Introduction to the Reading and the Book of Judges: A number of years ago I discovered a treasure - at least to a history nerd like me. I was at the Walworth County Fair, and they always have a book sale. I came across a book from about 1900 that was a history of the United States. Of course it didn't even mention such events as World War II, the Great Depression, nor The Great War. Those events hadn't even occurred when it was written. It picked out various important individuals in America's history, and it also covered important events that impacted our nation. Yet although it only spent two or three pages on each item and although it only covered roughly 400 years, the book was about 4 to 5 inches thick.
Today we are going to read from the book of Judges. Judges covers a time frame 100 years longer than the history book I picked up, and yet it does so in about 15,000 words. In addition, The Story abbreviates those 500 years down into 17 pages. What we have in the book of Judges is simply a taste of the period - anecdotal stories of the events and leaders of the nation of Israel. I think this is important to understand because it gives an insight into the book's purpose. The book of Judges isn't meant to give us a detailed rundown of every leader or newspaper headline from the period. The book of Judges wasn't written so that we could memorize the list of Israel's leaders like children learn the list of America's presidents in school. Like every history book, the author's bias and viewpoint of history shows through. The book of Judges is written by the author of HIStory - the LORD - to teach us important lessons - not just about HIStory, but also lessons to be applied to our lives.
The outline of the book, and for that matter the underlying problem, is clearly stated in the introduction to the book of Judges. There is a reoccurring cycle or pattern that the nation of Israel finds itself falling into again and again. Read the first two pages (pp. 103-104) and try to fill in the outline below describing the cycle. Once you've filled in the outline, continue reading the next paragraph.
A)
B)
C) Cry to the Lord for Help
D)
E)
Repeat
So what did you write down? This is how I outline it: A is for apostasy - the people forget the Lord and disobey his commands. B is for battles - the Lord sends enemies to fight the Israelites as a form of punishment. He punishes them not because he is angry, but because he wants to get their attention. Do you remember the religious "revival" after 9/11 that our own nation went through? In a similar manner, the Israelites, when attacked, remember the Lord and cried out to him for help, which is of course letter C "Crying out to the Lord." The Lord, in his grace and mercy, would send a deliverer (the letter D) who was known as a judge. In Hebrew, the underlying word for judge is the same word the the name Joshua or Jesus comes from - it means one who saves. Finally, we get to the letter E - easy sailing. The Israelites would have easy days and a new generation would grow up who were spoiled and didn't know the Lord. Pay attention to this cycle as you read the book of Judges.
On a Personal Note: A couple years ago I invited someone to join a Bible study I was in. Their reaction was, "I've already studied that book. I'll wait until you are studying something else." That comment bothered me not only because it was an excuse not to come. It bothered me as well because the person was missing how important reviewing the truths of scripture is. I've had the privileged, and I mean privilege, of being part of five Bible studies of the book of Judges in the last six years. I've studied it in California and Michigan. I've studied it with college students and retirees. Each time I not only learned more about the book, I also realized each time how it applied differently to me at that point in my life. In addition, each time I found the book more exciting! I think that the stories and heroes from the book of Judges would make for a great mini-series or comic book series. The book is action packed and yet the personality of the individuals and the complexity of the their situation is also related as well. I hope you have as much fun reading from the book of Judges this week as I have.
Filling in the Gaps - p. 105:
First of all, isn't "Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram Naharaim" such a cool name? It has a ring to it! It actually probably wasn't his real title, but a nickname since it means, "Cush the doubly evil of Aram of the two rivers." Not the nicest nickname, but a catchy one!
p. 105 after the Commentary:
I can't believe it! They left out my FAVORITE Judge - Shamgar! Well let me fill you in with the story of Shamgar, "After Ehud, Shamgar son of Anath became judge. He delivered Israel by striking down 600 Philistines with an oxgoad" (3:31 HCSB). Yep, that's all we know! And if you are asking what an oxgoad is, it's something you goad oxen with. Ok, so maybe that wasn't the best explanation. It's a stick with a pointy end that you poke oxen with to get them to move in the direction you want them to go. Now you know what an oxgoad is!
p. 107 - Deborah:
Who is actually the "judge" in this story? We read in 1 Samuel 12:11, "So the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel. He rescued you from the power of the enemies around you, and you lived securely." Barak is actually the judge, isn't he? And yet he is a judge with a flaw: he is a wimp! He doesn't want to stand up and be a man and lead the people!
p. 112 - Gideon
So where did we meet Gideon? In a winepress. Why? Because he was afraid that the Midianites might see him! You almost stop and wonder, what is the Lord thinking? We need a commander for the army, and you find the guy who is cowering in a corner! Did you catch the irony in the Lord's greeting? The Lord calls him a "mighty warrior." Ha! Gideon is no mighty warrior. Time after time we find him doubting how things will go. Yet it didn't matter the Gideon wasn't quite the warrior you'd want leading you into battle. With quite a strange battle plan the Lord made it quite clear who was mighty - not Gideon, but the Lord!
When You're Done Reading - Thoughts to Ponder:
Well we ended with probably the most famous Judge: Samson. He's probably also one of the most flawed Judges as well. Samson had some real issues, didn't he? He's a big talker, quick temper, and had a real problem with women!
Have you noticed some trends in the book of Judges? First of all the people seem to get more and more wicked. If you put the Judges on a timeline, you notice that the periods of peace get shorter and shorter. Finally, you realize that even the saviors of the nation of Israel from their enemies are getting more and more flawed. We started by talking about a cycle - a cycle of apostasy, battles, crying for help, deliverance, and finally easy-going. But you also begin to notice that this cycle isn't just going around and around. I remember going to the museum as a kid and they had this big circular thing into which you could put a penny. The penny would go around and around, but since this circle was shaped like a funnel, as the penny sunk deeper and deeper, it would spin around faster and faster until finally it would fall down the hole in the center. The cycle of Judges is a downward spiral as well. Each time the pattern is repeated things are a little bit worse, until before you know it the nation as a whole is falling apart.
What is the underlying problem in Israel? "They forsook the Lord." The people of Israel were to be holy. Remember what the word means? "Set apart or dedicated to God, and therefore without fault or flaw just like he is." Last week, when Joshua asked the people who they would serve, they replied, "We will serve the LORD our God and obey him" (p. 101). Yet we find them doing anything but that. Do you think that happened overnight? No, the story of the book of Judges covers multiple generations. Moses told the people, "6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates" (Deut. 6:6-8). The Israelites failed to share with their children all the things that the Lord had told them. They failed to talk about the Lord while traveling, while eating dinner, before bed, and when getting ready for the day. It may have started out one day when they found themselves too busy because there was a lot to do with the harvest, or because the relatives were visiting and things were chaotic. But complacency led to religious compromise. Rather than being totally dedicated to the Lord, the Israelites went after other gods. The problem wasn't an agricultural issue or a problem with their military strength. The problem was spiritual!
So where is our nation at? Are we stuck in a cycle, a pattern circling downward? I don't know. I'll leave that up to you to answer. Yet there are some definite warning signs. In what percentage of the homes in our nation are the scriptures read on a weekly basis, nevertheless a daily basis? In our culture, it's ok to pick and choose what you want to believe from various religions. Is the postmodernism of our day that much different than the way the Israelites picked what idols they wanted to worship? When morals are discussed on the talk shows, is the question "what do you believe is right" or is the question "what does the Lord say is right?" When our nation faces financial depressions or our wars aren't going as well as we had hoped, do we think the problem is financial or military, or do we consider that the problem might actually be spiritual? In your life, is your home stuck in the cycle of the Israelites? What are we doing in our homes and families to pass down God's Word to the next generation? Have we considered that our Lower Story problems might really be Upper Story issues?
Interestingly enough, even though I just wrote three very long paragraphs about the book the sins of the Israelites and the warnings for us that come from their faults, even after all the times I've studied the book of Judges, one other lesson stands out even more prominently in my mind. And to understand that lesson, I want to quote from the book of Hebrews written over 1000 years later. The author of Hebrews writes about the great "Heroes of Faith" and says, "And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, 33 who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength after being weak, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight" (11:32-34).
When I read the book of Judges, what lesson stands out to me is this; "The Lord can use me." Like Gideon, Barak, and Samson I am rattled with flaws. I'm sinful. I doubt. I'm a failure at living up to God's commands. Yet God wants the good news to be spread to all nations. He has sent Jesus to pay the penalty of death for our sins so that we can live forever with him in heaven. Our biggest enemies - sin, death, and the devil - already stand defeated. Now he wants that message spread to the ends of the earth. And what is amazing is that he chooses to use people like me to do that. Unlike the judges, we aren't fighting physical armies, no we are fighting even more powerful enemies: the spiritual forces of darkness. Yet they are no competition for a mighty warrior like me - because like Gideon, the Lord is with me.
Prayer/Hymn:
For those who like more:
- Read the two appendices of the book of Judges:
- Chapters 17 & 18 gives us examples of a typical family and a typical tribe in Israel during the time of the judges. What was the job of the Levites? What instead do we see happening? Fill in the blanks: It was bad enough that Dan ______________ , it was worse that they used __________ to do it, but the real irony is that two tribes of the Lord’s chosen people were about to fight over ____________________.
- Chapters 19 - 21 gives us examples of a typical event and a typical episode during the period of the judges. Much like our own civil war, the Isrealite's story is just as sad. What is the recurring theme throughout these 4 stories? (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25)
- If you haven't had a chance, check out the essays from the symposium this last year at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary focused on Lutheran Schools and their role in passing on the Word to the next generation. Read the three papers at http://wlsce.net/symposium.
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