King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 2 notes
1And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim.
2And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.
3And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years.
4And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havoth-jair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.
5And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.
6And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.
The gods of other lands had the effect of bringing the children 🧒 of Israel into poverty whiles prospering surrounding nations.
The God of Israel, Jehovah, had the opposite effect: he made rich the people and helped Israel triumph 😤 over their enemies.
7And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.
8And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.
9Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.
10And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.
11And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?
12The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.
13Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.
14Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.
Hold on, that is a valid point. Why didn't the gods whom they had chosen over God deliver them?
I get it that if God was now siding with their enemies, and say these new gods of theirs were now siding with Israel, God will win since he is God of all gods.
However, if God was neutral, which he is not, how come then Israel lost against their enemies?
Because it is obvious that though the other nations did not worship God, God uses them to punish Israel his people, whom he had procured by covenant and would therefore not and cannot leave them for another people.
I also wonder, why did not somehow the people of other nations change their gods and somehow worship Jehovah,
Especially seeing the miracles and power he demonstrates on behalf of his people?
I think it is because the laws of God are contrary to our very human nature, and so to be tempted to do what is right is so not possible.
Serving God must be a deliberate decision to go against what is natural.
You cannot be tempted to do what is right, but you can always be tempted to do wrong, and that so easily, because it lines up with our sinful nature.
15And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day.
16And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.
17Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh.
18And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.