Judges I. This study is meant to be a light treatment of the Book of Judges. II. Preliminary observations. A. This book deals with a 450 year period after the conquest of Canaan. ACT 13:17-20. 1. An addition of the years of the different judges’ seasons does come to 450 years. 2. The KJV is accurate in its historical analysis in ACT 13:19-20. 3. Some modern versions corrupt the actual hi...
III. Judges 1. A. Joshua had died without appointing a successor but at least the children of Israel were yet willing to proceed with Canaan’s conquest and sought God’s direction. vs. 1-3. 1. This was proper protocol. NUM 27:21. 2. A lack of inquiry of God had earlier been costly. JOS 9:14. 3. A church’s efforts in evangelism should likewise be according to the commands and guidelines of Scripture. ...
IV. Judges 2. A. This chapter consists of three sections: 1. vs. 1-5 deal with a relatively current corruption. 2. vs. 6-10 is a summary review of events following Joshua’s death. 3. vs. 11-23 is a general historical overview of the time of Judges and of idolatry. B. The angel from Gilgal reproved the whole nation in his message. v. 4. 1. This angel may have been the LORD Himself inasmuch as he said, “...I made you ...
V. Judges 4-5. A. These chapters set forth the next degeneration and oppression of Israel, against which a remarkable female judge (Deborah) and a remarkable female domestic champion (Jael) were called and honoured. 1. Deborah the prophetess (JDG 4:4) is one of a number of prophetesses in the record. c/w EXO 15:20; 2KI 22:14; NEH 6:14; ISA 8:3; LUK 2:36; ACT 21:9. 2. The Holy Ghost called these women prophetesses, in contr...
VI. Judges 6. A. This chapter begins the account of Gideon being raised up to judge Israel. Next to Samson, Gideon’s record as a champion of faith (HEB 11:32) is the longest in this book. B. Israel’s sin in going after the gods of the Amorites (v. 10) brought them again under oppression, this time to the Midianites. They had chosen Joshua’s “Door #2” and were Judges 6-26-25 Page 9...
VII. Judges 7. A. This chapter sets forth one of the most incredible military victories of all time wherein a Judges 6-26-25 Page 11 small troop of 300 with improbable outfitting were used of God to defeat a multitudinous army of Midianites. This engagement far outranks the later famous 300 Spartans of the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC) who were wiped out by the Persians. Oliver Cromwell’s ...
VIII. Judges 8. A. vs. 1-9. 1. In the thick of Gideon’s victorious “evangelism” campaign of converting the Midianites to reduction and death, Gideon must deal with trouble in the church. c/w ACT 14:27-28; 15:1-2. 2. The first grief was from Ephraim who had just had the glory of slaying two princes of Midian. v. 1 c/w JDG 7:24-25. a. This was a peevish reaction born of envy and v...
IX. Judges 9. A. The pendulum of peace and oppression in this chapter rests at its nadir for a season of civil strife and war. 1. When Satan is not trying to destroy the church from without, he is much willing to destroy from within (and sometimes through petty strife or power seizures). ACT 20:29-30; JAM 4:1; 1CO 6:6-8; 3JO 1:9-10. 2. As regenerate believers, we need to be ever on guard against internal fact...
X. Judges 10. A. This chapter again sets forth the pendulum swing of true worship to idolatry, of peace to oppression, and of repentance which works salvation. This chapter is basically the set-up for the details of an unusual deliverer in Chapter 11. B. vs. 1-5. 1. In the wake of the depraved, murderous Abimelech (JDG 10), there were about 45 years of stability while they stayed away from idolatry. This was a notably long ...
XI. Judges 11. A. This chapter sets forth the judgeship of Jephthah whom God raised up in response to the call for help against Ammon by the reforming Gileadites. JDG 10:17-18. B. Because of the unusual calling of Jephthah, a bastard, and his fateful vow detailed in this chapter, it will be helpful to remember: 1. Israel was prone during this era to embracing Canaanite religions and the gods of the Canaanites were noted for ...
I. Here is some additional information about LEV 27:29, mentioned above. 1. This chapter deals with things that were ostensibly for God, some of which could be redeemed (the sanctified things) and some which could not (the devoted things). 2. A sanctified thing, person or beast had an appraised value and could be redeemed by paying that value plus twenty percent (the fifth part). vs. 13, 15, 19. 3. There are two classes of devoted things: a...
XIV. Judges 14. A. In this chapter, God begins to curiously use Samson to judge the Philistines who “...had dominion over Israel” (v. 4). 1. Samson was a chosen instrument to be occasionally animated by the Spirit of the LORD to begin the Philistines’ demise. JDG 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14. 2. In this chapter, Samson sets forth a riddle while his own life and ministry are somewhat of a riddle, a paradox. He...
D. vs. 10-20. 1. Samson went down to marry the Philistine woman and “...made there a feast; for so used the young men to do” (v. 10). a. “Though he was a Nazarite, he did not affect, in a thing of this nature, to be singular, but did as the young men used to do upon such occasions. It is no part of religion to go contrary to the innocent usages of the places where we live: nay, it is a reproach to religion...
XV. Judges 15. A. vs. 1-2. 1. Samson showed a spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation to the wife who had betrayed him. c/w ACT 2:36-40. 2. What woman would not be impressed with a young goat for a gift? Mind that a kid represented a good meal that even God might accept, or future milk. JDG 6:19; PRO 27:27. 3. The unjust remarriage of Samson’s wife is an example of worldly, presumpti...
XVI. Judges 16. A. This chapter sets forth the transition of Samson the Nazarite to Samson the Not So Bright, and it is a warning to believers against the foolish assumption of invincibility, and the foolish assumption that God is obliged to always help His worthies, even in their folly. 1. Paul understood that even as chief apostle, he could still become a castaway if he did not control his fleshly desires. 1CO 9:27. 2. Samson fell prey to the things...
XVII. Judges 17. A. This chapter sets forth a curious mingling of ignorance, superstition and idolatrous images with a professed honoring of the true LORD, a popular form of religion. 1. There are three main characters: Micah, Micah’s mother, and a gadabout Levite. 2. This chapter is very appropriately a place for the general theme of Judges: “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own ...
XVIII. Judges 18. A. This chapter sets forth the continuing misadventures of Micah and his hired Levite, added to which are the colored antics of some of the tribe of Dan in fleshing out their inheritance in the land. 1. Here we will see erring camps of a common heritage fighting over the possession of something religious that actually displeased God. 2. This is not unlike squabbles among professed followers of C...
XIX. Judges 19. A. This chapter rivals the scandalous fame of Jephthah and his daughter in JDG 11. 1. Previously we read of a sojourning hireling Levite in those days. JDG 18. 2. The only other Levite noted in Judges is the sojourner found in this account and he also has some things to answer for. 3. The events of this chapter set the stage for the near elimination of a tribe of Israel in JDG 20. 4. Again, “...when t...
XX. Judges 20. A. This chapter sets forth a call to action for a righteous cause against a tribe that harbored and defended great sinners who deserved punishment: Benjamin foolishly tried to defend the indefensible rather than honor justice against the wicked of their own tribe. 1. The cause against Benjamin was just but victory was elusive. 2. When victory was at hand, the zeal of Israel was excessive and almost wiped out a ...
XXI. Judges 21. A. This concluding chapter sets forth the inventive conniving of eleven tribes to salvage the tribe of Benjamin from extinction and loss of inheritance in the land, which diminution was owing to rash, impertinent oaths and being “...righteous over much...” (ECC 7:16). 1. Benjamin had merited chastisement but not utter destruction (which would have violated the will of God for the inheritances of Canaan). 2. T...