WOMEN IN THE BOOK OF JUDGES
[p. 307] WOMEN IN THE BOOK OF JUDGES
Judges 1:14,15; Judges 4:4 - 6; Judges 8:8; Judges 8:18,19; Judges 13:22,23
The book of Judges affords much instruction for the people of God at the present time, and not the least feature of it is that set out in these women of whom I have read. Women, in the sense of which I speak, usually represent the Spirit of Christ working in the saints, in the assembly or in the members of it, referring to the important necessity in us of subjection to Christ, without which we shall never correspond with the teaching set before us in them. It is said that “the assembly is subjected to the Christ”, Ephesians 5:24. No doubt in a general way she is subject, but the force of the word in Ephesians 5 is that she is subjected to Christ, that is to say, it is a question of divine ordering and wisdom. Any deviation from that position is lawlessness, we are out of hand, so to speak, whereas God’s thought is that we should be in hand, that is, under Christ’s hand. Man’s hand is so formed, as compared with other members of creation, that it suggests the power of wise manipulation, whether few or many be under it.
Many are set under Christ, but He has power to manipulate them all wisely so that the greatest results accrue; but without subjection, as I said, this is impossible, so that no one need assume that he has part in the divine manipulation apart from subjection to Christ. Paul speaks of being “legitimately subject to Christ”, 1 Corinthians 9:21 and so also as, already quoted, “the assembly is subjected to Christ”. Ephesians 5:24. With this in view we can understand and profit by the teaching relating to holy women of old, as the scripture regards them. There were holy men and holy women, all of whom were subject and available for divine uses, and what [p. 308] comes out in the holy women is certain spiritual movements which portray features of the assembly.
Now I propose to dwell on these women in Judges, so that we may learn the point of view in that book, and how the light afforded there develops those features. The first is a well-known figure — that is, Achsah. She also appears in the book of Joshua. She stands related to a well-known family, a family of faith, and so she fits in rightly in the body of the book of Joshua as illustrative of that which not only values the inheritance of God, but retains it in freshness. In the upper springs and the nether springs she had the power and resources to retain in freshness the inheritance of God. But she also fits in rightly in Judges because what stands by us in regard of the inheritance of God given us in love, also stands by us in regard of the testimony of God, especially in a dark day, in a day of rapid decline — a decline culminating in disaster. The Spirit illustrates for us typically in these upper and nether springs not only what enables the well of water in us to spring up into everlasting life, but it enables us to enjoy the inheritance freshly. It is also the living water, the rivers of living water flowing out for others in testimony to a glorified Christ, as is the point of view in John 7.
Now it is this latter that I allude to in Judges, but particularly in the way of resources in view of contingencies. The young believer should understand that christianity involves resource, not only for the present, but in view of future contingencies. You will remember the parable of the ten virgins. They all bore that desirable designation, but only five of them were really entitled to it, and so when the test came, five of them were wanting in resources; they had no oil in their vessels. The midnight cry went out and they heard and moved, but they found no power; they had no oil. Let no one move or pretend to be in christianity without the Spirit, for sooner or later you [p. 309] will be tested and will then realise to your sorrow that you are without spiritual resource.
Now Achsah represents one who had an eye to possible contingencies as well as present needs, and so she was not content with a certain inheritance, though it was a south land and thus favourable. What is offered to us in the gospel in an objective way is favourable, but we need more than that. And hence Achsah moved her husband to ask her father for springs of water, indeed she asked him herself; she understood the resources of her father — what he could give.
It is a wonderful time, young people, a time of giving on God’s part, as the Lord said to the woman in John 4, “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him”. John 4:10. It is the time of speaking to God, so that Moses in the second instance when the people needed water was told to speak to the rock. “Take the rod”, Numbers 20:8 the rod of priesthood. It was a time of life; the rod of Aaron had sprouted and borne almonds; life in perfect order had appeared. It was a time of life, and Moses is to take that rod and speak to the rock, but instead of doing that, although taking the rod according to commandment, he smites the rock with his own rod contrary to commandment, showing that on the one hand you may appear to be doing the will of God, keeping the commandment of God, whilst on the other hand you are denying His authority. It was a mixed state of things.
Then besides that he called the people ‘rebels’. It was the time of speaking, the time of asking, not the time of smiting. This is not the time of smiting; it is the time of speaking to God; His resources are boundless. It is therefore for us to see to it that we get what we need, and it is a great matter to know what we need. Above all things we need the Holy [p. 310] Spirit; we need that, and that is what God is giving. So that we are told here, he gave Achsah the upper and the nether springs. Thus you see how the position was fortified at the outset of this remarkable history; at the beginning of decline here we have the two persons united, Othniel the husband, and Achsah his wife. You can see therefore how they were fortified in divine resources. The world has resources, and so the first great domination in the book is from the world, from that point of view. It was the king of Mesopotamia, as you will observe in chapter 3. The people were sold into his hands under the government of God. Now this king alludes to resources, Mesopotamia being the land of “two rivers”. The world, as I said, has its resources; there can be no doubt about that. The question is, How are we to meet these? and in Achsah we see how she anticipates the emergency. Her husband stands in the breach; he is qualified to meet this formidable power — the world with its resources. Rivers, whilst I have no doubt referring to other things, refer to resourcefulness; without them no land can be productive to any general extent. They are the guarantee for resourcefulness; hence the king of Mesopotamia would rule the people on those lines, and that has to be met. The varying resources of the world must strike every observing christian; it is remarkable; it changes its colour and its character to combat what God is doing. That is unquestionable. But how is it to be met? The assembly is equipped with the means of overcoming, so that the king of Syria is overcome by Othniel, the husband of Achsah, and the land had rest forty years. He was one of the judges, indeed he was the first one; he was one to whom the Spirit comes; we read, “The Spirit of Jehovah was upon him”, Judges 3:10. I need not say that it was no new thing for him,
[p. 311] for the Spirit of God to come mightily upon him, nor is it a strange experience for any christian who is accustomed to live in the Spirit and to walk in the Spirit, to have the Spirit come upon him in an exceptional manner. Is it not a matter of desire, dear brethren, to be available to God in emergencies, as accustomed to the Spirit of God, to the resources of God in the Spirit, so that He may come upon us mightily at any given time for the deliverance of His people? You can see the relation of this woman, therefore, to the first judge of Israel; it was a question of resourcefulness, and I can assure you dear young people that unless you make up your minds for this, to have resources in the Spirit, the king of Mesopotamia will overcome you. The world is full of resourcefulness appealing to you, and by which it may overcome you.
The next woman is the well-known Deborah. I would she were better known as to her character and typical significance. What you will observe in her is that she was the wife of a man whose name Lapidoth signifies ‘Light’, but light is not enough. She had her own resources besides the light of her husband. The idea of Lapidoth may be extended beyond one’s husband to the responsible element in the house of God, but however much light we have we cannot overcome these nine hundred chariots of Jabin, king of Canaan, by light only. Light is armour, and we are enjoined to have it on — “the armour of light” Romans 13:12 — but armour alone is not enough; we cannot hope to overcome by it. The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, is the added thing in Ephesians. The Spirit is living, positive power in the believer, power not only for defence but for attack.
Now Deborah was the wife of this man, it says. The original word for a prophetess really means ‘a woman prophetess’. It is evidently to emphasise the thought that it was a woman; the idea is intensified.
[p. 312] At this juncture a woman is shining in the testimony of God, and what kind of a woman? A woman subject to Christ, so to speak. She is subject, for she says, “Hath not Jehovah the God of Israel commanded?” That was the point. It was a question of what God had commanded, not what she had devised in her own heart, not a mere overture of an ambitious woman to lead in military affairs. No; the Lord had commanded. It is a fine touch for all of us, for there is to be no move without the commandment, without the principle governing the position.
You see what a woman she was; she dwelt under her own palm tree, “the palm tree of Deborah” — not of Lapidoth. She is a person working out things for herself, which is right from the spiritual standpoint. No woman can rely on the faith or light of her husband, nor can the assembly do so either. She is to work out things by the Spirit. The Spirit is given to her as a dowry. Deborah had wrought things; she was a woman of moral weight; she judged Israel. She did not go out of her way to become conspicuous; she waited for them to come to her — a comely attitude for a woman. The people came to her for judgment.
Another feature in Deborah is that she is a woman of feeling. The assembly should be marked by feelings, I mean feelings corresponding with Christ, but womanly feelings. I refer to chapter 5; there Deborah is consciously a mother in Israel, “Until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel”. Judges 5:7. It says, too, “Then sang Deborah”. Judges 5:1. Singing is the outgoing of feelings, and it was her own composition. She is a woman full of feelings, full of the song of victory. It was victory given by God, and she expresses it in intelligent poetic feelings, in which she associates in the most unjealous manner another great woman, Jael, the wife of Heber:
“[p. 313] Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed above women in the tent!” Judges 5:24. Thus we see how this great woman represents the subjective side in the assembly, in the features of which I have spoken. There is this unjealous feature, too, of including in her praises Jael, the wife of Heber, who is to be blessed, blessed above women in the tent.
The tent position is the right position for the assembly. She was at the door of the tent, and she invited Sisera in. She was feeling for the people of God, and had regard for the testimony of God. Her action against Sisera was not in keeping with womanly feeling in a mere natural way, but she did violence to nature in order to overcome the enemy of the people of God. We must not allow natural sentiment and feeling when it is a question of the rights of Christ in His people; we must be ready to throw it aside. So Jael gave Sisera milk and covered him with a mantle. Then she took the hammer and the tent-pin, and nailed him to the ground. What does she represent? She represents that element in those who are subject to Christ which renounces natural feelings so that the enemy may be overthrown, as John says to a worthy woman in his day, the elect lady, “If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed”, 2 John 10 not even the ordinary courtesy is to be allowed; such is the urgency of things. He is not to be received into the house, for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds. Had Jael, the wife of Heber, received Sisera into her tent and shielded him, she would have been a partaker of his evil deeds, but she slew him, and Deborah associates in her celebration this remarkable woman.
I turn now to the next illustration of my point, that is, to the mother of Gideon. We do not know what her name was, or who her parents were. She [p. 314] is a mother. Deborah was a mother in Israel; her service had relation to Israel. It says of her, “She arose”. “The villages ceased in Israel”, Judges 5:7 for that is how it should read, that is, as you may say, the meetings of God’s people had ceased, but now leaders led in Israel. What is the good of a leader if he does not lead? Leaders led in Israel; that is the principle; and leading spiritually is going before. It is like the ark, like Jesus, taking the brunt of things, and going even into death. That is the principle of love. So leaders led in Israel; travellers no more went on by-ways as they used to; the highways of God were opened up to them. That is the service of a mother in Israel.
But now we have not a mother in Israel but the mother of brethren, and that is another thing. No special history is accorded to her, as if we are to be reminded that although there is not much of it, there was something there of the development of brethren, under the influence of a mother. It is a very fine service, and it may be available. See the kind of sons she brought forth and nurtured! Gideon is an example of them. He is more, of course, as a type of Christ, but he is an example of the brethren — what they were like. “What manner of men”, he says, “were they whom ye slew at Tabor?” “As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king”. Joash had no resemblance to a king, but he came under the good influence of his son and allowed the altar to be thrown down. Gideon prevailed in his father’s house. There was very little of the king about Joash; the kingship was in Gideon; no one could rise up against him, and these men — his brethren were like “the sons of a king”.
Where did they get their kingly qualities? Evidently they got them from their mother. She must have been in the light of someone beyond her husband; she had a greater conception than Joash could [p. 315] have presented to her, to have brought up such children as these. She represents therefore the assembly as in the light of the king; as seeing the king in his beauty, the children are like the children of a king. They say to Gideon, They were all like you, and he says, “They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother”; that was the secret. That is to say, they were under the subjective influence that promotes brotherly qualities and affection.
In chapter 13 we come to the last woman I read of. She is the wife of Manoah. The chapter is one full of intense interest, in view of the birth of Samson. The angel of God comes to her twice. The first time he is recognised as an angel of God. His countenance was said to be terrible, pointing to the low condition in the family of Dan, for they were Danites, but she recognised nevertheless, the divine representative.
Although his countenance was terrible, she recognised him. God had to intervene thus; and it is well to recognise a divine intervention, even although it may be terrible in character, for love is behind it. A Samson is coming, but certain conditions have to be observed, she was not to drink wine nor strong drink nor to eat anything unclean. It is well to be ready to recognise a divine intervention.
Manoah, hearing of the angel, prays that he might come again, which he did, but he came to the woman — not to Manoah, for the point is, what is subjected to Christ. There is no hope in the working out of divine thoughts, save as we are subject to Christ. That comes out in the end of Matthew. The angel — representative of God — says to the women, “Ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you”. Matthew 28:5 - 7. Are we ready to obey such a word?
[p. 316] As they went to bring the message, the Lord Himself appeared to them, saying, “All hail”, Matthew 28:9 as if to honour them in their obedience. Without subjection the thing is impossible, for in such case our position is useless morally, whatever light we may have.
So the angel comes to the wife again; but the husband is not with her. Then she ran and informed her husband and spoke intelligently to him; and he arose and came to the man. He is warned that it is the Lord he has to do with, and that if he offers anything it must be to Jehovah, for Manoah knew not that he was the Angel of Jehovah. All divine overtures must have in view that God is to have His place in our hearts. But poor Manoah did not know that it was an angel, and the angel says, I will not tell you my name, but we are told that he did wondrously. He ascended up to heaven in the flame of the altar; his name was Wonderful. It is marvellous that God comes in, that He should come in at that time. If we are ready, God will come in and show Himself.
His name is Wonderful; there is nothing harmful in it, whatever his countenance portended, and the woman knew it. Manoah says, We are going to die because we have seen God. Had he ever read the book of Exodus, as he should have done, he would have known that seventy of the elders of Israel saw God and that their lives were preserved. He had not read that book apparently; many of us do not read the Scriptures enough. But his wife says, If the Lord were going to kill us, He would not have accepted our burnt-offerings and oblation. See what intelligence she had; she was subjected to Christ; she was in her place, and as in her place she knew the mind of God, and Samson is born to her. Thus you see how this principle of subjection works out, for Samson comes — a type really of Christ as deliverer.
I do not say more. It is a lovely scene — the angel [p. 317] doing wondrously and then going up to heaven, and the woman perfectly at rest about it, knowing that God did not intend to kill them, having accepted the burnt-offering; typically God had accepted Christ for her. She knew God. The apostle says to the Corinthians, Some of you are ignorant of God. Is it not so, beloved? How little we know of God! Manoah did not know Him; he thought God would slay him, whereas He had accepted his offering, and that meant that he should live. Christ died that we might live and not die.
May God help us in regard of subjection, for that is the point for the moment. If God is to work out His thoughts in us, it must be as we are subjected and subject to Christ, and in being subject to Him, I may add another important thing, that is, we are sure to be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. So the assembly should come out manifesting a mutual state, as we were saying on another occasion about the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun — two hundred and eighty-eight of them — singers who cast lots. It says, “the small as well as the great, the teacher with the scholar”, 1 Chronicles 25:8. They cast lots together, and the disposal of the lot is in the Lord’s hand, so that a mutual state of things exists among the people of God, and thus the Holy Spirit works out the features of the assembly.