Benedictus2 and Angels Unaware
Stop whispering at the back of the class :tsktsk:
Now, Judges 1:19 - reading my DR Bible, I read the commentry:
was not able to - ie through a cowardly fear of their charriots armed with hooks and scythes and for want of confidence in God.
Rereading the verse again,
And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.
The he in the verse is Judah, not God. God is indeed omnipotent. He created the universe and defeated death. A few iron charriots would not be a problem to Him don’t you think. But He works through his people. To reach people. And people are not infallible or omnipotent.
He was certainly with Peter, and Paul, but not all who heard them converted. In fact, some of those who heard them, put them to death. While Jesus Himself was on earth, His disciples, who had seen Him raise the dead, heal the lepor and the blind, forgive sins, walked away from Him at the last supper.
We have Free Will, and peoples faith can fluctuate or be lost.
I dont see that these examples show a lack of omnipotence on God’s part - rather a lack of understanding and faith on ours.
I also found this from a non catholic site:
Verse 19. And the Lord was with Judah, and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.
Strange! were the iron chariots too strong for Omnipotence? The whole of this verse is improperly rendered. The first clause, The Lord was with Judah should terminate the 18th verse, and this gives the reason for the success of this tribe: The Lord was with Judah, and therefore he slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, part of the verse either refers to a different time, or to the rebellion of Judah against the Lord, which caused him to withdraw his support. **Therefore the Lord was with Judah, and these were the effects of his protection; but afterwards, when the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim, God was no longer with them, and their enemies were left to be pricks in their eyes, and thorns in their side, as God himself had said. **This is the turn given to the verse by Jonathan ben Uzziel, the Chaldee paraphrast: “And the WORD of Jehovah was in the support of the house of Judah, and they extirpated the inhabitants of the mountains; **but afterwards, WHEN THEY SINNED, they were not able to extirpate the inhabitants of the plain country, because they had chariots of iron.” They were now left to their own strength, and their adversaries prevailed against them. **
From a work called the Dhunoor Veda, it appears that the ancient Hindoos had war chariots similar to those of the Canaanites. They are described as having many wheels, and to have contained a number of rooms.-Ward’s Customs.
I also found this commentary, which goes along the same lines as above:
1.19 ‘And Yahweh was with Judah, and he drove out inhabitants of the hill country, for he could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley because they had chariots of iron.’
The hill country was permanently and solely possessed, but not the coastal plain. The idea is not that Yahweh could not, no such thought was in the writer’s mind, but that Judah failed. God would only help them so far. This may have been because they were dilatory, or because of fear and lack of faith in Yahweh (compare Joshua 17.16 and note the promise for the future in 17.18; see also Judges 4.3). We should note that Joshua was not defeated by the chariots (11.9).
If verse 18 is not read with a negative as LXX, it may be that this indicates that they succeeded at first in initially capturing three of the cities, taking them by surprise by coming from the south, but that their success was only temporary, and that then they were overcome by combined forces with their chariots, and after a time driven out of all. In this respect the non-mention of Ashdod is significant, and if the newly arrived and settled Philistines were expecting an attack from the East they may well have gathered their forces near Gath.
As I said I have not read Judges, and found this a good source for information around the book from a catholic prespective.
As for God’s omnipotence in the Old Testament,
gen. 28: 13-24
13And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
14Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
Deut 32: 39
39See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.
… and about another million referrences.
Thank you for making me look up an area of Scripture I was completely unfamiliar with
