If you have been following—reading or listening to—our Quest scriptures, then you have walked with the people of Israel as they made their exodus from Egypt, disobeyed the Lord, and then were led to wander in the wilderness for forty years before they could finally (FINALLY!) enter the Promised Land.
But it was not all easy. Conquering the land was hard. And as we have seen, even when the Lord told them to destroy completely the cities and the people there, they did not always do so.
Thus in the readings we encounter this week, the people of God are being oppressed by other “nations.” In the first, it is the Midianites. These were people who were actually descended from Abraham but were not a part of the tribes of Israel. The Midianites had oppressed God’s people for six years when the Lord raised up a “judge” (leader) to help them overcome their oppression.
Then it’s time for an “Old Testament hero.” God called Gideon (the name means “one who cuts down,” and that is what Gideon does) to lead the Israelites to overthrow the Midianites. While we see Gideon as a great hero, there is an interesting interchange between Gideon and God. The Lord clearly calls Gideon to lead, but Gideon asks God for a sign. When the sign is given, Gideon asks for another. When that sign is given, Gideon finally leads the people into battle. However, he leads not with the great army he has recruited but with only a small band of 300 so that God’s might can be seen as the determining factor and not Israel’s military strength.
Then we read about another Old Testament hero, one who is likely on par with the shepherd David when he conquered the giant Goliath. It’s Samson. There really is a difference between the way we remember, or maybe even first heard, the Samson story as children and the way we read it in the Bible as adults. As children we heard about a strong man who was gifted by and committed to God. As adults we read about an impulsive, impetuous, muscle-bound man with anger-management issues.
This time it is the Philistines who are the besetting troublemakers for Israel. In the midst of their oppression, Samson’s birth story (which sounds a lot like Isaac’s and, even more so, John the Baptist’s) shows us that God has uniquely called and gifted this man to lead the Israelites in overthrowing the Philistines.
We read about quirky marriage stories that are confusing to us yet are in line with the customs of the day. These stories reflect revenge, passion, and blind spots in life. But most of all, these stories are more about the power of God than the strength of a man.
Our Psalm this week is one that justifiably calls to mind Jesus’s “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem. It draws on the tradition of conquering kings when they return home from battle to the jubilation of the people. The gates of Jerusalem open to the Lord Almighty!