Achsah
May 5, 2025
“Achsah”
Blessings folk!
Judges 1 gives us details about the tribes continuing to take the land the Lord gave.
Judges 1:12-19
And Caleb said, “He who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it,
I will give him Achsah my daughter for a wife.”
And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured it.
And he gave him Achsah his daughter for a wife.
When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field.
And she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?”
She said to him, “Give me a blessing. Since you have set me in the land of the Negeb, give me also springs of water.” And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
And the descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the city of palms into the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the Negeb near Arad,
and they went and settled with the people.
And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they defeated the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath and devoted it to destruction. So the name of the city was called Hormah.
Judah also captured Gaza with its territory,
and Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory.
And the LORD was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, but he could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of iron.
ESV
Othniel, Caleb’s nephew, captured Kiriath-sepher.
Caleb honored his word and granted Achsah to Othniel as wife.
Achsah was a pistol!
She urged her new husband Othniel to ask Caleb, his uncle/father-in-law for a field…some land.
Caleb granted the request.
Then she then went to daddy.
She said “since you gave us land in the south, may we have some springs of water”?
Caleb granted two springs.
She did say “springs”. :)
You have not because you ask not!
The descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenites, joined with Judah and lived with them.
Judah captured Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron…Philistine towns.
The Lord was with Judah.
Judah was victorious and took possession of the hill country.
But, Judah could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of iron.
Superior weaponry.
But, was the Lord not with them?
He was.
Then why not victory?
We are not told.
We are simply told they had better chariots.
Perhaps the Lord had another plan?
Perhaps they needed to inquire of the Lord?