Saving Israel from Itself The Book of Judges Saving Israel from Itself

The Book of Judges The Book of Judges, which has nothing to do with legal matters, might better be called the Book of Deliverers. That is because its stories tell how God raises up deliverers to save Israel when, after settling in Canaan, the Israelites are unfaithful and overwhelmed by enemies. The book spans the years between the death of Joshua and the First Book of Samuel (about 1200 to 1025 B.C.)

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A Cycle of… Sin Disaster Repentance Merciful Deliverance

Sin The Israelites fall into sin, worshiping idols and abandoning God.

Destruction They are assaulted and persecuted by their enemies, the Canaanites.

Repentance The Israelites repent of their sin and cry to God for help.

Merciful Deliverance God has mercy on the people and raises up a judge to deliver them from disaster, and they triumph over their enemies.

People Called By God Twelve judges are mentioned in the Book of Judges: six minor judges and six major judges. The major judges: Othniel Ehud Deborah Gideon Jephthah Samson

Deborah: Victory with a Gruesome Touch Deborah is referred to as both a judge and prophet. Her tribe has done evil in the sight of the Lord by falling under the domination of Jabin, a Canaanite king. The people cry for help and God chooses Deborah as His instrument. Deborah reveals to Barak that he will lead the Israelite militia against Sisera.

Deborah: Victory with a Gruesome Touch Sisera and his troops are routed and Sisera deserts his men. He goes to the tents of one of his friends and meets the man’s wife, Jael. Jael treats Sisera with hospitality, but is secretly outraged about Sisera’s actions. When Sisera is asleep, she hammers a tent peg through his skull and kills him. Ever after, Jael is glorified in the Canticle of Deborah.

Reflections God helped Israel become free of its enemies. Hope for those exiled that God would one day help them overcome their oppressors.

Gideon the Lowly After 40 years of peace, the Israelites again fall into evil practices of worshiping Canaanite gods. Gideon’s tribe is oppressed by Midianite desert dwellers. The Israelites cry for God’s mercy. God decides to save the people through Gideon.

Gideon Destroys the Altar of Baal In a dream, Gideon is told to destroy the altar of the Canaanite god Baal, built by unfaithful Israelites. Gideon asks for a sign from God – a sheepskin.

Gideon’s Victory is God’s Gideon gathers a large army, but is rebuked by God for doing so. God points out that with such a large force, the Israelites would probably credit their victory to their own might, not God’s power.

Gideon’s Victory is God’s Gideon reduces his force to 300 men. Gideon and his men attack the Midianites and defeat them by making their own forces appear larger than they are.

Gideon’s Victory is God’s The grateful Israelites beg Gideon to be their king, but he insists that God alone is their king. Instead, they decide to build a cultic object called an ephod to celebrate victory.

Gideon’s Victory is God’s Unfortunately, the people slip back into their old ways and begin to worship idols again. In the end it spells ruin for Gideon’s family. Gideon’s son, Abimelech, murders all but one of his own brothers. While it was clear that God was responsible for leading the Israelites to victory, Gideon forgets this when he decides to build the ephod, which leads to his undoing.

Samson: Strong Man & Victim of Himself Several stories tell of Samson’s exploits against the Philistines, all of which involve strength and disastrous relationships with women. Samson kills a lion barehanded He slaughters 30 Philistines After he is captured, he kills 1000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. The secret of his strength is his long hair.

Samson & Delilah Eventually, he becomes infatuated with Delilah, a woman bribed by the Philistines to find out the secret of his strength. Samson falls for Delilah’s tricks and tells her the secret of his strength is the length of his hair. Once asleep, she cuts Samson’s hair and he is captured.

Samson In Captivity Once captured, Samson is tortured and made a slave, but his hair grows back. When the Philistines make sport of him in the temple of their chief god, Samson stands between the pillars and pushes them over. The temple collapses, killing Samson and the Philistines at the scene.

Strong Back, Weak Character Samson has little to recommend him. He is a violent man with a temper and an uncontrolled passion for women. His story is the tragedy of a physically strong, morally weak man who might have been great had he used his gifts for good. When compared to Joshua, it is easy to see that the moral of the story for Israel is : Be like Joshua, not like Samson.

For Review Describe the fourfold pattern that occurs repeatedly in the Book of Judges. What is the role of the judges? Name the six major judges. How did the story of Deborah and Jael give the exiled Israelites a sense of hope? Why does God tell Gideon to reduce his forces? Describe Samson’s character. Why was such a figure included among the judges?