INTRODUCTION & SUMMARY OF
JUDGES JUDGES OVERVIEW The historical narrative of Judges contrasts God’s relentless faithfulness with Israel’s constant disobedience. Yet, despite their repeated failures, God provided deliverers - namely the judges - time and time again. Judges was written to show the consequences of disobedience to God. He did not spare Israel from the consequences of its actions. Rather, God delivered Israel from oppression because of His promise to Abraham and his descendants. God demonstrated His compassion and pity on His wayward people who grieved Him continually by providing bold leaders to rescue them. God Himself is the hero of Judges, He alone remained faithful despite all the failings of His people and even the judges themselves.
JUDGES DEFINED The Hebrew word for judge, “shaphat”, means “to deliver” or “to rule”. They had a wide range of responsibilities. They were involved not only in the rendering of judicial verdicts but also in the execution of their judgments in both vindicating the righteous and destroying the wicked.
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CURRENT SERIES
THAT’S IN THE BIBLE? Judges contains many colorful stories, word riddles, old songs, ironic sayings, and vivid descriptions of brutal events. Many of the most gruesome stories in the Bible take place in the book of Judges (Jael and a tent peg! 4:21-22). But one of the most brutal is the story of Ehud and King Eglon (3:12-30). The story of Eglon’s death is both graphic and hairraising, reflecting the violence and chaos of this period in Israel’s history.
A PATTERN EMERGING Throughout Judges we see a pattern emerge: The people “do evil” by serving other gods. God sends a nation to oppress them. The people cry out to God. He raises up a deliverer. The oppressor is defeated. The people have rest.
Many of the Judges were God’s appointed military leaders who, empowered by God’s spirit (6;34; 15;14), fought Israel's oppressors and thereby delivered the people.
SHAMGAR
The book lists a total of 12 judges who served in a variety of roles during a three century era.
Shamgar was the third judge of Israel, but was also the name of Pastor Kelly’s pit bull.
APPLICATION
What does this story tell us about humanity?
Three basic questions form this section.
What does this story tell us about God? God stands as the central character in the book of Judges just as He does throughout the entire Bible. As Israel’s disobedience spirals out of control throughout the book, we see God there for them again and again. He provides the judges to help alleviate their struggles, but by the end of the book, it is clear that the real hero of Judges is God Himself, who alone remains faithful despite the failings of His people.
The pattern we see in Judges is the same pattern that many of us fall into; as long as everything is going fine we don’t need God, but the minute things turn south we cry out for help. Judges reminds us that humanity is fallen and depraved and in great need of rescue. Praise be to God who has the power to rescue us all.
How do we apply this to our lives? God uses people who offer themselves to serve Him regardless of their background. These divinely appointed leaders were not always those expected. You have Deborah, a house wife; Gideon, a repentant idolater; Shamgar, a foreigner; and Jephthah, an illegitimate son. These leaders challenged the political and cultural norms of the day. God uses all kinds of people. You may think that you are “disqualified” because of something in your past, but God looks beyond that and wants to use you for something great.
WHAT IS MY STORY? (THOUGHTS):
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