A person appears in a crisis
Judges (34) A person appears in crisis (Judges 12:7-15)
< Ibzan and Elon and Abdon >
The text contains a brief record of three small judges. After Jephthah died six years as a judge, Ibzan from Bethlehem succeeded him as a judge (verses 7-8). Bethlehem had Bethlehem of the tribe of Judah and Bethlehem of the tribe of Zebulun (Joshua 19:5). Bethlehem of the tribe of Judah was called Bethlehem of Judah (17:7,9) or Bethlehem Ephrathah (Mic 5:2). Also, since most of the judges of Israel were from the northern tribe, Bethlehem in verse 10 is presumed to be Bethlehem of the tribe of Zebulun.
Ibsan had thirty sons and thirty daughters, which shows the wealth and power of Ibsan. The daughters of Ibsan were married to other tribes, and likewise took thirty women from other tribes as daughter-in-law. It is presumed that he arranged for his sons and daughters to marry children of other tribes in order to strengthen the ties between the tribes.
After seven years as a judge, Ibzan died and was buried in Bethlehem (verse 10). After that, Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel and ruled Israel for ten years (verse 11). The account of the judges of Elon is the simplest recorded in the book of Judges.
Elon died and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun (verse 12). Since Elon and Aijalon have the same etymology, it is most likely that Aijalon was the city Elon built. After Elon, Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel (verse 13). Unlike Ibzan or Elon, Abdon is recorded as the son of Hillel, suggesting that he came from a powerful family.
The wealth and power that Abdon enjoyed as a judge is well indicated by the fact that he rode forty sons, thirty grandchildren, and seventy young donkeys (verse 14) as in the case of Ibsan. And when Abdon died eight years after he judged Israel, he was buried in Piradon, in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites (verse 15). The biggest reason why the records of Ibsan, Elon, and Abdon, the judges after Jephthah, are not recorded, is that there were no adversaries or trials at that time as it was an era of peace. In the end, people come out in times of crisis.
< A person comes out in a crisis >
Crisis is opportunity. But a crisis is not just an opportunity. For a crisis to become an opportunity, a premise is necessary. It is the premise that we should examine God's will in times of crisis and strive to obey His will to build a closer relationship with God. In other words, when a crisis strikes, you have to stop thinking to find the fruit and try to look at the roots. For the soul who knows how to look at the roots, a crisis becomes an opportunity, and a problem becomes a stepping stone to develop a character.
A person from New Jersey, USA, wrote a letter to the Department of Agriculture after struggling with the problem because there were too many dandelions in his garden. “To everyone involved! There are a lot of dandelions in our town, so picking dandelions is very difficult, so please take measures.” A short reply came from the USDA. “We can't do anything about it. Don’t just try to pick dandelions, but love them.”
As you go through life, you may find that your loved ones' homes and workplaces have a lot of unwanted dandelions. Then I sometimes complain to God. "God! It's really hard because of that problem, so what's the best solution?" Then God will give you this answer. “Anyone! Don’t try to avoid problems too much, embrace them and move on.”
Why did God leave the problem? It is God's will to make his beloved children strong and mature. Temptation is a tool for making the soul strong and mature, which no one exempts. Is the absence of tests a blessing? no. Without exams, there is no preparation, no progress, no victory. Just as exams are essential to improving your skills, questions are essential to improving your spirituality.
People live in constant trouble. Then sometimes you feel like you want to live in a place where you don't have any problems, but that's the same thing as saying, "I don't need to make any progress." The problem must exist for the life of the work. When there is a big crisis, big people also come out. So, don't just try to avoid the trials and problems of life, but embrace them and become blessed souls who enter the path of character by moving forward.