GOD IS our redeemer, a theme woven throughout the Old Testament. This is illustrated most clearly in the Book of Ruth.

This week, we finish the Book of Judges with the story of how the other tribes of Israel prevented the extinction of Benjamin after the sordid affair of the Levite’s concubine (Judges 19–20). Then we move on to Ruth, which relates the story of the great-grandparents of David.

Ruth was a Moabite woman who married a man from Bethlehem, one of the sons of Naomi and Elimelech, when they’d traveled to Moab during a famine in Israel. Elimelech died, leaving Naomi with her sons and daughters-in-law, but after ten years in Moab, Naomi’s sons died as well.

Ruth’s redemption by Naomi’s kinsman, Boaz, is a picture of our redemption by God through His sacrifice. We discuss the significance of the actions of Boaz in the context of Christ’s victory over death at the cross and the significance of the Bible recording a Moabite—a Gentile—in the line of David and Jesus. (And the mother of Boaz was Rahab, the Canaanite woman who hid the Israelite spies from the king of Jericho!)

ODOM AND GOMORRAH come to mind when reading the last chapters of the Book of Judges.

The disturbing events recorded in the final chapters of Judges describe a time “when there was no king in Israel.” A Levite from the hill country of Ephraim traveled to Bethlehem to bring home his wayward concubine, probably a secondary wife. On their return journey north, they stopped for the night at Gibeah, a town in the territory of Benjamin about four miles north of Jerusalem.

Then things took a horrifying turn.

The men of the city, like the men of Sodom in the days of Abraham and Lot, demanded that the owner of the home where the Levite and his concubine were staying send out the Levite so that they may “know” him—a euphemism for “have sex with.” The homeowner offered his virgin daughter instead, as Lot did with his daughters to the men of Sodom. The men of Gibeah refused—so the Levite pushed his concubine outside where she was raped so violently that she died.

We discuss the fact that the Levite, who should have known better (he’s a Levite, after all!), never appealed to God for help. Nor did the people of Israel consult God before deciding to go to war with the tribe of Benjamin—who, for their part, refused to give up the guilty men of Gibeah, preferring to fight even though they were outnumbered nearly 20-to-1!

We also look at Hosea chapter 9, which references the incident at Gibeah as part of a longer polemic against Ephraim, meaning the northern tribes. Hosea wrote in the 8th century BC, just before the Assyrian conquest of Samaria, a time when the northern tribes had followed the apostasy of Jeroboam, the rebel who led the northern tribes to declare independence from Solomon’s son Rehoboam. Jeroboam set up the golden calves at Bethel and Dan, worship of the Canaanite creator-god El that was specifically condemned by Hosea (Hos. 8:5–6).

We believe the actions of the men of Gibeah and Sodom are linked to the worship of El and Baal-Peor, which Derek argues in his new book The Second Coming of Saturn are one and the same. It’s connected to the cult of the dead, a practice that was a snare to the Israelites from the time they entered Canaan (see Hosea 9:15; Gilgal was the Israelite camp near Jericho).

SAMSON WAS the stereotypical alpha male. Ruled by his passions, Samson fell into the hands of Israel’s enemies, the Philistines—but God used even Samson’s failings to save His people from their enemies.

We discuss Samson’s flaws, such as his pride and rather flexible approach toward keeping his vow as a Nazirite. It’s clear that Samson either wasn’t the smartest guy in Israel, or he put so much trust in his own strength that he did foolish things.

Then we move on to the story of the tribe of Dan’s relocation from its original land allotment west of Judah to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon. The Danites, unable to push the Philistines out of their territory, seized the area around the ancient city of Laish and settled there.

This story is connected to that of an ambitious Levite priest who left the territory of Judah and settled with a wealthy Ephraimite named Micah, who had fallen into the pagan practices of Israel’s Amorite neighbors. We revisit the practice of ancestor veneration and the monthly kispum ritual, which involved the household idols called teraphim, through which pagans in the ancient Near East believed they provided food and drink for their dead ancestors.

Judges 17 and 18 show the fulfillment of Moses’ prophecy over Dan in Deuteronomy 33:22: “Dan is a lion’s cub that leaps from Bashan.” Mount Hermon and the area around the city of Dan were part of Og’s kingdom, Bashan, but at the time of the prophecy, the Israelites were still camping on the plains of Moab east of the Jordan River.

The account also shows that Dan was the first of the tribes of Israel to fall back into pagan worship. By taking the Levite, Jonathan (a descendant of Moses!), as their tribal priest, they violated the Law, since the approved priesthood served at the Tabernacle in Shiloh. This may be the reason early Christian theologians such as Irenaeus believed the Antichrist would come from the tribe of Dan.

JUDGES 11 describes an event in Israel’s history that is difficult to reconcile with a loving God.

Jephthah, the son of man of the tribe of Manasseh by a prostitute, is called upon by the people of Gilead to lead them into battle against the kingdom of Ammon, which had invaded their territory. Jephthah, described as “a mighty warrior,” vowed to God that he would sacrifice as a burnt offering “whatever [or “whoever”] comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return.” (Judges 11:30–31).

This illustrates the foolishness of swearing a rash vow to God. It is also evidence that the Bible has not been edited over the centuries, for surely an event like this would have been deleted to remove any hint that Jephthah’s vow and subsequent sacrifice was acceptable to God.

However, not all scholars believe that Jephthah’s daughter became a burnt offering. The Septuagint translation suggests that she was instead dedicated to God through a vow of chastity. In that time, being childless was normally considered a mark of shame. For more on this, see “Did Jephthah Kill His Daughter?” by Solomon Landers at Biblical Archaeology Society Online (link: https://www.baslibrary.org/bible-review/7/4/15) and “Daughter of Jephthah: Bible” by Karla Bombach at the Jewish Women’s Archive (link: https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/daughter-of-jephthah-bible).

It appears the real sacrifice was the end of Jephthah’s patrimony, since his daughter was his only child. By dedicating her to God, his bloodline came to an end.

THE SHORT reign of Gideon’s son Abimelech lasted just three years, with a sad end to what was the first attempt to create a ruling dynasty over Israel. And at the heart of the conspiracy was a city sacred to one of the most powerful and popular of the fallen angels.

Abimelech’s fratricide, killing his half-brothers to become king over Israel, reveals that Gideon, despite saying, “The Lord will rule over you,” did in fact rule as a king. (And Abimelech’s name, which means “my father, the king,” is another clue!) We discuss the work of the spirit realm in sowing discord between Abimelech and his co-conspirators from the city of Shechem.

We also discuss the spiritual significance of Shechem, the identity of Baal-Berith (Derek identifies it in his book The Second Coming of Saturn as the Hurrian god Mitra, another identity worn by El, Kronos, Saturn, etc.), and some of the biblical events that took place there. In short, it’s not a coincidence that God directed Moses and Joshua to set up an altar overlooking the city!
——————
Check out our new online store! www.GilbertHouse.org/store is a virtual book table with books and DVDs related to our weekly Bible study.

During the month of April, save 10% with promo code APRIL10!
——————
JOIN US IN TURKEY! We’re planning a tour of the churches of Revelation, Göbekli Tepe, Abraham’s home town Harran, the “Gates of Hell,” Mount Nemrut, and more. The dates are October 19-November 2, 2022. Complete details on cost, itinerary, and registration are available now at www.SkyWatchinTurkey.com.
——————
NEW DATES FOR THE SKYWATCH TV TOUR OF ISRAEL: The Gilberts will be in the Holy Land March 19-30, 2023. This is a tour like no other! We’ll visit Shiloh, Joshua’s altar, Gilgal Refaim, and more. For information and to reserve your place, log on to www.SkyWatchInIsrael.com.

THE STORY of Gideon is not just an example of faith in the face of overwhelming odds; it’s also another example of the Trinity in the Old Testament.

Gideon was from the weakest clan in the tribe of Manasseh, and described himself as “the least in [his] father’s house.” Yet, the angel of the Lord, the pre-incarnate Christ, assured Gideon that he would “save Israel from the hand of Midian.”

Gideon’s reluctance is understandable; the hordes of Midianites and Amalekites were so numerous that “both they and their camels could not be counted.” He tested God twice, and God confirmed that it was indeed He who had called Gideon to this mission.

In Judges 6:34, we read that “the Spirit of the Lord clothed [or “took control of”] Gideon,” giving us the third member of the Trinity in the story of Gideon.

Sadly, Gideon, like all of us, wasn’t perfect. Although he declined the offer of the Israelites to rule over them, which is understandable given that he and his 300 beat an army of 120,000, he made a gold ephod for himself, a garment reserved for the high priest, and named one of his many sons Abimelech—which means “my father is king.”

By the way, the value of Gideon’s ephod, in today’s market, is over $1.3 million. No wonder “it became a snare to Gideon and his family”!

ON THE surface, the song of Deborah and Barak in Judges 5 is a celebration of a miraculous military victory over a superior enemy. It is that, but it’s much more.

When we dig into the Hebrew and consider the cult of the dead from the surrounding Amorite culture, Judges 5 tells of a supernatural battle between Yahweh and His forces against the small-g gods of the Canaanites. The mentions in Judges 5:13 to “the noble” (Hebrew addirim) and “the mighty” (gibborim; also v. 23) are references to the demonic spirits of the Rephaim (i.e., the Nephilim) worshiped by the pagan neighbors of ancient Israel.

We find more evidence in verse 20:

From heaven the stars fought,
from their courses they fought against Sisera.

Judges 5:20

Map of the battle (click to enlarge)
Stars (kokabim) in the Old Testament often refer to the sons of God, as in Job 38:7–8, the supernatural beings we usually (but inaccurately) call angels.

We also discuss the strange curse on the inhabitants of Meroz, which some have interpreted, because of verse 20, as a biblical reference to extraterrestrials. Simply put, it’s not.

Here’s the link to Dr. Mike Heiser’s article “The Torah’s Teaching on Aliens,” which he jokingly wrote might as well have been a blank page.

Check out our new online store! www.GilbertHouse.org/store is a virtual book table with books and DVDs related to our weekly Bible study.

During the month of April, save 10% with promo code APRIL10!

STRONG WOMEN rose to the occasion when Israel fell under the oppressive hand of Jabin, the Canaanite king of Hazor.

This week, we discuss the victory of Deborah and Barak, which was sealed by the decisive act of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite. We discuss Barak’s reluctance to lead Israel’s troops against the iron chariots of Sisera, Jabin’s general, explain why Sisera was probably the leader of a mercenary band from Sardinia, and how archaeologists have confirmed the Bible’s account of Hazor’s destruction under Joshua, shortly after 1406 BC, and again in the time of the Judges around 1234 BC.

We also discuss the brief accounts of the judges Othniel (nephew of Joshua’s colleague Caleb), Shamgar (who may have been a Hurrian mercenary), and Ehud, the left-handed warrior who freed Israel from the oppression of Eglon, king of Moab.

JOIN US IN TURKEY! We’re planning a tour of the churches of Revelation, Göbekli Tepe, Abraham’s home town Harran, the “Gates of Hell,” Mount Nemrut, and more. The dates are October 18-November 3, 2022. Details on cost, itinerary, and registration are available now at www.SkyWatchinTurkey.com.

NEW DATES FOR THE SKYWATCH TV TOUR OF ISRAEL! We will lead our next tour through the Holy Land March 19 – 30, 2023, with an optional three-day extension to Jordan, with visits to Mount Nebo, Wadi Rum, and Petra. For more information, log on to www.SkyWatchinIsrael.com.

IT DIDN’T take long for Israel to forget God. Within thirty years of arriving in Canaan, God was compelled to tell the Israelites that because of their disobedience, He would not drive out the people before them.

This is a pattern that repeats throughout the Book of Judges. We discuss the failure of Israel to obey God’s command to push the Canaanites, Amorites, and Perizzites (Philistines) out of the land, the apparent contradiction over the destruction of Jerusalem by the tribe of Judah and the fact that the Jebusites still controlled it nearly 400 years later in the time of David, and why Jerusalem was important despite being smaller than other cities of the region at the time.

Join us for a weekend retreat! March 4-6, 2022, we’ll be at at the beautiful Finley River Ranch in Sparta, Missouri, teaching Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday morning on prophecy, politics, and the end times. Lunch Saturday and Sunday is included.

Sparta is about halfway between Springfield and Branson in the Missouri Ozarks. For information and registration, log on to www.HisCallMinistries.com.

Save $20 on the Eyes to See Conference! The Gilberts will be in Dallas March 17–20, 2022, with L. A. Marzulli, Pastor Paul Begley, and other great speakers. Use promo code GILBERT20 for $20 off registration at www.HearTheWatchmen.com.

JOIN US IN TURKEY! We’re planning a tour of the churches of Revelation, Göbekli Tepe, Abraham’s home town Harran, the “Gates of Hell,” Mount Nemrut, and more. The dates are October 18-November 3, 2022. Details on cost, itinerary, and registration are available now at www.SkyWatchinTurkey.com.

NEW DATES FOR THE SKYWATCH TV TOUR OF ISRAEL! We will lead our next tour through the Holy Land March 19 – 30, 2023, with an optional three-day extension to Jordan, with visits to Mount Nebo, Wadi Rum, and Petra. For more information, log on to www.SkyWatchinIsrael.com.

THE PEOPLE of Israel are finally dispatched to their homes after the allocation of the land and establishing the cities of refuge, sanctuaries for those who inadvertently commit what we today would call manslaughter.

Before they go, however, Joshua binds them with another oath, demanding that they choose who they will serve, “whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the [Euphrates] River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Of course, as we’ll see next week when we start the Book of Judges, it didn’t take long for the people to forget their promise.