And the anger of Jehovah was hot against Israel, and he sold him into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the children of Ammon.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
And they oppressed and crushed the children of Israel in that year; eighteen years [they oppressed] all the children of Israel that were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.
Israel had taken up the gods of every nation around them, and this verse records the price: eighteen years of crushing. The blow fell first on the tribes east of the Jordan, in Gilead — so why this oppressor, and why this ground?
The oppression was not random. The punishment matched the sin:
The story repeats itself: Israel turned away from God, and God chastened them by the hand of the very peoples whose gods they had followed. Indeed, the gods of every nation around them now had their worship, and Jehovah alone was robbed of His. So He sells them again into the hands of the Philistines and of the Ammonites at once. The Ammonite scourge is the one described in the section before us; the Philistine bondage is not broken until we reach the book of Samuel, though Samson begins the deliverance.
Ammon was the visible power, but not the real agent:
Ammon was raised up as the rod of Jehovah and oppressed Gilead eighteen years. He also passed over Jordan to fight against Judah and Benjamin. Then, under the pressure of circumstances, grace worked in the conscience of the people.
One writer reads the two oppressors as pictures of two spiritual dangers that feed off each other:
The Philistines (their name means "wallowers") stand for religion that is all form and ritual, a shell with nothing real inside. If people take this up, Ammon is ready to take advantage of it. Ammon (whose name means "peoplish") speaks of false, satanic teachings that please the people. The king of Ammon was named Nahash, meaning "a serpent" (1 Sam. 10:2). So wicked teaching will thrive under a formal show of religion. It is a very sad thing when believers fall under such influence in any measure. Just as Israel accepted this kind of compromise, so they found themselves oppressed by it, and for 18 years (v. 8).
Two and a half tribes had settled east of the river. Writers see a pattern here that runs through Israel's later history:
But to live on the wrong side of the Jordan is dangerous. The two and a half tribes learned this often. In times of trouble they were the first to meet the invader's attack, and the first to be carried away captive by the King of Assyria.
Ammon wanted more than tribute. He claimed the land itself:
They claim the land as their own by right, and want to take it away. It was once the kingdom of Sihon; now it is the inheritance of Reuben and of Gad. They argue that Israel robbed them of all this when they came out of Egypt, and they openly ask for it back. So it is plain that false teaching would take away the portion of the people of God. And notice this: they openly demand the land east of the Jordan, but they are making it a base for their attack on the tribes across the river.
The long pressure was not wasted. Writers note that as the nation sank lower, its self-judgment went deeper:
It is a remarkable fact that as the falling away from God nears its final stage, the awakenings of conscience became deeper. I do not say that they widened… Here, for the first time, divine light reaches the conscience of the people and leads them to judge themselves deeply.
The eighteen years show God's hand in discipline; they also show His heart. Israel had no claim left, yet the misery reached Him:
Israel had failed — sadly, shamefully, inexcusably failed. They had forfeited all claim to the protection of Jehovah's shield… As to all this there could be no possible question. Still, Jehovah's heart could feel for His poor, oppressed, and groaning Israel. True, they had proved themselves wicked and unworthy, yet His ear was always ready to catch their very first groan.
- Chosen. Israel worshipped the gods of every nation around them. God then handed them over to those same peoples.
- Rod. Ammon was not just a strong neighbour. God raised him up as a rod to discipline His people.
- Exposed. The blow fell first in Gilead, east of the Jordan. That side of the river always met the invader first.
- Claimed. Ammon did more than oppress. He demanded the land itself, and used the east side as a base against the tribes across the river.
- Grieved. Eighteen years of crushing drove Israel to the deepest self-judgment in the book. Yet God's heart still felt for a people with no claim left.