Judges
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Introduction
Introduction
We do not know who wrote the book of Judges. Tradition assigns this work to Samuel. The message of the book of Judges, however, is quite clear. It is the story of God’s strength for our salvation.
Evangelist Dwight L. Moody once said, “Salvation is worth working for. It is worth a man’s going round the world on his hands and knees, climbing its mountains, crossing its valleys, swimming its rivers, going through all manner of hardship in order to attain it. But we do not get it in that way. It is to him who believes.”
The book of Judges describes a time when few trusted God for their salvation—a period of about 350 years, bridging the period of Israel’s desert wanderings with the time of the monarchy. The repeated message that “in those days Israel had no king” (; ; ; ), reminds us that Israel had need of strong leadership. The issue was not one of militia or politics as much as morality and righteousness. The people had no spiritual backbone. God, their true king, looked down at the people with grief, while the people forgot to look up to Him for help.
His Strength—Their Salvation
His Strength—Their Salvation
After Joshua died, it was the responsibility of the nine-and-a-half Jewish tribes to drive out the remaining Canaanites. Chapter one of the book chronicles a sad litany of incomplete conquests. God’s people were content to leave the enemy in the land. In chapter two, God announces the consequences of compromise. The remaining Canaanites would become as “thorns” in the sides of God’s people (). Such thorns would not just prick the people but grow around them like a torturous prison from which only God could bring salvation. The remainder of chapter two describes the cyclical experiences of the people from that day on: compromise, oppression, distress, pleas for help from God, and salvation from God (). In their weakness, they turned to God for strength.
May God help us to learn from this book how to be weak that God might be our strength. Then will we understand the secret that strengthened Paul through the most difficult trials, as whispered to Him by the Lord Omnipotent: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (). Let us now consider the judges God selected and the judgments God enacted to accomplish His salvation.
The Judges
The Judges
God’s salvation came through “judges.” These judges were not rulers in courts of law but deliverers in tumultuous times. They were not drawn from a successive line of political statesman but handpicked by the God Almighty from some of the most unlikely places. God chose the weak to confound the strong. God, in His wisdom, would turn the wisdom of the world into foolishness. Judges would not deliver the people in their own strength but through the power of God, using such simple instruments as an oxgoad, a tent peg, trumpets, jars, torches, a mill- stone, and a donkey’s jawbone (; ; ; ; ). There were twelve judges in all, six of whom are especially prominent:
Prominent Judges Lesser Judges
Prominent Judges Lesser Judges
Othniel () Shamgar ()
Ehud () Tola (Judges )
Deborah () Jair ()
Gideon () Ibzan ()
Jephthah () Elon ()
Samson () Abdon ()
The more prominent judges are described in fuller detail, as they were involved in more signifi- cant seasons of the life of Israel. Surrounding each of these six deliverers were major downfalls by the people of God into gross sin and idolatry. The phrase “the Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the LORD” is stated six times in the book of Joshua, each time as an introduction to one of these major spiritual cycles of declension and therefore, as an introduction to each of the six major judges (; ; ; ; , and 13:1).
The Israelites did not have a strong central government but more of a republican confederacy, with the chiefs of tribes having authority in their local regions. Thus, the oppressions and deliverances found in this book are localized as well. Othniel, Caleb’s son-in-law (in Hebron), defeated Aram; Ehud, a lone hero from the tribe of Benjamine (in the east), crushed Moab; Deborah, from the tribe of Ephraim (west of the Jordan), judged Canaan; Gideon, son of Joash, sacked the Midianites; Jephthah, a social outcast from Manasseh (east of the Jordan) smashed Ammon; and Samson, a lone hero from the tribe of Dan (in the west), checked the advance of the Philistines.
The Judgment
The Judgment
The book of Judges is not a chronological list of events as much as a stylized gathering of historical accounts in the life of Israel, built around the common theme of God’s deliverance through judgment. It contains six cyclical accounts of spiritual decline and eventual deliverance, written with wonderful symmetry. The central accounts include the story of Gideon, the ideal judge, contrasted with his wayward son, Abimelech. Thus, the best and the worst are found central in a book that shows the best and worst of Israel’s potential before God.
Between these two central figures are the narratives of Deborah and Jephthah, the unlikely judges. Deborah’s rule was unusual because she was a woman. Jephthah was a social outcast. Bracketing this whole scenario are the accounts of the lone heroes, Samson and Ehud. The en- tire book of Judges centers attention on God’s judgment on His people because of their sin— most notable in the story of Abimelech—and God’s judgment on the Canaanites for their sin, with deliverance through Gideon as the prime example.
The Israelites did not have a strong central government but more of a republican confederacy, with the chiefs of tribes having authority in their local regions. Thus, the oppressions and deliverances found in this book are localized as well. Othniel, Caleb’s son-in-law (in Hebron), defeated Aram; Ehud, a lone hero from the tribe of Benjamine (in the east), crushed Moab; Deborah, from the tribe of Ephraim (west of the Jordan), judged Canaan; Gideon, son of Joash, sacked the Midianites; Jephthah, a social outcast from Manasseh (east of the Jordan) smashed Ammon; and Samson, a lone hero from the tribe of Dan (in the west), checked the advance of the Philistines.
God’s salvation came in the form of judgment. Judgment “begins with the family of God” (). When we—God’s children—persist in our sin, God judges us by allowing or arranging consequences for our sin. If a child refuses to heed a parent’s warning not to touch a hot cup, the parent may allow the little rebel to finally place a finger on the steaming container that a small burn might protect the youngster from greater pain in the future. In the same way, God’s rebellious children, the Israelites, did not drive out the Canaanites despite God’s repeated warnings. Finally, God allowed the Canaanites to subject the Israelites to oppression and afflict them until the children of God felt the painful consequences of their sins.
It is striking to realize that in all six cases, God clearly stirred up the enemies against the people of Israel (, ; ; ; ; and 13:1). This same God turned His hand of discipline away from His people once they cried for help, and He then became their deliverer. God was invisibly yet powerfully present with His people through what we may call their dark ages. We can find comfort in the knowledge that “if we are faithless, he (God) will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself” ().
His Strength—Your Salvation
His Strength—Your Salvation
We are saved from sin’s penalty and from sin’s power by the grace of God. It is when we are desperate and realize that we cannot save ourselves that we come to rest fully on God’s strength. Charles Haddon Spurgeon once made this point graphically with the following illustration:
“We are told that in stormy weather it is not unusual for small birds to be blown out of sight of land on to the sea. They are often seen by voyagers out of their reckoning and far from the coast, hovering over the masts on weary wings as if they wanted to alight and rest themselves, but fearing to do so. A traveler tells us that on one occasion, a little lark, which followed the ship for a considerable distance, was at last compelled through sheer weariness to alight. He was so worn out as to be easily caught. The warmth of the hand was so agreeable to him that he sat down on it, burying his little cold feet in his feathers and looking about with his bright eyes not in the least afraid, and as if feeling assured that he had been cast among good kind people whom he could trust.”
“It makes a touching picture of the soul who is aroused by the Spirit of God and blown out of its own reckoning by the winds of conviction, and the warm reception of the weary little bird received at the hands of the passengers conveys but a faint idea of that welcome which will greet the worn-out, sin-sick souls who will commit themselves into the hands of the only Savior.”
Devotion (Personal Study)
Devotion (Personal Study)
1. Read . Take note of the Canaanites not driven out of the land and the consequences for the Israelites. Read . From these verses, summarize the central problem found in .
2. Read .
2. Read .
a. From , what great and important thing was neglected by the Israelites?
b. From , describe the cycle of decline and repentance experienced by the Jews through the book of Judges.
c. State at least one important truth from (a) or (b) above that you can apply to your own life.
Discussion (Small Group Study)
Discussion (Small Group Study)
3. What insight or question from the commentary or your personal study this week would you like to discuss and explore further with the group?
4. tells the story of six major and six minor judges. By “major” we mean those judges that have more prominence in the account. Skim these chapters together and see if you can fill in the chart below. Give yourselves a time limit (5 minutes), after which you will move to the next question, whether this chart is completed or not.
# Major Judges Minor Judges
.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
5. a. Which of the twelve Judges do you remember best from studies, stories, or sermons in the earlier years of your life?
b. Which judges’ story left the greatest impression on you?
b. Which judges’ story left the greatest impression on you?
Why?
6. Skim .
a. Who are the three judges mentioned here?
b. What recurring phrase tells of the people’s plight ( & 12)?
7. From , why did God allow the Israelites to be- come slaves?
8. To what things do we become slaves today?
9. Skim/review the story of Gideon in .
a. What are the spiritual truths we should remember from that story for today?
b. How might you apply these truths to your life?
Digging Deeper (Further Study)
Digging Deeper (Further Study)
10. See , the story of Samson. What is the main point that you think we should learn from the life of Samson? Pray for God to impress this truth on your hearts.
11. describes a perversion of true worship with pagan idols. Note the progression from the making of an idol (), to a compromised priest (), to a corrupted tribe (, esp. v. 31). Read again Joshua’s warning (). Can you describe similar dangers the Church faces today?