When There Is No King — Judges 13–21 | The Collapse of Israel and the Need for a Righteous King

In this episode of Modern Mind, Ancient Book, we walk through Judges chapters 13–21, the final and most disturbing section of the Book of Judges.

This portion of Scripture reveals the collapse of Israel’s moral, spiritual, and social order. From the rise and fall of Samson to the shocking events surrounding the Levite and his concubine, the text confronts us with a nation spiraling into chaos.

The repeated line—“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes”—is not just historical commentary. It is a theological diagnosis.

What you’ll learn:
•The historical and cultural background of Judges 13–21
•The life, calling, and failure of Samson
•The significance of the tribe of Dan’s migration and idolatry
•The events of Judges 19–21 and Israel’s internal collapse
•How these chapters point forward to the need for a righteous King
•Why this narrative ultimately prepares the way for Jesus Christ

This teaching is designed for the Christian seeker and those exploring the Jewish roots of the Bible, grounded in ancient manuscripts and the historical continuity of Scripture.

The Book of Judges does not end in victory—it ends in longing.

A longing for a King who will not fail.

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📖 Scripture Focus: Judges 13–21

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Walk the Way — Modern Mind, Ancient Book

Transcript

Tempo: 120.0

SPEAKER_02 0:04

Chip, did you know that the book of Judges talks about a king before there was a king as if it's anticipating a king?

SPEAKER_00 0:10

I didn't know that. I thought I was about judges.

SPEAKER_02 0:13

Stay tuned for more. We're gonna talk about that a little bit. Today we're gonna get into Judges chapter 13 to 21. This is continuing what we were doing on Friday nights, uh, but due to some circumstances, we uh can't continue it in the environment that we're in. So we decided to put it on the podcast. If you're listening to the podcast, um you missed some content that you can find on YouTube, Modern Mind Ancient Book. My name's Roger. I'll be your host, Chip. Thanks for joining me today. Hey, it's a pleasure as always, Roger. Uh, without further ado, let's get into Judges starting in chapter 13. So this is um the Samson cycle to start, anyways. So it's the overview of this is the Samson cycle, civil war, and then, you know, collapse of Israel's moral order, which I wouldn't say and then it's just right collapsed. Um so you know, in those days there was no king in Israel. Everybody did what was right in his own eyes. Did what was right in his own eyes. What what is that echo for you?

SPEAKER_00 1:18

Uh that sounds to me like the like the taking, like you just look and see and take. That's and and call it good.

SPEAKER_02 1:26

Yeah, think pre-flood. Yeah. Right? Um, where each one did what was right in his own eyes. And you know, the interesting thing about this is that in that environment, God is still willing to work. Yep. So, uh covenant of grace, anyone?

SPEAKER_00 1:44

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 1:46

So okay, so chapter 13. Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord gave them into the hands of the Philistines. Now, uh, you know, this is repeated often.

SPEAKER_00 2:02

It is. Yeah. You're talking about giving up getting in the hands of the enemy.

SPEAKER_02 2:06

Well, and the people doing evil in the sight of the Lord, right? So, you know, the the book of Judges opens with the people being unable to complete the task of taking the whole, you know, land, right? Like you're called a Zionist if you believe that Israel should own this gigantic swath of land. Right. Well, I mean, what it is is it's you know, it's from uh like Deuteronomy and Judges. Yeah. Right? So, you know, the Bible says that Israel was supposed to be the ruler, the leader of, the owner of a gigantic swath of land from uh from Mesopotamia to the sea, and then basically from Egypt all the way up like into Syria, Damascus, Jordan, all that stuff is their land.

SPEAKER_00 2:49

Right. What do we call that ch uh geographical covenant or covenantal geography?

SPEAKER_02 2:54

Yeah, the theological geography. There we go. Uh, you know, God God called that theirs, and so it was to be theirs. Um, and you know, Israel to this day, uh, the religious folks that believe the Bible, um, they're still attempting to make that happen, and everybody's angry about it. Um, but you know, dear Christian, I would uh I would counsel you first to understand the stories and their context and what they mean and why they mean what they mean and how God operated through that time, and then you know, all these individual stories which we're gonna talk about today, and then not to be offended by that because Israel, um, well, it's this is hard for me to explain without offending someone, right? Because we tend to take uh things a bit too literally when we should take them biblically, because truth is truer than truth. Meaning this, is there a physical Israel? Yes, absolutely. They're descendants of Jacob, they have DNA, right? Yep, and people argue that the people there aren't that you know, there's all these things, right? So, like Israel doesn't have a rifle. You know, you know who has a rifle cry uh that that will come true is the people of God. Yeah, and that's their land.

SPEAKER_00 4:04

Right. Well, God gave it, basically gave it to them. Yes, seated it and everything.

SPEAKER_02 4:09

And so it's going to happen. Whether you like it or not, it is going to happen. But it won't be by flesh. So, you know, it won't be by the might of the warrior, it will be by the might of the king of Israel. The king of all those who are called by God's name. And whose name are you known, kind of thing. So, you know, if you're offended by that, I would say just read the Bible more.

SPEAKER_00 4:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:35

Yeah. That being said, um, you know, the people did evil, uh, just as Christians are continually doing evil and being given over to a reprobate reprobate mind. Israel was given over to a reprobate mind. But there was a certain man, Zora, Zora. I get, you know, I'm trying to remember uh to just say these names. My my scholarly mind says I have to say it in Hebrew. Right, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:03

And that was actually the that was actually the town named after his clan. His his name was was uh Manoah, I believe, the actual father of Santos.

SPEAKER_02 5:10

Yeah, a certain man of Zora, the town, right? A family of the tribe of Dan, the Danites, whose name was Manoah, and his wife was barren and had bore no children. Then the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, Now, this is a motif that we've seen numerous times.

SPEAKER_00 5:28

Over and over.

SPEAKER_02 5:29

Yeah. So those of us who say that um, you know, God could never be a man, like think Islamists, uh, Islam or even Judaism for that thing. Right. So, you know, God could never be a man. Well, he's been doing this for a long time.

SPEAKER_00 5:43

I was gonna say there's yeah, walking all through the Old Testament.

SPEAKER_02 5:46

Uh-huh. And, you know, you can attempt to redefine this how you want to, but Jacob worshipped this man God. Yep. And Abraham. So just just understand that God has done some things that you may not be comfortable with. But he keeps reappearing and he keeps moving the story forward, even in a place that's full of people doing evil things.

SPEAKER_00 6:09

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 6:10

Who knew better than to do evil things.

SPEAKER_00 6:12

Well, you know, that's that's kind of the whole redemption arc in this. That's why you see grace in it.

SPEAKER_02 6:17

Yeah, well, it has to be a covenant of grace because it wasn't a covenant that was kept. Yep. If this is a covenant of law, then everybody should just be dead. Yep. Uh, you know. That's not God's plan, though. No, it was never God's plan. So the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, Behold, now you are barren, um, and you've borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son. There was another woman who was told that she shall conceive and give birth to a son.

SPEAKER_00 6:45

Yeah, that was Swell Mary. Yeah, I can think of Mary.

SPEAKER_02 6:48

I can also there's a whole bunch of them. This is this is the theme. Yep. Now, therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. So it is tied to what you do, right? Right. These are people who were faithful Israelites. Yep. They loved God and they did what he said, they walked the way. For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazarite. Now, the Nazirite vow was given a while back. It was one of the very first things that was delivered and in the wisdom of God, right? What we call the Torah, the law. And this is the very first Nazirite that was commanded. Got it. Commanded by God.

SPEAKER_00 7:27

Right. So basically it's a vow to do certain things like he can't drink wine. To be set apart. Right.

SPEAKER_02 7:33

Yep, to be set apart from the world. Uh and so, yeah, this this Samson character is commanded to keep the Nazirite vow. Now, the Nazarite vow is is uh it's pretty strict. Um, it's not overly complicated. It's found in number six. So this is what it says speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, When a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazarite, to dedicate himself to the Lord, he shall abstain from wine and strong drink, he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, nor shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh or dried grapes. He has to be cut off from the fruit of the earth. Got it. Interesting, huh? It is a all the days of his separation he shall not eat anything that is produced by the grapevine from the seeds, even to the skin. All the days of his vow of separation, no rag razor shall pass over his head, and he shall be holy until the days are fulfilled which he has separated himself to the Lord. He shall let the locks of his hair, of his head grow long all the days of his separation to the Lord. He shall not make himself unclean, which means he can't even

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SPEAKER_02 8:37

go to like the funeral of his brothers and stuff like that, or his mother. Okay, so this is like a pretty serious thing. This is actually uh a vow that Paul took.

SPEAKER_00 8:46

I didn't know that. Yeah, he did.

SPEAKER_02 8:47

He took cool. Yep, he shaved his head and he took this vow um after uh the Emmaus Way thing. So, you know, interesting thing. First, this is I I'm not sure if this is the only command that's ever been given for somebody to be a Nazarite by the angel of the Lord. I think it is. Wow. Um, so you know, this is just an odd time. This is God, and and I can't say this enough. This is this is a messianic thing, especially anointed for this. Right. This is God intervening in a world that's dark by bringing a child.

SPEAKER_00 9:21

Yeah, I can I can I can definitely yeah, I can see some some messianic uh who's totally set apart from the world.

SPEAKER_02 9:27

Right. But we're gonna find out it's always looking forward to something else. So, okay. So then the woman call call came and told her husband, a man of God. Well, wait a minute, God could never come as a man, but this she she doesn't recognize she she uh uh assumes that possibly it's the appearance of the angel of God, but just that he appeared awesome, but she, unlike everybody else before, did not ask where he came from or his name. Right. Just she did not go to the tree of the knowledge of good. This is this should hearken back to the garden. This should remind you that she did not want to know, she wanted to be obedient. Right. It's it's an interesting play on the Genesis account right there. Sure is. So, but he said to me, Behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and now you shall not drink. And she talks about the Nazarite vow. And then she um says that the boy will be a Nazarite to God until his death. Then Manoah entreated the Lord, he called in prayer, Oh Lord, please let the man of God whom you have sent come to us again that he may teach us what to do for the boy who is to be born. Why why did he need a second word?

SPEAKER_00 10:51

I guess he number one, he wasn't a witness. You're talking about the the father, he didn't actually the the angel didn't come to him, came to his wife. Came to his wife. I'm assuming that he wasn't sure.

SPEAKER_02 11:02

This is in this is the culture. Right? This is the culture of the Bible. It like if you if you if you know about history, then you know a woman didn't she's not even named here. Yeah, she she did not have the ability to call the shots like this.

SPEAKER_00 11:17

Right. The the the mother of one of the greatest late judges in the period is not named.

SPEAKER_02 11:22

And and this is this is also a Genesis theme. That the woman would be minimum minimized and made to serve, right, even though she would strive after equality with her husband. Right here, you see the garden curse. True do. Right? And God himself saw fit to explain, but Manoah needed God to explain, right? Not his wife.

SPEAKER_00 11:44

Right.

SPEAKER_02 11:45

It's the garden. I mean, all the curse stuff is all just present in these things. Um so you know, let's let's do some name name stuff here. Samson, son like interesting. Not not not son like the son of a father, but son of a father. But son like the shining son of a father. Like the light, like, like the light. The light bringer. Yeah. Okay. Manoah, rest. What was Noah? Yeah. Rest. Interesting. This this should bring you right back to the days of Noah. And and what did it open with? Each one did what was right in his own eyes. Uh-huh. You see the motifs? Yep. They're flowing all through this stuff. Zora is the hornet's place. So who what had happened to the Danites? Do you know any of the history at this point?

SPEAKER_00 12:35

Um, my understanding is that they didn't they take a take a portion and fail to conquer conquer it and they're not going to be able to do it. Totally failed to conquer it.

SPEAKER_02 12:42

They were cast out by the Amorites. Right. Yep. So they had they had the sea places, the places by the sea, and now they're in the hornets place because they're just constantly in fighting. They the Amorites were more powerful than the Danites. Gotcha. Kind of thing. So uh you're gonna see in a minute here why that's so true. So, okay, so but you know, God understands the culture. So he listened to the voice of Rest, and the angel of the Lord came again to the woman as she was sitting in the field, but Rest was not with her. So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, Behold, the man who came the other day has appeared to me. Then Manoah arose and followed his wife, and they came to the man, and he said to him, Are you the man who spoke to the woman? And he said, I am. I love I love I love the Bible. Ah, yeah, I just love this one. So now that being said, um this this is not the uh kind of you know uh I am I am thing. Right. You know, this is just said is it is me. But um, okay. So Manoah said, now when your words come to pass, what shall the boy's mode of life and his vacation? So vocation. So he knew that he was to be a Nazirite, but he didn't know what he was supposed to do. So fair, right? He did take the advice, he did listen. The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, let the woman pay attention to all that I said. What is he doing? He's pointing to her and he's saying, She has agency too, my friend. I told her what it would be. Right. He should not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor drink wine, or strong drink, nor eat anything unclean. Let her observe all that I commanded. She is your equal, Manoah. That's what he's yeah, that's the way I read that. Then Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, please let us detain you so that we may prepare a young goat for you. What's a young goat?

SPEAKER_00 14:38

Um a kid. A sin offering. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:41

Right? The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, Um, though you detain me, and in this case, it's like a free will offering. Now listen to what he says. I will not eat your food, but if you prepare a burnt a burnt offering, that's a sin offering.

SPEAKER_00 14:56

Right, got it.

SPEAKER_02 14:58

Then offer it to the Lord. For Manoah did not know that he was speaking to the angel of the Lord.

SPEAKER_00 15:08

Oh, that's interesting.

SPEAKER_02 15:09

What does that say about the culture at this point?

SPEAKER_00 15:11

They're they've what they've wandered far afield.

SPEAKER_02 15:14

They can't even recognize Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph.

SPEAKER_00 15:17

The interesting thing, though, in this in this entire book of Judges, God's reaching in instead of like the days before Noah, where he's like, nope, I'm gonna send a flood. Here he's reaching in to the floor.

SPEAKER_02 15:26

Well, that's why that's why that's exactly why I was pointing out earlier that this is just like the days before Noah. Right. But what was the promise of the days before Noah? Or about the time after Noah? Never again will I destroy the people by water, instead, it's held for the day of fire. There's always something more looking forward. Right. So this is actually the introduction of the theme that brings us to the new covenant. Got it. This is the moment. So this is what's happening, okay? God is saying the whole world is returning to what it was before the flood. But I am going to intervene by bringing a child. And rest is going to receive rest. But that child will have to be a truly set apart one.

SPEAKER_00 16:11

Hence the Nazarite vow.

SPEAKER_02 16:12

Uh-huh. Okay, that's the theme. Very cool. Now let's see how this happens. Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, What is your name? Again, the the tree thing. Right. The men wants the man wants to rule with agency. He's always looking to know the know they want the knowledge. And God says, Why do you ask my name? Seeing it's wonderful. Wonderful counselor, mighty God. Right, right. You notice he never gives his name yet. I see that. Because he's yet to come. So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering and offered it on the rock to the Lord. It was on a on an uncut stone. Right. Right. And he performed wonders while Manoah and his wife looked on. Something supernatural was happening. Right. For it came about when the flame went up from the altar toward heaven and the angel of the Lord ascended. Who ascended and descended? Yeah, yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. So as it was changed, this man God ascended. He went with the offering.

SPEAKER_00 17:21

So now they now now Manoah knows he's dealing with the divine.

SPEAKER_02 17:25

They fell on their faces and worshipped.

SPEAKER_00 17:29

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_02 17:30

Okay. I'm just saying, man God is real.

SPEAKER_00 17:32

And now he's freaking out a little bit because he thinks he's seen God.

SPEAKER_02 17:36

Yeah. Then he says, we're gonna die. And he says, Nope, you're not gonna die. If the Lord wanted to kill us, he would have accepted a burn, he wouldn't 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 let us heard things like that. Then the woman she gave birth to Samson and he grew up and the Lord blessed him, and the spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahana Dan between Zora and Eshtol. So this is a place, right? That the family of the Danites had. Okay? Right. Now the thing is, is it's this is this is like a future-looking moment, okay? This is a place where it's the beginning of contact conquest. Right. Okay? So the spirit of the Lord was uh on him. Estahole means a request, an entreaty. The Philistines, you know what it means, it's just invaders. Got it. So this is why um scholars have problems with like the areas because the Philistines didn't call themselves Philot Philistines.

SPEAKER_00 18:53

Right.

SPEAKER_02 18:53

You know what I mean? Yeah, it's it's it's a little bit challenging because, and again, and I've said this before, the Bible doesn't make a claim to be the only truth.

SPEAKER_00 19:04

Right, well, their worldview, it's a competing claim. Right. And they're they probably had their own name that nobody knows, and the Egyptians would have called them the sea peoples, and etc. etc. Right? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:13

It's it's all that kind of thing, right? So, yeah, I mean, you know, these uh Philistines, these are the invaders. So Samson, he went down to Timnah and saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines, and he came back. Wait a minute, is he supposed to go take a daughter from the Philistines?

SPEAKER_00 19:30

No, but he is in the tribe of Dan, and if you know, everybody does what's right in their own in their own mind, right?

SPEAKER_02 19:36

God, we're gonna find out that God is using even the disobedience of the people. Right? So then his father and mother said to him, Is there no woman among your daughters or relatives? They're like, You can you can't do this. Why would you take a wife from these goi, these uncircumcised Philistines, the nations? But Samson says to his father, get her for me, for she looks good to me. Yeah. It doesn't sound like a very humble man.

SPEAKER_00 20:00

No, it doesn't sound like a Nazirite either, does it?

SPEAKER_02 20:02

Yeah, that's yeah. So his father and his mother did not know it was from the Lord, for he was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. Now at the time the Philistines were ruling over Israel. So the the Bible for me puts a lot of things in like a like a majesty kind of form. Right. Right? Like God is the one doing this. But God God never asked anybody to live this way.

SPEAKER_00 20:24

Right.

SPEAKER_02 20:25

What he's doing is he's uh he's working in a dark place where in disobedient people and working for good. Yeah, and working for good, all these things. It's super good. So um, you know, it's just it's really important to note that God is still working on your behalf, regardless of what you've done. Right, right, and we can we can prove that because the scriptures show us that. Yep, over and over and over. That he's good, that he's patient, that he gives grace, that he's kind. And it really has nothing to do with you. It has to do with his plan. And and for his glory, he's working toward his end. Yep. Period. End of story. You know? So it's the divine initiative and it precedes repentance. The people didn't repent, but God was there to bring about his purpose by showing us that he was going to invade the world by bringing a child that was totally set apart onto the earth among a people. Right. Right? So, okay, uh understood. Now, for us Christians, we call this a Christophany, okay, meaning Jesus' appearance, right? For Jewish people, uh, they just emphasize the obedience of the Nazarite restriction, right? All right, and then that this is just a messenger who has the authority of God, right? So you know, he the the actual offering was offered to the Lord. our God and this who had authority went back to the Lord our God. Right. So you know I I think you gotta I think you gotta jump through some pretty pronounced theological hurdles to make that be true. Especially given all of the appearances appearances of this angel of God. Right. But you know Israel doesn't recognize the God man yet. Not yet. They will okay so um the parents are notably upset and with good reason now they went and did it anyways right so the Philistines they were ruling over Israel. Now Samson he went down to Timnah with his father and mother and they came to the vineyards of Timnah and behold a young lion came out. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily so he tore it no big deal and he told him yeah I can't that what an image that is yeah it's you know this is the type of stuff that makes the Bible kind of hard to understand for us because we look at this and we go well he did that with his hands? Right. Like you don't you don't destroy a lion with your own hands.

SPEAKER_00 23:09

Well you know what it says a young lion so it could be a kitten I'm being I'm being facetious.

SPEAKER_02 23:17

Yeah so it says that he tore him as if he tore a young goat uh you know through nothing he says fine it was a young lion but still they're pretty fearsome yeah no kidding uh but he didn't tell his mother and father what he'd done so he was traveling separate from them so he went down and talked to the woman and she looked good to Samson he saw and he took what's that motif yeah the garden that's the garden right sure is so when he returned later to take her he saw and he took he turned aside to look at the carcass of the lion and behold a swarm of bees and honey was in it he saw that and so he went and took some of it and then he ate it saw took ate yep this doesn't sound like the one who was totally set apart who would mean the future and forever judgment kind of thing. Right. Right? So what we're seeing here is that God will intervene and he's going to bring someone but this one isn't actually the one. No this is just partial obedience this is God showing something and making sure that that one could eventually arise by making sure that the people could overcome their enemies in the temporal moments. Right. Right? So when he came to his father and mother he gave some to them to eat and they ate it. Israel is always leading Israel astray just like the church is always leading the church astray. We teach things that aren't true from our pulpits. Yep. But he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey out of the body of the lion he knew the difference he knew he was not supposed to touch a dead body he took a Nazirite vow. Yep. Then his father went down to the woman and Samson made a feast there for the young men customarily did this there's a wedding supper of the lamb right yep so this one was promised to the nations right yep this one reached out to the nations there's a whole motif in this thing when they saw him they brought thirty companions to be with them. Then Samson said to them Let me now propound a riddle to you if you will indeed tell it to me within the seven days of the feast and find it out then I will give you thirty linen wraps and thirty changes of clothing. Now the people of Canaan were not known for um like clothing. Right but the people of Mesopotamia were okay and the Israelites had that they had exceptional clothing. Think Joseph's many coats kind of thing right and it's also extreme wealth I mean at this point in history if you had a couple pairs of clothes you were you had a lot. Right everybody else is walking around in threadbearing maybe one maybe a maybe like just you know basically you'd have to wash clothes all the time because you didn't have much you know so but if you're unable to tell me then you should give me 30 linen wraps and 30 changes of clothes and clothes uh so he told him the riddle out of the eater come out of the eater comes something to eat and out of the strong came something sweet because only he would know that. Right. Right so it tells you before this that he kept this secret that he broke his Nazirite vow eating the food of the gods. Right? Yeah honey is something that never spoils this is something that has theological consequence um in the history of the world honey is known as a thing right so they had three days you you see the seven the three sure do right so it came about on the fourth day that they said to Samson's wife and touch your husband so that he'll tell us the riddle what is spiritual warfare uh this is an example of it it's a very very real example of this um so you know go back to the garden was Adam was present with her right like the they were together yep they it was not good that a man should be alone she was given the wife right right she saw it took an ate then she gave and he participated knowingly exactly about correction this is all the garden fall narrative so that this deliverer we know biblically cannot be that one right right but God is intervening still even in a failed world like this like I think that's the biggest thing we're supposed to see that throughout this process God is still intervening even in a fallen world for his own purpose not it really doesn't have much to do with the people it's temporal right right for them they get some relief but at the same time Samson couldn't be the one nope Daniel Black uh who's a a Christian scholar says he's a flawed deliverer raised by grace not merit. Right. I mean for for as many of our scholars say that this is a covenant of law we also say things like this Barry Webb the birth narrative mirrors Isaac and Samuel it's a divine pattern right meaning those are the ones that had the woman that can't conceive things both Isaac and Samuel this so this is number three three has great significance this is kind of the capstone of that story I would say right right the from the Jewish worldview from Rossi it emphasizes obedient to the Nazarite restrictions. So again the focus of obedience shouldn't be a Christian theological position because we bring Jesus back. Right to the Jewish people yes it would make sense that that this focus would be that focus because Deuteronomy and you know this this tells you if you're obedient you'll be blessed right but after you're not blessed after you fail you can't be obedient and restore it.

SPEAKER_00 28:56

Right well I mean and and clearly he's disobedient all the way down the line here.

SPEAKER_02 29:00

Yes I mean we have a Nazirite going after a non-Hebrew you know not even a not even a uh a Hebrew female I mean he's well listen to the darkness in the world and this is why God reaches in even among Don even among Dan even among um you know Manoah and Samson with all his flaws because this is what happens entice your husband so that he will tell us the riddle and and all this is is over clothing. Now it's great wealth don't don't get me wrong but if you don't we will burn you in your father's house with fire. Right. Have you invited us to impoverish us so you see how much wealth it is right so for the love of money great evil oh yeah Jesus taught us something and then she resorts to tears to get the answer to the Samson left the let the manipulation begin. You only hate me you do not love me you have propounded a riddle in the sons of my people and not told it to me and he said to her Behold I've not told it to my mother and father so why would I tell you he's saying look I I did something I shouldn't have done but I'm gonna get some money out of this thing. And finally she he he relents however she left before him for seven days while their feast lasted and on the seventh day so here he thought he was good right she pressed him so hard she then told the riddle the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down what is sweeter than honey what is stronger than lion there we go. You would not have told this to me if you hadn't ploughed with my heifer uh oh uh then the spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of them and he took their spoils and gave the changes of clothes to those who told the riddle and his anger burned and he went up to his father's house but Samson's wife was given to his companions who had been his friend. Now he must have been very angry oh yeah and that thirty changes of clothes I'm sure were pretty bloody and the interesting thing is Ashkelon is another Philistine city.

SPEAKER_00 31:00

Yeah so what did he do?

SPEAKER_02 31:02

He went to a Philistine city and killed thirty of them and then gave those clothes to Philistines which is pretty pretty interesting it's it's it's a it's a people against a people uh and it you know it it's each doing right in his own eyes this isn't God's thing no he he never meant for us to murder one another it's it's the fall so the revenge right so okay let let's let's continue going but after a while in the time of the wheat harvest sampson visited his wife so he calmed down but we've already learned that she was given to someone else so the people this this is what happened they hated they hated Samson so the father gave him to another Philistine right gave her to another Philistine he went there with a young goat he was bringing an offering and he was gonna go in there to consummate the marriage again right that they this was already done that that's why she had to be given away so quickly right she was no longer worthy right it was i her father had to repay for what Samson did kind of thing but her father did not let him enter because now there's a problem she belongs to someone else I I know of people that were once given to their beloved and that were given to someone else. Yeah her father said I really thought you hated her intensely so I gave her to your companion I see I see a lot of theology in this statement here I really thought that you hated her intensely so I gave her to your companion I I feel like Israel believes that God hates her intensely and and has for many years. I that there are very few people who are actually totally bought and sold and faithful to the covenant anymore. Right. Well first of all you can't offer sacrifices so there's no forgiveness of sins but after being given up like that right I I just I see I see a lot in there. So is not her younger sister more beautiful than she please let her be yours. Samson said to them or uh yeah then said to him this time I shall be blameless in regard to what the Philistines when I do them harm. Now he's got motive yeah it's just it's just getting worse um so he brings foxes so it was a wealth problem last time right yep so now he's gonna make it even worse oh yeah he's going after their foxes yeah he's also going to take their crops and their groves and everything right so he took torches and he turned the foxes tail to tail and he put one torch between them and then he set fire to the torches and released them into the standing grain thus burning up both the stocks and the grain along with the vineyards and grove so you uh you were mad about money fine try this on for size try this on for size then he took the jawbone of a donkey why the jawbone of a donkey now that's a good question. It's an unclean weapon okay yeah donkeys are not clean so he took something that was unclean and dealt with the unclean and they're they're pretty brutal it's they're they're heavy yeah yeah so he but but first of all the Philistines did exactly like they said they were gonna do it they they torched her yeah and they said to Samson the son of law of the Timnite because he took his wife and gave her to his companion so the Philistines came up and they burned her and her father with fire. Samson said to them I will take revenge on you. He struck them with a great slaughter alright a brutal people man like Yeah these were tough times these are really really really really tough times it's deliverance though without covenant faithfulness isn't it and it's escalating violence not restoration and it only gets worse yep the men of Judah said why have you come up against us the people of his own people are coming to bind him to give him to the Philistines because they're rulers over them and they said we'll burn you give me this man.

SPEAKER_00 35:39

Yeah so so you've got one one of the sons of Jacob essentially betraying another son of Jacob in name in name of the Philistines this is a covenant of law to you right now this is a mess. I just they're spiraling into complete complete apostasy in my opinion this is why I couldn't be a dispensationalist or a covenant theologian I I just I don't see it.

SPEAKER_02 36:03

I don't either what I see is a failed a failed people just like the church we just we quick we so quickly turned I can't wait to get into Christian history. We so quickly turned I mean we're no different. Right but God is always faithful. He was faithful to his own covenant it had nothing to do with us. Yep and you know now it's brother against brother. Yeah well this is just another example how God sifts people through time I mean this is a sifting but you know what the difference is so the garden motif is present here it's brother against brother but in this case they're not gonna kill him.

SPEAKER_00 36:38

Right.

SPEAKER_02 36:39

And and that was the promise right so they come and they say we're gonna bind you and we're gonna give you to the Philistines and Samson says swear to me that you won't kill me. So this is where God intervened in so the garden motif does not totally play out. Right. Right and this is where Israel has her benefit because God has been speaking into the people and regardless of their state of covenant faithfulness they're not like Cain. Right they're not gonna kill him and said to him no but we're gonna bind you fast meaning strongly and give you into their hands and surely they won't uh and surely but we won't kill you but who who was bound and given into the hands of yeah Joseph Jesus oh well yeah Joseph first it's Joseph right then Jesus right now I was thinking this is kind of like the Sanhedrin we're not gonna kill you we're gonna give you to the people who are going to kill you. Yes all those motifs are present in this sure are this these stories they play through repeatedly because that's how God teaches us. He teaches us through patterns right he gives us it we were talking about this earlier there's an energy exchange there's life that comes and goes and it's you know through these minimal things this short life these short time periods where he works and then he gets it written down and memor memorialized for this right and he expects us to honor this and remember it and teach it and and learn it and teach it right there's a cycle learning and teaching and learning and teaching we're supposed to pass it to our children so that they can build onto this now I was I fell absolutely in love with this stuff once I realized that it's so much better than everybody told me it was yeah you know they told me that this is all just like law and it's nothing you have to worry about and you know it's kind of really not worth reading but I don't care what people say. I wanted to find out about Jesus. Yeah it's actually this is progressive revelation I mean it doesn't look like it but it is yeah and and when I see um Manoah you know and I mean Rest and then Samson like the sun you know I mean all this stuff like speaks to me right so I fell in love with it because I realized that the covenant of grace has been since the very beginning Adam received grace and Jesus was grace the first and the second Adam right so all through this whole thing all I'm doing is learning about Jesus and I see him in everything. So I see the difference between the garden motif in this though because the Philistines yes they killed their own they burned their their brother and their sister sure did but here Israel did not do that. So say what you want to about Israel they are touched by God they're a little bit changed. Yeah yep just like the church is a little bit changed. Yep we're not quite as bad not cane not Cain we're not Cain so when he came to Lehi the Philistines shouted as they met him and the spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily so that the robes were on his arm. They were as flax and burned by fire and his bonds dropped from his hands he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey so he reached out and took it and killed a thousand men. One kills a thousand this is the promise uh that was given to Joshua one man shall turn away a thousand right okay so we're we're seeing how the Bible continues to speak to itself. And Samson said now this is like a song for him with the jawbone of a donkey heaps upon heaps with the jawbone of a donkey have killed a thousand men. Right. When he had finished speaking he threw the jawbone from his hand and he named that place Ramat Lehigh okay so you know Moses it's the it's the high place of the jawbone right then he almost dies of thirst who needs uh water you know this this this is a uh another one of those themes that runs all through this thing God is constantly providing for his people life giving water yeah that's what I was gonna say the living water the living the living the living water so um you know you did this for me I was able to conquer all these people now shall I die of thirst at the hand and and fall into the hands of the these uncircumcised it's called but God split the hollow place that is in Lehi that's splitting of the rock again right it's like Moses right so God is showing and listen to you discerning listeners out there nobody deserved for this to happen right right at this point um Israel is disobedient they're stuck in a place that they didn't conquer there's zero reason in Deuteronomy for God to care right but here he is he splits it and he gives he gives Samson life giving water and his strength returns and he's revived there he therefore he named it Enhakur which is in Lehi to this day the spring of him who called God called God is reaching into the world God is saving his people now it looks like it ends here but it doesn't and so he judged Israel 20 years in the days of the Philistines this is where every other story ends. Right but he keeps going yeah this one keeps going because there's it's it's it's a point of reference it's something that should draw you to the importance of Samson right to understand that where every other story has ended for the judges right here not Samson there's more right there's more okay so um Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there and he went into her man racking it up he sure is what a great Nazirite now Judah did something like that too yeah when it was told to the Gazites saying Samson has come here they surrounded the place and lay in wait and lay in wait all night at the gate of the city because he has to go out there right like there's these are controlled access places city gates where we're all the business and all the checking it's it's it's all that kind of thing think like port of entry for us. Right. It's like that and they kept uh they kept they just kept silent all night saying let us wait until the morning light. So you go have your pleasure through the night but when the day comes we'll kill him. Now Samson lay until midnight and at midnight he rose and took hold of the doors of the city gates and the two posts and pulled them up along with the bars and he put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain which is opposite Hebron. Now who else created in the darkness? Oh this is this is a create this is like it's it's the undoing of of violence and chaos and deep waters right right it's it's a God motif it's like a creation thing where God is the chaos the darkness and the deep it doesn't matter right God is in this he devised he devised the plan woke up solved the problem he decreated he created for himself the way out and he decreated their strength and took their gates and took their gates like open their city yeah can you imagine you wake up in the morning waiting on Samson and the gates are gone and you're and so is Samson. Yeah he just he's like he's like I don't even have to destroy you I'm just gonna take your gates away and you'll be regular

SPEAKER_00 44:00

Sounds like a Leonard Skinner song.

SPEAKER_02 44:04

So he carried him to the top of the mountain, which is opposite of Hebron. This is right in the midst of Israel.

SPEAKER_00 44:10

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 44:10

Yeah. The Hebron is the place where Abraham dwelt. So he just took away their safety. Yep. And there was nothing they could do about it. After this, it came about that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorak. You know, in that too, before we move on, um, the gates of hell shall not prevail. Right. This is when when I when I read that, I think of these like stories where God can open the gates. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:39

Yeah, and Gaza was another one of those Philistine cities, right?

SPEAKER_02 44:42

Yes. Yes, it was. And it's one of those cities that at this point uh in current history, we we ought to take note that you know there have been enemies there in the past. Uh-huh. And it's a spiritual battle, and we should pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Yep. After this, it came about that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorak, whose name was Delilah. Delilah. It's hard for me not to say it the way I want to. Delilah. The Lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, entice him. And see what great strength. Listen, spiritual warfare. Uh-huh. Okay. There is never an end. When and and I want I want us to learn this really because where we introduce evil, the evil is invasive. Right. Right? Wherever there is evil, it doesn't stop until you are like it.

SPEAKER_00 45:39

Right. And so this is basically a case where if Paul were around here, he would have said, run, flee from it.

SPEAKER_02 45:44

Yes. Run and flee from it. Or Jesus said, cut it off. Right. Delilah, she probably smiled like a shark. Oh, I bet she was beautiful and seductive. The you know, women, women have a magic of, and listen, I'm not saying women are evil. I'm saying where their spiritual warfare. What was the first place the serpent talked to? Yeah. To the woman. Yep. Right? So it's about the deception. Because how do you get the man the thing that he treasures? Right. His wife, his his paramour in the paramour in this case. Yeah, the women on the outside who can seduce him. Like you pastors and preachers and men out there who are trying to run your house, you better flee from women, because that is the place you're going to be tempted. That's a fact. It's all through the Bible. Delize Delilah said to Samson, please tell me where your great strength is. So this this whole thing continues, and the fellow the Philistines really want to kill him. Now, he keeps telling her, and she keeps accusing him of being a liar. And she's right, he won't he won't tell him, right?

SPEAKER_00 46:51

He's telling her what she wants to hear, sorta, so that he can get her to come back. So they're both kind of being deceptive here.

SPEAKER_02 46:57

He's using her for what he wants, and she's trying to use him for what she wants. Right. It's most modern relationships and dating sites are built on this. I mean, it's it's super bad. Uh, and and this is a symptom of the fall, nothing more, nothing less. So he finally tells her that he's a Nazirite and that um, you know, she cut his hair, and that's what she does. She brings him peace on her lap, and then she cuts his hair. Then he's taken by the Philistines, but he didn't know the Lord departed from him. And in whose undoing was it? Samson costs his own undoing. Right. Which is the poetic part of this, okay? So God will work on your behalf, he will work on the behalf of his future, but be careful with what you do with yourself. Yep. Right? I mean, it was Samson who did this to himself.

SPEAKER_00 48:02

Yeah, that which is amazing.

SPEAKER_02 48:05

He's he's definitely not living the way he was supposed to. And Sin was crouching at the door's desired to have him, and eventually it did get him. When he went to the wrong place, he saw and he took, and then he was manipulated to the point that this happened. So the Philistines sees him, they gouged out his eyes. Now he can't see. That's total motif. Right. Total motif. Paul lost his sight, and then he took Nazarite vows. You know why? No, I I thought I didn't know that. This story. Oh, that's cool. This this is Paul's thing. I guarantee you, this is the stuff he was thinking of. This is all end times or Jesus times type stuff, anyway. Right. Like this story points completely to that time frame. All right, because the power of God was with Israel, but Israel denied keeping the way. Right. Then eventually their secret became known and they became weak. Right? God was their secret, his ways, his spirit. God had to depart because they wouldn't. Then they were given up, and now they can't see, but at some point his power is going to return and they're gonna undo their enemies.

SPEAKER_00 49:22

Right. So it's it's yeah, it's a constant, it's a constant cycle, in this case, a devolving cycle for a while.

SPEAKER_02 49:27

Yeah, and and this isn't the end, this is just like the beginning of that motif. So now the great thing is that the proud are too proud. So they all gathered together and they were offering sacrifices and getting drunk and partying, and they said, Hey, let's bring Samson in here so that he can entertain us. But his hair was growing back. So he was brought between the two pillars. And the interesting thing is they know that the um the Philistines, they actually built places that were exactly that this could happen. Yeah. And so, you know, they've they've got these places, right, where it shows these pillars that if you were to take out two pillars, these places would actually collapse on themselves. So Samson said to the boy who was taken to him, they brought a young boy to bring him in. They didn't even have a soldier with them.

SPEAKER_00 50:19

Right.

SPEAKER_02 50:19

Uh he said, Let me feel the pillars which on the house rests. And the house was full of men and women, and the lords of the Philistines were there, and they all died. Because he called on the Lord, and the Lord said, Please remember, and he said, Please remember me. Then he grasped them and he pushed them and they were crushed. Everybody in there fell, and then he was taken to a place, and he was buried between Zora and Eshtol in the tomb of Benoah, his father, where he judged for 20 years. Who died for Israel? And which which time? Which time? But you see, this this motif keeps coming, right? Like this motif keeps coming. This this points to the anointed one who is set apart dying.

SPEAKER_00 51:05

Right.

SPEAKER_02 51:06

Right? Like this is I'm pretty sure Paul saw these things. Right. Like there's this, there's this, there's this very important thing in Judges, in the story. It's not just a kid's story when it comes to Samson. This is a very important thing. It goes on and it ends and then it picks up again. There's a second time. Right. Right? And that second time, I think, is very messianic. It's the one who is delivered to the Gentiles because of the sin, right? Mm-hmm. And then he ends up crushing them. Right. The evil ones who come against the people. There's it's all right. I see it. Yeah. Okay, so he he was successful at what he did. Um chapter 17. Micah. Micah's an interesting guy. Who is like the Lord? The Levites are joined to the Lord. Dan is a judge, and Lyish is a lion. Those are the names, okay? So the hill country of Ephraim. Now, Dan, Ephraim, right? These are all these kind of central places around the places of worship. He said to his mother, the eleven hundred pieces of silver which were taken from you. Now, this eleven hundred pieces. This is um there's a a part before this that talks about eleven hundred pieces of silver, and it's important to note that. Right. Now, he stole from his mom. Right. But he brings it back, and they produce a false god. They make an idol from it. Right. An engraved thing, and it becomes a house shrine with the ephod. Where's the ephod from?

SPEAKER_00 52:47

Uh well should be with the high priest, right?

SPEAKER_02 52:49

It's all it's the Well remember there was one made by in in the land of Gilead. Right.

SPEAKER_00 52:55

By um uh you're talking about um um Gideon?

SPEAKER_02 53:01

Yeah, by Gideon. Yep. It this is probably the Ephhod. Right. Yep. So, you know, these people are worshiping idols, a graven image. I mean, it's just it's all things. So m Micah had a shrine, and it was and uh and he he made an ephod on a household idols and consecrated uh one of his sons that he might become a priest. They have a totally new priestly system, and then here you go no king in Israel, every man did what was right in his own eyes. This is a repeating theme, and it becomes a very strong one. But a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, there's Bethlehem is important, the house of bread, the family of Judah, who was a Levite, he was staying there. Then the man departed from the city, and he said, Wherever he finds a place, he will go. Micah said, Well, will you be my priest? He knew that it was important to have a real priest. So there's some memory of the agreement. Right. That's the point here, right? So uh I know that the Lord will prop prosper me, but here comes Dan. Yeah. Because they were driven out from their land, and listen to what they say. In those days, the tribe of the Danites were seeking inheritance for themselves to live in, for until that day an inheritance had not been allotted to them. But that's not true. That's right, that's not true. They were given an inheritance. They failed to secure it, they failed to secure it, they were driven out by the Amorites. So here they come to Micah, they ask for a blessing, then they go back and they take the idols and they take the priest and they say, We'll kill everybody, basically, unless you come with us. Who is it better for you, Levite, to stay with one family or to serve an entire family, right? To stay with one family. Or to serve a tribe. So he says yes, they go and they destroy a place that was living in peace, and they're acting like it's like the Joshua era. Right. Right? So is it is it the right thing? Yeah, when Joshua was alive. Right exactly. But their their land was taken from them, and now they're going to take other people's land. Yep. And they're doing it by theft and manipulation and th threats of violence against their own people. And using the Levite to justify it. And using the Levite to justify it. This is a total corruption of the system.

SPEAKER_00 55:22

It certainly is. And it's interesting, like this is Dan. Okay, we're talking about the exact same, I mean, even the references to the city, Zoar, and you know, it's I mean, we just we just had this in Samson.

SPEAKER_02 55:34

Yeah, where God was working among these people. Yep. So, you know, all this happens, they go and they do, they take that land, and it's it's okay. I mean, they spy it out.

SPEAKER_00 55:46

It's it's like a replay of Micah goes Micah goes running after them and they've put the women and children up front and the fighting men and the Bible. Because they knew they were gonna go to war over this. And basically Micah, Micah says, Nope, you can have the idol, you can have the priest, I'll see you later. Because they were gonna kill him. It was a mother against brother. It's really cool. Uh yeah, it's Yep. So we're watching, we're watching uh the Hebrews spin into apostasy here, the Israelites.

SPEAKER_02 56:12

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 56:13

Yeah. And there's they've obviously become almost no different, and this and then it just gets worse.

SPEAKER_02 56:20

It gets the so okay, so we've seen um, you know, two two tribes at this, three tribes. Judah. A Levi came out of Judah. A Levite came out of Judah. Right. And uh he's perfectly fine with idols.

SPEAKER_00 56:36

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 56:36

Right. Yeah. You got Ephraim building them.

SPEAKER_00 56:39

Yep, and the Levites willing to go be the priest in a in a um parallel system. Uh-huh. You know, I think the the tabernacle right now is still at Shiloh, right? Yeah. Or Sekum. Shechem, one of the two places.

SPEAKER_02 56:51

Yeah. Right. And then and then Dan is willing to kill his brothers to have the blessing of this other priestly system. Right. My goodness. Now it came about in those days when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote part of the hill country of Ephraim. So this is another Levite in Ephraim, who took a concubine from him for himself from Bethlehem and Judah. But his concubine played the harlot against him, and she went away with him to her father's house in Bethlehem and Judah, and there was a period of four months. Then her husband arose and went after her to speak tenderly to her in order to bring her back. So you have again, Judah, this focus on Judah. So in in the point of this is the rulers, they're producing women that can't even be faithful to the Levitical husbands. Right. And she goes back. Now, he goes and he tries to make peace because he wants her back after what she did to him. This is like God pursuing those who you know. Right. Right. So uh when the girl's father saw he was happy, and he tried to detain him. He detained him for most multiple days. Why do you think he tried to detain him?

SPEAKER_00 58:01

Well, probably because he didn't want his daughter going off with this guy. She probably came running home and said he's a horrible man or something.

SPEAKER_02 58:07

I think he was afraid. Yeah. You know, I really do. I think he was afraid for her safety.

SPEAKER_00 58:13

Well, unfortunately for him, this doesn't turn out very well for the daughter. He was right. Right?

SPEAKER_02 58:18

So the the heart of a father, um he tried to protect her. But on the fifth day, uh, you know, he says, Hey, you know, please detain yourself. And she did. But tomorrow you may arise. Then the man was not willing to spend the night. Why? Because it's it's like uh it's it's tomorrow's there's there's a thing, the Sabbath is approaching, right? Like he needs to be at home, yep. Kind of thing. So he arose and departed and came to Jebus, Jerusalem, and they would not go to there, right? So there's this odd focus.

SPEAKER_00 58:56

Right, they end up in Gibeah. Yeah, well Gibeah's in Benjamin. How was it better? Well, I don't I don't know. You know, like Well, I mean, one thing I could say is the you know, the I mean, this is obviously the story's gonna tell is gonna prove me false here, but uh Jerusalem, which is not Jerusalem yet, is not uh technically not a not a Israelite town. It still hadn't been conquered by David, right? Yeah. So but the Gibbeonites.

SPEAKER_02 59:24

It should have been conquered at Joshua's time.

SPEAKER_00 59:26

But so the Gibeonites, on the other hand, those were the guys that had gone to Joshua and said, Hey, we're from far, far away, right?

SPEAKER_02 59:31

Yeah, and these are the ones that we were talking about earlier that were like super Israel.

SPEAKER_00 59:35

So this this Levite probably thought, well, if I have to choose between a mostly a mostly Benjaminite town or a Jebusite town, I'm going to give I'm going to Gibeah where the Benjaminites are. That was a mistake. Oh, it you know, it it I So there's there's shades of Sodom and Gomorrah in this one.

SPEAKER_02 59:53

Oh, it's yeah, it's not shades, it's outright. So yeah, I mean, it just it just is shocking to me. Okay, then now we don't know what could have been, but I I don't I don't there's no logic in this for me because it's it's not like they were any different than the Jebusites. No, you know, I like I just I don't understand this. So they said we're not we're not gonna turn inside to the city of foreigners uh who are not the sons of Israel, but we'll go to Gibeah. So they let they decided that they were gonna go and they were gonna stay in Gibeah or Ramah. So they passed along and they went near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin, another son of Joseph, the two tribes that were split, right? Ephraim, Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin. I'm sorry, the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, this is Benjamin. So they turned aside there in order to enter and lodge. They entered and they sat down, but nobody would take them in. An old man came out of the field and he said, Hey, you guys gotta come in with me. Don't stay out here. And so he took care of them, he fed them, he gave them bread and wine, everything was good.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:59

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:00

Except while they were celebrating, behold the men of the city, worthless fellows, surrounded the house, pounding at the door. They said, Hey, bring them out, we're gonna do Unspeakable Thingsable Things to them. So the man said, I look, I'll give you my I'll offer you these two women. Like Yeah, and and okay. You Christians, you non-believers out there, you're witnessing this, you're seeing it, you're saying it's wrong. You're right. Yep. You are right. This is wrong.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:32

And that's the whole point of this story.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:33

And that's the whole point of this.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:35

This is the fall. This is why I like the Bible. It doesn't, it doesn't polish these stories up. You know, it it literally is out here warts and all, and and the message here, it turns into a civil war. This is why Benjamin, I never knew it, but this is why Benjamin becomes an insignificant military force.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:53

Yeah, Benjamin did.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:54

It's like Benjamin versus everybody. They turned the ways of Sodom and Gomorrah.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:59

Now, what is close to the to Jerusalem there? What is the the Valley of the Dead Sea is where Sodom and Gomorrah were.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:06

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, the Arabah. You know what it's called?

SPEAKER_02 1:02:09

Yeah. And this is right by there. Right. Yeah. It just there's some there's something there. I'm I'm convinced that there are spiritual things associated with places. Uh I don't I don't know why that's so, but I really do believe that the bent takes you. Right. Like there's kind of like things that draw you.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:30

Yeah, that's like the whole land of Bishon that's east of the uh the Sea of Tiberias or the or the Sea of Galilee. That's right. Right? When when Jesus crosses and remember peace be still, and then they land and the guy comes out and with the demons named Legion. Uh-huh. Anyway, we're we're getting way on the city. I'm so sorry.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:48

So okay, so when her now now the was the father justified in not wanting to send her away?

SPEAKER_00 1:02:53

Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Because this is what I mean So basically what happens is they they want they want to they want to do unspeakable things and the Levite shoves his concubine in the room.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:05

Yeah, he seized his concubine and brought her to them and just says, Here, take her, not me. They used her to death.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:12

Yeah. And so then what does he do? He cuts her up into twelve pieces and sends her outsends limb by limb to all the territory of the Israel. Now you can you imagine that a Levite doing that to a human body that would that belonged to God? They were professional butchers. That's how far away we've gotten.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:29

That's how far they've gotten. All who saw it said, nothing like this has ever happened or been seen among the sons of Israel.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:36

And this is in the heart of the territory of Israel. This is Gibeah, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:03:40

Mm-hmm. Now, brother against brother, they do eventually crush the head of their brother. Um, Benjamin gets wiped out. Just about. Yeah. There's only um a few who are left.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:56

And not enough, not really not enough wives to to say anything about, right? Yeah. And all these tribes took a vow also during this this period. They all took a vow that they wouldn't give any of their daughters to Benjamin. Benjamin, because Benjamin had done this to this Levite's concubine. So all the men of the other 11 tribes are like, they took a vow. And as a result, when the war's over, now what can they do? You can't marry into Benjamin, so they gotta come up with something, right? Which is pretty interesting to me. Oh, yeah. It's just it's all it's they're so far away from the law of Moses here that it's hard to believe that we're talking about Israelites.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:33

Yeah, these these are not people that Moses knew. Nope. Um, yeah, so you know, totally crushed. Uh they're cut off. I mean, I my mind goes to Genesis, right? It goes to cast out from the land, yeah, exiled, you know, all that kind of thing. And it and it makes sense. I mean, the thing that they did was worse than anything that had ever been done. And it just I I I just, you know, to you theologians out there, I challenge you, send a message, you know, write a write a letter. ModernmindH book.org. There's a contact. Uh how can you defend covenant theology, dispensationalism, um even replacement theology, anything like that? How can you how can you defend that and say, um, you know, Israel was cut off, cut off for uh for not keeping the law when God was always working among them, even though they weren't keeping the law anyway. Yeah. And then what do you do with us if that's the case? Like you take all these lessons, you learn all these things about what Israel was, and then go look at church history and tell me we're innocent. I mean, uh the covenant of grace is present here at this very moment, and this is the darkest time to date in anything that we've discussed, and it culminates with one of the brothers just being cut off, totally destroyed. Even though for a while in their wickedness they were strong. Now the git the Benjamites did fight.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:05

Oh, yeah. As a matter of fact, they fought very strongly.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:08

Yeah, they they were they were well acquainted with the ways of war, and they they made away for a while, but then they were eventually conquered by Israel and totally cut off. I mean, and this isn't the first time that this type of thing has happened in the history of the world, but it is the first time that it's happened among a people who were never supposed to live this way. Right. So now they needed to reproduce, okay, and that's where this one closes. Israel made away. They um during a feast, they made a way. So the girls would go out and dance, and while they were dancing in the field, it was set up to where these men could go and take these women.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:58

Right. So essentially the way I read this is the other eleven tribes are like, we're not gonna have any sort of like familial relations. In other words, we're not gonna allow our women to become Benjaminites, but we're gonna allow the Benjaminites to go out and capture them, and we're not gonna do anything about it. Yeah. So I mean, look at how messed up that is. You know, as far as as far as being, you know, of the law of Moses or or following God's commandments, being obedient. This is like sheer apostasy, in my opinion. Well, and it's it's horrifying.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:29

Okay. Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:32

I mean that's just like the vow, remember earlier in the book where uh I can't remember his name now, but he comes home and the first thing that comes out of my house I'm gonna sacrifice to the Lord. Yeah. Uh-huh. And then he has to keep the vow, and God's probably going, When did I tell you to kill children, dude? Never.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:51

Yeah. And I mean, so the the part the part that trips me out about this is the um the gymnastics you have to produce here. Yeah. To to make this so you know, cursed is he who gives a son uh to Benjamin, but then hey, we're gonna give uh or a w a daughter to Benjamin, but then we're gonna give the our daughters to Benjamin by conspiring with them that you would go and lie in wait and during one of our um And it doesn't even say it just says a feast, which I mean makes me think this isn't even like a biblical feast, right? This isn't something that God commanded. This is them knowing the difference between good and evil. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:31

You know, no, I mean this is this is evil. This is using evil to correct evil. Yeah, it's the wrong treat. And you know, I in my opinion, evil doesn't have a problem with evil fighting evil. That's the whole pro you know, that's that's not a thing.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:43

They're taking the wife from the daughters of Shiloh. This is where the tabernacle is. Exactly. So it's just it's all wrong.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:53

All of it is wrong. And it's it's it's echoed in Gentile history. This is much like the Roman rape of the Sabine women, and you know, that's not related to the Bible, that's Roman history, but it's the same principle. Just go take.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:06

Just go and take. They saw and they took. And and they that this is all about going to the wrong tree. Yep. Uh this this whole thing is all about going to the wrong tree. It's it's conspiring, it's it's Jacob before he became Israel. Uh-huh. It's it's just the wrong thing. But God was there, he was working in it, and he was happy to continue working in it because he had a plan that was later where he would invade history by bringing one who would totally be set apart, and that he would die for his people.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:35

And this goes to the here's another example of grace. Isn't Samuel coming along? Yes. To a born to a mother who couldn't conceive?

SPEAKER_02 1:09:45

Yeah, well, this this closes here. In those days, there was no king in Israel, everyone did what was right in his own eyes. This is leading to Samuel. Right. Right. It's on its way to Samuel. First, we're gonna do um the book of Ruth. Right. Uh so okay, so here we are. Human solutions, they they they deepen moral compromise. Uh this these these these covenant people, they're they're acting indistinguishable from the surrounding nations. There's no difference.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:12

Exactly like Moses and Joshua both said when they prophesied you won't be able to keep it.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:20

Yeah. The book ends unresolved, and it's intentional. The chaos is theological, it's it's not just political. Right. There's something more. From the Jewish tradition, this sets the stage for the monarchy. But God was always supposed to be the king. This was never supposed to be this way. The we're gonna find out whom they've rejected, right? So there's progressive moral collapse. It goes from disobedience to distortion to total depravity. And the judges are insufficient. They need a leader now, they need a righteous king. Now that is the messianic thing. Yep, and that's progressive revelation. That's progressive revelation. And the point of this is not to see how bad Israel is, it's to see how bad the world needs to come under God to go back to the Garden of Eden and learn from the true king. Amen. As they're rejecting their king. From tabernacle to household idols. It's just crazy. They just became indistinguishable from indistinguishable from Canaan. But God continues to work through flawed agents, but still allows the consequences to unfold. Right? That's that's the whole point of this book. So Samson, birth announced, spiritually empowered, death brings victory. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:42

Sounds like Jesus. Sounds like Jesus.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:44

Jesus was the perfect obedience versus Samson's failure, the true Nazarite being completely, truly set apart, and the victory through sacrificial death. I mean, it's all there, right? Right? Yep. So how this ties back to Eden? Well, the Nazarite vow echoes the priestly holiness, right? It's Leviticus. In Gibeah is the reversal of the Eden order. It's violence instead of life. Idolatry. It's the golden calf pattern. Sure is. It's all through the scripture. Now there's tribal disunity and babel like fragmentation. The people are separating on what they understand as well as what they speak. There was a time when Judah came after Samson, speaking the language of their tribe up there, which they adopted, being ruled by them. Yeah. They began to be more in line with the Philistines than their own deliverers.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:35

Yeah, and this is Judah, the leader. Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:39

A total, utter, and complete failure. Judges 13 to 21, it's not just a history, it's a diagnostic of the people. They don't have righteous leadership and they're without covenant clarity. They're without ordered worship. It sets a stage for Samuel, kingship, and the need for a perfect king.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:01

Yep, ultimately.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:02

Yeah. Thank you for joining us for the Book of Judges. We hope that you've enjoyed it, Chip. I hope that you've enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:08

Yeah, this is this has been very um educational. Let's put it that way.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:11

Yeah, I love these books. I love going through them. Um we're on now to the book of Ruth, uh, which is an interesting introduction. Yeah, another another example of grace. Thank you for joining us. Please feel free to reach out to you, modern mindancientbook.org. If you're listening on um the podcast, there's a lot more content on YouTube. You can find us wherever you would like to find us. We are on all podcast channels. YouTube has a lot more content. We invite you there. We're thankful for you. We pray the Lord bless you and keep you and make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you and turn his face towards you and bring you peace. Shalom Chip, thank you for joining.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:48

Hey, my pleasure. God bless y'all.