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Scripture Reading: Judg. 5:23; 6:12, 14, 19, 21-26, 34; 11:29-30, 32; 13:3-25; 15:14, 19
Prayer: Lord, we worship You for all that You are to us. We thank You for Your Word and for Your speaking. Grant us Your gracious visitation. We need You. Lord, cleanse us and anoint us. We trust in Your anointing. Thank You, Lord, that You are the all-inclusive Spirit continually anointing us. Thank You for Your Spirit and Your word. We are one spirit with You, and we have Your word within us. Lord, we trust in You and in Your speaking. We have no trust in ourselves or in what we do. Our trust is fully in You. Defeat the enemy, and give us Your fresh speaking to meet all our needs. Lord, we praise You, thank You, and give You all the glory.
In the previous chapters we saw much concerning the Divine Trinity in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. However, there is little indication of the Trinity in Deuteronomy and Joshua. We need to consider why this is. In Genesis the Trinity was involved in God’s creation and, after man’s fall, in God’s redemption. Then the Trinity was involved in God’s choosing and calling His people and His going on with His elect, mainly with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Exodus is a record of God’s all-inclusive redemption and God’s bringing His redeemed people through the Red Sea and the wilderness to arrive at Mount Sinai, where they could receive the revelation of the building of God’s dwelling place. The Trinity was absolutely necessary for the carrying out of these divine activities. Leviticus is a record of the redeemed people’s fellowship with God and enjoyment of God. For this fellowship and enjoyment, there surely was the need of the Divine Trinity. After Leviticus God’s people had been redeemed, God’s dwelling place had been erected, the priesthood had been prepared, and all the offerings had been ordained. Thus, there was the need of a beginning to bring the redeemed people, the tabernacle, the priesthood, and all the offerings into function. Numbers concerns this beginning, which fully involved the Divine Trinity.
Deuteronomy contains no new commandments from God but repeats what God commanded in Exodus and Leviticus. It is a repetition and review of the laws and ordinances given by God. Moses was like an aged father speaking to his children before his death, and out of his loving concern for God’s people he reviewed all the commandments and ordinances, hoping that they would walk according to them so that they would please God. In principle, there was no need for the Trinity to be involved for such a review. The book of Joshua records the redeemed people entering into and taking possession of the good land and the allotment of the portions of the land to the twelve tribes. Because there was not a need for the Trinity in this allotment, there is little indication of the Trinity in Joshua. The Divine Trinity is not for knowledge, theology, or doctrine but altogether for experience. Therefore, in Deuteronomy and Joshua the Divine Trinity is not as involved as in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.
After God’s people received their respective portions of the good land to enjoy, in Judges we see that they did not keep Moses’ exhortation to live according to God’s law and ordinances so that they might please God. Instead, they became a total failure. They failed by worshipping idols, which is spiritual fornication. In Deuteronomy Moses charged them strongly, lovingly, and definitely that when they entered into the good land, they should not worship idols but should worship only God and should do so only in the unique place chosen by God (ch. 12). If the children of Israel had kept Moses’ exhortations, they would have avoided idol worship and division. However, the children of Israel instead chose to worship idols (Judg. 2:11-13; 10:6). These idols were set up in different high places according to the people’s choice. Thus, the people were divided by worshipping the idols. This is a type of the divisions in Christianity. Every division is caused by human choice, and every human choice that is different from God’s choice is related to idolatry. In Judges we see idol worship that produced division. Nearly every case of failure in Judges is the same in principle. Because the children of Israel did not walk in a way pleasing to God, God allowed their enemies to defeat them.
The lowest record in the Bible is in Judges. The defining and concluding verse of this book is Judges 21:25, which says, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (cf. 17:6). Therefore, we may be surprised to discover that the Divine Trinity is revealed in at least four cases in Judges: the cases of Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson. There was a need for several overcomers in Judges because the situation among God’s people was entirely abnormal. Of the many overcomers in Judges, the first was Deborah, a female. This should be encouraging to the sisters. In the abnormal situation of God’s people recorded in Judges, God did something extraordinary by raising up a woman to be a leader. In a normal situation the principle God has ordained is that the position of a woman is one of submission. The second case that indicates the Trinity in Judges is the case of Gideon, who was the highest example of an overcomer. The third case, which is less well known, is that of Jephthah. The last case that we will consider is the case of Samson.
These four overcomers defeated four kinds of enemies. Deborah defeated the Canaanites, Gideon defeated the Midianites, Jephthah defeated the Ammonites, and Samson defeated the Philistines. These four kinds of enemies have much spiritual significance. The Canaanites were merchants (cf. Zech. 14:21); they cared only for commerce. Midian was the son of Abraham by his last wife, Keturah (Gen. 25:1-2); Ishmael was Abraham’s son by Hagar (16:15). In figure, both the Midianites and the Ishmaelites signify the flesh, the natural strength. The Ammonites were the descendants of one of the two sons of Lot who were brought forth by incest (19:36-38). They represent increase gained by improper, sinful, or worldly means. The Philistines took the Ark and kept it for a time (1 Sam. 4—6). When they returned the Ark, they moved it on a cart pulled by two cows (6:7), but God had ordained that the proper way to carry the Ark was upon the shoulders of the Levites (1 Chron. 15:2; Num. 7:9). Thus, the Philistines signify worldly people who handle the divine things in a worldly way.
The record in Judges is similar to the abnormal situation among God’s people today. When Israel said that there was no king among them, this meant that they had annulled God and His status. Because many Christians do what is right in their own eyes, there are endless divisions with different ways of meeting. The Canaanites, Midianites, Ammonites, and Philistines were mixed with and oppressed the children of Israel in the good land; similarly, commerce, the flesh, improper increase, and worldliness have come in and conquered God’s people today. God’s people are defeated and suffering under these enemies. Many are crying for salvation.
In such an abnormal situation there is a great need for overcomers. We need many brothers and sisters like Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson. In addition to the case of Deborah, the cooperation of Samson’s mother with God in the miraculous birth of Samson shows that the sisters are needed not only to be overcomers but also to produce overcomers by contacting the Lord. When we have a heart for the Lord, He will visit us and use us to produce some who will overcome the present situation so that God’s people might be released from the usurpation of those who handle the things of God in a worldly way. In the abnormal situation in Judges there was also a great need for the Divine Trinity to be involved. The more abnormal the situation, the more there is the need of the Divine Trinity.
I emphasize the Trinity in my ministry not because of my personal preference but because of my burden to help the saints to have the real experience of the Triune God. It is because God is triune that we are able to experience Him. Christians may speak of Christ and the Spirit without realizing that these titles imply the Trinity and are for our experience. God is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit for our experience. Moreover, we most need to experience Him in abnormal situations such as today’s situation, which is prefigured in Judges.
Judges 5 is the song of Deborah and Barak. Verse 23 says, “Curse Meroz, says the Angel of Jehovah; / Bitterly curse its inhabitants. / For they did not come to the aid of Jehovah, / To the aid of Jehovah against the mighty.” The Angel of Jehovah is Christ as the sent One of God, and Jehovah is the Triune God.
The Divine Trinity’s involvement in Deborah’s victory over Sisera, the captain of the Canaanite army, was for her and her followers to enjoy the Triune God. Verse 12 says, “Awake! Awake, Deborah! / Awake! Awake, speak forth a song! / Arise, Barak; / And lead captive your captives.” Verses 15 through 16 say, “The princes in Issachar were with Deborah; / And Issachar was true to Barak; / Into the valley they were sent behind him. / Among the divisions of Reuben / There were great resolutions in heart. / Why did you sit among the sheepfolds / Listening to the pipings for the flocks? / In the divisions of Reuben / There were great searchings of heart.” These verses indicate that when Deborah was stirred up by the Triune God, Barak came in to help her. Then many of the defeated children of Israel were stirred up as well, and they seriously considered their situation and made a strong decision to follow Deborah and Barak to fight the enemies. A great resolution in heart is a firm decision. We need to search our heart and strongly resolve to fight for God. Verse 31 says, “May all Your enemies so perish, O Jehovah. / But may those who love Him be like the sun / When it rises in its might.” When we consider these verses together, we can see that Deborah, Barak, and those who followed them to fight the battle were enjoying the Triune God.
Judges 6:12 says, “The Angel of Jehovah appeared to him [Gideon] and said to him, Jehovah is with you.” Verse 14 says, “Jehovah turned to him and said, Go in this strength of yours, and save Israel from the hand of Midian.” We should not say that we are weak and do not have strength. What we have is enough; we need to go with whatever we have. Verse 19 says, “Gideon went and prepared a kid and an ephah of flour in unleavened cakes...And he brought it out to Him...And he presented it.” Verses 21 through 26 say, “The Angel of Jehovah put forth the end of the staff that was in His hand and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes. And fire came up from the rock and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes...Gideon saw that He was the Angel of Jehovah. And Gideon said, Alas, O Lord Jehovah! For I have seen the Angel of Jehovah face to face. And Jehovah said to him, Peace be with you...Then Gideon built an altar there to Jehovah, and he called it Jehovah-shalom...Jehovah said to him, Take your father’s bull...And build an altar to Jehovah your God...And offer a burnt offering.” Verse 34 says, “The Spirit of Jehovah clothed Gideon; and he blew the trumpet.” When Gideon blew the trumpet, many followed him.
As in the case of Deborah, in the case of Gideon the Angel of Jehovah was Christ as the sent One of God, and Jehovah was the Triune God. The kid typifies Christ as our burnt offering, and the unleavened cakes typify Christ as our meal offering. The fire typifies God as the accepting agent. We have seen that such a consuming, devouring, accepting fire is God Himself (Heb. 12:29). The rock signifies Christ as the ground for God to grace His people. The Lord Jehovah is the Triune God as the Lord. Jehovah-shalom means “Jehovah is peace,” or “Jehovah of peace.” God in Judges 6:26 in Hebrew is Elohim, indicating the Triune God. The burnt offering typifies Christ for God’s satisfaction. Finally, the Spirit of Jehovah is the Spirit of the Triune God.
The Divine Trinity’s involvement in Gideon’s victory over the Midianites was for Gideon to enjoy the Triune God with His redemption in Christ and with the Spirit. The sacrificed animals indicate redemption. Jehovah, the Angel of Jehovah, and the Spirit of Jehovah imply God, the Son of God sent by Him, and the Spirit of God, indicating the Trinity.
Judges 11:29-30 says, “The Spirit of Jehovah came upon Jephthah...And Jephthah made a vow to Jehovah.” Verse 32 says, “Jephthah passed on to the children of Ammon to fight against them, and Jehovah delivered them into his hand.” We can see the Trinity involved here because there is the Spirit of Jehovah, who is the Spirit of the Triune God, and Jehovah, who is the Triune God. The Divine Trinity was for Jephthah’s victory over the Ammonites.
Judges 13:3-25 says, “The Angel of Jehovah appeared to the woman...Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came to me; and His appearance was like the appearance of an angel of God...Then Manoah entreated Jehovah and said, Oh, my Lord! Let the man of God, whom You sent, come again to us, I pray; and let Him teach us what we should do with the boy that is to be born...And the Angel of God came again to the woman...And the woman hurried and ran off; and she told her husband and said to him, The man who came to me that day has just appeared to me. And Manoah rose up and followed his wife and came to the man...And Manoah said to the Angel of Jehovah, Let us detain You, we pray, that we may prepare a kid for You. And the Angel of Jehovah said to Manoah...If you prepare a burnt offering, offer it up to Jehovah. For Manoah did not know that He was the Angel of Jehovah. Then Manoah said to the Angel of Jehovah, What is Your name?...And the Angel of Jehovah said to him, Why do you ask about My name, since it is wonderful? And Manoah took the kid with the meal offering and offered it up upon the rock to Jehovah; and He acted wondrously, while Manoah and his wife looked on. And when the flame went up from the altar to heaven, the Angel of Jehovah went up in the flame of the altar...Then Manoah knew that He was the Angel of Jehovah. And Manoah said to his wife, We will surely die, for we have seen God...And the woman bore a son, and she called his name Samson...And Jehovah blessed him. And the Spirit of Jehovah began to move him at Mahaneh-dan.” Judges 14:19 and 15:14 say, “The Spirit of Jehovah rushed upon him.”
The Angel in Judges 13 was called the Angel of Jehovah and the Angel of God. However, He was also called a man. This was Christ as a man more than a thousand years before His incarnation. This fact cannot be systematized. The Angel of Jehovah and the Angel of God refer to Christ as the sent One of God. The Angel of Jehovah did not allow Manoah to offer anything to Him but told Manoah to make an offering to Jehovah (v. 16). Thus, the Angel kept His position as the sent One, just as the Lord Jesus did (John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38; 7:16; 12:44).
The titles Jehovah, Lord, and God in Judges 13 refer to the Triune God. Thus, the Spirit of Jehovah was the Spirit of the Triune God. The kid that Manoah offered typifies Christ as the burnt offering for God’s satisfaction, and the meal offering typifies Christ for God’s food. The rock upon which Manoah made the offering typifies Christ as the ground for God to grace His people.
The Angel of Jehovah appeared to Manoah’s wife for the producing of a son, Samson. This shows that the sisters are crucial for the producing of the overcoming Nazarites. However, both times that the Angel appeared to the woman, she went to her husband. This indicates that she did not take the place of the head but took her husband as her head. It is very good for the sisters to aspire to produce those who meet God’s need, but they must not take the position of the head. The sisters should not become proud or independent when the Lord appears to them. There was much coordination between Manoah and his wife. Such coordination between sisters and brothers in their married life is needed in the church life today. Sometimes the Lord may come first to the wife, but she should not forget her husband, who is still her head.
Manoah asked the Angel of Jehovah, “What is Your name?” Manoah’s wife needed her husband to negotiate. The Angel came to her twice, but she did not ask who He was. When we deal with others, it is important to know their name, especially if we may need to reach them again. Manoah attempted to discover the Angel’s identity, first by trying to offer something to Him and then by asking His name. The Angel of Jehovah answered Manoah in a peculiar way, saying, “Why do you ask about My name, since it is wonderful?” A few hundred years later, the prophet Isaiah received a revelation concerning this One. Isaiah 9:6 says, “A child is born to us, / A Son is given to us; / ...And His name will be called / Wonderful Counselor, / Mighty God, / Eternal Father.” When Manoah made an offering to Jehovah, the One whose name was wonderful “acted wondrously” (Judg. 13:19). There is no record of exactly what He did, because it was too wonderful to explain. When something is truly wonderful, we cannot explain it. Then Manoah and his wife saw the Angel of Jehovah ascend in the flame of the altar. This was truly wonderful and caused Manoah to know that He was the Angel of Jehovah. When Manoah realized that he had been speaking to the Angel of Jehovah, he said to his wife, “We have seen God.” Thus, in Judges 13 the Angel of Jehovah is called the Angel of God, a man, and God.
The riches of the Divine Trinity were involved in bringing forth Samson to defeat the enemies by the mighty Spirit of the Triune God. Similarly, we can defeat the enemies in today’s situation by the Triune God. The riches of the Divine Trinity revealed in the case of Samson are God, the Spirit, and Christ the Son as God’s sent One, a man, the burnt offering, and the meal offering. Thus, we can see the Triune God in a full way. We can also see incarnation, redemption, resurrection, and ascension. Just as the Spirit came after the sent One ascended in the case of Samson, so the Spirit descended after the Lord’s ascension in the New Testament. Thus, the case of Samson prefigures many New Testament items. Just as the Spirit empowered Samson to defeat the Philistines, so the Lord Jesus was empowered by the Spirit to defeat God’s enemy (Matt. 12:28; Acts 10:38). This can be fully applied to us in today’s situation. We need to experience the riches of the Divine Trinity to produce the overcomers who, by the mighty Spirit of the Triune God, will release God’s people from the bondage, oppression, and usurpation of those who handle the divine things in a worldly way.
