Story of Judges
Talk Thru the Bible – Old Testament
Story of Judges
2 Timothy 2:2 – Hear, Entrust, Teach, Multiply!
Moses and Joshua. They were not kings. They were simply two good men who sought the very best for their people, the twelve tribes of Israel. Joshua completed the conquest of Canaan and the settlement of the twelve tribes within their territorial allotments. During Joshua’s lifetime and the following generation, the Israelites remembered God, the One who delivered, protected, shepherded, fed, and led them. He was their unseen King. But His people wanted more.
The reasons were many. At the top of the list was a desire for protection from the armies of their neighbors. Their fear begs the question. What happened? Why did God allow His Chosen People to suffer the hardship of invasion and enslavement after delivering them from Egypt?
Kings and Kingdoms
These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations, and out of these, the nations were separated on the earth after the flood. – Genesis 10:32
At the Tower of Babel, God dispersed the people by language groups. Genesis 10:1-31 details the creation of seventy nations, now ruled by errant sons of God who rebelled against His rule in heaven.
These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations, and out of these, the nations were separated on the earth after the flood. – Genesis 10:32
All of the world’s nations served other gods who ruled over them through human kings. Behind their power is Satan, the ruler of this world until now.
Baal, Asherah, Molech, Tophet. were the gods of Canaan. They demanded the most despicable religious practices and sacrifices.
- Temple Prostitution – All manner of deviant sexual behavior was practiced to curry the gods’ favor in every aspect of life.
- Child Sacrifice – Infants were dismembered and burned alive on the outstretched arms of stone idols.
The names of the gods have changed. Beyond that, everything is pretty much the same today. Sexual perversion is a religious right, (pun intended). Millions of children have been sacrificed because of a woman’s right to choose death for her baby. Whatever these practices are called, they are demonic to the core.
Kingdom of God
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is jealous. He doesn’t share His throne or worship with anyone or anything.
Out of all the world’s territory and peoples, God carved out a specific land, Israel, and filled it with a people of His creation, Israel. He was to be their God, and they were to be His people.
For 400 years following Joshua’s death, Israel continually forgot their God and went after the region’s other gods. A cycle repeated itself, over and over, seven times.
- Sin – Left to their lusts and desires, sin took God’s people farther and farther away from Him and into the waiting arms of others.
- Slavery – Serving other gods resulted in God no longer protecting His people. The people of Israel became slaves once again.
- Supplication (a fancy word for prayer that begins with “s”) – When life got bad enough, the people cried out to God for deliverance.
- Savior – During the 400 years mentioned above, God raised 13 different regional judges to save their people from their self-induced subjugation. Once God delivered them, the people returned to the previous status quo.
- Silence – As the people drifted away from God, they stopped praying to Him. They prayed to and served other gods. The Lord stopped speaking to them.
Time and again, Israel refused to serve their King, the Lord God, who created her for Himself. This background information provides essential context on what happens during the period of the Judges.
Five Facets of God’s Kingdom Program
Including this edition, four lessons cover the period of the Judges. They are an excellent place to introduce the five facets of God’s Kingdom program.
- Universal Kingdom
- Spiritual Kingdom
- Theocratic Kingdom
- Millennial Kingdom
- Mystery Kingdom
We will discuss each of the Five Facets of God’s Kingdom Program over the following four lessons.
*Note: See Points To Ponder, Septuagint/Dead Sea Scrolls on Deuteronomy 32:8
Talk Thru the Bible – OT Lessons
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Talking Points
Read Judges 1:1-2:23
- Through all the years of Joshua and the generation that followed, Israel served the Lord who had delivered them from slavery in Egypt and given them the Promised Land of their fathers (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob). After that, the people forgot the Lord and began serving other gods.
- God removed His protection of Israel and delivered them into the hands of the nations surrounding them. They became slaves once again.
- When the people repented of their sin, going after other gods, the Lord raised regional leaders to deliver His people from slavery. These leaders were known as “judges.” They were both military fighters and judicial authorities.
- The period of the judges lasted 400 years. During that time, God raised thirteen judges.
Points To Ponder
Septuagint/Dead Sea Scrolls on Deuteronomy 32:8
- Modern translations of the Old Testament rely heavily on the Hebrew of the Masoretic Text. Some passages within the Masoretic Text carry biases from a later time. Some of these occur in how the Masoretes deal with prophetic passages dealing with the identification of Israel’s Messiah. After Jesus fulfilled these passages, the Masorete handlers intentionally obscured the passages so their people would not ask uncomfortable questions. The only reason these inaccuracies have come to light is through comparisons with the Greek Septuagint, which was translated directly from older Hebrew manuscripts around 200 B.C. and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
- Another example of Masoretic inaccuracy is Deuteronomy 32:8. In Moses’ Song, Moses is recounting the history of his people and what will happen to them after they take the Promised Land. In the verse identified, God inspired Moses to explain the division of the nations at the Tower of Babel. Today, most translations say that God established boundaries of the nations according to the number of the “sons of Israel,” a Masoretic-based translation.
- The English Standard Version renders the division of the nations according to the number of the “sons of God.” The ESV has relied on the earlier Septuagint translations coupled with fragments of the same passage found at Qumran among the Dead Sea Scrolls. There are several reasons why the Masoretes would change the original text to the way they rendered it. That is another study.
- The main point of this discussion is to explain why God told the Israelites to destroy the Canaanite strongholds and the people within them. The “sons of God” are the same corrupting entities of Genesis 6:1-4. For more on this subject, watch the introduction videos by Dr. Michael Heiser of The Naked Bible.
Make an “I will” Statement.
- Based on your Judges study, what will you think, say, or do differently starting today?
- Who will you tell your “I will” statement to that will hold you accountable.
