Failure of Judah Part 7 of 8 (series: Lessons on Judges)

by John Lowe
(Woodruff, S.C.)

6 (Joshua 15:63) “As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out: but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.” Apparently, according to Judges 1:8, 21 and II Samuel 5:6, the Israelites set fire to the lower city of Jerusalem, but the Jebusites maintained the stronghold of Zion. The strategic location of Jerusalem (described by the psalmist as “beautiful for situation,” Ps 48:2) made it difficult to conquer. Unto this day is striking evidence that this book was written prior to David, who conquered the Jebusite city and made it Israel’s capital (II Sam 5:6–10).
7 (Judges 19:10) “But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was with him.
8 (I Chr 11:4–9) “4And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus; where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. 5And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come hither. Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David. 6And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain. So Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was chief. 7And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the city of David. 8And he built the city round about, even from Millo round about: and Joab repaired the rest of the city. 9So David waxed greater and greater: for the LORD of hosts was with him.” David’s seven-and-one-half year reign at Hebron (II Sam 2–4) is overlooked by the Chronicler, and attention immediately focuses on the new king of a united monarchy. Except for one omission, the reference to David’s age and his years as king of Hebron (II Sam 5:4–5), and two small additions, this account of David’s call and anointing and his securing Jerusalem for his capital is practically identical to II Samuel 5:1–10. Joab … was chief (vs. 6). In response to David’s challenge and promise of position, David’s nephew (Zeruiah was David’s half-sister, cf. II Sam 17:25) was the first to enter the Jebusite city of Jerusalem in order to take it (II Sam 5:8). As a reward he was made captain of the army. Joab had been David’s captain at Hebron, and now he won the right to be over the army of all Israel. Millo (from the verb “to fill”) was probably a part of the wall that was weak and needed to be “filled in.” Joab’s activity in repairing the city is peculiar to the Chronicler’s account.
9 (Gen 49.8, 9) “8Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. 9Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?” Judah, meaning “praise,” was to be praised by his brothers and to become the leader among the tribes. He had been responsible for the sale of Joseph into slavery; and he had committed fornication against his daughter-in-law, Tamar. The phrase, his hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies, was literally fulfilled (Num 2:9; 10:14; Jud 1; 2); his prowess in warfare is a matter of record.
10 (Gen 35.23) “The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun:”
11 (Josh 19.1) “And the second lot came forth to Simeon, even for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families: and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah.”
12 (Gen 49.8) “Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.
13 (lot) Since the land of Palestine was allocated among the tribes by the casting of the “lot,” these allotments came to be known as their lots: “This then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their families; even to the border of Edom the wilderness of Zin southward was the uttermost part of the south coast” (Josh. 15:1).
14 (Gen 49.5-7) “5Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. 6O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they digged down a wall. 7Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.” Simeon and Levi (vs. 5) are dealt with together in light of their treachery against the men of Shechem in Genesis chapter 34. They are condemned for their cruelty … anger … and self-will (vss. 5–6).
15 (Josh 19.9) “Out of the portion of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon: for the part of the children of Judah was too much for them: therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of them.”
16 Canaanites: The common enemy of Judah and Simeon was the Canaanites, which is probably used here as a generic term for all the inhabitants of Canaan west of the Jordan River.
17 (JOS 19.1, 2) “1And the second lot came forth to Simeon, even for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families: and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah. 2And they had in their inheritance Beersheba, or Sheba, and Moladah.”
18 Perizzites: Thought to have been an aboriginal people of a different race from the Canaanites. They were settled in Canaan before Abraham arrived (Gen 5.7).
19 (Jos 14.10, 11) “10And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. 11As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.” Caleb’s statements give a definite clue to the time lapse in the conquest of the land. If forty-five years had passed since Caleb received the promise of an inheritance (vs. 10) and that promise was given to him thirty-eight years before the crossing of the Jordan (cf. Num 14:24), then the actual time of the conquest was approximately seven years. Josephus apparently rounds this number off to five years.
20 (Deut. 7:24) “And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them.”
21 (Ps. 49.11) “Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.” Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever. Many look to their families to carry on the tradition of their wealth. These vain trusters in their wealth call their lands after their own names. We all must remember that, although the honor of a man may live on in his family estate bearing his name, nevertheless the man himself abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish. Sinful man has no more promise of continuance on the earth than do the animals.”
22 (Jam. 2.13) “For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.” Mercy is so basic to Christian living that it is impossible for a true believer not to have it. Of course, the extent may vary, but he that shows none will find judgment without mercy.
23 (Rev. 13.10) “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.”
24 (Rev. 18.6) “Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.” Because Babylon’s sins have accumulated over so long a period of time, and she has been impervious over the centuries to God’s loving entreaties to repent, the Mosaic law of recompense in kind is doubled (cf. Ex 21:23–25). In the light of I Corinthians 6:2, the summons in verses 6–7 could well be addressed to the church. The root of Babylon’s degeneration was her pride, self-security, godlessness, and glorification of wealth and luxury, all directed toward self-exaltation. The Lord God in His omnipotence will be her Judge (cf. Isa 47:9–11).
25 Requited: returned in kind the hurt that I had done to others.
26 (2 Sam. 5.6, 7) “6And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither. 7Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David.” The Jebusites were Canaanites still in possession of Jerusalem, at the time of David. They refused to surrender because of their superior fortification. The blind and the lame are mentioned because the defense was considered so effective that the city could be defended by cripples without need for strong soldiers.