Cycle of Judges

Introduction

Biblical Timeline

Israel under Joshua the new leader conquered the promise land and settled into their inherited land.

“Book of Judges is named after an interesting collection of individuals who led Israel after Joshua’s death until the rise of the monarchy under Samuel (up to about 1050 B.C.). In this time of national decline, despite their promise to keep the covenant (Josh. 24:16–18) the people turned from the Lord and began to worship other gods.” (The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016. Print.)

Time of the Judges

Judges 2:10 (ESV)

10 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.

Judges 21:25 (ESV)

25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Authors intent in the book of Judges

“A pattern repeats throughout the book: 1) the people abandoned the Lord; 2) God punished them by raising up a foreign power to oppress them; 3) the people cried out to God for deliverance; and 4) God raised up a deliverer, or judge, for them.” (The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016. Print.)

Judge - chieftain n., the head of a tribe or clan; used of the leaders of Israel between the time of Joshua and Samuel. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

Corruption (Judges 2:6-10)

Dedicated to God (6-7)

Judges 2:6–7 (ESV)

6 When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. 7 And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel.

The Israelites were dedicated to the Lord during the leadership of Joshua.

to worship ⇔ serve v., to worship a deity, conceived of as serving the deity. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

Death of Joshua (8-10a)

Judges 2:8–10 (ESV)

8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years. 9 And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. 10 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. ...

Joshua and other leaders died and this next generation is living in the promise land.

Another Generation (10b)

Judges 2:10 (ESV)

10 And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.

Another Generation - not necessarily the next generation, but another generation. I believe it was a later generation because of the rest of the sentence.

“Did not know the Lord...”

Know - to know (acquaintance) v., to be or become familiar with something through experience. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

Judges 2:10 (NET 2nd ed.)

10 That entire generation passed away; a new generation grew up that had not personally experienced the Lord’s presence or seen what he had done for Israel.

The later generations of Israel did not see what the Lord did to bring them into the Land.

Cycle (Judges 2:11-19)

Step 1 - Rebellion (11-13)

Judges 2:11–13 (ESV)

11 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth.

“did what was evil in the sight of the Lord...” (11)

“This familiar refrain is clearly defined in this passage as religious apostasy or disobedience to the covenant (2:11–13, 20).” (Way, Kenneth C. Judges and Ruth. Ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books: A Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2016. Print. Teach the Text Commentary Series.

“This refrain is employed with the same meaning in ... (Numbers - 2 Kings). Note that the refrain of “doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord” (Exodus - 2 Kings) means the exact opposite, that is, obedience to the covenant.” (Way, Kenneth C. Judges and Ruth. Ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books: A Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2016. Print. Teach the Text Commentary Series.)

“they abandoned the LORD...And they provoked the LORD to anger.” (12a)

“to abandon v., to forsake or leave behind.” (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

“They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them.”

“to provoke to anger v., to call forth a feeling of anger.” (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

Look at the 10 Commandments and you can quickly see how they are breaking the covenant relationship.

“served the Baals and the Ashtaroth" (12b-13)

“Baal, the son of El in the Canaanite pantheon, was the god of the storm and the rains and therefore the controller of vegetation. He was the great active god, El being a somewhat nebulous figure, and Baal worship was widely diffused in the Ancient Near East. Several local variants are noted in the Old Testament, for example Baal-berith (Judg. 9:4), Baal-peor (Num. 25:3), Baal-gad (Josh. 11:17), and Baal-zebub, or more probably Baal-zebul (2 Kgs 1:2).” (Cundall, Arthur E., and Leon Morris. Judges and Ruth: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 7. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1968. Print. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries.)

“Ashtaroth, the consort of Baal, is the plural form of Astarte, the goddess of war and fertility, who was worshipped as Ishtar in Babylonia and as Anath in North Syria. In the Ugaritic texts Anath, often styled as ‘the Virgin’, is the sister of Baal and the great active goddess. There is a certain fluidity in the interrelationships of the nature gods of the Fertile Crescent. The religion of these fertility gods was accompanied by all kinds of lascivious practices, especially in Canaan, where it was found in a degraded form which even incorporated child sacrifice.” (Cundall, Arthur E., and Leon Morris. Judges and Ruth: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 7. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1968. Print. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries.)

Step 2 - God’s Anger (14-15)

Judges 2:14–15 (ESV)

14 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. 15 Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.

Lord’s reaction to the Rebellion of his people.

Gave them over to plunderers

“raider n., someone who takes spoil or plunder.” (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

Gave them over to their enemies around them

“to hand over ⇔ sell v., to surrender someone or something to another, conceived of as selling a thing.” (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

The Enemies are the nations left in the land by the Israelites. (Judges 1:27-36)

He did not fight for them.

When the Israelites would go out to fight their enemies, the Lord would not fight for them.

Step 3-4 - Repent and Deliverance (16-18)

Judges 2:16–18 (ESV)

16 Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 17 Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them.

People in great distress groaned to the Lord (15,18)

Judges 2:15 (ESV)... And they were in terrible distress.

Judges 2:18 (ESV) ...For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them.

The Israelite, in their distress, would cry out to the Lord for deliverance.

Raise up Judges (16)

Judges 2:16 (ESV)

16 Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them.

Israel is a nation of 12 tribes who have their inherited land. They are united through the Commandments, festivals and priesthood with Tabernacle. Leadership seems to be the tribal leaders bringing judicial decisions and Priesthood bringing religious decisions.

God is their king/leader. live in covenant relationship with him through the stipulations of the Law.

They are to live their lives with the Lord and each other as they enjoy the fruits of the land and their relationship with God.

Judges

chieftain n., the head of a tribe or clan; used of the leaders of Israel between the time of Joshua and Samuel. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

“The term ‘judge’ (shopet) is often used in the Bible to designate an individual who makes legal rulings concerning disputes (e.g., Exod. 18:13–26; Deut. 1:16; 16:18; 17:9, 12; 19:17–18; 21:2; 25:1–2), but this is generally not the way it is employed in the book of Judges. While Deborah alone may function in such a judiciary capacity (Judg. 4:5), all the other ‘major’ judges primarily offer military leadership in response to a crisis (3:10; 4:4; 12:7; 15:20; 16:31; cf. 2 Sam. 7:10–11). Therefore, some suggest that more precise translations for this term are ‘administrator’ or ‘governor’ and that the individual functions as an agent of Yahweh’s justice or as a ‘deputy of Yahweh.’” (Way, Kenneth C. Judges and Ruth. Ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books: A Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2016. Print. Teach the Text Commentary Series.)

Lord delivered the people using the Judge (18)

Judges 2:18 (ESV)

18 Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them.

It is God who was delivering the people from their oppressors.

The Lord was moved with pity for His people in distress that he would deliver them from their enemies through a leader (Judge) he would raise up and guide and empower.

Step 5 - Rebel again (19)

Judges 2:19 (ESV)

19 But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways.

After the death of the Judge the Israelites would go right back into the same practices that brought the problems into their lives in the first place.

They went right back into serving other gods and lifestyles.

We can see the same cycle in our own lives.

We jump into the Mud of Sin - Rebellion - turning to idols to fulfill our passions.

We deal with the effect of sin - Consequences - God allows us to go through the consequences and disciplines us in our sin.

We seek the Lord to forgive and clean us up - Repent - We seek God to forgive and cleans us from our Sins.

God brings us up out of the Mud and cleans us up - Deliverance - God forgives and cleanses

Then we turn around and jump right back into the mud - Rebellion again - Return to our Sins

Continual Test (Judges 2:20-23)

Lord’s Anger (20)

Judges 2:20 (ESV)

20 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice,

The Lord was angry with the Israelites and throughout the book of Judges because they are not staying loyal to Him by serving other gods.

God has expressed numerous times in the Law that he is a God that is jealous/zealous for their relationship.

Lord’s Decision (21-23)

Judges 2:21–23 (ESV)

21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, 22 in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did, or not.” 23 So the Lord left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.

God is going to leave some of the nations in the Land (21)

They are left to test their loyalty (22)

Test - “In most contexts nāsâ has the idea of testing or proving the quality of someone or something, often through adversity or hardship.” (Wilson, Marvin R. “1373 נָסָה.” Ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament 1999: 581. Print.)

The Nations would not be driven out, but would be left in the Land to test the genuineness of their commitment to him and how they are to live. (22 in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the LORD as their fathers did, or not.)

We are tested to see the genuineness of out faith and loyalty to God in Christ.

There are things in our lives that God does not take away that is left to test and develop our character.

There are sins, temptations, illnesses, difficulties, pain, etc. that are left in our lives even though we pray for deliverance. There are sins that the Lord completely take away the passion for, but other sins he does not. There are fears, anxieties, depressions etc that the Lord completely heal, but others He does not.

God is using these along with His love, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, compassion, etc to accomplish His purpose in our lives. Through what God is doing and allowing in our lives, He is transforming us into the Image of Christ. With the difficulties of our lives God is expecting us to look and cling to him in those difficulties. We are continually reminded of our need of Him in the midst of those difficulties.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV)

18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 12:8–10 (ESV)

8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Philippians 1:6 (ESV)

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Lessons from Judges

Lessons for Israel

As they are living in the Promise land that are to remain loyal to God and not follow the other nations in the serving of other gods.

We see that the generations of Israel from the time of Joshua to King Saul go through a cycle of rebellion, servitude, repentance, deliverance and rebellion again.

We see that God brings discipline with the rebellion, but also forgiveness and deliverance when they repent and trust Him.

God left some of the nations in the land for the purpose of testing their loyalty and keep them walking in obedience.

Personal lessons

There are lots of things in this world that are fighting for our loyalty. We ourselves are seeking things that will draw us away from God.

God is zealous for our relationship and will discipline/allow consequences and will also forgive and restore us.

God will leave things in our lives for the goal of testing us and developing godly character.

Benediction

Ephesians 3:17-19 - (May) Christ dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.