Why The. Judges? Who were they? what was their role? Where did they go?

Transcription

1 Why The Judges? Who were they? what was their role? Where did they go?

2 Lesson 1 A Time Like No Other Without a doubt, the period of the Judges is one of the most overlooked and misunderstood sections in the entire Bible - ironic, since it covers nearly a quarter of Old Testament history. Spanning from the death of Joshua to the coronation of Saul (roughly B.C.), the early history of the leaderless Jews is a violent, anarchistic and ungodly period, and stands in sharp contrast to the period of religious obedience under Joshua and Moses. But while it may have happened nearly 3 millennia in the past, the lessons learned from their period are pertinent to our o w n l i v e s, t e a c h i n g u s t h e consequences of living a life outside the bounds of God s rule. S t r e t c h i n g f r o m D a n t o Beersheba (1 Sam. 3:30), the land was vast, and for the most part, conquered. But there were still patches within the 12 tribes individual land allotments that contained philistines, complete with their idol worship and pagan practices. Upon entry into the Canaan land, God had strictly commanded them to utterly destroy every trace of them (Ex, 32:28-33; Judges 2:2). This, they were lax to do, and they paid the ultimate price, as they slowly became canaanized, adopting their idolatry, practices, and immorality, and essentially replaced Yahweh with their own versions of Him or totally separate deities. Because of this, God decrees that He will remove His protection from them, and thus the cycle begins that becomes a pattern within this book: (1) God s people are faithful, (2) God s people compromise, (3) God s people sin, (3) God s people suffer, (4) God saves His people, and finally (5) God s people are faithful again. On and on this cycle continues, thus explaining the sporadic presence of the judges to free them from their persecutors. There is an impressive list of conquests in the first chapter of Why The Judges? Page " 2 of " 21

3 Judges - the campaign around Jerusalem (vs.4-8), capture of Hebron (vs. 9-15), southern campaign (vs.16-17), and the coastal plain campaign (v. 18) - but what is most noteworthy is the downward spiral that would begin in this chapter. There are two instances at the very beginning of the book of Judges that stands out as a testament to this subtle, but intent, departure from the Lord. The first is contained in an obscure mention in Judges 1:6, saying that when they caught Adoni-Bezek, the Israelites cut off his thumbs and big toes, essentially ending his military career. Adoni-Bezek responds poetically, understanding the justice in this punishment, but what this shows more than anything else is the pagan influence on God s people; this punishment had not been commanded, but it was uncharacteristically barbaric for them. A second lies in the mention of their failure to drive out the inhabitants of the valley in verse 19, because they had iron chariots. Why would this matter now? Surely they had faced enemies before and after this encounter that possessed iron chariots (Josh. 17:16-18; Judges 4:13), so why would it all of a sudden become an issue now? Despite the fact that it is mentioned in the first part of verse 19 that God was with them, Judges 2:3-4 would reveal that because they had not fulfilled God s command, He would not fully drive them out either. Such is the consequence of their compromise with sin. So what s the appeal for us as men in today s world, and how did people who knew so much about the power and protection of God depart so quickly? First off, it should be noted the value of leadership that Joshua brought to the table that was not missed until after he was gone. It s not by accident that Judges 2:6-10 mentions the death of Joshua, the forgetting of his labors, and then verse 11 shows the beginning of idol worship. Make no mistake about it brethren, that without strong leadership, whether in the home, the local church, or even within your circle of friends, the morality of that group will begin to turn south. A little leaven leavens the whole lump (1 Cor. 5:6), and so we must be strong moral and Biblical leaders in whatever venue we find ourselves in. Also, we must understand the impact that even a little compromise with sin can have on our souls. No one ever sets out to have an affair, or drink themselves to death, or betray their friend, but as those things begin in the heart (Matt. 15:18) and manifest in the flesh (James 1:14-15), so we must be even more careful to nip those things in the bud BEFORE they become sin. Why The Judges? Page 3" of " 21

4 Lesson 2 Why the Judges? The pattern of Israel s obedience, apostasy, servitude, salvation and obedience established throughout the whole book, the question then comes as to the role that these men (and woman) played in being God s messengers in those departments. Judges 3:5-6 states that God had left some of the neighboring countries in the area to test His people, and to see their devotion to Him. Israel s spirituality, sadly, follows the path that most of the world s has before and after. First, they are united in their stand with God under Joshua, then they create regionally localized sanctuaries for Yahweh worship, which inevitably leads to traces of pagan worship finding it s way into the Jews. After this, Yahweh ends up becoming another pagan god, and then finally He is wiped out completely. Slowly but surely, God s people have deleted God s memory from their lives (Deut. 6:12). One of the questions plaguing most of us looking back in retrospect at these people is, how can those who saw the power and protection of God so quickly abandon it? The answer is, like at the base of Mt. Sinai, they have very short memories. Judges 2:10 says that they did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel, and so a function of the judges, although secondary, was to restore in these people s memories the almighty power of God. And who can mistake that, as we look into the victories by Barak and Gideon, or the cunningness of Ehud, or the outright domination by Samson of the Philistines? Surely the people would have been in awe of such power and deliverance, and yet just as quickly as they saw it, they forgot it; hence, the reason for twelve judges. We tend to think of the idea of judging as a judicial term, where someone executes fairness in a dispute between two people; in reality, this term is misleading when it is applied to the Old Testament Judges. They were leaders, but more than that, they were deliverers of God s people (Judges 2:16), sent out of pity by God to rescue His people (Judges 2:18). Judges 3:3 relates four primary nations that oppressed them, and when taken geographically, make up the entirety of the Canaan land: Philistines to the Southwest, Sidonians to the Northwest, Hivites to the Northeast, and the Canaanites to the Southeast. The job of the Judges was to free them from their oppressors by the hand of God, in Why The Judges? Page " 4 of " 21

5 hopes that they would abandon their practices and return back to Him (Judges 2:19-20) Three of the early judges were Othniel, Ehud and Shamgar, all with distinct enemies and stories Ehud s being the most detailed and possibly the most interesting. Before him though, Othniel (Judges 3:9-14), Caleb s nephew and a member of the tribe of Judah, was sent to free Israel from the hands of Cushan-rishathaim, who was the king of Mesopotamia and arguably the most powerful ruler the Jews would face in this book. And although there is no negative thing said about him, that would not be the case with the rest of the judges, with most of them exposing their flaws and defects in full view of Scripture. Ehud is described as a lefthanded man, which is ironic considering that the tribe of Benjamin, where he hails from, means son of the right hand. Whether this is a deliberate play on words by the author or not, the fact remains that his ambidextrous nature would prove pivotal in this story. Fashioning a dagger roughly 18 long, most likely without a hilt, and attaching it to his thigh, Ehud presents himself as the distributor of a tribute to the king Eglon, who is described as a very fat man, along with Eglon s soldiers who are described in verse 29 as robust Why The Judges? men. These are men who enjoy their luxury. But Eglon s physical appearance is secondary to his stupidity. As Ehud dismisses the royal subjects by saying, I have a secret message for you, (3:19), he changes it when they are alone to I have a message from God for you (3:20), thus enticing the foolish man even more. Ehud seiz es th is moment to assassinate Eglon, stabbing him so deep that the fat envelops the blade, and, locking the door behind him, makes his escape. Eglon s court, thinking he is merely relieving himself (3:24), wait until they become worried, and open the door to find Eglon dead on the ground. This then spars a rally cry by the Israelites, who finally push the Moabites out of their land. Shamgar s story, although only one verse long is descriptive and interesting, as he strikes down 600 philistines with an oxgoad and saves Israel (3:31). Revealing shades of Samson, Shamgar would be just another person in the line of God s instruments that would show the power of the Almighty. Page 5" of 21 "

6 Lesson 3 Led By a woman Marking the first and only time in the course of Biblical history that God s people are directed by a woman, Deborah s story stands as a testament not only to the provision of God, but the weakness of man. Without too much introduction as to her personal details, Deborah comes on to the scene in Judges 4 with the facts presented that she is (a) a prophetess, (b) the wife of Lappidoth, and (c) a judge. But her presence in the narrative comes after the standard display of unfaithfulness in the life of Israel, with them doing evil in the sight of the Lord (4:1), the Lord selling them into the hand of Jabin (4:2), and the sons of Israel then crying out to the Lord for mercy (4:3). Enter: Deborah the judge. Jabin (more of a title than a proper name, such as Pharoah or King) is introduced into the story as the oppressor of Israel for nearly 20 years, but the tale centers around his commander Sisera who is sent out to fight against the Israelites with his 900 iron chariots r e p r e s e n t i n g a m a g n i fi c e n t technological advantage - as well as a sizable infantry. Barak, the central m i l i t a r y fi g u r e f o r I s r a e l, i s summoned to Deborah for the purpose of encouraging him to fight Why The Judges? against this pagan army. Barak stumbles though, showing his reluctance to go out against such a force without the leadership and influence of Deborah by his side. Deborah agrees, but states that due to his lack of faith, the honor for the battle will not go to him, but to a woman. Chapter four is halfway over by the time the battle begins, and Deborah calls out to the armies of Israel (10,000 strong) that God has gone out ahead of them and that they should go out as well, with the result being the complete rout of Sisera s army. With Barak occupied with mop-up duties on the battlefield, Sisera manages to escape to the tent of Heber the Kenite, who had peace with Jabin (4:17). Page "6 of 21 "

7 Jabin s wife, Jael, convinces Sisera to hide there under a rug, and after a glass of milk and some reassuring words, he falls fast asleep, at which point, Jael grabs a tent peg and drives it through the temple of Sisera (4:21) - a scene only complimented too well by Ehud s dispatching of Eglon in the chapter before. Barak eventually arrives, sees the body of his enemy, and then proceeds to destroy the rest of Jabin s army by the hand of God (4:24). So why is this story significant? First, it shows the importance that God gave to women in carrying out the Divine plan. This wouldn t be the only time that a woman would be called upon as a prophetess - think also of Miriam (Ex. 15:20), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14-20), Anna (Luke 2:36), Philip s daughters (Acts 21:8-9) - but it would be the first time that her role would not simply be as an advisory, but as a field general. To this, historians have accounted her influence to that of Joan of Arc, a women who was influential and charismatic enough to rid the French of the English invasions of their lands. While Joan was not inspired though, Deborah was, and her faith in God dwarves that of the other men in this story. Secondly, it is unique in that it tells this story from two different perspectives: in chapter four as a narrative, and in chapter five as a poem. There wouldn t have been too many recorded poetic histories up to this point in Biblical chronology (i.e. Exodus 15), but their impact is seen most vividly in the book of psalms. What they would accomplish for the ancient Israelites is a reminder of God s hand in their lives - a reminder they desperately needed - but for us, it helps to fill in the otherwise missing details in the story. For example, Deborah records in Judges 5:8 the state of Israel s depravity, that there were other gods chosen, war in the gates, and the complete lack of military presence. In verse 6, she states that this even happened during the days of Shamgar, the judge who delivered Israel in Judges 3:31, marking Deborah and Shamgar as contemporaries. Also, it shows the tribes that took part in this battle (Ephraim, Zebulun, Naphtali, Benjamin, and a part of Manasseh), as well as those who refused (Reuben, Asher, Gad and other parts of Manasseh), found in Judges 5:14-18, as well as the location of the battle being in Megiddo (Judges 5:19). Why The Judges? Page 7" of " 21

8 Lesson 4 More Than the Fleece The story of Gideon is one of the most complete and well-known accounts in the book of Judges, having been used in sermons, Bible classes, and bed-time stories for the last few thousand years. And while many of us can relate the story of Gideon s call for the 300 to take on the Midianites, many of us struggle with the events that brought on such a story, as well as the unfortunate happenings afterward. True to Judges form, Gideon s story begins (and, unfortunately, ends), with the declaration that Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, (6:1; 8:33), and the Lord subsequently delivered them to destruction as a result of it. This chapter goes into greater detail about the harassment the Midianites put against them for seven years, to the point where they, once again, cried out to the Lord (6:6). What s interesting about this though, is rather than just send them a deliverer, God attaches a rebuke on to the end of it, telling them why it was that they were suffering, most likely in the hopes that they would learn. This unnamed prophet repeated the same instructions that were given by God in Exodus 34 and Deuteronomy 7, as well as earlier in Judges 3. At this point, the Israelites should be wellversed in what it is that s causing all their problems, and yet they still refuse to learn (sound familiar?)! G i d e o n s f a m o u s s t o r y o f deliverance by the hand of God comes next, complete with the first act of cleansing that he would have: the destruction of the baals and asheroths (6:25-32). Despite Gideon showing apparent weakness in destroying them at night, his father is the one who takes the social hit for the act, declaring his resolve and wisdom in defending his son, and making a statement that sounds very similar to Elijah s victory on Mt. Carmel, saying: Will you contend for baal, or will you deliver him? If he is a god, let him contend for himself (6:31). Thus, the path is clear for Gideon to begin his work. The work by God in using a mere 300 men to singlehandedly destroy the army of the Midianities (120,000 left, according to Judges 8:10) is phenomenal, as is the continual encouragement of his strength in accomplishing it, further showing that if we intend to do the will of God, He will be with us in everything. Why The Judges? Page " 8 of " 21

9 Yet the story doesn t end there; a s G i d e o n i s p u r s u i n g t h e Midianites, he encounters opposition from even his own countrymen not wanting to supply him and his army with food (which would be later rewarded with discipline, see 8:16). When he would finally catch the Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, he orders his oldest son to kill them, but when he refuses, Gideon carries out the deed himself. Great story, huh? Unfortunately, the text reveals there was more to Gideon s carrying out of God s plan than meets the eye. Three things stick out especially as we look at the end of his life: 1) His Personal Agenda: As we look at Gideon s conversation with the Midianite kings, he asks them a suspicious question: What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor? While we as readers are not familiar with the slaughter at Tabor, Gideon reveals that the men they killed were his brothers, the sons of [his] mother (8:19), and then states that if he had even left one of them alive, he wouldn t kill them. As it stands, they had slaughtered all of them, Gideon executes them, and it is revealed that at least partial motivation for Gideon s pursuit of them was blood-lust, and not so much God s honor. 2) His Marital Indiscretions: Although a harem of women is not uncommon amongst men of that time, it is nonetheless frowned upon by the earliest example of marriage (Gen. 2). It was reserved for the nobility of the Canaanite people, as they were the only ones who could afford it, and the mention of Gideon s concubine shows further his canaanization (8:30-31). 3) His Personal Ambition: Gideon was right, at the end of his life, to refuse the kingship (8:22-23), and if the story ended there, it would be a great end to a great life. Unfortunately, Gideon pulls a G e h a z i ( s e e 2 K i n g s 5:20-27), and asks for the gold rings out of his men s ear in order to make an ephod, totaling 1700 shekels or nearly 43 pounds worth of gold! The question remains, why did Gideon want the gold? While we may not know his motivation, we know the result, as this ephod that was made became a s n a r e t o G i d e o n a n d h i s household (8:27) - presumably because it became an idolatrous piece. And thus, the life that was lived for God, ended up being only lived for himself. A tragic story indeed. Why The Judges? Page " 9 of " 21

10 Lesson 5 Israel s First King Gideon s failures as a leader towards the end of his life m a n i f e s t e d t h e m s e l v e s unfortunately in the form of Abimelech, the son he had through his concubine. Despite Gideon declaring in Judges 8:23 that I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you, it was apparent in the life of Abimelech that he had other plans. Indeed, it is seen in his very name, with abba meaning father, and molech meaning king, his name literally translates into my father is the king. With that in his mind, there was no reason for him not to usurp the throne of God over Israel. He begins his reign rather dastardly, hiring worthless men with the financial support from his family, and then killing off all his brothers but one in order to secure the throne. Even his statements to them betray the underlying opinion of the day: What is better for you, that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal (Gideon), rule over you, o r t h a t o n e m a n r u l e o v e r you? (9:2). Apparently, it was a foregone conclusion that Israel would be overseen by the sons of Gideon, and not by Jehovah. After Abimelech became king by the oak of the pillar which was in Shechem, the one that he missed killing earlier, his half-brother Jotham, climbed to the top of Mt. Gerizim and delivered the Parable of the Bramble King. The parable explains how the trees went around to anoint a king over themselves, but all the trees that were fruitful were too busy being fruitful to accept the kingship (i.e. olive trees producing olives, fig trees producing figs, etc.), until the trees approached the bramble (thorn) tree, which was worthless, but more than eager to be in power. The message was clear in it s condemnation of Abimelech: only worthless people seek to lord over others, while the ones that are more worthy are usually busy doing the real work (ref. Eccl. 10:7). Why The Judges? Page 10 " of " 21

11 Three years was all it took for the men of Shechem to see the truth in Jotham s message, and they began to grow spiteful toward him. Waiting in ambush for people that crossed the road in front of them, they also held their own pagan festival, eating, drinking and, most importantly, cursing Abimelech (9:27). Moreover, when one began to rail against Abimelech s leadership, and started talking about what he would do IF he were king, that was when word got back to Abimelech of their activities. Vengefully, Zebul, Abimelech s lieutenant, drove the main instigator, Gaal, from the town, and proceeded to lie in wait for the rest of the town. What follows afterwards shows the depths of treachery that Abimelech was willing to go to secure the throne; killing everyone in the city, burning it to the ground, and salting it so that it would never rise again. In response to this, the leaders of the Shechem heard it and retreated into the tower fortress of the city, where Abimelech subsequently gathered branches, laid it in the inner chamber of the tower, and burned it to the ground, killing all men and women inside. Fortunately, the story of this madman comes to an end by the most unexpected of turns, when Abimelech later went to Thebez and tried to do the same thing there he did at the tower of Shechem. As he Why The Judges? approached the tower to burn it, a woman from the top threw a millstone down, landing on Abimelech s skull, mortally wounding him. Not wanting to be killed by a woman, he instructed his armor-bearer to run him through, and thus ends the story of the dreaded Abimelech. It might be said that the judgment of Abimelech that came upon him was just, as he had tortured the men of Shechem, and thusly deserved to die in the manner that he did. In reality, the opposite was true as well. Judges 9:56-57 states that Abimelech s death was in response to his own wickedness, but that God had used Abimelech to punish the men of Shechem for their treachery also! No one gets a free pass when it comes to sin; those that sow the wind will reap the whirlwind, and both Shechem and Abimelech paid for their transgressions. Page 11 " of 21 "

12 Lesson 6 Lessons From Jephthah With Gideon and his son gone from the public scene, there arose a couple more judges that the text reveals to us: Tola, who judged for 23 years, and Jair who judged for 22 years. To tell the story of both of these men takes only five verses, but the next 59 are for one man: Jephthah. God s taunt that they should ask their other gods to save them is met with another confession that they had sinned, and a desperate plea to let whatever punishment they deserve fall on them later, but for now, to please deliver them (sound familiar?). Judges 10 sets the stage for Jepthah s arrival by painting the most vivid description of the people s sins and their pleas to God yet. Verse 6 records seven different god-groups that the people were guilty of serving - baals, ashtaroth, those of Sidon, Moab, Ammon, and philistines - and the next verse records only the second time so far that God says He is angry with them (the other is 3:8). Following that is the first time in the book a confession of sin is made (10:10), and even that is only as a result of the sons of Ammon greatly distressing the children of Israel. God recognizes this hypocrisy, and reminds them that He had delivered them before from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amelekites, and the Maonites, (10:11-12), yet they still had forsaken Him time and time again! And this is where Jephthah comes on to the scene. Rejected by his brothers because of his harlot mother, and their refusal to share the inheritance with him, Jephthah flees to the land of Tob, and has company with worthless fellows (11:3). In the character of Jephthah we can see shades of both Gideon and Abimelech: Gideon in the sense of his empowerment by God and subsequent victories over the enemy, but Abimelech in the Why The Judges? Page " 12 of " 21

13 company he keeps and his personal ambition as chieftain. Where Abimelech would be working against the will of God as a destroyer though, Jephthah would be characteristic of a deliverer. All would remain the same between Jephthah and his brothers but for the Ammonites. Realizing their desperate need for a warrior leader, they entreat Jephthah to return to the family as their head; the scriptures state he is a valiant warrior (11:1), and as such is their best hope. After some posturing and certain deals are struck, Jephthah sets out to the matter at hand - defeating the Ammonites - but begins with a more diplomatic tone. The speech that he gives in verses is a rehash of Israelite history through the exodus and wilderness wanderings, and is stated with the intent to claim their inherent right to the land. Ammon disregards this message from Jepthah and begins preparations for his invasion. Jephthah reaches out to God for assistance in this endeavor, the rightful deed at this time, but in doing so strikes up a deal with God: If God would grant him victory that day, then Jephthah would sacrifice whatever comes out of the doors of [his] house to greet [him] (11:31). The wording of this vow is interesting: if he was expecting an animal, why would he mention the thing being sacrificed as coming out of his house? Many have remarked that this shows the departure of Jephthah from the Lord and his paganistic mindset, that he would knowingly offer a human sacrifice towards God, which is strictly forbidden in the law (Lev. 18:21). Others have regarded it as simply a tragic vow, that he, in his rashness and desire to win, offered the moon without considering the possible ramifications. Regardless, the consequences were unfortunate: Jephthah s daughter walks through the door to greet him upon his arrival, and after a two month mourning period, Jephthah fulfills his vow to the Lord. His legacy would be that of a tragic figure, someone who was rejected by men, fought alongside God, but tarnished by his own decisions and family strife. Chapter 12 records the civil war that would erupt between the Gileadites and Ephraim, Jephthah s death, and the three judges - Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon - who would eventually rise up after him. Why The Judges? Page " 13 of " 21

14 Lesson 7 WHere Did Samson Go Wrong? The story of Samson is both well-known and complicated, and very intelligent men both in the fields of religion and psychology have tried to discern the reasons for Samson s seemingly senseless behavior. On the one hand, you have a man that is arguably the strongest warrior the world has ever seen, with these chapters detailing these insane feats of heroism: killing a lion with his bare hands (14:6), tying 300 fox tails together and sending them through a field (15:4), killing 1000 men with the jawbone of a donkey, tearing down the city gates and carrying them to the top of a mountain (16:3), and finally, pushing over the pillars of a house and crushing everyone inside (16:30). But with these equally amazing feats of strength and valor is the most interesting question of all: how did this other wise superhuman man succumb at the advances of a woman? Twice? The story of Samson s rise and fall seems to happen along with the story of his involvements with the two women. The first, an unnamed Philistine woman that Samson demands that his father go and get for him (14:2). Samson s parents are none too pleased at this, preferring for him to take a wife from among their own people, but Samson is dissuaded, and repeats his desire for her. Here, the Scripture records for us the true intent behind this courtship, and really, the reason behind every individual judges actions in the first place: However, his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord, for he was seeking an o c c a s i o n a g a i n s t t h e Philistines (14:4). There is some argument there as to whether the person seeking the occasion was Samson, suggesting he sought to destroy them himself, or God, who w a s u s i n g S a m s o n t h r o u g h providence. What is apparent through this and Samson s strength was that it was of God s will either way. Later, at the marriage feast to said philistine woman, Samson proposes a riddle, the loser of which would owe the winner 30 changes of clothes. Unable to find the answer after a few days, Samson s new extended family begins to threaten Samson s new wife, putting her in a lose-lose situation: either seduce him to tell us the answer, or we ll burn your family's house down. Not wanting that to happen, she Why The Judges? Page 14 " of " 21

15 pressures Samson for a week, and he finally relents. This sets Samson off toward a dark path; his new bride is given to one of his companions, and he becomes a social outcast for his retaliation for her being taken away. Living as an outlaw in the cleft of the rock at Etam (15:8), the Philistines march out to get him, and 3,000 men from Judah plead with him to go with the Philistines. His anger still not assuaged, he finds the jawbone of a donkey and kills a thousand men with it. And it all started with a woman. Sadly, Judges 16 starts off with a similar narrative, where, after another failed attempt by the philistines to catch Samson, he meets another woman named Delilah, whom he loves. The motivation for this one is very pure; the Scriptures record that Samson very much loves this woman (16:4). Unfortunately, the Philistines use this to their advantage, bribing her to use her love and seduction against him to bring him down. Three times she asks him for the secret to his strength, three times he lies to her, and three times she helps the philistines spring a trap on him. She presses him a fourth, this time he relents, and Samson is defeated by the philistines. Once again, by a woman. It can be easy to chide Samson for relenting to her this time when he apparently knew what she was up to, but I don t think he s as foolish as we would like to assume. He had avoided traps before (16:3), and he was clever enough to devise a riddle that stumped men for days (15:10-20), so it would be hardpressed to believe he would be silly enough to sign his life away. What s really at the heart of this story is the persistence of the woman and the failure of the man to resist against it. Solomon rightly declared in Prov 21:9: It is better to live in the corner of a roof, than in a house shared with a contentious woman, and in no place is that more ably displayed than the scene here. In Judges 14:17, it says that he told his first wife the answer to the riddle because she pressed him so hard. Here, in Judges 16:16, it states that she annoyed his soul to death. It can be safely stated then, that one of the main reasons for his downfall was a lack of discipline against the persistence of a woman. It s sadly ironic that this man with superhuman strength, who could destroy lions, defeat armies and carry huge amounts long distances, could not withstand the annoyances of these two women, but we should take care lest we lose our soul based on the most minute of details. Behold, how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! (James 3:5) Why The Judges? Page " 15 of " 21

16 Lesson 8 Bought Religion Representing the beginning of the third major division in the book of the judges (1:1-3:6 and 3:7-16:31 the other two), Judges 17 begins with the introduction of Micah, an otherwise insignificant man of Ephraim, and his mother. Micah had stolen nearly 1,100 pieces of silver from his mother and wanted to return it, but his mother decides to return it back to him with a blessing from the Lord and an instruction to make a couple of idols with it. R i g h t a w a y t h e a p p a r e n t debasement of the nation of Israel is clearly seen. We have transferred from a nation that was so willing to worship and serve God through thick and then (Joshua 24), to a land that looks at Jehovah as nothing but a tool in their own selfish and smug desires. The last four chapters of this book detail the going-ons of the tribes of Benjamin and Dan, two tribes that were centrally located geographically, and thus reveals that the idolatry and canaanization of these people had reached to it s core. Micah is no different; Judges 17:6, right after the instruction to make his idols, states that every man did what was right in his own eyes. Surely there can be no greater description of ancient/modern religion than that. The next character is introduced in the verses that follow: an unnamed, young Levite who was sojourning wherever he might find a place (Judges 17:8). That begs the question, what exactly was he looking for? A job? Money? Beachfront property? Whatever it was, he apparently found it in his fortuitous meeting with Micah, who had already inaugurated his own son to be priest (17:5), but now had an actual levite who could fulfill that role! How fortunate! After some finagling and deal-making, the contract was signed for this levite to be the sole priest towards Micah and his family (17:10), and Micah couldn t be happier with the setup (17:13). Everything was going fine for Micah, until the Danites came looking for a place to call their own. They stumbled upon the home of Micah, and even more conveniently, his new priest, who, ironically, blessed them on their journey. Looking not only for land but for comfortable living conditions (18:7), they settled on the town of Laish as where they should be, and Why The Judges? Page " 16 of " 21

17 promptly robbed Micah of all of his household goods and idols, as well as his priest before heading there. The Levite s quick acceptance of the Danites offer shows his true character and motivation all along: Come with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be a priest to the house of one man, or to be a priest to a tribe and family in Israel (18:19). Talk about a promotion! There was divine authority for the Levites to be scattered amongst the tribes - indeed, they had no inheritance of their own, so they were instructed to rely on others (Deut. 18:1-2) - but what this man had done seemed to be more self-serving anyways, and so his acceptance to go with the Danites fell right in line with his pattern of behavior. M i c a h w a s, u n d e r s t a n d a b l y, upset about this robbery, but he had very few options considering the size of the force that had robbed him. Turning back to his house, the Danites went on to Laish, where they slaughtered everyone and burned the town (18:27), and rebuilt it for themselves. So what is the moral of the story for this seemingly random passage of Scripture? While there are many applications that could and have been made, the primary one seems to be the insistence of the people of God to follow their own version of God s laws rather than the laws themselves. Nowhere in this passage is there found any mention of God s judgment or wrath on the events described, but one can t imagine that He would be pleased with what He saw. To take an abundance of silver with your son and turn them into your own personal worship sanctuary is not the worship that God had intended, and sounds strikingly familiar to Rehoboam s apostasy in 1 Kings 12: Moreover, having a levite as your priest for your selfsanctioned religion doesn t give it credibility; it merely gives the illusion of security to hide your selfishness. Why The Judges? Page " 17 of " 21

18 Lesson 9 Sodom and Gibeah Burning with fire and brimstone, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis stands as a testament to the deep-seated depravity and immorality that human beings are capable of. Even though it is by far one of the most graphic and brutal stories in the Old Testament, it is rivaled closely by one found in Judges 19. The description of the murder of this unknown L evite s concubine matches the story in Genesis almost verse by verse, as the descriptions of their lusts take center stage. With the caveat once again that there was no king in Israel (19:1), a Levite takes a concubine from Judah, who then plays the harlot against him, and departs back to her father s house. After a period of time when it was obvious that she was not coming back, he departed after her, attempting to persuade her to come back with him. After she had agreed, her father requested that they both stay for a few days, so 3.5 days later, when they had delayed again through the morning, they finally departed. This little bit of trivia would be yet unnoticed had it not been for the predicament that it landed them both in. Caught between her parent s house and his abode, they found themselves sojourning near Jebus (later known as Jerusalem), which at the time was a city of foreigners (19:12), so they opted to travel on to Gibeah, of the tribe of Benjamin, and spend the night there. That fact would be ironic, considering the eventual moral situation of their own countrymen. Fortunately an older man offered his house for them to stay the night in, not wanting them to spend the night in the city square (ref. Gen. 19:2). They relented, and after they h a d d i n e d t o g e t h e r, c e r t a i n worthless fellows came, pounding on the door and demanding that the older man release the stranger to them so that they might have relations with him (ref. Gen. 19:5). Scared for his own life and the life of his company, the old man offers both his virgin daughter and the man s concubine to satisfy the lusts of the men. This did not satisfy them, so the Levite was left with no other option but to shove his concubine out the door, where the men of Gibeah proceeded to rape her all night, leaving her to die on the doorstep of the old man s house. Why The Judges? Page " 18 of " 21

19 The next morning, the Levite opened the door to find his concubine dead, and loaded her on to his donkey for the journey home, where he promptly cut her in 12 pieces and sent them to the 12 tribes of Israel. And thus, one of the most barbaric stories in the Old Testament comes to a close. What this story shows at the forefront is the incredibly detestable state that the Israelites were in at this point in their existence. So far removed from the example of Joshua were they that they had almost completely mirrored the lives of those whom they had set out to conquer at the beginning of the book. But while it may be easy to cast the men of Gibeah as the only evildoers in this story, there must be blame on two other individuals in this story as well. 1. T h e O l d M a n - How desperate and sad was this man, that at the threat of violence from the lustful demands of the men at the door, that he abandoned his own responsibilities as a father and offered up his own daughter as a bribe instead! While this speaks to the predominant culture in that time period of hospitality at all costs, what it shows is his own lack of concern for those whom God had entrusted in his care, and his willingness to allow the concubine to suffer as well. 2. The Levite - And what cowardice by this man as well! After it is said that he cast his concubine out the door to the vulture-sque men, the scriptures record that this man came back inside and was able to go to sleep; what a model husband. As if that wasn t enough, verse 28 of this chapter tells us that when he opened the door to find his concubine laying there dead, his first response was to tell her to get up and leave with him, almost with the impression that what happened to her was in some way her own fault, or vengeance on her for leaving him in the first place. Regardless, this story would be the match that would ignite the story of the next two chapters, as Israel erupts into a civil war that threatens to destroy themselves from the inside. And all because of the un-contained lust of the sinful men of Gibeah. Why The Judges? Page " 19 of " 21

20 Lesson 10 Civil War! After reading the end of Joshua, one can only imagine where the nation of Israel would be years down the road after their emphatic declaration that they would Serve the Lord our God and we will obey His voice (Josh. 24:24). The promised land taken with God on their side, and all that was left was for them to inhabit it and obey God. Unfortunately, as we have seen, things took a sharp downhill turn through several different judges, idols and wars, culminating in a civil war during the last two chapters of this book. This comes off the heels of the murder of the unnamed Levite s concubine in chapter 19, which displays both man s immorality and indifference, but also called for retribution on behalf of the man. Not only refusing to punish the men of Gibeah for what they had done but also willing to defend them with their own lives, the tribe of Benjamin would stand by itself against the other tribes: 400,000 soldiers versus a paltry 26,000. The men of the other tribes made three solemn vows in carrying out this punishment against the men of Benjamin: (1) nobody leaves until Gibeah is annihilated (20:8), (2) anyone that didn t help fight was to be treated the same as Gibeah (21:5), and (3) no one present would allow their daughters to marry a Benjamite (21:1). These last two would pose a special problem for the men at the conclusion of this story. Marking the first time that the nation of Israel would be united since Joshua, but unfortunately against their own countrymen, the civil war shows their own attitude towards vengeance but stands in stark contrast to their previous failures to carry out the laws of God; where they had failed to eradicate the nation of the Canaanites and r e m a i n e d t o l e r a n t f o r y e a r s afterwards, they now erupted in unified conquest against Benjamin to rid themselves of the vileness at Gibeah. There were three battles that raged, with the Benjamites being overwhelmingly victorious in the first two. Without seeking the authority of God in the first engagement, the men of Israel camped against the Benjamites with extremely lopsided results, with the Israelites losing 22,000 men to what would seem like only a handful of Benjamites (20:19-22). Inquiring Why The Judges? Page " 20 of " 21

21 this time as to the will of God, Jehovah tells the Israelites to go up again against the men from Benjamin, but, once again, they reap similar results: 18,000 dead. The third battle is when God declares His faithfulness, telling them that He will deliver them into your hand (20:28). The Israelites then set an ambush for Gibeah, luring them away from the city and into the highways, where they closed in and destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin (20:35), leaving only a remnant of 600 in the entire tribe. What to do now? With the immorality of Gibeah sufficiently punished resulting in the genocide of nearly an entire tribe, the other eleven were hit with the realization that the tribe of Benjamin would be no more. Faced with the vow that they had previously made forbidding them to give their own daughters in marriage to the Benjamites, the Isrealites remembered the other vow they had made: to punish all who did not attend the muster at Mizpah. Noting that the men of Jabesh-Gilead had failed to appear and help the Israelites in their cause, they decided to send a delegation of 12,000 valiant warriors there, destroy the men, and bring back all the unmarried daughters from that town, resulting in 400 new marriages. another grand solution to that as well! Seizing the opportunity of the tribes arriving at the feast at Shiloh, the men of Benjamin lay in wait for the women to pass by, and each one of them grabbed a wife for themselves as they passed by; and they went and returned to their inheritance, and rebuilt the cities and lived in them (Judges 21:23). Thus the immorality at Gibeah resulted in the civil war between Benjamin and the Israelites, which led to the annihilation of almost an entire tribe, that forced the kidnapping of women and slaughter of another entire town. And all because the Levite s concubine couldn t stay home. Regardless of which way you slice it, these three chapters in their entirety paint a grim picture of not only the physical chaos of these people, but the absolutely bankrupt spiritual life that they enjoyed as well. There is little doubt that as Saul would enter into his reign within the next century, that he had his hands full restoring this once great nation back to prominence in God s eyes. But the only way that would be accomplished would be restoring the example of Joshua - a leadership that had their hearts set on God. But they were still 200 short! Never fear though, for they had Why The Judges? Page " 21 of " 21