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Book of Judges Overview & Outline
Chap.1: The
first thing to notice is v. 1 and its connection to the Book of Joshua and
its sequel to the death of Joshua (“After the death of
Joshua…”). Immediately,
the author points us to the fact that Joshua is dead and Israel has no leader (mediator?), so they inquire of
the LORD immediately. It is
interesting to notice the preeminence of the Tribe of Judah and their
victories from the very beginning of the Book in chapter 1. It is interesting that in v.19 the author
says “the LORD was with Judah…but he was unable to defeat the
inhabitants of the plain because of their iron chariots.” Although the author seems to be
sympathetic to Judah’s victories, even Judah could not defeat those with iron chariots and
had forgotten the hope of the LORD in “Fear not for I have given you
the land as an inheritance.” Judah had “good reason” for not defeating
all the inhabitants, but in contrast, the Benjamanites did not drive out the Jebusites
even though they are not reported as having any kind of iron chariots
(v.21). This would affirm the author
writing during the time prior to David’s kingdom. It seems to be a contrast between Saul,
the Benjaminite to David from the Tribe of
Judah. The LORD was also with Joseph
(v.22); Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of the land. The reoccurring motif is that “Israel did not utterly drive them out” (v.21; cf.
28-36). Only Judah came close to achieving the victory in the land
which God had promised; the other tribes utterly failed to drive the
inhabitants out of the land.
Chap. 2-16: Chap. 2 opens with the Angel of the LORD telling the Israelites of
their unfaithfulness followed by an account of Joshua’s death and the
fact that this was a generation who did not know the LORD or the work which
he had done for Israel (2:10). In
v.11 we see the first motif of “And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and
served the Baals…” In v. 14, we see
the first of the motifs saying, “So the anger of the LORD was kindled
against Israel…” Then in v. 16, “Then the
LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the power of those who
plundered them.” From 2:11-23, the stage is set for the cycles of Judges to
be presented in chapter 3 and following.
Throughout the successive judges there is the repeated pattern of Israel’s disobedience upon the death of the
judge. In chap. 4 and 5 it seems
obvious that a satirical or ironical judge has been raised up in the woman
Deborah. Chap. 4 ends with Jael, another woman defeating the enemies of Israel. In 5:27 this irony in Deborah’s song seems to be
evident: “[Jael] sank, he fell, he lay
still at her feet,” rather
than the other way around in a patriarchal society. The most obvious reflection in Judges
2-16 is that all of the judges are not heroes, but anti-heroes. They all are microcosms of Israel’s disobedience to the covenant and to her
unbelief. All of them are not ones
to be admired, but it is as if God is teaching in Judges that albeit
imperfect, these were the only men to deliver Israel- - ultimately this points
to a better, a perfect deliverer to come!
One like Moses and Joshua, but a perfect deliverer who will be
faithful to the covenant and deliver Israel permanently and bring her into God’s
rest.
Chap. 17-21: Here are two small tales, stories, or parables of Israel’s disobedience to God. Although God has delivered Israel every time she has called upon him, they have
consistently been idolaters (Micah, his mother and the Levite are
idolaters). God is displeased with Israel and the author continuously repeats the phrase:
“Now Israel was without a king and everyone did what was
right in their own eyes.” The Benjaminites (incidentally the tribe from which Saul
comes) behave treacherously as Canaanites against the concubine rather than
acting as covenant people of God.
Outline
I.
Prologue: Joshua’s Death and the Israelites
with no Mediator/Leader before God (Chap.1)
A.
Judges as
sequel to the Book of Joshua (1:1)
B.
Judah and
Simeon’s partial conquest of Canaan (1:1-20)
C.
Benjamin’s
failure in battle against the Jebusites (1:21)
D.
Joseph’s
partial conquest of Bethel
(1:22-26)
E.
The failure
in conquest of the other tribes (1:27-36)
II.
The Cycles of Israelite Disobedience and the
Deliverance by Judges (Chap. 2-16)
A.
The angel of
the LORD reminds Israel of the covenant at Bochim
(2:1-5)
B.
Reflections
on Joshua’s leadership and death after covenant renewal (2:6-10)
C.
Israel’s beginning pattern of disobedience after
Joshua’s death (2:11-23)
1.
Israel does evil in the sight of the LORD (2:11-13)
2.
The LORD is
angry with Israel and gives them over to their enemies (2:14-15)
3.
The LORD
raises up judges to deliver Israel (2:16-18)
4.
After
deliverance, Israel returns to a life of covenantal disobedience (2:19-22)
5.
The LORD
allows the nations to remain in Canaan (2:23)
D.
(1st)
First Cycle: The Nations the LORD allows to remain in Canaan (3:1-6)
1.
Israel does evil in the sight of the LORD (3:7)
2.
The LORD’s anger was kindled against Israel (3:8)
3.
The people
cry out to the LORD for deliverance (3:9)
4.
The LORD raises
up a judge to deliver Israel (3:9)
5.
(1) First
Judge: Othniel (3:9-11)
a.
Othniel has
God’s Spirit upon him (3:10)
b.
Othniel is victorious
and brings forty years of rest to the land (3:10-11)
E.
(2nd)
Second Cycle: King Eglon fights against Israel (3:12-30)
1.
(2nd)
Second Judge: Ehud (3:15-30)
a.
Ehud the Benjaminite a left-handed man (3:15)
b.
Ehud kills Eglon in a dishonorable way (3:16-30)
2.
(3rd)
Third Judge: Shamgar, son of Anath
(3:31)
F.
(3rd)
Third Cycle: Jabin king of Canaan who reigns in Hazor fights against Israel (4:1-24)
1.
(4th)
Fourth Judge: Deborah a prophetess (4:1-5:31)
a.
Deborah is a
woman (4:4)
b.
Deborah is
accompanied by Barak who is fearful unless
accompanied by her and under her command (4:8f; cf. 4:14)
c.
The enemy Sisera is killed by Jael, a
woman (4:17-22)
d.
God subdues Israel’s enemies by women (4:23-24)
2.
Interlude:
the Song of Deborah (cf. Song of Moses/ Song of Mary in the NT)
a.
The land has
rest for forty years (5:31b)
G.
(4th)
Fourth Cycle: Midian conquers Israel for seven years (6:1-8:35)
1.
Interlude:
the LORD sends a prophet to remind Israel of the past and the threat of the future
(6:7-10)
2.
(5th)
Fifth Judge: Gideon sent by the angel of the LORD (6:11-8:35)
a.
Gideon is
described as a “mighty man of valor” (6:12)
b.
The angel of
the LORD reminds Gideon of the LORD’s faithfulness
to his promises (6:13-16)
c.
Gideon’s
lack of faith; his need for a “sign” other than the one God had
already given him in the Exodus and at Sinai (6:17-24)
d.
Gideon
apprehensively obeys the LORD and tears down the altar to Baal (6:28-32)
e.
The Spirit of
the LORD comes upon Gideon to defeat the Midianites
(6:33-35)
f.
Gideon has
another spell of disbelief and desire for a “sign” (6:36-40)
g.
The LORD
teaches Gideon faith by decreasing the number of his troops (7:1-8:3)
h.
Gideon
crosses the Jordan like Moses and Joshua before him and begins the
conquest of the land God had promised to the Israelites (8:4-21)
i.
Gideon
offered a kingship like Moses before him and he rejects the offer (8:22-26)
j.
Gideon
defeats the Midianites, but Israel plays the harlot and Midian
subdues Israel (8:27-28)
k.
Gideon
allowed the land to rest for forty years (8:28b)
l.
Gideon dies
and his leadership is taken by his son Abimelech
and the Israelites play the harlot again (8:29-35)
3.
Interlude: Abimelech takes the rule of Gideon and the Israelites
make him king in Shechem where they had affirmed
God’s rule over them (9:1-6)
a.
Jotham’s parable
of a king over Israel (9:7-15)
b.
Jotham’s
judgment on Israel making Abimelech king
(9:16-21)
c.
Abimelech rules over Israel three years (9:22)
d.
God sends an
evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem (9:22-25)
e.
The men of Shechem follow Gaal, son of Ebed and there is inter-tribal warfare in Israel (9:26-52)
f.
Abimelech is killed by
a woman (9:53-55)
g.
God avenges
the death of Abimelech’s seventy brothers;
the men of Shechem receive Jotham’s
curse (9:56-57)
4.
(6th)
Sixth Judge: Tola, son of Puah
who judged Israel twenty-three years (10:1-2)
5.
(7th)
Seventh Judge: Jair the Gileadite
who judged Israel twenty-two years (10:3-5)
H.
(5th)
Fifth Cycle: The Philistines and the Ammonites conquer Israel (10:6-12:15)
1.
(8th)
Eighth Judge: Jephthah the Gileadite
a “mighty warrior” who was the son of a harlot (11:1)
a.
Jephthah’s
brothers throw him out of the house and he becomes a thief and common
robber (11:2-3)
b.
Jephthah is called to
deliver Israel by the elders of Gilead (11:4-13)
c.
Jephthah ironically
recounts the great acts of God in Israel’s past to the King of the Ammonites (11:14-28)
d.
The Spirit
of the LORD came upon Jephthah and he routs the
Ammonites (11:29-33)
e.
Jephthah sacrifices
his daughter to the LORD based upon his vow (11:34-40)
f.
Inter-tribal
warfare among the Israelites and Jephthah’s
death (12:1-7)
g.
Jephtah judged Israel for six years.
2.
(9th)
Ninth Judge: Ibzan of Bethlehem judges Israel for seven years (12:8-10)
3.
(10th)
Tenth Judge: Elon the Zebulunite
judges Israel for ten years (12:11-12)
4.
(11th)
Eleventh Judge: Abdon, son of Hillel
judged Israel for eight years (12:13-15)
I.
(6th)
Sixth Cycle: The Israelites conquered by the Philistines for Forty Years
(13:1-16:31)
1.
(12th)
Twelve Judge: Samson, son of Manoah (13:2)
a.
The angel of
the LORD gives Samson to his barren mother (13:3)
b.
Samson shall
be set apart as a Nazirite from birth (13:4-20)
c.
Manoah realizes that
the angel of the LORD has visited him (13:17-24)
d.
The Spirit
of the LORD comes upon Samson (13:25)
e.
Samson
tempted by Delilah, a Philistine woman (14:1-14)
f.
Samson’s
riddle interpreted by Delilah; Samson is deceived by his Philistine wife
who gives his secrets to Israel’s enemies (14:15-18)
g.
The Spirit
of the LORD comes upon Samson and he kills the men of Ashkelon (14:19-20)
h.
Samson
“out foxes” the Philistines (15:1-8)
i.
Samson slays
the Philistines with the jaw bone of an ass by the power of the Spirit of
the LORD (15:9-19)
2.
Interlude:
Samson judges Israel for twenty years (15:20)
3.
Samson as a
type of Israel going through cycles of deception and
deliverance by being deceived by
Delilah a Philistine (16:1-31)
a.
Samson
visits a harlot (Israel is playing the harlot) (16:1-3)
b.
Samson falls
in love with a Philistine (Israel is in love with Philistinian
things rather than the things the LORD has given to them) (16:4f)
c.
Samson
reveals his strength to the enemy of his people (the “devil in the
blue dress” scenario) and they overcome him (16:6-12)
d.
Samson’s
Philistine woman deceives him again (16:13-22)
e.
The Philistine’s
and Dagon make “sport” of Samson (16:23-27)
f.
Samson calls
upon the LORD and kills the Philistines, but he dies with them (Israel will be among the enemies of God who receive his
wrath if they do not repent) (16:28-31)
g.
Samson
judged Israel twenty years (16:31)
III.
Epilogue: Two Parables of Israel’s
Disobedience (17-21)
A.
A story
about Micah of Ephraim (17:1-6)
1.
Micah and
his mother are idolaters (17:3-5)
B.
Interlude:
“In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own
eyes” (17:6)
C.
A Levite
from Judah visits Micah (17:7f)
D.
Micah
installs the Levite as the priest of the “cult of Micah” in his
idolatrous temple (17:11-13)
E.
Interlude:
“In those days there was not king in Israel” (18:1)
F.
The Tribe of
Dan seeks an inheritance and seeks God’s guidance in the “cult
of Micah (18:1b-31)
1.
The Danites install the Levite and worship at the
“cult of Dan” (18:14-20)
2.
The
“cult of Dan” vs. the “cult of Micah” (18:21-31)
G.
Interlude:
In those days, when there was no king in Israel…” (19:1)
H.
A Levite takes
a concubine and makes a journey (19:1b-21)
I.
The Benjaminites desire to have sex with the Levite;
instead, the rape the concubine (19:22-26)
J.
The Levite
cuts up the concubine and deposits her body throughout the twelve tribes of
Israel (19:27-29)
K.
Interlude:
“And all who saw it said, ‘Such a thing has never happened or
been seen from the day that the people of Israel came up out of the land of
Egypt until this day; consider it, take counsel, speak.”
L.
The people
of Israel assemble at Mizpah
before the LORD (20:1-3)
1.
The Levite
is on trial before the chiefs of all the tribes of Israel and before God (20:2-3)
2.
The Levite
testifies before the sacred court (20:4-11)
3.
The
Israelites judge the tribe of Benjamin and make war against it (20:12-48)
M.
The
Israelites Inquire of the LORD as to why the tribes of Israel are fighting against one another (21:1-12)
N.
The
Israelites have compassion on the Tribe of Benjamin (21:15)
O.
The Tribe of
Benjamin returns to their land (21:16-24)
P.
Postlude:
“In those days there was not king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own
eyes.”
Q.
Silence; selah: Moses and Joshua are dead; there are no more
judges and Israel is disobedient to the LORD.
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