| Judges 1:1-2:9 | Judges 2:10-3:31 | Judges 4-5 |
| Judges 7:1-8:17 | Judges 8:18-9:21 | Judges 9:22-10:18 |
| Judges 11-12 | Judges 13-14 | Judges 15-16 |
| Judges 17-18 | Judges 19-20 | Judges 21 |
| Cycle in Judges | Dan’s Migration | Benjamin Defeated |
Judges 1:1-2:9
The book of Judges covers approximately 350 years of Israel’s history, and gets its name from the different “Judges” (leaders) God raised up to rescue Israel when she gets herself in trouble. We will see seven cycles of – defeat, discipline, despair, and deliverance. The sad theme of the book is:
Judges 21:25 (NKJV) “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
The book of Judges begins by rewinding a bit – going back to events covered in the book of Joshua, regarding land that was conquered, but also much land and people which Israel failed to conquer.
Not all is ugly though, it’s beautiful, what we see behind the scenes in Judges 1:1-2, how the people of Israel pray and ask God for marching orders, for Divine details. This is how our lives should roll. Then in Joshua 1:3 we see the brothers band together to fight the enemy – so far sooo good! We read of the victories of Judah, Caleb, and Othniel, we see the faith of Caleb’s daughter Achsah (things covered in Joshua 15).
Things were looking good for the nation, but then…they let their guard down, they fumbled in the fourth quarter, they fell before they hit the finish line, the conquest clearly was incomplete.
Judges 1:19 (NKJV) “So the LORD was with Judah. And they drove out the mountaineers, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the lowland, because they had chariots of iron.”
Judges 1:27–28 (NKJV) “However, Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants…and its villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land. 28 And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites under tribute, but did not completely drive them out.
Judges 1:30 (NKJV) “Nor did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants…so the Canaanites dwelt among them, and were put under tribute.”
Judges 1:31 (NKJV) “Nor did Asher drive out the inhabitants…”
Judges 1:33 (NKJV) “Nor did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants…but they dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were put under tribute to them.”
They did not drive out, they could not drive out, and even when Israel grew strong enough to do so, they would not drive out the enemies of God, they only used that strength to put bad influences under tribute – when God’s command was to drive them out. Of course the enemy is going to have iron chariots, and of course the enemy is determined to stay, but we must do all we can to eradicate the evil in our lives. May we never settle down with any sin.
Part of the reason Israel did not, could not, and would not have that victory over the enemy was simply because of the overall sin in their lives – the way that their hearts had turned to idols (Judges 2:1-4). When the Angel of the LORD (probably a reference to Jesus Himself – an appearance of God in the flesh) informed them of this – the people wept. Reminds me of Esau, weeping over his loss. There’s a big difference between tears for sin (regret), and turning from sin (repentance).
God repeats something He articulated earlier (for emphasis):
Judges 2:7 (NKJV) “So 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 works of the LORD which He had done for Israel.”
We read here that the people who had seen the great works of the LORD – served the LORD.
We read in Joshua 24:31 that it was the people who had “known” the works of the LORD who served Him. It’s a great challenge, but I think the key for victory in successive generations is to do our best to share and show our children that they might “see” and truly “know” God, all the great things He has done His people. It’s then and only then, they will serve the Lord.
Joshua finished his race – what a life he lived! He’s a picture of Jesus who also finished the work and leads His people into the Promised Land.
Judges 2:10-3:31
They say the first generation gathers it all, the second generation enjoys it all, but the third generation squanders it all. It appears to be true at this point in our scripture reading regarding the nation of Israel. We read in:
Judges 2:10 (NKJV) “When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel.”
Israel turned from the very God who saved them from Egypt and had given them Canaan. They began to serve the Baals and the Asherah’s (Click to view more information on these two pagan deities).
So God delivered them into the hands of their enemies…and the vicious cycle began.
Maybe you’ve see it happen to yourself or others; the way God does such a beautiful work in someone’s life, and yet their hearts have that tendency to wander away – sometimes Christians wander far, far away (James 5:19-20).
Thank God He is merciful and compassionate and moved to pity when we groan (Judges 2:18). Not just once, or twice, but repeatedly throughout the ages we’ve seen it in Israel, how disobedience led to defeat until they eventually came to that place of despair, they would cry out to God who would raise up a judge through whom He would deliver the people…only to see them eventually revert back to the ways of the world.
Judges 2:19 (NKJV) “And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.”
Due to their disobedience the victories vanished and constant testing was implemented. We read of God’s testing three times in this section (Judges 2:22; 3:1, 4). Do I really love God? We’ll find out, my love will be tested through temptation.
Another result of living in the midst of enemies, is this generation would learn war. This is applicable both physically and spiritually. If there were no enemies, there would be no need to fight – but now they they allowed themselves to live in this type of “neighborhood,” so the fight would be fierce.
The children of Israel, once again did evil in the sight of the Lord (we read that seven times in this book) and the LORD delivered them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim, King of Mesopotamia – they served him eight years. But Israel cried out, and God raised up Othniel, and the Spirit of the LORD empowered him to deliver Israel – and the land had rest for forty years.
When Othniel died the children of Israel again, did evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD therefore delivered them into the hands of Moab, and they served them for eighteen years. But Israel cried out, and God raised up Ehud, who had an interesting way of leading the nation to freedom…and the land had rest for eighty years.
But the people would revert back to their old ways, the ways of the world – under the sway of the wicked one (1 John 5:19). Israel cried out in prayer and God raised up Shamgar as judge. Imagine killing 600 Philistines with an ox goad – that’s got to be God!
But…they fell back into their cycle. It’s a cycle that I’m afraid we frequently fall into. May God use this book to help us see the foolishness of such lives – may we learn to be faithful from this day forward.
Judges 4:1-5:31
Again the children of Israel find themselves thoroughly defeated, due to the death of their leader (Ehud – Judges 4:1), and their defiant disobedience. This time they’re sold into the hand of Jabin, king of Canaan. The commander over his army was Sisera.
You’ll never guess what happened next?
Judges 4:3 (NKJV) “And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD; for Jabin had nine hundred chariots of iron, and for twenty years he had harshly oppressed the children of Israel.”
It’s the same cycle!
God went on to deliver Israel through a prophetess who was judging Israel at the time, Deborah; and under the military leadership of Barak.
Many Bible teachers tell us the reason Deborah was judging Israel at this time was because there wasn’t a man in Israel willing to step up to the plate. That may be true considering the reaction of Barak. He said he wouldn’t lead without Deborah’s presence (Judges 4:8).
This is definitely a section of Scripture which highlights two women of prominence. Deborah was a prophetess and a judge (Judges 4:4). Next enters a woman by the name of Jael. She was the one used to bring the death blow to Israel’s arch enemy, Sisera (Judges 4:21).
Deborah and Barak went on to write and sing a song – giving God all the glory, and at the same time acknowledging the human response (responsibility).
Notice the commendation to leaders who actually lead, willing to offer themselves for the service of the LORD (Judges 5:2, 9). They came from Ephraim, Benjamin, Zebulun, Issachar, Reuben, and Naphtali.
The song also mentions those of Israel who didn’t fight in the battle, people from Gilead and Dan.
God sees it all!
Their enemies were formidable but it mattered not, for the LORD came down and fought for them against the mighty (Judges 5:13).
The song mentions the woman “warrior” Jael who pierced the head of Sisera. His mother’s assumptions were tragically wrong, her son was not dividing the spoil, he wasn’t having “fun” with a girl or two, collecting more clothing. Sisera, the man who led nine hundred chariots was dead.
Israel was growing stronger and stronger (Judges 4:24) – and they prayed that prayer, with results:
Judges 5:31 (NKJV) “Thus let all Your enemies perish, O LORD! But let those who love Him be like the sun when it comes out in full strength.” So the land had rest for forty years.” (see also Provers 4:18)
Judges 7:1-8:17
32,000 men of Israel responded to the call to fight for their nation. Their enemies numbered 135,000. Israel was outnumbered by far, but God was still concerned that if Israel won the battle, they would take the credit and the glory, so He thinned out the ranks.
His first way of sifting the soldiers was to ask all those who were afraid – to go home. Fear is very contagious. 22,000 soldiers went home and 10,000 remained, but in God’s eyes, it was still too many.
The second way of sifting out the soldiers was to test the way they drank water. The distinction between the two classifications of water drinkers is a bit difficult to interpret but Josephus the historian believed the 300 men who passed the test were less watchful, which would bring even MORE glory to God when Israel was victorious. 9,700 soldiers were eliminated so that now it was 300 Israelites fighting 135,000 Midianites! It makes no sense to our feeble minds, but when God is on our side, the enemy is always outnumbered.
Again, God encourages Gideon by allowing him to hear a dream in the Midianite camp of his impending victory.
Judges 7:13–14 (NKJV) “And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion. He said, ‘I have had a dream: To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed.” 14 Then his companion answered and said, “This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp.”
We don’t need to hear dreams necessarily, but God is gracious to encourage us with a word we might hear from someone. But more importantly, we have God’s Word revealing that we are victors and even more than conquerers through Christ who loves us (Romans 8:37). The Midianite dream was of barley bread crushing their camp. Barley bread was the poor man’s bread – the Midianites were largely nomads living in tents. God was about to crush the enemies of Israel; this dream would be a faith-builder to Gideon.
I’ve always been fascinated by the battle plan – the way God brought about the victory. The leaders and then the soldiers were to blow the trumpet, break the clay pitcher, and let the light (torch) shine, that was inside the pitcher. The declaration was, “The sword of the LORD and of Gideon.”
This is symbolic of what happens when we are broken of our own ways, our own wills – we are jars of clay, earthen vessels. Paul the Apostle put it this way:
2 Corinthians 4:7 (NKJV) “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”
The Treasure is Jesus, the light is the Lord, and as we’re fully surrendered and broken before God, Jesus will shine through us. This is how we defeat the enemy, and that’s what happened to the Midianites as they fought each other and were defeated by God.
During the battle, some joined, some complained, some refused to help the soldiers, but Gideon dealt with each situation wisely – truly he had been transformed into a “Mighty man of valor,” (Judges 6:12) a man of heroic courage. For this reason it was called the “Sword of the LORD and of Gideon.” God doesn’t need us, but He chooses to use those who are willing to follow Him into the battle – even the least of the least (Judges 6:15).
Judges 8:18-9:21
Zebah and Zalmunna were kings of Midian who had oppressed Israel for seven years (Judges 6:1; 8:5). If they had shown mercy to others, perhaps Gideon would have shown mercy to them, but even Gideon’s brothers died at the hands of these men, so he executed them himself (his son couldn’t do it).
Zebah and Zalmunna saw Gideon as a king, so did the sons of Israel, but Gideon didn’t see himself that way. He rejected their offer to be king. Gideon was smart enough to know that the LORD should rule over them, the LORD should be their king (Judges 8:21).
Gideon was wise in that, but not altogether wise, for he made a golden ephod, which became a snare and an idol. Gideon also had multiple wives and children. In God’s grace the land had rest while Gideon lived, but as soon as Gideon died, the children of Israel played the harlot – AGAIN!
In the midst of a pagan people the enemy was alive and well. One of Gideon’s sons named Abimelech, mustered up the support from his relatives rooted in the powerful city of Shechem, and they gave Abimelech money to hire heartless mercenaries who murdered the seventy sons of Gideon (all but one).
Abimelech should have known that this type of move was the devil’s downfall, it all began with his desire to exalt himself (Isaiah 14:12-14). When will we learn?
Luke 18:14 (NKJV) “…for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Psalm 75:6–7 (NKJV) “For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. 7 But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another.”
The only other sole survivor of Gideon’s sons, was Jotham. He stood on top of Mount Gerizim and spoke a parable to Abimelech and the men around him. It was the least worthy, the despicable, the worthless, reckless man they had exalted, not the olive tree, not the fig tree, not the vine, but the bramble; it was a wild shrub they had chosen for themselves. Gideon and his descendants deserved honor from the nation, but they treated his family like trash. Maybe you’ve seen the military honors given at a funeral of a loved one who’s served our country – it’s beautiful, it seems right. Gideon was not just a participant, a fighter, or a soldier, he was a hero, a deliverer, a judge. Jotham reminds the men – to no avail.
But God would have the final word (He always does).
Judges 9:22-10:18
Abimelech was guilty of the blood of his own brothers, and God was about to make him pay for his sin.
Isn’t it interesting what we read in:
Judges 9:23 (NKJV) “God sent a spirit of ill will between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech.”
Peace between people is not only something we endeavor to keep, it’s also something God grants between us. Have you ever seen or sensed a “spirit of ill will” between people? If God so chooses, He can raise up adversaries against us as He did with Solomon because of his sin (1 Kings 11:14, 23, 26).
Things started stirring in Shechem, the men who previously supported Abimelech no longer did. Although Abimelech was able to squash the first uprising, and a few others, he wasn’t able to defeat them all. In the end, because of Abimelech’s aggressive campaign against Thebez he came too close to the tower and a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head, it crushed his skull. Abimelech asked his armor-bearer to finish him off – and he did, but Abimelech couldn’t erase the fact that his downfall was at the hands of a woman. Ultimately it was God who crushed him for the shed blood of his own brothers.
Judges 9:56 (NKJV) “Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father by killing his seventy brothers.”
After Abimelech, there were many other judges who led, such as Tola (23 years), and Jair (23 years), we don’t have the details of their days but you can be sure they all have some interesting stories. But once again the children of Israel did evil – and it seems to be getting worse! Israel served the gods of Syria, the gods of Moab, the gods of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, so the Lord “sold” them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites.
The children of Israel cry out to God, again, but it’s as if God is done delivering them. Is He?
No. Our God is long-suffering and compassionate. It’s comforting to read the words we have recorded for us in:
Judges 10:16 (NKJV) “…And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.”
God should have given up on them. He should have given up on me – but He didn’t, He doesn’t, He hasn’t. If a person can muster up the strength to pray, and the wisdom to repent – God will meet us there every time! And the cycle continues.
Judges 11:1-12:15
The opening words of Judges 11 are bittersweet:
Judges 11:1 (NKJV) “Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot…”
A mighty man of valor would be needed in Israel, a man of heroic courage; but to be the son of a harlot says something about his biological father, and would lead to his brothers expelling him.
But time and circumstance have a way of changing things. This mighty man of valor was needed when the Ammonites made war against Israel. The elders of Gilead enlisted the services of Jephthah and promised to make him judge if he and his men would lead them in battle.
It’s commendable to see the way Jephthah tries to reason with the king of the people of Ammon and how Jephthah knows his history, he knows the truth, he knows the Scriptures, it seems as if he knows the LORD. Israel hadn’t seized any land from the Moabites or the Ammonites in aggressive fashion – they didn’t even walk through Edom because they weren’t given permission. Israel DID gain the land of the Amorites (east of the Jordan) because King Sihon attacked Israel – was that the land Ammon was now trying to gain? That wasn’t their land, it was land given to Israel by the LORD.
Bible Knowledge Commentary, “Jephthah also argued that Balak…king of Moab, to whom part of the area in question used to belong, had consented to Israel’s right to this area. In fact, Jephthah claimed, the land at the time of the Ammonite invasion had been Israel’s for 300 years without any surrounding nations contesting it. Thus Jephthah denied any wrongdoing on Israel’s part against Ammon. Ammon was in the wrong by warring against Israel.”
But Jephthah’s attempt at diplomacy failed, since the king of Ammon paid no attention to his message.
The Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah and he attacked the Ammonites, he advanced (ran) to the battle – but then he makes a rash vow:
Judges 11:30–31 (NKJV) “And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, ‘If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, 31 then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.’”
God did indeed deliver the people of Ammon into Jephtha’s hands, but the first person to come out of his doors when he returned, was his daughter, his one and only child. Jephthah tore his clothes and fell to the ground. Why make such a vow to begin with?
Jephthah’s vow was probably not fulfilled by sacrificing his daughter in death. The following explanation from Thomas Howe and Norman L. Geisler’s, “Big Book of Bible Difficulties,” explains:
“…for several reasons, it is not necessary to assume that Jephthah ever offered a human sacrifice.
First, Jephthah was aware of the law against human sacrifice, and if he had intended to offer a human sacrifice, he would have known this would have been a blatant rejection of God’s law.
Secondly, the text does not actually say he killed his daughter in a sacrificial offering. This is simply inferred by some from the fact that he promised that whatever came out of his house first “shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering” (11:31). As Paul indicated, human beings are to be offered to God “as a living sacrifice” (Rom. 12:1), not as dead ones. Jephthah could have offered his daughter to the Lord as a living sacrifice. For the remainder of her life, she would serve the Lord in the temple and remain a virgin.
Third, a living sacrifice of perpetual virginity was a tremendous sacrifice in the Jewish context of that day. As a perpetual virgin dedicated to the service of the Lord, she would not be able to bring up children to continue her father’s lineage. Jephthah acted as a man of honor and great faith in the Lord by not going back on the vow that he had made to the Lord his God.
Fourth, this view is supported by the fact that when Jephthah’s daughter went out to weep for two months, she did not go out to mourn her impending death. Rather, she went out “and bewailed her virginity” (v. 38).”
The men of Ephraim were offended – saying Jephthah had not invited them to the battle and threatened to burn his house down. Jephthah’s story was different, saying the men of Ephraim were not there for him when he needed them. It’s too bad it didn’t end at that, for what ensued was a sort of civil war between Ephraim and Gilead, and forty-two thousand Ephraimites were slain, simply because they were of that “family.”
After Jephthah judged Israel (6 years), there was Izban (7 years), Elon (10 years) and Abdoni (8 years).
Judges 13:1-14:20
Once again, Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, He therefore delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.
Enter in an Angel of the LORD which Judges 13:22 reveals to us is God Himself, veiled in human flesh. Most teachers believe it was Jesus, who was giving us a glimpse of how one day He would dwell among us (John 1:14).
The LORD reveals that deliverance for Israel was on its way, in the form of a baby, and this child was not to drink wine, eat anything unclean, or cut his hair…he would be a Nazirite to God from the womb (see Numbers 6).
We then read some significantly prophetic words in:
Judges 13:5b (NKJV) “…he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”
We will see that Samson had so much potential, he could have delivered Israel completely out of the hand of the Philistines, but because of his sin, he would only begin.
The LORD had appeared to the wife of Manoah who relays the news to her husband. Manoah then prayed:
Judges 13:8 (NKJV) “Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, and said, ‘O my Lord, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born.’”
Isn’t that a beautiful prayer from Manoah? That God would teach us as parents? That He would give us instructions for our children?
The LORD heard Manoah’s prayer, and did indeed come again, but the instructions were the same, to set their child apart with the Nazirite vow.
Manoah did not know it was an Angel of the LORD, he may have thought it was a mere angel, but he soon found out this was God Himself. Manoah was then convinced he was going to die for seeing God’s face. His wife comforted him with words of reason (Judges 13:23).
Isn’t it interesting when asked His name, the Angel of the LORD, simply referred to Himself as “Wonderful?” Perhaps a glimpse of:
Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV) “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Eventually the child was born and they named him Samson. There was a special anointing of the Holy Spirit upon his life (Judges 13:25).
Fast forward many years, and for whatever reason, this child with such a special birth and calling, is carnal. Most men struggle with women but it was Samson’s self-induced kryptonite. He went “down” (that’s significant). Down to Timnah and fell in love (lust really), with a Philistine woman; he asked his parents to get her as wife.
We get a glimpse of what may have been behind the problem – his parents give in to his sinful request. They hem and haw in the beginning, but eventually cave and go against God’s Word (Deuteronomy 7:3).
When the Spirit of the LORD comes upon Samson, he is able to tear a lion apart with his bare hands. This lion was symbolic of Satan (1 Peter 5:8). But Samson violates his Nazirite vow by touching the dead corpse. This leads to more sin, an ugodly engagement, a lack of wisdom, gambling, danger, and eventually he’s worn down and defeated by a woman.
Samson abused his gift, using it to kill thirty men for their clothing, and his “wife” was given to his best man.
Now, having read all that (and more), we wonder about Judges 14:4, how can this in any way be, “Of the LORD”? The truth is, God doesn’t author sin, but He allows it. God knew exactly what Samson would do and wanted to begin to stir things up against the Philistines. God would use Samson to flex His muscles and give the children of Israel some hope and breathing room. It’s just too bad that Samson wasn’t surrendered to his Lord who had given him so much strength. Samson would only start, he would only begin – but not finish this deliverance. Many lessons for us to ponder.
Judges 15:1-16:31
C.H. Spurgeon said that Samson’s life was a series of miracles and mess-ups…and I would add that those miracles and mess-ups were “big” on both ends.
After all the drama of the failed wedding of the past (it never happened – Judges 14), how could Samson possibly come back to claim his “wife?” Her father married her off to someone else, so Samson used that as fuel to start a fight with the Philistines. Warren Wiersbe rightly said, “When life is motivated by retaliation, the consequences are usually painful.” It’s tragic to read that she and her family were burned to death by the Philistines, and the men of Judah delivered their deliverer to the Philistines. You might wonder how THAT can happen? Why didn’t they rally around Samson and fight for their freedom following their God-given leader? Again Warren Wiersbe offers insight, “Had Samson been a spiritual man, and not just a fighter, he could have led them forth to victory, but he preferred to work alone and not as the leader of a crusade.”
The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson and he killed a thousand Philistines with a jawbone of a donkey. I think God was trying to speak to Samson. There may have been some similarities to Samson and Balaam – both had tons of potential. In the ministry of Balaam God used a donkey, God spoke through a donkey, here Samson picks up the closest “weapon” he can find – the jawbone of a donkey to bring about victory. Doesn’t Samson get it yet? God wanted to use him to bring about victory for Israel – if God could use a donkey, surely God could use him (and us – even our jawbone – our words).
Samson was reminded of his humanity when he almost died of thirst, but still he lived in disobedient arrogance. Like most men, Samson’s weakness was women. It’s tough to read about this man, who is in the hall of faith – Hebrews 11:32, so gifted, sleeping with a harlot – even if he did carry the city gates on his shoulders to escape, making a statement.
Eventually this weakness of women would reduce this man to a crust of bread (Proverbs 6:26). Delilah captured his heart and she didn’t even need to beat around the bush:
Judges 16:6 (NKJV) “So Delilah said to Samson, ‘Please tell me where your great strength lies, and with what you may be bound to afflict you.’”
Samson played with sin, and played with sin, and played with sin, until eventually he sinned one too many times, and he payed for sin. God had rescued him and showed him so much grace that he thought he was beyond any consequences to sin. The man who had blinded himself spiritually, was now blinded physically, as the Philistines gouged out his eyes, ironic isn’t it? Sin binds, it blinds, and grinds. He would spend the rest of his life, grinding the millstone in circles.
I don’t think it was the haircut that did him in, it was his toying with sin to the point of giving in and crossing the line. May we learn from Samson, especially in the area of sexual temptation. God help us to fear Him and to not just begin the race, but to finish well.
At his death Samson DID kill three thousand Philistines, but his kamikaze outgoing was not God’s perfect will for his life and death…it could have been so much more. May that not be our epitaph!
Judges 17:1-18:31
When everyone simply does what is right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6), strange things happen. This is one of those strange occurrences in the Mountains of Ephraim, with a man named Micah, a so-called Levite, and the tribe of Dan.
It begins with Micah confessing to his mother that he had stolen her silver…silver which she subsequently cursed. When he returns the silver to his mother, she took a portion of it and had an idol made, which Micah added to his shrine, where he also had an ephod and other household idols. Micah then ordained his son as priest, something clearly forbidden in the Law of the Lord (Numbers 3:10).
Next we find a young man from Bethlehem, a Levite, venturing out, looking for a place to live. I wonder if it’s because the children of Israel were not providing the necessary tithes and offerings, or if this young man is simply seeking some type of adventure – he wants something different, “outside the box.” Either way, none of these people are doing things God’s way. Micah crosses paths with this young man and hires him as his personal priest…he would receive ten shekels of silver, a suit of clothes, and room and board.
Judges 17:11 (NKJV) “Then the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man became like one of his sons to him.”
It probably didn’t take long for Micah’s bubble to burst as one day the tribe of Dan, who still hadn’t received their inheritance, travels through the mountains of Ephraim to find an easy fight for land (they can’t seem to win anywhere else). They find the land of Laish, and on their second time around decide to steal all the religious stuff from the household of Micah, including his priest. It’s tragic how it all went down, even the fact that the pries left because the “numbers” were higher with the tribe of Dan. It turns out…he was a hireling.
The truth is – all of this was demonic. No one was doing things according to God’s Word and the enemy was setting up a deep stronghold through Dan. Notice what we read in:
Judges 18:30 (NKJV) “Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.”
This place of idolatry and pagan priesthood did not end until the children of Israel were carried away!
I’ve been to Israel, I’ve seen the altar set up to pagan gods in this area of Dan, far north in Israel; you can still sense the tragedy of it all, even today. May God strike a healthy fear in our hearts! We don’t have the right to make up our own rules, our own religion, our own priesthood. God help us to do things His way!
Judges 19:1-20:48
As we read through these stories in the book of Judges, it’s just heart-breaking. The writer of the book of Judges, who may have been Samuel, once again tells us that there was no king in Israel at that time (Judges 19:1). They didn’t have a human king and neither were they following the King of kings, so chaos abounded.
Warren Wiersbe aptly said, “The sad history of Israel moves now from idolatry to immorality and civil war. If sin is not dealt with, it spreads like a plague and destroys. The basic cause of Israel’s plight was their independence from God and their indifference to His law. Nothing can be right when every man does what is right in his own eyes. It was a time of moral and spiritual darkness (Isaiah 8:20).”
We read of a man who was a Levite, from the remote mountains of Ephraim whose concubine left him to go home to Bethlehem and a life of harlotry. The man traveled to Bethlehem to bring her home.
Judges 19:3 (NKJV) “Then her husband arose and went after her, to speak kindly to her and bring her back…”
The Levite was not a good example of a godly leader. He lacked discernment and treated his concubine as mere property. It took a couple of days, and he left a little late, but the man eventually headed home with his concubine and servant. Rather than staying in a city of “non-believers,” he traveled a little further, choosing instead to spend the night in Gibeah, thinking it would be safer. What transpires next is absolutely tragic. First the men of the city surround the house they were staying in saying, “Bring out the man who came to your house, that we may know him carnally.” Believe you me, they didn’t want to talk – these were perverted men (Judges 19:22), they were aggressive homosexuals. It doesn’t get any better after that – the men in the house offer the women to these perverts, who end up sexually abusing the concubine all night long. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen something like this take place, it sounds eerily similar to what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:5-10).
The next day the woman dies and the man does something absolutely horrendous. He dismembers the woman and sends different pieces of her body to the tribes of Israel. It shouldn’t take this type of behavior to arouse a nation, but sure enough, he gets everyone’s attention and they gather together from Dan to Beersheeba (the northern and southern extremities of Israel), as one man in Mizpah.
The civil war that follows between the eleven tribes of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin heaps heartache upon heartache. Initially the eleven tribes are defeated, losing forty thousand men in the first two battles. But after fasting and praying with burnt offerings and peace offerings, the eleven tribes are granted such a victory that the tribe of Benjamin was almost eliminated (only six hundred men remained).
As we read these tragic stories, we’re reminded of what can happen to a people who have rejected God as their final authority. The last verse in Judges describes what happened then, and what is rapidly taking place in our own nation:
Judges 21:25 (NKJV) “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
Judges 21:1-25
The book of Judges ends with the men of Israel doing what they can, in an attempt to undo what they’ve already done. The tribe of Benjamin is left with only 600 men after a vicious civil war and no Jewish women to marry. The men of Israel who have fought in the war, have vowed not to give any of their daughters as wives to the Benjamites…so they weep bitterly and lift up their voices:
Judges 21:3 (NKJV) “and said, ‘O LORD God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that today there should be one tribe missing in Israel?’”
What happens next are further illustrations of a nation that has turned their back on God. They’re illustrations of that old adage, “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” Or, “The ends don’t justify they means.” They decide to slaughter their brethren – all the men, and all the women who have known a man, and all the children, in order to provide four hundred brides for the men from the people of Jabesh Gilead. After that, they kidnap (“take”) two hundred virgins who are out dancing to the LORD.
When I read these stories I ask myself, “Where would I be without the LORD as the Lord of my life? Where would I be without the Word of God, left to myself to try and figure things out?” I would be in the book of Judges. The truth is, even without Jesus as my King this would be my life’s description:
Judges 21:25 (NKJV) “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”