Page 10 - August 2025 - Truth & Tidings

generation after them, which knew not the commitment to the lesser.
LORD, nor yet the works which he had
done for Israel” (2:10). But to stand with Achsah
and for God in a generation of departure What of Achsah in all of this? Was she
was nothing new; Caleb himself had done just a pawn of the patriarchy, a commodity
the very same thing at Kadesh (Num 13). for the marriage market, an object without
Now Othniel was prepared to personally agency? Nothing could be further from
prove God for himself and to prove by his the truth. The women of Judges are, for
actions the depth of his own convictions the most part, striking characters (literally
and the value that he placed on the pos- so, in some cases), and though she occu-
session of the inheritance. pies only a few verses, few are so vividly
Those of us who have had the privilege delineated as Achsah. She shared with
of growing up in Christian homes often her father an unwillingness to be satisfied
stand in the shadow of older saints whose with the status quo, a desire to possess
knowledge of God and of His power has more of the inheritance. Like him, she
been mined, at great cost, from the seams lived beyond the present, planning for fu-
of their experience. Like Caleb, they have ture growth, desiring further fruitfulness.
“known all the wars of Canaan” (Jdg 3:1). The south land, good though it was, was
Like Othniel, we have much to learn from not enough; she must also have springs of
their example, but for us, too, theory is not water. Her desire is clearly formulated and
enough. To be of real value, we must learn forcefully, though respectfully, expressed.
God for ourselves. The continuing pres- Indeed, her approach to Caleb speaks
ence of enemies in the land was not just the volumes for the quality of his parenting.
result of human failure; God left them to She shows similar qualities in her relation-
prove His people and to train them: “Only ship with Othniel. “She moved him to ask
that the generations of the children of Is- of her father a field” (Jdg 1:14), moving
rael might know, to teach them war, at the in concert with her husband rather than
least such as before knew nothing thereof” acting on her own. Although we know
(3:2). Othniel could have lived comfort- nothing of how their marriage developed,
ably on the land already possessed, but he the fact that it involved two individuals so
wanted more – and he was willing to gain united in their exercise is a very promising
it by demanding and dangerous conflict. sign. Theirs was a yoke that was equal in
And the gaining of it qualified him for fur- all the important ways. Happy, still, the
ther and higher service; the man who took man who has a wife like Achsah.
the City of the Book would be raised up to Judges presents us with an idyllic pic-
lead God’s people, and to be their deliverer ture of generational and gender harmony
from the oppression of the euphonious – idyllic, but not unrealistic, because for
Chushanrishathaim. God still wants us this family this is how it was. Their exam-
to endure hardness, as good soldiers of ple tells us that it could have been, should
Jesus Christ (2Ti 2:3). He still calls us to have been, like that for everyone. Had it
“watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you been so, Judges would be a very different
like men, be strong” (1Co 16:13). And He book. Were it so today, our family stories
still uses for the greater tasks those who and assembly stories and society stories
have been qualified by their courage and would be far happier too.

234 TRUTH kTidings August 2025