Judges

1
Judges

• Set between the death of Joshua and the rise of
  the Mondarchy (late 2nd millenium B.C., Iron Age
  in the Near East, Philistines rise to power)
• The legacy of Joshua has already begun to fade.
  Israel makes alliances with indigenous people.
  As a result, Israel would be oppressed by the
  surrounding peoples (21-5 31-5). Judges ends
  with the tribes beginning to divide. (20-21)
• Differing perspectives on the conquest. The
  peoples (11-36), and Yahwehs (21-36)

2
Recurring Motifs

• Israel does evil and displeases Yahweh (211,
  37, 12 41, 61 106 131). Idolatry and
  intermarriage.
• Yahwehs anger results in foreign oppression
  (214 38 42 109)
• Oppressed, Israel cries out to God (39, 15
  66-7 1010
• God raises up a deliverer, a judge (216 39,
  15 101, 12 310 634 1129 1325 146, 9)
• Enemy subjugated, people, death, and burial of
  judge.
• This cycle is a degenerating pattern.

3
Meet the Judges

• Othniel (37-11)
• Ehud (312-30) Even Gods rescuers are deceitful!
• Deborah (41-531) A lack of male leadership
  leads to Deborah gaining honor from the Lord
  (49)
• Gideon (61-956) The callow and cowardly judge.
  Gideon forgets the point of Gods work (72), and
  eventually leads the astray (822-27
• Jephthah (106ff) A self-promoter who wins for
  Israel, but at both a personal (113440) and
  national (121-6) price.

4
One More JudgeGospel and Kingdom

• Samson (1316) Ironically, a weak and
  self-indulgent individual who was more successful
  in death than life (1630)
• The judges, what an odd lot! A reluctant farmer,
  a prophetess, a left-handed assassin, an
  illegitimate bandit, a sex-addicted Nazirite, et.
  al. (See Heb. 1132-33)
• What happens when a culture exists where
  everyone does what is right in his own eyes?
  (191)