GET READY
God intended that the Israelites would see him as their earthly leader as well as their God; but the people did not follow God – either spiritually or civilly. When the people ignored God he withdrew from them. When they realized their situation and repented God raised up a leader to rescue them.
Author
We do not know who wrote Judges or when, which is the case with most of the history books of the Old Testament. However, there is some evidence about when the book was written: the author twice says “in those days there was no king in Israel,” [17:6, 21:25], so the book was written after the events it describes. Most scholars believe it was written during Saul or David’s reign (approximately 1050 – 1000 BCE). Some suggest that Samuel, the first prophet (after Moses) whose own history [1 and 2 Samuel] picks up after Judges, wrote this book; but there is no conclusive evidence.
Context
After Joshua died some of the Israelite tribes (notably Judah and Joseph) continued the conquest of the land assigned to them, but most did not. As the elders died the people settled into a co-existence with the Canaanites in violation of God’s command [2:1-3]. Further, they began worshipping the Baals and Asherahs, the Canaanite gods.
When the people refused to follow God as the national and spiritual leader, Israel remained a collection of tribes. This made them easy targets for the more organized Canaanites, who could defeat and oppress the individual tribes one at a time.
Eventually the Israelites would realize their disobedience was causing the oppression and repent. God would then raise up a leader – often military – who would defeat the Canaanites and free the Israelites. But eventually the cycle of disobedience–defeat and oppression–repentance and deliverance would repeat itself. This situation lasts roughly 300 years (1380 – 1050 BCE). Judges recounts eleven cycles.
Structure
Judges has three primary parts:
- A brief introduction: describing Israel after Joshua’s death and introducing the sin–oppression–repentance–delivery cycle.
- The stories of the judges: six judges and their work are described in detail and the other seven judges are briefly mentioned [chapters 3:7-16; see Notes on page 52 for a list of the judges].
- An “appendix” focusing on two incidents from the same period: the first involves the idol image of Micah and the tribe of Dan’s worship of it. The second incident is the tribe of Benjamin’s support of Gibeah and its subsequent defeat by the other tribes [chapters 19-21].
Major Themes
The major theme of this book is the consequences of obedience and disobedience. When the Israelites followed God and obeyed the commandments God supported them and defeated their very real enemies in the land. When the people ignored God and disobeyed the commandments God ignored them and allowed their enemies to defeat and oppress them.
The other primary theme is God’s forgiving response to repentance: when the Israelites realized their situation and turned back to God and obeyed the commandments, God forgave them and restored them to their lands and their homes.
The other message that is woven through the judges’ stories is the imperfect leadership of humans. God calls each judge and provides the necessary resources but they all carry out their mission only partially. Only Jesus was able to fulfill his mission to fully and completely deliver us from our defeat and oppression and restore us to a relationship with God.
GET INTO THE WORD
1. Who wrote this book? When was the book written? Who might have been the author?
2. When do the events of this book take place? Where are the Israelites? What have they done with their land? What is their civic structure? What is their relationship with other people?
3. What is the spiritual situation of the Israelites? How does it change during the course of the book? How is this similar to other times (such as ours)? Who are the significant figures during this time?
4. What is the spiritual situation of the Israelites? How does it change during the course of the book? How is this similar to other times (such as ours)? Who are the significant figures during this time?
5. What is the major focus or theme of this book? What does it tell us about God? About the Israelites? How are they like people today? How are they different?
6. What other messages does this book include? Why are these themes important to the Israelites? Why might they be important to us today?
NOTES . . .
Roster of Judges:
- Othniel – defeated Cushan-rishathaim.
- Ehud – killed the Moabite king Eglon after 18 years of slavery to them.
- Deborah and Barak – defeated the Canaanite king Jabin and killed his army commander Sisera.
- Gideon – defeated the Midianites and Amalekites – refused the offer to become king.
- Tola – served 23 years.
- Jair – served 22 years.
- Jephthah – defeated the Philistines and Ammonites – leaders of Gilead had agreed to name him judge when he won the victory.
- Ibzan – served 7 years.
- Elon – served 10 years.
- Abdon – served 8 years.
- Samson – defeated Philistines – he was blinded after Delilah cut his hair but he regained his strength when
- his hair grew back so he destroyed their temple, killing their leaders as well as himself.
Micah the Ephraimite: his mother made an idol of silver and he hired a Levite to be his priest, but a group of warriors from the tribe of Dan took the idol and priestly gear and the priest. The Danites then conquered the city of Laish and settled there with the idol and priest [chapters 17-18].
Benjamin’s support of Gibeah: the men of Gibeah raped and murdered the concubine of a Levite. The Levite sent a piece of the concubine’s body to each of the twelve tribes and demanded a response. When Benjamin would not give up the guilty men, Israel agreed to attack Benjamin. They killed all but 600 Benjamite men, but then made peace and worked to get the men wives so the tribe would not die out [chapters 19-21].
16: Deborah and Barak — Judges 4:1-24
GET READY
When you have a major project ahead of you do you prefer to do it yourself? Or do you recruit some folks who will follow your leadership? Or do you work to build a team of people with different skills and strengths to tackle the project together?
THE WORD
4The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. 2 So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. 3 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly twenty years.
4 At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. 5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment. 6 She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, ‘Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. 7 I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi 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 got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and ten thousand warriors went up behind him; and Deborah went up with him.
11 Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the other Kenites, that is, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had encamped as far away as Elon-bezaanannim, which is near Kedesh.
12 When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 Sisera called out all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the troops who were with him, from Haro-sheth-ha-goiim to the Wadi Kishon. 14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day on which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. The Lord is indeed going out before you.” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand warriors following him.
15 And the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots and all his army into a panic before Barak; Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot, 16 while Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-ha-goiim. All the army of Sisera fell by the sword; no one was left.
17 Now Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent of Jael wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between King Jabin of Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite. 18 Jael came out to meet Sisera, and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me; have no fear.” So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. 19 Then 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 He said to her, “Stand at the entrance of the tent, and if anybody comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.'” 21 But Jael wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, until it went down into the ground — he was lying fast asleep from weariness — and he died. 22 Then, as Barak came in pursuit of 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 into her tent; and there was Sisera lying dead, with the tent peg in his temple.
23 So on that day God subdued King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 Then the hand of the Israelites bore harder and harder on King Jabin of Canaan, until they destroyed King Jabin of Canaan. NRSV
GET INTO THE WORD
1. What is the situation as this chapter opens? What did the Israelites do? Where are they now? How long has this been happening?
2. Who is introduced next? What is she doing? Where? Who does she call for? What does she tell him to do? How does she justify this order? Who is really in charge?
3. How does the man respond to Deborah? How does she deal with this situation? What does she say will happen at the end? Who will get the glory?
4. What does the Israelite army do? How does the enemy respond to their actions? Which army has the advantage at the beginning [see Notes]? What happens as the battle begins? What does the Israelite army do in victory?
5. Who escapes from the battle? Where does he go? Who greets him? How does he respond to her hospitality? How does she react to these requests? What does she do next? Who does she tell about this incident?
6. Who is the real victor in this story?
GET PERSONAL
Have there been times in your life when you have not trusted or followed Christ? How was your life different? How did you become aware of the situation? What did you do about it? How did your life change?
NOTES . . .
4:2. Jabin— interestingly, the king Joshua defeated was also named Jabin [Joshua 11:9].
Hazor— a strategic city on the trade route between Damascus and Megiddo.
4:5. Ramah and Bethel— the location is about 5 miles north of Jerusalem.
Judgment— Deborah is the only female judge and the only person in the book who actually worked as a judge.
4:6. God commands— the primary role of a prophet was to speak God’s word to the people. Here Deborah conveys God’s command and promise of victory to Barak.
Mount Tabor— a flat-topped mesa near the junction of the tribes named.
4:7. Wadi Kishon— a river south of Tabor that had evidently overflowed [5:20-21] which would trap Sisera’s chariots in the mud.
4:8. If you will go with me— Barak gives only a conditional acceptance of God’s commission.
4:9. Nevertheless . . . hand of a woman— Deborah tells him he will not get the acclaim of the victory and predicts that a woman will finish the job [check 4:17-22].
4:11. Kenite— a tribe of non-Israelites supposedly descended from Moses’ father-in-law (but they are also mentioned in Genesis 15:19). Heber’s camp would have been close enough for someone fleeing the battle to reach.
4:14. Went down— when the chariots became stuck Barak had the advantage with a downhill charge into Sisera’s floundering army. The Israelites killed every Canaanite soldier except Sisera (who deserted).
4:19. Please give me— normal courtesy required a guest to accept what was offered but not make requests (as for a drink and guard duty).
4:21. Tent peg— an unusual weapon, but Jael would have been very familiar with it and the hammer.
Memory Verse
Perish all your enemies, O Lord! But may your friends be like the sun
as it rises in its might, [Judges 5:31 – part of Deborah’s Song].
Next Lesson
Ruth: Excerpts of Ruth’s story.
