Gud, Bibelen og politiske Justice: Kapittel 15
Del tre: Politiske Lærdommer fra jødisk historie
Kapittel 15
Josva og dommerne
Med lesingen av loven, fornyelse av pakten med Gud og ansettelse av Joshua, Israel krysser Jordan. He has given them the Law. He has interpreted the Law for them for nearly 40 år. He has led them in two defensive military victories. Moses får løftet landet fra Mt. Nebo. Nå, Han skal bo på ørkenen siden av Jordan, og vi vil aldri vite hva som skjedde med ham. Hvorfor denne mystiske ending? Surely part of this is to keep Israel from making a god of him. Even so, de vil begynne å tilbe sin Sheppard sin stab århundrer senere.
Joshua 1405 B.C.
Joshua has been at the right hand of Moses from the very beginning of the wilderness journey. He, sammen med elleve andre, is sent to spy out the land of Canaan soon after crossing the Red Sea. Only he and Caleb come back to report in faith, at det er et fantastisk land. Ja, det er giganter det, but they will not be able to stand against God. God will fight for Israel. All the others view their nation-forming task as impossible and themselves as grasshoppers. God calls Joshua and Caleb “men of a different spirit,” men after His own heart. All the others do their reconnosince purely from the human perspective of what “they” think they can accomplish on their own. At 80 years of age Joshua is still looking to God for his strength and His perspective. He will now lead Israel into the promise of God that has been waiting over 800 år for oppfyllelse.
God gives Israel a second great miracle of liberation by dividing the waters of the Jordon for the people to cross into Canaan. Joshua builds an alter and, selv om de er i fiendens territorium, han har alle de menn omskåret på Herrens ord. Unlike the sons of Jacob and the Schecamites, hvor de gjorde fienden sårbar ved å omskjære dem, Gud gjør nå Israel sårbar for fienden ved å omskjære dem.
Israels første militære seier i Kanaan er vunnet av radikal lydighet. Gud ber dem sirkel Jeriko sju ganger med trompeter og folket rope. Og Joshua adlyder i detalj. He deals with idolatry in Ai. He and the people renew their covenant with the Lord at Mt. Ebal and the sun stands still for an entire day as a sign from God in response to Joshua’s prayer. He defeats the united five Kings of the Ammonites and thirty-two Kings in the North and South. All twelve tribes inhabit their lands although not all of the former resident tribes are gone. Joshua establishes the Cities of Refuge according to the Law as well as dividing out the land in each tribe to be given to the Levites. Before he dies Joshua has all of the people, igjen, fornyer pakten med Gud i Sikem.
Joshua er nesten feilfri i hans lederskap. Men med alle hans store styrker er det Joshua som er lurt av ammonittiske folk, Gibeonittene, into making a peace treaty contravening the Word of the Lord to destroy all the tribes. This peace treaty will be broken by Saul fourteen political generations later and will bring consequences into Israel’s history under David who executes seven of Saul’s family in order to placate the Gibeonites for the broken treaty.
Joshua døde i en alder av 110.
Dommere 1350-1100*
Den store militære utfordring for besittelse av landet er fullført. Now Israel begins the system of decentralized government outlined in Deuteronamy chapter one. Tribal leaders will govern the tribal lands. They will all come together for worship and the Levites are given land in every tribe to provide access to God and primary health care. Sacrifices will only be offered at kjlkjlkjlkjlk and a national leader will be needed only when there is a national crisis.
This system will keep maximum authority at the grass roots level of governance. It will make the people of each tribe more responsible for their own governance, spesifikke lover, consequences and interpretation of the prescriptive Laws of Moses. It will make unity a choice and it will assure diversity in how the law is interpreted and applied. Something that seems important to God throughout all of Scripture.
Israel begynner vel. De tjener Gud gjennom hele levetiden til Joshua og stammeledere i sin generasjon. De, som et folk, be Gud om retning i neste fase av militær erobring, clearing landet. De ulike stammene begynner å adlyde Gud og arbeide sammen for å ta deres land.
Da kan vi lese disse ødeleggende ord i Dommernes bok 2:
10 Etter at hele generasjonen hadde vært samlet til sine fedre, annen generasjon vokste opp, som visste verken Herren eller hva han hadde gjort for Israel. 11 Deretter Israelittene gjorde ondt i øynene av Herren og dyrket Ba'al-gudene. 12 De forlot Herren, Gud, sine fedres, som hadde ført dem ut av Egypt. De fulgte og tilbad ulike guder folkene rundt dem. De vakte Herrens harme 13 fordi de forlot ham og dyrket Ba'al og Ashtoreths. 14 I sin vrede mot Israel Herren overlot dem til plyndrere som plyndret dem. Han solgte dem til sine fiender rundt, hvem de var ikke lenger i stand til å motstå. 15 Når Israel gikk ut for å kjempe, det Herrens hånd var mot dem for å beseire dem, akkurat som han hadde sverget til dem. De var i stor nød.
When Israel had problems it was because they had not obeyed God. The difficulties were not coming because of the devil, or because of the evil in the cultures around them. The power to be attacked and defeated came from God’s people turning from God themselves. God’s people were the reason for their own defeat. God is not emphasizing the power of their leaders, deres fiende, or even the lost. He is emphasizing the devastating power of His people to curse themselves through the consequences of their choices.
Dommere kapittel to fortsetter:
16 Og Herren oppreiste dommere, som reddet dem ut av hendene på disse raiders. 17 Men de ville ikke høre på sine dommere men prostituerte seg til andre guder og tilba dem. I motsetning til sine fedre, de snudde raskt fra vei deres fedre hadde vandret, veien for lydighet mot Herrens bud. 18 Når Herren oppreiste en dommer for dem, Han var med dommeren og frelste dem ut av hendene på sine fiender så lenge dommeren levde; for Herren hadde barmhjertighet på dem som de stønnet i henhold til de som undertrykte og plaget dem. 19 Men når dommeren døde, folk tilbake til måter enda mer korrupte enn de av sine fedre, følge andre guder og tjene og tilbe dem. De nektet å gi opp sine onde gjerninger og sta måter.
Hver gang Israels stammer bevege seg mot ødeleggende avgudsdyrkelse, God raises up a political enemy. When they have a political enemy they must be united under a national leader and God raises up such a leader to deliver them. In this context, behovet for et sterkt nasjonalt politisk lederskap er ikke en veldig oppmuntrende tegn om helsen til nasjonen.
La oss se hva Gud velger å fremheve i Hans Ord om den politiske ledelsen av dommerne.
§Otniels: Juda stamme
Dommere 3:7 begynner "De Isralites gjorde ondt i øynene til Herren, de glemte Herren sin Gud og tjente Ba'al-gudene og Asherahs ... 8 Herrens vrede brant mot Israel slik at han solgte dem i hendene på Kusjan-Risata'im, kongen i Aram ... som israelittene var gjenstand for i åtte år. 9 Men når de ropte til Herren, Han hevet opp for dem en frelser, Otniels,...
Det tar Israel i åtte år å få desperate nok til å rope til Herren. The leader Othniel comes from good stock. He is the nephew of Caleb, the only other spy who along with Joshua gives a faithful report of God’s ability to help them enter the promise land. Othniel’s wife is Caleb’s daughter. The Spirit of the Lord comes upon Othniel and he is raised up to lead Israel in the military defeat of the King of Aram.[1]
Israel, deretter, har fred for 40 år.
Ehud: Benjamins stamme
Dommere 3: 12 Igjen Israelittene gjorde ondt i øynene av Herren, og fordi de gjorde dette onde Herren gav Eglon, kongen i Moab[2] makt over Israel. 13 Komme ammonittene og amalekittene å bli med ham, Eglon kom og angrep Israel, og de tok besittelse av City of Palms. 14 The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years. 15 Igjen israelittene ropte til Herren, og han ga dem en frelser-Ehud, en venstrehendt mann, sønn av Gera Benjaminitten.
Denne gangen tar Israel atten år å bli desperate. Israelittene sende Ehud med hyllest til kongen av Moab som et triks for å myrde ham. Which Ehud does. He then calls for the Ephrimites to join him and they defeat and kill 10,000 sterk, stand Moabite tropper.
Da Israel har 80 år med fred.
§Shamgar: Naftali stamme
Dommere 3:31 Etter Ehud kom Shamgar sønn av Anat, som slo ned seks hundre filistere[3] med en oxgoad. Også han reddet Israel.
That is all we know about Shamgar. But we can be sure that the theme continues that Israel did evil and God raised up an enemy and when they cried out He gave them help by raising up a political leader.
§Deborah: Efraims stamme
Dommere 4:1...israelittene igjen gjorde ondt i øynene av Herren. 2 Og Herren solgte dem i hendene på Jabins, en konge Kanaan[4], som regjerte i Hasor[5]. Sjefen for hæren hans var Sisera, som bodde i Harosjet Haggoyim. 3 Fordi han hadde ni hundre jernvogner og hadde grusomt undertrykt israelittene i tjue år, de ropte til Herren om hjelp.
Israel’s insensitivity to suffering is increasing and this time it takes twenty years of suffering. This time God raised up a woman who has already been functioning as a judicial leader in her tribe.
Deborah oppfordrer Barak av Naftali å heve en hær av 10,000 from the tribe of Naphtali and Zebulun to attack Jabin’s army. He refuses unless she leads the army with him. Er det mulig at han ikke kan forestille seg Gud som fører gjennom en kvinne?
Deborah is full of faith in God’s help. Barak defeats his army in spite of being completely out armed. Sisera eludes capture and is killed by a woman while resting in her tent. Som Deborah profeterte seieren er tildelt til kvinnen. Herren fortsetter å gi israelittene styrke og de helt beseire Jabin og kana'anittene.
Gideon: Manasses stamme
Dommere 6:1 Igjen gjorde Israels barn ondt i øynene av Herren, og for syv år ga han dem i midianittenes hånd. 2 Fordi kraften i Midian[6] var så undertrykkende, israelittene forberedt tilfluktsrom for seg selv i fjellet kløfter, grotter og fjellborger. 3 Hver gang israelittene plantet sine avlinger, midianittene, Amalekittene og andre østlige folkeslag invaderte landet. 4 De slo leir på land og ødela avlingene hele veien til Gaza og ikke sparte en levende ting for Israel, heller ikke småfe eller storfe eller esler. 5 De kom opp med buskap og telt som svermer av gresshopper. Det var umulig å telle menn og deres kameler; de invaderte landet for å herje det. 6 Midian så utarmet israelittene at de ropte til Herren om hjelp. 7 Da israelittene ropte til Herren for midianittenes, 8 han sendte dem en profet, som sa, “Dette er hva Herren, Israels Gud, sier: Jeg førte dere opp fra Egypt, ut av trellehuset. 9 Jeg snappet deg fra makten i Egypt, og fra hånden til alle dine undertrykkere. Jeg kjørte dem fra før deg og ga deg deres land. 10 Jeg sa til deg, «Jeg er Herren din Gud; tilber ikke de gudene amorittene, i hvis land du bor.’ Men du har ikke lyttet til meg.“
The oppressiveness of the enemy this time is economically devastating. They left the Israelites living in caves. For the first time God sends a prophet before He raises up a deliver. The prophet tells the people clearly that they are the cause of their own suffering. The simple diagnosis? God’s people no longer listen to God.
Gideon er redd, selvbevisst og ubesluttsom, men Gud bruker ham til å frese midianittene ved hjelp av en hær av bare 300 menn.
Dommere 6:14 Herren seg til ham og sa, “Gå i den styrken du har og frelse Israel av midianittenes hånd. Er jeg ikke sende deg?” 15 “Men Herre, ” Gideon ba, “hvordan kan jeg redde Israel? Min klanen er de svakeste i Manasse, og jeg er den minste i familien min.”
It would seem that not only the people of Israel are more and more idolatress but also “the best leadership God can find” is declining in quality. Where will a leader come from but from the people they are leading. As the culture declines so does the quality of those who may lead. First we have a military leader in Sisera that is skeptical. Now we have the leader God is calling skeptical of God’s ability to save the nation. God raises up political leaders to help them. Then as the leaders are of less and less caliber He raises up prophets. With Gideon He sends prophets and angles with miracles to convince the political leader He is able to help the Israelites. Tilstedeværelsen av denne profeten, the angels and the miracles is not a good sign. It means Israel is getting more and more hard of hearing. Se nedgangen!
Gideon ikke rive ned hans fedre alter for Ba'al og hans Asjera. He then builds an altar to God using the wood from the poles. When the people see this they are so angered at this affront to their Jewish idolatry they want to kill Gideon.
De østlige nasjoner midianittene[7], Amalekitter[8] and others cross the Jordan in mass intending to destroy Israel. God stirs Gideon and he calls out an army from Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali. God whittles down the army to just 300 soldater, making sure Gideon cannot be given credit for the victory. The invading armies are so terrified by the trumpets of the 300 sounding they rise up and in mass confusion begin to kill each other. As they retreat the rest of the army pursues them calling in more recruits from the tribe of Ephraim and defeating them.
After this astounding military victory Israel wants to create a dynasty from Gideon and his son. "Kongen" ønske av stammene begynner å rumle. Men i sann ydmykhet, Gideon nekter denne fristelsen og svar, "Jeg vil ikke herske over deg, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” Dommere 8:23
Men, etter å ha vist en slik gudfryktig visdom, Gideon then asks for tribute from the plunder. From the 43 lbs of gold he makes an ephod and places it in Ophrah where the people begin to worship it. Why an ephod? Gideon is not a Levite. Why Ophrah? It is not a Levitical city. God clearly outlines in the Law of Moses that the priests are to wear the ephods. But Ophrah is where the angel met with Gideon and called him to lead Israel in the military action against the Midianites.
Og da Israel har fred for 40 år.
§Abimelek: Manasses stamme
Abimelek er Gideons sønn, en av 72 by his concubines in Shechem. He clearly thinks his father has made a mistake in declining the role of King. He goes to the Shechemite leaders and proposes that they appoint him King. The tribe agrees. The people have turned back to worshipping Baal as soon as Gideon is dead and they take 70 shekels of silver from the temple of Baal and give it to Abimelech to hire an army. That is the first time in Israel that the army was not volunteer. He immediately goes of Ophrah and assassinates 70 av hans brødre. "Alle borgere av Shechen og Beth Milo samles ved siden av det store treet på pilaren i Sikem å krone Abimelek konge. "Dommere 9:6
Vi er tilbake til brodermord!
This is the first time God has had no involvement in the selection of a political leader and the first time Israel has appointed a leaders when there was no national military crisis. It is the first time finances for government have been taken from a temple, and a pagan one at that. This is the first national political assassination in Israel but it will not be the last. This is the first time political leadership has been seen as a “family” inheritance in Israel.
Gideon yngste sønn Jotam stiger opp og kaller sikemittene ansvarlige overfor Gud for måten de har behandlet sin far og familie og de gudløse måten de har valgt en leder. Dommere 9:19 "... Hvis da har du handlet hederlig og i god tro mot (Gideon) og hans familie i dag, kan Abimelek være din glede, og kan du være hans, også! 20 Men hvis du ikke har, la ild komme ut fra Abimelek og fortære deg, Sikems menn og Beth Millo, og la ild komme ut fra deg, Sikems menn og Beth Millo, og forbruker Abimelek. "
Jothan flees for his life and Abimelech leads for three years. God sends an evil spirit between him and the people he leads because of det uskyldige blod utgytt from Gideon’s sons. The people take authority back from their appointed King and began to collect their own forced taxes.
During the Baal Harvest Temple Festival an adversary raises himself up as Shechem’s political solution to Abimelech. The cities Governor sends a message to the King to attack which he does with a vengeance running off the competition. But then the next day Abimelech’s troops attack the citizens when they go to the fields, slaughtering them. He sets fire to those citizens who have fled into the temple of Baal to seek refuge burning more than a thousand men and women alive. He then attacks those citizens who have fled to the cities tower for safety. En av kvinnene faller en kvernstein om Abimelek hode alvorlig såret ham, og han begår assistert selvmord ved hjelp av hans våpensvenn.
Dette er den første borgerkrigen og første gang en israelsk hæren slår på sine egne folk.
Dommere 9:56-57 Dermed Gud tilbakebetalt den ondskap som Abimelek hadde gjort mot sin far ved å myrde sine sytti brødre. God also made the men of Shechem pay for all their wickedness."
We are back to the “red thread of violence.” Israel is descending back into a total disregard for God as demonstrated in their disregard for human life. It is wholesale murder as in the days before the flood. They have political freedom. They have the thinking of God in the Law. God is sending prophets to warn them and miracles to inspire their faith. But they refuse to listen. Gud holder både mennesker og deres leder er ansvarlig.
§Tola: Issakars høvding
Dommere 9:1 Etter tidspunktet for Abimelek en mann av Issakars, Tola sønn av Pua, sønn av Dodo, steg for å redde Israel. Han levde i Shamir, i Efra'im. 2 Han ledet Israel tjuetre år; Da han døde, og ble begravet i Shamir.
There is no mention of the people crying out to God for help. There is no mention that God raised up Tola as a deliver. There is no mention of what Tola rose up to save Israel from. Is it possible that Israel is now their own worst enemy?
LEAD Israel Tola 23 år.
§Jair: Manasses stamme
Dommere 9: 3 Han ble etterfulgt av Jair av Gilead, som ledet Israel tjueto år. 4 Han hadde tretti sønner, som red tretti esler. De kontrollerte tretti byene i Gilead, som i dag kalles Ja'irs Jair.5 Når Jair døde, Han ble gravlagt i Kamon.
God no longer features in the choice of the leader for the people or for the leader himself. They are no longer chosen to lead only during a national crisis. They are in power all the time. In effect Israel, mens ikke iverksette tittelen, har skiftet til en top down styring av en konge, mens de fortsatt bruker begrepet Dommer.
§Jefta: Manasses stamme
Dommere 10:6 " Igjen gjorde Israels barn ondt i øynene til Herren. "
Igjen Israels folk give themselves to foreign gods. They worship Baal and the Asherah pole and they begin to worship the gods of the Aram, Sidionites, Moabittene, Amonites and Philistines. Gud reiser opp filisterne[9] som en fiende og de østlige stammene er utsatt til 18 års slaveri og de invaderer stammer Juda, Benjemin and Ephraim. Og Israelittene ropte til Herren, tilsynelatende for første gang i 63 år.
Lytt til svaret hans: Dommere 10:11 Herren svarte, “Når egypterne, amorittene, ammonittene, filisterne, 12 sidonernes, amalekittene og me'unittene undertrykte deg og du ropte til meg for hjelp, gjorde jeg ikke redde deg fra hendene? 13 Men du har forlatt meg og dyrket andre guder, så Jeg vil ikke lenger redde deg. 14 Gå og rop ut til gudene du har valgt. La dem redde deg når du er i trøbbel!”
Israel reagerer: 10:15 Men israelittene sa til Herren, “Vi har syndet. Gjøre med oss hva du mener er best, men kan du redde oss nå.” 16 Deretter de ble kvitt de fremmede guder blant dem, og tjente Herren. Og han kunne bære Israels elendighet ikke lenger.
Jefta er en mektig kriger, son of the patriarch of the Gileadites. His mother was a prostitute and his half brothers run him out of the family and he is left with no inheritance. He raises up an ad hoc army and lives in Tob. When the Ammonites camped prepared for battle in Gilead it is Jephthah the people ask to lead them. He is hesitant but when promised by the elders of Israel that they will make him their leader permanetly he agrees to return.
Jephthah sends diplomats to find out why the Ammonites are preparing to attack. They respond that it is because the Israelites took the Ammonite lands when they came out of Egypt. Jephthah responds with an astute retelling of the facts. Israel had not taken their land until the kings of the Moabites and Edomites had refused them compassion and just leave through their lands as they fled Egypt. Then they ask King Sihhon of the Amorites for safe passage and he denied them as well. But unlike the other kings King Sihhon marshaled his troops against them and attacked. Israel defeated them and took their land. They have now lived there for 300 år. He challenges them that they will wage war and God be the Judge.
Jephthah appears to make a vow to the Lord that if he gets victory he will sacrifice whatever comes out of his house first on his return home. He wins the battles and defeats the Ammonites. On his return home, his daughter comes out to meet him dancing with a tambourine to welcome him home. And he sacrificed her.
This is the first account of human sacrifice in Israel. Of course Jephthah is not relying on the God of his forefathers, their faith in the God of Moses is long gone. He is using the language of his ancestors but he is talking to the new gods of Israel. These gods gladly accept human sacrifice.
En gammel feide med efraimittene stiger opp igjen, og de kommer til Jefta. Hvorfor har Jefta ikke be dem om å bidra til å bekjempe amorittene? De fortsetter å gå inn Israels første sivile stammekrig. Nedgangen fortsetter.
Jefta ledet Israel i seks år.
De neste tre dommere ikke tar opp mye plass i historien til dommerne.
§Ibzan: Juda stamme
Dommere 12: 8Etter ham, Ibzan av Betlehem ledet Israel. 9 Han hadde tretti sønner og tretti døtre. Han ga sine døtre bort i ekteskap for dem utenfor sin klan, og hans sønner førte han i tretti unge kvinner som koner fra utenfor sin klan. Ibzan ledet Israel sju år.
§Elon: Stamme av Sebulon
Dommere 12:11 Etter ham, Elon the Zebulunite led Israel ti år. 12 Så Elon døde, og ble begravet i Ajalon i Sebulons land.
§Abdon: Stamme av Asher
12:13 Etter ham, Abdon sønn av Hillel, fra Piraton, ledede Israel. 14 Han hadde firti sønner og tretti sønnesønner, som red på sytti esler. Han ledet Israel åtte år. 15 Deretter Abdon sønn av Hillel døde, og ble begravet på Piraton i Ephraim, i fjellbygdene på Amalekitter.
We are not at the bottom of the decline in Israel yet. The sin in Israel increases even more and God raises up an enemy, en veldig kjent en etter nå, filisterne.
Dommere 13:1 Igjen gjorde Israels barn ondt i øynene av Herren, og Herren gav dem i hendene på filisterne[10] for førti år.
*Samson: Dans stamme
We finally arrive at the most memorable of the Judges. Samson is born for the job. Meaning, det var ingen som bor i Israel, mann eller kvinne, God could use to lead. The moral fiber of the nation is so destroyed from within that there is no leader God can raise up to deliver them. We will soon see the same disparate situation in the call of a two year old named Samuel.
Gud har gitt Israel i hendene på filisterne fordi "igjen israelittene gjorde ondt i Herrens øyne" Dommere 13:1 De er undertrykt av denne fienden for 40 år. God sends and Angel to tell a man named Manoah that his sterile wife will conceive a son. The parents are to consume no wine nor eat anything unclean for their son will be born a Nazirite and “set apart to God from birth.” 13:5 He will begin a deliverance of Israel. Samson is born and "Herren velsignet ham, og Herrens Ånd begynte å røre ham ... " 13:24-25
På tross av den mirakuløse natur Samsons unnfangelse og fødsel, til tross for innvielsen av foreldrene og Guds velsignelse, Samson has issues. Most of his revolve around women. In spite of his fathers advise he wants to marry a Philistine woman.
De ekteskapet ritualer begynne og Samson er "gitt" 30 Philistine “friends” to help him celebrate. He gives then a riddle and promises they can have 30 sets of garments as a prize if they guess the meaning. They cannot so they coax the bride into weaseling it out of Samson. Samson is furious at the roué, mord 30 of the men and gives their clothes to the ones who answered the riddle. His wife is given to another Philistine in marriage.
Samson søker hevn ved å ødelegge filisterne innhøsting av korn, vineyards and olive groves. The Philistines then burn the ex-wife and her father for bringing this terror on their community. Samson responds by slaughtering many then hides in a cave. 3,000 men from Judah come to get him to turn him over to the Philistines because he has caused them so much trouble with their oppressor. They swear they won’t kill him, binde ham, take him to the Philistines and turn him over. “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power.” The ropes broke; he picks up a donkeys jawbone and kills a thousand Philistines. God provides water from a rock and he is revived.
Samson’s next escapade finds him with a prostitute in Gaza surrounded by Philistines. He escapes only to later fall in love with Delilah. Delilah is co-opted by the Philistines to collaborate in finding out the source of his great strength. For this they will pay her the equivalent value of 275 slaves. We go back and forth in this plot until Samson finally succumbs to her pleading. His hair is cut and he is captured, tortured and put on display in the temple of the Philistine god. The God of Israel pours strength through him again and he pulls down the pillars of the temple killing everyone inside including himself. More died in his death than died during his life.
Samson styrte Israel for 20 år.
Hvorfor?
Milde himmel! What does this all mean? God has selected these terrible accounts of Israel’s history and preserved it for more than three millennium to teach us what? This is the history of Israel’s political leadership thus far. God is not making the stories up. God is telling us what happened. What are we to see, forstå og anvende? Hva, på jorden, har dette å gjøre med det sivile styresett og rettferdighet i 21st århundre?
Som vi avslutte denne epoken av politisk historie er Israel det som skiller seg ut?
The People
The moral decline of the people seems to precede the moral decline in their political leadership. For the first four generations we read "Israelittene gjorde ondt i Herrens øyne" som årsak hadde de en politisk fiende. Bare fordi de hadde, som en kultur, moved towards idolatry were they in need of God’s intervention. And only after they, folk, has cried out to God did He raise up a defending national leader for them. It takes the people longer and longer to turn to God.
As the decline continues throughout the time of the Judges we will see that both the people and then the leaders themselves contribute to the nation’s demise. And they will both continue to escalate that decline. Den avgudsdyrkelse av folket vil bygge fra tilbedelse av andre guder til menneskeofring, attentat, borgerkrig og vold som et middel og løsning.
I begynnelsen men, Israels nedgangen er et resultat av folket og kulturen for øvrig, the Jews themselves move away from God. Is this where some believers in history got the concept that we get the political leadership we deserve?
De Political Leaders
It is interesting that the Judges come from nine of the twelve tribes of Israel. Perhaps it would have been twelve if Manasseh had not begun to hog the stage. God is clearly spreading the leadership around. This builds the value of “representation” but it does something else. As the culture declines it reveals that no matter where the leaders come from they are less and less able to represent God. Even when they are the best God can find and raised up by Him.
The first four judges do a pretty good job of the brief God has given them. They deal with the enemy, reinstitute peace and return to their daily lives. By the time we get to Gideon, den beste lederen Gud kan finne er ikke sikker på om Gud kan gjøre jobben. (Ironisk nok er dette en der Gud beseirer fienden med 300 soldater.) Han gjør beseire fienden, men når det hele er over, Israel wants to make Gideon a king and dynasty. They give credit for the victory to the man rather than God.
Gideon still has enough understanding of God to turn them down. But his son will not. The Manasseh conspiracy to rule all of Israel will plaque their politics for the rest of their Biblical history. And as we will see in the days of the kings is the beginning of the divided kingdom and final dispersion. Kvaliteten på Israels lederskap er i fritt fall fra her.
The Enemy
Every time Israel has a political enemy in the Book of Judges God has raised them up. Every time God raises up a political enemy it is to show His people they are drifting from Him. God’s emphasis is not on the foreigner in Israel of the foreign invader. God’s emphasis is on God’s people ceasing to be God’s people. When God’s people turn back to God He delivers everyone.
Like the history of the believers in the New Testament Epistles the gravest danger is from within the community not from without. But we will get to that in Part Five.
Gud
For Guds side, He does nothing but increase His efforts to get Israel to listen. He reminds them of His laws, Han advarer dem, Han reiser opp ledere når de roper til Ham, Han sender profeter, Han utfører mirakler for å få deres oppmerksomhet, He calls leaders from birth to circumvent the moral decline of the culture. Og? God’s people listen less and less!
This is a very heavy history. Nothing speaks to me more of the inspiration of the Bible than the fact that, overlatt til seg selv, no nation would chose to document this history of themselves. It is too awful.
Men vi er ikke ferdig ennå! Are you willing to suffer God’s pain for generations more? Are you willing for God to tell His story His way and prepare our hearts for what is to come?
[1] Modern dag ......
