10:9
Gibeah was where the sin against the Levite’s concubine was carried out by the tribe of Benjamin and the subsequent destruction of most of the tribe of Benjamin (Judges 19,20). It was also the birthplace of Saul. Sin was not an unusual occurrence for Israel, but a way of life. So war would overtake her. Events happen in history and no one seems able to do anything about it.
10:10
God chooses when He will discipline them. And when He does so He will use the nations to discipline them. This happened most obviously with Assyria and Babylon, Assyria conquering the northern kingdom, and then Babylon conquering Judah. These invasions could be viewed in military terms, in political terms, and these views form part of the picture, but God’s actions are also a vital part of the picture. In the same way, the political events we see in the world are not purely human matters, but are also part of God’s plan.
10:11
This verse may be alluding to the way an oxen was trained for service, initially threshing grain before being used to pull a plough, her real purpose. God had a much greater purpose for Ephraim than she ever realised. Judah and Ephraim would be trained for her true purpose, and indeed that is still God’s plan. It is also the way He works in our lives. God’s purpose for us is much greater than we imagine. We may sometimes wonder at the discipline and training He puts us through, but it is because His purpose for our lives is far greater than our own purpose for our lives.
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