YISRAEL DURING THE DAYS OF JUDGES
10:1After
Avimelekh there arose to save Yisra'el Tola the son of Pu`ah, the son of Dodo,
a man of Yissakhar; and he lived in Shamir in the hill-country of Efrayim. 10:2He judged Yisra'el twenty-three years, and
died, and was buried in Shamir. 10:3After
him arose Ya'ir, the Gil`adite; and he judged Yisra'el twenty-two years. 10:4He had thirty sons who rode on thirty
donkey colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Chavvot-Ya'ir to
this day, which are in the
10:6The
children of Yisra'el again did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and
served the Ba`alim, and the `Ashtarot, and the mighty ones of Aram, and the
mighty ones of Tzidon, and the mighty ones of Mo'av, and the mighty ones of the
children of `Ammon, and the mighty ones of the Pelishtim; and they forsook
Yahweh, and didn't serve him. 10:7The
anger of Yahweh was kindled against Yisra'el, and he sold them into the hand of
the Pelishtim, and into the hand of the children of `Ammon. 10:8They vexed and oppressed the children of
Yisra'el that year: eighteen years oppressed they all the children of Yisra'el
that were beyond the Yarden in the land of the Amori, which is in Gil`ad.
10:9The
children of `Ammon passed over the Yarden to fight also against Yahudah, and
against Binyamin, and against the house of Efrayim; so that Yisra'el was sore
distressed. 10:10The children of
Yisra'el cried to Yahweh, saying, "We have sinned against you, even
because we have forsaken our Mighty One, and have served the Ba`alim." 10:11Yahweh said to the children of Yisra'el,
"Didn't I save you from the Mitzrim, and from the Amori, from the
children of `Ammon, and from the Pelishtim? 10:12The
Tzidonim also, and the `Amaleki, and the Ma`on, did oppress you; and you cried
to me, and I saved you out of their hand. 10:13Yet
you have forsaken me, and served other mighty ones: why - I will save you no
more. 10:14Go and cry to the mighty
ones which you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress."
10:15The
children of Yisra'el said to Yahweh, "We have sinned: do you to us
whatever seems good to you; only deliver us, we pray you, this day." 10:16They put away the foreign mighty ones
from among them, and served Yahweh; and his soul was grieved for the misery of
Yisra'el.
Yahweh Generally Does Not Deliver Those Who Are
Unfaithful To Him
10:11-14 shows that if one abandons Yahweh, and only comes to Yahweh for salvation in one's moment of distress, Yahweh will not act to save that one from that distress. Implying that if one desires to be in such standing before Yahweh such that Yahweh will save that one from distress, when distress comes upon one, one must indeed be and remain faithful to Yahweh.
How To Turn Yahweh's Heart In Our Favour
10:15-16 shows that when the sinning Yisraelites repented, Yahweh's heart was again turned to them. Therefore, to have Yahweh's heart turned to us in our favour, we must act faithfully towards Yahweh. Then, even if distress comes upon us, and we cry to Yahweh, he will indeed hear us, rather than leave us to our own devises.
Prophecy And Instructions Concerning Shimshon's
Birth
13:1The
children of Yisra'el again did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh; and
Yahweh delivered them into the hand of the Pelishtim forty years. 13:2There was a certain man of Tzor`ah, of the
family of the Dani, whose name was Manoach; and his wife was barren, and didn't
bear. 13:3The angel of Yahweh
appeared to the woman, and said to her, "See now, you are barren, and
don't bear; but you shall conceive, and bear a son. 13:4Now therefore please beware and drink no
wine nor strong drink, and don't eat any unclean thing: 13:5for, behold, you shall conceive, and bear a
son; and no razor shall come on his head; for the child shall be a Nazir to the
Mighty One from the womb: and he shall begin to save Yisra'el out of the hand
of the Pelishtim."
13:6Then
the woman came and told her husband, saying, "A man of the Mighty One came
to me, and his face was like the face of the angel of the Mighty One, very
awesome; and I didn't ask him whence he was, neither did he tell me his name: 13:7but he said to me, 'Behold, you shall
conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, and eat not
any unclean thing; for the child shall be a Nazir to the Mighty One from the
womb to the day of his death.'"
13:8Then
Manoach entreated Yahweh, and said, "Oh, Sovereign, please let the man
of the Mighty One whom you did send come again to us, and teach us what we
shall do to the child who shall be born." 13:9The
Mighty One listened to the voice of Manoach; and the angel of the Mighty One
came again to the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoach, her husband,
wasn't with her. 13:10The woman made
haste, and ran, and told her husband, and said to him, "Behold, the man
has appeared to me, who came to me the other day."
13:11Manoach
arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said to him, "Are
you the man who spoke to the woman?" He said, "I am." 13:12Manoach said, "Now let your words
happen: what shall be the ordering of the child, and how shall we do to
him?" 13:13The angel of Yahweh
said to Manoach, "Of all that I said to the woman let her beware. 13:14She may not eat of anything that comes of the
vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing;
all that I commanded her let her observe." 13:15Manoach
said to the angel of Yahweh, "I pray you, let us detain you, that we may
make ready a kid for you." 13:16The
angel of Yahweh said to Manoach, "Though you detain me, I won't eat of
your bread; and if you will make ready a burnt offering, you must offer it to
Yahweh." For Manoach didn't know that he was the angel of Yahweh. 13:17Manoach said to the angel of Yahweh,
"What is your name, that when your words happen, we may honor you?" 13:18The angel of Yahweh said to him, "Why
ask you after my name, seeing it is wonderful?" 13:19So Manoach took the kid with the
meal-offering, and offered it on the rock to Yahweh: and the angel did
wondrously, and Manoach and his wife looked on. 13:20For
it happened, when the flame went up toward the sky from off the altar, that the
angel of Yahweh ascended in the flame of the altar: and Manoach and his wife
looked on; and they fell on their faces to the ground. 13:21But the angel of Yahweh did no more appear
to Manoach or to his wife. Then Manoach knew that he was the angel of Yahweh.
13:22Manoach
said to his wife, "We shall surely die, because we have seen the Mighty
One." 13:23But his wife said to
him, "If Yahweh were pleased to kill us, he wouldn't have received a burnt
offering and a meal-offering at our hand, neither would he have showed us all
these things, nor would at this time have told such things as these."
13:24The
woman bore a son, and named him Shimshon: and the child grew, and Yahweh
blessed him. 13:25The Spirit of
Yahweh began to move him in Machane-Dan, between Tzor`ah and Eshta'ol.
Pray In A Manner Consistent With Yahweh's Will
13:8-9 shows that when Manoach prayed to Yahweh in a manner in harmony with Yahweh's will, in a manner to better perpetuate Yahweh's will, Yahweh listened to him. Implying that if Yahweh is to listen to our prayers to him, we ought to pray in a manner consistent with his will, in a manner to better perpetuate his will.
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