So it is by the intercession of Christ that the church obtains of God the blessings and the inheritance she needs. Account & Lists Account Returns & Orders. This kind of protective concern stands in sharp contrast to Jephthah’s vow that led to the death of his daughter and the brutality of the tribe of Benjamin towards a Levite’s concubine later in the Book of Judges. Hello, Sign in. Othniel rode on to Hebron triumphant, he had undone the Royal, Canaanite city and had secured the hand of his cousin, Achsah. Othniel: lion of God, the first of the judges. 12:32), gave what he thought was best for her. He gained her hand as a reward for his bravery in leading a successful expedition against Debir. The Rabbis describe Achsah as being a beauty, finding an allusion to this in her name: “Whoever sees her is angry [koes] with his wife,” who is not as ravishing as she is (BT Temurah 16a). are just setting up their own household. First, as Albert Barnes notes, in ancient times fathers assumed an absolute right over their children and especially in the arrangement of their marriage. He is the only judge mentioned connected with the tribe of Judah. Othniel and Achsah: it is an unusual thing that the story of this wonderful couple is told twice in the Bible word for word. 3. Free delivery on qualified orders. She is given to Othniel, son of Kenaz, brother of Caleb, in exchange for his taking of Kiriath-sepher (identified as Debir in Judges). Achsah, Othniel’s wife, moves her husband to ask of her father a blessing, and an inheritance. Caleb, in a sense, then, exemplifies how it ought to have been. 15:33; Ex. The Rabbis identify Othniel with the Jabez who is so abruptly introduced in 1Chronicles 4:9-10, and connect Achsah’s petition with the prayer there recorded; and they suppose that he founded the school of scribes at Jabez (1Chronicles 2:55), and was a teacher of law to the Kenites. Achsah is the daughter of Caleb, according to the genealogy of the tribe of Judah. Perhap… Read The Loves of Othniel and Achsah, Vol. And he wanted her to have provision via the inheritance he gave her. As the moral fabric of the nation of Israel degenerates throughout the book, so do familial relationships. Achsah could well have said to her father: "I don't want just ANYBODY for a husband. Caleb’s nephew, Othniel, responded to the challenge, took the city, and was given Achsah as a wife (vs.13). Again, the Biblical text has a way of trying to minimize the outright naming of the all too present incest. In order to spare himself the bloodshed Caleb wished for someone else to capture Debir. Amazon.in - Buy The Loves of Othniel and Achsah, Vol. Although she urged Othniel to make that request we don’t see him approach Caleb, rather, we see Caleb approach Achsah and ask her, “What do you wish? Achsah encourages her new husband to ask Caleb for a field. Answer: Othniel, the first judge, is first mentioned in Joshua 15:17 as “Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother.” As a nephew of Caleb, Othniel took on the challenge of conquering the city of Debir (or Kiriath Sepher) and driving out the Canaanites there. The book of Judges is a sad book in many respects. The only disappointed people were the other suitors to Achsah’s hand – or feet, in this case. After all, our finite minds fall well short of God’s infinite wisdom. The Loves of Othniel and Achsah, Volume 1. ( Log Out /  15:3), Supposed Bible Contradictions – How Should Adulterers Be Punished? Some thirty years after the death of Joshua, the Israelites fell under the subjection of Chushan-rishathaim , the king of Mesopotamia. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Translated from the Chaldee. Skip to main content.com.au. The issue is always with us. Right after conquering Hebron, Caleb wants to take Debir as well. And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. (Judges 1:12-15)Â. I think most people who have read through the Bible, even if they haven’t read through all of it, have at some point looked at a passage and asked the question, “Why is this here?” In some cases a person might scratch their head and wonder why God decided to include such a narrative in the canon. But hopefully such head scratching recognizes that there is no issue with God’s eternal decision to reveal what He has willed to reveal. ( Log Out /  When the Bible recounts anything one time, I would suppose it to be important. But with that being said, it wouldn’t surprise me if the passage above has prompted some to ask something like the aforementioned question. Translated from the Chaldee. The story of Achsah is told in charming and picturesque detail in the above Scripture. Othniel went on to be the first judge of the judges of Israel. It was a cultural norm and should havereflected the father’s loving-concern for his daughter. By Dr. Harry A. Ironside | 1948. Hello, Sign in. First, let’s consider what’s going on in the passage and then we’ll ask the question we alluded to earlier; namely, “Why is this here?”. ( Log Out /  1:12-15), Collectively Relying upon God and Teamwork (Jdg. In this passage Caleb offered to give his daughter Achsah as a wife to whoever attacked Kirjath Sepher and took it (vs.12). And if we need what was exemplified in Caleb further specified for us, Paul and Peter put it like this: men who love Christ must love their wives like Christ loved His church (Eph 5:25a), not be harsh with them (Col 3:19), and be considerate of them (1 Pet 3:7). Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Intended For Reading On Lord’s-Day, June 11th, 1893,Delivered By C. H. Spurgeon,At The Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington,On Lord’s-Day Evening, June 2nd, 1889 “And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. It was a ‘south land’; one that was subject to be dry and useless to them. English: Othniel Ben Kenaz is the first of the Biblical Judges. 1: Translated from the Chaldee (Classic Reprint) book reviews & author details and more at Amazon.in. (Lev 20:10; Jn 8:3-11). 7 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.8 The anger of the Lord burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim,t to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years.9 But when they cried out to the Lord, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them.10 The Spirit of the Lord came on him, so that he became Israel’s judget and went to war. So when Othniel took Kirjath-Sepher, he showed that he had the right stuff to make the right impression on Achsah. Othniel is Achsah… It opens on a very high note. We come now to a portion of the Book of Joshua which, while it would richly repay careful and minute examination, we must pass over cursorily because of the nature of these messages. All Achsah did was ask her father for springs of water and he generously gave springs in the north and the south. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! To make the story short and less romantic Othniel took the city of Debir. … But let’s pause and not leave out the less than desirable details. Two tribes were dependent upon the Lord and concerned about acquiring the territory that belonged to them in the purpose of God, a very noble ideal. There was no direction, no orde… He promises his daughter Achsah to whoever takes the town, and Othniel, son of Kenaz takes on the challenge. 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