Transcript Old Testament Survey: The Book of Judges

Old-Testament Survey:
The Book of Judges
Up-and-Down
Period for
Israel
The Judges
• Following Joshua’s death, Israel seeks to
gain control over Canaan.
• They were unable to drive out the
Canaanites whose cities were well-fortified.
• Influence from the inhabitants of these cities
caused Israel to commit spiritual adultery.
• When they began worshipping Baal, the god
of the Canaanites, God allowed the nations
to oppress them.
The Mistakes
“And you shall make no
covenant with the
inhabitants of this land;
you shall tear down their
altars.' But you have not
obeyed My voice. Why
have you done this?
Therefore I also said, 'I
will not drive them out
before you; but they shall
be thorns in your side,
and their gods shall be a
snare to you.’” (2:2,3)
“When all that generation
had been gathered to
their fathers, another
generation arose after
them who did not know
the LORD nor the work
which He had done for
Israel.” (2:10)
The Mistakes
“Yet they would not
listen to their judges,
but they played the
harlot with other gods,
and bowed down to
them. They turned
quickly from the way in
which their fathers
walked, in obeying the
commandments of the
LORD; they did not do
so.” (2:17)
“I also will no longer
drive out before them
any of the nations
which Joshua left when
he died, so that through
them I may test Israel,
whether they will keep
the ways of the LORD,
to walk in them as their
fathers kept them, or
not.” (2:21,22)
The Judges
• Israel had no centralized government
(king), no unified effort against her
enemies.
• “Nevertheless, the LORD raised up
judges who delivered them out of the
hand of those who plundered them.”
(2:16)
• Judges were more strong military
leaders than they were court officials.
The Judges
• Period of judges lasted over 350 years.
• There were 15 judges.
• For eight years, Israel served the king of
Mesopotamia.
• OTHNIEL, Caleb’s son-in-law, became the
first judge.
• Under his leadership, Israel fought and
defeated the king of Mesopotamia. They had
rest for 40 years.
The Judges
• Eglon, king of Moab, allied himself with the
Ammonites and Amalekites to defeat Israel. They
served him and paid tribute for 18 years.
• EHUD, the second judge, was left-handed. He,
took the tribute money to Eglon, who was very fat.
• He asked to speak with him privately, then stabbed
him with an 18” sword. Eglon’s body fat closed
over the blade of the sword.
• Ehud escaped and led Israel’s army to defeat the
Moabites. The land had rest for 80 years.
The Judges
• SHAMGAR, the third judge, saved Israel by killing
600 Philistines with an ox-goad.
• Jabin, king of Canaan, oppressed Israel for 20
years.
• DEBORAH, the fourth judge, who was a
prophetess, called Barak to lead Israel’s army
against Sisera. He agreed to go, but only if she
went with him.
• They fought near Megiddo, and Israel’s army
routed the Canaanites. Sisera fled on foot.
• Israel had rest for 40 years
The Judges
• GIDEON was the fifth judge.
• The Midianites and Amalekites join forces and
subdue Israel for seven years.
• Israel flees to the mountains for safety and can
only harvest their crops in secret.
• God calls on Gideon to fight against the Midianites.
• At night Gideon destroys the altar of Baal.
• God gives Gideon two signs.
– Fleece of wool on threshing floor. Dew on fleece, but
not on the floor.
– Next morning, dew on floor, but not on fleece.
Battle Against the Midianites
• 32,000 men assemble to fight the Midianites.
• To show that God—not the army’s size—is the reason
for Israel’s victory, Gideon reduces the army.
• 22,000 go home because they are afraid.
• At the place of the water, only those who lap water like
dogs--300 men--are picked to fight!
• Armed with trumpets, empty pitchers, and torches in
the pitchers, they attack.
• The battle cry is, “The sword of Jehovah and
Gideon.” The enemies panic and kill each other!
• Israel has rest for 40 years. They seek to make
Gideon a king, but he refuses.
More Judges
• ABIMELECH one of Gideon’s 70 sons became the
sixth judge.
• Desiring to be king over Israel, he killed 68 of his
brothers (only Jotham escape) and began to reign
in Shechem.
• Jotham gave a speech and caused the men of
Shechem to rebel against his brother.
• Abimelech subdues the uprising, but he is killed
when a woman drops a millstone on his head as
he fights against the people at Thebez.
• He reigned for three years.
More Judges
• TOLA, the seventh judge, ruled for 23 years.
• JAIR, the eighth judge, ruled for 22 years.
• JEPHTHAH, a man of valor, became the ninth
judge.
• Deprived of his inheritance because he was the
son of a prostitute, he had been driven out of
Gilead into the Land of Tob, where he formed a
band of powerful, vain men.
• When the Philistines and Ammon had oppressed
them for 18 years, Israel called on Jephthah to
rescue them.
More Judges
• He consented to help them if they made him king,
if he was victorious.
• Jephthah promised God that if He would give him
victory, he would sacrifice the first thing that came
out to greet him.
• When he returned from the victory, the first to greet
him was his daughter. He kept his vow!
• The Ephraimites became angry with the men if
Gilead because they had not been asked to fight
against the Philistines.
• Civil war followed and 42,000 Ephraimites died.
More Judges
• IBZAN, the tenth judge, ruled for seven years.
• ELON, the eleventh judge, ruled for ten years.
• ABDON, the 12th judge, ruled for eight years.
• The Philistines oppressed Israel for 40 years.
• The angel of the Lord promised a child to a man
named Manaoh and his barren wife.
• This son would not drink wine or strong drink
and would never shave his head.
Samson
• SAMSON, the 13th judge, rules for 20 years.
• He falls in love with a Philistine woman from
Timnah.
• He wagers--for 30 changes of clothes—that
the Philistines cannot solve his riddle.
• The Philistines threaten the bride’s parents,
and she tells them the answer to the riddle.
• Samson kills 30 Philistines in Ashkelon and
takes their garments to pay the wager!
Samson
• Samson returned to get his wife, but her
father had given her to another man.
• He caught 300 foxes, attached firebrands to
their tails, and released them in the fields of
the Philistines, destroying them.
• Israel is forced to have Samson arrested and
bound with ropes. They give him over to the
Philistines.
• He broke the ropes, picked up the jawbone of
a donkey, and killed 1000 Philistines!
Samson
• Samson goes to Gaza to visit a harlot.
• The Philistines surround the city, intending to
kill Samson the next day.
• At midnight, Samson leaves the city, tears
down the city gates, and carries them to the
top of a nearby mountain!
Samson and Delilah
• Samson falls in love with another Philistine woman,
Delilah.
• The Philistines agree to pay her to find the source of
his strength.
• He lies to her three times, but finally tells her the
truth--he will lose his strength if his hair is cut.
• While he sleeps, she has his hair cut, binds him with
rope, and delivers him to the Philistines.
• They put out his eyes and place him in prison. He is
forced to turn the millstone to grind grain.
Samson’s Death
• While he is in prison, Samson’s hair begins to grow
again.
• The Philistines hold a great feast and bring him out
to make sport of him.
• They lead him between two pillars that support the
house where they are gathered.
• Samson prays to God and asks Him to return his
strength so he can avenge his eyes.
• He topples the pillars and causes the house to
collapse, killing himself and all the Philistines. He
kills more in death than during his entire life!
Personal and Tribal Idolatry
• Stories showing the moral corruption of God’s
people. (21:25)
• Micah builds a graven image to Jehovah and hires
a Levite to serve the idol.
• The tribe of Dan, unable to conquer the land that
Joshua had given to them, sends out spies seeking
a place to move.
• Stopping at the house of Micah, they see the idol.
• The Levite tells them they’ll have a profitable trip.
Later, they steal the idol and convince the Levite to
come with them, offering him a better position!
Personal and Tribal Immorality
• A Levite who has as his concubine a harlot from
Bethlehem.
• She runs away to her father’s home in Bethlehem.
• Levite goes to bring her back, and on the way back,
he stops in Gibeah.
• The men of Gibeah take the Levite’s concubine and
rape her all night.
• The next day, the Levite cuts her body into 12
pieces and sends the parts throughout Israel.
• Eleven tribes determine to punish Gibeah. Benjamin
rises to her defense.