Message Eight God’s Economy as Revealed in Judges

GOD’S ECONOMY

SERIES THIRTEEN
GOD’S ECONOMY IN ALL THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE

God’s Economy as Revealed in the Old Testament

Message Eight
God’s Economy as Revealed in Judges

Scripture Reading: 2:11-13, 17; 3:7; 8:33; 10:6; 18:31; 19:1-30; Isa. 54:5; Deut. 8:7-10

I. God’s sent One, God’s embodiment, the offerings, and God the Spirit are the intrinsic content, the innermost essence and elements, of the Holy Scriptures; the entire Bible is constructed with these four items; primarily through these items, we have seen the Divine Trinity in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Judges—Matt. 28:19; 1 Thes. 5:23; Num. 6:2:

A. The Trinity is crucial for God’s economy; if God were not triune, He would not be able to reach and enter into His creature man; in order to dispense Himself into man, God had to be triune—Matt. 28:19; 1 Thes. 5:23.

B. God needed to become a man as the sent One; this sent One also needed to be the embodiment of God and the reality of the offerings in order to be the means, the sphere, and the entrance for God’s chosen ones to enter into the enjoyment of God—Deut. 27:5 and footnote 1.

C. In order for all these accomplishments to reach and be applied to God’s people, the sent One had to be the Spirit; because God is the Spirit, His people can drink Him, and He can anoint them as ointment; The Triune God as the Spirit is mingled with His elect by entering into them as the living water and covering them as the anointing ointment; this is the picture presented by both the Old and New Testaments—1 Cor. 12:13; 10:4.

D. Because of the miserable situation in Judges, there was an urgent and desperate need for one like Samuel; the vow of the Nazarite allowed those like Samuel who were not descendants of Aaron to become priests; God used the “back door” of the Nazarite vow to bring a faithful one into the priesthood—Num. 6:2 and footnote 1:

1. Samuel was a Nazarite, a priest, a prophet, and a judge; this fourfold status qualified Samuel to be the one who could bring in the king and set up the kingdom; in order for such a one to be raised up and carry out his commission, there was a crucial need of the Divine Trinity.

2. For this reason, in 1 and 2 Samuel there is a detailed, fine revelation of the Divine Trinity; what happened in Judges is somewhat rough, but in Samuel the application of the Divine Trinity is very fine.

II. The central thought of the book of Judges is that Israel forsook God, suffered defeat by their enemies, and became rotten; and since there was no king among them, everyone did that which was right in his own eyes—17:6, 21:25, Hosea 10:3:

A. Judges is the book of Israel’s history full of miserable defeats under their enemies in the forsaking of Jehovah; this is the intrinsic significance of the book of Judges—2 Chron. 24:18, Judg. 10:6.

B. The content of Judges consists of the children of Israel trusting in God, forsaking God, being defeated by their enemies, being delivered through the judges, and becoming corrupted—1:1-2, 2:11-3:11.

C. In the book of Judges, a particular saying is repeated a number of times: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did that which was right in his own eyes”—Judg. 17:6; 21:25.

D. The age of judges may be considered the darkest period in the history of Israel; it was also a period of tragedy; the unbelief of the children of Israel caused them to wander for forty years so that even their carcasses fell in the wilderness; their forsaking God and their idolatry after they entered the land issued in a situation of defeat and tragedy that lasted not merely forty years, but ten times forty years—Heb. 3:7, 19.

III. The book of Judges has three sections: Israel’s trusting in God; Israel’s forsaking of God (comprising their suffering of defeats, their repentance, and God’s deliverance); and Israel’s becoming corrupted—1:1-2:5, 2:6-16:31:

A. Israel’s trusting in God—1:1-2:5:

1. Judah’s boldness and victory—1:1-21.

2. The house of Joseph going up to fight against Bethel, Jehovah being with them, and they striking the people of the city with their sword—1:22-26.

3. The admonition of the Angel of Jehovah (Christ as the acting Jehovah in the Old Testament to take care of Israel)—2:1-5.

B. Israel’s forsaking of God (comprising their suffering of defeats, their repentance, and God’s deliverance)—2:6-16:31:

1. The first cycle, through Othniel—3:7-11a.

2. The second cycle, through Ehud and Shamgar—3:11b-31.

3. The third cycle, through Deborah—4:4.

4. The fourth cycle, through Gideon—6:36.

5. The fifth cycle, through Abimelech, Tola, and Jair—10:1-5.

6. The sixth cycle, through Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon—12:7-8, 12-13.

7. The seventh cycle, through Samson—16:31.

C. Israel’s becoming corrupted; the abominable chaos in their worship; the sodomitical corruption in their morality—17:6-19:30:

D. The reason for Israel’s forsaking of God; the death of Joshua, of the elders, and of that entire generation; the present generation did not know Jehovah or the work that He had done for Israel—2:11, 6-10:

E. When the children of Israel, who had trusted in God, forsook God, they were defeated by their enemies; because of their miserable situation, they repented, and the Lord mercifully raised up judges to deliver them; as many as seven times, they rebelled, were enslaved, repented, and were delivered, all this became a cycle that was repeated over and over in Judges, this continued until Samuel was raised up by God; then the age of the judges was ended—1:1-2, 2:11-20.

IV. In Judges, we are concerned not with history but with learning from the types how to gain Christ and enjoy Him; how we can gain and enjoy the good land, which is a complete and all-inclusive type of Christ—1 Sam. 26:19b, Deut. 8:7-10:

A. According to the record in Judges, in the degradation Israel became chaotic in government, in worship, and in morality; such a people surely could not gain Christ and enjoy Him—Judg. 18:31, 19:1-30.

B. Judges is a book concerning the enjoyment of the good land, which is a type of Christ; we need to be careful every day in and every detail, keeping ourselves in the enjoyment of Christ all the time; then God’s economy will be able to go forward—Deut. 8:7-10.

C. We must take Him, love Him, honor Him, respect Him, regard Him, exalt Him, and cling to Him, rejecting Satan to the uttermost; then we will be blessed—Col. 2:6-7.

 

Ministry Excerpts:

GOD’S SENT ONE, GOD’S EMBODIMENT, THE OFFERINGS, AND GOD THE SPIRIT BEING THE INTRINSIC CONTENT OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES

Apparently, the Old Testament contains biographies, history, poetry, and prophecy, and the New Testament contains accounts of the Lord’s earthly ministry and the letters that the apostles wrote to the early churches. However, the Old Testament and the New Testament intrinsically reveal the same thing. While I am speaking, others see my clothing, my face, and my hair, but these things do not represent me. There is something more intrinsic, that is, what I am speaking. The Bible similarly has an intrinsic content. We need to get into this intrinsic content. God’s sent One, God’s embodiment, the offerings, and God the Spirit are the intrinsic content, the innermost essence and elements, of the Holy Scriptures. The entire Bible is constructed with these four items. Primarily through these items, we have seen the Divine Trinity in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Judges.

The Trinity Being Crucial for God’s Economy

The Trinity is crucial for God’s economy. If God were not triune, He would not be able to reach and enter into His creature man. In order to dispense Himself into man, God had to be triune. God needed to become a man as the sent One. This sent One also needed to be the embodiment of God and the reality of the offerings in order to be the means, the sphere, and the entrance for God’s chosen ones to enter into the enjoyment of God. In order for all these accomplishments to reach and be applied to God’s people, the sent One had to be the Spirit. Because God is the Spirit, His people can drink Him, and He can anoint them as ointment. The Triune God as the Spirit is mingled with His elect by entering into them as the living water and covering them as the anointing ointment. This is the picture presented by both the Old and New Testaments.

The Trinity Being Needed In order for God’s Chosen People
to be His Expression

In order for God’s chosen people to be His house, His expression, the Trinity was needed. The children of Israel entered into the good land, but the good land was filled with enemies. The book of Judges reveals the Trinity because the Trinity was needed to defeat the enemies. However, God’s purpose for His people was not merely to defeat the enemies and take full possession of the land but for them to set up a kingdom. Because this purpose had not been fulfilled, the conclusion of Judges says, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (21:25). The children of Israel did whatever was right in their own eyes because there was no king or kingdom. What was needed at that time was for a kingdom to be set up.

Because of the miserable situation in Judges, there was an urgent and desperate need for one like Samuel. The vow of the Nazarite allowed those like Samuel who were not descendants of Aaron to become priests. Samuel was a Levite (1 Chron. 6:33-38), but he was not born into the priesthood, because he was not of the house of Aaron, the family of priests ordained by God. According to Joshua 21, the Levites were not allotted a particular portion of land; instead, the descendants of Levi were given land among the other tribes. Samuel’s family lived in Ephraim (1 Sam. 1:1). Samuel was a Levite by birth and an Ephraimite by residence, but he was a Nazarite by consecration. Even before he was born, his mother consecrated him as a Nazarite to Jehovah (v. 11; cf. Num. 6:1-5). After he was born and weaned, his mother brought him to the house of God and left him in the care of Eli the priest. From his childhood Samuel wore the priests’ ephod (1 Sam. 2:18). Although he was not born a priest, he came into the priesthood by the vow of the Nazarite. Because God foresaw that the ordained priests, Eli and his sons, would not be faithful to the priesthood, God used the “back door” of the Nazarite vow to bring a faithful one into the priesthood.

Samuel was a Nazarite, a priest, a prophet, and a judge. This fourfold status qualified Samuel to be the one who could bring in the king and set up the kingdom. In order for such a one to be raised up and carry out his commission, there was a crucial need of the Divine Trinity. Only the Trinity could work this out. For this reason, in 1 and 2 Samuel there is a detailed, fine revelation of the Divine Trinity. What happened in Judges is somewhat rough, but in Samuel the application of the Divine Trinity is very fine. (CWWL, 1983, vol. 3, “The Divine Trinity as Revealed in the Holy Word”, ch. 10)

THE CONTENT OF JUDGES

The content of Judges consists of the children of Israel trusting in God, forsaking God, being defeated by their enemies, being delivered through the judges, and becoming corrupted (1:1-2; 2:11—3:11). When the children of Israel, who had trusted in God, forsook God, they were defeated by their enemies. Because of their miserable situation, they repented, and the Lord mercifully raised up judges to deliver them. However, after the children of Israel were delivered, they became corrupted. All this became a cycle that was repeated over and over in Judges.

THE CENTRAL THOUGHT

The central thought of the book of Judges is that Israel forsook God, suffered defeat by their enemies, and became rotten; and since there was no king among them, everyone did that which was right in his own eyes (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25).

THE SECTIONS

The book of Judges has three sections: Israel’s trusting in God (1:1—2:5); Israel’s forsaking of God (comprising their suffering of defeats, their repentance, and God’s deliverance (2:6—16:31); and Israel’s becoming corrupted (17:1—21:25). (Life-study of Judges, msg. 1)

THE BEAUTIFUL SCENE OF ISRAEL TRUSTING IN GOD

Judah’s Boldness and Victory

In verses 1 through 21 we see Judah’s boldness and victory. After the death of Joshua, the children of Israel inquired of Jehovah concerning who would go up for them first against the Canaanites in order to fight against them (v. 1). Jehovah gave His answer and promise, saying, “Judah shall go up. Behold, I have given the land into his hand” (v. 2). This marvelous picture of oneness with the Lord, of the organic union of God with His people, is a continuation of the oneness in the book of Joshua when the people of Israel first entered into the good land.

“Judah said to Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, and we will fight against the Canaanites; and I will also go with you into your lot. And Simeon went with him” (v. 3). Here we see a wonderful coordination between two tribes—Judah, the strongest tribe, and Simeon, a weak tribe.

According to verses 4 through 10, Judah went up, and Jehovah gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they struck ten thousand of them in Bezek. Then the children of Judah fought against Jerusalem and took it, striking it with the edge of the sword and setting it on fire. Afterward they went down to fight against the Canaanites who inhabited the hill country and the southland and the lowland.

This chapter also speaks of Caleb’s victory over Hebron through his son-in-law Othniel (vv. 11-15, 20). The name Othniel means “lion of God.” Caleb said that to whoever struck Kiriath-sepher and took it he would give Achsah his daughter as wife. Othniel took Kiriath-sepher, and Caleb gave him Achsah as wife. She spoke to her father, saying, “Give me a blessing, for you have given me the southland; give me also springs of water” (v. 15a). So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs. Verse 20 tells us that Hebron was given to Caleb, as Moses had spoken, and that Caleb dispossessed the three sons of Anak from there.

Judah fought, with Simeon his brother, and utterly destroyed the Canaanites, and Jehovah was with Judah. They took possession of the hill country, but they were not able to dispossess the inhabitants of the valley, for they had chariots of iron (vv. 16-19).

The children of Benjamin did not dispossess the Jebusites, who dwelt in Jerusalem. Rather, the Jebusites continued to dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem (v. 21). This indicates that even though Judah was bold and victorious, his victory was not absolute, for there was a shortage in not dispossessing the inhabitants of the valley and in not dispossessing the Jebusites.

The House of Joseph Going up to Fight against Bethel

The house of Joseph went up to fight against Bethel, and Jehovah was with them. First, they spied out Bethel. When those who watched saw a man coming out of the city, they told him that if he showed them the entrance of the city, they would be merciful to him. He showed them the entrance, and they struck the people of the city with their sword, but they let the man and all his family go (vv. 22-26).

When Israel became strong, they made the Canaanites forced labor, but they did not utterly dispossess them (v. 28). Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali did not dispossess the Canaanites, who persisted in dwelling in their lands and became forced labor (vv. 27, 29-33). (Life-study of Judges, msg. 2)

The Admonition of the Angel of Jehovah

In 2:1-5 we have the admonition of the Angel of Jehovah, who, as we have seen, is Christ as the acting Jehovah in the Old Testament taking care of Israel (Exo. 3:2-10; 14:19; Judg. 6:21).

Reminding Israel

In verses 1 and 2a the Angel of Jehovah reminded Israel of three matters. First, He reminded them of Jehovah’s delivering them out from Egypt and His bringing them into the promised land (v. 1a). Second, He reminded them of Jehovah’s faithfulness in keeping His promise to them (v. 1b). Third, He reminded them of Jehovah’s charge to them that they should not make a covenant with the inhabitants of Canaan and that they should tear down their altars (v. 2a).

Warning Israel

In verses 2b and 3 the Angel of Jehovah gave a warning to Israel. First, He told them that they had not listened to His voice, and then He asked them concerning what they had done (v. 2b). Because Israel did not listen to Him, He went on to say that He would not drive the Canaanites out from before them, but they would be like thorns in Israel’s sides, and the gods of the Canaanites would be a snare to Israel (v. 3).

Israel’s Reaction to the Words of the Angel of Jehovah

Verse 4 tells us Israel’s reaction to the words of the Angel of Jehovah. The people lifted up their voice and wept. Thus, they called the name of that place Bochim, and there they offered to Jehovah (v. 5).

THE REASON FOR ISRAEL’S FORSAKING OF GOD

In verses 6 through 10 we see the reason for Israel’s forsaking of God.

Because of the Death of Joshua, of the Elders, and of the Generation
Who Saw All the Great Works of Jehovah That He Had Done for Israel

When Joshua sent the people away, each of the children of Israel went to his own inheritance. The people served Jehovah throughout all the days of Joshua and throughout all the days of the elders whose days extended after Joshua and who saw all the great work of Jehovah that He had done for Israel. Eventually, all that generation died. The death of Joshua, of the elders, and of that entire generation was the reason for Israel’s forsaking of God (vv. 6-10a).

Because the Present Generation Did Not Know Jehovah
or the Work That He Had Done or Israel

Also, “another generation,” the present generation, who did not know Jehovah or the work that He had done for Israel, rose up after them (v. 10b).

THE CYCLE OF THE MISERABLE HISTORY
OF ISRAEL’S FORSAKING OF GOD

Verses 11 through 20 are a record of the cycle of the miserable history of Israel’s forsaking of God. (Life-study of Judges, msg. 3)

The First Cycle

The record of the first cycle is given in 3:7-11a.

The children of Israel did evil in forsaking Jehovah to serve the Baalim and the Asheroth (v. 7).

Because Israel did what was evil in the sight of Jehovah, His anger burned against them (v. 8a).

Jehovah sold Israel into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, and Israel served him eight years (v. 8b).

The children of Israel cried out to Jehovah (v. 9a).

Jehovah raised up a savior, Othniel the son of Caleb’s younger brother. The Spirit of Jehovah came upon him, and he saved Israel from Cushan-rishathaim (vv. 9b-10).

The end of the first cycle was that the land had rest forty years (v. 11a).

The Second Cycle

In 3:11b-31 we have the second cycle of Israel’s miserable history.

In verse 11b we are told that Othniel, the judge, died.

After the death of Othniel, the children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah (v. 12a).

Because Israel did that which was evil in His sight, Jehovah strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel. Eglon gathered the children of Ammon and Amalek to himself and went and struck Israel, taking possession of the city of palms (vv. 12b-13).

Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years (v. 14).

Israel cried to Jehovah, and Jehovah raised up a savior for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjaminite (v. 15a).

Ehud killed Eglon king of Moab by a scheme, and then he defeated the Moabites with the children of Israel from the hill country of Ephraim, killing about ten thousand Moabites (vv. 15b-29).

Moab was subdued that day by Israel, and the land had rest eighty years (v. 30).

After Ehud there was Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck six hundred Philistines with an ox goad. He also saved Israel (v. 31).

The Third Cycle

Chapters four and five are a record of the third cycle.

The children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah after Ehud died (4:1).

Jehovah sold Israel into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, the captain of whose army was Sisera. He had nine hundred iron chariots, and he oppressed Israel severely for twenty years (vv. 2, 3b).

The children of Israel cried out to Jehovah (v. 3a).

Deborah, a prophetess, was raised up as a judge of Israel. She would sit under the palm of Deborah, and the children of Israel went up to her for judgment (vv. 4-5).

Deborah, with Barak and the children of Naphtali and Zebulun, defeated Jabin the king of Canaan and the captain of his army, Sisera, through Jehovah’s fighting for them (vv. 6-16). Verse 15a says, “Jehovah threw Sisera and all his chariots and all his camp into confusion with the edge of the sword before Barak.”

In verse 9 Deborah prophesied that Jehovah would sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. In verses 17 through 22 Sisera, the captain of King Jabin’s army, was killed by Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, as Deborah had predicted.

God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the children of Israel. They prevailed more and more against Jabin until they destroyed him (vv. 23-24).

Judges 5:1-31a is the song of Deborah and Barak.

Verses 4 and 5 say, “O Jehovah, when You went forth from Seir, / When You marched from the field of Edom; / The earth trembled, the heavens also dripped, / Indeed the clouds dripped water. / The mountains quaked at the presence of Jehovah, / Sinai there, at the presence of Jehovah, the God of Israel.” Here Deborah and Barak celebrated triumphantly their victory over Jabin king of Canaan, given to them by God.

Deborah and Barak appreciated the leaders of Israel who took the lead and the people of Israel who willingly offered themselves, some of whom had great resolutions in their heart and great searchings of their heart (vv. 2, 9, 13-18).

The song of Deborah and Barak also praises the stars that fought with Sisera from heaven, from their courses, and the ancient river Kishon that swept away the kings of Canaan (vv. 20-21).

“Curse Meroz, says the Angel of Jehovah; / Bitterly curse its inhabitants. / For they did not come to the aid of Jehovah, / To the aid of Jehovah against the mighty” (v. 23). Here the song praises the Angel of Jehovah, Christ, who took care of their battle.

In verses 24 through 27 the song of Deborah and Barak blesses Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, who killed Sisera, the captain of the army of Jabin, king of Canaan. Verse 24 says, “Blessed among women shall Jael be, / The wife of Heber the Kenite; / Blessed among the women in the tent shall she be.”

Verses 28 through 30 continue by mocking ironically the imagination of the mother of Sisera concerning her son’s good fortune.

Verse 31a is a blessing upon Israel: “May all your enemies so perish, O Jehovah. / But may those who love Him be like the sun / When it rises in its might.”

Chapter five concludes by saying that the land had rest forty years (v. 31b). (Life-study of Judges, msg. 4)

The Fourth Cycle

Once again the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah (6:1a).

Jehovah delivered Israel into the hand of Midian for seven years (vv. 1b-6a). The children of Israel made for themselves dens, caves, and strongholds in the mountains (v. 2). Whenever Israel sowed, Midian rose up with Amalek and the children of the east against Israel and came with their cattle and their tents like swarming locusts to destroy the produce of the land (vv. 3-5). Thus, “Israel was greatly impoverished because of Midian” (v. 6a).

The Angel of Jehovah charged Gideon to save Israel from the hand of the Midianites (vv. 14-16). He turned to Gideon and said, “Go in this strength of yours, and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” (v. 14). When Gideon asked by what way he could save Israel, the Angel of Jehovah said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you will strike the Midianites as one man” (v. 16).

All the Midianites, Amalekites, and the children of the east gathered together, and they crossed over and encamped in the valley of Jezreel (v. 33). The Spirit of Jehovah clothed Gideon, and he blew his trumpet to call the Abiezrites. Then he sent messengers to call the people of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali to come up to meet them (vv. 34-35). (Life-study of Judges, msg. 5)

The Fifth Cycle

As soon as Gideon died, Israel turned again and went as harlots after the Baalim, making Baal-berith their god. They did not remember Jehovah their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies all around, nor did they show mercy to the house of Gideon for all the good he had done to Israel (8:33-35).

After Abimelech, Tola, a man of Issachar, rose up to save Israel, and he judged Israel twenty-three years. After Tola, Jair the Gileadite, who had thirty sons, rose up and judged Israel twenty-two years (10:1-5). (Life-study of Judges, msg. 6)

The Sixth Cycle

Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah. They served the Baalim, the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines, forsaking Jehovah and not serving Him (10:6).

The anger of Jehovah burned against Israel, and Jehovah sold them into the hand of the Philistines and of the Amorites, who oppressed them eighteen years. The children of Israel were greatly distressed (vv. 7-9).

Judges 11:1-11 records the rising up of Jephthah, a mighty man of Gilead, the son of a harlot. He was rejected by his stepbrothers but was received by the worthless men (vv. 2-3). Eventually, he was requested by the elders of Gilead to be their head and chief to fight the Ammonites for them (vv. 4-11). (Life-study of Judges, msg. 7)

The Seventh Cycle

The children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah (13:1a).

Jehovah delivered the children of Israel into the hand of the Philistines forty years (v. 1b).

Samson’s conception was actually a miracle initiated by the appearing of the Angel of Jehovah (Christ) to his mother and father. Verse 3 says, “The Angel of Jehovah appeared to the woman and said to her, Now you are barren and have borne no children; but you will conceive and bear a son.” When she told her husband about this, he entreated Jehovah, saying, “Oh, Lord! Let the man of God, whom You sent, come again to us, I pray; and let Him teach us what we should do with the child that is to be born” (v. 8). God hearkened to the voice of Manoah, and the Angel of God came again to the woman. She went to tell her husband, and he followed her. When Manoah asked the Angel of Jehovah what His name was, He said, “Why do you ask about My name, since it is wonderful?” (v. 18).

Samson was to be a Nazarite boy, who was not to drink wine, nor to eat anything unclean, nor to cut his hair with a razor, so that he would save Israel from the hand of the Philistines (vv. 3-5, 7).

Judges 16:20b-30 is a record of Samson’s miserable ending. First, Jehovah left him (v. 20b). Then the Philistines grabbed him, gouged out his eyes, and bound him with fetters, and he ground at the mill in the prison house (v. 21). He was forced to perform before the Philistines that they might celebrate their victory over him before their god Dagon (vv. 23-25). Finally, Samson was killed by the house which was destroyed by him (vv. 28-30). (Life-study of Judges, msg. 8)

LEARNING HOW TO GAIN CHRIST, AND ENJOYING HIM

Judges is a book concerning the enjoyment of the good land, which is a type of Christ. Gideon’s success indicates the gaining of an excellent opportunity to enjoy Christ, but his failure indicates the losing of the opportunity to enjoy Christ. His failure shows us that we need to exercise strict control in dealing with the matters of sex and wealth. Otherwise, we will suffer the loss of the enjoyment of Christ. Any indulgence in these things will cause our enjoyment of Christ to be annulled.

I have been serving the Lord for nearly sixty-one years and have had much consideration concerning these matters. My realization is that all the sins, all the evils, all the iniquities, come out of one source—forsaking God and joining to something which becomes a replacement of God. This is true even in small things. For example, a sister’s combing of her hair can be an idol. If a sister pays too much attention to her hair, honoring it excessively, that kind of honor is a worship. Such a sister may not have time in the morning to spend ten minutes with the Lord, but she has plenty of time to comb her hair. The sisters may need to check with the Lord regarding this, saying, “Lord, is the way I care for my hair a replacement of You?” If a sister checks with the Lord in this way, the Lord will tell her, her conscience will tell her, and her intuition in her spirit will also tell her.

In recent years, certain ones left us and formed divisions. It seems that the leaders among them are doing nothing but traveling from place to place in order to create and strengthen such divisions. Division has become a thing that motivates and energizes them. The goal of their activity is to separate the saints from the enjoyment of the New Testament ministry. Their intention is to poison the saints in order to deaden them, cool them down, and cause them to have doubts about the Lord’s recovery. The main factor with these ones is that they have left the church and joined themselves to the “demon” of division.

I have published a book called The Fermentation of the Present Rebellion, presenting the whole story, fully documented. That book concludes by saying that we need to “reject any kind of division (1 Cor. 1:10), to stand against any wind of teaching and any spreading of spiritual death (Eph. 4:14; 2 Tim. 2:16-17), and to separate ourselves from the contagious ones—exercising to quarantine” (Titus 3:10; Rom. 16:17). Some, however, have not agreed to quarantine these ones and have embraced division. They have been deceived to such an extent that they take the matter of division as an idol.

Holding Our Unique Lord

In our spiritual life, even to take a small thing, such as combing our hair or buying something, may be to take another husband. To some extent, this is to forsake Christ. Even in holding a thought preferring this or that thing, our preference can become an idol. You may say that you are still with the Lord, but you may be with the Lord in a general way, but particularly, in a certain thing, you may not be with the Lord.

The book of Judges shows us how degraded and corrupt Israel had become. It is hard to imagine that the children of Israel, who had been chosen, taught, trained, and disciplined by God and who had God’s law, could have become so rotten. Their degradation began with their forsaking of God and their worshipping of idols, and it issued in their indulgence in fleshly lust and in wanton self-destruction. Samson, the last judge mentioned in this book, was very powerful, yet the factor of his failure was his indulgence in sex. At the end of Judges, there is an account of wanton slaughter, describing how the entire tribe of Benjamin was nearly extinguished by Israel. The factor that led to this degradation was that they forsook God to the uttermost and turned to idols. Here we see that idol worship is closely linked to fornication and murder. If someone becomes an idol worshipper, he will become a person who is very indulgent in sex and full of hatred toward others.

God’s Spirit is indwelling us and is speaking to us all the time. Sometimes I would like to speak something to my wife, even something spiritual, but someone within is saying, “Don’t talk.” To take my preference to speak that thing would be to make that thing an idol and would bring me into chaos. But to obey the inner speaking is to hold to our one Lord, one Master, one Head, one Husband. (Life-Study of Judges, msg. 7).

Abiding in Him as the Vine

In this life-study of the books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth, we are concerned not with history but with learning from the types how to gain Christ and enjoy Him. The history contained in these books is a great type that shows how God’s elect can gain and enjoy the good land, which is a complete and all-inclusive type of Christ. Even the small details show us the secret of gaining and enjoying Christ, just as in our daily life something as small as shopping for an article of clothing can be a factor in whether or not we obtain Christ and enjoy Christ.

When we were saved, we were brought into a fellowship of the Divine Trinity with His redeemed and regenerated people. From that time God and we have been in a fellowship. First John 1:3 says, “That which we have seen and heard we report also to you that you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” This fellowship is between the apostles and God and between the believers and the apostles. The full salvation of God is in this fellowship. It is in this fellowship that we can gain what God has given us, that is, the Son of God given to us by God as our allotted portion.

If we remain in this fellowship, we will have the way to gain and enjoy Christ. If our fellowship with God is cut off, we will lose our enjoyment immediately. Concerning this, the Lord Jesus uses the word abide and speaks of our abiding in Him as the vine (John 15:4). The vine is a figure of the all-inclusive Christ under God’s cultivation. As long as the branch abides in the vine, there is fellowship. But once a branch ceases to abide in the vine, the branch is cut off, becomes barren and dry, and loses the enjoyment of the riches of the vine (vv. 5-6).

The fellowship of life is not a rough matter but is very fine. Even a little word spoken with an improper attitude is enough to cut us off from the fellowship of life.

Our enjoyment of Christ is essential. Our fellowship can speed up the turning of the great wheel of God’s move in the universe. But if we are cut off from the fellowship just a little, God’s economy will not be able to go forward for a period of time. Therefore, we need to be careful every day and in every detail, keeping ourselves in the enjoyment of Christ all the time. Then God’s economy will be able to go forward. (Life-study of Judges, msg. 9)