- Not clear who wrote the book. Jewish tradition suggests Samuel
- Judges are different from our concept of judges. Hebrew word "shophet" means bringer of justice. These judges are similar to modern mayors of towns (Constable)
- The book spans a period of about 300 years
- Chronology according to Josephus: (graphics removed)
Judges 1:1-8, 19-21 (NIV) After the death of Joshua, the
Israelites asked the Lord, "Who will be the first to go up and fight for
us against the Canaanites?"
2 The Lord answered, "Judah is to go; I have given the land
into their hands."
3 Then the men of Judah said to the Simeonites their brothers,
"Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the
Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours." So the Simeonites
went with them.
4 When Judah attacked, the Lord gave the Canaanites and
Perizzites into their hands and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek. 5
It was there that they found Adoni-Bezek and fought against him, putting to
rout the Canaanites and Perizzites. 6 Adoni-Bezek fled, but they chased him and
caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.
7 Then Adoni-Bezek said, "Seventy kings with their thumbs
and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me
back for what I did to them." They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died
there.
8 The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem also and took it. They put
the city to the sword and set it on fire.
. . .
19 The Lord was with the men of Judah. They took possession of
the hill country, but they were unable to drive the people from the plains,
because they had iron chariots. 20 As Moses had promised, Hebron was given to
Caleb, who drove from it the three sons of Anak. 21 The Benjamites, however,
failed to dislodge the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the
Jebusites live there with the Benjamites.
- So how is the book of Judges related to the book of Joshua
- It picks up with the story after his death
- It will return to a discussion of a Joshua but only to make a quick point
- The people are now in the promise land. There is a time of conquest after the preparation of the desert. What should follow the conquest?
- Rest
- But rest does not follow the conquest consistently and that raises the question "why?"
- What is the first thing you notice in the book (besides Joshua's death)
- Israel goes to God for direction
- Judah is the lead tribe
- Judah involves Simeon because of Simeon's close relationship (physically to Judah)
- Initially south of Judah (not clear when it repositions toward the north)
- Cutting off thumbs was an ancient practice
- Used to treat enemies
- Used by parents to keep children out of the army
- Two purposes: incapacitate for war and to brand as cowards
- Adibe-Bezek's comments were probably exaggerated as well as proverbial ("scraps under table")
- The city of Jerusalem is not completely destroyed. Apparently the Jebusites held a strong fort on mount Zion that was never taken until Joshua
- The phraseology could be rendered a little differently here
- Some commentators feel the rendering of the phrase is misleading, with the text ending prior to the "but"
- Either way, there is an implied contrast. The Lord was with the men of Judah and they took the hill country, but … then they do not take the plains, meaning what? The Lord was no longer with the men of Judah
Judges 1:22-36 (NIV) Now the house of Joseph attacked Bethel,
and the Lord was with them. 23 When they sent men to spy out Bethel (formerly
called Luz), 24 the spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to
him, "Show us how to get into the city and we will see that you are
treated well." 25 So he showed them, and they put the city to the sword
but spared the man and his whole family. 26 He then went to the land of the
Hittites, where he built a city and called it Luz, which is its name to this
day.
27 But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or
Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the
Canaanites were determined to live in that land. 28 When Israel became strong,
they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out
completely. 29 Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, but
the Canaanites continued to live there among them. 30 Neither did Zebulun drive
out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, who remained among them; but
they did subject them to forced labor. 31 Nor did Asher drive out those living
in Acco or Sidon or Ahlab or Aczib or Helbah or Aphek or Rehob, 32 and because
of this the people of Asher lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land.
33 Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath;
but the Naphtalites too lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and
those living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became forced laborers for them. 34
The Amorites confined the Danites to the hill country, not allowing them to
come down into the plain. 35 And the Amorites were determined also to hold out
in Mount Heres, Aijalon and Shaalbim, but when the power of the house of Joseph
increased, they too were pressed into forced labor. 36 The boundary of the
Amorites was from Scorpion Pass to Sela and beyond.
- How is the first paragraph different from the following paragraph?
- "The Lord was with them" is in the first story
- But God is strangely absent in the following stories
- Who is the house of Joseph? Manasseh and Ephraim
- They start out well, just like Judah, then the "but" and the "nor"
- Who fails?
- Judah // Simeon // Manasseh // Ephraim // Zebulun // Asher // Naphtali // Dan
- Of course, Levi would not be mentioned, nor would Gad and Reuben (other side of the Jordan), leaving Issachar and Benjamin
- So what are our initial conclusion about the people entering the land of rest?
- Things do not proceed well after the death of Joshua
- Some tribes start out well (Judah, Simeon, Ephraim, and Manasseh) but finish poorly
- Others tribes fail
- They are not going to experience the rest they had looked forward to
- Something happened (but, nor, neither, …), and the book has not yet told us what that failure is
Judges 2:1-5 (NIV) The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to
Bokim and said, "I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land
that I swore to give to your forefathers. I said, 'I will never break my
covenant with you, 2 and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this
land, but you shall break down their altars.' Yet you have disobeyed me. Why
have you done this? 3 Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out
before you; they will be [thorns] in your sides and their gods will be a snare
to you."
4 When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the
Israelites, the people wept aloud, 5 and they called that place Bokim. There
they offered sacrifices to the Lord.
- We do not know who this "messenger" of the Lord is. There are various suggestions, but we do know the message
- What is the first part of the message intended to communicate?
- God brought them here
- God led them to the land
- God fulfilled his promise
- God never breaks or will break his covenant
- What is the second part of the message?
- You were required not to make a covenant with the people of this land
- Marriage
- Treaties
- You were required to break down their altars
- They are not historical artifacts to be preserved
- It does not matter how beautiful or grandiose they are
- What is the third part of the message? The consequence of your failure is:
- The people will be thorns in your side
- Their gods will be snares to you
- How do the people respond?
- They cry which suggests repentance
- They worship (offer sacrifices)
- But what does not happen?
- The consequences are not removed. They made irrevocable decisions
- Irrevocable decisions mean that the consequences cannot be altered
- Irrevocable decisions does not mean you are forever cursed. The book is a story of God's mercy and grace to the people. Obedience can change many of the circumstances of your life
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