Welcome to this daily study of the Book of Judges. The purpose of this study is to enhance your spiritual relationship. One method of study is to first read the section for the day. Then, by reviewing the text, answer the questions. Most of the questions may be answered by merely quoting the verse which is cited in the question. The answer to some questions is not explicit in the verse. These are marked with an asterisk (*), and may require some additional reflection on the material, or material from other books of the Bible. Finally, when you reach a question which is marked with a (§), spend some time contemplating how what you have read can enhance your spiritual life. You may find that these questions require a considerable amount of thought over a period of time. Quietly, in a relaxed state of mind, reflect on the question and find out where it seems to be leading you to consider. You are, of course, never required to share your answers unless you feel comfortable doing so. The LORD your GOD will bless your study of her word.
The utter sadness of a wasted life is palpable as we read the Book of Judges. The Israelites bring dishonor to their election as GOD's people. They waver in their faith. In this the book of Judges stands as an example of seed that is sown in the thorns where the lure of life's distractions moves us away from a faith in our spiritual relationship. As we learned in our study of the book of James, regarding faith (1:5-7), "if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of GOD, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraides not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that waveres is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the LORD." (Authorised King James Version). Imagine the wisdom which Israel missed, and let us not make the same mistake with our own spiritual relationship.
The last days of Joshua are recounted in the first two chapters. No sooner is Joshua departed than a generation of Israel arises which "knew not the LORD." Deborah is the first Judge. A remarkable woman who unites the people. In chapters 6 through 8, the call of Gideon is told. A more reluctant hero has never been known in history. Jotham, Tola and Jair judge Israel until in chapter 11, Jephthah delivers Israel. Surely, the most famous of the Judges, Samson, is the subject of chapters 13 through 16.
Finally, and just when the spiritual condition of Israel is anticipated to have hit bottom, one of the most horrific stories of history is recounted. To the credit of the authors, the most ghastly details are maintained, and the story is not sugar coated. The book ends with the statement in 22:25, "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes."
Taken as a lesson for our own spiritual relationship, the book of Judges teaches us the consequences of doing "that which is right in our own eyes." It is a sobering reminder of how much we need the guidance of our spiritual relationship.
The next lesson will introduce us to the Corinthians. Corinth was a cosmopolitan centre of trade and commerce. As such, the residents received a variety of influences from all over the known world. Paul in his letters attempts to deal with the results of these influences. Just as the Israelites in the book of Judges were prone to forget their unique relationship, so to, the Corinthians were easily distracted. Fortunately for us, Paul uses this opportunity to lay a foundation for a strong faith in what is the first recorded witness of the resurrection (2 Corinthians 15)
From verse 3, who fought with the tribe of Judah?
Consult a map to see why it was appropriate for these two tribes to ally themselves
What city was taken in verse 8?
On a map, locate the area of Hebron?
Who received the land around Debir according to verse 12?
From verse 19, which area was Judah unsuccessful at?
( § ) In your spiritual life which areas are you confident in and which areas need improvement?
How were the Israelites disobedient in verse 2?
What were the consequences in verse 3?
Where was Joshua buried in verse 9? Locate it on a map.
What did the generation after Joshua do in verse 12?
From verse 15, what happened to their relationship with GOD?
What happened when a Judge was raised up according to verse 18?
In verse 19, what happened when the Judge died?
( § ) Do you sometimes feel your spiritual life has moments of success and moments of failure? Why do you think that happens?
According to verse 4, why were the nations allowed to live among the Israelites?
How did the Israelites behave in verse 7?
What are the names of the three Judges who saved Israel?
What did Ehud do in verse 21, to save Israel?
In verse 30, what was the result?
( § ) In your times of need, how has your spiritual life been strengthened?
From verse 1, what happened after Ehud died?
Who was leading Israel according to verse 4?
In verse 9, who gains the honor of releasing Israel from oppression?
What did Jael do in verse 21?
( § ) How do these women expand traditional roles? What might you try to do which would expand your own capabilities?
Who sang the song according to verse 1?
Who is assigned credit in verse 7 for freeing Israel?
Which of the tribes of Israel are remembered?
How is Jael remembered in verse 24?
In verse 28, how are the tragedies of war emphasised?
( § ) Where are some of the triumphs you have enjoyed in your spiritual life?
Where were the Israelites living in verse 2?
What did the angel say to Gideon in verse 12?
What instruction did Gideon receive in verse 14?
From verse 16, how was Gideon going to accomplish this?
What are Gideon's objections in verses 13 and 15?
( § ) When you fell overwhelmed, how might these verses help you?
What was Gideon commanded in verses 25 and 26?
How did Gideon's father respond in verse 31?
In verse 37, what did Gideon ask for?
How did Gideon respond in verse 39?
( § ) How might Gideon's trepidations strengthen your commitment?
Locate Gideon's encampment on a map?
In verse 2, what instruction did Gideon receive?
How many men remained with Gideon in verse 7?
In verses 13 and 14, what was the dream and its interpretation which Gideon heard?
What did Gideon's men do in verse 20?
What does verse 22 read happened to the Midianites?
( § ) How might you rely less on your own resources and more on GOD's?
How did Gideon demonstrate diplomacy in verse 3?
In verse 6, how did the officials of Succoth respond to Gideon's request?
How did Gideon reply in verse 15?
In verse 23, how did Gideon acknowledge GOD?
What became a snare to Gideon in verse 27?
( § ) How might you avoid the excess of your own success?
Who was Abimelech according to verse 1?
In verse 2, what did Abimelech ask of Shechem?
What happened in verse 5 to the brothers of Abimelech?
What did Jotham liken Abimelech to in verse 14?
In verse 25, what did the citizens of Shechem do?
In verse 31, who was stirring up the city against Abimelech?
How did Abimelech become wounded in verse 53?
What happened in verse 54 when Abimelech died?
( § ) How might you gain from the experience of the Israelites when they strayed from GOD?
What are the names of the three Judges in Chapter 10?
How did the LORD reply in verse 13 when the Israelites cried out?
In verse 16, how did the Israelites show true repentance?
( § ) How might you demonstrate true repentance in your spiritual relationship?
From verse 3, what was the occupation of Japheth?
What was offered to Japheth in verse 8?
What did the king of the Ammonites say in verse 13?
In verses 23-27, what are some of the arguments Japheth uses?
What was Jephthah's vow in verses 30 and 31?
Who came out to meet Jephthah in verse 34?
( § ) How will the experience of Jephthah help you to be more responsible in your spiritual relationship?
What did Ephraim complain to Jephthah about in verse 1?
How does verse 3 show Jephthah's lack of diplomatic skill?
What was the result in verse 6 of this argument?
Who were the 3 Judges after Jephthah?
( § ) What is happening to the quality of the Judges after Joshua? What might this indicate about the influence our spiritual relationship has on our temporal life?
What does verse 2 read about Samson's parents?
What did the angel say in verse 5?
In verse 16, what did the angel agree to accept from Manoah?
While Manoah and his wife watched, what amazing thing happened in verse 20?
What did the wife of Manoah reason in verse 23?
( § ) Even though verse 1 reads that the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, a deliverer was sent. How might this example of GOD's grace give you confidence?
What did Samson say to his parents in verse 2?
What did Samson do in verse 6?
From verse 8, what was in the lion's carcass?
What riddle did Samson tell in verse 14?
How was Samson betrayed in verse 17?
( § ) How might the story of Samson help you to utilise your talents more successfully?
What was Samson prevented from doing in verse 1?
How did he retaliate in verse 4?
In verse 12, what did the men of Judah do?
What did Samson do with the jawbone in verse 15?
How long did Samson lead Israel according to verse 20?
( § ) Why do you think GOD worked through a person such as Samson? How might that increase your faith in GOD's ability to work with you?
From verse 4, with whom did Samson fall in love?
What did she ask in verse 6?
In verse 9, what did she do?
What did she do in verse 12?
What did Samson reveal in verse 17?
What was the fate of Samson in verse 21?
( § ) How might Samson's foolishness help you to be wiser in your spiritual life?
From verse 2, what did Micah do with his mother's silver?
In verse 4, what did she do with the silver?
Who visited Micah in verse 7?
From verse 11, what arrangement was reached?
( § ) The further Israel moves from their GOD, the greater the disintegration of their society. How might this help you maintain a strong spiritual relationship?
What report did the warriors from Zorah and Eshtaol give in verse 10?
In verse 17, what did they do at Micah's place?
What did the Danites do in verse 27?
What do verses 30 and 31 say about the Danites relationship to their GOD?
( § ) How does your spiritual relationship help maintain order in your life?
From verse 4, what was the Levite doing in Bethlehem?
How many days did he spend with his Father-in-law?
In verse 15, what happened when he arrived at Gibeah?
What did the old man say to the Levite in verse 20?
What happened in verse 22?
In verse 24, what was the fate of the concubine?
How did the Levite make known what had happened in verse 29?
In which city did a similar event occur according to Genesis 19?
( § ) How is it possible to accommodate both GOD and evil in the world?
Identify the places mentioned in verse 1 on a map.
In verse 11, what did all the men of Israel resolve to do?
How did the Benjamites respond in verse 14?
According to verse 18, what advice did Israel receive?
What advice was given in verse 23?
In verse 25, what was the outcome?
What advice did Israel receive in verse 28?
From verse 48, what was the final outcome?
( § ) How might the experience of the Israelites encourage you in your struggles when they seem to fail?
What concerned the Israelites in verse 3?
From verse 8, which tribe did not come to Mizpah?
What did the Israelites do in verse 12?
In verse 19, how were the remaining Benjamites supplied with wives?
( § ) What philosophies in your time might fit the description of verse 25?
How had the Israelites violated their covenant in verse 2?
What was the consequence in verse 3?
How does verse 10 show there was a breakdown in teaching the LAWs of Moses to successive generations?
What was the result in verses 11 and 12?
From verse 16, how did GOD try to help the Israelites?
How did they respond in verse 17?
( § ) How might you avoid the mistakes of the Israelites in your spiritual life?
What do you remember about these Judges?
Ehud
Deborah
Gideon
Jephthah
Samson
( § ) How might you have learned to manage your spiritual life better from your study of Judges?
Recommended Reading
What can possible be gained from these frustrating, depressing stories of a society unable to reach their spiritual potential? Is there something here in the Book of Judges on which to build a stronger spiritual relationship? The challenge is to learn from the mistakes of others before we make those mistakes our own.
The Book of Judges chronicles the decay of the spiritual fabric of a society and the subsequent loss of its moral centre. It demonstrates through example how a person loses an interest in a spiritual relationship. Finally, without a spiritual centre, we do what is "right in our own eyes." The downfall is now complete because we are allowed to exist in our own lie which proclaims a lack of spiritual need.
After the death of Joshua, Israel grew tired of the fight against the inhabitants of Canaan, and failed to complete the conquest. To make matters worse, they neglected their responsibility as a people chosen by the LORD to represent GOD. Instead of maintaining their moral and liturgical tradition as a way of demonstrating the justice and grace of the LORD their GOD, they adopted the practices of their neighbours. "Then the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and worshipped the Baals; and they abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; they followed other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were all around them, and bowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger. They abandoned the LORD, and worshipped Baal and Astartes." (2:11-13).
It is not unusual to become weary when the first glow of spiritual relationship turns into the work of keeping the fire alive. We all have habits and behaviours which, no matter how much we try, will always be a part of who we are. I, for one, will probably always be intractable and a bit aloof. The real danger is not in the inability to root out these distractions from a fuller spiritual relationship. We lose our spiritual priority when we tire of fighting these habits, and instead, begin to promote them at the expense of a fuller spiritual relationship. Learning to live with our failings without giving in to them requires faith in GOD's grace.
To their misfortune, the Israelites continued to do evil in the sight of the LORD their GOD and worshipping the Baals and the Asherahs (3:7). GOD responded by sending Judges to free them from their bondage. The first major Judge was Deborah, a prophetess who had been judging Israel. As she predicted, the LORD sold "Sisera into the hands of a woman", when he lost his mind to Jael the wife of Heber.
A brief respite from oppression, and their evil ways brought them back under the heal of one of their neighbours, this time, the Midians. The call of Gideon (6:11-27) is among the most humorous stories in the Bible. Gideon is a man without hope, and represents spiritual cynicism of every age.
"The angel of LORD appeared to him and said to him, 'The LORD is with you, you mighty warrior.' Gideon answered him, 'But sir, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our ancestors recounted to us..?" (6:12-13)
Gideon's question is important. Fundamentally, he is asking about the nature of evil. Many since him have asked the same question. If GOD is with us, why is there evil? Why doesn't GOD remove the distractions and impediments to a full spiritual relationship? In short, why isn't my life the way I want it to be? It is the inability to reconcile evil with GOD that drives many people to atheism.. It is a question that will be settled along the way of your spiritual life.. The first step is to accept that which hinders our spiritual growth and move forward in spite of it.
Gideon did move forward in faith. Gently, the LORD guided him to increasingly greater acts of courage. Finally, he was able to rid the land of the Midianites with a band of only 300 men. He was able to chase away the Midians, however, he was unable to chase away his own weakness as he turned to idolatry. Even the 300 could not rout that from the land.
Unfortunately, the Israelites were unrepentant. The used GOD to change their circumstances rather than using their circumstances to bring them closer to GOD. As with all skills which are consistently exercised, the Israelites became better at their idolatries. Our challenge is to learn to trust GOD in our circumstances, and to accept the responsibility to stay close to our spiritual commitment even when we do not feel challenged or oppressed. Saint John of the Cross called these times of spiritual desperation a "Dark Night of the Soul". He found them to be well-springs of spiritual strength. The Psalmist writes that even the those who strength is in the LORD are met with times of weeping. (Psalm 84) However, "as they go through the valley of Baca (weeping) they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pool. They go from strength to strength; the GOD of gods will be seen in Zion."
May the grace of the LORD our GOD be your strength in times of weeping, and may you draw from them as from a spring. In this way, your spiritual relationship will grow and prosper.