How Do We Proceed From Here? Lessons from Judges 1

WHERE DO WE PROCEED FROM HERE? REFLECTIONS FROM THE STUDY OF JUDGES 1

By Ezekiel Kimosop

In this section of the opening chapter, we are introduced to Israel's leadership vacuum. Joshua, a celebrated leader, and his generation of godly elders had passed on and the people were left without a direct successor. The leadership transition appeared somewhat disjointed at this point. There was no immediate successor to Joshua. Besides, the conquest was yet to be concluded and its urgency remained uppermost in the people's minds. The people turned to God and sought for directions. 

God however remained the ultimate ruler over Israel. He was committed to His covenant obligation that He swore to the patriarchs, beginning with Abraham in Genesis 15. This was affirmed in the covenant at Mt Sinai during the time of Moses. 

The decision to seek God's leading is perhaps evidence of the moral prudence that had been bequeathed to Israel by Joshua's fallen generation of godly leaders. The question addressed to God in Judges 1:1 was possibly conveyed by a prophet or godly priest in their midst.

Godly leadership is key to the success of any covenant people. It shapes and inspires their prudence on matters of community interest and allows God's voice to be heard in their midst. 

The fact that the Israelites approached God at this critical point is instructive of their desire to follow His directions and to be led by His divine hand. Ask they did: "Who shall be first to go up for us against the Canaanites to fight against them?” (Judges 1:1).

This question is critical to the Bible reader because it will later be of great significance during the dark periods of moral decay and apostasy that Israel would go through. 

We are not told how long this prayer took to be answered. God's answer is conveyed in Judges 1:2 where God's direction is specific: Judah shall lead and God will deliver Israel's enemies into his hand. God chooses godly leaders and sets them for His purposes. 

The choice of Judah is instructive of its prophetic future as the tribe through which Israel's Messiah will come and by whom the enemies of God's people will ultimately be defeated. God's answer therefore conveys a futuristic trajectory even as it speaks to the immediate circumstances that Israel faced during the period of the judges. One of the challenges facing the world today is the search for godly leaders.

In Judges 1:3-4, the people of Judah sought the support of the tribe of Simeon and they achieved great success, driving away the Canaanites and Perizzites, not on account of their military prowess but on God's power. 

The details of the battles are captured in Judges 1:5:26. They also conquered Zephath, Gaza and Ashkelon and later Hebron, among others. There was however one exception that is important to observe at this point. The reports from other territories were disturbing. The Israelites drove out the people living in the mountains but were unable to drive out those dwelling in the lowlands because of their superior weaponry. These tribes had chariots of iron (Judges 1:17-18). 

This poor military performance is significant because sections of the Canaanites that were not driven out would later turn out to be a thorn in the flesh for Israel, both militarily and culturally. They would play a significant role in the events that describe the ups and downs of Israel through the reigns of the twelve Judges.

Notice also the unpleasant report conveyed in the passage of Judges 1:27-36. The rest of the tribes of Israel, namely Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali and Dan, failed to drive out the Canaanite inhabitants dwelling in their allotted territories. Some decided to subject the Canaanites to tribute rather than drive them out altogether. Was this situation informed by the military advantage of the Canaanites or was it evidence sheer recalcitrance on the part of the rest of the Israelite tribes? This question is likely to be addressed in considerable detail as we study the Book of Judges. One inescapable fact however stands:  their dalliance with enemy people was definitely not what God intended for Israel! We cannot progress in our spiritual journey if we are still entangled with the moral snares of this evil world. 

One moral lesson stands out as we conclude our reflection on Judges 1. Our unfinished business with the enemy that we often postpone or procrastinate over in life would return to haunt us later. God desires above all else that we should have no fellowship or entanglement with the heathen. We should not borrow from their detestable and idolatrous practices. Israel's dalliance with the Canaanites did not serve God's purposes for them and this remains the overriding issue as we read through the Book of Judges.

Could there be moral compromises in our lives that we find hard to break from? It pays to consider their progressive impact on the quality of our relationship with God...

Keep this question in mind as we prepare to study Judges 2. 

2 Corinthians 6:14-15 says "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?"

#######

In our next devotional study of Judges 2, we shall examine Israel's disobedience and its impact on their lives.

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2022

The Test of Apostolic Authority - Lessons from 2 Cor. 13:1-9

THE TEST OF APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY - LESSONS FROM 2 CORINTHIANS 13:1-9.

By Ezekiel Kimosop

INTRODUCTION

I once watched a Rambo movie in which the celebrated American actor had an unpleasant exchange with a Russian general in a scene depicting the dreaded Afghanistan war. Rambo had been betrayed into enemy hands by local Afghan agents.

The Russian general angrily shouted at Rambo who was tied to a chair. The general barked as he puffed his cigar: "You wish to test me? Good!!..." 

Mr Rambo received severe beating for his beligerent resistance despite his brutal interrogation in the hands of his enemy captors. He finally managed to escape from His captors and organized a successful rebellion against the Russians.

PASSAGE ANALYSIS

Away from the screenplay script, we learn from the thirteenth chapter of Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians that his apostolic authority had been questioned by some among the Corinthians. These opponents were perhaps envious of Paul's growing apostolic ministry in Macedonia, Achaia and Asia Minor. 

The rebels in the Corinthian assembly perhaps considered Paul as more of a paper tiger than an assertive leader. Besides, they appeared to construed his apostolic stature as doubtful. 

Paul had possibly placed sanctions against the erring among the Corinthians because of moral issues associated with them. It is possible that there were more discipline cases beside the one mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5. 

The Corinthian "rebels" underestimated Paul's capacity to assert his apostolic authority, something to which he was entitled but which he graciously suppressed. 

In 2 Corinthians 13:1-6, Paul employed both a hard and soft tone in the concluding section of his letter. He admitted that his coming third visit to Corinth would present an opportunity for authoritatively dealing with those who failed to tow the spiritual line and had apparently taunted him, seeking proof of Christ speaking through him (2 Cor. 13:3). 

Paul ascribes his apostolic authority to Christ who called him into the Gentile ministry (Acts 9:1-9). It is evident from a number of his Letters that some radical Jewish elements had attempted to undermine Paul's apostolic authority (see 2 Cor. 11:5-15; Galatians 2:1-10). This trajectory appears to have presented simmering tones in the Corinthian church given the sharp divisions reported among them (see 1 Cor. 1:10-17). 

Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians was a harsh one, by any standards. It was informed by the unpleasant circumstances prevailing in the Corinthian Christian assembly. He was compelled to issue firm instructions on the excommunication of an immoral believer and the restoration of spiritual sanity in the assembly. 

Paul wrote his Second Letter to address some misconceptions that arose from the First Letter. It is therefore instructive that he chose to conclude his Second Letter in the manner he did. There was pending business at Corinth that he sought to conclude at the earliest opportunity. 

Paul concludes his letter with an appeal to the Corinthians to esteem Christ as the ultimate authority under whom all leaders should serve in humility. He posits in reference to Christ, saying "For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you." ( 2 Cor. 13:4).

Paul ends his letter with an appeal for soberness, saying "Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the authority which the Lord has given me for edification and not for destruction." (2 Cor. 13:10). He sought to cool things down ahead of his visit.

Paul's treatment of the Corinthian issues is a perfect example for Christian leaders when handling conflicts in Christian assemblies. Paul employed his spiritual authority with utmost caution, not seeking to assert himself by the stick but making his position known with calmness. 

CONCLUSION

Christian leadership is a tough calling that is fraught with many perils, including leadership envy, lapses and authoritative excesses. 

Some leaders prefer total assertiveness in response to conflicts and by this they instill fear in the Christian community. This approach is unhealthy because it stifles Christian fellowship. Others opt for total anonymity, preferring to avoid conflicts altogether, even where their authoritative intervention is legitimate. This is not acceptable either. It is a tale in leadership failure. 

We ought to maintain a healthy balance between overarching assertiveness and firm gentleness in godly fear whenever we deal with congregational issues. 

Elsewhere in Scripture, Paul cautions the Galatians, saying "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:1-2, NKJV). Paul was addressing the Galatian church leaders in this context and his exhortation speaks to every Christian community elsewhere. 

How do you handle spiritual authority? Do you prefer assertiveness as a means of preserving your authority? Do believers fear crossing your path and would you take legitimate criticism as useful feedback or would you consider it an affront against your leadership?

How do you handle decisions touching on critical issues? Do you procrastinate over them or are you decisive or evasive? Do you employ teamwork in resolving critical leadership issues? 

By today's leadership standards, the Corinthian rebels would perhaps have been summarily excommunicated under executive fiat and expelled from the congregation! 

Paul's handling of spiritual authority demonstrates his utmost humility, gentleness and firmness, rolled together. He tampered his apostolic authority with grace. 

Christ should receive glory in everything we do. John the Baptist spoke about the preeminence of Christ, saying "He must increase but I must decrease"  (John 3:30, NKJV).

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2022