Exploring God’s Word: # 11 Judges

Judges 1:1–10 KJV 1900

1 Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? 2 And the Lord said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand. 3 And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him. 4 And Judah went up; and the Lord delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men. 5 And they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6 But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. 7 And Adoni-bezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died. 8 Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire. 9 And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley. 10 And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron: (now the name of Hebron before was Kirjath-arba:) and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.

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Joshua

Judges.

Governed the people.

Led the army.

Deliver Israel.

Preach His Word.

Guide Israel in serving Him.

Idol worship.

Canaanites

Stone.

Wood.

Gold.

Idols are not true gods; only one true God exists.

Idol worship breaks God’s first two commandments.

Exodus 20:3–4 KJV 1900

3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

God is a jealous God.

Sin.

Judges 2:11–13 KJV 1900

11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim: 12 And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger. 13 And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

Slavery.

Judges 2:14–15 KJV 1900

14 And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. 15 Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.

Sorrow.

Judges 2:18 KJV 1900

18 And when the Lord raised them up judges, then the Lord was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the Lord because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.

Salvation.

Judges 2:16–19 KJV 1900

16 Nevertheless the Lord raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. 17 And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord; but they did not so. 18 And when the Lord raised them up judges, then the Lord was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the Lord because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. 19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.

We are selfish and like to do things our own way.

We forgot God in the good times.

We need God’s help.

We all fail; we all sin.

Romans 3:23 KJV 1900

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

He is a jealous God.

Exodus 20:5 KJV 1900

5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

Joshua 24:19 KJV 1900

19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.

He gets angry with sin and punishes it.

He forgives and delivers again and again.

He loves people and wants the best for them.

John 3:16 KJV 1900

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

2 Peter 3:9 KJV 1900

9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Othniel Judges 3:9

Judges 3:9 KJV 1900

9 And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.

Ehud Judges 3:15

Judges 3:15 KJV 1900

15 But when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.

Shamgar Judges 3:11

Judges 3:11 KJV 1900

11 And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

Deborah Judges 4:4

Judges 4:4 KJV 1900

4 And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.

Barak Judges 4:6

Judges 4:6 KJV 1900

6 And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?

Gideon Judges 6:11

Judges 6:11 KJV 1900

11 And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.

Abimelech Judges 9:1

Judges 9:1 KJV 1900

1 And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying,

Tola Judges 10:1-2

Judges 10:1–2 KJV 1900

1 And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim. 2 And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.

Jair Judges 10:3

Judges 10:3 KJV 1900

3 And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years.

Jephthah Judges 11:1

Judges 11:1 KJV 1900

1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.

Ibzan Judges 12:8

Judges 12:8 KJV 1900

8 And after him Ibzan of Beth-lehem judged Israel.

Elon Judges 12:11

Judges 12:11 KJV 1900

11 And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years.

Abdon Judges 12:13

Judges 12:13 KJV 1900

13 And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel.

Samson Judges 13:24-25

Judges 13:24–25 KJV 1900

24 And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. 25 And the Spirit of the Lord began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Samuel I Samuel 7:6

1 Samuel 7:6 KJV 1900

6 And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.