Ibzan, The Unifying Judge
“Ibzan, who was from Bethlehem, judged Israel after Jephthah and had 30 sons. He gave his 30 daughters in marriage to men outside the tribe and brought back 30 wives for his sons from outside the tribe. Ibzan judged Israel seven years,”
Judges 12:8-9 HCSB
Judge #11 Ibzan, The Unifying Judge
Ibzan had 60 kids. He brought wives from the other tribes for his 30 sons and paid the bride price for his 30 daughters to live with men from the other tribes. If he had given His daughters to people outside the nation of Israel God might have said, “Ibzan did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and gave his daughters to the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.” But God did not say that so I am assuming that what he did was within the limits of God’s will for his kids. By allowing the tribes to intermarry there would have been a peace treaty among the tribes. To not wage war between Shilo, Bethlehem, and Gilead. They would be acting more like a big nation than 12 small tribes.
Jewish tradition identifies Ibzan with Boaz of Bethlehem. Upon some research, this would put Ibzan judging during the time of Ehud (the second Judge) or just before. In my research only one place did I find that Ibzan and Boaz are identified together. The people who claim to have studied this out think that during the Moabite control, a famine struck the land of Judah and Elimelech moved to Moab. He began serving King Eglon and his gods. His two sons also began serving the gods of their new wives, Orpah and Ruth. Then during the attack of Ehud at the Fords of the Jordon Elimelech and his two sons died in battle. Now Naomi renewed her faith in The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and began the preparations to move back the Bethlehem. She was too old to provide husbands for her daughters-in-law and encouraged them to find husbands among the people who lived close to their father’s house. Oprah did so but Ruth did not and began following Naomi and her God back to Bethlehem. There Boaz (Ibzan) became her husband when he was 40 to 50 years old.
But now I have a flaw Ibzan judged Israel after Jephthah. So if Ibzan (Boaz) judged during the time of Ehud, when did Jephthah judge?
“Jephthah the Gileadite was a great warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute, and Gilead was his father.”
“So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and He sold them to the Philistines and the Ammonites. They shattered and crushed the Israelites that year, and for 18 years they did the same to all the Israelites who were on the other side of the Jordan in the land of the Amorites in Gilead.”
Judges 10:7-8 HCSB
After 18 years of Philistine control, Jephthah began his judgeship. According to the research, Shilo was burned by the Philistines in 1094 BC. Which would start Jephthah’s rule for six years. This would be 1088 BC. If Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem in 1284. And if Boaz was Ibzan then he would be 240 years old when he began to judge. I think this would be close to impossible. Most if not all people during this time were not living much beyond 120. So if Jewish tradition identifies Ibzan with Boaz of Bethlehem, then I think they might just be related like a grandson or something similar, but not King David or Jesse.
Here is one link from my research
So what is our takeaway from Ibzan? He was a judge that had 60 kids and got for himself 60 spouses for his kids from other tribes to be united together. The tribes of Israel worked together during the time of Joshua and he may be wanting to unify them once again. God in the same manner wants His kids to be unified together as one body in Christ and not treating each other as a plague or the enemy.
“So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
Matthew 5:23-24 HCSB
“I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by Your name that You have given Me, so that they may be one as We are one.”
“Above all, put on love — the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful.”
Colossians 3:14-15 HCSB
Comments
Post a Comment