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Kohtunikud 7

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1 Ja Jerubbaal, see on Gideon, tõusis vara üles, samuti kogu rahvas, kes oli koos temaga, ja nad lõid leeri üles Harodi allika juurde: midjanlaste leer jäi temast põhja poole, alates Moore mäekünkast tasandikul.

2 Ja Issand ütles Gideonile: 'Sinuga on kaasas liiga palju rahvast, et võiksin anda midjanlased nende kätte, et Iisrael ei hakkaks kiitlema minu ees, öeldes: Mu oma käsi päästis minu.

3 Ja nüüd hüüa siis rahva kuuldes ja ütle: Kes kardab ja on arg, see mingu tagasi ja lahkugu Gileadi mäelt!' Ja rahvast läks tagasi kakskümmend kaks tuhat, aga kümme tuhat jäi.

4 Ja Issand ütles Gideonile: 'Rahvast on veelgi palju. Vii nad alla vee juurde, siis ma katsun nad seal läbi sinu jaoks. See, kelle kohta ma sulle ütlen: Tema mingu koos sinuga!, mingu koos sinuga; aga igaüks, kelle kohta ma sulle ütlen: Tema ärgu mingu koos sinuga!, ärgu mingu!'

5 Ja Gideon viis rahva alla vee äärde. Ja Issand ütles Gideonile: 'Igaüks, kes lakub keelega vett nagu koer, pane eraldi, samuti igaüks, kes laskub põlvili jooma!'

6 Ja nende arv, kes lakkusid käest suhu, oli kolmsada meest, aga kõik ülejäänud rahvas oli laskunud põlvili vett jooma.

7 Ja Issand ütles Gideonile: 'Nende kolmesaja mehega, kes lakkusid, ma päästan teid ja annan midjanlased su kätte; aga kõik muu rahvas mingu igaüks koju!'

8 Ja nad võtsid rahva teemoona ja nende sarvpasunad enestega kaasa, aga kõik muud Iisraeli mehed ta saatis ära, igaühe tema telki; need kolmsada meest ta aga jättis; ja midjanlaste leer oli temast allpool orus.

9 Ja sel ööl sündis, et Issand ütles temale: 'Tõuse, mine alla leeri, sest ma annan selle su kätte!

10 Aga kui sa kardad minna, siis mine alla leeri koos oma teenri Puuraga

11 ja kuula, mida nad räägivad; siis kinnitatakse pärast seda su käsi ja sa oled võimeline minema alla leeri!' Ja ta läks koos oma teenri Puuraga alla leeri valvesalkade juurde.

12 Ja midjanlased, amalekid ja kõik hommikumaalased lebasid orus, nõnda palju nagu rohutirtse, ja nende kaameleid oli arvamatu palju, nõnda palju nagu liiva mere ääres.

13 Ja kui Gideon tuli, vaata, siis jutustas üks mees teisele unenägu ja ütles: 'Vaata, ma nägin und ja ennäe, üks odraleivakook veeres midjanlaste leeri, jõudis telgini ja tõukas seda, nõnda et see langes maha ja pööras alumise poole peale; ja telk jäigi lamama.'

14 Ja teine vastas ning ütles: 'See pole midagi muud kui Iisraeli mehe, Joase poja Gideoni mõõk. Jumal on andnud tema kätte midjanlased ja kogu leeri.'

15 Kui Gideon oli kuulnud unenäo jutustust ja selle seletust, siis ta kummardas ja läks tagasi Iisraeli leeri ning ütles: 'Tõuske, sest Issand on andnud Midjani leeri teie kätte!'

16 Ja ta jaotas need kolmsada meest kolmeks salgaks, andis neile kõigile kätte sarvpasunad ja tühjad kruusid ning tõrvikud kruuside jaoks.

17 Ja ta ütles neile: 'Vaadake mind ja tehke nõndasamuti! Vaata, kui ma olen jõudnud leeri servani, siis tehke nõnda, nagu mina teen!

18 Kui ma puhun sarve, mina ja kõik, kes on koos minuga, siis puhuge ka teie sarvi ümber kogu leeri ja hüüdke: Issanda ja Gideoni eest!'

19 Ja Gideon ning sada meest, kes olid koos temaga, jõudsid leeri serva keskmise öövahikorra alguses, just siis kui valvurid olid seatud kohtadele. Siis nad puhusid sarvi ja purustasid kruusid, mis neil käes olid.

20 Ja need kolm salka puhusid sarvi, lõid kruusid katki, haarasid vasakusse kätte tõrviku, paremasse kätte sarve puhumiseks ja hüüdsid: 'Issanda ja Gideoni mõõk!'

21 Ja igaüks jäi seisma oma kohale ümber leeri. Aga kogu leer jooksis, karjus ja põgenes.

22 Ja nad puhusid kolmesaja sarvega ning Issand pööras ühe mõõga teise vastu, ja seda kogu leeris; ja leer põgenes kuni Beet-Sittani Serera suunas, kuni Aabel-Mehola rannani Tabbati juures.

23 Ja Iisraeli mehed kutsuti kokku Naftalist, Aaserist ja kogu Manassest, ja nad ajasid midjanlasi taga.

24 Ja Gideon läkitas käskjalad kogu Efraimi mäestikku, öeldes: 'Tulge alla midjanlaste vastu ja lõigake neil ära veed kuni Beet-Baarani, samuti Jordan!' Nõnda kutsuti kõik Efraimi mehed kokku ja nad lõikasid ära veed kuni Beet-Baarani, ja Jordani.

25 Ja nad võtsid vangi kaks Midjani vürsti, Oorebi ja Seebi; nad tapsid Oorebi Oorebi kaljul ja Seebi Seebi surutõrres, ja nad ajasid midjanlasi taga; ja nad tõid Oorebi ja Seebi pead Gideonile teisele poole Jordanit.

   

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Exploring the Meaning of Judges 7

Napsal(a) New Christian Bible Study Staff, Julian Duckworth

Judges 7: Gideon’s valiant three hundred men.

Gideon and all his men camped by the well of Harod, which can mean “eager”, and also “trembling.” The Lord told Gideon that his army was too large, which could lead Israel to boast that they won by their own efforts (rather than the Lord’s power). Gideon was instructed to send away anyone who was afraid; 22,000 went home, leaving 10,000.

Even still, the Lord said the army was too large, so Gideon tested the men by taking them down to the water to drink. The Lord directed Gideon to call out those who lapped water from out of their hands rather than kneeling down to drink with their mouths. Three hundred men were chosen by this method of selection.

The Lord then commanded Gideon to go down to the Midianite camp, and if he was afraid, to take his servant, Phurah. There, Gideon overheard one of the soldiers telling his companion that he’d had a dream, in which a loaf of bread came tumbling into the camp and struck one of the tents so that it collapsed. The other soldier said that this meant the Lord would give victory to Gideon.

Gideon gave each of his men a trumpet, and a pitcher containing a lit torch. They surrounded the Midianite camp, and at the command of Gideon, they blew their trumpets, broke their pitchers to show the torches, and shouted, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” This caused panic in the camp, and every Midianite drew his sword against another, and many fled. Then Gideon ordered the capture and killing of the two Midianite princes, whose heads were brought to him.

*****

We must give glory to the Lord for successes that we seem to earn, as He alone does what is good. The Lord told Gideon to reduce the size of his army, to avoid the dangers of growing too proud. Since we live our lives as if we do everything ourselves, this is a constant threat. The fact that about two-thirds of Gideon’s army were afraid and went home shows the reality of our nature (see Swedenborg’s work, True Christian Religion 442).

Lapping water from the hand reflects our need to see and examine what we take into our minds. Water stands for truth, but it can also stand for false ideas. If we drink directly from the water, we accept indiscriminately and examine nothing. Cupping and holding the water in our hands means that we can see how to apply this truth through our attitudes and actions (see Swedenborg’s work, Arcana Caelestia 6047[2]).

Gideon’s army of only three hundred men was all it took to defeat the Midianites. The number ‘three’ stands for something which is complete or full in itself. Some spiritual examples include mind, body and soul, as well as celestial, spiritual and natural (see Swedenborg’s Apocalypse Explained 435[3] and 532[2]).

The dream Gideon overheard stands for the power of good (the bread) to break down the apparent power of what is evil and false (the tent) (Arcana Caelestia 4247[3]). The name of Gideon’s servant, Phurah, means “fruitfulness”, or “a winepress”, which is where Gideon was first called by the angel of the Lord.

The trumpet and the torch both stand for the power of truth to overcome evil and false ideas, the trumpet by its penetrating sound, and the torch by its illuminating light. There is no mention of swords for the army of Israel.

Finally, the oppression by the Midianites represents knowing what is true, but living a life governed by our own desires. This leads us increasingly further away from obeying the Lord. Of course, this must be addressed. The Midianites destroyed each other in their panic, meaning what is disorderly and against the Lord holds no validity, and eventually destroys itself (Arcana Caelestia 9320).

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Divine Providence # 96

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96. 7. The Lord protects these two abilities untouched within us and as things that are sacred through the whole course of his divine providence. There are several reasons for this. One is that without these two abilities there, we would have no discernment or volition and would therefore not be human. Another is that without these two abilities we could not be united to the Lord and therefore could not be reformed and regenerated. Then too, without these two abilities we would not have immortality or eternal life. We can see this to some extent from the view already given [71-95] of what freedom and rationality are (these are the two abilities). We cannot see this clearly, though, unless the propositions are presented to view as inferences, so I need to shed some light on them.

[2] Without these two abilities there we would have no discernment or volition and would therefore not be human. The only basis of our volition is our ability to intend as though we were doing so ourselves. Intending freely, with this apparent autonomy, comes from the ability the Lord is constantly giving us, the ability called freedom. For another thing, the only basis of our discernment is our ability to discern whether something is reasonable or not, again as though we were doing so ourselves. Discerning whether something is reasonable or not comes from the second ability that the Lord is constantly giving us, the ability called rationality.

These two abilities unite within us the way volition and discernment do, because there is no intent without discernment. Discerning is the mate or match of intending, necessary to its existence; so along with the ability called freedom we are given the ability called rationality.

[3] Then too, if you take away intending from discerning, you will not discern anything at all. You can understand to the extent that you try to, provided you have or have access to the resources called perceptions, since these are like an artisan's tools. When I say that you can discern to the extent that you try, it means to the extent that you love to discern, since volition and love are the same thing.

This may seem like a paradox, but that is only how it seems to people who do not love to discern and therefore do not try to; and people who do not try to discern claim that they cannot. I will, however, be explaining later [98] which people really cannot discern and which ones find it hard.

[4] We need no further support for the statement that if we did not have volition based on the ability called freedom and discernment based on the ability called rationality, we would not be human. Animals do not have these abilities. It may seem as though animals, too, can intend and can discern, but they cannot. There is an earthly desire, basically an impulse, with matching knowledge, that guides and impels them to do what they do. There is a social and moral component to this knowledge, but it does not transcend their knowledge, because animals have no spiritual level that would enable them to perceive what is moral and therefore think about it. They can be taught to do particular things, but this is strictly on the physical level. What they learn is added to their knowledge and to their impulses and is called forth either by sight or by hearing. However, it never becomes something that they think about, let alone something that they reason about. There is more on this subject above (see 74).

[5] Without these two abilities we could not be united to the Lord and therefore could not be reformed and regenerated. This has already been explained [82-86]. The Lord dwells within us in these two abilities whether we are evil or good, and uses them to unite everyone to himself. This is why evil people are as capable of discernment as good people, why potentially they intend what is good and discern what is true. If they do not have these characteristics in act, that is because of their misuse of the abilities.

The reason the Lord dwells in these abilities in each of us is found in the inflow of the Lord's intent, an intent that wants to be accepted by us, to make its dwelling within us, and to give us the happiness of eternal life. This is the Lord's intent because it comes from his divine love. It is this intent of the Lord that makes whatever we think and say and intend and do seem to be our own.

[6] There is ample evidence in the spiritual world that the inflow of the Lord's intent makes this happen. Sometimes the Lord fills an angel with his divine nature so completely that the angel's whole consciousness is of being the Lord. That is how the angels were filled whom Abraham, Hagar, and Gideon saw, angels who therefore called themselves Jehovah, as we read in the Word. In the same way, one spirit can be filled by another to the point of not realizing that she or he is not that other. I have seen this happen often. It is also common knowledge in heaven that the Lord always works through intention and that what happens is what he intends.

We can see from this that it is through these two abilities that the Lord unites himself to us and works things out so that we are united to him in return. I have already explained how we are united mutually through these abilities and how we are therefore reformed and regenerated, and will have much more to say about this below.

[7] Without these two abilities we would not have immortality or eternal life. This follows from what has already been presented, namely, that these abilities are the means to our union with the Lord and to our reformation and regeneration. It is through them that we have immortality and through reformation and regeneration that we have eternal life. Since we are all united to the Lord through these two abilities whether we are evil or good, as just noted, we all have immortality. However, we have eternal life, heaven's life, only if that union is mutual, from the core of our being to its outer limits. This enables us to see why the Lord protects these two abilities untouched within us and as things that are sacred through the whole course of his divine providence.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for the permission to use this translation.