It was the
best of times and the worst of times. The children of Israel, liberated from
Egyptian bondage and dwelling in the land of promise, should have been enjoying
the blessings of God, living under their own vines and fig trees. Instead, they
faced cycles of backsliding, carnality, followed by repressive foreign
occupation.
When they
woke up to their sin, Israel called out to God, who sent them a human deliverer
called a ‘judge.’ Once the judge delivered the nation from their oppressors,
Israel remained faithful to the LORD as long as the judge lived. Once he or she
passed away, then they returned to their old worldly ways.
This
pattern, which occurred with nauseating regularity, is the story of the Book of
Judges. This book covers a period of over 350 years from the time of Joshua the
conqueror until the coming of Samuel, the final judge (who is first mentioned
in I Samuel, not Judges).
There are
some great stories of deliverance in it, like that of Deborah and Barak,
Gideon, Samson, and Jephthah. Some of these judges are so noteworthy that they
merit a mention in the ‘hall of faith’ in Hebrews Chapter 11. Yet there are
some real scandals, like the Danites stealing Micah’s idols and priest and
setting up the northern city of Dan on a foundation of idolatry. Years later,
Jeroboam’s golden calf was installed here, the altar platform is still present
until today. Even worse was the brutal rape and murder of the Levite’s
concubine which led to civil war and the near annihilation of the tribe of
Benjamin.
Great
insights and lessons await you as you study the Book of Judges.
Hebrew Name
It is easy
to confuse the heroes of this book with men and women, wearing long black robes
and white whigs while pounding a gavel in a courtroom. The Hebrew name for
judges is shophetim which translated means rulers, saviours, and
deliverers. The judge can settle disputes, win battles, liberate and deliver
people. After their military victory, they settle down to to civilian
leadership, where they rule and judge.
Author
Anonymous,
though tradition nominates Samuel as the author.
Date
Probably
after Saul became king. The reason is that the Book of Judges uses the phrase ‘There
was no king in Israel,’ implying that Israel had a king at the time of
writing.
Theme
Cycles of
reprobation and revival. The pattern was one of:
The Descent
Service (of
God),
Seduction,
Sin,
Scandal,
Servitude
(to foreign occupiers) - this is where they hit rock bottom
The Ascent
Seeking God,
Sanctification,
and
Salvation.
This pattern
is what happened again and again and again.
Portrait of
Christ in Judges
In Judges we
learn about Christ as Saviour-Ruler. As long as the judge lived, Israel served
the LORD. Since Christ rose from the dead and lives forevermore, His people
will remain eternally faithful to God.
Like the
rest of the Bible, Judges does not do a whitewash of the main characters. It
tells their story just as it was, warts and all: Gideon made an ephod in Oprah,
Samson had ‘women problems,’ and Jephthah uttered a rash vow. Yet all of this
helps to highlight to glory of Christ, who never sinned and is able to save us
to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25).
Judges
serves as a reminder, if one was needed, how humanity stands in desperate need
for a Saviour.
Key Verses
in Judges
Judges
2:20-21:
And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that
this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and
have not hearkened unto my voice; 21 I also
will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua
left when he died:
Judges
21:25:
In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was
right in his own eyes.
Distinctives
Judges is a
real object lesson of ‘comparison and contrast.’ We see good and evil, light
and darkness, faithfulness and debauchery, living side-by-side. While this may
seem like deep dark ancient history, it helps illustrate the ‘last days,’ which
Scripture teaches is a time of ‘contrasts,’ just like Judges.
• Contrast: God’s
faithfulness to Israel’s backsliding.
• Contrast: A penitent
Israel to a hedonistic Israel.
• Contrast: The faith
of the judges to the faithlessness of the people.
• Contrast: The
perfection of Christ to the flaws of the judges.
Outline of
Judges
1.
Failure of Israel to Conquer all the Land
(1:1-3:34): Failure of Judah, Benjamin, Joseph, Zebulon, Asher, Naphtali,
Dan. Angel makes announcement.
2.
Southern Campaign: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar (3:5-31)
3.
Northern Campaign: Deborah/Barak (4:1-5:31)
4.
Central Campaign: Gideon, Abimelech, Tola,
Jair (6:1-10:5)
5.
Eastern Campaign: Jephthah (10:6-12:7)
6.
Second Northern Campaign: (12:8-15)
7.
Western Campaign: Samson (13-16)
8.
Israel’s Idolatry (17:1-18:31)
9.
Israel’s Immorality (19:1-30)
10.
Israel’s Civil War (20:1-21:25)
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