Judges: Hope For Troubled Times

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JudgesHope For Troubled Times

• Chapters 71-105
• Gideons Success Failure
• Wednesday, 04 Jan 12

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Announcements
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Judges and Ruth
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 4-6
• Provide an historical background and timeline for
  this weeks lesson
• Review historical maps of Israel and the region
• Read Judges 7 and 8, review 9 and 10
• Examine Gideons preparation for battle as a
  model for Gods work in building faith in an
  individual
• Recognize how God desires to give us victory over
  evil
• Sense our own need to become more reliant on and
  trustworthy in the Lord

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Last Week's Class

• 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 and 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

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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 7-10 1162-1074 B.C.
• Collapse of the Hittite empire 1180 B.C.
• Gideon 1162-1122 B.C.
• Ruths story occurred around 1130 B.C.
• Abimelech 1122-1119 B.C.
• Tola led Israel from 1119-1096 B.C.
• Jair led Israel from 1096-1074 B.C.
• Samuel born around 1100 B.C.
• Tiglath-Pileser I ruled Assyria 1116-1078 B.C.
• Philistine oppression 1095-1055 B.C.
• 20th Egyptian dynasty (Ramses III XI)
• End of the New Kingdom and Egypt splits

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Key People in Todays Lesson

• Gideon also known as Jerub-Baal
• Midianites decedents of Midian, son of Abraham
• Ishmaelites interrelated with the Midianites
• Ephraimites Israelites, decedents of Joseph
• Zebah and Zalmunna Gideon kills these two
  Midianite kings
• Abimelech Gideons son by a concubine
• Jotham Gideons youngest son who survives
  Abimelechs slaughter

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The Lord Thins Gideons Ranks (71-8a)

• Gideon transitions from timid to courageous
• Gideon (Jerub-Baal) and troops establishs camps
• Spring of Harod located in Jezreel Valley
• Midianites camped near hill of Moreh
• God tells Gideon he has too many men
• Orders Gideon to reduce the size of his force
• So Israel would not think they won the battle
• Gideon allows timid soldiers to depart (22,000)
• 10,000 remained
• God still considers the army too large
• Paired down to 300 by observing those who drank
  from the spring of Harod

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The Lord Prepares Gideon and His Men (78b-18)

• Gideon attacks the Midianite camp
• Gideon wonders how he will defeat such a large
  force
• God directs Gideon to take his servant and spy on
  the Midianite camp (710)
• Gideons apprehensions would disappear (711)
• Gideon and his servant spy on the camp and
  overhear conversations (712-14)
• Interpretation of a Midianite soldiers dream
• Gideon is doubt is erased (715)
• Gideon plans and rehearses the attack (716-18)

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Gideon Defeats the Midianites (719-25)

• Attack
• Attacks during the changing of the guard (719)
• Blowing trumpets and lit torches carried by every
  man
• Confusion spread throughout the camp
• Midianites began to fight one another (722)
• Midianites flee
• Midianites flee initially south to Beth Shan
• Then towards the safety of the desert across the
  Jordan
• Near the towns of Tabbath and Succoth
• Gideon pursues
• Ephraimites capture the princes Oreb and Zeeb

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Gideon Encounters Resistance (81-12)

• Gideons army grows weary
• Continue to chase the Midianites into the
  Transjordan
• Stops at Succoth and Peniel and asks for food
• Both towns refuse to feed Gideons army out of
  fear
• Gideon pronounces judgment on them
• Gideon ambushes Zebah and Zalmunna
• At Karkor between Damascus to what is now Mecca
• Large number of soldiers had died (120,000 of
  135,000)
• Gideon defeats the remaining army
• Captures Zebah and Zalmunna

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Gideon Punishes His Opponents (813-21)

• Gideon heads west with Zebah and Zalmunna
• Returns to Succoth to show them the two kings
• Identifies 77 elders whipped or dragged over
  thorns
• Returns to Peniel
• Destroys the tower of the city and executed the
  men
• Gideon executes Zebah and Zalmunna
• Gideon asks his eldest son, Jether, to kill them
• However, he was too young and fearful
• Gideon kills the two kings

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Gideon Makes and Ephod (822-27)

• Grateful Israelites
• Israelites invite Gideon to be king
• Gideon declines
• Stressed that God was their king
• Gideon requests the people to give him an earring
  from the plunder
• Weighed between 35 and 75 pounds
• Gideon makes a golden ephod
• Displayed in Ophrah
• Became an object of worship
• Ultimately traps Gideons family into sin

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The People Return Disobedience (828-35)

• Israel enjoys 40 years of peace
• Lasted as long as Gideon was alive
• Gideon returned to Ophrah and lived like a king
• Wives bore him 70 sons
• Concubine bore him a son named Abimelech
• Gideon dies and his buried in Ophra (tomb of
  Joash)
• Israel again worships idols
• Baal-Berith or lord of the covenant
• Temple dedicated at Shechem (94) or El-Berith
• Israelites became disloyal to Gideon and his
  family

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Judges 91-105 Overview

• Abimelech named king of Shechem and Beth Millo
• Abimelech murders all of his brothers except
  Jotham, Gideons youngest son
• Jotham uses a parable to rebuke the people
• After three years of rule, people become
  dissatisfied
• Gall tries to turn the people against him
• Abimelech attacks Shechem and kills all in the
  city
• Destroys Shechem
• Abimelech killed at Thebez (millstone then sword)
• Tola and Jair judge Israel for 23 and 22 years

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Review

• Reviewed past lesson, Judges 4-6
• Provided an historical background and timeline
  for this weeks lesson
• Reviewed historical maps of Israel and the region
• Read Judges 7 and 8, reviewed 9 and 10
• Examined Gideons preparation for battle as a
  model for Gods work in building faith in an
  individual
• Recognized how God desires to give us victory
  over evil
• Sensed our own need to become more reliant on and
  trustworthy in the Lord
• Next week - Judges 106-1215