Announcements
• Papers – begin preliminary research now
• Exams back Wednesday (Lord willing)
• Continue to take advantage of review sessions
•
•
•
•
•
•
Psalm 18:47 (Hebrew)
HAI
ADONAI
UVARUKH
Lives
The LORD and blessed (is)
VEYARUM
ELOHEI
And may He be exalted the God of
TZURI (2X)
my Rock
YESHU’ATI (2X)
My salvation
Review Questions
• What is the Deuteronomic History?
• What are the implications of the term
herem?
• Why is it important to recognize that the
conquest recorded in Joshua did not result
in an immediate occupation?
• What did the people promise at the end of
the book of Joshua?
The Major Judges
What Questions Do These
Narratives Raise?
The “Second Generation” Problem
Judges 2:10-19
•
•
•
•
•
Apostasy - idolatry
Oppression
Repentance
Deliverance
Repetition
• This is the primary message of the book. It uses
incidents from Israel’s early history in the land to
teach an important lesson. Judges does not
necessarily present a chronological history.
Geo-political circumstances
• No major international enemies – Egyptians
and Hittites battled each other but that did not
affect Israel
• Oppression from neighboring (Moab,
Philistia) and nomadic (Amalekites,
Midianites) peoples
• Tribal unity basically self-contained; no
central rule
The geo-political context
Messages of the book
• Disobedience of the people brought
punishment from the Lord – a recurring
theme of the DH (“Israel did evil in the
eyes of the Lord”)
• Set the stage for the establishment of the
kingship (DH – focus on the tribe of Judah)
• Emphasis on the sovereignty of God –
who used flawed individuals often in spite
of themselves
Major Judges (Hebr 11:32,33)
•
•
•
•
Deborah and Barak
Gideon
Jephthah
Samson
• There are two additional “major” judges (Othniel
and Ehud) and six minor ones – twelve
altogether.
• Note the prominence of women in the book.
Deborah and Barak
• Note locations of
Deborah and Barak
• Hazor
• Mt. Tabor
• Kishon Brook
• Tribes of Naphtali and
Zebulon
Deborah and Barak (Judges 4-5)
• Israel’s apostasy
• Jabin, king of Hazor, and his general, Sisera
• Deliverers were Deborah and Barak
– Deborah was a prophet and judge – authority
– Barak suffered from lack of courage
• Courage of Jael
• The battle in the Jezreel Valley
• Victory celebrated in poetry
Gideon
• Tribe of Manasseh
• Midianites,
Amalekites and other
eastern peoples
• Gaza
• Spring of Harod
• Mt. Moreh
Wine Press
Gideon (Judges 6-8)
• Israel’s apostasy
• Oppressors were Midianites, Amalekites, other
eastern peoples
• Deliverer was Gideon
– Visit of the angel of the LORD
– The sign(s) and his need for encouragement
• Victory – but tainted by tensions between “east and
west”
• Gideon’s weaknesses
• The aftermath – Abimelekh and Jotham
Jephthah
• Philistines
• Ammonites
Jephthah
Jephthah (Judges 10:6-12:13)
• Severe apostasy of Israel
• Oppressors – Philistines and Ammonites
• Deliverer was Jephthah
– His identity and “call”
– His rash vow
• The victory
• The aftermath
– The vow fulfilled
– Intertribal warfare
Samson
• Tribe of Dan
• Philistines
• Timnah, Zorah,
Eshtaol
• Ashkelon
• Gaza
Samson (Judges 13-16)
• Apostasy and oppression from the
Philistines
• The deliverer
– A Nazirite (cf Num 6) who did not take the vow
seriously
– Samson’ weaknesses (Philistine women; his
spirit of vengeance)
• A series of victories in spite of character
flaws