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Jueces 10

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1 Y después de Abimelec se levantó para librar a Israel, Tola hijo de Fúa, hijo de Dodo, varón de Isacar, el cual habitaba en Samir, en el monte de Efraín.

2 Y juzgó a Israel veintitrés años, y murió, y fue sepultado en Samir.

3 Tras él se levantó Jair, galaadita, el cual juzgó a Israel veintidós años.

4 Este tuvo treinta hijos que cabalgaban sobre treinta asnos, y tenían treinta villas, que se llamaron las villas de Jair hasta hoy, las cuales están en la tierra de Galaad.

5 Y murió Jair, y fue sepultado en Camón.

6 Mas los hijos de Israel volvieron a hacer lo malo en los ojos del SEÑOR, y sirvieron a los baales y a Astarot, y a los dioses de Siria, y a los dioses de Sidón, y a los dioses de Moab, y a los dioses de los hijos de Amón, y a los dioses de los filisteos; y dejaron al SEÑOR, y no le sirvieron.

7 Y el SEÑOR se airó contra Israel, y los vendió en mano de los filisteos, y en mano de los hijos de Amón;

8 los cuales molieron y quebrantaron a los hijos de Israel en aquel tiempo por dieciocho años, a todos los hijos de Israel que estaban al otro lado del Jordán en la tierra del amorreo, que es en Galaad.

9 Y los hijos de Amón pasaron el Jordán para hacer también guerra contra Judá, y contra Benjamín, y la casa de Efraín; y fue Israel en gran manera afligido.

10 Y los hijos de Israel clamaron al SEÑOR, diciendo: Nosotros hemos pecado contra ti; porque hemos dejado a nuestro Dios, y servido a los baales.

11 Y el SEÑOR respondió a los hijos de Israel: ¿No habéis sido oprimidos de Egipto, de los amorreos, de los amonitas, de los filisteos,

12 de los de Sidón, de Amalec, y de Maón, y clamando a mí os he librado de sus manos?

13 Mas vosotros me habéis dejado, y habéis servido a dioses ajenos; por tanto, yo no os libraré más.

14 Andad, y clamad a los dioses que os habéis elegido, que os libren en el tiempo de vuestra aflicción.

15 Y los hijos de Israel respondieron al SEÑOR: Hemos pecado; haz tú con nosotros como bien te pareciere; solamente que ahora nos libres en este día.

16 Y quitaron de entre sí los dioses ajenos, y sirvieron al SEÑOR; y su alma fue angustiada a causa del trabajo de Israel.

17 Y juntándose los hijos de Amón, asentaron campamento en Galaad; se juntaron asimismo los hijos de Israel, y asentaron su campamento en Mizpa.

18 Y los príncipes y el pueblo de Galaad dijeron el uno al otro: ¿Quién será el que comenzará la batalla contra los hijos de Amón? El será cabeza sobre todos los que habitan en Galaad.

   

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Exploring the Meaning of Judges 10

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

Judges 10: Tola, Jair; Israel oppressed again.

This chapter opens by mentioning the judges Tola and Jair, who judged for twenty-three years and twenty-two years, respectively. The text gives us very little information about them, except that Jair had thirty sons, who rode on thirty donkeys and had thirty cities in the land of Gilead.

After Jair died, the people soon disobeyed the Lord, and worshipped the gods of Syria, Sidon, Moab, Philistia, and Ammon. This provoked the Lord’s anger, so He caused the Philistines and Ammonites to oppress Israel. The Ammonites first attacked the two-and-a-half tribes living on the eastern side of the Jordan, then crossed the river to attack Judah, Benjamin and Ephraim.

The people cried out to the Lord, saying that they had forsaken Him, but He told them to go to the other gods they had chosen. However, the people asked again for forgiveness, stopped worshipping foreign gods, and turned back to the Lord, so His anger toward them subsided.

*****

This chapter describes another episode in Israel’s cycle of disobedience and punishment, in which the people repeatedly turn away from the Lord when there is no leader. No matter how often we affirm our faith in the Lord, we, too, will default to our natural desires and false thinking. As we come to recognize and accept this fact of life, we can find comfort in the Lord. He understands this completely, and does not blame or punish us.

The first judge mentioned is Tola. His name means “a worm-like grub”, suggesting the idea of metamorphosis and regeneration (see Swedenborg’s work, True Christian Religion 106[2]). Tola’s father was Puah (meaning “shining”), his grandfather was Dodo (meaning “amorous, loving”), and their city was Shamir (which means “keeping the commandment”). These names bring to mind the spiritual qualities of truth, love and life in the Lord (see Swedenborg’s work, Arcana Caelestia 977).

The next judge is Jair, whose name means ”he whom God enlightens”. The number thirty (used in reference to his thirty sons and their thirty towns) means fullness or readiness. This readiness refers to our spiritual ‘remains’, or states of innocence and charity that the Lord imparts to us during childhood. These remains are essential during regeneration (Arcana Caelestia 1050).

The Philistines, soon to be a major enemy of Israel, stand for the belief in “faith alone” salvation. This way of thinking instills the idea that we will be saved if we “believe in the Lord”, regardless of our actions. “Faith alone” doctrine is present in many religious practices (see Swedenborg’s work, Doctrine of Life 4).

The people of Ammon stand for profaning what is true, by turning the truths of the Word into false ideas. We profane the truth when we claim to know what the Word teaches, but live in a way that is contrary to the Lord’s commandments (Arcana Caelestia 6348[3]).

This chapter, like many others in the book of Judges, shows Israel’s decline into chaos and evil. The two judges, Tola and Jair, provide a picture of spiritual integrity, in contrast with Israel’s oppression by the very evils they have turned to. In our regeneration, with its highs and lows, we must avoid the temptation of shallow faith by acting according to our values.

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Doctrine of Life # 4

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4. Nevertheless, there are in the Christian churches many who teach that faith alone saves, and not any goodness of life or good work. They add, too, that no evilness of life or evil work condemns those who have been justified by faith alone, because they abide in God and in His grace.

What is astonishing, however, is that although they teach these ideas, still they acknowledge, as a result of their common perception from heaven, that those who live right are saved, and that those who do not live right are damned.

That they still acknowledge this is apparent from the prayer read out to the people in churches, both in England and in Germany, Sweden and Denmark, when they come to Holy Supper. It is common knowledge that in those kingdoms they teach the aforesaid faith alone.

The prayer read out to the people in England who come to the sacrament of the Supper is as follows:

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.