He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He gave his daughters away in marriage to those outside his clan, and for his sons he brought in thirty young women as wives from outside his clan. Ibzan led Israel seven years. – Judges 12:9

Today’s Scripture Reading (January 7, 2016): Judges 12

As the Franco-Spanish war began to wind down in 1658, a decade after the end of the Thirty Years War – one of the most devastating wars in Europe up until that time and the war that began the French-Spanish conflict in the first place - both nations were searching for a way that could provide for the end of the war. And so they began the process of peace and concessions given by both sides to stop the fighting. One of the concessions was that Maria Theresa of Spain would be given to Louis XIV of France as his wife. Spain was originally concerned that such a marriage might be a way to unite the two nations under one king at some point in the future (as has happened with England and Scotland at various points in their histories), and so Maria Theresa, who had been the heir presumptive to the Spanish throne at different parts of her life, was forced to relinquish her authority to reign, and the authority of any of her offspring to reign, in Spain. And so the peace between France and Spain was forged, and Louis XIV and Maria Theresa (who were actually cousins through Louis’ mother, Anne of Austria) were married.

The practice of solving conflict through marriage sounds barbaric to our ears (could you imagine the war between the United States and the Islamic State ending by the giving and receiving of a bride and a groom from each of the conflicting parties as a way to cement the peace?), but in ancient times it was a common way of building Alliances between the nations. The marriage between Louis XIV and Maria Theresa to cement the peace between France and Spain was simply nothing unusual.

The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus insists that there was nothing significant that was accomplished during the seven years of Izban’s reign. “He did nothing in the seven years of his administration that was worth recording, or deserved a memorial. So he died an old man, and was buried in his own country” (Flavius Josephus – The Antiquities of the Jews). But it might be that Josephus is actually asking the wrong question. Maybe the question that needs to be asked is why was there nothing happening during the reign of Izban (or really in the reigns of the Judges that followed him). Why was Izban so lucky?

The answer to that question might be found in these innocuous words about his children. Izban seems to have been an accomplished diplomat. And he kept the peace through his diplomatic skill, and through the giving of his children in marriage to those who were “outside of his clan.” It is maybe significant that the author of Judges stresses this aspect of Izban’s life, making sure that we understand that the sons and daughters of Izban were not given as husbands and wives to those they grew up with – but rather to other clans and tribes, cementing the peace that Israel now enjoyed.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Judges 13