In Judges 3.1-31 we are going to pick up some important concepts. In Judges 3.1-2 we learn an important concept related to spiritual warfare. The Lord left the the Canaanite nations to test Israel as we know, but this was also to teach the next generation who had not experienced any of the battles in Canaan about warfare. So, let’s touch on some concepts in spiritual warfare because it is one of the concepts in Judges. The study of war is called the “Moreshet Karav” or the “heritage of war.” How do we fight spiritual battles? Look at what Israel did. Much of what passes for “spiritual warfare” today is not spiritual warfare. Warfare is the imposition of one’s will over another. What is the will of God? It is that we follow the Torah. What does the enemy try to do? Stop us from obeying the will of God, or the Torah. He will try to get you away from it by using various techniques. He want us to be lawless (anomos in Greek= “no Torah) like he is. But here is the key to spiritual warfare. Following the Torah is how we fight spiritual warfare! Num 4.3 says, “From thirty years and upward, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service (the word is “tzava” and means warfare) to do the work in the tent of meeting.” The priests were working in the Mishkan and the Temple and this was seen as spiritual warfare. This word for warfare is also used in Num 4.23 and 4.30 also. We need to know the Lord (Jer 9.23-24) not fight battles. This word for know is “yada” and this is an intimate knowledge (Gen 4.1; Jer 31.34; Hos 2.18-20; Hos 4.6; Matt 7.21-23) because we have discerned the truth and this gives us the capacity to know the Lord. The heart of God is for us to know him, but how? With our reason, logic and intellect. Feelings can deceive us. Yada (to know intimately) is the opposite of anomos (lawless). 1 John 2.3-4 tells us that we have come to know him if we keep his commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know him,” and does not keep the commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. What people do not realize is that we are in a war just as real as what we have been reading about in Joshua and Judges. We must “consider our ways” (Hag 1.7). Are we wasting time in our lives or are we building the house of God? We do this by studying the Scriptures to know the Lord. Every piece of truth we learn is like a brick in our wall. Do we want to be a wall or a door (Song 8.9)? Do we want to be strong or weak? Some think that studying spiritual warfare is a waste of time, but it is not something that you can just sit down and learn quickly. But warfare applies to every believer because we are in a war whether you want to be or not. Ecc 9.14-16 likens us to a city and it can be delivered by wisdom. Matt 13.45-46 and Job 28.18 speak about wisdom and how valuable it is. This wisdom can only come through the Scriptures, with the Torah as a foundation for our walls. If you want to have a sturdy wall and a protected city, you must understand the Law and the Prophets, and then build on that. John 5.39-47 says that the Jewish people did not believe what Moses wrote, and as a result did not believe in Yeshua because Moses wrote about him. As a result, if they don’t believe Moses they will not believe Yeshua. When studying spiritual warfare we must look at the ancient battles that the Jews fought and apply what God has shown to our own spiritual battles. We also need to study the coming of the Messiah in the context of these battles that we will read about in the Scriptures because many of them will happen again. We also need to open up a better understanding of any passage that we will come across in our study of Tanak Foundations. Israel failed to keep moving forward and got into a lot of trouble with their enemies as we have already seen in Judges 2. We must build our walls and city (us). If we have not progressed much over the years the enemy is going to hit us. We are going to see that exact thing in Judges as we move through, as well as the rest of the Tanak. The Lord will allow us to be attacked to teach us how to fight in spiritual warfare as we have seen in Judges 3.1-2. Everyone is either just coming into a battle, fighting a battle or coming out of a battle.
The Lord is a warrior and called “Adonai Tzavaot” in Hebrew meaning “Lord of the Armies.” If we don’t start learning about warfare we will be making a huge mistake. There are different fortifications, weapons, tactics and strategies that need to be examined. Warfare developed over the centuries from throwing rocks, to shields, to bows and arrows, to tanks, missiles and supersonic jets. Spiritually it will be the same with us. At first, we don’t know much about warfare. We win some battles but we need to progress in our knowledge of God and the Scriptures because the enemy won’t be throwing rocks after awhile. His attacks against us will get more sophisticated, so we better get with the program. We need to learn the Torah and the Prophets. There are those who say they believe but do not know the Torah and follow some other belief system. They think they are alright but they have been captured for a long time and think they are free. Then they get offended because you don’t believe in the same thing they do. There is always a price to pay in spiritual warfare. Don’t ever think that there will be no casualties when you fight battles and stand up for the Lord. We may lose our family, friends, health through stress, jobs, finances and other things. We will be our biggest enemy, like the saying goes, “We have found the enemy, and he is us.” There are no “formulas” or repeated prayers (like the Prayer of Jabez hype a few years ago) to overcome the enemy. As you study the biblical battles, the Lord had Israel do different things all the time. The technique was never the same. Sometimes they marched around a city and the walls fell (Joshua at Jericho) and sometimes they had siege warfare (David at Rabbah).
Another concept to remember is don’t think the war is over because you won a battle. Why? Because we just got stronger and improved our weapons and the enemy will counter that. What we think are “weapons” are not really weapons at all, but “magic” in place of real weapons. Using “holy anointing oil” or “water from the Jordan” from some TV preacher is just magic. The “name it claim it” and “confessing things into existence” crowd like in the Faith Movement is just a false teaching from the enemy. Don’t waste your time in it. They are throwing pebbles when they think they are shooting bullets. Everything in spiritual warfare must come from God (Lam 3.37). You can’t make God “jump through your hoops” like a circus lion. Remember, he is the Lord of the Armies” and Commander-in-chief. We must see ourselves like a city with walls. When the enemy comes, and he will, there are certain things you must have in place to keep his battering ram away from your walls. He will try to penetrate us. We must mature in spiritual warfare and we can’t have a knife with an enemy who is shooting bullets. Don’t ever underestimate the enemy. We must develop our understanding of spiritual warfare and apply those concepts. So, as we move through Judges and the Tanak we will be picking up important lessons that we can apply to our own spiritual warfare. If you would like a detailed study in spiritual warfare, go to the teaching called “The Spiritual Warrior” and “The Spiritual Sniper” on this website.
This chapter also tells us of Israel’s servitude under the king of Mesopotamia and their deliverance by the first judge Othniel; their subjection to the Moabites and their deliverance by another judge Ehud; and the destruction of the Philistines by Shamgar.
v 1…Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan,
v 2…only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war (the Moreshet Karav or heritage of war), those who had not experienced it formerly (warfare does not build character).
v 3…These nations are the five lords of the Philistines (wallowers) and all the Canaanites (merchants) and the Sidonians (hunters/fishermen) and the Hivites (livers) who lived in Mount Lebanon (white), from Mount Baal-hermon (banned) as far as Lebo-hamath (enclosure of wrath).
v 4…And they were for testing (examination) Israel, to find out if they would obey the commandments of the Lord, which he had commanded their fathers through Moses.
v 5…And the sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites (terror), the Amorites (sayers), the Perizzites (rustic squatters), the Hivites, and the Jebusites (trodden down);
v 6…and they took their daughters for themselves as wives (this is what happened in Gen 6.2), and gave them their own daughters to their sons, and they served their gods.
v 7…And the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgot the Lord their God, and served the Baals and the Asheroth.
v 8…Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim (blackness of the double wicked; he is a type of Satan and this is alluded to in 1 Cor 5.5 when Paul turned someone over to Satan) king of Mesopotamia, and the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.
v 9…And when the sons of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the sons of Israel, to deliver them, Othniel (God is might) the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother (the judges will be a type of the Messiah).
v 10…And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel (took upon him the office of a judge). When he went out to war, the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand, so he prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim (Yeshua has prevailed over Ha satan and his kingdom).
v 11…Then the land had rest forty years. And Othniel son son of Kenaz died.
v 12…Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord strengthened Eglon (calf) the king of Moab against Israel because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord.
v 13…And he gathered to himself the sons of Ammon (of the people) and Amalek (people who lick; Amalek is never at peace with Israel-Exo 17.15; Num 13.29; Judges 6.3) and they went and defeated Israel, and they possessed the city of the palm trees (Jericho).
v 14…And the sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
v 15…But when the sons of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud (I will give thanks) the son of Gera (the cud) the Benjaminite, a left-handed man (Benjamin was known for their left-handed warriors-Judges 20.15-16; 1 Chr 12.2). And the sons of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon king of Moab (to give him access to him).
v 16…And Ehud made himself a sword which had two sides (the word of God), a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his cloak (most convenient for him).
v 17…And he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man (and unable to move and avoid the stroke).
v 18…And it came about when he had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute.
v 19…But he himself turned back from the quarries (where they made idols, etc-v 26) which were at Gilgal (in honor of his gods when he first entered the land, and in contempt for Israel and the ark which was there) and dais, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And he said, “Keep silence (until everyone has left).” And all who attended him left him.
v 20…And Ehud came to him while he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber (v 24). And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And he arose from his seat.
v 21…And Ehud stretched out his left hand and took the sword (a type of the word of God) from his right thigh (thigh peaks of strength) and thrust it into his belly (Satan is defeated with the word of God).
v 22…And the handle went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the sword out of his belly and the refuse came out (a deadly blow; another one was not needed; Yeshua died once-Heb 10.12).
v 23…Then Ehud went out into the vestibule and shut the doors (Yeshua returns on Yom Kippur, and there is a ceremony called “Neilah” which means “closing of the gate” of repentance; on Rosh Ha Shannah the gates of repentance are opened) of the roof chamber behind him, and locked them (can’t get into the gate of repentance now).
v 24…And when he had gone out, his servant came and looked, and behold, the doors of the roof chamber were locked, and they said, He is only relieving himself in the cool room.”
v 25…And they waited until they became anxious, but behold, he did not open the doors of the roof chamber. Therefore they took the key and opened the, and behold their master had fallen to the floor dead.
v 26…Now Ehud escaped while they were delaying and passed by the quarries and escaped to Seirah (hairy she-goat; used in the offerings for sin-Num 15.27; Messiah is available for all their sins).
v 27…And it came about when he had arrived, that he blew the horn (shofar) in the hill country of Ephraim (fruitful; Yeshua will have the great shofar blown when he returns-Matt 24.29-31), and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was in front of them.
v 28…And he said to them, “Pursue, for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hands.” So they went down after them and seized the fords of the Jordan opposite the Jordan and did not allow anyone to cross.
v 29…And they struck down at that time about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men, and no one escaped.
v 30…So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land was undisturbed for eighty years.
v 31…And after him came Shamgar (a stranger there) the son of Anath (answer, eye, fountain), who struck down six hundred Philistines (wallowers; a type of replacement theology) with an ox goad (a type of the Torah), and he saved Israel (God can use anything to serve his purpose, whether it be a shepherd’s staff or a slingshot).
Judges 4.1-24 gives us a great picture of the Messiah and the False Messiah in a battle between Israel and Jabin (he understands) king of Canaan who reigned at Hazor. He had a commander in his army named Sisera, who lived in Haroset-ha goyim (work of the Gentiles).
v 1…Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died.
v 2…And the Lord sold to them into the hand of Jabin (a type of Ha Satan) king of Canaan (merchants), who reigned in Hazor (village, trumpet, enclosure) and the commander of his army was Sisera (one that sees a horse, swallow), who lived in Haroset-hagoyim (work of the Gentiles).
v 3…and the sons of Israel fried to the Lord for he had nine hundred iron chariots (worldly power), and he oppressed the sons of Israel severely for twenty years (as the people increased their sins, Yehovah increased their afflictions).
v 4…Now Deborah (Hebrew “Devorah” meaning a formalizer, or to establish and pronounce something’s name or definition; the root is Devar meaning “word”), a prophetess (one who speaks the truth of what God said), the wife of Lappidoth (“torches” and a term for the Messiah in Hab 3.4 and Gen 15.17), was judging judging Israel at the time (Deborah was).
v 5…And she used to sit under the palm tree (“tamar” alluding to righteousness) of Deborah (where she sat and judged the cases the people brought to her) between Ramah (height) and Bethel (house of God) in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel came to her for judgment (on their cases).
v 6…Now she sent and summoned Barak (lightning-the word of God will raise up the Messiah) the son of Abinoam (father of pleasantness) from Kedesh-naphtali (kedusha of my wrestling), and said to him, “Behold (see), the Lord, the God of Israel, has commanded, ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor (you will purge), and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulon (dwelling; these tribes were near to where the battle would be, and may have been most oppressed).
v 7…And I will draw out to you Sisera (a type of the False Messiah), the commander of Jabin’s (a type of Ha Satan) army, with his chariots and his many troops to the river Kishon (ensnarer) and I will give him into your hand.’ “
v 8…Then Barak said to her; “If you will go with me, then I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go (wanting her a a prophetess and a judge to pray for him and give him advice, etc).
v 9…And she said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the Lord will sell Sisera (the False Messiah) into the hands of a woman (Jael in v 21 is also a type of the Israel, the eschatological Kahal and the gates of hell shall not prevail over the Kahal who confesses Yeshua-Matt 16.18; Gen 3.15).” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.
v 10…And Barak called Zebulon and Naphtali together to Kedesh, and ten thousand men went up with him; Deborah also went up with him.
v 11…Now Heber (associate) the Kenite (a smith) had separated himself from the Kenites, from the sons of Hobab the brother-in-law (“choten” can mean brother-in-law or father-in-law, and in this case it means brother-in-law) of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim (wanderings), which is near Kedesh.
v 12…Then they told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor (GOd is drawing to the Kishon River).
v 13…And Sisera called together all his chariots and all the people who were with him, from Haroshet-hagoyim to the river Kishon.
v 14…And Deborah said to Barak, “Arise! For this is the day in which the Lord has given sisera into your hands (alluding to Yom Kippur when Yeshua returns); behold, the Lord has gone up before you.” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him (he attacks from the east like Yeshua will-Matt 24.17).
v 15…And the Lord routed sisera and all his chariots and all his army (it was spring and the terrain was muddy and the Kishon had flooded so their chariots were useless) with the edge of the sword before Barak, and Sisera alighted from his chariot (it was stuck) and he fled on foot (1 Kings 18.44).
v 16…But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Haroshet-hagoyim (they outran the chariots and caught them), and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword, not one man was left.
v 17…Now Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael (“Yael” is in the masculine meaning mountain goat and alludes to the L’Yehovah goat on Yom Kippur) the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite (he was not Israelite so he came into the tent).
v 18…And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, “Turn aside my master, turn aside to me! Do not be afraid.” And he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug.
v 19…And he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a bottle (skin) of milk (symbolic of the word of God-1 Pet 2.1-3) and gave him a drink, then she covered him.
v 20…And he said to her, “Stand in the doorway of the tent, and it shall be of anyone comes and inquires of you, and says, ‘Is there anyone here?’ that you shall say, ‘No.’
v 21…But Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg (“Hebrew “Yotaid” and a type of the Messiah-Isa 22.15-25; Ezra 9.8) and seized a hammer (“makav” and another type of the Messiah-Jer 23.29; the word “Maccabee” at Chanukah means “hammer”) in her hand, and went secretly to him and drove the peg (Messiah) into his temple (crushed his head-Gen 3.15; Hab 3.13; Psa 74.13; Num 24.17; Judges 9.53) and it went through into the ground, for he was sound asleep and exhausted. So he died (what the “seed of the woman” will do to HaSatan and the False Messiah).
v 22…And behold, as Baarak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” And he entered with her and behold Sisera was lying dead with the tent peg in his temple.
v 23…So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the sons of Israel.
v 24…And the hand of the sons of Israel pressed heavier and heavier upon Jabin the king of Canaan (continued to make war with him), until they had destroyed Jabin the king of Canaan (which God had commanded them to do; the “boss” of the False Messiah is Satan, and he will be destroyed also-Rev 20.1-20).
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