Judges 2: The charges against Israel

Not a linear history, a list of charges

The book of Judges was not written in order of events. This is not simply a historical account of what happened. God re-ordered the events in the book of Judges for a different purpose.

It’s set up in a series of cycles

Israel prostitutes themselves to other gods

God sells them over to their enemies and becomes their adversary

After they turn to Him God saves

This is not in chronological order, what is the order then?

It’s in order from the least to most disgusting. God is building a case against Israel and he’s ordered the charges from least to most severe.

If judges is a list of charges against Israel that is it’s meaning, but that doesn’t do much for us. We’ve been talking a lot about the depravity of man and the consequences of sewing poison into our communities what else can we glean from this book?

1. Where is God during evil and suffering?

2. Why do bad things happen? Not the eternal meaning of suffering, but what is the actual mechanism that brings about evil and suffering?

When you read the book of judges it is essentially a collection of character studies. Those characters represent Israel as a whole.

Gideon

Israel did evil so they were given to the Moabites. They cry out to God and the angel of God seeks out Gideon. Gideon follows God. He’s timid and scared but he’s also obedient. So God saves Israel with Gideon and his army of 300 men. Then he makes a golden priest's robe for himself and all of Israel worships it!

Abimelek

Gideon had 70 sons, and one from a prostitute. That one was named Abimelek. Abimelek kills all of his brothers accept one, who escapes. Israel then made him their king. Since he was such a good guy, no just because they were from the same family. He then starts a civil war and burns Israel’s cities to the ground, including their Israelite inhabitants.

Jephthah

His mother was a prostitute so he was exiled from the city. Then he becomes a game leader in a foreign city. Israel comes knocking and asks Jephthah to save them. It’s important to note that God did not tell them to go get Jephthah. Jephthah then promises God if you give me this battle I will sacrifice the first thing I see when I arrive back to the city. Again, it’s important to note that God did not ask for this, He never asked for it, He doesn’t hold him to it, or even acknowledge it. When he gets home his daughter comes out to meet him. His only child. He burns her to death and ends his family line. Without ever consulting God.

Samson

Israel did evil. God raises Samson to be their savior. Samson marries a Philistine, Israel’s enemy. Then he abandons his wife. They give her away to another man. So naturally he burns their fields down. So they kill his wife. he kills them. Israel gives Samson to the Philistines then he kills 1000 of them with the jaw bone of a donkey, as a joke. Samson loves a prostitute and she severs his relationship with God and he’s surprised his strength is gone. He seeks God after having his eyes ripped out and pulls down the Philistine temple.

Where was God? Focus on the last 2 stories

Judges 17:1–13 (NIV)

1 Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim 2 said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have that silver with me; I took it.” Then his mother said, “The Lord bless you, my son!” 3 When he returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I solemnly consecrate my silver to the Lord for my son to make an image overlaid with silver. I will give it back to you.” 4 So after he returned the silver to his mother, she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who used them to make the idol. And it was put in Micah’s house. 5 Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household gods and installed one of his sons as his priest. 6 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. 7 A young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, who had been living within the clan of Judah, 8 left that town in search of some other place to stay. On his way he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim. 9 Micah asked him, “Where are you from?” “I’m a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” he said, “and I’m looking for a place to stay.” 10 Then Micah said to him, “Live with me and be my father and priest, and I’ll give you ten shekels of silver a year, your clothes and your food.” 11 So the Levite agreed to live with him, and the young man became like one of his sons to him. 12 Then Micah installed the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house. 13 And Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest.”

The tribe of Dan steal this “priest” and idol. Then they worship this idol for almost 400 years.

A Levite priest and his wife are traveling.

Judges 19:11-15

“11 When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, “Come, let’s stop at this city of the Jebusites and spend the night.” 12 His master replied, “No. We won’t go into any city whose people are not Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah.” 13 He added, “Come, let’s try to reach Gibeah or Ramah and spend the night in one of those places.” 14 So they went on, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin. 15 There they stopped to spend the night. They went and sat in the city square, but no one took them in for the night.”

Judges 19:22–30 (NIV)

22 While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him.” 23 The owner of the house went outside and said to them, “No, my friends, don’t be so vile. Since this man is my guest, don’t do this outrageous thing. 24 Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. I will bring them out to you now, and you can use them and do to them whatever you wish. But as for this man, don’t do such an outrageous thing.” 25 But the men would not listen to him. So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go. 26 At daybreak the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, fell down at the door and lay there until daylight. 27 When her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house and stepped out to continue on his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold. 28 He said to her, “Get up; let’s go.” But there was no answer. Then the man put her on his donkey and set out for home. 29 When he reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel. 30 Everyone who saw it was saying to one another, “Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Just imagine! We must do something! So speak up!”

This incites a civil war where over 90,000 people die. An entire tribe of Israel is on the verge of extinction. So, instead of seeking God, Israel does more murder and rape <- of their own people and blames it on oaths they swore to God. Oaths that He never acknowledges or asks them to make.

Judges 21:24-25

“24 At that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and clans, each to his own inheritance. 25 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.”

Where is God in evil and suffering?

In Judges God saves, judges, repays evil, deals justice, incites a civil war, has mercy, and compassion. He’s in the midst of all the evil and suffering in the world.

If God is in the midst then why does it happen?

If God is in the midst why do 16 year old kids sell heroine to each other? Because in these days our community has no king; everyone does whatever they see fit. Why is our country divided? Why is Russia invading Ukraine? Why are their more slaves right now in the world than in any other point in history? Because this world has no king; everyone does whatever they see fit.

Outro

The book of Judges are the charges God is bringing against Israel. It shows how the working of God and the will of man interact.

Our culture is telling us to follow our hearts. Our truth is what’s left when you take away all of our limits.