Judges. Abraham Kuruvilla

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The story of the other Levite, in Epilogue II (Pericope 13: Jdg 19:1–30 and Pericope 14: Jdg 20:1—21:25), is also linked to Samson’s story: the idea of prostitution is present in both (16:1; and 19:1–2); both Samson and the Levite seek to win back their spouses from whom they have been separated—both men arrive at the houses of their fathers-in-law (15:1; and 19:2–3); both spouses meet a violent death (15:6; and 19:27), caused, directly or indirectly, by men seeking relations with them (15:1; and 19:25); and both Samson and the Levite seek revenge (15:3, 7; and 19:29—20:7).61

There are also likely parallels between Epilogue II (especially Pericope 14: Jdg 20:1—21:25) and the story of Ehud (Pericope 3: Jdg 3:12–31): the left-handedness of Ehud the Benjaminite (3:15, “bound in the right hand”) and that of the Benjaminite warriors (20:16, also “bound in the right hand”) are the only two instances in the OT of this obscure term62; and the relatively rare gentilic terms describing the tribal affiliation of Ehud (3:15: ynIymiy>h;-!B,, ben-haymini) and that of the Gibeahites (19:16: ynIymiy> ynEB., bne ymini).63

The near-annihilation of the Benjaminites by the rest of Israel in Epilogue II (especially Pericope 14) is striking for its internecine character: Israel vs. Israel, brother against brother (20:23, 28; 21:6). God’s people had become their own enemies exacting ~r,xe upon their own. But note the links with Gideon’s punishment of an Israelite town, Penuel, that had refused to render him aid in his pursuit of two Midianite kings: Gideon later kills the Penuelites (8:17). This is particularly remarkable since the judge, soon thereafter, tells the captured kings that he would have saved their lives had it not been for their having killed his siblings (8:19). In other words, Gideon had been harsher with his fellow-Israelites, than he would have been with foreign enemy rulers (Pericope 7: Jdg 7:23—8:32). Also note the parallels between the Benjaminite massacre in Epilogue II (specifically, Pericope 14) and Jephthah’s treatment of Ephraimites (Pericope 9: Jdg 10:6—12:15). Jephthah diplomatically negotiates with the king of Ammon (11:12–28) but shows no patience for, and offers no bargain to, his fellow-Israelites from Ephraim: instead he slaughters 42,000 of them (12:1–6). Thus the Israelites against the Benjamintes, Gideon against the Penuelites, and Jephthah against the Ephraimites, all show the same brutal and homicidal tendencies against fellow-Israelites.64

Other links between the Benjaminite massacre of Epilogue II (specifically, Pericope 14) and the Jephthah story (Pericope 9) can be detected as well. The civil war had left six hundred Benjaminite men without wives. The resulting fraudulent and duplicitous dealings of the Israelites became a black mark on Israel’s treatment of women. The crime of gang rape of a single woman led to authorized corporate kidnaps and rapes of six hundred virgins (four hundred from Jabesh-gilead and two hundred from Shiloh). This was similar to Jephthah’s sacrifice of his only daughter. Both were the result of foolish vows/oaths (11:39; and 21:1, 7, 18, but using different words: [bv, shb‘, and rdn, ndr).65 Just as the victim in Jephthah’s story was a “daughter” (11:34, 35, 40) and a “virgin” (11:37, 38) who “did not know a man” (11:39), so also the female victims of the civil war in Epilogue II were “daughters” (21:21 [×2], making the elders of Israel father figures, akin to Jephthah) and “virgins” (21:12), who “did not know a man” (21:12). Jephthah’s daughter came out to greet him with “dancing” (11:34); the kidnapped and raped daughters of Shiloh were also “dancing” (21:21).66 These parallels make the construction far from random, and appear to be deliberate, linking Epilogue II and Pericope 9 together.67

In conclusion, there is a clear skein of links between the Epilogues and the Body of Judges, demonstrating that what happens with God’s leaders (Body: Israel’s judges) is replicated—with greater intensity and in worse fashion—by God’s people (Epilogues: leaderless Israel). Even the anonymity of most of the actors in the Epilogues points the reader to the possibility that they could be “Everyman,” a universalization of the failures of specific individuals in a community where “everyone does what is right in his/her own eyes” (see 17:1; 21:25). God’s leaders had left nefarious examples for God’s people to follow in the Body. The rest was (chaotic) history in the Epilogues, “the worst of the judges served up in one concentrated dose”!68

      Theological Focus of Judges

      Each pericope of Judges contributes a slice or a quantum of theology to the broad theological focus of the entire book. Those pericopal segments of theology are: uncompromising faithfulness to God, maintenance of godly traditional values, and reliance on divine strategies for success results in divine blessing (Pericope 1: Jdg 1:1—2:5 [Prologue I]); personal experience of God produces unwavering commitment to him (Pericope 2: Jdg 2:6—3:11 [Prologue 1; Othniel]); integrity in life, driven by reverence for God and reliance upon him, receives divine approbation (Pericope 3: Jdg 3:12–31 [Ehud]); reverencing of God by fearless faith characterizes godly leadership (Pericope 4: Jdg 4:1–24 [Barak]); participation in the endeavors of God, with God, keeps one in the realm of his blessing (Pericope 5: Jdg 5:1–31 [Song of Deborah]); refusal to take prideful credit for divine action results in blessing (Pericope 6: Jdg 6:1—7:22 [Gideon-1]); godliness is expressed in the rejection of self-glorifying pursuits (Pericope 7: Jdg 7:23—8:32 [Gideon-2]); an illicit thirst for power brings about the fitting retribution of God (Pericope 8: Jdg 8:33—10:5 [Abimelech]); ungodly manipulation of God for selfish purposes can lead to tragic loss of blessing (Pericope 9: Jdg 10:6—12:15 [Jephthah]); rejection of Yahweh’s interests in favor of selfish passions leads only to trouble (Pericope 10: Jdg 13:1—14:20 [Samson-1]); disdaining of one’s divine calling can lead to destruction (Pericope 11: Jdg 15:1—16:31 [Samson-2]); godless leadership brings about godlessness in society (Pericope 12: Jdg 17:1—18:31 [Epilogue I]); immoral unconcern for the weak and defenseless marks a godless and leaderless community (Pericope 13: Jdg 19:1–30 [Epilogue II-1]); continued ungodliness only leads to more evildoing, greater havoc, and a hopeless future (Pericope 14: Jdg 20:1—21:25 [Epilogue II-2]).

      A summative theological focus of the entire book of Judges may be discerned as follows:

      Maintenance of godly traditional values, personal experience of God (Prologues), and manifesting virtues of godly leadership (Body)—integrity in life (Ehud), fearless faith (Barak), participation in the endeavors of God (Song of Deborah), giving God credit for his work (Gideon-1), rejection of self-glorifying pursuits (Gideon-2) and the thirst for power (Abimelech), avoiding manipulation of God (Jephthah), maintaining devotion to God and his interests (Samson-1), faithfully cleaving to one’s call (Samson-2)—result in a godly society and provide hope for the future (Epilogues).

      And as God’s leaders and God’s people actualize these thrusts in their lives, conforming to Christlikeness pericope by pericope and sermon by sermon by the power of the Spirit, the Father’s kingdom is, in a sense, being established. This is the goal of preaching, and of preaching the book of Judges in particular. A grand task, indeed!

1. For more on this concept of preaching, see Kuruvilla, Privilege the Text! and idem, A Vision for Preaching.

2. While acknowledging its more common connotation of a portion of the Gospels, I employ “pericope” here to demarcate a segment of Scripture, irrespective of genre or length, that forms the textual basis for an individual sermon with a discrete theological thrust. Also, for the purposes of this commentary no particular distinction will be made between the divine and human authors of the biblical text.

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