Judges 4:1-24, If you refuse to serve, God will find someone else. You lose out on the blessing of God using you

Judges 4:1–10 (ESV) — 1 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud died. 2 And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. 3 Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, for he had 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years.


4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6 She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun. 7 And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?” 8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9 And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 And Barak called out Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. And 10,000 men went up at his heels, and Deborah went up with him.


• The 900 chariots were probably effective on the plains but not in the mountains
• What similarities to previous episodes do we see?
• The leader dies
• The people commit evil
• The people suffer (4:3 cruel oppression)
• The people cry for help
• God provides
• What differences do we see?
• The judge is existing during the time of the oppression
• The judge is female
• This is the first instance in scripture of gynaecocracy (government by women or a single woman). What do we note and what can we infer?
• OBSERVE:
• There is no negative connotation
• God speaks to her or at least through her
• She was esteemed
• She was obviously very wise if she was judging disputes
• INFER:
• There was no man willing to take on the leadership
• Barak's response to her indicates a fearfulness on the part of the men to lead
• There is honor in leadership
• What are some other examples of women as either leaders or prophets?
• Miriam (Exodus 15:20); Huldah (2 Kings 22:14); Anna (Luke 2:36); and Philip's four daughters (Acts 21:8-9)
• We also see Priscilla in a leadership role in the NT
• What is striking about Barak?
• He refuses God's command unless Deborah goes with him
• Adds credence to the lack of men to take on leadership. If the men don't lead, the woman will. The issue is not one of competence but of role
• When Deborah says that God will give the honor to a woman, what is the natural thought or response?
• That Deborah will get the honor
• Although, female leadership does not promote men's leadership
• APPLICATION: What responsibility do we have that we refuse to accept? Where are we fearful to step out in faith?


Judges 4:11–21 (ESV) — 11 Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh.


12 When Sisera was told that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 Sisera called out all his chariots, 900 chariots of iron, and all the men who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon. 14 And Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. Does not the Lord go out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him. 15 And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army before Barak by the edge of the sword. And Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot. 16 And Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left.


17 But Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18 And Jael came out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord; turn aside to me; do not be afraid.” So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. 19 And he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him. 20 And he said to her, “Stand at the opening of the tent, and if any man comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’ ” 21 But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. So he died.


• What do we know of Heber?
• He is a descendant of Hobab, Moses' brother-in-law
• His name means ally
• He lived away from the other Kenites (Moses' Father-in-law)
• Kenite means "smith" as in blacksmith and that may have been a family trade (Constable) but we don't know
• There were friendly relations between the Jabin and Heber (he was playing both sides)
• Suggests that Heber was afraid to choose sides
• Heber looks the other way concerning the "cruel oppression" (vs 4:3)
• Why does Jael act as she did?
• She did not view Sisera neutrally
• She chose to take action, not to sit on the sidelines or play both sides
• What do Jael's actions show?
• Courage
• It was entirely possible that Sisera would have woken and she would have been overcome by Sisera (who was probably much stronger)
• If she misses, she is dead
• Jael does violate rules of hospitality, but Sisera also violates the rules as well. He should not have been in Jael's tent, nor should he have told her what to do
• One wonders where Heber is while his wife is playing host to Sisera?
• APPLICATION: We can be like Heber and try to play both sides -- in the world and not in the world -- walking with God and carousing with our pagan friends. There is nothing wrong with non-Christian friends, but if you refuse to live like Christ among them, then there is something very wrong. God is looking for men and women who have the courage to stand up to their convictions. Those are the people God uses


Judges 4:22–24 (ESV) — 22 And behold, as Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” So he went in to her tent, and there lay Sisera dead, with the tent peg in his temple.


23 So on that day God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan before the people of Israel. 24 And the hand of the people of Israel pressed harder and harder against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.


• The honor goes to Jael. She and Deborah are the only two people willing to act on their own initiative. Heber and Barak are merely participants. The real work of God is done through the women
• Now, Judges does not have much commentary. It is non-fiction and it presents what happen without a lot of discussion. But do we see any negative commentary in the story?
• Maybe toward Barak
• Heber's actions are also questionable since he is friends with the oppressors
• In general, the men fair poorly while the women are to be praised
• APPLICATION: God wants to use your life. But if you are not willing to find time with him or be obedient to him, he will find someone else to work through. And that's not a good thing

Judges 3:5-31, God can use all kinds of people to accomplish his will

Judges 3:5–11 (ESV) —
5 So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6 And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods.
7 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. 8 Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. 9 But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. 10 The Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. 11 So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
.



• Here is the pattern that was previously referred to. It will be repeated for the next few and then as we go farther along in the book, some of the details will be left off. Obviously, the pattern is clear and does not need to be retold every time, but let's review …
• Israelites did evil (preceding this verse in a summary of the earlier problem)
• Made covenants (in this case, marriage)
• Did not destroy the altars (in this case, served their gods)
• Forgot God
• Served Baals
• Served Asherahs
• "Gotta serve somebody" - Keith Green song
• Anger of the Lord burns against Israel
• Consequently, they are "sold" into the hands of an enemy
• How does God sell a nation to another nation?
• Israel cries out to the Lord
• God raises up a deliverer
• In this case it is Caleb's younger brother
• The Spirit of the Lord comes upon him (only after the Spirit comes upon him that he goes to war)
• The Lord gives the foreign king into the hands of His appointed savior
• Proving God is sovereign
• Proving that it is a combination of war (people fighting) and God giving the victory
• The land (and consequently the people) has peace
• APPLlCATION: What do you do when things are going well?
• APPLlCATION: How do you protect yourself from taking God for granted?
• Not sure what it means, but from what tribe does the first deliverer come from?
• Judah
• Show map detailing that nearly every tribe has a deliverer at one time or another


Judges 3:12–15 (ESV) —
12 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 13 He gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and went and defeated Israel. And they took possession of the city of palms. 14 And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
15 Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.


• This time the deliverer comes from where? Benjamin
• Again we what pattern?
• Evil
• Lord giving the people over
• Israel in slavery (or bondage) for 18 years
• Israel cries out for a deliverer
• God provides a deliverer (a way out)
• Let's put the principles into a NT setting for a believer. How might it fit?
• Believer falls into sin
• God disciplines the believer. God allows him to experience consequences of his actions
• Believer repents
• God provides a way out
• APPLICATION: Earlier, we discussed three steps to protect yourself from falling into sin, what were they?
• Fellowship with God
• Fellowship with other believers (Bad company corrupts good morals)
• Good spiritually accountable relationships


Judges 3:16–30 (ESV) —
16 And Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his clothes. 17 And he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. 18 And when Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute. 19 But he himself turned back at the idols near Gilgal and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And he commanded, “Silence.” And all his attendants went out from his presence. 20 And Ehud came to him as he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And he arose from his seat. 21 And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. 22 And the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and the dung came out. 23 Then Ehud went out into the porch and closed the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locked them.
24 When he had gone, the servants came, and when they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, “Surely he is relieving himself in the closet of the cool chamber.” 25 And they waited till they were embarrassed. But when he still did not open the doors of the roof chamber, they took the key and opened them, and there lay their lord dead on the floor.
26 Ehud escaped while they delayed, and he passed beyond the idols and escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was their leader. 28 And he said to them, “Follow after me, for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites and did not allow anyone to pass over. 29 And they killed at that time about 10,000 of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; not a man escaped. 30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years.


• An interesting story. Ehud was very successful, but how?
• Makes a sword (so he had blacksmith skills). The possession of swords was probably illegal
• Hides his sword (under clothing, along the leg)
• Takes courage to carry sword to palace
• Used tribute as an entre
• Gained trust by giving a gift and not attacking the King the first time they met
• Used secrecy to gain privacy with King (a message with God -- and it was a message)
• He takes the initiative to move while a power vacuum exists (a lack of appointed leadership)
• Overall, Ehud uses deceit and essentially a con to kill Eglon
• APPLICATION: Ehud is called a judge. God uses a man who does not act in a manner that we are used to. Later with Gideon, God provided the strategy, in this case, he allows Ehud to plan the attack. In both cases, God is sovereign, even when the actions may not be considered moral
• How is the story of Shamgar different from either Ehud or later, Gideon?
• Ehud illegally made a weapon, a sword (or a dagger)
• Shamgar legally uses a tool for plowing to accomplish his rescue of Israel
Judges 3:31 (ESV) — 31 After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel.
• APPLICATION: There is no one specific way God must work but he can use a variety of means and people to accomplish his will

Judges 2:6-3:4, The importance of spiritual leadership and a personal relationship with God

Judges 2:6–10 (ESV) —
6 When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. 7 And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. 8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years. 9 And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. 10 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.


• In chapter one, we start out with the death of Joshua and what happened among the tribes in the next stages of clearing out of the land. It ends with the failures and the reasons in chapter 2:1-5
• Now 2:6 starts out with a flashback, which is also a summary of the end of the book of Joshua and the first chapter of Judges. In fact, this whole chapter is both a summary of where they started and how they lived over the next 200 plus years
• What is the author trying to do with these opening verses?
• Show how and why they failed
• What is his argument?
• The next generation, second generation believers, did not truly know what God had done for Israel. They only knew the stories
• Good spiritual leadership died. Why is that important? Good spiritual leadership is willing to ask hard questions and challenge your life. If you stay away from spiritual authority, it is because you are not willing to have your life challenged. We need people who will hold us accountable. Without that type of leadership, it is easy to fall into patterns of sin
• The people didn't really know God. Why is that important? Without a relationship, it is not faith but just a set of rules (religion). And rules will not carry you though in life
• APPLICATION: Who is a spiritual authority in your life? Do you have someone that you would trust to call your actions into questions? Or do you avoid having that type of leadership involved in your life?
• APPLICATION: Do you have a growing relationship with God, or is God only a set of rules?


Judges 2:11–19 (ESV) —
11 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. 14 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. 15 Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.
16 Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 17 Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. 19 But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways.


• The result for these second generation believers who only knew the stories, who had know spiritual authority, and who saw faith as a set of rules and not a relationship with God, is … what?
• They left God
• They did what the people around them did. What do we call this?
• They fitted in. They accepted the culture. They talk like them, swore like them, lived like them
• What is today's religion and idols?
• Agnosticism or anything goes, but also atheism
• Sex, entertainment, materialism, whatever makes one happy
• What are other characteristics of this culture?
• Language, coarseness
• Sexual innuendos
• Incivility, cool to be rude or sarcastic
• Cynicism
• How do you think God views his children living like this culture?
• Heb 12:7-11 (NIV) Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
• Heb 12:25-26, 28-29 (NIV) See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?... 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our "God is a consuming fire."
• APPLICATION: Not all suffering is God's discipline, but God will use suffering to discipline or to get your attention. We need to praying:
• Ps 139:23-24 (NIV)  Search me, O God, and know my heart; // test me and know my anxious thoughts. // 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, // and lead me in the way everlasting.
• So when the people were in great distress because of their sins, what did God do and why?
• He raised up leaders, judges
• I think there were two roles for these judges but because they were imperfect, not all of them did a very good job
• One, they were to save Israel physically by defeating their enemies
• Two, they were to save Israel spiritually by guiding them spiritually, by being an example of a man or woman who only worshiped God, not the heathen culture
• The judges were not effective. Some of it has to do with the judges, but what is the other reason?
• The people were too stubborn
• The people did not want to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways
• THEY LOVED THEIR SIN MORE THAN THEY LOVED GOD
• The lie in the above statement is that loving God is much more satisfying
• APPLICATION: Who are our spiritual leaders and how should we be responding to them?
• Heb 13:7 (NIV) Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 
• Heb 13:17 (NIV) Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.


Judges 2:20–3:6 (ESV) —
20 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, 22 in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did, or not.” 23 So the Lord left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.
3:1 Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. 2 It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before. 3 These are the nations: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. 4 They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. 5 So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6 And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods.


• Two reasons are given for life being hard and both are true, what does it say?
• The nations were there to test the people because they had failed to be obedient (verses 2:20-23 and 3:4)
• For those who did not know warfare, the testing was to give them battle experience (verses 3:1-3) -- Red Flag (RF) example: Most pilots in Vietnam were killed in the first ten missions. RF was to created to give them the first ten missions in a controlled environment
• So, while this might seem contradictory, the fact that both reasons are given in the same paragraph means that both reasons are true
• So, because of disobedience, God uses their circumstances to test their faith
• And, God uses their circumstances to teach them warfare
• Why is it necessary to learn warfare if God is your protection?
• Because, when God works in our life, we have to act as well
• We are not compliant puppets
• We have a responsibility to choose, take the first step, and follow through on our actions
• God's responsibility is the results, but that does not mean will lay down on our couch eating chips and watching TV
• APPLICATION: Are you partnering with God? Are you in one of two extremes? 1) God does it all and I don't have to do anything or 2) I have to work hard at it to be successful. The answer lies at both extremes. I need to do my darnedest and I need to trust God completely, and give him the praise

Judges 1:1-2:5, God forgives but does not always change the consequences of our actions

• Review last words of Joshua
• Cling to him
• Love him with all your being (not being lukewarm)
• Warning (three things)
• Snare and a trap -- the world will capture your heart with its devices
• A whip on your side -- the world will leave scars from the pain it will cause
• Thorns in your eyes -- the world will blind you to what is true
• 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 350 years (regional peace causes the numbers to add up into larger periods (450 years))


Judges 1:1–8 (ESV) —
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.
8 And the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire.
Judges 1:19–21 (ESV) —
19 And the Lord was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, but he could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of iron. 20 And Hebron was given to Caleb, as Moses had said. And he drove out from it the three sons of Anak. 21 But the people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites have lived with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.


• 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
• Joshua defeated all the enemies that God promised
• God did not let them attack all the enemies of the land because it would have been too much to care for given their size
• God expected Israel to continue cleansing the land
• Remember, God had given the people of Canaan 400 plus years to repent
• Some call this genocide -- for the creator this is justice and mercy (their sins were so great they were just hurting themselves and others)
• 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 David's time (or rebuilt)
• 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 (ESV) —
22 The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the Lord was with them. 23 And the house of Joseph scouted out Bethel. (Now the name of the city was formerly Luz.) 24 And the spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the way into the city, and we will deal kindly with you.” 25 And he showed them the way into the city. And they struck the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man and all his family go. 26 And the man went to the land of the Hittites and built a city and called its name Luz. That is its name to this day.
27 Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages, for the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land. 28 When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not drive them out completely.
29 And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.
30 Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, or the inhabitants of Nahalol, so the Canaanites lived among them, but became subject to forced labor.
31 Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, or the inhabitants of Sidon or of Ahlab or of Achzib or of Helbah or of Aphik or of Rehob, 32 so the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for they did not drive them out.
33 Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, so they lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became subject to forced labor for them.
34 The Amorites pressed the people of Dan back into the hill country, for they did not allow them to come down to the plain. 35 The Amorites persisted in dwelling in Mount Heres, in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim, but the hand of the house of Joseph rested heavily on them, and they became subject to forced labor. 36 And the border of the Amorites ran from the ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela and upward.


• 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
• Something happened (but, nor, neither, …), and the book has not yet told us what that failure is


• Judges 2:1–5 (ESV) — 1 Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2 and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? 3 So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” 4 As soon as the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5 And they called the name of that place Bochim. And they sacrificed there to the Lord.


• We do not know who this "messenger" of the Lord is. (Typically, the angel of the Lord is a pre-incarnate manifestation of the second person of the trinity). 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 (merges the two previous images)
• Their gods will be snares to you (the culture will pull you in)
• What is an idol or lower case, god? Anything that commands your love, your attention, your devotion, your obedience, or your time (that is not commanded by God)
• How do the people respond?
• They cry which suggests repentance and acknowledgement
• 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

Josh 22:1-24:15, Joshua: Cling to God or it will be snares, scars, and blindness

Joshua 21:43–22:6 (ESV) —
43 Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. 44 And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. 45 Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.
22:1 At that time Joshua summoned the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 2 and said to them, “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you and have obeyed my voice in all that I have commanded you. 3 You have not forsaken your brothers these many days, down to this day, but have been careful to keep the charge of the Lord your God. 4 And now the Lord your God has given rest to your brothers, as he promised them. Therefore turn and go to your tents in the land where your possession lies, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan. 5 Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” 6 So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.


• From God's perspective (the perspective of scripture), how did he view the last seven years?
• It was a success
• All the enemies were defeated
• There was rest on every side
• Every promise of God was fulfilled
• The trans-Jordan tribes lived up to their promises
• Joshua's words to the trans-Jordan tribes convey what?
• Pride in their obedience
• Reward for their accomplishment
• Warning to love God and walk in his ways with all your heart and soul
• This "love God, cling to him (new), serve with all your heart and soul" comes up repeatedly in scripture. Why the extra modifiers to serve God, and other places, to love God?
• Because you can love God or serve him without all your heart and soul
• You can go through the motions, thinking you are doing enough (not that there is any "enough"), but we think there is
• Because, the world attracts us and pulls us away from God to our own hurt


Joshua 22:10–12 (ESV) —
10 And when they came to the region of the Jordan that is in the land of Canaan, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of imposing size. 11 And the people of Israel heard it said, “Behold, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built the altar at the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region about the Jordan, on the side that belongs to the people of Israel.” 12 And when the people of Israel heard of it, the whole assembly of the people of Israel gathered at Shiloh to make war against them.
Joshua 22:21–29 (ESV) —
21 Then the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh said in answer to the heads of the families of Israel, 22 “The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows; and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion or in breach of faith against the Lord, do not spare us today 23 for building an altar to turn away from following the Lord. Or if we did so to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings on it, may the Lord himself take vengeance. 24 No, but we did it from fear that in time to come your children might say to our children, ‘What have you to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? 25 For the Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you people of Reuben and people of Gad. You have no portion in the Lord.’ So your children might make our children cease to worship the Lord. 26 Therefore we said, ‘Let us now build an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice, 27 but to be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we do perform the service of the Lord in his presence with our burnt offerings and sacrifices and peace offerings, so your children will not say to our children in time to come, “You have no portion in the Lord.” ’ 28 And we thought, ‘If this should be said to us or to our descendants in time to come, we should say, “Behold, the copy of the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifice, but to be a witness between us and you.” ’ 29 Far be it from us that we should rebel against the Lord and turn away this day from following the Lord by building an altar for burnt offering, grain offering, or sacrifice, other than the altar of the Lord our God that stands before his tabernacle!”




• There are good and bad things in this passage. What do you see?

	Good	Bad
Israel	Concern for God's Holiness	Assume the worst
	Unity of purpose
	Talk first
2 1/2 Tribes	Concern for Faith	Built an altar
	Unified

• Good motives, but bad choices in both cases
• The trans-Jordan tribes should not have built an altar
• Israel should not have been so quick to want to wipe them out (although a show of force was appropriate)
• Good motives can lead to good results but do not justify bad behavior


Joshua 23:1–13 (ESV) —
1 A long time afterward, when the Lord had given rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years, 2 Joshua summoned all Israel, its elders and heads, its judges and officers, and said to them, “I am now old and well advanced in years. 3 And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you. 4 Behold, I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west. 5 The Lord your God will push them back before you and drive them out of your sight. And you shall possess their land, just as the Lord your God promised you. 6 Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, 7 that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, 8 but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day. 9 For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day. 10 One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as he promised you. 11 Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God. 12 For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, 13 know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you.


• Even though they accomplished exactly what God intended, what do we learn here?
• There is more land to posses
• The promise to possess all the land is a future promise
• Exodus 23:29–30 (ESV) — 29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land.
• But there is a huge warning, which seems to indicate that the timing of the promise is conditional
• If you cling to them (versus clinging to God--previous verses)
• If you inter-marry with them
• If you associate with them (in the sense of doing what they do and believing what they believe)
• NEW PROMISE:
• God will not drive them out before you
• They shall be a snare and a trap for you --
• They shall be a whip on your sides --
• They shall be thorns in your eyes --


Joshua 24:1–13 (ESV) —
1 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac. 4 And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5 And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and afterward I brought you out.
6 “ ‘Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 And when they cried to the Lord, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness a long time. 8 Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. 9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. And he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you, 10 but I would not listen to Balaam. Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand. 11 And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I gave them into your hand. 12 And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow. 13 I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’


• What is repeated over and over in this passage, and what is the purpose?
• 17 times God says "I" did such and such
• So the history lesson is also a reminder to Israel of what fact? Israel is nothing without God
• There are four major divine acts or periods. What are they?
1. The river is the Euphrates. Abraham's family is called idolaters, probably Abraham was too, but God calls him
2. The Exodus is the second major event
3. The third event is the victory over the Amorites on the east side of the Jordan
4. The crossing of the Jordan and the victories over the Caananites


Joshua 24:14–15 (ESV) —
14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”


• Interestingly, he brings up the gods that Abraham's family served as well as the God's of the land they lived in now, why?
• God has proven himself faithful and real
• He is the only true God
• He is the only one worth serving
• The problem with history, is that we didn't live it, so it doesn't seem real to us. But even when we live it, we forget the great things God has done when disaster strikes. How can we avoid that trap?
• APPLICATION:




Joshua 24:19–24 (ESV) —
19 But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” 21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.” 22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.”


• What does Joshua's impassioned argument tell us about the Israelites?
• The very fact that Joshua has to tell them to put away foreign gods suggests that they were still worshipping foreign gods
• Maybe there were more people who rebelled at Jericho with Achan secretly, and maybe not. But I'm sure, after Achan, they threw it all away
• But since then, they have forgotten Achan and the disaster at AI
• Just like we forget what God is doing in our life
• Judges is a story of what happens when we forget
• APPLICATION: We must not slacken in our commitment to God and to the basics of walking with God