It’s a good lesson for each of us as well.

When we rely on ourselves, we get arrogant and cocky. And how easy that is. I had friends some years ago that were in desperate times. They posted things about Jesus on social media all the time. I thought their lives were focused on Him.

However, once the troubles were behind them, they got into self-promotion and openly bragged that they were creating their own empire. Jesus was never mentioned by them. It was a terribly sad testimony to their true values.

There was literally nothing we held in common any longer. Loving the Lord is not something to do just when things are hard. Rather, we should find happiness and closeness to Him in every situation and in all seasons of life.

Samson had to learn this in a costly way. I hope my old friends will reconsider and return to the Lord wholly and permanently. Life is short, but eternity is not. The rewards or losses that we face will be reflected in how we live our lives now. Hold fast to the Lord always. Amen.

Closing Verse: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

Next Week: Judges 16:23-31 It’s super fun! It’s really swell! It’s even divine! (Samson, Judge of Israel, Part IX) (47^th Judges Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. It is He who judges His people according to their deeds. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Samson, Judge of Israel, Part VIII

Then Delilah said to Samson
“Look, you have mocked me and told me lies
Now, please tell me
What you may be bound with, please apprise!

So he said to her
“If they bind me securely with new ropes, if that is the plan
That have never been used, then I shall become weak
And be like any other man

Therefore Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them
And said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!
And men were lying in wait, staying in the room
But he broke them off his arms like a thread (tee hee, still fun)

Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me
———-and told me lies
Tell me what you may be bound with, I’m in a gloom
And he said to her
“If you weave the seven locks of my head into the web
———-of the loom

So she wove it tightly with the batten of the loom
And said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!
But he awoke from his sleep
And pulled out the batten and the web from the loom (so, so fun)

Then she said to him
“How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me?
You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me
Where your great strength lies. How can this be?

And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily
With her words and pressed him, tearing him apart
So that his soul was vexed to death
That he told her all his heart

And said to her, “No razor has ever come upon my head
For I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb
If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me
And I shall become weak, and be like any other man
———-in the lunchroom

When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart
She sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying
———- (as they had planned)
“Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart
So the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the
———-money in their hand

Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees
And called for a man and had him shave off
———-(the story is getting grim)
The seven locks of his head
Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him

And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!
So he awoke from his sleep, and said – yes, he started
“I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!
But he did not know that the LORD from him had departed

Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes
And brought him down to Gaza (bad times had arisen)
They bound him with bronze fetters
And he became a grinder in the prison

However, the hair of his head began to grow
Again after it had been shaven. Trouble lies ahead doncha know

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

¹⁰ Then Delilah said to Samson, “Look, you have mocked me and told me lies. Now, please tell me what you may be bound with.”

¹¹ So he said to her, “If they bind me securely with new ropes that have never been used, then I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”

¹² Therefore Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them, and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And men were lying in wait, staying in the room. But he broke them off his arms like a thread.

¹³ Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me what you may be bound with.”

And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head into the web of the loom”—

¹⁴ So she wove it tightly with the batten of the loom, and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep, and pulled out the batten and the web from the loom.

¹⁵ Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength lies.” ¹⁶ And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death, ¹⁷ that he told her all his heart, and said to her, “No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”

¹⁸ When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart.” So the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand. ¹⁹ Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. ²⁰ And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.

²¹ Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison. ²² However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven.