THE SPIRIT OF JUDGMENT (2)
THE SPIRIT OF JUDGMENT (2)
ANW Would you mind making plain how the service of the judge comes in as in the character of discernment, as stated this morning, in view, for instance, of verse 18 of chapter 2: “And when Jehovah raised them up judges, then Jehovah was with the judge, and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for it repented Jehovah because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and crushed them”.
JT I think that what is given us of Othniel helps to the understanding of the qualifications of a judge, and how the ability to judge with discrimination necessarily enters into this book. It is said in Isaiah 11:2 - 4: “and the spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah. And his delight will be in the fear of Jehovah; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears; but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity the meek of the earth”. I thought that we might see there the spirit of the judge as seen practically in Christ, with a view to what is said in Acts 17:31, that God “is going to judge the habitable earth in righteousness by the man whom he has appointed, giving the proof of it to all in having raised him from among the dead”. Judgment according to God must take on the character of discernment.
GWH And is there not a distinction to be made as regards the heroic deeds of these judges, and this exercise of the spirit of judgment active in regard to the people themselves, as Samuel went around from place to place judging [p. 122] Israel?
JT Yes, quite.
Ques Is not judgment equally a discernment of right as of wrong; a discernment of what is and a pronouncement of it?
JT Exactly. In Othniel you have one from good family roots, in connection with which there is ability to discern what the enemy is using to disaffect the people of God; added to this there is the judgment required to know the conditions under which they suffer, so as to meet such conditions. Hence we are enjoined as to the exercise of our senses so as to discern between good and evil; otherwise there cannot be judgment according to God.
AFM The judge was raised up to meet what the enemy had brought in. So that Othniel meets this condition brought about by the king of Mesopotamia.
JT What you see is that Chushan-rishathaim was a man of great resources. Well, to meet that, you would require to have resources. Therefore, the consideration of Othniel will help us as to what judgeship means. You have to meet the conditions with such means as would overcome them. Now this king, Chushan-rishathaim, is said to be king of Mesopotamia, meaning ‘Syria of the two rivers’. A river indicates many things; amongst others, resourcefulness, or the means of resources. Any country well ‘rivered’ is sure to be prosperous and fruitful, therefore affording resources. And it was that sort of thing that the enemy was using to enslave the people of God at this time. How would Othniel meet it? He was a man of resources of another kind, but of resources, nevertheless.
AFM He had upper and lower springs.
JS Would the end in view be not only deliverance, but rest for the people? “The land had rest forty years”.
JT That is the end in view. But I think we should get clear as to what judgeship and its qualifications mean.
[p. 123] The history of Othniel indicates the kind of qualifications God had in mind. Service requires secret history with God; so that the servant is divinely prepared when the time comes. You find in the history of God’s ways with His people that in emergencies a man of God is there, sometimes without a name even, as in chapter 6:7 - 10. On certain occasions He will use nameless persons, for God has His reserves always. And so if a judge is needed, God has been preparing him beforehand; Othniel is typical of that. In verse 9 of this chapter it is said, “And the children of Israel cried to Jehovah; and Jehovah raised up a saviour to the children of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother”. He already had him, but now he is “raised up”. It is not his qualifications now, but the fact that he is raised up as a saviour.
WB-w Spiritual discernment precedes judgment; discernment of what the enemy is doing before we arrive at a judgment.
JT How can we exercise discrimination so as to arrive at a judgment, unless we have discernment?
WB-w The application follows that.
JT The application is that you begin to administer according to what you discern. God may raise you up for that purpose. We must distinguish between the ability to discern and responsibility to administer according to what is discerned, in God raising up a person and using him.
BTF Have you a thought as to why Caleb is mentioned in regard to Othniel?
JT He represents the mind of God. He knew what was needed. And then he had some understanding of what Achsah represents. We have to look at these things antitypically to understand them. There is the mind of God, and those who are with Him here understand what is necessary and what He provides. Achsah understood what was needed, and Caleb gave her the springs. These entered into Othniel’s qualifications [p. 124] for service.
AJD Is raising up consequent upon there being features that please God?
JT The raising up is God’s act; it would be based on His knowledge of the servant. He said of Aaron, “I know that he can speak well”, (Exodus 4:14).
AFM In most instances we get the judge delivering first, and then judging afterwards. Is this normal, saving first, and then judging?
JT Here Othniel “judged Israel; and he went out to war”; but the general statement is that “Jehovah raised up a saviour to the children of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. And the Spirit of Jehovah was upon him, and he judged Israel; and he went out to war”. He saved them.
WM Chapter 1 suggests potential gift, and chapter 3 the exercise of it. He becomes a saviour. It is a sovereign gift and then responsibility.
JT Chapter 1 gives the earlier history of the man; chapter 3 shows how that history entered into his service. He was a saviour, a man of spiritual resources, and so met the thing that Satan used. Satan was using resources, but God met them with His in Othniel.
Rem Is it not contemplated in Corinthians that the spirit of judgment should be among all saints. Even if it comes in leadership, as it does, it should prevail among the saints as such.
JT So that even the one “little esteemed in the assembly” (1 Corinthians 6:4) is to judge.
WB-w Would you say the ‘two rivers’ represented currents of evil which Othniel discerned to begin with?
JT They indicate means of worldly resources. We know from the prophets exactly how the Nile was regarded (see Ezekiel 29). Rivers represent, when in the hands of the enemy, what is evil, as the resources of the world.
Rem It is a serious thing when we consider that these [p. 125] two rivers originally were of the four from Eden, intended for blessing, yet they had become perverted under the power of evil.
JT Two of them so employed, I think, would suggest excessive opposition to what is of God. It is a combination.
ARS Othniel knew the tactics of the enemy and planned to defeat them. Is there a connection between that and the strong man who gets bound by the Stronger than he (Luke 11:21,22)?
JT There is; you see in the letters to Corinth how a movement of Satan is made. Every movement of Satan has its own features, and requires discernment as to how to meet it. The apostle Paul says, “That we might not have Satan get an advantage against us, for we are not ignorant of his thoughts”, (2 Corinthians 2:11). This enters into judgeship, involving ability to discern and meet the attacks of the enemy.
ANW Is Othniel a saviour with a view of being a judge, or a judge to be a saviour?
JT Both. He raised up a saviour to save them. And then we are told how it came about: “And the Spirit of Jehovah was upon him, and he judged Israel; and he went out to war, and Jehovah gave Chushan-rishathaim king of Syria into his hand”. We have the general fact stated that he was a saviour and saved them; but the judgment came first according to verse 10. That is, he judged Israel, but it was by the Spirit of Jehovah. It came upon him. It is not essentially his experience or qualifications, but by the power of God’s Spirit specially upon him. As discrimination begins with any one of us, such a one discerns a thing is wrong; that is good, but if he is quiescent as to it, that is not good. Judgeship implies not only discernment but administration, which is not to be viewed lightly, for it enters into every act based on discernment. How do I regard the brother or sister responsible for the evil? As soon as I begin to administer [p. 126] according to the judgment, then God comes in and the Spirit of Jehovah coming upon me means I represent God; not only am I controlled by righteousness, or the exercise of love, but the Spirit of Jehovah comes upon me, as upon Othniel here, who judged Israel and went out to war.
Rem In the book of Revelation not only is there discernment, but judgment, and the carrying of the thing out.
JT One great point here is that the Angel leaves Gilgal and goes to Bochim. That is an important feature of this book, the change of the divine position. God goes on as far as He can; but He cannot go on with apostasy.
Rem So in 1 Timothy a definite attitude is taken by God, and then conditions come in which necessitate 2 Timothy; this is like going from Gilgal to Bochim.
WB-w The Spirit coming upon a person (corresponding with chapter 3:10) is when he commences to administer in the light he has got, in a given case.
JT Inquiry may begin by one, but you can only go a certain length, as in Matthew 18. You first go to your brother yourself; then you take one or two besides; and then you go to the assembly, where you have what God identifies Himself with. The power of God is there to deal with the evil. This principle is exceedingly practical: whenever I see anything evil occurring I judge it, and then move to meet it. Many of us are quiescent in such instances, and the enemy gets an advantage. Nabal’s young man saw what happened, he understood the answer Nabal sent to David, and while he could not meet the difficulty occasioned, he was not quiescent about it. He told Abigail — as if to say, ‘That is your matter’. That is the thing; if we move to meet the difficulty God will come in.
WM It requires courage to do that.
JT It does indeed, but there is a great deal of letting things go with us. “The Spirit of Jehovah was upon him”;
[p. 127] when that takes place in any measure you have what represents God, and evil is dealt with authoritatively.
AJD Should this principle be found in sisters?
JT I think so. The house of Chloe did not let the thing rest, but acquainted Paul with what occurred, and God came in, and the matter was dealt with.
AFM There is a great difference between being quiescent and militant in regard to evil; and even if we are not able to act, we can look to God to come in; we can be militant in our spirits.
JT God will surely help, and the procedure will take on a divine character; not only are you acting in love, but in authority, so that the thing is effectively dealt with.
EP Do you get both ideas in Isaiah 28:6? Jehovah will be “for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate;” and this is in the presence of Israel’s apostasy.
JT Quite. It often comes to this, that the Spirit of the Lord lifts up a standard when there is discernment and administration based on it. It is there that His standard is lifted up.
AJD Is that the Spirit’s special move for the moment?
JT It is. Of Othniel, the first judge, it is said: “And the Spirit of Jehovah was upon him, and he judged Israel; and he went out to war, and Jehovah gave Chushan-rishathaim, king of Syria, into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushan-rishathaim”. You see how the victory is complete; his hand prevailed.
Rem In Revelation a great deal is made of seeing.
JT What you get there is that the Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God which are sent into all the earth. Both in regard to the assembly and the general government of God there is the power of discernment. There can be no judgment [p. 128] or deliverance without such power and action based on it.
Ques What about “all the wars of Canaan”? Are they general crises?
JT I think they are. The expression refers to the book of Joshua particularly. It is important to see that these Canaanites were left so that we all should become warriors, and so have part in further wars for the testimony. The wars are on a high level.
AP-t In the forty years following Othniel’s victories what would be his position?
JT He would be a judge, during which time the land had rest.
AFM Why is it said, “The land had rest”? The expression occurs frequently in this book.
JT The land itself is much in the mind of God. It would mean that, there being no war, there was rest generally.
AFM The land and people are identified. With regard to Othniel, we are not informed as to what instrument he employed for subduing the king of Syria. The two following judges, Ehud and Shamgar, used a sword and an ox goad respectively.
JT What you get is that the Spirit of Jehovah is enough to cope with all these attacks. I should think that this war with Chushan-rishathaim would be a military operation on a large scale, by the Spirit of God.
Ques How about the eight years of verse 8?
JT That refers not to warfare but to the oppression. The period of the war is not stated. He went out to war. Othniel judged Israel and went out. He was not an indolent man like David was on one occasion in Jerusalem — he abode at the time when kings go forth to battle. Othniel went out.
Ques Is it in contrast to verse 5 when they dwelt among [p. 129] the Canaanites?
JT The early part of the chapter shows how the matter stood. They were not faithful, hence they dwelt among the Canaanites, and you have corruption in marriage alliances.
With Ehud it is not a question of the opposition of earthly resources, but fatness — human pride. Eglon was a fat man, and his forces took the city of palm trees. He evidently made Jericho, or the city of palm trees in the land, his headquarters. This warfare is marked by a personal exploit.
Rem So it says of Ehud that he “made him a sword”; it is individual work.
JT Being a left-handed man, he would make one to suit himself A judge understands what he has to deal with, and must meet it. God helps him in his preparation as in the actual conflict.
GWH He does not go by precedent either.
JT No. We have no record of any one acting just in this way before.
Rem As is the man so the implement. David used a sling and a stone.
JT Ehud makes a weapon that would deal with fatness effectively. And he lets it stay in Eglon, where it can do the best service. It refers to the word of God.
GWH He struck the thing at its root.
Ques Would Moab typify pride; and the belly the lower affections?
JT That is right. Moab was at ease, not emptied from vessel to vessel. It is typical of a condition among God’s people where the flesh, fostered by ease and selfishness, and resulting in pride, had acquired a place. The Lord Jesus is the very opposite of this; He says, “I may count all my bones” (Psalm 22:17).
RWS What is the force of his being left-handed, and of the way he girded his sword?
JT It speaks of what is irregular. In religious history a great deal is made of regularity; you must conform to [p. 130] certain rules to be in the service of God. This man would not have come up to that; he was irregular.
Ques Do you touch the clerical system when you speak of this?
JT Yes. Ehud would not have conformed with clerical requirements.
Rem There is no allowance made for the Spirit of God in those systems.
Rem The Lord did not go on regular lines when He chose Peter and Andrew, John and James.
JT Why did He not choose Nicodemus or some others of the rabbis? He does not choose what man recognises. Ehud indicates God’s choice.
EP Paul said to Timothy that he had fully known his doctrine and manner of life. And he would use it.
JT He was not told to wear Paul’s cloak, but was to bring it with him. Timothy knew that he could not put it on, but he would admire it! I believe the cloak and the books would humble him, for they would suggest how great a vessel Paul was — one to be followed.
Rem Gehazi used Elisha’s staff, but he did not accomplish anything.
JT Neither could Elisha himself. He could not raise the child with that staff. He had to lie upon him, to come down to the child’s measure. Everything has its own requirements, and we have to be ready to meet them.
Rem Do we get “the wars of Canaan” in the way Paul deals with things at Corinth, for instance, and in the epistle to the Galatians? Timothy would have the gain of all that.
JT Just so. We are all to learn how to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ, taking our share in suffering.
Rem We get the equipment for the wars of Canaan in Ephesians 6.
JT It is the whole armour of God.
WB-w Ehud girds the sword on his thigh. Is there a connection with the word of [p. 131] God?
JT There is a very great connection. Ehud was with God, and acted with skill. He brought a present to the king, which evidently was borne by others. They went back and he with them; and then he returned by himself from the quarries, which required remarkable courage and wisdom. Everything fitted perfectly, and the result is complete.
AFM The first rest through Othniel was forty years, and this rest through Ehud eighty years. Is this period of eighty years according to the greatness of the victory gained?
JT I think it is; it is the longest period mentioned. It is evidently the result of evil being dealt with at the root by the word of God.
AFM I was wondering about the city of palm trees being re-taken, what is the point of that?
JT I do not know. Undoubtedly Jericho, the scene of the first great victory of Israel, is referred to. It represented the prowess of Israel in spiritual power. And now it is in enemy hands; Moab had taken that. The Kenites had been there. They were a wilderness people, relatives of Moses’ father-in-law; they were children of the wilderness; they had left the city of palm trees and dwelt in the wilderness. The place thus is vacated and Moab takes it. It was complete defeat for Israel.
GMcP If we do not judge evil in ourselves, God will expose the flesh in us.
JT Ehud’s victory is remarkable in that it emphasises the authority of God’s word and the effectiveness of it.
WB-w It was a sword of two edges.
JT It is figurative of the word of God, the sword of the Spirit.
Then there are these ten thousand fat men; they are referred to in the sense of derision. They were spectacles in their fatness. Their carcasses lay there; they were brought down by the power of the word of God. It is very encouraging as to what is available in these crises;
[p. 132] if we respect the word of God and use it rightly, what may not be done!
WB-w The sword was of one cubit. It does not represent a long sermon.
JT Exactly. David chose five smooth stones, but one was enough. And so this one-cubit sword was quite enough. If it had been longer, it might not have been effective. It was just long enough to be plunged in and left.
I think we might notice in closing that as to Shamgar it does not say he had to do with an oppression; rather that these six hundred Philistines were there. There are occasions of opposition to the truth, which are not exactly oppressions. It is not complete domination; but it will be unless it is dealt with. Deliverance was needed, however. Samson later deals with an oppression by these people; but this is what one man did to six hundred who having had a status in the land were specially formidable. They came into Canaan otherwise than through the Jordan.
AFM How could a man slay six hundred people with an ox goad?
JT I think it is a question of experience with God, bearing out what we have been saying. An ox goad is something you prod the ox with to keep him in his place and make him obedient. It is discipline in the school of God. Every one of us must be dealt with in this way; for we are not sons if we are not under discipline. He represents that side; he knew what goading meant. With Othniel it is the Spirit of Jehovah; there is a great general position; he is a man imbued with the Spirit of Jehovah and goes out to war. Ehud values the word of God; he is resourceful; he is a type of what is original and unique, but most effective. Shamgar sets forth experience with God, without which we cannot represent Him, nor be effective against His enemies.
ARS Shamgar knew how to use what he had [p. 133] to advantage. The Lord used what was there in feeding the multitude.
JT Shamgar understood what it was to be in harness and to work under discipline.
Rem In chapter 5 Shamgar’s days were marked by the blocking of the highways. “The roads were unused, and the travellers on highways went by crooked paths”, (verse 6). This state of things would be the result of Philistine work — corresponding with the religious world today.
JT Evidently, therefore, the ministry of Shamgar did not result in divine principles becoming operative. I think Deborah alludes to his times as if they did not make a way for divine principles generally. The highways were neglected in spite of the great exploit. Luther is illustrative of this. He did a wonderful work, but he did not open up the great highway of fellowship and the assembly.
GWH The travellers went by crooked paths.
JT Yes, in spite of this intervention of God. Luther’s work was not final as leading anywhere; it was, however, important. But with regard to experience, it is what you have got in your hand. Moses was concerned as to how God could use him. God said, “What is that in thy hand?” (Exodus 4:2). He will use that.
Ques Is not there a certain amount of reproach in connection with an ox goad? Deborah says there was not a shield or a spear among forty thousand.
JT That is right. I suppose literally those expressions implied that the people were disarmed, and that would bring Ehud into greater relief in making his own instrument.
RDG There is no reference to the land having rest in Shamgar’s case?
JT There was a rest of eighty years as a result of Ehud’s action, but no rest is mentioned in connection with Shamgar’s exploit; however, it is said, “he also delivered Israel”.