- 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))
- 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
- 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
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.
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.
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