THE PERVERSION OF ISRAEL In this chapter we see the often repeated episode of perversions, despite God’s care for his people. 1- ‘Tola’ the son of ‘Puah’ set a judge 1 - 2 2- ‘Jaer’ the Gileadite set a judge 3 - 5 3- Israel oppressed again by the people of Ammon 6 - 18 1- SETTING TOLA THE SON OF PUAH: “ After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in the mountains of Ephraim” (1) “Tola judged Israel twenty-three years; and he died and was buried in Shamir” (2). ‘Shamir’ or ‘Shamor’, a Hebrew name, meaning (thorns) or (marble); probably ‘Sator’, located between Samaria and Genin nowadays. In it Tola was set a judge; despite the fact that he was from the tribe of Issachar, and the city was in the portion of the tribe of Ephraim. He was set to save Israel from atrocities too little to mention. He ruled Israel for 23 years, almost peaceful years. https://coptic-treasures.com/ The word ‘Tola’ means (a warm), or (scarlet cloth); And ‘Puah’ means (the dyers’ work)………. As though, when the reign of Abimelech came to an end -- the authority-lover; the bramble that sent fire to consume him and those who set him a king; who was not killed by an enemy from outside, nut by his own household, whom he also killed. By his death a judge was set – Tola the son of Puah -- ; as though by the scarlet cloth, the dyers’ work; dyed by the holy blood (the scarlet), to give 23 years of peace; even though he dwelt and was buried in Shamir; namely among the thorns. While Abimelech chose the seemingly easy way to secure his life and his kingdom, by killing his own brothers, reigning only for three years, in which he had no taste of peace, and ended up with a tragedy that utterly destroyed him; Tola, on the other hand, even though his name meant a lowly (warm); yet, choosing to walk along the difficult way of thorns and suffering, he gave the people of God long years of rest. He was like a shepherd who bears trouble to let the others have rest; who came to death every day; to let his brethren enjoy life in the Lord. ……….. According to the beautiful words of St. John Chrysostom, the great giving shepherd: [I wish you can feel the fire kindling in my heart, to know that I burn, mourning on the congregation present here, more than a young woman on her early widowhood; or a father on the death of his only son …………. I wish I can give my eyes ten thousand times and more, for the sake of the penitence of your souls]. 2- SETTING JAER THE GILEADITE A JUDGE: “After him arose Jair, a Gileadite; and he judged Israel twenty-two years. Now he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys; they also had thirty towns, which are called https://coptic-treasures.com/ “Havoth Jair’ to this day, which are in the land of Gilead. And Jair died and was buried in Camon” (3 – 5). After the burial of ‘Tola’ whose name bears the meaning of ‘a warm’, after giving his people 23 years of peace, ‘Jair the Gileadite’ was set a judge, to give his people, 22 years, most probably of peace, as well. We know about him, nothing more than he had 30 sons who rode on 30 donkeys, a sign of honor and wealth, had 30 so-called towns, which were actually, not more than ranches with buildings; called ‘Havoth Jaer’, namely (ranches of Jair). If the name ‘Tola’ in Hebrew means (a warm) a sign of his humility, or (a scarlet cloth), a sign of being dyed and purified by the blood of the Savior; the name ‘Jair’ means (enlightening). The former ‘Tola’ carried the blood of Christ , to judge by the spirit of meekness; and the later ‘Jair’ carried the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ Himself, to come to be like Him who sent him, saying to him: “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5: 14)……….. According to some, Jair here, was probably a descendant of Jair, mentioned in the book of Numbers (32: 41). If ‘Jair refers to the soul, enlightened by the Holy Spirit through the waters of baptism; his 30 sons refer to the gifts, of man, his feelings and energies, sanctified as his sons in the Lord; each riding a donkey, namely honored and rich in the Lord, and (rules) on a city or ranch; namely, all what is inside us, come to be holy for the Lord; not befitting of him to walk in abominations, or to be used for evil, but to live honored by the holy life. The figure 30, here, refers to the baptism of the Lord Christ; who was baptized in the water of the Jordan when He was 30 years old. For through His baptism we came to have the right to enjoy baptism; and to be counted as holy kings and priests in Him; to rule, and not to be enslaved to the devil and his evil works. That https://coptic-treasures.com/ is what made St. Jerome say: [The Savior, Himself, did not preach the kingdom of heaven, except after He sanctified the Jordan by being baptized in it]. . 3- ISRAEL OPPRESSED AGAIN BY THE PEOPLE OF AMMON: I “Then the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the people of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him” (6) Having enjoyed rest, the people got back to partake of idol-worship, together wit the pagan nations around them. They came to worship the Baals (namely the gods of the sun), and the Ashtoreths (the goddesses of the moon); as well as the gods of Aram , like ‘Rimmon’ (2 kings 5: 18), god of thunder and rain; and the gods of Sidon, like the Baals and the Ashtoreths (Every nation had her own Baal and Ashtoreth); the gods of Moab, like ‘Camush’ and Baal-Peor gods of the people of Ammon like ‘Molech’ or ‘Melchom’ (Leviticus 18: 21); and gods of the Phylistines, like ‘Dagon’, god of the fish, whose idol had the face and hands of man, and the body of a fish. They started by worshipping those gods together with worshipping the true God; as a show of non-bigotry; but they soon forsook the worship of the living God, where the way is rough and the door is narrow, and held fast to the pagan worship, where the way is easy and the door is wide open, https://coptic-treasures.com/ “So the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the people of Ammon. From that year they harassed and oppressed the children of Israel for eighteen years—all the children of Israel who were on the other side of the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, in Gilead . Moreover the people of Ammon crossed over the Jordan to fight against Judah also, against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed” (7 – 9). “And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, ‘We have sinned against You, because we have both forsaken our God and served the Baals’ “ (10) The Lord admonished them on paying his care and salvation, back with denial and evil; and in firm fatherhood He said: “I will deliver you no more” (13); not to close the door of mercy in their face, but to confirm to them His firmness, and to seek from them to enter into the depth in solving their problems. “So the LORD said to the children of Israel, ‘Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites and from the people of Ammon and from the Philistines? Also the Sidonians and Amalekites and Maonites oppressed you; and you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hand. Yet you have forsaken Me and https://coptic-treasures.com/ served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress’.” (11 – 13) “ And the children of Israel said to the LORD, ‘We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray’.” So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.(14 – 16) As a compassionate father, “the soul of the Lord could no longer endure the misery of Israel”, nor to see the tears of His children. In the book of the songs He says: “Turn your eyes away from Me, for they have overcome Me” (Songs 6: 5). And chastising with firmness, He, with love, turns back to say: “My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred. I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; For I am God and not man; the Holy One in your midst; and I will not come with terror” (Hosea 11: 8, 9). Amazing in His love, he does not endure even man’s penitence; and the greatest example for that is what He did with ‘Ahab’ the evil king, who killed and inherited (1 kings 21: 19), about whom the Holy Book testified: “There was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord” (1 kings 21: 25). But once he listened to the Lord’s words against him, on the tongue of the prophet Elijah, he tore off his clothes and put on sackcloth on his body. Not enduring to see him do so, God said to the prophet Elijah: “See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me. I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the days of his son I will bring the calamity on his house” (1 kings 21: 29) https://coptic-treasures.com/ “Then the people of Ammon gathered together and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled together and encamped in Mizpah” And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said to one another, “Who is the man who will begin the fight against the people of Ammon? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” (17 - 18) God therefore, did not forsake them, and when the people of Ammon encamped in Gilead, and the children of Israel assembled together and encamped in Mizpah (17) God was preparing for them a savior – ‘Jephthah the Gileadite’. ‘Mizpah’ , a Hebrew word meaning (the tower of watchmen), has been called ‘Mizpah of Gilead (11: 29), ‘Ramath Mizpah’ (Joshua 13: 26), “Ramoth Gilead” (1 kings 4: 13). It is where Jacob made a the heap as a witness on the covenant he made that day with Laban (genesis 31: 49) ; Its location nowadays is probably ‘Tel-Ramoth, or ‘Salt’, within the portion of Gad.
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