Judges: Hope For Troubled Times

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JudgesHope For Troubled Times

• Chapters 4-6
• Deborah and Gideon

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Announcements
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Judges and Ruth Winter Quarter
Week Date Topic
1 07 Dec 11 Overview Judges and Ruth
2 14 Dec 11 Israels Success and Failure Judges 11-25
3 21 Dec 11 Oppression and Deliverance Judges 26-331
4 28 Dec 11 Deborah, Gideon Judges 4-6
5 04 Jan 12 Gideons Success and Failure Judges 71-105
6 11 Jan 12 Jephthah the Judge Judges 106-1215
7 18 Jan 12 Samson and His Exploits Judges 13-14
8 25 Jan 12 Samson and Delilah Judges 15-16
9 01 Feb 12 A Levite and His Concubine Judges 17-19
10 08 Feb 12 The War with Benjamin Judges 20-21
11 15 Feb 12 Ruth and Naomi Return to Bethlehem Ruth 1-2
12 22 Feb 12 Ruth and Boaz are Married Ruth 3-4
13 29 Feb 12 Review Judges and Ruth
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Todays Objectives

• Review past lesson, Judges 26-331
• Provide an historical background and timeline for
  this weeks lesson
• Review historical maps of Israel and the region
• Read Judges 4, review Judges 5, and read Judges 6
• Understand Deborahs role in Israel
• Learn how God defeated the Canaanites
• Learn how God raised up Gideon to be a judge
• As Christians, sense the need to trust and rely
  more upon God and less upon our own strength

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Review From Last Week

• Provided an historical background and timeline
  for Judges 26-331
• Reviewed historical maps of Israel and the region
• Recognized why God raised up judges to deliver
  the Israelites from their oppressors
• Sensed the love and compassion of God for His
  people when they continually failed to obey Him
• Examined our own lives to make sure no idols
  are vying to be worshiped alongside, or ahead of,
  God

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Historical Background

• Jewish traditions states Samuel wrote Judges
• Written around 1050 B.C. and covered the period
  from 1375 B.C. to 1050 B.C.
• Death of Joshua to the beginning of the monarchy
• Israels form of government was a theocracy
• God alone was their King
• God raises up a series of judges between Joshuas
  death and the coronation of Saul
• Major and minor judges most did not rule over
  all
• Depressing period in Israels history
• Cycle of sin, oppression, repentance, and
  deliverance
• Spiritual compromise was the norm of Israel
• God sends powerful oppressors to counter
  spiritual compromise

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Historical Background

• Judges 4-6 (1209 B.C. to 1122 B.C.)
• Deborah ruled 1209-1169 B.C.
• Eli born 1173 B.C.
• Gideon 1162-1122 B.C.
• Ruths story occurred around 1130 B.C.
• Collapse of the Hittite empire 1180 B.C.
• Migration of the Sea People
• 20th Egyptian Dynasties
• Ramses III ( 1st king of 20th Dynasty)
• Called the last great Pharaoh
• 1187-1156 B.C.
• Period of large scale crop failures possibly
  caused by eruption of Hekla III volcano in
  Iceland
• Invasions by Libyans and Sea People

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Key People in Todays Lesson

• Deborah
• Judge raised to defeat Jabin
• Barak
• Directed by Deborah to make war with Jabin
• Jabin
• King of Hazor
• Sisera
• Leader of Jabins army
• Defeated by Barak
• Killed by Jael

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Hazor
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Key People in Todays Lesson

• Gideon
• Called directly by God to defeat the Midianites
  and Amalekites
• Family of Baal worshippers
• Army of 300 defeated the Midianites
• Midianites
• Children of Midian, son of Abraham through a
  concubine
• Generically called Ishmaelites (Gen 3728)
• Amalekites
• Thought to be descendents of Esau

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Deborah Agrees to Help Barak (41-10)

• Another generation of Israelites begins the cycle
• Sin, Oppression, Repentance, Deliverance
• Jabin, of Hazor, defeated and oppressed Israel
  (42)
• Sisera, Jabins military commander, headquartered
  at Harosheth Haggoyim (42)
• Canaanites became the only oppressor from within
  Israel during the time of the judges
• Israelites were no match for Sisera
• 900 iron-plated chariots (43)
• Oppressed Israel for 20 years
• God raises Deborah to free Israel (44)

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Deborah Agrees to Help Barak (41-10)

• Deborah as judge
• Calls for Barak, from the land of Naphtali (46)
• Tells Barak to lead 10,000 men against Sisera at
  Mt. Tabor (46)
• God enables Deborah and Barak fight the
  Canaanites in the Jezreel Valley
• Baraks initial timidity (48)
• Prophecy concerning the death of Sisera (49)
• Other tribes join the fight (Ephraim, Benjamin,
  Makir) while others refused (Reuben, Gad, Dan,
  and Asher) (413-15, 18 and 515-17)

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Barak Defeats Canaanites (411-16)

• Heber the Kenite
• Nomadic tribe, skilled in metalworking
• Descended from Hobab
• Heber forms and alliance with Jabin and Sisera
• Informs Sisera of Baraks location (412)
• Sisera relocates his forces to the Kishon River
• Tactically sound, except God got involved
• Armies clash in the Valley of Jezreel, Israel is
  successful in defeating Sisera
• God causes the Kishon River to flood (521)

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Jael Kills Sisera (417-24)

• Sisera flees (417)
• Travels by foot to the tent of Jaels tent, wife
  of Heber
• Relying upon the relationship between Heber and
  Jabin
• While Heber sided with Jabin, Jael sided with God
• Jael kills Sisera
• Sisera hides in Jaels tent, then falls asleep
  (419)
• Jael drives tent peg into Siseras skull (421)
• Barak finds Sisera dead (422)
• Israel continues to fight Jabin until he is
  destroyed (424)

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Song of Deborah (Ch 5)

• Memorializes Gods victory over Sisera
• Praises God for His leadership
• Review Gods actions on behalf of the Israelites
  from Egypt, through the Sinai, and into the
  promised land
• Recalls the crucial role that Deborah and Barak
  played in defeating Sisera
• Song ends by asking God to cause all of His
  enemies to perish and bless those who truly love
  Him

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Israel Cries Out (61-10)

• Midianites oppress Israel
• Seven years (61)
• Forced the Israelites to evacuate low-lying
  regions (62)
• Midianites banded with the Amalekites and other
  nomadic people from Moab and Ammon (63)
• Invaders stripped the land (64-5)
• Israel again calls out to God
• God first sends a prophet (67-9)
• Israel fear the Amorite God but not their own God
  (610)

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The Lord Calls Gideon (611-24)

• Angel of the Lord calls upon Gideon
• In Ophrah, west of the Jordan River, territory of
  Manasseh
• God appoints Gideon to free Israel from the
  Midianites
• Gideon begins to doubt
• Asks why God would do all these bad things (613)
• The angel tells Gideon that God will deliver His
  people
• Gideon would carry out the task (614)
• Gideon doubted he could rescue Israel (615)
• Gideon asks for a sign from God
• Burning of food (618-22)

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Gideon Challenges Idolatry (625-32)

• God commissions Gideon to remove presence of
  idolatry
• Destroy the alters to Baal and Asherah at night
• Build an alter to God at a higher point
• Wood from the sacred pole of Asherah would serve
  as fuel for the burnt offering to God (425-26)
• Feared the townspeople would kill him (427)
• Townspeople call for Gideons execution (430)
• Gideons father, Joash, sides with Gideon
• Wrong to worship Baal (431)
• Baal could defend himself
• Gideon then called Jerub-Baal

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Gideon Tests God (633-40)

• Coalition of invaders return
• Midianites, Amalekites camp in Jezreel Valley
  (633)
• Jezreel Valley was a major agricultural area and
  trade route
• Spirit of the Lord comes upon Gideon
• Gideon empowered by God to fight the invaders
• Gideon signals men from his hometown to battle
• Also from Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, Naphtali
  (635)
• Gideon asks God for two more signs of His power
  (638-40)

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Review

• Reviewed last weeks lesson, Judges 26-331
• Provided an historical background and timeline
  for Judges 4-6
• Reviewed historical maps of Israel and the region
• Read Judges 4, reviewed Judges 5, read Judges 6
• Understood Deborahs role in Israel
• Learned how God defeated the Canaanites
• Learned how God raised up Gideon to be a judge
• As Christians, sensed the need to trust and rely
  more upon God and less upon our own strength
• Next Class Judges 71-105