my notes for The Story, chapter 8 (Judges)

Introduction to judges in Judges

-Hebrew word for "judge" implies more than a judge

-performed as judges, civil duties (administrative) and military leaders (deliverance); Inrig’s “resembled western sheriffs...with forceful personalities who led the people and enforced justice.”

-pre-Kings govt; nation as a loose confederacy (a cross between early American government and Indian tribes)

-office not prescribed in the Law, but approved by God-- individuals (usually) divinely-appointed to serve

-four judges praised in Heb 11:32 (Gideon, Jephthah, Samson, Samuel)

-at least four empowered by the Holy Spirit (Ehud in 3:10, Gideon in 6:34, Jephthah in 11:29, Samson in 13:25, 14:6,19, 15:14)

-what "special people" had, we now always have as believers (w/ app. to taking Holy Spirit for granted)

--> given God's call to certain people at certain times and empowerment by the Spirit, government was by God, occasionally using people

-"judges govt" ultimately scorned by the people in their demand for a king (a permanent leader) in I Sam 8

--> "a confused time"...

1.) politically

-little political unity

-frequent warfare as Jews tried to complete the conquering and occupying of the Promised Land

-after Joshua had broken the Canaanites’ necks, the people/tribes were supposed to finish the job

-see: Joshua and Judges as pictures of the victorious and not-so-victorious Christian life

-oppression as natural consequences of disobedience and one of God’s tools to bring them back

2.) spiritually (worst-case interpretation of 17:6, 21:25's "everyone did as he saw fit")

-recurring cycle: apostasy, punishment/oppression, cry for help, redemption/release, rest (sin, servitude, supplication, salvation [thru judge], spiral downward)

-salvation thru judge-- a la J or repentance & renewal within S

-but in large part, the judge led them into peace and at most, temporary repentance

-learn from the past or repeat it!

-presumably from a subtle slide rather than 0/1 (see: adultery)

a.) as nations...

--> how do Christians survive/prevail in Inrig’s “cut-flower civilization”?

--> current apostasy lamentable, but also an op for greater ministry

-a spiritual void to be filled--more to do!

-a greater contrast to the world; the darker the cave, the more valuable the flashlight; as a light on a hill

-more dependence on God

b.) as churches, the Church and as individuals...

-Cotton Mather's religious dilemma: "Religion has brought forth prosperity, and the daughter destroyed the mother...There is a danger lest the encroachments of this world make us forget our errand into the wilderness."

-see: sin nature; prone to wander; a good start is not sufficient

-MH's ‘they do not appear here either so great or so good as one might have expected...governed by such laws and enriched by such promises."

-Inrig, p. 7

-the issue throughout Judges is “the lordship” of God in Israel

-for us, salvation assured (our deliverance from Egypt), what about lordship??

--> but Judges as not necessarily so glum...

-only in 100 of the 350/410 years are the people explicitly said to have been "in sin"—and not (explicitly) in all regions in all of these times

-and there were notable exceptions, even within those times (four judges in Heb 11!)

-see also: God’s sovereignty over history and His grace/patience in dealing with His disobedient people

à structure of the book of Judges

-prob. written by Samuel

-6 minor and 6 major judges

-Ehud/Samson: heroes from small tribes (Benjamin/Dan)

-Deborah/Jephthah: woman/bastard son of a Gentile harlot (social outcast)

-Gideon/Abimelech: essence/antithesis of a good judge (fear/pride)

--> incl. minor judges, Judges as a study of "God can use anybody"

-epilogue's two stories showing remarkable moral degeneration

-not chronological, occurred early in this period/era

2:10-11 (read)

-10-11's cause/effect (Jer 2:13a,b’s two errors; 11 repeated 5x in Judges)

-10's “knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel”--from Hebrew, 3 possibilities:

-hadn't "seen" God (lit.)--the importance of externals, etc.

-weren't "familiar with" God--failed to instruct (Dt 6:7), failed to develop relationship

-didn't "acknowledge" God (Pr 3:5-6)--why?

-taking God’s blessings for granted (Dt 6:10-12, 8:11-18)

-see: import of risking in faith--finding new blessings from God

-see: the import of praise, offerings, worship (I Thess 5:18, Heb 13:15)

-think they know, but relied on ritual obedience and tradition vs. personal conviction

-in general, lukewarm, apathetic, complacent about the status quo

--> w/ app. to 2^nd generation C’s; Inrig’s ‘the second generation has a natural tendency to...lose the vision of the first generation. Too often the second-generation experience is a second-hand experience...The parents’ fervor...becomes the children’s formalism and the grandchildren’s apathy.”

2:14-19 (skim) after 11-13's sin...

-on 14's “anger”, Inrig’s “not the petty anger of hurt feelings but the holy anger of a righteous God against sin...revulsion against rebellion.”

-15's serve their gods?!? --> then, serve their princes

-16's mercifully "raised up judges’ in response to 15b's "great distress’ (Dt 4:25-28, 29-31)

-17a's "prostituted"; spiritual adultery (Hos 1:2, 2:13; Jer 3:6,20)

-17b's comparison to the past generation--"quickly turned from their way"

-18a's judges: raised up by God, empowered by the Spirit

-18b's verbs for the people: groaned, oppressed and afflicted-- language of Egyptian bondage and wilderness wanderings (for us, before J and within S)

-19's regression, despite “leadership”

--> 11-19's general cycle: increasing sin, God-given servitude, desperate supplication, God-given salvation, period of silence/inactivity --> increasing sin.... (Ps 106:34-45)

-our battles...are we trending up or down??

-when we cry out, is it temporary or life-changing?; Inrig’s “Sadly, the cycle does not end with the love of God. That love is accepted and used, then discarded like a worn-out shoe.” (!)

2:20-23's reasons for continued Canaanite presence (read)

-21's to punish Israel for apostasy/idolatry (although God also used outsiders)

-22,23's to test Israel's faith

Judges 4-5: Deborah

4:1-3 (read)

-here, Canaanite attempt to restore power in the North; Philistines battled Israel in the central and south regions

-probably related to King Jabin in Hazor defeated in Josh 11, 150 years earlier when they had trusted God

-had largely been conquered by the last generation (1:30-33; Gen 9:25; Joshua;

(w/ app. to old sins--even dealt with well--may return later)

-oppressed by those they were supposed to conquer

-they forsook God and vice versa (Jer 3:19-22); responsible because of their cowardice, laziness and unbelief

-3's seeking after God when we have trouble (us, non-believers)

-"for 20 years’--and yet, how slow we are sometimes...

-God allows us free will

-w/ app. to being overwhelmed by circumstances, misplaced anger against God, and unworthiness to go to God

4:4-7's intro to Deborah (skim)

-judge as 4's (respected) leader and 5's administrator

-only woman in Biblical history with a major, God-given leadership role

-only one of the deliverers/judges not to be a warrior; enlists Barak to help

-only one said to have been a prophetess (see also: ch. 5's worship leader / song writer)

4:8-10 (read)

-8's Barak's response-- why??

-lack of faith--as an excuse; if she said no...

-questioning whether she spoke for God (4:6) or was willing to put her money where her mouth was...

-she is the leader &/or recognizing the need for God's presence

-vs. treating Deborah's presence as a superstition (see also: God's ark in I Sam 4:2-3,10-11)

--> good interpretation unlikely given Deborah's 4:9b rebuke

-at first, responds w/ timidity (along with Israel's other warriors); II Tim 1:7

-stems from lack of trust in God

-see: too often, men in the church today

-ironic given Heb 11:32-33a; complete faith not seemingly his initial response (w/ app. to faith does not mean blind faith)

--> leads Barak to action; Barak finds his faith (in front of troops) and empowers his troops

-"go" vs. "let's go"; Deborah empowering with a nudge, restoring/developing his faith

-crushes Sisera & Co.-- by God; their P and God's P: 15's "At Barak's advance, the Lord routed Sisera"

Judges 6: Gideon's Call

6:1-6's Intro (skim)

-1's "again"-- the pattern/cycle continues

-2's prepared own (inadequate/inferior) shelters--and not relying on God (Jer 2:13)

-3-5's occupation/looting: crops appear --> Midianites invade and plunder

-6's "cried out": after 2's "living in caves’, 2's "so oppressive", 6's "so impoverished", all for 7 yrs --> why wait so long (time and extent of pain)??

6:7-10's God's response (read)

-at first, a prophet (truth-teller) vs. a judge/deliverer (as in chs. 4-5's Deborah vs. a deliverer)

-reminds them of past deliverance and thus, God's promises

-to prepare them for repentance and then, deliverance; cry for help is not equivalent to a cry of repentance

-9's summary: salvation (deliverance from bondage), sanctification (victory in battles/sin; peace, joy, etc.-- the victorious Christian life

-10's "I am God; they are not..."—short and sweet; convicting

6:11-13's intro to Gideon (read)

-11’s practical or realistic/practical

-12's "God is with you" --> 13's "how can that be??" (Dt 31:16-18)

-see also: why and how long?? (Hab 1:2-3)

-13's "bring us up...put us into...": questioning or merely stating the facts

-Gideon knew God's character/promises, grace/truth, blessings/curses, wrath/mercy--implies significant but discouraged faith

-BUT also implies "God, you need to do something..."

-or confused on cause/effect; they had turned their backs on God!

-had not heard—or had ignored—7-10's prophecy

-12's "mighty warrior" as sarcasm—or more likely, God seeing Gideon for who he could be (w/ God's empowering) vs. who he was (w/o God), seeing possibilities (post-transformation) vs. seeing flaws and failures (as many heroes in Judges)

-God equips ordinary people for extraordinary purposes/work

-see also: Gideon not trembling or needing a “fear not”; from whom/where did Gideon learn what he knows about God (Mom, Dad, others)?

6:14-16's "I am doing something: you're going" & Gideon's response (read)

-14's no direct answer from God; the wrong question—and 7-10's prophet had already answered these questions

-14's strength from 12's empowerment

-looking at potential-- what he was capable of doing

-hard at work in 6:12; his humility/character; his prominent rank in community (given father’s leadership role, 10 servants)

-15's tepid faith, humility or inquisitive about means? (I Sam 9:21 for Saul)

-Gideon’s sense of his total inadequacy as good/bad news (II Cor 3:5)

-parallels to Moses (Ex 3:10-12, 4:1-17)

-reluctance (incl. 6:12's "you" --> 6:13's "us’)

-and also asks for (and receives) a "sign" (6:17-24)

-irony that he refers back to Moses and Israel’s history but fails to remember Moses’ very similar mistake

à see also: dealing with Dad’s Asherah pole later in Judges 6 (not in The Story)—huge!

Judges 7-8 (skim)

à the result of Gideon's faith: victory; 8:28's peace; confidence for next time-- in Christ (Phil 4:13)

-33-35’s good leadership? (see: II Chron 23-24)

-seemed eager to return to idolatry: 33a’s "no sooner had Gideon died..."

à didn't equip others to continue; perhaps worshiped/feared Gideon more than God

Judges 13-16: Samson

INTRODUCTION

-Samson's greatness (Heb 11:32)

-last recorded judge in Judges (Eli and Samuel in I Samuel)

-a lot of text, 4 chapters--most of any judge

-empowered by the Holy Spirit at least 4 times (vs. 3x for all others combined)

-granted supernatural provision by God on 2 occasions

--> but still struggled with lust (at least late in life)

-interesting debate: how much sin is recorded for Samson? incredible disagreement between W&Z and MH

13:4-5’s Samson to be set apart as a Nazirite (skim)

-meaning "separated, consecrated"

-no booze and nothing unclean (her pregnancy and his life); no haircuts (Num 6)

--> Samson raised by godly parents, but the problems of holding the Nazirite line and having an angel announce your son’s birth

-easier to promote morality, but more difficult to avoid legalisms; right actions, but what about motives, heart, vision, passion?

--> in sum, born by special divine provision, consecrated from birth, to be devoted to God, perfectly pure (oops), endowed w/ supernatural power (if obedient), and to free others from bondage

-as a type of Israel, Christ and us

-also typifies Israel and us in sin

14:1-3 (read)

-1-2's "seen" (looks only)

-2's "get her for me": father exercised all authority, including the choice of wife

-3's disappointment and scorn ("uncircumcised") toward his choice, but ultimately chooses to defer: lack of leadership, afraid of son—or wise given son's possible rebellion

14:4's "from the Lord" (read?!)

-quite a parentheses!

--> 1.) called to marry a pagan to provoke Philistines (led by 13:25's Spirit; Hosea/Gomer)

--> OR 2.) Samson's weakness overruled and used by God

-Joseph/bros (Gen 45:8, 50:20); of Christ's death (Acts 2:23; Is 53's prophecy)

14:5-9’s lion/honey, incl. 6's Spirit empowering for victory over lion (skim)

-latter forbidden by the Law? (Num 6:6, but Lev 11:39-40)

-MH's "NO": animal didn't die but was killed; didn't eat animal, but the honey

-didn't tell parents twice (??)

-didn't brag to parents (humility?!) OR "making brother stumble"; they just wouldn't understand...

-VS. trying to hide his behavior, but if so, why bring back honey?

14:10-13’s 7-day feast (even though a Nazirite; skim)

-may have violated drinking restriction at feast (W&Z)

-OR his abstinence didn't mean "no party/fun"; AND 10's "customary"

-MH's "it is no part of religion to go contrary to the innocent usages of the places where we live" (and didn’t lose power; can infer that he didn’t drink?)

-be distinctive, but in things that matter (I Pet 2:11-12, Col 2:20-23, I Cor 9:20-22)

15:9-13 (read)

-9's “Judah”; Philistines had parked themselves in Judah "who had tamely submitted to their yoke" (MH)

-10's looking to avoid trouble

-11's 3000 men: not to fight Israel’s enemy, but to capture and surrender Samson?!

-Judah the lion?! (Gen 49:8-10)

-army sent to get one man--as with Christ who was seized ‘though 1/10 would have served now that his hour had come, and ten times as many would have served nothing if he had not yielded."

-3000, but still asking his permission!

-men of Judah upset at Samson potentially upsetting their arrangement, irritating the Philistines, shaking up status quo

-GCM's "so low had they sunk...that they were willing to bind the one man who was a menace to their enemies."; not the Philistines who enslaved us but the one man who can deliver us

-like Christ by the Jews to the Romans (preserving the status quo); kill the guy who can save you?!

-w/ app. to blaming the messenger vs. ourselves or the oppressing agent

-perhaps a tribal pride thing-- would rather be oppressed by a Philistine than rescued by a Danite

-dissension, pride, in-fighting; jealousy over different denominations, ministries, etc.

-11-13's Samson tries to reason with them and yields w/o a fight

-gives in but insists on not being killed; suspects/knows that God is going to work thru this event

-in general, indicates a greater understanding of how God is moving thru him

-great example of meekness, for the chance to slay the enemy, to emulate Christ (Mt 26:47,52-54; Jn 18:2's "knew the place"; Is 53:7)

-knows how to yield and how to conquer; a picture of remarkable self-control!

15:14-17’s Beatdown (read)

à Samson as a Trojan Horse/Donkey!

-15's jawbone

-"fresh"; "old" would be too brittle

-still, an awkward, fragile and unusual thing

-dependence on God; God can use anything/anyone

-irony of a donkey’s jawbone--or any jawbone vs. Philistine monopoly on iron and weapons (I Chron 11:11, II Sam 23:10)

-embarrassing for the Philistines

-worthless before and after, but awesome during

-but another dead body; broken Nazirite vow by touching donkey??; or did he kill it?; or spirit of the Law?

-thrown away at the end; not to be worshipped (like Gideon's ephod-- Jud 8)

16:1-3’s clear moral troubles (begin or continued?; skim)

-"a he-man with a she-problem"

--> second story (vs. just Delilah) underscores that this is a repetitive thing, not just an isolated instance

--> root problem: w/ app. to pride in physical, intellectual and spiritual strengths; scoffing at God's standard, traditional values, etc.

-amazing what people will do for sexual sin

--> but still delivered by God! See: God’s “dilemma” in “enabling” our sin by not bringing judgment immediately

16:4-20’s Delilah à 16:21-22 (read)

-blind...to the Philistines in the room (all 3x); by his eyes being gouged out; to the (effect of the) sin in his life; in sum, spiritually "blind before the Philistines put out his eyes’

--> his eyes the beginning of his downfall and his punishment (Mt 18:9)

-22's "but" foreshadows a happy ending--humble, spiritual blindness departed

-strange that Philistines didn't give him haircuts

-perhaps connected to blindness traditionally kept one from ruling

-perhaps wanted to harness his strength (21b’s “grinding”)

-hair might grow back, but not his eyes

--> trying to control God’s power?!

16:23b-30's suicide/kamikaze mission (skim)

-Samson as the greatest comedian of the Bible-- he brought the house down

-26's “lean” (!!); a half-truth (see: Rahab)

-going back to God

-Samson's prayer, repentance, desire to be used again (Ps 51:10-12)

-OR for revenge (of 2 eyes)-- right motives??

-Samson's prayer of vengeance vs. Christ's prayer of forgiveness

-but not praying for his own deliverance or healing; wants to be used by God

-recognizes it now; irony: blindness leaves; strength not in his long hair

--> regardless, God honors request; God uses imperfect motives (I Cor 4:5)

-Samson finishes well

-at the weakest point in his life; in his greatest dependence on God

-as with Christ, 30’s killing/saving more in death than in life (Jn ____'s a seed most die...)

-never too late; letter to Troy (and bloody urine)

-exhibits God's amazing grace, patience (fall --> favor); not just forgiveness but return to service

--> Samson's name as "little sun (vs. son)”

-a brilliant beginning, intense power and heat, fades but with a glorious ending

-as a lesson/warning to the talented (Lk 12:48b)

-J. Oswald Sanders' "not every man can carry a full cup" (and more difficult to do so)—responsibility and opportunity

Judges 19-21: Benjamite Depravity

-intro: Inrig’s ‘the sewer of Scripture...the most degrading and disgusting story in the Bible, unredeemed by an admirable character or a noble act.”

-connect Judges 19 to Genesis 19!