BIBLE STUDY LESSON 11
SERVING OTHER GODS
THREE JUDGES IN TIMES OF TROUBLE
From Judges 10
“The judge who ruled Israel after Abimelech’s death was Tola, son of Puah, grandson of Dodo, from the tribe of Issachar. He lived at Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. For twenty-three years he judged Israel, then died and was buried at Shamir. The next judge was Jair, a man of Gilead, who ruled for twenty-two years. His thirty sons rode on thirty donkeys and had thirty cities at Havoth-jair in the land of Gilead. When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon. Once again the people of Israel did evil in God’s sight, serving the gods Baal and Ashtaroth as well as the gods of Syria, Sidon, Moab and the gods of the Ammonites and Philistines. They turned away from the Lord, refusing to serve Him. The Lord was angry with Israel, so He let the Philistines and the Ammonites become their masters and oppress them that year. For eighteen years the Ammonites crossed the Jordan, attacking the people of Israel in Gilead, Judah, Benjamin and Ephraim. At last the people of Israel begged the Lord to help them. ‘We have sinned by turning against You to worship the Baal gods,’ they said. ‘Go away!’ the Lord answered. ‘I saved your people from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites. When they oppressed you, you cried to Me and I saved you. But you have turned from Me to worship and serve other gods. So I will not save you anymore. Go away! Cry to the gods you have chosen. Let them rescue you now!’ But the people of Israel kept on begging the Lord for help. They put away their gods and served only the Lord. Then the Lord felt sorry for them in their misery. The Ammonites gathered their armies and prepared to attack Israel, camping at Gilead while the people gathered at Mizpah. ‘But who will lead us to battle?’ the people of Gilead asked. ‘The man who leads our armies will become king over all Gilead.’”
COMMENTARY
THE FALSE GODS
For decades the pattern was repeated. The Israelites turned to God when in need. Afterward, they quickly turned away to worship other gods. At one time of conquest of the country east of the Jordan, Jair, a judge over Israel for twenty-two years, could boast only of thirty sons who had thirty donkeys for riding. Finally the Lord reacted in anger. “You have turned from Me to worship and serve other gods. So I will not save you anymore.” What would Israel do? Baal was an extremely important Canaanite deity. He was the male god of fertility, with the bull sometimes used as his symbol. Ashtoreth or Astarte was Baal’s companion. Worshiped by the Phoenicians to the north, she was both goddess of fertility and of the sea. Ashera was also highly honoured in Canaan as a goddess of fertility and childbirth. She was Baal’s mother. The traits of Ashera and Ashtoreth were united into the worship of one deity by the time of the Israelites.
TEST YOURSELF
1.) How long did Tola rule as judge over Israel?
A) Ten years
B) Thirteen years
C) Twenty-three years
D) Twenty years
2.) How many sons did Jair have? |
