Judges 1 – 6
In what appears to be a never ending cycle we see Israel drifting once again towards the gods of nations that live among them. Everyone points to God as being some brutal dictator that makes people bow to Him or they are destroyed. One of the reasons God commanded His people to clean how is He knew this would happen. It’s interesting how people resist God and will flock to other gods even after watching the Red Sea or Jordan River part.
Verse 3:7 introduces Asherah:
Israel committed what the Eternal considered evil: they forgot the Eternal, their True God, and instead worshiped the Baal and Asherah deities, the various local gods of the people of Canaan.
Although Baal was introduced early on we see Asherah for the first time in The Voice. We notice that although not mention in this version, others note Asherah Poles prior and later in the versions. Also, Asherah is supposedly Nimrod’s wife Semiramis, who is steeped in legends. What are Asherah Poles or obelisk anyway? In essence they are large phallic symbols to represent Baal’s “manhood” and placed throughout the land to worship Asherah.
Interestingly you find these all over the world; most significant is the Washington Monument. These Poles will often be found within a circle representing the woman and the act of sex. I know that is something we cannot wrap our heads around since one of the most famous monuments in our nation. God says tear them down and destroy them. I am NOT suggesting we tear down the Washington monument, but at the same time one has to wonder the origin, since the Washington was laid out by Freemasons.
Verse 5:7 is a stanza from the Song of Deborah:
But those from rural areas stayed away,
the destitute in Israel kept far off,
Until I, Deborah, arose
to be a mother to Israel.
One of the major complaints of the church is it’s “sexist” and does not view women well. Sure there are the biological differences that are undeniable, but this is not based in scripture. The story of Deborah is one of those where the triumphant characters are women. The two heroines are Deborah who leads them into battle and Sisera who drives a spike into the head of the king. If it was “scriptural” that women could not lead or have roles of power these stories would never have been included.
Chapter 6 starts the story of Gideon and his prompting. Verse 6:15 shows God uses the most unlikely to do His will:
But, Lord, how am I supposed to deliver Israel? My family is the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least of my family.
Think about all the stories in the Bible, rarely do they take the most obvious choice for a leader. Moses was an outcast murderer and David was his brothers’ helper. God’s glory can be explained away if the logical choice is used since God’s power can be applied to man and not where it rightfully should be. God wants it to be clear who is working here in this world.
I have to comment on the fleece story since that always gets me. Is Gideon actually testing God twice? He hears a voice, tests the voice and then tests it again. I think I would have got it the first time, but then again I would want to be sure before risking my life and the life of others. So in a way this is a good way to be sure. I wish all decisions were answered this way!!