Resource Detail

 Who Will Be the First To Go and Fight?

(The Secret of Being Content in All Circumstances)

Judges 1:1-21:25

Key Verses 1:1-2

“After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the LORD, ‘Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?’ The LORD answered, ‘Judah is to go; I have given the land into their hands.’ ”

Last week a friend of mine experienced an emotional high and an emotional low. One day he was elated to find out that his GPA was 4.0. Since he did so well in his school studies, he was recognized by the principle of the school and was asked to apply for a scholarship. But the next day a turn of the events worked against him and he was hit with terrible news: on an important test he got the lowest possible score among all the students in his class. 

In the book of Judges, we see the Israelites going through emotional ups and downs. For a while they went through happy moments, but soon they were hit with terrible disasters, such as drive-by shooters invading the land. For the most part, in the days of the book of Judges, the Israelites went trough the lowest lows in their career as a chosen people. The net result was that the Israelites grew terribly dissatisfied. Supposedly, they were saved out of Egypt and came to the so called Promised Land only to be happy. But they ended up being hit with an entirely different reality. So we can admit that something definitely went wrong.  

When we think about it, the problem of the Israelites is not an isolated problem; this problem is not just the problem of the Israelites but the problem of humanity as a whole. We find a multitude of people suffering from this problem again and again, generation after generation. 

What then is the reason for the Israelites' down-fall? They were called to live as a holy nation. The Lord called them to live as a kingdom of priests, not just for the sake of God but for the sake of their own happiness. Yet, why did they end up failing so horribly? Why was it that after going through so many good training programs, such as 40 years of desert training or decades of war experiences where they garnered so many victories, that they did not learn to perpetuate their success, but rather ended up falling down to the bottom of bottoms so miserably?

On a practical level, what should guarantee that one would never fall down to the lowest pit but rather permanently be planted in the land where the joy of life is constant? 

Surprisingly, it is here in the book of Judges that the Lord God reveals the secret that "guarantees" a blessed life, and the Lord God is revealing this secret against the backdrop of all the shameful failures. I believe the secret is found in what the Lord God asked the Israelites to do first at the outset the book of Judges and in the last two chapters of Judges. With this in mind let us read Judges 1:1-2; 20:18. Let us think about the Lord's secret in three parts: 

First, the problem.

According to Hally's Bible handbook during the period of the Judges, the Israelites went through 410 years of failures and years of victories: 111 years of failure, and 299 years of victory. Specifically, for the entire 111 years of failure they were oppressed. But as they cried out, the Lord raised up judges (12 male, 1 female) through whom the Lord allowed them to enjoy freedom from the oppressive rule of the Canaanites. So the ratio of the time period between oppression and independence is 1:3, not 3:1. This ratio shows that Lord was graceful upon his children. Figuratively speaking, God is like a teacher who helps out a rebellious student with enduring patience. Suppose you are a teacher to middle school kids and one particular student starts acting out. What do you do? In love you discipline him, for example, giving him a time-out for one hour. Then as the student begs for mercy, you allow him to come back to the class. But three hours later, the student again acts up. So you give him another time-out. Then the student begs for mercy. You give the student freedom again. Three hours later the student screws up again. So you give the student another time-out. And this happens again and again. Question: Does the student learn anything from the time-outs? No. The student gets worse. 

This is exactly what happened to the Israelites in the book of Judges. Instead of learning a lesson, they grew worse. How worse did they become? Let us read 19:1-30; 20:46-21:3. The Levites were called to serve the Lord full time. They were supposed to please the Lord, not themselves. One of their main duties was to live as Bible teachers. For this purpose the Lord intentionally spread them equally among the twelve tribes of Israel. Yet, abandoning their mission they made themselves busy chasing after women (19:1). What about the women of the days of the Judges? They were no different. For example, the concubine of the Levite in Joshua 19 became unfaithful to her master. Yet the unfaithfulness exhibited by the Levite and his concubine was just the tip of the iceberg. In Genesis Chapter 18 we saw how and why the Lord overturned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. But in Joshua 19:22 we see the same problem, that is, homosexuality persisting among the so-called chosen people. In order to establish them as a holy nation the Lord God made numerous efforts. Through years, decades, and centuries of training, finally the Lord God led the Israelites to conquer the land of Canaan and settle in their respective territories. Normally, one would expect that they would rise to God's level and operate as members of a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. But what did they become? Joshua 19:22-24 indicates that they came down to ground zero. The people of Gibeah became no different, if not worse, than the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. 

Judges 19:30 reads, "Everyone who saw it said, ‘Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Think about it! Consider it! Tell us what to do!’ ” This passage ends with three sentences which all come with an exclamation point: “Think about it! Consider it! Tell us what to do!” These questions cry out for a solution! What then is the solution? Interestingly their solution was a call to arms, to destroy the Benjamites! But it was the wrong solution. It invited more troubles to the people of the Israelites than solutions. 

Second, the solution.

What then is the solution? 

Look at Joshua 1:1,2. “After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the LORD, ‘Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?’ The LORD answered, ‘Judah is to go; I have given the land into their hands.’ ” Let us also read Judges 20:18, “The Israelites went up to Bethel and inquired of God. They said, ‘Who of us shall go first to fight against the Benjamites?’ The LORD replied, ‘Judah shall go first.’ ” Here we see the Lord repeating the same remedy saying, “Judah is to go,” and, “Judah shall go first.” This repetition raises a question: “Why did the Lord ask Judah to go first?” Was it because the people belonging to the tribe of Judah were more adapt to fighting than the other tribes? Was it because they had more Kung-Fu martial artists or champion gun slingers than the rest of the tribes? The answers to these questions are all, NO. Judges 20:44 indicates that the Benjamites had more valiant fighters than any of the other tribes. Why then did the Lord choose Judah to go first? 

We can find the answer to this question in the name Judah, which means, “This time I will praise the Lord.” This requires a short review on the background of how Judah was named. Let us read Genesis 29:16-35, responsively. Now let us focus on the last five verses where we can see the spiritual growth of Leah. 

1) Reuben: Surely my husband will love me now.

2) Simeon: Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.

3) Levi: Now at least my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.

4) Judah: This time I will praise the Lord. 

“Then she stopped having children.”

The meanings of the name of the four sons describe the spiritual growth of Leah. The names of the first three sons indicate the nature of the problems she had. They represent her times of failure. The name of the forth son shows that she finally found the right solution to her problem. So the expression, “she stopped having children” [after naming her fourth son Judah], represents the net effect of her spiritual growth. 

This observation then teaches us the way to total satisfaction, which is the key point for our Bible study tonight. The key is found in the meaning of the name Judah, that is, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Genesis 29:35b reads, "Then she stopped having children." Here a question arises: "What does it imply that after Leah named her fourth son Judah she stopped having children?" We can find the answer to this question from what she "stopped" doing, that is, having children. Praising the Lord put her to a complete "stop" to having children! This means that when she started praising the Lord she stopped being thirsty for her husband's love. As a result she stopped having children. 

Her example reminds us of the way God designed man, that is, God made man in such a way that man can find true satisfaction of his soul in only one source: the Lord. In Leah’s case, she tried to quench the thirst for love from Jacob. In an effort to secure her husband's love, she kept enticing Jacob; as a result she kept producing children out of Jacob. But again and again she failed to quench her thirst. After failing three times, finally, it dawned on her that Jacob is not the right source. As a last resort she turned to the Lord. Then, in the Lord, she found what she was looking for. In a way then she is like the Samaritan woman who looked to fill the needs of her soul in the wrong places, such as a husband. Jesus understood her thirst. Through a divine appointment Jesus met her at Jacob’s well. Through a personal bible study with her Jesus introduced himself as the Savior of the world who alone can quench the thirsts of her soul. At this point let us open the Bible and read John 4:10-14. 

Now, let us compare this passage with the key verses we have tonight. “After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the LORD, ‘Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?’ The LORD answered, ‘Judah is to go; I have given the land into their hands.’ ” Judah is to go! As we know, our Lord Jesus came through the line of Judah. Unlike the other tribes, the tribe of Judah holds the seed of the hope of salvation for all, that is, Jesus Christ. Looking to the time of the Savior to come, Genesis 49:10 reads, "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his." 

Third, applications.

From Leah's example we learned that God made man in such a way that he or she will never be fully satisfied with what has been created. We humans can find true satisfaction only in worshiping the Lord. The people of the days of the Judges did not learn this Biblical truth and made mistakes one after another. Again and again they went after people and the things of this world. As a result they became increasingly thirsty, and then increasingly frustrated. The more they indulged in pleasure seeking lifestyles, the more they were disappointed. They were disappointed in themselves and they made others disappointed. But the Lord God had mercy on them. Each time they ran into troubles, the Lord provided them with the remedy: that is, Judah going out first to fight the problems they had. 

In our generation there are many who are like the people in the days of the Judges. Some people are addicted to materialistic ways of life. Some people indulge in pleasure seeking lifestyles. Like the people living in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, or like the people who lived in the city of Gibeah, a town in the land of Benjamin, people who live in our own generation suffer mostly in looking for the spiritual water that could quench the thirsts of their souls. And they look for the solution in all the wrong places. But thanks and praise be to the Lord who sent Jesus Christ, who alone can fully quench the thirsts of our soul. 

In the college campuses there are many who are like Leah. Like Leah they look for solutions to their thirst problem in all the wrong places, such as girlfriends or boyfriends. Like the people in the day of the Judges, even many Christians suffer from such problems as greed for money or lust for human recognition or thirst for human love. As much as we know that nothing but the gospel of our Lord Jesus can offer true solution to all of their problems, let us all pray to present the gospel to the thirsty souls of our generation. 

One word: Judah will go first

 Who Will Be the First To Go and Fight?

(The Secret of Being Content in All Circumstances)

Judges 1:1-21:25

Key Verses 1:1-2

“After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the LORD, ‘Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?’ The LORD answered, ‘Judah is to go; I have given the land into their hands.’ ”

Last week a friend of mine experienced an emotional high and an emotional low. One day he was elated to find out that his GPA was 4.0. Since he did so well in his school studies, he was recognized by the principle of the school and was asked to apply for a scholarship. But the next day a turn of the events worked against him and he was hit with terrible news: on an important test he got the lowest possible score among all the students in his class. 

In the book of Judges, we see the Israelites going through emotional ups and downs. For a while they went through happy moments, but soon they were hit with terrible disasters, such as drive-by shooters invading the land. For the most part, in the days of the book of Judges, the Israelites went trough the lowest lows in their career as a chosen people. The net result was that the Israelites grew terribly dissatisfied. Supposedly, they were saved out of Egypt and came to the so called Promised Land only to be happy. But they ended up being hit with an entirely different reality. So we can admit that something definitely went wrong.  

When we think about it, the problem of the Israelites is not an isolated problem; this problem is not just the problem of the Israelites but the problem of humanity as a whole. We find a multitude of people suffering from this problem again and again, generation after generation. 

What then is the reason for the Israelites' down-fall? They were called to live as a holy nation. The Lord called them to live as a kingdom of priests, not just for the sake of God but for the sake of their own happiness. Yet, why did they end up failing so horribly? Why was it that after going through so many good training programs, such as 40 years of desert training or decades of war experiences where they garnered so many victories, that they did not learn to perpetuate their success, but rather ended up falling down to the bottom of bottoms so miserably?

On a practical level, what should guarantee that one would never fall down to the lowest pit but rather permanently be planted in the land where the joy of life is constant? 

Surprisingly, it is here in the book of Judges that the Lord God reveals the secret that "guarantees" a blessed life, and the Lord God is revealing this secret against the backdrop of all the shameful failures. I believe the secret is found in what the Lord God asked the Israelites to do first at the outset the book of Judges and in the last two chapters of Judges. With this in mind let us read Judges 1:1-2; 20:18. Let us think about the Lord's secret in three parts: 

First, the problem.

According to Hally's Bible handbook during the period of the Judges, the Israelites went through 410 years of failures and years of victories: 111 years of failure, and 299 years of victory. Specifically, for the entire 111 years of failure they were oppressed. But as they cried out, the Lord raised up judges (12 male, 1 female) through whom the Lord allowed them to enjoy freedom from the oppressive rule of the Canaanites. So the ratio of the time period between oppression and independence is 1:3, not 3:1. This ratio shows that Lord was graceful upon his children. Figuratively speaking, God is like a teacher who helps out a rebellious student with enduring patience. Suppose you are a teacher to middle school kids and one particular student starts acting out. What do you do? In love you discipline him, for example, giving him a time-out for one hour. Then as the student begs for mercy, you allow him to come back to the class. But three hours later, the student again acts up. So you give him another time-out. Then the student begs for mercy. You give the student freedom again. Three hours later the student screws up again. So you give the student another time-out. And this happens again and again. Question: Does the student learn anything from the time-outs? No. The student gets worse. 

This is exactly what happened to the Israelites in the book of Judges. Instead of learning a lesson, they grew worse. How worse did they become? Let us read 19:1-30; 20:46-21:3. The Levites were called to serve the Lord full time. They were supposed to please the Lord, not themselves. One of their main duties was to live as Bible teachers. For this purpose the Lord intentionally spread them equally among the twelve tribes of Israel. Yet, abandoning their mission they made themselves busy chasing after women (19:1). What about the women of the days of the Judges? They were no different. For example, the concubine of the Levite in Joshua 19 became unfaithful to her master. Yet the unfaithfulness exhibited by the Levite and his concubine was just the tip of the iceberg. In Genesis Chapter 18 we saw how and why the Lord overturned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. But in Joshua 19:22 we see the same problem, that is, homosexuality persisting among the so-called chosen people. In order to establish them as a holy nation the Lord God made numerous efforts. Through years, decades, and centuries of training, finally the Lord God led the Israelites to conquer the land of Canaan and settle in their respective territories. Normally, one would expect that they would rise to God's level and operate as members of a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. But what did they become? Joshua 19:22-24 indicates that they came down to ground zero. The people of Gibeah became no different, if not worse, than the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. 

Judges 19:30 reads, "Everyone who saw it said, ‘Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Think about it! Consider it! Tell us what to do!’ ” This passage ends with three sentences which all come with an exclamation point: “Think about it! Consider it! Tell us what to do!” These questions cry out for a solution! What then is the solution? Interestingly their solution was a call to arms, to destroy the Benjamites! But it was the wrong solution. It invited more troubles to the people of the Israelites than solutions. 

Second, the solution.

What then is the solution? 

Look at Joshua 1:1,2. “After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the LORD, ‘Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?’ The LORD answered, ‘Judah is to go; I have given the land into their hands.’ ” Let us also read Judges 20:18, “The Israelites went up to Bethel and inquired of God. They said, ‘Who of us shall go first to fight against the Benjamites?’ The LORD replied, ‘Judah shall go first.’ ” Here we see the Lord repeating the same remedy saying, “Judah is to go,” and, “Judah shall go first.” This repetition raises a question: “Why did the Lord ask Judah to go first?” Was it because the people belonging to the tribe of Judah were more adapt to fighting than the other tribes? Was it because they had more Kung-Fu martial artists or champion gun slingers than the rest of the tribes? The answers to these questions are all, NO. Judges 20:44 indicates that the Benjamites had more valiant fighters than any of the other tribes. Why then did the Lord choose Judah to go first? 

We can find the answer to this question in the name Judah, which means, “This time I will praise the Lord.” This requires a short review on the background of how Judah was named. Let us read Genesis 29:16-35, responsively. Now let us focus on the last five verses where we can see the spiritual growth of Leah. 

1) Reuben: Surely my husband will love me now.

2) Simeon: Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.

3) Levi: Now at least my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.

4) Judah: This time I will praise the Lord. 

“Then she stopped having children.”

The meanings of the name of the four sons describe the spiritual growth of Leah. The names of the first three sons indicate the nature of the problems she had. They represent her times of failure. The name of the forth son shows that she finally found the right solution to her problem. So the expression, “she stopped having children” [after naming her fourth son Judah], represents the net effect of her spiritual growth. 

This observation then teaches us the way to total satisfaction, which is the key point for our Bible study tonight. The key is found in the meaning of the name Judah, that is, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Genesis 29:35b reads, "Then she stopped having children." Here a question arises: "What does it imply that after Leah named her fourth son Judah she stopped having children?" We can find the answer to this question from what she "stopped" doing, that is, having children. Praising the Lord put her to a complete "stop" to having children! This means that when she started praising the Lord she stopped being thirsty for her husband's love. As a result she stopped having children. 

Her example reminds us of the way God designed man, that is, God made man in such a way that man can find true satisfaction of his soul in only one source: the Lord. In Leah’s case, she tried to quench the thirst for love from Jacob. In an effort to secure her husband's love, she kept enticing Jacob; as a result she kept producing children out of Jacob. But again and again she failed to quench her thirst. After failing three times, finally, it dawned on her that Jacob is not the right source. As a last resort she turned to the Lord. Then, in the Lord, she found what she was looking for. In a way then she is like the Samaritan woman who looked to fill the needs of her soul in the wrong places, such as a husband. Jesus understood her thirst. Through a divine appointment Jesus met her at Jacob’s well. Through a personal bible study with her Jesus introduced himself as the Savior of the world who alone can quench the thirsts of her soul. At this point let us open the Bible and read John 4:10-14. 

Now, let us compare this passage with the key verses we have tonight. “After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the LORD, ‘Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?’ The LORD answered, ‘Judah is to go; I have given the land into their hands.’ ” Judah is to go! As we know, our Lord Jesus came through the line of Judah. Unlike the other tribes, the tribe of Judah holds the seed of the hope of salvation for all, that is, Jesus Christ. Looking to the time of the Savior to come, Genesis 49:10 reads, "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his." 

Third, applications.

From Leah's example we learned that God made man in such a way that he or she will never be fully satisfied with what has been created. We humans can find true satisfaction only in worshiping the Lord. The people of the days of the Judges did not learn this Biblical truth and made mistakes one after another. Again and again they went after people and the things of this world. As a result they became increasingly thirsty, and then increasingly frustrated. The more they indulged in pleasure seeking lifestyles, the more they were disappointed. They were disappointed in themselves and they made others disappointed. But the Lord God had mercy on them. Each time they ran into troubles, the Lord provided them with the remedy: that is, Judah going out first to fight the problems they had. 

In our generation there are many who are like the people in the days of the Judges. Some people are addicted to materialistic ways of life. Some people indulge in pleasure seeking lifestyles. Like the people living in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, or like the people who lived in the city of Gibeah, a town in the land of Benjamin, people who live in our own generation suffer mostly in looking for the spiritual water that could quench the thirsts of their souls. And they look for the solution in all the wrong places. But thanks and praise be to the Lord who sent Jesus Christ, who alone can fully quench the thirsts of our soul. 

In the college campuses there are many who are like Leah. Like Leah they look for solutions to their thirst problem in all the wrong places, such as girlfriends or boyfriends. Like the people in the day of the Judges, even many Christians suffer from such problems as greed for money or lust for human recognition or thirst for human love. As much as we know that nothing but the gospel of our Lord Jesus can offer true solution to all of their problems, let us all pray to present the gospel to the thirsty souls of our generation. 

One word: Judah will go first