The Story of God: Judges

Listen along as we look at one of the darker books of the Bible.

Notes/Quotes:

Judges 2:1-5

“The church (in general) has a problem with the book of Judges. It is so earthy, so puzzling, so primitive, so violent and a word, so strange, that the church can scarcely stomach it. As with many old testament materials, the sentiment seems to be, ‘if we just study the epistles long enough, maybe it will go away.’ The church has her own way of dealing with embarrassing scripture, ignore it. Yet that is difficult to do with Judges. It's so interesting. Only people who take tranquilizers before sitting down can doze off while they read it.” - Dale Ralph Davis

Chapters 1– 2:5: Israel fails to drive out the Canaanites from the land.

Chapters 2:6– 3:6: Narrator’s Prologue: This is a story about Israel’s utter moral failure and the catastrophic results.

Chapters 3– 16: Twelve stories (six short, six long) of Israel’s “judges” that get progressively more violent and disturbing.

Chapter 3: Ehud: The slick assassin who’s good with a dagger.

Chapters 4– 5: Deborah, Barak, and Jael: A tent peg ends up getting hammered through someone’s head. Need I say more?

Chapters 6– 9: Gideon and Abimelech: A coward who overcomes by faith leads Israel into idolatry and starts an inter-tribal Israelite civil war.

Chapters 10– 12: Jephthah: A hill-top thug who’s so unfamiliar with the God of Israel he thinks that sacrificing his daughter will please God.

Chapters 13– 16: Samson: A violent, sex-crazed maniac with absolutely no conflict-resolution skills dies in blood and glory getting vengeance on his enemies.

Chapters 17– 21: Two stories of the people of Israel hitting bottom.

Chapters 17– 18: The tribe of Dan slaughters the peaceful people of Laish and builds a pagan temple in their new city.

Chapters 19– 21: An Israelite woman gets sexually abused by the Israelites in Gibeah, who are then destroyed by the other tribes, who regret their violence and make the young women of the Benjaminite tribe pay the price.

1 After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel inquired of the Lord, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?” 2 The Lord said, “Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.” 3 And Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me into the territory allotted to me, that we may fight against the Canaanites. And I likewise will go with you into the territory allotted to you.” So Simeon went with him. 4 Then Judah went up and the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they defeated 10,000 of them at Bezek. 5 They found Adoni-bezek at Bezek and fought against him and defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6 Adoni-bezek fled, but they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and his big toes. 7 And Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.  - Judges 1:1-7

“Somewhere along the timeline they would see the strategic folly of failing to possess Beth-shan (vs. 27), a massive site guarding the juncture of the Jordan and Jezreel valleys, through which passed the main arteries of the ancient world. They would live to regret the failure to dominate Taanach, Ibleam, and Megiddo (vs. 27), crucial fortresses along the Plain of Esdraelon. Perhaps they could have prevented cocky Sisera (ch. 4-5) from strutting all over Israel…but no more of this, for we are getting away from the authors concern.”
- Dale Ralph Davis

“the path to apostasy is paved by what you’re willing to tolerate.” - Dale Ralph Davis

“They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the days of Gibeah: he will remember their iniquity; he will punish their sins.” - Hosea 9:9

“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”  - Judges 21:25

“The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.” - Joseph Conrad