The book of judges

Israel’s downward spiral

INTRODUCTION1. The Historical Setting

1. The historical scope of this period: from the death of Joshua (1390 BC)

to the days of Samuel (i.e., the establishment of the monarchy (Saul becomes king in 1051BC) 2. The period of the Judges thus extends from about 1390 to 1051 BC, a total of approximately 340 years

2. The purpose of Judges2. To show the downward spiral of sin and apostasy in Israel 3. To teach Israel her need for a righteous king, thus

anticipating king David

3

Israel’s need for a “righteous king”

• Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. (KJV)

• Judges 18:1 In those days there was no king in Israel:

• Judges 19:1 And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel,

• Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

The book of Judges demonstrates Israel’s need for a righteous king who will lead the nation

INTRODUCTION3. The theological setting for Judges

1. As the book opens, large areas of Canaan remain to be possessed by individual tribes (in notes)

2. What is the main reason for this (allowing some of the inhabitants to remain after Joshua’s campaign)?:

to test Israel, to see whether they would trust YHWH (2:20-22; 3:4)

INTRODUCTION3. The theological setting for Judges

A. Two terrible sins resulted from the refusal to drive out the Canaanites:

1.) Intermarriage (3:5,6)2.) Idolatry (2:12-13; cf 3:6b)

B. Notice the “cycle of sin”

INTRODUCTION5. Concerning the office of “Judge”

A. Def. of Judge (in notes)B. The primary responsibilities:

1. military leadership2. civil leadership (including judging and arbitrating disputes)

C. The number of Judges (in notes)

6. The Structure of the book (in notes)

Introduction: Did Israel finish the Conquest? (1:1-3:6)

• Answer: NO! 1. Two introductions? 1:1-2:5 // 2:6-3:6– Why does Joshua keep dying? (1:1; 2:6-10)– 1:1-2:5 = what happened after Joshua died– 2:6-3:6 = why it happened

2. Structure of 1:1-25 as a foreshadow of the Judges

The (downward spiral of the) Judges

Ehud

Deborah (and her sidekick)

Othniel

Judges 3:9-11

• From Judah• Marries within his tribe• God “raises him up”

(only said of Othniel and Ehud)

• Related to Caleb, one who stands out for his faithfulness

• No defect in Othniel

Ehud

Judges 3:12-30

The Account• Oppressed by Eglon (king of

Moab)• Left-handed man

(significance?)• Eglon, a rather large fellow

(3:17)• Ehud’s plan• “He’s only covering his feet”

(3:24)??

Ehud

Judges 3:12-30

Significant points• Humor in the story• Idols at Gilgal (3:19, 26)• Is Ehud good, bad, or

ambiguous?

• Ambiguous

Judges 4-5Significant points• Deborah, in tune with God (4:4-

7)• Barak, a bit of a coward (4:8)• Didn’t complete the mission,

i.e. “kill Sisera” (4:7)• Jael does the dirty work• 3rd unlikely judge

– Ehud—a left-handed man– Shamgar—a foreigner – Deborah—a woman

Deborah

Judges 6-9• Was Gideon a good

leader?• Not really– Fearful– Disunity– Vengeance– Prideful– Idolater

Gideon

Judges 10-12• Was Jephthah a good

leader?– Ends in civil war– Tribal disunity– Slaughter of Ephraimites– No “peace formula”– Years of oppression more

than years of judgship

Jephthah

Judges 10-12• Jephpthah’s vow: what

was he thinking?• Thinking of a human

sacrifice all along?– “out of the doors of my

house to meet me” – Chemosh (11:24)

• Animal sacrifice?

Jephthah

Judges 13-16• Chap. 13, a very special dude

with a very special mission• Chap. 14, a strong man with a

weak heart• Chap. 15, God uses him to

defeat the Philistines– Destroys vineyards (15:1-8)– Kills 1,000 men with a jawbone

(15:9-20)

• Chap. 16, Samson and Delilah

Samson

Concerning Samson

Was Samson a good guy or a bad guy?Heb 11:32-33, “For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah…who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness….”

The Epilogue: Judges 17-21How Bad can it get?

• 17-18 The religious apostasy of the nation– A Levite priest becomes the personal priest to

Micah, an unashamed idolater– The Danites steal the priest and idols

• 19-21 The moral depravity of the nation– Another Levite takes a concubine– Sodom and Gomorrah déjà vu! (Benjamin is

compared to Sodom and Gomorrah)– Defeat of Ai déjà vu (Benjamin is compared to a

Canaanite tribe)—see 20:29, 32, 38b.

Ezek 16:46-48, “Your younger sister…is Sodom with her daughters. Yet you have not merely walked in their ways or done according to their abominations; but, as if that were too little, you acted more corruptly in all your conduct than they. As I live,’ declares the Lord God, ‘Sodom, your sister, and her daughters, have not done as you and your daughters have done’”

Judges 1:1-2, “Now…the sons of Israel inquired of the LORD, saying, ‘Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites?’ And the LORD said, ‘Judah shall go up.’”

Judges 20:18, “Now the sons of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God, and said, ‘Who shall go up first for us to battle against the sons of Benjamin?’ Then the LORD said, ‘Judah shall go up first’”

The Epilogue: Judges 17-21How Bad can it get?

• Judges 1-16 talks about Israel’s battles with other nations, while Judges 17-21 talks about Israel battle with themselves.

• God’s “holy nation” has become like Sodom and Gomorrah, like Ai, a Canaanite city!

• We need a King!