THE BOOK OF JUDGES

BACKGROUND

 After the conquest of the land of

Canaan, the Israelites experienced
transformations in their national life.
 There was the change from a
wondering nomadic tribe to a more
permanent settlement in the land
of Canaan.
 From the time of the Patriarchal stage
as mentioned in Genesis to the
deliverance of God's people from
slavery in Exodus, the Israelites were
landless people.
 Abraham from Ur traveled from a
distant country to another land as he
obeyed God's word.
• Whereas Jacob and his family,
Abraham's descendants, settled in
Egypt during the great famine, by
special grant of the Pharaoh through
Joseph, son of Jacob.
• After the Exodus from Egypt, the
Israelites were nomads in the desert
for many years, until the Lord of
Israel gave the land of Canaan and
made Israel responsible for that land.
• The land of Canaan was a symbol of
the Covenant between Abraham and
his descendants and God.
• The possession of the land of Canaan
meant obedience and fidelity to God.
 When the Israelites settled
among the Canaanite
communities, they began to adopt
the religious cult of the local
inhabitants of Canaan.
 They also worshiped the
Canaanite god Baal, the god of
fertility.
 The Israelites committed the
gravest sin, the sin of idolatry.
 They forgot the covenant their
fathers had made with their God
Yahweh.
 The descendants of Abraham after Joshua either did not know or
had really forgotten the salvific acts of God in their lives, their
deliverance from slavery in Egypt, and their conquest of the land
of Canaan.
 They had not kept alive the memory that their previous triumphs
and successes and their very existence as a people were
completely dependent on their God.
• The other transformation that occurred during the time of
the judges was divided leadership.
• During the time of Moses and Joshua, only one leader led the
Israelites at a time.
• But at the time of the Judges, Israel became confederations of
tribes with no central authority or central government.
• Their faith in God and the Ark of the Covenant kept in the shrine
at Shiloh was the only reason why they were together.
Here is a quotation from Judges 17:6:

“In those days there was no King in

Israel, everyone did what he thought
was best.”

 This quotation proved that the

Israelites abused their uncontrolled
freedom.
 The sin of idolatry and disunity entered
into the picture.
 God tolerated the tribes of Israel to be
oppressed by their neighbors to teach
them a lesson.
 Later, God, moved with pity for His
people, sent judges to deliver them
from oppression.
A. The Role of the Judges

 In the Old Testament, “judges” were men chosen by God to

bring deliverance to His people who were oppressed by their
enemies to teach them a lesson.
 God endowed the judges with special gifts of wisdom and
courage, which gave them authority over the tribes and the ability
to bring about the downfall of their enemies.
 They corrected the evil
situation in Israel; they were
often referred to as charismatic
leaders.
 They were not extraordinary
people except that they were
chosen to perform a special
function in their respective
community in spite of their
personal weaknesses and
shortcomings.
 Among the tribes in Israel,
the stories of the judges were
handed down orally and were
transformed into stories of
the judges as hero-legends.
 Such was the case with
Gideon, Deborah, and
Samson.
 The Old Testament judges are
usually classified as major and
minor judges.
 The major judges are classified
according to the amount of
volumes or chapters devoted to
them in the Old Testament.
 The minor judges are also judged
according to the first category as
mentioned above.
 The second classification, although
not highly recommended, is
merely based on length or time of
function devoted by each judge to
perform his respective task.
 The six major judges were:
 OTHNIEL,
 EHUD,
 DEBORAH AND BARAK,
 GIDEON,
 JEPTHAH, and
 SAMSON.
 The minor judges were:
 SHAMGAR,
 TOLA,
 JAIR,
 IBZAN,
 ELON, and
 ABDON.

 The following judges were chosen because of

their merit as often mentioned and cited
among other judges.
 GIDEON
(Judges 6-8)

 The Israelites had become

unfaithful again.
 They had joined the unfaithful
people to worship the pagan god,
Baal.
 The Lord delivered them into the
hands of their enemies.
 The Medianites, harassed the
Israelites by destroying and
burning their crops, leaving them
no food and starving them to
death.
 The Israelites cried out and begged for
mercy to the Lord for their sufferings
under the Medianites.
 God did not heed them for a while to let
them realize their unfaithfulness.
 However, out of God's goodness and
mercy, He rescued His people by calling
Gideon to be the instrument of His
people's deliverance from the foreign
oppressors.
 Gideon was hesitant to answer God's call
but God assured his family and promised
to be with Gideon just like during the
time of Moses.
 Since God made an assurance with
Gideon, with three hundred capable
men, he led the attack against their
enemies.
 With only a handful of men (300),
Gideon was able to drive away their
enemies.
 God delivered Midian and its allies
into the hands of Israel.
 The Israelites experienced peace and
prosperity once again for almost forty
years during the leadership of Gideon
as judge in Israel.
 But after the death of Gideon, the
Israelites sinned again and worshipped
false gods.
 DEBORAH AND BARAK
(Judges 4 - 5)

 In Judges Chapters 4 and 5,

the great judge and prophetess
was Deborah with her general,
Barak, calling the tribes of the
north together to fight against
the Canaanite Kings.
 The texts present the great
victory of Deborah with Barak
in prose (Judges 4) and in
poetry (chapter 5).
 In this context, the woman
Deborah is presented as a judge
and a prophetess at the same
time.
 The two titles of Deborah
enabled her to apply the law to
cases brought to her and to
interpret the will of God for the
people.
 SAMSON AND DELILAH
(Judges 13-16)

 At the time when the Israelites

offended once again their God,
the Philistines mastered their
troops and stormed the
Israelites.
 The Israelites lost the battle
against the Philistines. For forty
years, they were under the
foreign power as slaves.
 After sometime, an Israelite woman, who was barren for a long
time, received a message from an angel who appeared to her that
she would bear a son.
 The son was to be a Nazirite, a person who did not cut his hair
and did not drink wine (Judges 13:5).
 The woman (Manoah) gave birth to a son and named him
Samson.
• His birth was described to be of divine origin. Samson had a
unique mission to accomplish within his community.
• He was exceptionally strong.
• God gave him extraordinary strength, so that people (Israel)
could see the power of God.
• His strength found no match in Israel and their enemies.
• God had chosen Samson to
free His people from the
hands of the Philistines.

• He became a leader and

ruler in Israel for almost
twenty years as judge.
• However, Samson fell in love with
a woman named Delilah, who
was a Philistine and the cause of
his downfall.
• She seduced Samson and
connived with her people
(Philistine) to find out the secret
of Samson's strength.
• Because of Samson's love to
Delilah, he revealed his secret.
• His revelation and admission
opened the way to disobedience
of God's command (Judges 13:5).
• His consecration and faithfulness to God was lost.
• Samson disobeyed God, and then he fell into the power of the
Philistines.
• Samson was blinded and worked unwillingly at Gaza.
• But later on, he repented and God restored his strength and
dignity.
B.The Ethical Cycle Presented
in the Book of the Judges

1. Israel became disobedient and

unfaithful to God. (Judges 2:11)
2. God punished His people to
teach them a lesson. ( Judges
2:14)
3. God's people cried out to Him
and begged for forgiveness and
mercy. (Judges 6:7)
4. God heard and forgave His
people. (Judges 2:18)
 This vicious cycle is consistently
repeated a number of times.
 The people commit sins against
God.
 God punishes them by allowing
them to be oppressed by their
enemies.
 The people repent and turn
back to God.
 God sends the judges to liberate
His people from oppression and
bondage of slavery.
 BOOK OF KINGS

THE MONARCHIAL PERIOD

Background

 When the Lord called Samuel to

guide and lead His people Israel, the
nation was in great danger.

 There was an internal division among

the people because of their
unfaithfulness to God.
 Some group started worshipping Baal, the god of the Canaanites.
 The people forgot that worshipping of the true God was the source
of their unity.
 When God called Samuel, he acted as a bridge between the time of
the judges and the emergence of the Kings in Israel.
 His experiences and story were described in the Books of I and 2
Samuel.
1. Saul, as First King in Israel

 At last, Israel had become a Kingdom, as

the Israelites had desired. Samuel had
anointed Saul, as their first King in Israel
(I Samuel 10:1).
 Although, he was reluctant to give in to
the request of the people, Samuel was a
God-fearing person a just and honorable
man.
 He was deeply worried about the
infidelity of his people.
 For him God was the only king
(Theocracy).
 It was God who had given them
the land and all they possessed.
 Yahweh was a mighty God (El-
Shaddai) to be-feared, revered
and loved by all.
 However, Saul failed to live up to
the expectations Samuel had of a
King.
 Samuel advised Saul that God
alone was their true King.
 Saul was just acting on behalf of
God, the real and true King of
Israel.
 Thus, he should listen to God's
instructions.
 All his actions should be inspired
and guided by God's law.
 But Saul rather listened to the
people who were wicked and
sinful in their own desires.
 He disobeyed God's reminders
through Samuel.
 God was displeased with Saul and
commanded Samuel to find
another King.
2. David, as the Second King in Israel

 After Samuel received the instruction of

God, he hurriedly went to meet Jesse and
his sons.
 Upon insistence and inquiry, Samuel
found out that Jesse's youngest son was
still tending the sheep.
 His name was David, a shepherd, whom
God had chosen to be the second king of
Israel.
 He was anointed by Samuel and
presented to the people to be recognized
as chosen by their God. (1 Samuel 16:13)
A. David vs. the giant Goliath of
the Philistines

 The Philistines were threatening

to devastate Israel.
 They were very proud because
of their champion, Goliath.
 They challenged the Israelites to
send anyone from among them
to fight Goliath.
 All the Israelites were afraid
except David, who was endowed
by the spirit of God.

 David accepted the challenge of

the Philistines.

 He went to fight against Goliath

with only his sling shot.

 He overpowered and defeated

Goliath in the name of God,
 The Philistines, after their
champion was beheaded by David,
immediately fled, fearing for their
lives (1 Samuel 17:32-5 4).
 At this time, Saul became jealous
because David had accomplished
many things. (1 Samuel 18:6-16).
 Fearing for his life, David fled and
took refuge in different places.
B. Death of Samuel and Saul

 Samuel died, and all Israel were

gathered to mourn for him.
 They buried Samuel in his home in
Ramah (I Samuel 25:1).
 Samuel's death was a great loss for
Israel.
 He was the only one who can
contradict and remind the King in
Israel at that time.
 Saul met his death with his sons, in
one of the battles against the
Philistines on Mount Gilboa. (1
Samuel 3l:1-10).
 After David had received the news
of Saul's death, he consulted with
the Lord on what to do.
 The Lord sent David to Hebron
where the men of Judah came and
anointed David as King of the
Judahites (2 Samuel 2:14a).
 It took some time before David
became King of the whole
kingdom of Israel.
C. Israel United as One

 All Israel (tribes of Israel) came to David in Hebron and made a pact
with David and submitted themselves.
 They recognized David as the one who would shepherd
God's -people against their common enemies (2 Samuel 5:1-5).
 They too, anointed David as their King of the whole Israel.
D.The Capture of Jerusalem, the
Capital and City of God

 After David had united the Kingdom,

he set forth for Jerusalem.
 David captured the whole Jerusalem
and made it a city.
 He built a palace for himself there
and brought his family and lived
there.
 Jerusalem became the center and
capital of Israel.
 It became the center of the religious
ceremony at that time, too.
 At this time, the Kingdom prospered
economically and politically.
 David thought that the Ark of the
Covenant can be brought to Jerusalem
as his sign of thanksgiving to God.
 Then, God told prophet Nathan in a
vision that he would bless more the
Kingdom of David if this thought of
David happened.
 Nathan brought the vision to David
(2 Samuel 7:1-17).
 The Ark of the Covenant
was brought into the city
amidst great festivities.

 David offered sacrifices to

the Lord and danced in the
presence of the Lord (2
Samuel 6:14-17).
E. The Sin, Punishment and Repentance of David

 David, like anyone else, had his own weaknesses.

 He committed grave sins against God and his people, Israel.
 He followed his hearts' desire like the former King Saul.
 He succumbed to his weaknesses. He took Bathsheba, wife of Uriah, to be
his woman.
 When he learned that Bathsheba
was carrying his child, a product
of unfaithfulness and lust, he
ordered Uriah to go to the front
line in the battle against the
Ammonites, so that he would be
killed (2 Samuel 11:27 b).
 God sent Prophet Nathan to
inform David that God was very
angry with him.
 Then Nathan told a parable about a
rich man with flocks and herds in
great number who took the only
sheep of a poor man who had
nothing at all.
 David was furious when he heard
the parable of Nathan.
 He condemned the rich man.
 Nathan said to David, "You are the
man in the story!"
 David was surprised and awakened
and acknowledged his sins.
 In Psalm 51, David’s great sorrow and his burning desire for God's
forgiveness was very visible.
 David whole-heartedly accepted the punishment of God.
 His punishment was his child with Bathsheba would die.
 However, God forgave David for his sins and Bathsheba conceived and had
another son by the name of Solomon.
 God loved Solomon for he was the fruit of David's repentance.
3. Solomon as the Third King in Israel

 After David had died, his son Solomon

inherited the throne.
 He ruled Israel and Judah.
 At the beginning of Solomon's reign as
King over Israel and Judah, he was faithful
to God and loved Him very dearly (2
King 3:3).
 God blessed Solomon more and more.
Solomon prayed to God to have the “gift
of wisdom” and God gave him wisdom.
 God was pleased that Solomon
had prayed for wisdom and
not for honor arid glory,
neither for riches and power.
 So God poured more material
blessings upon Solomon and
his Kingdom (I Kings
3:12-13).
 There was one noted
occasion about Solomon as
being a “wise” king in
Israel.
 This was about the two women and
mother who claimed the same
child.
 Solomon threatened the two
mothers by ordering to cut the
child into two parts so that they
will each have the body of the child.
 The true and real mother of the
child gave in her right and Solomon
discovered the real mother. (I Kings
3:16-28).
 Solomon used his gift of wisdom
in directing the economy of Israel
and Judah.
 He entered into extensive trade
with foreign countries.
 The whole kingdom benefited
and materially prospered.
 Even the Queen of Sheba was
overwhelmed with Solomon's
wisdom and wealth. (1 Kings
10:1-13).
A. The Jerusalem Temple as
God's Dwelling Place

• It was mentioned in 2 Samuel 7:2

how David had wanted to build a
temple for God but it did not
materialize, because God did not
allow him to build His dwelling
place.
• Now that there was peace,
prosperity, and stability in the
land, Solomon fulfilled his father's
dream by constructing the
grandest and finest temple ever
built in the history of humanity (I
King 6-8).
 The temple was so big and huge;
it was made of the best and
finest materials.
 The Ark of the Covenant was
placed 'inside the holy of holies
that was the innermost part of
the temple.
 That became the dwelling place
of God.
 Because of that, Jerusalem
became known as the “City of
God” or the “Holy City”.
 B.The Downfall of Solomon

 At the later period of Solomon's

reign, he displeased God like his
predecessors, Saul and David.
 Solomon also married pagan.
women who were daughters of
pagan kings and chieftains to
establish peace with them.
 In order to please them, he built
pagan temples for them and
worshipped their pagan gods.
 He introduced forced labor until
the people cried out to God for
help.
 God was so displeased with
Solomon for he introduced and
allowed idolatry and forced
labor to God's chosen people.
 Solomon had forgotten what
God had done to them when his
chosen people were in Egypt.
 He liberated His people from
slavery.
 And now Solomon oppressed
God's people just to give into
his caprices.
 God told him that because of
his sins, his kingdom would be
divided after his death.
 Part would go to his son,
Rehoboam, and the other half
to his servant Jeroboam I.
 NATION AND KINGDOM
GOD

.
Sin Man Saul anointed king by Samuel the prophet
begins KINGDOM David anointed king about 1000 B.C.
to Makes Jerusalem his capital.
move Makes its religious center by
back installing Ark.
Sin to
God About 1200 B.C.
Leads Israel into Canaan, the land promised.
JOSHUA to Abraham. The people become a nation.
Beginning of the period of Judges

MOSES: Savior – Mediator - Prophet

Sin JOSEPH: Preservation of Family
Depth of
Sin ABRAHAM: Beginning of Salvation