The book of Judges.
Baba Bathra, which is a very fun thing to say,
! Baba Bathra, which is an ancient rabbinical text,
! holds the tradition that Samuel wrote it,
! But being uninspired, we can't be entirely sure that this is the case.
But the ancient rabbinical tradition, they thought that Samuel wrote the book.
But for this reason, if I refer to the author, I will simply say the author of Judges.
Now, second, as to its date and occasion,
we also are not given dates of authorship or stated occasion for the writing of this book.
It records the time following the conquest work that was led by Joshua.
It's a sequel to the preceding book of Joshua.
If you are familiar with the Exodus story,
you may recall that Moses led the people of Israel out of servitude in Egypt.
God destroyed the Egyptian army that pursued them after the Israelites safely crossed the parted Red Sea.
God brought them to encamp at the base of Mount Sinai, where he gave them the law.
And then, they were meant to go into Canaan and conquer it,
but because of their fear of the people and their faithlessness in God's promise,
the generation that followed Moses out of Egypt was required to wander in the wilderness for 40 years
and not enter into the land that had been promised to them.
So, Joshua was an assistant to Moses who was given leadership after the passing of that generation,
and he began the work of conquering the land that God had promised his people.
He led them across the Jordan, and they began that work.
You may remember the story of the city of Jericho,
but as we will see, that work was not completed, again, due to Israel's unfaithfulness.
They were told to drive the people out of the land.
It was their land, and they were meant to take it,
and they did it with varied success.
So, note with me the double introduction of Judges.
The first introduction begins in chapter 1 and verse 1
and goes through chapter 2 and verse 5,
and the second introduction begins in chapter 2 and verse 6
and goes through chapter 3 and verse 6.
It's a bit like the beginning of the book of Genesis,
twice told the way things start.
The beginning of each introduction mentions the death of Joshua,
which should get our attention and highlight this double introduction.
When you see something repeated, it's not that the writer lost his way.
He doesn't forgot where he was in the narrative.
There's something being emphasized, some reason we should go,
wait a second.
So, in Judges 1 and verse 1, the author writes,
after the death of Joshua.
The people of Israel inquired of the Lord,
who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites
to fight against them?
So, this first introduction tells of successful campaigns
led particularly by the tribe of Judah.
And there'll be a little bit more on this later.
That's on into chapter 1.
And then focuses its attention on the failure of the people
to obey God's commands conquering the land.
You can see one account of that in its entirety
in Judges 1, verse 27 and 28.
There the author records,
Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shion
and its villages, or Tanakh and its villages,
or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages,
or the inhabitants of Il-bi-om and its villages,
or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages,
for the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land.
When Israel grew strong,
they put the Canaanites to forced labor,
but did not drive them out completely.
So, they're commanded to do a thing
that they did not do.
And then we see this repeated stanza on beyond that
in chapter 1.
And Ephraim did not drive out.
Zebulun did not drive out.
Asher did not drive out.
Naphtali did not drive out.
So, a failure to do what they were commanded to do.
We also see in this initial introduction
that there's a leadership vacuum
that is yet to be filled.
This question is being asked in verse 1,
Who shall go up first for us
against the Canaanites
to fight against them?
The second introduction, as stated,
begins at chapter 2 and verse 6,
which we'll read in just a moment.
While the first introduction focuses on Israel's failure to obey,
the second sets up the pattern of the narrative
and focuses on God's faithfulness to his people.
You can see the unfaithfulness focus of the first introduction
and God's faithfulness focus in the second.
Judges altogether is not a happy book.
It is full of tragedy.
But the discerning reader will notice God still at work,
still being gracious and merciful,
still preserving people for his praise,
a people that very clearly do not deserve to be preserved.
You ought to conclude a reading of this book
with amazement that God persists to love such a stubborn people
and be encouraged that God persists with you.
Judges concludes its record,
setting the stage for the ministry of Samuel,
which leads to the establishment of the monarchy.
Perhaps that you forgot that we're still talking about the date
and the occasion of the book.
That's where it passes off into the ministry of Samuel,
which we see recorded in 1 and 2 Samuel.
I'll spare you the details,
but this time period recorded in the book of Judges
covers roughly 300 years.
So this is a significant account of a period of time
in Israel's history.
Now, I am going to read all of chapter 2 in a moment
and make some comments as we work through it.
But before I do,
I want you to have a couple of interpretive lenses
to peer through for this chapter and for the book in total.
Number one,
a judge should not be thought of merely as an arbiter of the law,
like today.
You don't want to picture some court TV picture of a judge,
but rather as a regional ruler.
As they've come into the land,
as was given to them,
they've been divided up amongst the land,
all the tribes.
And there's various battles.
There's various kings.
There's lots of commotion going on
across the promised land.
And these judges are raised up
over particular areas
at particular times.
Secondly,
Judges is not written chronologically.
You get very confused
if you try to read it chronologically.
In fact,
that 300-year timeline
gets all blown out of proportion
if you do.
It is a book of history.
So it's recording real events
that really happened,
but it is structured
to make a theological point.
It's very cool
the way that it's structured.
I mentioned that in chapter 1,
the first introduction,
we see that there is a leadership void
after the death of Joshua.
This is a theme developed
in a repeated phrase
toward the end of the book,
and that is that
Israel needs a king.
If you want to put a big,
large theme
over the entire book of Judges,
Israel needs a king.
So this repeated phrase,
we see it in Judges 21,
verse 25,
also in chapter 17,
and verse 6,
in the exact same words.
In those days,
there was no king in Israel.
Everyone did what was right
in his own eyes.
And the phrase,
in those days,
there was no king in Israel
is also found in chapter 18,
verse 1,
and in chapter 19,
verse 1.
There's no king,
so everyone did what was right
in his own eyes.
Now, you may say to me at this point,
I'm making the case, right?
Israel needs a king.
You may say,
but I thought
that their first king,
Saul,
was given to them
as a judgment.
That they shouldn't have
wanted a king.
God should have been their king.
They should not want a king.
And so,
they were given Saul
as a judgment.
And I agree
with that statement.
God gave Israel,
in Saul,
the king that they deserved.
They did not wait
for the king
that he had promised.
But in Saul,
he did not give them
the king that they needed.
The king that they needed,
temporally,
was David.
King David was the king
that they were meant
to wait for.
And David
was meant to point
their thinking
and ours
to the ultimate king,
the Lord Jesus Christ.
There are no
plan B's
in the Bible.
It's all plan A.
David always
was meant to be the king
and he was meant
to show us
something
of Christ.
Let me show you this
from the text.
Most of you
probably don't care,
but some of you
may be shaking your fist
at me right now.
In Genesis 49,
this is verses 8-10,
before Jacob's death,
he's blessing his sons
and he blesses Judah
in this way.
So now I'm not talking
about the tribe of Judah,
I'm talking about
the actual man Judah
from which the tribe
comes.
This is Genesis 49
beginning in verse 8
and following.
Judah,
your brother
shall praise you.
Your hand
shall be on the neck
of your enemies.
your father's son
shall bow down
before you.
Judah is a lion's cub.
From the prey,
my son,
you have gone up.
He stooped down,
he crouched as a lion
and as a lioness.
Who dares
rouse him?
The scepter
shall not depart
from Judah,
nor the ruler's staff
from between his feet
until tribute
comes to him
and to him
shall be the obedience
of the peoples.
This blessing
is fulfilled
again temporally
and typologically
in David
and then
fully and finally
in Jesus Christ.
So I'm arguing to you
that Israel
needs a king
and they should have been
looking for a king
like David
and then ultimately
a king
like the Lord Jesus Christ.
So I said
Judges is structured
to make that very
theological point.
And it's structured
by doing this.
The telling of the stories
move,
again,
not chronologically,
but they move
geographically
away
from Judah.
The further
the story gets
from Judah,
we see
the tribe of Judah's
success in chapter 1,
the further it gets,
the worse
off the people
are.
When you see
this structure,
it helps us anticipate
the king
that will come
from the tribe
of Judah.
It's very brilliantly
structured
in that way.
So,
Judges chapter 2
with some comments.
I remind you
that the first
five verses
are the conclusion
of the first
introduction.
The chapter breaks
don't really serve us well
in this case.
This is the conclusion
of the first introduction.
Judges chapter 2
beginning in verse 1.
Now the angel
of the Lord
went up
from Gilgal
to Bokim,
which means
weepers.
And he said,
I brought you up
from Egypt
and brought you
into the land
that I swore
to give to your fathers.
I said,
I will never
break my covenant
with you
and you shall
make no covenant
with the inhabitants
of this land.
You shall break
down their altars.
But you have
not obeyed
my voice.
What is this
you have done?
So now I say,
I will not drive
them out before you,
but they shall
become thorns
in your sides
and their gods
shall be a snare
to you.
As soon as
the angel of the Lord
spoke these words
to all the people
of Israel,
the people lifted up
their voices
and wept.
And they called
the name of that place
Bokim
and they sacrificed
there to the Lord.
Now I read
that part of it,
right?
We're going to see
some of that repetition
in the next part
of the second introduction,
but I wanted you
to see that transition
happen.
So we've already read
chapter 1 and verse 1.
Now chapter 2
and verse 6.
When Joshua dismissed
the people,
the people of Israel
went each to his inheritance
to take possession
of the land.
And the people served
the Lord all the days
of Joshua
and all the days
of the elders
who outlived Joshua,
who had seen
all the great work
that the Lord
had done
for Israel.
As long as those
who were alive
along with Joshua,
his generation,
they were faithful.
Verse 8.
And Joshua,
the son of Nun,
the servant of the Lord,
died at the age
of 110 years.
And they buried him
within the boundaries
of his inheritance
in Timnath-Hares,
in the hill country
of Ephraim,
north of the mountain
of Gash.
And all that generation
also were gathered
to their fathers
and there arose
another generation
after them
who did not know
the Lord
or the work
he had done
for Israel.
There's a whole new group now
and they had not
seen it happen
and oh,
you would hope
that it had been told
to them.
Speaking of the gospel,
theologian once said
one generation
believes the gospel,
the next generation
assumes the gospel,
and the next generation
forgets the gospel.
So there had been
some failure
it would seem
on their part
but nonetheless
we've got a new generation
now that has forgotten
how good God
had been
to them.
So,
verse 11,
and the people
of Israel
did what was evil
in the sight of the Lord
and served the,
and I think that this word
is properly pronounced
Baals,
but I'm going to say
Baals
because I think
it's simpler
for all of us.
And they abandoned
the Lord,
the God of their fathers
who had brought them
out of the land
of Egypt.
They went after
other gods
from among the gods
of the people
who were around them
and bowed down
to them
and they provoked
the Lord
to anger.
They abandoned
the Lord
and served
the Baals
and the Ashteroth
which is just
another pagan god.
So the anger
of the Lord
was kindled
against Israel
and he gave them
over to plunderers
who plundered them
and he sold them
into the hand
of their surrounding
enemies
so they could
no longer
withstand
their enemies.
Whenever they
marched out
the hand of the Lord
was against them
for harm
as the Lord
had warned
and as the Lord
had sworn to them
and they were
in terrible distress.
Then the Lord
raised up judges
who saved them
out of the hand
of those
who plundered them.
Yet they did not
listen to their judges
for they
whored after
other gods
and bowed
down to them.
They soon
turned aside
from the way
in which
their fathers
had walked
who had
obeyed
the commandments
of the Lord
and they did
not do so.
Whenever the Lord
raised up judges
for them
the Lord
was with the judge
and he saved
them from the hand
of their enemies
all the days
of the judge
for the Lord
was moved
to pity
by their groaning
because of those
who afflicted
and oppressed them.
But whenever
the judge died
they turned back
and were more
corrupt than their fathers
going after
other gods
serving them
and bowing
down to them.
They did not
drop any
of their practices
or their stubborn
ways.
So the anger
of the Lord
was kindled
against Israel
and he said
because this people
have transgressed
my covenant
that I have
commanded their
fathers
and have not
obeyed my voice
I will no longer
drive out before them
any of the nations
that Joshua left
when he died
in order to test
Israel by them
whether they will
take care
to walk
in the way
of the Lord
as their fathers
did or not.
So the Lord
left those nations
not driving
them out quickly.
I stated
that the second
introduction
sets up
the pattern
of the narrative
and focuses
on God's
faithfulness
to his people.
So here's that
pattern
I want you to
note it
and it repeats
again and again
as you see
these different
accounts
of the judges.
The first thing
that happens
is that the
people rebel.
They turn away
from God
and God's
ways.
They turn to
the idols
the gods
of the land.
So we see
in verse 13
of chapter 2
they abandon
the Lord
and they serve
the Baals
and the Ashtaroth.
Those things
that they could
see and
bow down
to.
And because
of this
God's
anger
is kindled
verse 14
tells us.
So the second
step in the
pattern is that
God hands
them over
to the people
of the land.
Verse 14
says that
he gave them
over to
plunders
and plunders
are going to
plunder.
So that's what
they do.
They plunder
them and he
sells them
into the
hand of
their surrounding
enemies so
they can no
longer withstand
their enemies.
And you see
this Exodus
pattern repeated
again and
again.
Right?
What's happening
to them here?
They're being
sold into
slavery.
Right?
And they're
going to be
set free
by a judge.
Moses
typologically
is like
the first
judge
in this
sense.
So the
people rebel.
God hands
them over
to the people
of the land.
But thirdly
God shows
them mercy
by raising
up a judge.
And we see
early in the
book the
people cry
out to
him.
They're
in distress.
Chapter 2
tells us he
has pity
on them
because of
their distress.
But as
the book
proceeds,
they stop
crying out.
Yet God
still shows
them mercy
and raises
up a judge
who delivers
them from
this oppression.
So the
first part of
16 says,
then the
Lord raised
up judges
who saved
them out of
the hands
of those
who plundered
them.
Fourthly,
the judge,
by God's
help,
delivers the
Israelites
and they
have rest.
The Lord
raised up
the judges
who saved
them out
of hand
of those
who plundered
them and
they rest.
And there's
these periods
of years
that go by
in the region
of Moab
that there's
rest for
the people
of Israel.
And then
we're going
to see
those time
periods get
shorter and
shorter as
the book
goes on.
So the
people repel,
God hands
them over
to the
people of
the land.
God shows
mercy by
raising up
a judge.
The judge
by God's
help delivers
them and
they have
rest.
There are a
total of
12 judges
recorded in
this book,
six major
and six
minor,
which simply
means that
there's more
significant time
given to
six of
them.
Very short
record of
some of
them.
That's the
same way we
treat the
prophets,
major and
minor.
The major
prophets are
Othniel,
Ehud,
Debrus,
Slashberic,
Gideon,
Jephthah,
and Samson.
The minor,
some of these
names you may
have never
heard before,
are Shamgar,
Tola,
Jair,
Ibzon,
Elon,
and Abdon.
If you
take the
time to
study all
of these
judges,
you will
notice that
these judges
are a
mixed bag
of faithfulness.
We have
very little
detail about
some of
them at
all.
Some of
them,
we have no
record of
their particular
faithfulness,
but you begin
to see this
kind of
devolving
weakness in
their faith
as the
narrative
progressives.
So,
as a
whole,
they leave
something
wanting in
a ruler,
a longing
for a
better
ruler
for the
land.
So,
that cycle,
people rebel,
God hands
them over
to the
people of
the land,
God shows
them mercy
by raising
up a
judge,
the judge
by God's
help delivers
the Israel,
and the
people return
to wickedness.
300 years,
cycle,
cycle.
Verse 19,
chapter 2,
but whenever
the judge
died,
they turned
back and
were more
corrupt than
their fathers,
going after
other gods,
serving them
and bowing
down to
them.
They did
not drop
any of
their practices
or their
stubborn ways.
It just
seems to
spiral worse
and worse
as the
book goes
on.
So,
it's making
this theological
case.
Israel
needs a
righteous
ruler who
possesses the
power of
an indestructible
life.
The judges
die.
They die,
and then
everything
devolves
again.
Then one's
raised up,
sets free,
and then
they die
again and
again.
Israel
needs a
righteous
ruler,
a perfect
ruler who
possesses the
power of
an indestructible
life.
And I'm not
saying that
that's King
David,
but King
David is
foreshadowing
for us the
Lord Jesus
Christ.
So,
the narrative
continues to
follow this
pattern,
right?
There's five
steps,
ever descending
spiral.
And so,
let's look
together at
two of the
judges in
brief.
And we're
just going to
read one
major,
I'll make
some comments,
and one
minor.
I just want
to kind of
juxtapose
those two
and show
you how
simple some
of those
minor records
can be.
And so,
I thought we
would look at
Judges chapter
three.
E,
this is the
major judge
Ehud,
or Ehud
if you prefer,
but I'm
going to
say Ehud.
I picked
this one,
not for grand
significance,
it's right
there,
it's close,
it's also
just a
fascinating
story.
This book
is full of
some very,
very interesting
stories.
Next week
I have a plan
for another
interesting story
to be sure.
So let's
look at,
see if we
can see
this pattern.
Judges
three,
beginning in
verse 12.
And the
people of
Israel,
again,
did with
evil in
the sight
of the
Lord.
And the
Lord
strengthened
Eglon,
the king
of Moab,
against Israel
because they
had done
what was
evil in
the sight
of the
Lord.
So God
raises up
a king,
regional,
think regional,
an Eglon,
who's going
to be a
judgment.
For the
people and
for their
disobedience.
Of interest,
his name
translated means
literally
little calf.
As we're
going to see
in just a
bit,
he's a
really large
man.
This could
be,
because he's
the king
of Moab,
this might
be the
king when
the famine
hits and
Naomi and
Ruth are
coming back
to Moab.
That's
happening.
Perhaps
because things
are going
well in
Moab,
this could
be that
king and
he's
receiving
tribute
from the
Israelites.
Possibly
this is
the guy.
So it's
a big
guy named
Tiny,
king of
Moab,
against
Israel because
they had
done what
was evil
in the
sight of
the Lord.
Verse 13,
he gathered
to himself
the Ammonites
and the
Amalekites
and went
and defeated
Israel and
they took
possession of
the city
of Palms.
And the
people of
Israel served
Eglon the
king of
Moab 18
years.
Then the
people of
Israel cried
out to the
Lord and
the Lord
raised up for
them a
deliverer,
Ehud,
the son of
Gerah the
Benjaminite,
a left-handed
man.
The people
of Israel
sent tribute
by him
to Eglon
the king
of Moab.
Now,
why is it
recorded that
Ehud was a
left-handed
man?
In a moment
we're going to
see that he
hides a
sword on
his right
side.
And I
think that
the reason
for this,
and I
don't think
this because
I'm brilliant,
but I read
other people
who think
this,
is the
point is to
say that
he's a
trained
warrior.
There's some
record of
whole
battalions
of soldiers
that were
all left-handed,
and what we
think that
means is they
could fight
with either
of their
hands.
So I'm
right-handed,
I'm extremely
right-hand
dominant.
If you
ask me to
throw a
ball with
my left
hand,
it's
laughable
what that
ball will
do.
I don't
have a
great right
arm either,
but I
can at
least get
it
somewhere.
I think
what they're
saying is
that this
guy could
fight with
either of
his hands.
Okay?
So,
verse 16,
and Ehud
made for
himself a
sword with
two edges,
a cubit in
length,
and he
bound it on
his right
thigh under
his clothes.
So,
now notice
there's likely
so much
oppression
here,
he can't
go and
buy a
weapon for
himself,
but he
has to
make one
for himself.
And we
see a lot
of the
judges
fighting with
abnormal
weapons.
Shamgar in
chapter 3
fights with
an ox
goad.
He kills
many people
with an
ox
goad.
Here,
Ehud
makes for
himself a
sword,
and he
puts it
on his
right thigh
under his
clothes.
And the
suggestion is
that in a
pat-down,
they would
have checked
his left
hand side
for a
sword to
be drawn
with the
right hand,
but perhaps
not the
other side.
Either way,
he sneaks
the sword in
to the presence
of the king
under his
clothing.
Verse 17,
and he
presented the
tribute to
Eglon,
king of
Moab.
Now,
Eglon was
a very
fat man.
And when
Ehud had
finished
presenting the
tribute,
he sent
away the
people who
carried the
tribute,
but he
himself turned
back at the
idols in
Ogirgal and
said,
I have a
secret message
for you,
O king.
And he
commanded
silence,
and all his
attendants went
out from his
presence.
And Ehud
came to him
as he was
sitting alone
in his
cool roof
chamber,
and Ehud
said,
I have a
message from
God for
you.
And he
arose from
his seat.
And Ehud
reached with
his left
hand,
took the
sword from
his right
thigh,
and thrust
it into
his belly.
So he
drives the
sword.
This is the
message from
God,
two-edged,
interestingly,
right,
into the
belly of
tiny calf.
And the
hilt also
went in
after the
blade,
and the
fat closed
over the
blade.
For he
did not
pull the
sword out
of his
belly,
so he
just plunges
it all
the way
in and
leaves it
behind.
And then
there's a
very interesting
word,
which we're
not totally
sure what it
means in
Hebrew,
but the
translators
say,
and the
dung
came out.
Perhaps
his
intestines,
there's some
contextual clues
as to why
they translated
it this
way.
So gross,
I know,
sorry,
but interesting,
all the
same.
So,
then
Ehud went
out into
the porch
and closed
the doors
of the
roof
chamber
behind him
and locked
them.
So he
locks
little calf
in the
room.
When he
had gone,
the servants
came,
and when they
saw that the
doors of the
roof chamber
were locked,
they thought,
surely he
was relieving
himself in
the closet
of the
cool chamber,
and they
waited till
they were
embarrassed.
But when he
still did not
open the doors
of the roof
chamber,
they took
the key
and opened
them,
and there
lay their
Lord,
dead on
the floor.
He had
escaped while
they delayed,
and he
passed beyond
the idols
and escaped
to Sarai.
When he
arrived,
he sounded
the trumpet
in the hill
country of
Ephraim,
so it's a
victory trumpet.
Then the
people of
Israel went
down with
him from
the hill
country,
and he
was their
leader.
And he
said to
them,
follow after
me,
for the
Lord has
given your
enemies,
the Moabites,
into your
hands.
So they
went down
after him
and seized
the fords
of the
Jordan
against
the
Moabites
and did
not allow
anyone
to pass
over.
And they
killed at
that time
about 10,000
of the
Moabites,
all strong,
able-bodied
men.
Not a
man escaped.
So Moab
was subdued
that day
under the
hand of
Israel,
and the
land had
rest for
80 years.
So there
you see
that pattern,
right?
The wickedness,
right?
They're given
to and
judgment to
the people
of the
land,
but God
and his
mercy
raises up
for them
a judge
who delivers
them and
gives them
rest.
And then the
narrative rolls
on,
and we're
going to
see
Ehud
passes from
the history,
and we see
once again
the Israelites
act wickedly.
Then you
can see a
minor,
Judges
chapter 10,
verse 1
and 2.
This is
Tola.
Now,
just because we
don't get all
the details,
I think we
should still
understand the
pattern to
hold.
So I
don't intend
to preach
any of the
minor judges,
but as you
perhaps are
reading through
this narrative,
you'll see it.
So here we
see,
after Abimelech
there arose
to save
Israel Tola,
the son of
Pua,
son of
Dodo,
a man of
Issachar,
and he lived
at Shemir
in the hill
country of
Ephraim.
And he
judged Israel
23 years.
Then he
died and
was buried
at Shemir.
That's all we
know about
Tola
altogether.
Yet, I
believe,
the pattern
is embedded
in there
because we've
seen the
pattern in
other places
and it's
explicitly laid
out for us
in chapter
2.
So this
book is
designed to
leave us
in great
anticipation
of a
savior
king.
Israel
needs a
righteous
king.
Notice that
pattern again
and again
and again.
What do
they do?
They devolve
into unrighteous.
They devolve
into idolatry.
Regardless of
how God
shows them
mercy,
they're still
yet not
able to
keep his
commandments
and to
please him.
They keep
falling apart
and we are
just like
them.
We so often
read them
so judgmentally.
How could
they possibly
have forgotten?
Think about
the things
they saw.
Think about
the things
that they
were delivered
from and
we are
just the
same.
So very
quick to
be forgetful,
to return to
the idols
of the
land and
so we
need the
righteousness
of Christ
imputed to
us, given
to us.
His robes
for mine,
him taking
on our
sin and
rightly
receiving the
punishment that
was due our
sin.
And we need
a ruler,
one who will
reign forever
on our
behalf,
that has
a power
over
death,
has an
incorruptible
life.
We as
the church
see the
full realization
of what
they should
have been
longing for
and I
fear sadly
weren't.
But as we
look at this
book together,
we get to
see it,
we get to
draw our
minds
forward,
through the
temporal reign
of David
to the
eternal reign
of the
Lord Jesus
Christ.
Let's pray
together.