2 v.3 - That the nations were to be thorns in the side of Israel was predicted [Numbers 33:55] and seen to be fulfilled twice in their history, here and [Joshua 23:13] It is interesting that the angel here draws together two passages from different parts of the law to make the point. This demonstrates that whereas the books of the law are separate and distinct they are all part of the one message. Though doubtless there were other times when this warning came true.

3 v.1 - The concept of God proving Israel is seen throughout Scripture Genesis 22:1 Exodus 15:25 16:4 20:20 Deuteronomy 8:2 16 13:3 Judges 2:22 3:1 4 The Psalm is interesting in that it shows the Psalmist desiring to be 'proved' - do we seek chastening? [Psalm 26:2]

That the time of the Judges was to 'prove' Israel can be seen 2:22 3:4 and as such continues the way in which the wilderness journey was to develop the character of the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 8:2)

There are 13 Judges mentioned in the book of Judges. Of some we know very little. Of others we know something of what they did and of others we know something of their spirituality.

We might tabulate the judges according to this method thus:-

So the instruction of Moses at the border of the land is being re stated.

3:5-7 This description of the behaviour of the children of Israel becomes characteristic of how they behaved right throughout their time in the land. It is as if being given the land was an opportunity to corrupt themselves. The same thing happened when Israel returned from Babylon as seen in Nehemiah.

2:6-9 He we have the language of Josh 24:29-31 duplicated for us which shows that the early part of Judges follows on directly from the end of the time of Joshua. The two records dove tail together.

3:31 In saying that Shamgar slew 600 Philistines with an 'Ox Goad' we learn something of Israel's weaponry. An Ox goad is a farming implement used to prod the ox pulling the plough to make it continue pulling the plough. The implication is that Israel were not well provided with military hardware. We may remember that later 1Sam 13:22 in the days of Saul it seems that the nation only possessed two swords.

3:6    The taking of the daughters of the Canaanites to wives produced the judgements which followed exactly as Josh 23:12 had warned

2:21 Yahweh was furious with Israel and vowed not to fight for them.  However, He allowed them to become schooled in warfare to defend themselves in order to prevent their being annihilated (3:1,2).

2:1 The angel could have come straight to the people.  And so, why does the text say that he came from Gilgal to Bochim? The significance is that the angel came from Gilgal, the place where the Children of Israel:

-Camped first after crossing into the Promised Land (Josh 4:19).

-Made a solemn declaration of dedication to Yahweh (Josh 4:1-9Josh 4:1-9

- Were cleansed from the idolatry of Egypt by circumcision (Josh 5:5).

-The first Passover in the Land was kept (Josh 5:10).

-The manna ceased (Josh 5:12).

-The ark rested after each day’s march around Jericho (Josh 6:11).

The angel was probably the angel of the covenant (Exo 23:20; Josh 5:14).  He came from the spiritual high of Gilgal to the spiritually low place in which the Children of Israel now found themselves.  After hearing the angel, Israel felt remorse for their backsliding. They appropriately named the place they were at Bochim which means weepers.  It was probably somewhere near Shiloh.

2:16 Judges were divinely appointed leaders. They first led the army and then administered the affairs of the people.  Judges had jurisdiction over portions of the country only.  It is likely, that some of the judges ruled simultaneously. Their judicial power could not exceed the Law of Moses.  In the judges, the female gender was represented as well as male.  The fifteen judges appointed ruled for a total of 410 years.

2:17 Unfortunately, Israel did not obey the judges and went back to its idolatrous ways (3:5-7).

3:9 Othniel was the first judge.  Here are the fifteen judges in order (courtesy of Smith’s commentary):

Ehud, perhaps a type of Christ, kills the man of flesh, saves and sets Israel free. Judg 3:15 - the mention of a "deliverer" [Heb. "yasha" (3467) same word used for "deliverer" and "saviour"] perhaps echos Christ, "Ehud" [(261) meaning "united or union"] suggests a unity as regards God manifestation (John 17:21-23), Benjamin (1144) means "of the right hand" (Psa 110:1;Mark 14:62) and perhaps echos Christ being at the right hand of God though paradoxically Ehud was "lefthanded" [in Judg 20:15-16 we see lefthanded children of Benjamin who would not "miss" (2398 "chata" means "to miss" or more commonly "to sin") so if taken literally it means "to not sin" (Rom 3:23-24;1Pet 2:22)] which perhaps is an echo connected with Christ's never having sinned. Judg 3:16,20,21 - the "double-edged sword...message from God" (Eph 6:13-17;Heb 4:12) likened to the "word of God". Judg 3:19,21,22,24 - V19 atonement made alone in the sanctuary (Lev 16:3,17); V21 the bull was offered as a sacrifice (Lev 16:11) and "Eglon" [(5700) name means "bullock, calf, calf-like"] was symbolic of the flesh (Judg 3:17), sinful nature (Rom 5:21;6:20;7:18;6:10) and the bollock sin offering; V22,24 no good thing came out of Eglon (Mark 7:15-23) which is suggested by the sword coming out his back and the servants assuming he was relieving himself. Judg 3:13 - Jericho (City of Palms) was retaken by Eglon and perhaps this suggests familiar areas of weakness/sin have to be fully conquered so they don't return. Judg 3:26 - Ehud doesn't die but escapes to "Seirath" [(8167) means "the shaggy"], perhaps there is a connection to the scapegoat (Lev 16:6-10) and Christ's resurrection. Judg 3:27 - perhaps we have an echo of the return of the saviour from heaven as the sounding of the trumpet is associated with the second coming of Christ (Matt 24:30-31;1Cor 15:52;Rev 11:15). Judg 3:28 - the "fords of Jordan" were the entrance to the promised land which perhaps echos the millenial promised land when Christ returns. Judg 3:29 - "lusty" ["shamen" (8082) means "lusty, fat" etc.] men didn't escape suggests flesh can't enter the kingdom of God. Judg 3:30 - the nations are subdued, the kingdom established and there is rest.

Judg 3:31 -  "Shamgar", as mentioned before, means "cupbearer" (Matt 26:42;John 18:11) and combined with a mention of "delivered" [Heb. "yasha" (3467) same word used for "delivered" and "saviour"] may echo Christ; an ox goad ["pricks" KJV, "goads" NIV, "goad" ASV (2759)] was used by Jesus when contending with the flesh (Acts 26:14).

Some of the above was gleaned from The Gospel in the Book of Judges by Ian Giles, pps. 49-59.

2:1 An angel had guided Israel through the wilderness - Exo 23:20 - and Gilgal was the first resting place in the land of Canaan - Josh 4:19 - so we are seeing a continuation of the work of that angel in the book of Judges.

31:7  The assurance that idol worship will cease is also spoken of in Isa 2:20. This helps us to appreciate that Isaiah 2 is, as well as looking to the future kingdom, speaking of the time of the Assyrian invasion.

V.1 Isaiah underscores the fact that it is the arm of Yahweh that saves Israel and not the arm of the flesh.  The horse is a literal, and figurative, instrument of fleshly power.  However, it is untrustworthy in the day of adversity. 

V.3 Egypt, the epitome of flesh, is a futile ally for battle.  Israel should have recounted its history when Yahweh destroyed the might of Egypt (Deut 11:4).  Subsequently, Yahweh forbade Israel to consider enlisting the strength of Egypt in lieu of His help (Deut 17:16).  But that command was ignored (1Kin 4:26; 10:28,29). 

And now, Israel was set to repeat the error despite the lessons of history and Isaiah's warning, plus further exhortative scriptures (Psa 33:17; Prov 21:31; Amos 3:15). 

Let us consider Israel's actions and put our trust in Yahweh rather than in the flesh (Prov 3:5,6).

31:5 ‘passing over’ echoes the deliverance from Egypt – Exo 12:27

31:1 The phrase ‘the Holy One of Israel’ is not an uncommon phrase in Scripture. In Psa 78:41 the Psalmist used the same phrase when speaking of a similar attitude of Israel when God had delivered them from Egypt and they still rebelled in the wilderness.

Contrast v.1 with the words of the psalmist (Psa 20:7).

31:4 Isaiah is the ‘lion’ the ‘multitude of shepherds’ are the religious leaders and the message is that Isaiah will still deliver his message even though the whole of the Jewish leaders are standing against him.

Israel was at the cusp of being completely wiped out as a nation because of their disobedience to God. Assyria had invaded the land and subdued all of the Northern kingdom (Israel) and was now in the process of invading the South (Judah). The message in v1-2 is very potent. In other words "how can an outside force save you when it's Me, God, that's caused this to happen to you?". In v3 He strengthens that message even further.

Often in our lives, when we have inadvertently disobeyed God, He will bring minor calamities into our lives to help us take stock. Sometimes He will do this even when we are being faithful, just as a gardener prunes a fruitful tree. We are supposed to see His hand at work and put our trust in Him, confessing if we need to. But like Judah, we often pretend we can run away from God by hiring ever stronger, faster horses. It's the Jonah syndrome again. If we do this then things will get progressively worse for us as it did for Jonah and Judah (30:15-16). We get into a test of strength against God.

The answer is to have a healthy attitude of self examination. Am I serving God with my whole heart? Have I witheld something from Him that I promised to give Him (praise or thanks, service or a tithe are common examples). Essentially all God wants is obedience and trust. Whatever we have done wrong will be forgiven if we seek forgiveness in humility. And whatever test He is putting us through can only be removed by Him. Running to the world to heal our syptoms will only make things worse.

31:1 And so we return to the theme we saw in chapter 30 – going back to Egypt for help. Amazing as it might seem Israel looked to their former oppressors for help! Of course we are no different. We follow the things we say we forsook when we accepted Christ.

Vs.14,15 shows the role of temptation and lust in the act of sinning. They relate to the three-fold progression of sin described in Psa 1:1. Choices can be made at each juncture of this progression.

First we can choose to walk towards something unwholesome that attracts us. When we reach that destination we can choose to pass on by or stand and observe what is going on. After observation we can choose to either walk away or stay and sit which means that we are now willing participants in that sinful activity.

Walk = drawn away

Stand = enticed

Sit = conceived

1:2In writing to ‘the twelve tribes scattered abroad’ James indicates that he is writing to Jewish brethren.

V.18 - the concept of being born again.

V.26 - the importance of controlling the tongue

1:2 James is the only New Testament writer to mention Job – James 5:11. The mention of ‘temptations’ – ‘trials’ reflects the situation that Job was in.

1:12   ‘Blessed is the man …’ is one of the New Testament developments of the use of the phrase in, for example, the Psalms - . 32:3, 65:4, 74:8, 84:5,12, 94:12, 112:1.

V.1 James addressed his comments to the twelve tribes.  There are those who claim that some of the tribes had been lost over time.  James' statement dispels that notion. 

1:8 The unstable double minded man is the ‘wicked’ of, for example, Psa 12:2. This Psalm highlights the characteristics of such people.

A double minded man is unstable in all his ways (James 1:8). If we are lovely to members at the meeting on Sunday, and then horrible at work, or at home, on Monday, what sadness this must bring to Jesus. The word unstable is the same word used in the Septuagint for “tossed with tempest” in Isa 54:11. In other words we make it very hard for ourselves. Our young people call this attitude “two faced”. Don’t forget we shall be judged by the Man who can see both our faces.

The Devil

I. Believers (not a supernatural devil) will be responsible and judged for their sins when Christ returns.

II. The origin of sin is from within: A. We are tempted by our own lusts and our own nature is the enemy James 1:13-15. B. Evil is from within Mark 7:20-23; Rom 7:15-24. C. Our heart (mind) is deceitful, wicked and can fool us Jer 17:9.

III. "Devil" is usually from the Grk "diabolos" (1228) and means a false accuser, slanderer, devil, liar, defamer. There are also times a different Grk word for "devil" or "demon" is used and it refers to illnesses (often mental illnesses) not understood in ancient times. The word "devil" is never mentioned in the Old Testament and "devils" is only found 4 times in the Old Testament and each time it refers to idols:

    A. "devil" is a personification of sin, evil and wicked human nature -- 1.) Judas John 6:70  2.) women 1Tim 3:11;Titus 2:3 3.) men 2Tim 3:3 4.) resist the devil James 4:7; overcome the world 1John 5:5; overcome the wicked one 1John 2:14 5.) Jesus is referred to as a Lion of the tribe of Judah, but Jesus is not literally a lion. How can the devil, if a being, literally be all the following things? 1Pet 5:8;2Tim 2:26;Rev 12:9 (the serpent/snake, which was punished, was part of that very good creation Gen 1:24-25, the serpent was symbolic of sin Matt 23:33;Matt 3:7)  6.) other things can be personified too such as "wisdom" Prov 9:1; another personification would be "lunatic" which doesn't refer to a person from the moon but is the vernacular of the times and a personification of serious mental illness much like demon possessed in ancient times.  

      B. The result of sin is death and the devil (i.e., the personification of sin) has the power of death 1Cor 15:56;Heb 2:14 [the devil was destroyed and it would now be dead if it was a literal being, as opposed to a personification. If the devil was a literal being and killed how could it still tempt people? But, the devil is our sinful nature and the power of sin which leads to death, and Jesus (unlike God James 1:13, Jesus was tempted in all points as we are Heb 4:15) destroyed sin's power through a perfect life, his sacrificial death, and his resurrection to eternal life]; Heb 9:26. 

     C. Christ has the keys of "hell" ["hades" (86) i.e. the grave] and death Rev 1:18. 

     D. The book of Revelation is a future vision (Rev 1:1) thus the fallen angel in Rev 12:7-9 is a  symbolic (note the other obviously symbolic events Rev 12:1-4) event after the first century not to be confused with Isaiah 14 (Isa 14:12,13,14,4,11,16,17,22) written circa 700 BC which refers to the king of Babylon who exalted himself above the heavens and as a mere mortal was humbled. 

     E. Nowhere is the devil referred to as a superhuman monster tempting people to sin though it is convenient and comforting to say, "it's not my fault, the devil made me do it".

V.3 An athlete builds up endurance by working his/her body under greater and greater stress over time, as long as he/she stays with the program. And so, it is with the servant of the Lord.  The followers of Jesus will have their faith tested (trying (KJV) = testing (ESV), a better translation). Over time, more and more testing will occur. If the follower of Jesus keeps faithful, he/she will build up patience (KJV) (endurance), or as the ESV renders it steadfastness.

Paul likens training for eternal life to an athletic event from the Greek Games (1Cor 9:24-27). The disciple who endures the trials and temptations of this life by keeping eyes on the prize and faithfully persevering will gain eternal life (V.12).  Jesus said: But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved (Mark 13:13).

1:27 Whereas right doctrine is essential that doctrine cannot be seen in a man or woman who does not live the principles in his or her life. So without works of faith a set of beliefs is but a hollow theory.