Book of Judges (Page 2)
Up to this point, each time the Israelites cried out to God, He sent a deliverer; however, this time He first sent a prophet to proclaim the message from the Lord before sending a savior to deliver them from the hand of the Midianites. God reminds the Israelites…
After spending seven weeks looking at the first three chapters of the Book of Judges, we will be studying all of chapters 4 and 5 this evening. These chapters are unique in that chapter 4 is an historical accounting of the story of Deborah, Barak and Jael; while chapter 5 relates the events through the eyes of a poet or song writer, which provides us with a greater understanding of the story as a whole. Chapter 4 provides us with some understanding of the passage, but it is not until chapter 5 that we are able to see the hand of God continually at work to bring about His plan and His purposes.
Lecture 7 – With the death of the first judge, Othniel (3:11), the Israelites once again enter into a cycle of sin. Judges 3:12 says, “And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” As a result of their sin, God “strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel.” Starting with the story of Ehud, each of the judges (for whom we have a full story) is what the world would describe as an ‘unexpected’ leader. In this lesson, we will look at Ehud’s apparent weakness to see how God used him, not in spite of but through his weakness.
Lecture 6 – Have you ever told your child to do something and then—an hour later when you ask if it is completed—your child tells you, “I forgot.” Do you remember the level of frustration you felt as a result? If you have ever experienced that, then you have seen a glimpse of what God must have felt as He was dealing with His children—the Israelites! What does it mean to say that Israel forgot the Lord? To say that the Israelites ‘forgot’ God is to say that they no longer were controlled by what they knew. Even though they knew who God was and what he wanted, those things were not real to them.
Lecture 5 – We want to take some time examining God’s point of view of man’s predisposition toward idolatry. Mankind was created with the need to worship something. When we are not allowing God and His Word to guide us in this life, then we are worshiping other gods. In essence, we are prostituting ourselves.
Lecture 4 – In Judges 2, we find the second introduction for this book. We have returned to the time (just before Joshua’s death) when all of Israel has gathered together after being summoned by Joshua. Joshua instructed the Israelites to complete the work of driving out the inhabitants of the land of Canaan. What we discover in this text is how well the Israelites obey Joshua’s instructions. In verses 10-19, we are given a description of the repeating cycle of sin, repentance, deliverance and peace that serves as a template for the rest of the book.
Lecture 3 – As we reach the middle of Judges 1, we discover that the tribe of Judah was not able to drive out the inhabitants of the hill country because they had iron chariots (19)—even though the verse explains that God was with them. This causes us to ask the question, “Was it really that they ‘could not’ drive them out, or because they ‘would not’ drive them out?” In our lives today, we must realize that God wants all of us, not pieces. He wants to be the Lord over every aspect of our lives, not just some. “Ultimately, either all of our life is given to God in grateful, loving obedience; or none is.” Partial obedience is disobedience!
Lecture 2 – As we begin to study the text of the Book of Judges, we noticed that the author has written what is best described as two introductions to this book—each with its own purpose. The first introduction sets forth the military context of the book, while the second focuses more on the theological context of that day. In studying the military journal of the conquests and failures of the Israelites in chapter 1, we discover that the Israelites have a half-hearted commitment to obedience and dependence upon the Lord—the people were depending more upon their own common sense than God.
Lecture 1 – What is this Book of Judges? And who are they judging? In this introductory study of the Book of Judges, we will explore the function of the ‘judges’ and the role that God had them play in the history of His people—Israel. This book is well described as “despicable people doing deplorable things,” so we will consider these stories not as stories of virtue for us to imitate, but as lessons to learn “about a God of mercy and long-suffering, who continually works in and through us despite our constant resistance to his purposes.” We’ll also look at the overriding themes taught in this book and how we can apply these teachings to our lives and cultures today.