Sunday Morning Service

Judges 12-Judges 13

“An Ode To Nobodies” • 8.31.14 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

Intro.

- The book of Judges certainly underscores the reality that God loves the unlikely pick. Jephthah, though a brave warrior, was a reject with a suspect lineage from a very small tribe.

- As we close his story, we'll see that he leads off a series of other "nobodies," people without much of a story, that God chose to use.

Text

• Judges 12:1-3 : "Then the men of Ephraim gathered together, crossed over toward Zaphon, and said to Jephthah, 'Why did you cross over to fight against the people of Ammon, and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house down on you with fire!' And Jephthah said to them, 'My people and I were in a great struggle with the people of Ammon; and when I called you, you did not deliver me out of their hands. So when I saw that you would not deliver me, I took my life in my hands and crossed over against the people of Ammon; and the Lord delivered them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?'" : The tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh are related through their Father Joseph. Ephraim is by far the greater, larger tribe, as Jacob prophesied on his death bed in Genesis 48.

- That pronouncement continually rang in Ephraim's ears and it also gave rise to a tribal pride that rears it's ugly head time and again.

- Each time they come into view, they appear aggressive and agitated based on their own view of themselves that others did not assume.

- This first manifests in Joshua 17:14ff, when they complain to Joshua about their small land allotment. Joshua tells them to clear the mountains if they were as great as they claim to be!

- During the time of Gideon, just about a 100 years earlier than this, they came to Gideon after his battle with Midian, angry that he had not called them to battle. (Judges 8:1)

- Now they come against Jephthah, the man God used to rescue Israel from the Ammonites.

- It burned them up that an East Manassite with a checkered past was used by God!

- Ephraim aggressively postures and then threatens to burn Jephthah's house to the ground!

- Jephthah is a mighty man, but he's also been a very reasonable man. He explains that he had struggled against Ammon and had called them, but they never came!

- Jephthah has a clear conscience. They had not come to his aid, but the Lord did!

- This is a not so subtle warning to Ephraim: God had been on Jephthah's side. It's always a bad idea to mess with one of God's people! Ephraim foolishly ignored yet another warning.

• Judges 12:4-7 : "Now Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. And the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because they said, 'You Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites and among the Manassites.' The Gileadites seized the fords of the Jordan before the Ephraimites arrived. And when any Ephraimite who escaped said, 'Let me cross over,' the men of Gilead would say to him, 'Are you an Ephraimite?' If he said, 'No,' then they would say to him, 'Then say, ‘Shibboleth’!' And he would say, 'Sibboleth,' for he could not pronounce it right. Then they would take him and kill him at the fords of the Jordan. There fell at that time forty-two thousand Ephraimites. And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in among the cities of Gilead." : Jephthah is not the aggressor. Ephraim had been warned and warned again.

- This time, they ran into a person who was not going to take their dishonor, which they leveled against the Gileadites by calling their nationality, their relation to God, into question.

- This was exactly what the Eastern Tribes had feared. They expressed this in Joshua 22:26-29. This was why they built an altar of witness. Ephraim's words are touching on that insecurity.

- "You guys are just fugitives and rebels!" Ephraim opened their mouths and invited a beating and were ultimately trapped on the wrong side of the river!

- Their troops had been disbursed and individual groups were looking to make their way back. Gilead's soldiers put a border patrol together with a verbal test required to pass.

- Whoever wanted to cross simply needed to say the word "stream" or Shibboleth. Ephraim's western accent gave them away and Jephthah put 42,000 of their men down.

- These men died needlessly for their own pride and foolish behavior, an apt illustration against letting pride go unchecked. James 4:6 tells us that God resists the proud.

- Pride and envy are works of our flesh that can never please God! Let us heed the warning! Ephraim was a great tribe, but God used a little nobody from Manasseh to humble them!

- They died on account of their greed for fame and money which they felt was theirs on account of the own self-assesment. As for Jephthah, his whole story lasted seven years and he died.

• Judges 12:8-15 : "After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. He had thirty sons. And he gave away thirty daughters in marriage, and brought in thirty daughters from elsewhere for his sons. He judged Israel seven years. Then Ibzan died and was buried at Bethlehem. After him, Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel. He judged Israel ten years.  And Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried at Aijalon in the country of Zebulun. After him, Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel. He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy young donkeys. He judged Israel eight years. Then Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mountains of the Amalekites." : Ibzan, Elon and Abdon. "Whiteness," "Mighty Oak" and "Servile." These men are given little space even though each served as long or longer than Jephthah!

- Ibzan was from Bethlehem and had 60 children! He married off 30 daughters and gained 30 wives for his sons! That's quite an impressive feat.

- Elon judged Israel for ten years and nothing is said of his time. No major incidents, no great battles. He simply went about the Lord's business.

- When Abdon came along, he showed a great flair in life and had a healthy bank account, as he had his children and grandchildren ride on 70 custom made donkeys!

- Interesting that he died in the mountains of the Amalekites. He was surrounded by the people that are a scriptural picture of the flesh.

- His Father's name was Hillel, meaning "Praising" but his dwelling was near the flesh! That's curious indeed. I'd caution us all to consider whether we are praising God or fleshing out!

- Where we choose to dwell often answers the question. Feed the Spirit and He will thrive. The same is true for the flesh and the flesh needs very little to survive!

- God never forgets what is done for Him! These three weren't that exciting, but God remembers them and that is what matters in the end! There is only one book we want to be found in!

• Judges 13:1-5 : "Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, 'Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.'" : For those who wish not to hear this again, you'll be happy to hear that this is the 7th and final time this is reported.

- That is their trouble. Their travail will come in the form of a 40 year Philistine occupation.

- This is the longest period of trouble that the people of Israel faced and yet, notice something that is conspicuous by it's absence. When they have had trouble in the past, what did they do?

- They cried out to the Lord and He brought them their triumph. Not this time. There is no cry to the Lord. It's as if they have resigned themselves to this fate and are simply living with it!

- That's a dangerous place to be! God desires much more than a settlement with our enemies! He wants us to have victory, to be free and willingly able to serve Him and His interests!

- The Philistines are as old as the nations themselves and are sprinkled throughout the Old Testament. They are perpetual enemies and aggressors against Israel.

- In God's grace, He moves in spite of Israel's apathy. In the city of Zorah, there was a man named Manoah, a member of the tribe of Dan.

- The Philistines claimed territory where Dan had settled. God will find His deliverer here, among those most involved. Manoah's son would be the Judge, but his wife had been barren!

- There is quite a theme across scripture regarding barren wombs. In a society that greatly valued children, this was a crushing blow to women and in some cases, an actionable issue.

- This brought shame and great humility to the heart of a woman in this condition. It's poignant then that God reaches out to them and gives them the privilege of bearing a mighty deliverer!

- This birth announcement comes packed with very specific instruction for the Mother.

- She was to refrain from drinking anything spirited and from eating anything which would have been unclean during her time of pregnancy.

- As for the boy, he was to be a Nazarite from birth. No razor was ever to touch his head and he would begin to deliver Israel from her enemy.

- Note that word "begin." God has sovereignly assigned him the task of beginning a work, one which won't be finished until King David's time! Each is given their task in life from the Lord!

- Numbers 6:1-21 gives us the details of the Nazarite, a consecrated one, entailed.

- A season of time was declared in most cases, but Manoah's son would be a Nazarite his whole life. He would be consecrated, given unto the Lord, wholly and fully, for all of his days.

- He would refrain from drinking anything sweetened or strong, he would not be given a haircut and he would not touch a dead body. This was the type of man that God was wanting to use.

- Aside from the actual regulations, that's what He looks for today as well!

• Judges 13:6-8 : "So the woman came and told her husband, saying, 'A Man of God came to me, and His countenance was like the countenance of the Angel of God, very awesome; but I did not ask Him where He was from, and He did not tell me His name. And He said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. Now drink no wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’ Then Manoah prayed to the Lord, and said, 'O my Lord, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born.'" : This may be one of the only times in recorded history when a woman fails to get all the pertinent information!

- Manoah's wife shared her encounter, but realized that she lacked an incredible amount of information. Manoah didn't waste time berating his wife. He went to the Lord!

- This was information that he felt he needed. What should be done for the child that was to be born? Manoah prayed.

- The tense of the verb seems to indicate that this was a repeated, fervent entreaty. He kept asking, seeking and knocking that the "Man of God" would be sent to them again.

- There can never be enough scriptural reminders of the fact that when God's people pray, there are answers given and there is peace that is gained. Look at what happened.

• Judges 13:9-11 : "And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the Angel of God came to the woman again as she was sitting in the field; but Manoah her husband was not with her. Then the woman ran in haste and told her husband, and said to him, 'Look, the Man who came to me the other day has just now appeared to me!' So Manoah arose and followed his wife. When he came to the Man, he said to Him, 'Are You the Man who spoke to this woman?' And He said, 'I am.'" : Those words need to hit your ears again: God listened to the voice of Manoah! He prayed, desperately wanting to know how to obey His Lord's command.

- He prayed repeatedly, fervently desiring to come to a place of resolve and God listened to Him! That is a wonderful comfort and encouragment to us! Never take that truth for granted!

- Manoah's request brought the Angel of the Lord back to his wife who was sitting in the field.

- Obviously, Manoah needed to remember to pray more specifically! "Let us both be there when He shows up!" Manoah's wife did not miss the opportunity this time.

• Judges 13:12-18 : "Manoah said, 'Now let Your words come to pass! What will be the boy’s rule of life, and his work?' So the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, 'Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. She may not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor may she drink wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean. All that I commanded her let her observe.' Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, 'Please let us detain You, and we will prepare a young goat for You.' And the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, 'Though you detain Me, I will not eat your food. But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord.' (For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of the Lord.) Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, 'What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?' And the Angel of the Lord said to him, 'Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?'" : The Angel of the Lord does not answer Manoah's question regarding his son's life and work. They only had to do all that they were commanded to do!

- God never gives us more than that! Are you a sinner? You're commanded to repent and believe in Christ. Are you near a non-Christian? You are commanded to preach the gospel to them!

- Are you a part of the body of Christ? You are commanded to present yourself to God and use the gifts that He's given you to edify your brothers and sisters in Him!

- Our problem is not a lack of information. It's a lack of boldness and a lack of fear toward God!

- Manoah's wife had all that she needed. We have all the information we need! We simply need to act upon it! This brought great comfort and relief to Manoah.

- He was so grateful that he asked to know the name of the "Man" mostly because he was unaware of who it was that he was talking with.

- The Angel of the Lord merely states that His name is wonderful! The word is widely and variably translated, but the point is that it is incomprehensible and unbelieveable!

- Based on Isaiah's words in Isaiah 9:6, noting that the Messiah would be described as being "Wonderful, Counselor," this can be none other than Jesus in pre-incarnate flesh!

• Judges 13:19-25 : "So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to the Lord. And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on—it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar—the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar! When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground. When the Angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, then Manoah knew that He was the Angel of the Lord. And Manoah said to his wife, 'We shall surely die, because we have seen God!' But his wife said to him, 'If the Lord had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have told us such things as these at this time.' So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol." : Manoah took the Angel's word and offered a sacrifice to God.

- He put it upon a stone and in their presence, before their eyes, He did what only God can do: Accept worship! Fire went up from the altar and the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame!

- What a profound moment! Jesus received the worship that was due to God!

- What was meant to be an encouragement to their faith, turned momentarily to a sense of dread. Would they die because they saw God?

- Manoah's wife speaks some sense into this, as she understands how quickly their lives would have ended if that were the case!

- God didn't want to kill them. He wanted to bless them and he did! Manoah's wife bore the son that she was promised. She named him Samson, which means "Solar" or "Like the Sun!"

- He was a bright shining light to the dark world that they had known.

- Over time, he grew physically and God's blessing was upon Him. But most importantly, the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon Him!

- The word "move" indicates a disturbance, an agitation. Samson looked around and saw the Philistine occupation. He was unsettled when everyone else seemed to have been fine with it.

- It stirred him up. He had to do something about it! God was forming a call in His life.

Conclusion

- God used a humble nobody to bring down a mighty nation's pride. He used simple, faithful judges to maintain order in His land.

- He used a godly couple, one of which is unnamed, willing to listen to Him to bring Sunny Delight into the world! He does great things for the purpose of His great plan.

- What will He do through you? "I'm just a nobody!" Yeah, that's the point! Humble yourself, be faithful to Him, ask Him to minister through you, and watch what He will do!