Today we begin Judges Chapter 12.
For the Complete Jewish Bible, click HERE.
For the King James Version, click HERE.
Judges Chapter 12 is a short chapter but an important one.
Because it represents the end of a significant era in Israel’s history.
Keep in mind Judges wasn’t written and compiled by one author.
It was authored and put together by many different editors each who struggled to decide which events to include and which ones to omit in order to present the most accurate picture of what went down.
Chapter 11 focuses on the Tribe of Ephraim.
Anyone who possesses even a basic understanding of the Hebrew Bible knows that Ephraim plays a key role in Israel’s past, present and future history.
However, things are a bit fuzzy in terms of Ephraim’s role in the last days.
For example, in the list of tribes in Revelations 7:4-8, they are no longer listed.
However, we know enough about the character of Ephraim from their past interactions with other tribes to know just how arrogant and full of themselves they were.
Why did Ephraim have such an overblown ego?
A couple of reasons actually.
One was they were the biggest of all the tribes.
Second was the fact that Joshua, the leader who led Israel into the Promised Land was also an Ephraimite.
However, Ephraim’s power was primarily concentrated in the north.
The other contender that came close to being just as powerful as them was Judah in the south.
These 2 tribes were the top dogs in Israel and let there be no doubt, if Ephraim could have had its way, they would have taken on and attempted to dominate the tribe of Judah as well.
However, today we know they lost that particular scuffle.
Because the Tribe of Judah is still with us today (today’s Jews are descendants from Judah) and as I just mentioned Ephraim was erased from the final list of tribes in the Book of Revelations.
One interesting takeaway I’m getting from all of this is that size and might mean nothing if you don’t remain in the Lord’s Will…because God is the ultimate determiner of who rises and who falls…whether it be nations or individuals.
That’s why I feel the strongest proof of God’s existence is the nation of Israel.
I mean how could such a small nation with such a small population be so powerful?
I’ve shared this quote from Mark Twain many times before and I’ll share it again because it so clearly expresses with awe the supernatural staying power of the Tribe of Judah.
“The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?”
I gotta bit off topic there.
Anyways, moving forward over the next couple of days, we’re gonna see what Ephraim’s pride and arrogance cost them.
It wasn’t pretty.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“The world and its desires pass away,
but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
-1 John 2:17
Maybe they are not in book of Rev. because the stick is one.
Ezekiel 37:16-23
Complete Jewish Bible
16 “You, human being, take one stick and write on it, ‘For Y’hudah and those joined with him [among] the people of Isra’el.’ Next, take another stick and write on it, ‘For Yosef, the stick of Efrayim, and all the house of Isra’el who are joined with him.’ 17 Finally, bring them together into a single stick, so that they become one in your hand. 18 When your people ask you what all this means, 19 tell them that Adonai Elohim says this: ‘I will take the stick of Yosef, which is in the hand of Efrayim, together with the tribes of Isra’el who are joined with him, and put them together with the stick of Y’hudah and make them a single stick, so that they become one in my hand.’ 20 The sticks on which you write are to be in your hand as they watch. 21 Then say to them that Adonai Elohim says: ‘I will take the people of Isra’el from among the nations where they have gone and gather them from every side and bring them back to their own land. 22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Isra’el; and one king will be king for all of them. They will no longer be two nations, and they will never again be divided into two kingdoms.
23 “‘They will never again defile themselves with their idols, their detestable things, or any of their transgressions; but I will save them from all the places where they have been living and sinning; and I will cleanse them, so that they will be my people, and I will be their God.
Great points
Was it not both Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph’s sons upon whom Jacob (Irsael) laid hands and said “let my name be upon them” in essence adopting them as his own to become part of Israel just as his other sons? Would it be unreasonable to assume in Revelation that instead of Ephraim, Joseph was listed…they do seem to be interchangeable throughout scripture…