Chronology of the Judges (2)

Scripture reading: Judg. 11:26

Judges 11:26 ESV

While Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, 300 years, why did you not deliver them within that time?

Last week we looked at the general timeline of Israel’s history, from the Exodus to Solomon Temple. We saw that the Judges period is sandwiched between the death of Joshua and the coronation of King Saul. King Saul wore the crown in 1050BC, but we’re not quite sure when Joshua and the elders of his generation died. All we know is that when Caleb talks to Joshua in Josh. 14, he was 85 years old, 39 years after he spied out the land. From this, we can calculate the distribution of the land to have taken place in 1400BC. This means that the longest possible duration for the Judges period is 349 years at best, if we give the events of Josh. 12-24 the minimum duration of one year. Instead of that, however, Rev. Abraham Park decided to make an educated guess of about ten more years for the events of Josh. 12-24 to have taken place, and that the Judges period started at around 1390BC.

This morning, we’re going to see just how educated is our guess. And it begins with the key verse, Judg. 11:26. Judge Jephthah is speaking here. And for what reason? He’s trying to do peace talks with the Ammonites before engaging them in battle. He says that the Israelites have been around for 300 years since they entered into Canaan, so why are the Ammonites attacking now?

We know that the Exodus took place in 1446BC, and after 40 years in the wilderness, they entered into the land of Canaan in 1406BC. Now Jephthah defeats the Ammonites 300 years later in 1106BC.

So if we take these 300 years and minus off the 16 years of the Israelites’ conquest of Canaan, then that gives us 284 years for all the events of Judges 3-11 to take place. And the chronological length of all these stories are not going to fit if we force them to sit side-by-side. So what’s the answer? They must have overlapped. And today we’re going to look at three overlapping events in the Judges period.

Overlap between Judges Ehud and Shamgar

The Bible records that Judge Ehud reigned for 80 years.

Judges 3:30 ESV

So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years.

And following Ehud’s story, we have the story of Judge Shamgar. But it’s only one verse long.

Judges 3:31 ESV

After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel.

It says that Shamgar saved Israel. And so as the readers, what we expect is for the Israelites fall back into sin after Judge Shamgar’s rule. But that is not what the Bible says.

Judges 4:1 ESV

And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud died.

So what this means is that Judge Shamgar was active during Ehud’s reign, but he didn’t outlive his predecessor. Furthermore, there’s a place called ‘Beth-Anath’ in the northern part of Canaan. Beth-Anath means ‘house of Anath.’ And Shamgar was the son of Anath. This means that Shamgar was probably a good distance away from Ehud, who was active in the central region of Canaan.

Overlap between Judges Tola and Jair

Judges 10:1–2 ESV

After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he lived at Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. And he judged Israel twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried at Shamir.

Judges 10:3–5 ESV

After him arose Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years. And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities, called Havvoth-jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead. And Jair died and was buried in Kamon.

What we see here are two judges, Tola and Jair. Tola reigns for 23 years, Jair for 22 years. But what isn’t immediately obvious to us is the geography. It says that Tola lived at Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim, and Jair lived in the land of Gilead.

The hill country of Ephraim was on the west coast of Canaan, and bordered the Mediterranean Sea. Gilead, on the other hand, was east of the Jordan River.

This means that Tola reigned in the west, and Jair reigned in the east.

In terms of Singaporean geography, Tola lived at Jurong, and Jair lived at Tampines. They may have heard of each other, but probably never crossed paths.

Overlap between Oppression by the Ammonites and the Philistines

The third overlap has to do not with the judges, but with the attacks and oppressions by the Ammonites and the Philistines. This is shown in Judg. 10:7-8

Judges 10:7–8 ESV

So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites, and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.

Here the Bible talks about the Lord handing Israel into the hand of the Philistines and the hand of the Ammonites, and it says that they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. ‘They’ in the plural form refers to both the Philistines and the Ammonites.

The Ammonites attacked Gilead from across the Jordan River

Judges 10:9 ESV

And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.

Judges 10:17 ESV

Then the Ammonites were called to arms, and they encamped in Gilead. And the people of Israel came together, and they encamped at Mizpah.

Gilead was in the east, beyond the Jordan River. And so what happened is that the Ammonites crossed the Jordan River in order to attack Israel. Now what about the Philistines?

The Philistines attacked Judah from the southern region of Canaan

Judges 15:9 ESV

Then the Philistines came up and encamped in Judah and made a raid on Lehi.

Judges 14:19 ESV

And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty men of the town and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father’s house.

The Philistines attacked from the south. They had occupied the cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ashdod, and from there they attacked Judah.

So if it was Singapore, then we could say that the Ammonites were attacking Tampines, whereas the Philistines were attacking Tuas.

The defeat of the Ammonites and Philistines

And when did these attacks take place? And more importantly, when did they end?

Judges 11:26 ESV

While Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, 300 years, why did you not deliver them within that time?

Jephthah put an end to the Ammonite oppression around the year 1106BC. Since Ammonites had oppressed Israel for 18 years, this means that both the Ammonites and the Philistines attacked Israel in the year 1124BC.

Judges 10:8 ESV

and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.

But the Philistines oppressed Israel for 40 years.

Judges 13:1 ESV

And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.

Thats means the Philistine oppression ended 22 years after the Ammonites were defeated. So 40 years after 1124BC is 1084BC.

What happened in 1084BC? It wasn’t the year of Samson’s death, because Samson’s death didn’t put an end to the Philistine oppression. If it did, then the Philistines wouldn’t still be oppressing the Israelites in the early chapters of 1 Samuel. So what happens in 1084BC? The battle of Mizpah.

1 Samuel 7:7 ESV

Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.

1 Samuel 7:13–14 ESV

So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites.

It says that the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. That was the true end of the Philistine oppression.

Conclusion: How can we bring an end to the Judges period in our lives?

The last oppression of the Judges period was put to an end, not by Judge Samson, but by the prophet Samuel, who led the Israelites to repentance and to cast down their idols. I think many of us know what it’s like to go through the Judges period in our own spiritual lives. But I pray that we will destroy our idols and repent before the Lord, and serve the Lord only, and may the Lord deliver us from our sin and darkness. Let’s read the Prophet Samuel’s speech to the Israelites.

1 Samuel 7:3–4 ESV

And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.

I pray that we will have such a true repentence like this.