Chapter 17 – Looking Back at Gilgal | Dan L. White Homeschool Helpers

The End Time Church: from the Cathedrals to the Catacombs

By Dan L. White

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB) which is in the public domain.

Chapter 17

Looking Back at Gilgal

Remember how Bible commentators thought that human kings were so great?

“Only a strong and permanent leadership of the whole people would suffice! Thus the rule of the Judges gave way to the monarchy!” ISBE article Judges.

“Nothing contributes more, under God, to the support of religion in the world, than the due administration of those two great ordinances, magistracy and ministry,” Matthew Henry, Judges 17:6 comment.

Israel thought that, too, and wanted a king like all the other nations.

This is the warning that Israel had about having a king.

Deuteronomy 28:36-37
(36) Yahweh will bring you, and your king whom you will set over yourselves, to a nation that you have not known, you nor your fathers. There you will serve other gods of wood and stone.
(37) You will become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where Yahweh will lead you away.

When Israel had judges but lacked God — catastrophe.

When Israel then had kings, but lacked God — catastrophe.

What’s the lesson there?

More God.

Always the great problem in world history through the ages is —

How do you control the people to avoid sin and catastrophe?

Always the great problem in any one individual’s life is –

How do I control myself to avoid personal catastrophe?

And always the answer is —

More God.

Remember how the people rejoiced at Gilgal?

1 Samuel 11:15
(15) All the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before Yahweh in Gilgal. There they offered sacrifices of peace offerings before Yahweh; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

That joy over their human king led to this.

First, Samaria was conquered, captured and carried away from the Holy Land, never to formally return. Then Judah was conquered, captured and carried away.

Hosea foresaw the time when Israel knew that their human king had done them no good.

Hosea 10:3
(3) Surely now they will say, “We have no king; for we don’t fear Yahweh; and the king, what can he do for us?”

Their idols would be taken by one of the kings of those other nations that Israel so admired, and Israel’s king would float away, like a little twig on the water.

(5) The inhabitants of Samaria will be in terror for the calves of Beth Aven;
for its people will mourn over it,
Along with its priests who rejoiced over it,
for its glory, because it has departed from it.

(6) It also will be carried to Assyria for a present to a great king.
Ephraim will receive shame,
and Israel will be ashamed of his own counsel.

(7) Samaria and her king float away,
like a twig on the water.

Israel trusted in their mighty men, led by their human king. That didn’t work.

(12) Sow to yourselves in righteousness,
reap according to kindness.
Break up your fallow ground;
for it is time to seek Yahweh,
until he comes and rains righteousness on you.

(13) You have plowed wickedness.
You have reaped iniquity.
You have eaten the fruit of lies,
for you trusted in your way, in the multitude of your mighty men.

(14) Therefore a battle roar will arise among your people,
and all your fortresses will be destroyed,
as Shalman destroyed Beth Arbel in the day of battle.
The mother was dashed in pieces with her children.

(15) So Bethel will do to you because of your great wickedness.
At daybreak the king of Israel will be destroyed.

The kingdom of Judah lasted about 136 years longer than the kingdom of Israel. Eventually, though, her king met the same fate as Samaria’s, conquered by Babylon instead of Assyria.

2 Kings 25:1-11
(1) In the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts against it around it.
(2) So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.
(3) On the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine was severe in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.
(4) Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden (now the Chaldeans were against the city around it); and the king went by the way of the Arabah.
(5) But the Chaldean army pursued the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.
(6) Then they captured the king, and carried him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they passed judgment on him.
(7) They killed Zedekiah’s sons before his eyes, then put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
(8) Now in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.
(9) He burned Yahweh’s house, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, he burned with fire.
(10) All the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
(11) Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the residue of the people who were left in the city, and those who fell away, who fell to the king of Babylon, and the residue of the multitude.

The joy of Gilgal turned to the gut wrenching reality of human nature.

Hosea 9:15
(15) “All their wickedness is in Gilgal; for there I hated them. Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of my house! I will love them no more. All their princes are rebels.

Hosea 13:9-11
(9) You are destroyed, Israel, because you are against me, against your help.
(10) Where is your king now, that he may save you in all your cities? And your judges, of whom you said, ‘Give me a king and princes?’
(11) I have given you a king in my anger, and have taken him away in my wrath.

Notice Yahweh’s blunt statement: “I have given you a king in my anger and have taken him away in my wrath.

God doesn’t like the idea of human kings getting between him and his people.

The idea of a human king is so appealing. You can see him, everybody can unify behind him in doing God’s work, he can protect the flock, etc. Over and over these arguments are so appealing, when people establish new political and religious governments.

Well, then –

How do these governments work out?

Two of the first three kings of unified Israel were bad, and the only good one was a repentant adulterer and murderer. The Kingdom of Israel then had nineteen kings, and not a good one among the lot of them. Judah had nineteen kings and Ahab’s daughter. Asa and Jehoshaphat were good, Uzziah and Jotham were good, and Hezekiah and Josiah were good, but all with major problems. Joash was good until his mentor died, then he became a tyrant and a murderer. Manasseh was extremely bad, then repented, but his evil doomed the nation. Amaziah was good, then brought home the losing gods of Edom. The other ten kings of Judah were terrible.

Putting a human king between the people and God seemed like such a good idea. That idea was ruined by the humans’ humanness.

Again, God saw ahead of time that this system would not work.

No wonder Yahweh did not give his chosen people a human king when he brought them into his Holy Land!

Every type of human government has been tried in the last six millennia. Many of these governments claimed to be the government of God. All of these governments either have failed or are failing.

Likewise, all types of religious governments have been tried, with all claiming to be the government of God. In the same way as the political kings, they cannot stand the test of time.

There is an old saying, used in several languages:

“The nearer the church, the further from God.”

Ironically, that is quoting Lancelot Andrewes, a British theologian who oversaw the King James Bible translation, and was very close to the King’s church.

This saying means that religious governments, like political governments, get between people and their God. They often hinder what they aim to help. When people need more God, they create more government. In the long term, religious rulers have the same success as Israel’s kings.

Putting in another government to do the work of God is never better than letting God do his work himself. Instead of him helping us do our work, we should help him do His work. The ultimate challenge in life is to be spiritually joined with your creator. Setting up more government does not give you more God. It only gives you more people between you and God. If God is to be our personal King, then there can be no others in the way.

Why did Israel say they wanted a king?

“[T]hat we also may be like all the nations.”

Israel simply wanted to be like the world around them. They still wanted to be Yahweh’s people and at the same time they wanted to be like the world.

This world has another king.

Matthew 4:8-10
(8) Again, the devil took him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory.
(9) He said to him, “I will give you all of these things, if you will fall down and worship me.”
(10) Then Yeshua said to him, “Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’”

Satan had the power to give Christ all the kingdoms of the world. Christ called him the ruler of this world.

John 12:31 ESV
(31) Now is the time for the judgment of this world to begin. Now will the ruler of this world be thrown out.

John 14:30 ESV
(30) I will not talk with you much longer, because the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me.

John 16:11 ESV
(11) and of judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

Paul called Satan the god of this world.

2 Corinthians 4:4
(4) in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.

When Israel wanted to be like the world, they were overcome by that world. This is a lesson that must never be forgotten.

Satan’s world is completely opposite of the coming Kingdom of God. This world is selfishness, wars and tragedy, while the coming kingdom will be selflessness, peace and joy, where even the lion and lamb lie down together. Naturally then, Satan, the ruler of this world, will have a completely opposite system of governing from the Creator God. Therefore the worst thing that God’s people can do is to try to be like the world, in attitude, conduct and government.

Isaiah 33:22
(22) For Yahweh is our judge. Yahweh is our lawgiver. Yahweh is our king. He will save us.

Ezekiel 20:33-34
(33) As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, I will be king over you.
(34) I will bring you out from the peoples, and will gather you out of the countries in which you are scattered with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out.

The end of the age of mankind will be a battle between these two types of spirits and between these two types of governments, between kings of the earth who follow the king of this world, and those individuals who follow the coming King of kings. At that time, the difference in the government of Satan and of God will be most evident.

Zec 9:9
(9) Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Share this:

Related