A Jewish Bible Companion (Part 4 of 0)

A Reading Plan for the Former Prophets(2) – Part five

In this article, we conclude our study of the reading plan for the Former Prophets.

Judges parallels Gen. 18-36

The parallels between Joshua and Genesis end with references to Genesis 17. The list below shows that Judges picks up in Genesis 18, that is, right where Joshua left off. This is no coinci­dence. The Former Prophets were in­tended to be read alongside the Torah.

  1. Gideon and Abraham entertain angels (Jdg. 6// Gen. 18).

An angel appears to Gideon just as the three angels had appeared to Abraham. Furthermore, the angels appear to both Gideon and Abraham by an oak (Jdg. 6:11 // Gen. 18:1 RV). “There came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak” (Jdg. 6:11). “And the LORD appeared unto him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door” (Gen. 18:1 RV).

Gideon asks the angel, “If now I have found grace in thy sight…depart not hence, I pray thee” (Jdg. 6:17-18), just as Abraham had asked the angels, “My Lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant” (Gen. 18:3).

Gideon makes ready meat and bread and presents it to the angel, just as Abraham had done for his angelic guests (Jdg. 6:1911 Gen. 18:6-8).

Gideon and Abraham use the same words in their discussion with the Lord. Abraham had said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once” (Gen. 18:32). Likewise, Gideon says, “Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once” (Jdg. 6:39).

These parallels would be evident for anyone who read the two accounts side ­by-side.

  1. Scandals at Gibeah and Sodom (Jdg. 19-20// Gen. 19).

The parallels between these two stories are striking.

In both cases, the visitors are forbidden to lodge in the street (Jdg. 19:20// Gen. 19:2-3); they wash their feet (Jdg. 19:21 // Gen. 19:2); and they eat and drink (Jdg. 19:21 // Gen. 19:3).

In both stories, the men of the city beset the house round about (Jdg. 19:22 // Gen. 19:4), demanding that the men be brought out of the house so that they may know them (Jdg. 19:22// Gen. 19:5).

In both, the response is the same, “Nay, my brethren, I pray you, do not so wickedly” (Jdg. 19:23 // Gen. 19:7).

Suggestions that women be sent out instead are made in both stories. Lot had suggested, “Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known a man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing” (Gen. 19:8). Similarly, the master of the house suggests, “Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing” (Jdg. 19:24).

The consequences for the cities are the same: they burned. “They should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city…the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke…and the flame of the city ascended up to heaven” (Jdg. 20:38,40) parallels “The LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven. .the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace” (Gen. 19:24,28).

And, just as Lot’s wife looked back, “the Benjamites looked behind them (Jdg. 20:40// Gen. 19:26).

The verbal connection between these two stories is no accident: they were intended to be read together. The story in Judges provides a “fulfillment” of the story in Genesis.

  1. Births of Samson and Isaac (Jdg. 13 // Gen. 21).

Manoah’s wife was barren, just like Abraham’s wife Sarah. In both records, the fact that the wife is barren is repeated. “(Manoah’s) wife was barren …thou art barren…and bearest not” (Jdg. 13:2-3) parallels “Sarai was barren; she had no child…The LORD hath restrained me from bearing” (Gen. 1130; 16:2).

In both accounts, the Lord promises the birth of a son. The Lord says to Manoah’s wife, “Thou shalt conceive and bare a son” (Jdg. 13:3), just like He had said to Abraham, “Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son…Sarah thy wife shall have a son” (Gen. 17:19; 18:10).

“And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson” (Jdg. 13:24) recalls “For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age…And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac” (Gen. 21:2-3).

“And the child grew” (Jdg. 13:24 // Gen. 21:8). Here is a direct reference back to Genesis.

  1. “Sacrifice” of Jephthah’s daughter, his only child, and of Isaac, Abraham’s only son are parallel (Jdg. 11:29-40 // Gen. 22).

The somewhat unusual story of Jephthah’s vow that results in the “offering” of his daughter is perhaps better understood once we notice the parallel with Abraham’s offering of his son Isaac. In the Jephthah episode, it is noted that his daughter “was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter” (Jdg. 11:34). Besides evoking our sympathy, this fact should also provoke our memory. In Genesis 22, the fact that Isaac is Abraham’s only son is repeated three times, “thine only son Isaac…thy son, thine only son…thy son, thine only son” (Gen. 22:2,12,16). God is trying to make sure that we make the connection between these two stories.

And in both cases, the father is to offer the child as a “burnt offering.” Jephthah vowed that “whatsoever (whosoever, AVm and RVm) cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering” (Jdg. 11:31) recalls God’s command to Abraham, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of’ (Gen. 22:2).

The parallel suggests that it was no accident that Jephthah’s daughter came out to meet him: it was God’s way of proving him (cp. Gen. 22:1 RV). In both cases, the father is asked to do the same thing that the Lord God Himself would have to do: offer his only child. And in both cases, the men of faith came through with flying colors (Heb. 11:17-19,32).

The parallel also provides another piece of evidence that Jephthah did not actually kill his daughter (for more on this, see Judges and Ruth by Bro. Harry Whittaker).

  1. Marriages of Samson and Isaac (Jdg. 14-15 // Gen. 24). The words of Samson’s parents about Samson’s choice of a wife recall those of Abraham to his servant who would choose a wife for Isaac. “Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines?” (Jdg. 14:3). “Thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: but thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac” (Gen. 24:3-4). Unfortunately for Samson, he did not heed the advice.
  1. Samson is deceived by his wife, loses his long hair and is blinded. Blind Isaac is deceived by his wife, and mistakes Jacob for long-haired Esau (Jdg. 16 // 27).
  2. Bethel which used to be Luz (Jdg. 1;22-23 // Gen. 28:19).
  3. Teraphim stolen (Jdg. 17:5; 18 // Gen. 31:19,34,35 RV).

“The man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim ” which “the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim and the molten image…And these went into Micah’s house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image” (Jdg. 17:5; 18:17­,18). This episode parallels the one in Genesis when “Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father’s” (Gen. 31:19 RV; also vs. 34,35 RV).

  1. Gideon and Jacob at Penuel and Succoth (Jdg. 8:1-21 // Gen. 32:31; 33:17).
  2. Violence at Shechem, earrings (Jdg. 8:29-chap. 9; 8:22-27// Gen. 34; 35:4).

Several points need to be made. First, as mentioned earlier, these parallels pick up precisely where the Joshua parallels left off, and these Judges parallels continue from reading (4) through reading (8). Second, eight (nos. 1-5,8-10) of these parallels are very detailed, some involving multiple verbatim allusions back to Genesis. The others are more casual and only add to an already impressive list. Third, unlike the parallels in Joshua, these in Judges are out of sequence; why this is so is not clear.

II Kings and Deuteronomy

Although there are parallels between the rest of the Former Prophets and the Torah, most of them are not as strong as those in Joshua and Judges. In order to give a sense of completeness, we list here a few connections between II Kings and Deuteronomy.

  1. Moses begins to hand over to Joshua; Elijah hands over to Elisha (II Kgs. 1-2 // Dt. 1).
  2. False religion to be removed, instead practiced by Jehu (II Kgs. 9-11/I Dt. 17­20).
  3. Cursing and threat of exile fulfilled in the defeat and exile of the northern king­dom (II Kgs. 15-17 // Dt. 26-28).
  4. Promise of forgiveness to repentant Israel fulfilled in the success of Hezekiah (II Kgs. 18-20// Dt. 29-30).
  5. Further wave of threats in Moses’ song fulfilled in the fall of Judah (II Kgs. 24-25 // Dt. 32).

I Kings and Tabernacles

In this reading plan for the Former Prophets, readings (31) I Kgs. 7-8:53 and (32) I Kgs. 8:54-9, which describe Solomon’s dedication of the Temple, are read during the Feast of Tabernacles, corresponding precisely with the long-established Festival readings for Tabernacles (Tidings Feb. p. 56). This is the second link between the reading plan for the Former Prophets and the readings for the Festivals (recall that Josh. 3-6 was read at Passover; Tidings Feb. p.54, and Apr. pp. 142-143). These remind us of the connections between the Torah readings in Leviticus and the readings for the Holy Days of Tishri (Tidings Mar. pp. 101-102). Links such as these that line up with the Festival readings act as anchors for the less certain reading plans.

Ruth read at Pentecost

We noted in an earlier article that Ruth was read at Pentecost (Tidings Feb. pp. 54-55). Below are some of the connections between the book of Ruth and the readings for the ninth and tenth sabbaths, that is, the sabbaths that immediately precede and follow the Feast of Pentecost. As will become evident, there are especially strong links between the story of Ruth and the story of Tamar in Gen. 38; these are the only examples of the application of the law concerning levirate (from the Latin for brother-in-law) marriage (DL 25:5-10; cp. ML 22:24 and gospel parallels).

  1. Famine in the land (Ruth 1:1 //(10) Gen. 41:27, etc.). The reference to famine reminds us of one of the central themes of the Joseph readings, which begin immediately after Pentecost.
  2. Sons and husbands die (Ruth 1:3,5 Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon //(9) Gen. 38:7,10 Er and Onan; (9) I Sam. 2:33-34; (10) 4:11,18 Eli, Hophni, and Phinehas). Both the Torah reading and the suggested reading from the Former Prophets for the ninth sabbath of the year immediately before Pentecost, refer to the deaths of sons and husbands.
  3. Wait till my son is grown (Ruth 1:11- 13 // (10) Gen. 38:11). Naomi’s question of her daughters-in-law, “If I should have an husband also tonight, and should also bear sons; Would ye tarry for them till they were grown?” (Ruth 1:12-13) parallels Judah’s command to Tamar, “Remain a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown” (Gen. 38:11). In both, the reference is to the law of levirate marriage (Dt. 25:5-10).
  4. The wiles of Ruth parallel those of Tamar (Ruth 3 //(9) Gen. 38).
  5. “Let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah …Now these are the generations of Pharez” (Ruth 4:12,18 // (9) Gen. 38:29). This direct reference back to Gen. 38 provides the clincher.

Ruth was particularly appropriate for a Pentecost reading. With its strong harvest themes, it fit with Pentecost which was at the firstfruits of the wheat harvest (Ex. 34:22). This followed the barley harvest which is so prominent in Ruth (Ruth 1:22; 2:23; 3:2).

With a list of parallels like this, is it any wonder why Ruth should be read at Pentecost and between the ninth and tenth sabbaths?

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve

We have spent two articles on the reading plan for the Former Prophets. So you might expect us to continue with the other prophets. Unfortunately, those studies are far more difficult than the ones we have done so far. Instead, next month, God willing, we intend to skip ahead to the book of Matthew and its parallels to the Festival readings.