An Introduction to Judges

Judges: An Introduction to Judges

Chad Bird (Hitchhiking with Prophets): Have you ever driven through a crime-ridden part of a city, at night, and made sure your doors were locked? Cruising through the midnight streets of Judges is like that. You will witness anarchy, people burned to death, gang rape, mutilation, kidnapping, and more evidence of humanity's inhumanity. Obviously, these were not happy days in Israel. But there are brief, bright moments where God's love shines through in rescuers and redeemers whose deeds foreshadow Jesus, our Rescuer and Redeemer.”

Chad Bird: … the name ‘Judges,’ in our modern context, is easily misunderstood. Picture Clint Eastwood, not Judge Judy.”

The Book of Judges covers the time period from about _________ BC to about _________ BC. This is after the death of _____________ and before Israel’s first king _________.

… everyone did as he saw fit (Jdg 17:6; 21:25)

Six Major Themes in Judges:

  1. God _________________________ offers ___________ to undeserving, unseeking, or ungrateful _____________. The book of Judges isn’t about role models. While there are good examples (e.g., Othniel, Deborah), they come early and certainly don’t dominate the narrative. The only true Savior is God. Judges is about God’s grace for chief sinners, and his grace will triumph over sinful actions.

  2. God wants _______________ over your ___________ life, not just _________ of it. God commanded Israel to take over all of Canaan, but they only conquered some areas so false gods—idols remain in Israel. The Israelites began to worship these idols. They didn't fully reject God, but they didn't fully follow him either. This partial discipleship in not the worship God demands. In Judges we see that this kind of partial discipleship always fails and leads to disaster.

  3. There is a tension between ___________ and _______, between _____________________________ and _________________________________. On the one hand, God demands obedience because he's holy. On the other hand, God promises to stick with his people no matter what they do. So, which wins out—his "if you obey me, I'll bless you" commands, or his "I'll never leave you" promises? Or to say it another way, are his promises conditional, or unconditional? Judges leaves us with this tension. It is the New Testament where the gospel of Jesus Christ is clearly revealed, and it shows us how God's promises and commands can both be true at the same time.

  4. There is a need for continual ___________________ renewal in our _______________ lives, and a _______ to make that a reality. Judges shows us a regular, repeated decline-revival cycle. In the revival cycle we see repentance, prayer, the destruction of idols, and God chosen human delivers. Renewal happens when we are under the right master/ruler; slavery occurs when we are under the wrong master/ruler.

  5. ___________ saviors will always _________ us—we need a perfect ______________. As mentioned before, as the story progress the evil increases, the judges get more flawed, and the revival cycle becomes less effective. The judges show us something about how God saves people: Othniel shows God can use many people, Deborah shows God can use some, Gideon shows God can use just a few, and Samson shows God can use just one person. Each judge points us to someone beyond them all. God will save us by sending the One.

  6. God is _____________ in _______________, even when it doesn't _________ that way. This truth can be easy to miss. Often times God seems absent in Judges, but he's always working behind the scenes. God uses weak, flawed people to accomplish his plans. God often works slowly, but he always completes his plans perfectly.

What Differentiates Israel’s Mission:

  1. Israel’s war was _______ carried out on the basis of _________.

9a She said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land. Because of you, terror has fallen upon us, and all the inhabitants of the land are melting in fear before you. … 11b because the LORD your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below. (Jos 2:9a, 11b)
By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with the unbelievers, because she welcomed the spies in peace. (Heb 11:31)
5 Salmon was the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse. 6 Jesse was the father of King David. (Mt 1:5–6a)

The _______________ of Israel’s mission was to "tear down their altars" (Jdg 2:2b) to their false gods and ___________ pagan _______________ which would include pagan _______________________.

  1. Israel’s war is not carried out on the basis of ___________________________ ___________________.

The city will be devoted to destruction. The city and everything in it will be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute will live—she along with all who are with her in the house—because she hid the agents whom we sent. (Jos 6:17)
 They erected a large heap of stones over Achan, which remains to this day. (Josh 7:26a)
Tim Keller: … the purpose of the mission was not to become prosperous and powerful, but rather, to create a country in which the Israelites could serve and honor God.

  1. Israel’s war was carried out at God’s direct _____________________ and as God's _________________ against the people in the land of Canaan.

4 See now, I have allotted to your tribes an inheritance from these nations that remain unconquered, as well as from the nations that I have destroyed. It extends from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 The LORD your God himself will push them away from you and drive them out of your presence, until they perish. (show) He will send wild animals among them until he completely destroys them and their kings from your presence and you will take possession of their land, just as the LORD your God promised you. (Jos 23:4–5)
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Ge 1:1)
Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, for you have created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created. (Re 4:11)
No, it is God who makes the decision. He brings down one [nation]. He raises up another [nation]. (Ps 75:7)
He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness. (Ps 96:13)
He is the Rock! Perfect is his work. Indeed all of his ways are justice. He is a faithful God. He does no wrong. Righteous and upright is he. (Dt 32:4)
You are righteous, O LORD, and your judgments are right. (Ps 119:137)
Because the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, and the LORD is our king, he is the one who will save us. (Is 33:22)
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son to be born of a woman, so that he would be born under the law, (Ga 4:4)
Now, we know that the law is good as long as one uses it correctly— (1 Ti 1:8)