PART II

A. THE ISRAELITES INHABIT CANAAN The tribal allocations had been made, by Moses east of the Jordan R., & by Joshua in Canaan, west of the Jordan (see PART I, E E.4.d. & PART I, F F.6.b.). Joshua's campaign had eliminated the unity among the Canaanites, etc., but there were still pockets of resistance throughout the tribes.

 1. Actions Of Individual Tribes After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the LORD, Who will be the 1st to go up & fight for Us against the Canaanites? The LORD answered, Judah is to go; I have given the land into Their hands (Jdg 1:1-2). These were some of the victories & failures of the Judites & the other tribes:

• a. The Judites: Judah attacked the Canaanites & Perizzites; They struck down 10,000 men at Bezek. The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem also; They put the city to the sword & set it on fire. The men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev & the western foothills. They advanced against the Canaanites living in Hebron (formerly called Kiriath Arba) & Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher)-- as Moses had promised, Hebron of the hill country was given to Caleb (Jdg 1:4,8-11,20). See Deu 1:36; Jsh 14:9-15 ref. Hebron being promised/given to Caleb. Caleb gave His daughter Acsah to Othniel, Caleb's younger brother [she became his niece] (Jsh 15:13-17; Jdg 1:12-13). The descendants of Moses' father-in-law, the Kenite, went up from the City of Palms (Jericho) with the men of Judah to live among the people of the Desert of Judah in the Negev near Arad (Jdg 1:16). The men of Judah also took (did not take) Gaza, etc.-- each city with its territory. The LORD was with the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country, but They were unable to drive out the people from the plains, because they had iron chariots, though the LORD was with Them (Jdg 1:18-19).
• b. The Judites & Simeonites: See PART I, F F.6.b.3rd pt. ref. Simeon located completely within Judah. The men of Judah said to the Simeonites Their brothers, 'Come up with us to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with You.' So the Simeonites went with Them [the Judites]. Then the men of Judah went with the Simeonites & attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath; They totally destroyed it. It was called Hormah (Destruction) (Jdg 1:3,17-18). Hormah the 2nd? Some 40 yrs. earlier it was completely destroyed after king Arad attacked, when Israel was exiting Egypt (see Num 21:1-3).
• c. The Benjamites failed to dislodge the Jebusites of Jerusalem [recall the Jebusites had deceived Joshua into thinking they were from a far country, so that he made a treaty with them]; to this day they are there with the Benjamites (Jdg 1:21).
• d. The house of Joseph attacked Bethel (formerly called Luz); Spies saw a man coming out of the city; 'Show Us how to get into the city.' So he showed Them; They spared the man & his whole family. He went to the land of the Hittites, where he built a city & called it Luz (Jdg 1:22-26).
• e. West Manasseh (part of the house of Joseph): Manasseh did not drive out the Canaanites, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land. When Israel became strong, They pressed the Canaanites into forced labor, but never drove them out completely (Jdg 1:27-28)-- see below, j.
• f. The Ephraimites: Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer; the Canaanites continued to live there among Them (Jdg 1:29).
• g. The Zebulunites: Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites, who remained among Them; but They did subject them to forced labor (Jdg 1:30).
• h. The Asherites: Nor did Asher, & because of this the people of Asher lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land (Jdg 1:31-32). Note the difference from Ephraim & Zebulun-- the Asherites lived among the Canaanites.
• i. The Naphtalites too, like Asher, lived among the Canaanite inhabitants; but like Zebulun, they became forced laborers for Them (Jdg 1:33).
• j. The Danites: The Amorites 1st confined the Danites to the hill country, not allowing Them to come down into the plain. And the Amorites were determined also to hold out; but when the power of the entire house of Joseph [West & East Manasseh] increased, they [the Amorites] too were pressed into forced labor (Jdg 1:34-35). Dan bordered West Manasseh on the Mediterranean coast.

 2. Actions Of All Israel 

• The people served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua & the elders who outlived Him. After that whole generation had been gathered to Their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what HE had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil. Whenever Israel went out to fight, the Hand of the LORD was against Them [recall the oath at the end of PART I, E E.4.b.: then I will do to You what I plan to do to them]. Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved Them out of the hand of these raiders. Yet They would not listen to Their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods. Unlike Their fathers, They quickly turned from the way of obedience. Then The LORD raised up a judge, the LORD having compassion on Them as They groaned. But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt. This repeated pattern marks the cycles that are illustrated below. They refused to give up Their evil practices & stubborn ways. Therefore the LORD was very angry: I will no longer drive out the nations that Joshua left; I will use them to test Israel. Jsh 23:2,12-13 says that Joshua summoned all Israel-- Their elders, leaders, judges & officials --& said, 'If You turn away & ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain & if You intermarry with them & associate with them, then You may be sure that the LORD Your GOD will no longer drive out these nations before You. Instead, they will become snare & traps for You, whips on Your backs & thorns in Your eyes, until You perish from this good land.' The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites & Jebusites. They took their daughters in marriage & gave Their own daughters to their sons, & served their gods (Jdg 2:7,10-11,15-22; 3:5-6). Later when they desired a king over them, perhaps it was a case of, "Let's try something different."
• This account of the Israelites living among the Canaanites, etc. that we just saw was a drastic change from what their forefathers did. After a Hivite, who had defiled Jacob & Leah's daughter Dinah, & were facing her brothers' wrath (grief & fury), requested that they calm down & intermarry with us, they responded, 'We can't do such a thing; We can't give Our sister to a man who is not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to Us' (Gen 34:7-8,14). S.a. PSALM 38 Lev; ref. Solomon: see below, I.2. & 6.

B. 16 JUDGES

 1. The 7 Cycles Of 12 Judges Recall what defined the cycles: Israel's falling away (apostasy), peace via judge(s); Israel's falling away, peace via judge(s), etc. The 7 cycles (12 judges) as recorded in Jdg were:

• a. 1st Cycle, through 1st judge, Othniel of Judah(?): The Israelites did evil; the LORD sold Them, subject for 8 yrs.; a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother [Caleb, having been the spy with Joshua into Canaan before the wilderness wandering, was the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, of the tribe of Judah-- s.a. Num 32:12; 34:18-19]; the land had peace for 40 yrs., until Othniel died (Jdg 3:7-9,11).
• b. 2nd Cycle, through the 2nd & 3rd judges, Ehud of Benjamin(?) & Shamgar of ?: Once again the Israelites did evil; the LORD gave Them subject for 18 yrs.; a deliverer-- Ehud, a left-handed man, son of Gera the Benjamite, made a double-edged sword which He strapped to His right thigh: that day Moab was made subject to Israel; peace for 80 yrs. until Ehud died. After Ehud came Shamgar [Ehud yet living], who struck down 600 Philistines with an oxgoad; He too saved Israel (Jdg 3:12-16,30-31). There was no apostasy between Ehud's time-as-judge & Shamgar's time-as-judge, until Ehud died.
• c. 3rd Cycle, through the 4th judge, Deborah of Ephraim(?)-- aided by Barak of Naphtali(?): After Ehud died, the Israelites once again did evil; the LORD sold Them into the hands of Canaanite king Jabin. The commander of his army was Sisera; he had 900 iron chariots & cruelly oppressed the Israelites for 20 yrs. According to Deborah & Barak's Song (see PerspectivesC C.2.), at the end of their cycle: 'In the days of Shamgar the roads were abandoned; travelers took to winding paths. Village life in Israel ceased until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel.' Deborah, a prophetess, held court under the Palm of Deborah in the hill country of Ephraim; the people came to Her to have Their disputes decided. She sent for Barak in Naphtali; peace for 40 yrs. (Jdg 4:1-6; 5:31).
• d. 4th Cycle, through the 5th judge, Gideon in Manasseh: Again the Israelites did evil, for 7 yrs. HE gave Them into the hands of the Midianites; all the way to Gaza. The Angel of the LORD came & sat down under the oak that belonged to Joash, where His son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites; Gideon responded to the angel, 'My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, & I am the least in My family' (Jdg 6:1,4,11,15). After many exploits, 1 of which was the breaking down of Baal's altar, after which They called Him Jerub-Baal, saying, 'Let Baal contend with Him;' after he was a grandfather, the Israelites said to Gideon, 'Rule over Us.' But Gideon told Them, 'The LORD will rule over You; I do have 1 request, that each 1 of You give Me an earring from Your share of the plunder (it was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings).' Gideon made the gold into an ephod; all Israel prostituted themselves by worshipping it there; it became a snare to Gideon & His family-- but during Gideon's lifetime, the land enjoyed peace 40 yrs. (Jdg 6:32; 8:22-24,27-28).
• e. 5th Cycle, through the 6th & 7th judges, Tola of Issachar & Jair of Gilead: Jerub-Baal son of Gideon had 70 sons, for He had many wives. His concubine (a slave girl according to Jdg 9:18), who lived in Shechem, also bore Him a son, Abimelech. Gideon died-- no sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They also failed to show kindness to the family of Jerub-Baal [Gilead]. Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal & his concubine in Shechem], murdered his 70 brothers in Ophrah-- but Gideon's youngest son, Jotham, escaped by hiding. Jotham climbed up Mt. Gerizem & shouted to the citizens of Shechem-- shouting the parable of the olive tree, the fig tree & the vine selecting a thorn bush (Abimelech) as king. After Abimelech had governed Israel 3 yrs., a woman dropped an upper millstone on his [Abimelech's] head & cracked his skull. After the time of Abimelech a man of Issachar, Tola rose to save Israel; He lived in Ephraim & led Israel 23 yrs.; He died. No apostasy-- He was followed by Jair of Gilead, who led Israel 22 yrs. (Jdg 8:29-35; 9:1,5,7-15,22,53; 10:1-3).
• f. 6th Cycle, through the 8th, 9th, 10th & 11th judges: Jephthah the Gileadite, Ibzan of Bethlehem, Elon the Zebulunite & Abdon in Ephraim: Again the Israelites did evil; HE sold Them; for 18 yrs. the Philistines & Ammonites oppressed all the Israelites on the east side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites. Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; His mother was a prostitute (Jdg 10:6-8; 11:1-3). In PART I, D D.3.a.x.& b.i., a passing reference is made to Abraham being tested about sacrificing his child, Isaac. But Jephthah actually did sacrifice his only child, his virgin daughter, having promised God that he would (Jdg 11:30-35,38). Note also that prior to this, though he was a bastard son & had to flee to another land, when called upon, he set the record straight as to how Israel had passed to the promised land (Jdg 11:12-23). Jephthah led Israel 6 yrs.; after Him, Ibzan of Bethlehem led Israel 7 yrs.; no apostasy mentioned-- after Him, Elon the Zebulunite led Israel 10 yrs.; again no apostasy mentioned-- after Him, Abdon from Pirathon in Ephraim led Israel 8 yrs. (Jdg 12:7,9,11,13).
• g. 7th Cycle, through the 12th judge, Samson of the Danites: Again the Israelites did evil; the LORD delivered Them into the hands of the Philistines for 40 yrs. A certain man from the clan of the Danites had a wife; childless. The Angel of the LORD appeared to Her, You are going to have a son. No razor; a Nazarite; set apart; He will begin the deliverance; MY Name is beyond understanding. Samson led Israel for 20 yrs. (Jdg 13:1-3,5,18; 15:20). After Delilah, Samson died-- he took his eyes off the prize.

 2. 4 More Judges These 4 remaining judges seemingly could be added to the 7th cycle (making it 1 big cycle; they are placed separate because their stories are told in 1stSa)-- there are no apostasies on the part of Israel mentioned, which marks the beginnings of cycles; nor were there periods of peace, which marks the end of cycles).

• a. Eli: At some point during Samson's time as 7th judge, Eli became priest & then judge. The NIV says, He had led Israel 40 yrs.; the KJV says, He judged Israel 40 yrs.-- the exact same Hebrew word is used when the others judges judged (1stSa 4:18). Now Samson & Delilah had set in motion conflict between the Philistines & Israel; this continued through Eli, culminating in the Philistines capturing the Ark of GOD.
• b. Samuel: When the Ark of the LORD was in Philistine territory for 7 mos., the Philistines called for the priests & diviners: 'Tell us how we should send it back.' The cart the Philistines set it on went straight up without any guidance to its own territory [Beth Shemesh-- a sign to the Philistines that the disasters (their god Dagan having fallen & broken, & the their tumors) were from the Lord]; the ark was taken from Beth Shemesh-- for 20 yrs. it was not in the heart of Israel, but at Aminadab's house in Kirjath Jearim. Throughout Samuel's lifetime, the Hand of the LORD was against the Philistines. Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the power of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel & the Amorites. Samuel continued as judge over Israel all the day of His life. GOD granted Him victory over the Philistines. When Samuel grew old, He appointed His sons as judges for Israel [see next pt.]; They served at Beersheba (1stSa 6:1-2,9,12; 7:1-2,13-15; 8:1-2). Finally, when David was king (Samuel having died), the ark was returned (see 2ndSa 6:1ff.).
• c. Joel & Abijah: These 2 sons of Samuel are the reason the elders of Israel gathered together & came to Samuel ('appoint a king')-- They [the sons] had turned aside after dishonest gain & accepted bribes & perverted justice. But the Israelites requesting a king upset the Lord-- They have rejected ME as Their KING, as They have done from the day I brought Them out of Egypt (1stSa 8:4-5,7-8).
• d. How long was the ark in Beth Shemeth? Don't know-- perh. 14.5 yrs., the 1st part of Saul's reign. We saw (above, in b.) that the ark was only 7 mo. in Philistine territory; that it was ? yrs. in Beth Shemeth; that it was 20 yrs. in Kirjath Jearim; & that it was king David who brought it into Jerusalem. Now David was the 2nd king-- the 1st king was Saul, who reigned in Jerusalem 42 yrs., the last 7.5 yrs. during David's reign in Hebron. 1 of 1st things David did when he became king in Jerusalem (after he had reigned the 7.5 yrs. in Hebron) was recover the ark from Kirjath Jearim; Saul became king after Samuel was old (2ndSa 8:1). Perh. the ark was in Beth-Shemesh for some 14.5 yrs. (Saul's 42 - the 7.5 - the 20).

C. SOME STORIES

 1. 3 Stories Of Evil In Those Days Israel Had No King

• This incident took place in the hill country of Ephraim at some point after the Israelites entered Canaan-- after the conquests during Joshua's time, but likely while several other inheritances were yet to be claimed (see below, b.): A man named Micah [not the prophet Micah] stole some silver from his mother; when he confessed it to her, she said, 'The LORD bless You, My son!' When He returned the silver She said, 'I solemnly consecrate My silver to the LORD, for My son to make a carved image & a cast idol. I will give it back to You.' Micah had a shrine; He made an ephod & some idols. In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as He saw fit (Jdg 17:1-3,5-6). The story goes on to say that he compounded his mother's stupidity when he hired a young Levite from Bethlehem as priest, after 1st making his own son priest.
• The phrase was repeated: In those days Israel had no king. The tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of Their own; They had not yet come into an inheritance. The Danites sent 5 warriors to spy; They entered the hill country of Ephraim & came to the house of Micah; They recognized the voice of the young Levite, who said, 'I am his priest.' Then 600 men, Danites, armed for battle, went to Judah, & on to the hill country of Ephraim & came to Micah's house. They took the carved image, the ephod, the other household gods & the cast idol. Putting Their little children, Their livestock & Their possessions in front of Them, They [the Danites] turned away & left. They went on against a peaceful & unsuspecting people. The Danites attacked them; burned down their city; rebuilt the city; settled there; named it Dan. The Danites set up for themselves the idols; Jonathan [Moses' grandson] & His sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land. They continued to use the idols Micah had made, all the time the House of GOD was in Shiloh (Jdg 18:1-4,11-13,17,21,27-31). Ref. Shiloh: Jsh 18:1; 19:51 says the tent of meeting was set up there while the country was brought under control (in Jrm 7:12 God said to Jeremiah, Go now to Shiloh, where I 1st made a dwelling place for MY Name, & see what I did to it because of the wickedness). The tent of meeting (with the ark) remained in Shiloh until, in the time of Samuel (after 7th judge Samson), the ark was brought by the Israelites into Philistine territory (thinking this would accomplish a reversal of the imminent defeat-- but it was subsequently captured (1stSa 3:21; 4:1-11).
• Again it was repeated: In those days Israel had no king [ear-marking another story]. Now a Levite who lived in a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim took [married] a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. But She was unfaithful to Him & went back to Her father's house in Bethlehem. After 4 months, Her husband went to Bethlehem to persuade Her to return to Ephraim. On the way back, They stopped over in Gibeah of Benjamin [choosing to go where Israelites were living, rather than nearby Jebus (Jerusalem)-- the Jebusite stronghold of the time]. Worse than what took place in Sodom: They went & sat in the city square; on old man from the hill country of Ephraim said: 'Don't spend the night in the square.' He took Them into his house. Some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted, 'Bring out the man who came to Your house so we can have sex with Him.' The owner of the house went outside, taking the man's concubine. Now it gets worse-- recall Lot had just offered his 2 virgin daughters-- see Gen 19:8-11. They raped & abused Her throughout the night; she died. When He reached home, He cut up His concubine into 12 parts & sent them into all the areas of Israel; all the Israelites came out as 1 man. On the 3rd day They put the whole city [Gibeah] to the sword; 25,000 Benjamite swordsmen fell; 600 men turned & and fled to the rock of Rimmon. All the towns the Israelites came across They set on fire. Then They grieved for Their brothers, the Benjamites [the 600 at the rock]. 'Today 1 tribe is cut off;' They found 400 virgins; sent Them as an offering of peace to the Benjamites at the rock. But there were not enough; 'there is the annual Festival of the LORD in Shiloh. Go & hide in the vineyards; when the girls of Shiloh come out.' While the girls were dancing, each man caught 1 & and carried Her off. Then They returned to Their inheritance. Again repeated: In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as He saw fit [this being repeated at the end of this story indicates that other stories might could have easily been cited] (Jdg 19:1-3,10-16,20-23,25,29; 20:1,29,37,46-48; 21:6,12-14,19-21,23-24). Noteworthy is how the entire nation came together to root out evil, as should the Catholic sects & Protestant denominations today. This is the way Deu 12:4,8-10 reads (regarding worship): You must not worship the LORD Your GOD in their way [as the natives of Canaan did, as they saw fit]. You are not to do as We do here today [see fit], everyone as He sees fit, since You have not reached the resting place & the inheritance the LORD Your GOD is giving You. HE will give rest from all Your enemies around You so that You will live in safety. This promise to the Israelites before they crossed the Jordan-- did God then renege on said promise, because of what they did? No, it was not even delayed-- his plan from the get-go was that we should freely receive righteousness & thus be spiritually safe, that no Christian should lose his spiritual life at the hands of terrorists.

 2. A Good Story (Ruth)

• In the days when the judges ruled (judged), because of a famine in the land; an Ephrathite family, Emilech, wife Naomi, & Their 2 sons, Mahlon & Kilion, went from Bethlehem of Judah across the Jordan R. to Moab (& lived there about 10 yrs.). The sons married Moabite women [who perh. had no degree of Jewish blood-- but see PART I, F F.1.a.4th pt.], Kilion marrying Orpha & Mahlon marrying Ruth [see Rut 4:10]. Emilech & the 2 sons died; Naomi & Her daughters-in-law prepared to return to the recently rejuvenated Judah. But Orpha went back to her people & her gods; Ruth the Moabitess accompanied Naomi, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning. Naomi had a relative on Her husband's side, Boaz. Ruth want into a field belonging to Boaz, in whose eyes She found favor, 1 of Their [Naomi & Ruth's] kinsman-redeemers, a close relative (She had a nearer 1, per Rut 3:12), to glean/gather among the sheaves behind the harvestors, to thresh/sift remains. Boaz arranged that she should glean abundantly, through the wheat harvest also (see v. 23)-- having just heard how she had left Her mother, father & homeland for Her mother-in-law since the death of Her husband. Naomi suggested that Ruth offer herself (as a prospective wife) to Boaz 1 night, after he finished winnowing barley, on His threshing floor-- 'uncover His feet & lie down. He will tell You what to do.' Ruth did so-- 'Spread the corner of Your garment over Me.' Boaz had her just wait to see whether a nearer kinsman-redeemer might redeem Naomi & Ruth's land. He said, 'Don't let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor.' Due to some sort of technicality concerning estate ownership, the closer kinsman redeemer would not risk redeeming it (perhaps because he was already married-- redeeming someone's land required marrying his widow). Boaz then redeemed the land, sealing the contract by the customary taking-off-&-giving-the-sandal; he married Ruth, Mahlon's widow. Boaz & Ruth begat Obed, David's grandfather (Rut 1:1-7,14-15,22; 2:1-3,7,11-17; 3:1-14; 4:3,5-10,17).

D.

E. BEFORE SAMUEL: PROPHECY

• Initially, there was just 1 Hebrew word used, referring to either a true or false prophet; this word of course had slight variations for: the topic, prophecy; the verb, to prophesy; and when the subject/action was prophesying.
• During Samuel's life another Hebrew word, seer, began to be used also, referring to 1 who prophesies-- sees/understands from God or Satan, & tells/demonstrates. They are used interchangeably throughout the rest of scripture. Indeed, the 1st time this 2nd one was used: Formerly in Israel, if a man went to inquire of GOD, he would say, 'Come let us go to the seer,' because the prophet of today used to be called a seer (1stSa 9:9).
• After Samuel's time (see below, J.) a unique Hebrew word was used to refer to a particular type of prophet/seer-- a SEER, 1 who receives specific communication only from God. Perhaps this 3rd one refers to a prophet that had prophesying as a gift from God; perhaps he had this as a vocation, having been appointed by the king's court.
• See Preface 3.4th pt. regarding the manner in which prophecies are identified in passages lifted from scripture.

 1. Abraham Was Called A Prophet By God (Gen 20:7)-- & so could pray for people.

 2. Aaron Was Called A Prophet By God (Exo 7:1); Miriam Was A Prophetess (Exo 15:20)

 3. The Mosaic Law (The Schoolteacher)'s Definition Of Prophecy/Foretelling By Dreams Think there’s no place for prophecy today? Take a look at 1stCor 14:1! But before we continue (below) with the Mosaic law, it is important to keep in perspective that it was our schoolmaster (KJV, supervisor) in charge to lead us to Christ (until Christ came), so that what was promised might be given to whoever believes & has faith in Jesus Christ. Remember, demons also 1st only believe that there is a Holy ONE of GOD-- & never taking the next step, they shudder before the appointed time (Matt 8:29; Luke 4:34; Gala 3:22-25; Jame 2:19):

• a. False prophet definition, part 1: If a prophet or dreamer announces a sign or wonder, even if it takes place, & if he says, 'Let Us follow & worship other gods,' You must not listen to that prophet or dreamer. The LORD Your GOD is testing You to find out if You love HIM with all Your heart & soul. That prophet or dreamer must be put to death; You must purge the evil from among You (Deu 13:1-3,5).
• b. False prophet definition, part 2: A prophet who presumes to speak in MY Name anything I have not commanded Him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death (Deu 18:20). This implies 2 things: (1) he might have been a true prophet initially, & turned false; & (2), even true prophecy is not always about predicting the future. Indeed, it can be said that more often it is just simply saying what God wants said here-n-now.
• c. False prophet definition, part 3: If what a prophet proclaims in the Name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of Him (Deu 18:22).

 4. After Israel Left Mt. Sinai-- But Before The Wilderness Wanderings

• a. In the tent of meeting outside the camp: HE took of the Spirit that was on Him [Moses] & put the Spirit on the 70 elders standing around the tent of meeting. When the Spirit rested on Them, They prophesied; but They didn't do so again (& continued to do so) (Num 25:24-25)
• b. In the camp: However, 2 men remained in the camp; They were listed among the elders; the Spirit also rested on Them, & They prophesied in the camp. A young man ran & told Moses; Joshua, Moses' aide since youth, said, 'Moses, My lord, stop Them!' But Moses replied, 'I wish that all the LORD'S People were prophets & that the LORD would put HIS Spirit on Them!' BTW, Joshua was then a changed man-- soon afterward he & Caleb were the only spies into Canaan that returned with a good report. And this is what the Lord had to say about Moses when Miriam & Aaron began to talk about Moses because of His foreign Cushite wife: When a Prophet of the LORD is among You, I reveal myself to Him in visions (the Hebrew word used here is sometimes rendered as images in a mirror). But this is not true of MY Servant Moses; He is faithful in all MY House. With Him I speak face-to-face, clearly & not in riddles; He sees the Form of the LORD. Why then were You not afraid to speak against MY Servant Moses. Miriam became leprous (1 of several types of skin diseases) like snow; Confine Her outside the camp for 7 days-- as if spit in Her face by Her father, in disgrace for 7 days (Num 11:26-29; 12:1,6-8,10,14).

 5. Before Israel Crossed The Jordan R.-- During Moses' 2nd Address The nations You will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for You, the LORD Your GOD has not permitted You to do so. The LORD Your GOD will raise up for You a prophet like Me [Moses] from among Your own brothers. For this is what You asked for of the LORD Your GOD at Horeb on the day of the assembly when You said, 'Let Us not hear the Voice of the LORD Our GOD nor see this great fire anymore' (Deu 18:14-16). S.a. Exo 20:18-19; Deu 5:23-27.

 6. Moses Was Called The Greatest Prophet Joshua speaking: Since then [Moses' time], no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face-to-face, who did all those miraculous signs & wonders the LORD sent Him to do in Egypt-- to Pharaoh & to all his officials, to his whole land. For no 1 has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel (Deu 34:10-12). His not making it into Canaan of the promised land  as did Joshua & Caleb & the new generation, because of how Moses reacted to Israel's practices, obviously did not subtract him from the promised land, as was evident at the Mount of Transfiguration of Jesus' time.

 7. Deborah Was 1st A Prophetess-- Then The 4th Judge (see PART I, A-C A.1.c. & Jdg 4:4); Gideon Was Also 1st A Prophet-- Then The 5th Judge (see PART I, A-C A.1.d. & Jdg 6:7-8)

• Apparently Deborah & Gideon were the only prophetesses/prophets God called as judges.
• Also, prophecy is not mentioned in Leviticus, Joshua or Ruth. Above are the only mentions until 1st Samuel.
• A major intent of prophecy is to unlock the mysteries in the Bible, to re-express them, to emphasize them, to focus on a portion that is applicable here & now. E.g., suppose God wants to underscore in a timely fashion, or speak more precisely to, what he has already said-- like available is not only eternal life, but life more abundant. Evident to anybody is that, sure, everybody eventually dies-- but meantime we can develop & enjoy an immensely better maturity if we do or don't do certain things in younger life. Spiritually, yes, we have life eternal-- but we weren't Born Again with the assurance of maturing properly. Meditating on scripture is not the same as applying it; it is not always sufficient in the heat-of-the-battle, so that often we make wrong choices, and practice in error-- the consequences are hardened hearts & crippled maturity. MY Sheep hear MY Voice & follow. That is the character his sheep develop. He often chooses to speak pointedly about what just what abide in ME, the vine means, about the necessity betimes of speaking to the bones-- so that our character becomes that of sheep. Beyond that, together we are the salt of the earth. We are guided to make this a better world, because Judgment shall surely come!.

F. BEFORE SAMUEL: WASHINGS, ANOINTINGS, OFFERING, SPRINKLING, HAND-LAYING, TITHING

 1. Genesis: The 10th; A Stone Specially ANOINTED; A Case Of Simple Washing

  a. The 10th

• The 1st incidence of tithing was when Abram rescued Lot... 

1. after The LORD had said to Abram, Leave Your country [Haran], Your people, & Your father's household & go to the land [Canaan] that I will show You (Gen 12:1); but,
2. before the Word of the LORD came to Him in a vision, as the sun was setting, when He fell into a deep sleep, Know for certain that Your descendants will be strangers in a country not Their own, & They will be enslaved & mistreated some 400 years [430 yrs. as it turned out-- see Exo 12:40-41; Gala 3:17]. But I will punish the nation They serve as slaves, & afterward They will come out with great possessions. You, however will go to Your fathers in peace & be buried at a good old age, In the 4th generation Your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure (Gen 15:1,12-16).
3. Between these 2: 4 evil kings (Kedorlaomer of Elam, Tidal of Goiim, Amraphel of Shinar & Arioch of Ellaser) went to war against 5 good kings (Bera of Sodom, Birsha of Gomorrah, Shinab of Admah, Shemeber of Zeboiim & ? of Bela/Zoar). Abram's nephew Lot, who was living in Sodom, was among those captured by the 4 kings. When Abram heard, He went in pursuit as far as Dan; He recovered all the goods & brought back His relative Lot. After Abram returned, the king of Sodom came out to meet Him. Then Melchizedek king of Salem (Jerusalem) brought out bread & wine; He was Priest of GOD Most High; He blessed Abram. Abram gave Him a 10th of everything (Gen 14:1-2,11-12,14,16-20).
4. About Melchizedek: Abraham [yet named Abram] gave Him [Melchizedek] a 10th of the plunder. He [Melchizedek] remains a priest forever; this man [Melchizedek] did not trace His descent from Levi (in fact, when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of His ancestor; Abraham was the great grandfather of Levi-- it was Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Levi). Per the Mosaic law (Moses was the great grandson of Levi-- it was Levi, Kohath, Amram, Moses), the 10th is collected by men who eventually die, but long before Levi (longer before Moses) He [Melchizedek] is declared to be living-- as we saw, He remains a priest forever; He became a priest on the basis of the power of an indestructible life (Hebr 7:3-4,6-10,16).
5. About Jesus: HE has become high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek-- i.e., via an oath. Melchizedek's oath was presumably humble, face-to-face (man-to-God)-- he seemingly just physically came into existence. He was without father or mother, without genealogy, without end-of-life (perh. he was just taken like Elijah). Contrariwise, we have; Jesus, spiritually having God as father & physically Mary as mother, who died physically on the cross, but resurrected spiritually-- & as we saw became high priest. HE lives forever & has a permanent priesthood. Now Melchizedek was presumably appointed by God-- subsequently taking the man-to-God oath. This was unlike the later Levitical priests-- they too were appointed by God, but did not take an oath (though some would say a face-to-a stack of Bibles suffices). But "like" Melchizedek, Jesus became priest-by-choice/oath; however, such choice/oath was God-to-man, with God doing both the appointing & the swearing. Jesus submitted to his father's will-- even to death on the cross. He was appointed by his father-- YOU are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, followed by, The LORD has sworn & will not change HIS Mind [said oath-from-above making him high priest]: YOU are a high priest forever. Jesus always lives to intercedes for Them [us]. He was without sin his entire life; He learned obedience [achieved it bit-by-bit-- he was not born with it] He was in all points tempted like Us, yet without sin [always chose to obey his FATHER]; Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; to Them who look for HIM HE shall appear the 2nd time; You have come to GOD, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant; He was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross; HE will appear a 2nd time, not to bear sin, but to bring physical salvation to Those who are waiting-- for we already have spiritual salvation (but we can become so corrupt that we/others doubt the salvation). Remember, these things are written that You may know that You have eternal life (NIV & KJV: Hebr 4:15; 9:26-28; 12:2; Phlp 2:8; 1stJo 5:13). Meanwhile, this God-in-man afforded a 2-way highway for our souls, whereby we can become/remain connected to him; he is the river of life, such that no matter the degree to which the sponge-of-the-world becomes putrid, we can become fresh/refreshed. The Zadokean priests (Zadokites-- Eze 44:15; 48:11), though cosmically commendable, effected but a several-generational delay of the "mundane" existence (our daily walk), through the inactions of government & the actions of nations-- yea, throughout eternity, this glorious river of life cannot be dammed up. It allows the appearance of its being so, thus demonstrating its marvelous flow-- thus we are encouraged to do all things as onto the LORD. As with the blind man: This happened that the Work of GOD might be displayed in His life. Jesus went on to say, Night is coming [replete with stars-- see PSALM 12 Isa<7>] when no 1 can single-handedly work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world. Isaiah, prophesying to Satan, said, How far you have fallen, O morning star (Isa 14:12). In Reve we read: To Him who overcomes & does MY Will to the end, I will give authority; I will also give Him (HE, Jesus in us, will cast down) the morning star-- what the Spirit says to the churches (2:28-29); The 3rd angel sounded His trumpet, & a great star fell (8:10); The 5th angel sounded, & I saw a star that had fallen, given a key to the shaft of the abyss. I, Jesus, have sent MY Angel to give You this testimony for the churches. I am now the morning star (22:16).

• Simple washing/anointing vs. special WASHING/ANOINTING are defined below, in 2.intro.-- but note that hereafter it is just washing/WASHING & anointing/ANOINTING (the terms simple & special are not used).
• The only instance of ANOINTING in Genesis (note that this passage also has about the tithe): Jacob left Beersheba for Haran [in Paddan Aram-- see PART I, D D.3.c.iii.], to the house of His mother's father, Bethuel. When He reached a certain place on the way, He stopped for the night. He used 1 of the stones as a pillow; He had a dream, I will give You & Your descendants this land; all peoples on earth will be blessed through You & Your offspring. Early the next morning Jacob took the stone; He set it up as a pillar & poured oil on top of it. He called that place Bethel; He made a vow; If GOD returns Me safely to My father's house, then the LORD will be My GOD & this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be GOD'S House, & of all that YOU gave Me I will give a 10th. Later: I am the GOD of Bethel, where You ANOINTED a pillar (Gen 28:1-2,10-22; 31:13). Accepted & rejected stones: 

1. When the aged Jacob blessed Joseph, He spoke of two issues-- see PART I, A-C C.6.b.xi.: [1] the hand of the Mighty ONE of Jacob; [2] the shepherd, the Rock of Israel (Gen 49:24). Later, on Mt. Sinai, God himself 1st provided the 2 tablets-- as from the hand of the Mighty ONE of Jacob. Moses threw them down & broke them, when he came down the 1st time & saw the acts of the Israelites. Before going up again, Moses chiseled 2 tablets, as from the shepherd, the Rock of Israel (see PART I, E E.1.b.). Wonder of wonders-- Jesus quoting Psa 118:22, the stone which the builders rejected has become the capstone (cornerstone) (Matt 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17), as testified to by the acts of the apostles (Acts 4:11).
2. Continuing on just a little we read that when Jacob 1st arrived there was a stone that needed to be rolled away from a well for Rachel. Shepherds responding to Jacob about watering the 3 flocks of sheep already gathered, ‘We can’t roll the stone away until all the flocks are gathered & the stone has been rolled away; then We will water the sheep.’ But when Jacob saw Rachel [his bride-to-be], He went over & rolled the stone away (Gen 29:8,10). After Jesus was crucified, Jacob perh. was the angel of the Lord who, accompanied by a violent earthquake, rolled back the stone from the tomb so that the risen Savior could water the sheep then extant (ref. Matt 28:2, Mark 16:4; Luke 24:2; s.a. Reve 6:12,14 ref. the sky being rolled up like a scroll, upon the opening of the 6th seal accompanied by a great earthquake).

  c. Washing

• Washing of feet with water, a custom mentioned several times in Genesis;
• WASHING of garments with wine this is part of Jacob's blessings (Gen 49) of his 12 sons-- in particular he says of Judah, 'He will wash His garments in wine,' & also is a prophecy of Jesus, portrayed variously throughout the Old Testament.

 2. Exodus - Ruth: Washing/WASHING & Anointing/ANOINTING; Offerings & Sprinklings; Laying On Of Hands; Tithing

• Washing predated WASHING but ANOINTING predated anointing
• Definitions of washing/WASHING & anointing/ANOINTING (examples below, in a.- f.):

1. Washing is the washing of body parts, people or animals. We saw above, in 1.c. that washing of feet occurred early-- there was also 1 instance of the washing of a face; whereas WASHING was merely prophesied about in Genesis. Below, in a.i. & b.ii., washing extended to other body parts, to the entire body of a person-- but even the inner parts, fat & all, of the ram for the burnt offering were washed with water. Psa 58:10 makes this statement, that when the mere feet of the righteous are washed in the blood of the wicked They will finally be avenged. Note that it has no cleansing (redeeming) effect, but rather makes them glad.
2. At this time WASHING also occurred, involving garments of clothing. As mentioned above, in 1.c.2nd pt.-- there are many instances in the Old Testament of the special work of Christ, the WASHING of garments.
3. ANOINTING involves the use of ANOINTING oil on a person or an object. The ANOINTING of the stone (above, in 1.b.) was special. The ingredients in Jacob’s ANOINTING oil is presumably unknown; later the ANOINTING oil was to consist of: 12.5 lbs. of liquid myrrh, 6.25 lbs. each of fragrant cinnamon & fragrant cane, & 12.5 lbs. of cassia-- all in 1 gal. of olive oil (Exo 30:22-24).
4. Anointing involves the application of perfume or oil on self or on another person, for cosmetic purposes. Apparently, historically, anointing started later than ANOINTING. See below, f.-- note that the recipients ranged from self to others. The intent here is to show that every Christian should consider & behave accordingly,  his heart ANOINTED-- having taken the oath of allegiance. You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood; once You were not a people (1stPet 9-10); For the Israelite the stone wall was in ruins (Pro 24:31); HE made it [the land] soft with showers (Psa 65:10); Not those who hear the law; Those who obey the law will be declared righteous (Gentiles, who do not have the law, show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts-- but they cannot persistently obey). Christians can, through the righteousness Jesus bestows-- the declaration of said righteousness will take place on the day when GOD will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ (Roma 2:13-16).

  a. Examples of washing/WASHING & anointing/ANOINTING

• i. Aaron & his sons simply washed (prepared), but Aaron's head ANOINTED: When they were consecrated & ordained to become chief priest & priests, God said to Moses: This is what You are to do to consecrate Them [Aaron & his sons], so They may serve ME as priests: Take a young bull & 2 rams without defect. And from fine wheat flour, without yeast, make bread, & cakes mixed with oil, & wafers spread with oil. Put them in a basket & present them in it-- along with the bull & the 2 rams. Then bring Aaron & His sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting & wash Them with water. Take the garments & dress Aaron only with a tunic, robe, ephod, breast piece, turban on His head, diadem on the turban, & sash. Take the ANOINTING oil & ANOINT Him [Aaron] by pouring it on His head. Bring His sons & just dress Them with tunics, headbands, sashes. In this way You shall ordain Aaron & His sons (Exo 29:1-9). According to Lev 8:1-9, Moses followed these preliminary instructions; the remainder of the instructions continue in b. below-- concerning offering, sprinklings & the laying on of hands.
• ii. The altar of burnt offering ANOINTED: In preparation for the ANOINTING & ordinations of priests, the altar was to be purified & ANOINTED by a 7-day process: The LORD said to Moses, Tell the Israelites __; sacrifice a bull each day as a sin offering. Purify the altar by making an atonement for it, & ANOINT it to consecrate it; for 7 days make atonement for the altar & consecrate it. Then the altar will be most holy, & whatever touches it will be holy (Exo 25:1; 29:35-37).
• iii. Aaron's sons, the contents of the tent of meeting, & the tabernacle-- ANOINTED: After the various parts of the tabernacle were constructed, Moses inspected the work & saw that They had done it just as the LORD had commanded. Then the LORD said to Moses: Set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on the 1st day of the 1st month. Take the ANOINTING oil & ANOINT the tabernacle & everything in It. Bring Aaron & His sons; ANOINT Them [Aaron's sons] just as You had ANOINTED Their father, so They may serve ME as priests. So the tabernacle was set up on the 1st day of the 1st month of the 2nd year (Exo 39:43; 40:1,8,12,15,17).
• iv. The WASHING of clothes: In Exo 19:10 the Israelites were to WASH their clothes in preparation for approaching the Lord at Mt. Sinai-- before Moses ascended. In Lev 6:27 any clothes that got sprinkled with blood during the sin offering were also to be WASHED. And in Lev 11:25-40, the clothes of any person that touched or ate an unclean animal were to be WASHED. In Lev 13:47-58, if clothing or leather became mildewed, it had to be WASHED, & then either burned or REWASHED. In Lev 15:17, if any semen was emitted on any clothes, they had to be WASHED.
• v. David sang that if his iniquities were WASHED away by God he would be whiter than snow; whereas the self-righteous Job, in blaming God for his problems, declared, Even if I washed myself with soap (snow) & My hands with soda, YOU would plunge Me into a slime pit so that even My clothes [garments] would detest Me. Point is, he was confused that the mere washing of himself should suffice to WASH his garments. Also we do not wash (baptize) ourselves; others wash us. But the blood of Jesus cleanses [WASHES] Us [our spiritual garments] from all sinstain-- & we are ANOINTED by the Holy Spirit! We are indeed whiter than snow-- & can easily remain so (Job 9:30-31; Psa 51:7; 1stJoh 1:7).
• vi. The job of the chief priest's son who is ANOINTED to be his successor: On the 10th day of the 7th month (once a year, the day of atonement), the priest who is anointed & ordained to succeed His father [i.e., not by choice] as high priest is to make atonement (Lev 16:29-32).

  b. Offerings & sprinklings; Laying on of hands-- consecration of the priests:

• i. Hands laid on the bull for the sin offering: Bring the bull to the front of tent of meeting, & Aaron & His sons shall lay Their hands on its head. Slaughter it in the LORD'S Presence at the base of the altar; burn all the inner fat, the covering of the liver & both kidneys with their fat on the altar; burn the rest of the bull outside the camp. It is a sin offering (Exo 29:10-14).
• ii. Hands laid on the 1st ram for the burnt offering; blood sprinkled on the altar: Take 1 of the rams, & Aaron & His sons shall lay Their hands on its head. Slaughter it & take the blood & sprinkle it against the altar on all sides. Wash the inner parts; burn the entire ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma (Exo 29:15-18).
• iii. Hands laid on the 2nd ram also, parts off which becomes the wave & fellowship offerings-- blood sprinkled on the altar again; blood & oil sprinkled on Aaron & his sons: Take the other ram, & Aaron & His sons shall lay Their hands on its head. Slaughter it as with the 1st ram in the burnt offering; sprinkle blood against the altar on all sides; but in addition sprinkle some blood mixed with anointing oil on the garments of both Aaron & His sons. Then They & Their garments will be consecrated. Take from this ram the fat, including all parts as for the bull for the sin offering [see above, i.], but also the fat tail, the right thigh & the breast. From the basket [see above, a.ii.], which is present before the LORD, take a loaf, a cake made with oil, & a wafer. Aaron & sons shall wave them [present all these items & parts] before the LORD as a wave offering [#1]. Then burn them [minus the breast & right thigh-- see below, d.], along with the burnt offering [see above, ii.]. The un-burnt breast shall be waved before the LORD for a wave offering [#2]. The un-burnt breast that was waved [#2] & the right thigh of the sin-offering that was presented [#1] shall be shall consecrated for Aaron & His son's regular share-- the contribution of the Israelites from Their fellowship offering (Exo 29:19-28). According to Lev 8:14-29, then also these instructions were carried out. This was just the 1st day of a 7-day process, after which the priests' ministries began-- see below, c.
• iv. Aaron lays hands on a goat: When Aaron has finished making atonement for the most holy place, the tent of meeting & the altar, He shall bring forward the live goat. He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat & confess over it all the wickedness & rebellion of the Israelites-- all Their sins --& put them [the sins] on the head of the goat. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of the man appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all Their sins into a solitary place; & the man shall release it into the desert (Lev 16:20-22). This fairly begs the present picture of a desert as far as the east is from the west, to be remembered no more.
• v. Witnesses lay hands on the accused: The witnesses to someone who blasphemed the name with a curse: the LORD said to Moses, Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay hands on him, & the entire assembly is to stone him (Lev 24:11,14).

  c. Beginning of the priests' ministries

• Moses took some of the ANOINTING oil & some of the blood from the altar & sprinkled them on Aaron & His garments & on His sons & Their garments. 'You must stay at the entrance to the tent of meeting for 7 days & nights (Lev 8:30).'
• All of the above was given on Mt. Sinai, & would have occurred anyway-- but recall the Israelites sinned greatly while Moses was gone & requested that the tent of meeting be a separate part of the camp. When the priests' ministries began 8 days later, the congregation had to go there to be ministered to. Today we have the original promise (given 1st to Moses, then Joshua-- see Deu 31:6,8; Jos 1:5): Never will I leave You; never will I forsake You. We can approach confidently the throne of grace-- the veil is taken away (2ndCor 3:16; Hebr 4:16; 13:5). 
• And thank God it is so, as Aaron had to tell his 2 remaining sons (2 died because they did not follow the strict rules), ‘Do not leave the entrance to the tent of meeting; You must distinguish between the holy & the common, between the clean & the unclean (Lev 10:1-10).’ Today we live common lives, gradually becoming mature-- if we sin, & confess our sins, surely he will forgive & cleanse Us from all unrighteousness.

  d. The 10th of the tithe

• The LORD said to Aaron before the Israelites left Mt. Sinai, You are to have the part of the most holy offerings that is kept from the fire; from all grain, sin, guilt & [v. 11] wave offerings-- everyone in Your household who is ceremoniously clean may eat it; also all the finest olive oil, new wine & grain anyone gives as firstfruits of Their harvest. Everything in Israel that is devoted (irrevocably given) to the LORD is Yours. The priests were dependent on the offerings. The 1st male or female offspring that is offered is Yours to serve You, whether man or animal. But the 1st born sons & unclean male animals [oxen, sheep & goats were already clean/holy] must be redeemed-- when they are a month old. But even of the clean [offered] animals, the parts set aside [not put to the fire], I give to You & to Your sons & daughters as Your regular share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt. PSALM 6 Mal<1> talks of the covenant of salt continuing to Jesus, that Jesus inaugurated a new/better covenant; PSALM 28 Mark says that after the initial application of salt, Everyone will be salted with fire. You will have no land inheritance nor share-- I am Your share & inheritance; I will give to the Levites [Levi was Moses, Aaron & Miriam's great grandfather] all the tithes in Israel as Their inheritance in return for the work They do while serving at the tent of meeting, but They must present a 10th of the tithe-- the best & holiest of everything given to You (Num 18:8-29).

  e. Absence of anointing/perfuming of oneself

• As communicated by Moses, 1 of the curses for disobedience was: You will have olive trees throughout Your countryside, but You will not use [anoint/perfume yourself with] the oil, because the olives will drop off (Deu 28:40).

  f. Ruth washed & anointed/perfumed herself

• As she was about to introduce herself to Boaz-- see above, C.2.