Judges - Chapters 6-12

In this transcription, the host discusses chapters 6-12 of the book of Judges in the Bible. The key theme is the cycle of the Israelites turning away from God, leading to oppression and then crying out to God for help. The host focuses on the story of Gideon, who was chosen by God to save the Israelites from the Midianites. Despite Gideon's initial doubts, he eventually becomes a strong leader. However, he later succumbs to pride and makes a golden ephod, which becomes a snare for him and his family. The transcription also briefly mentions the story of Abimelech, Gideon's illegitimate son, and Jephthah, who was not chosen by God but became a judge after the Israelites cried out for help. The host emphasizes the importance of remembering God's faithfulness and living holy lives. I am Julie Callio, your host, and thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to tune in with me today. If by chance you want to contact me, you can do that at zab.bc.pc at gmail.com. Today we are covering chapters 6 through 12 of Judges, which cover the reigns of Gideon, Abimelech, Tola, Jephthah, Ibn Zan, Elon, and Abdon. The key word for Judges is this cycle. The Israelites turned away from God, which led them to oppression from a foreign ruler. The oppression got so bad that the Jews cried out to the Lord, and in chapter 2 verse 16 it reads, Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of the raiders. Once they were saved, there usually was peace in the land until the judge died, and then that cycle happened all over again. One thing I have not mentioned this year is there is also a downward cycle with regards to the judges and their morality. Some people call this book the dark ages of the Jewish nation in the Bible. Now I covered these chapters last year in the lesson, The Judges of Gideon, Jerubbabel, Abimelech, Tola, Jephthah, Ibn Zan, Elon, and Abdon on February 28, 2023. So I won't go into the same detail with this lesson, but I will point out a few things that's found in these chapters. Now some of these judges only have a verse or two talking about them, some have a few paragraphs, and then there are four with two chapters or more, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson. The only one of those four that does not have any negative attributes mentioned is Deborah, which we covered yesterday. Today's chapters start with Gideon in chapters 6-8, who was from the tribe of Manasseh. It was the Midianites who were the oppressors. They also are descendants of Abraham. After Sarah had died, Abraham took another wife whose name was Keturah, and she bore him six sons, one of which was Midian. They oppressed the Jews for seven years and ruined their crops, and verse 4 tells us they camped in the land all the way to Gaza. In verse 7 we see the Lord sent an unnamed prophet, as I have said before, he was unnamed to us, but the Lord knows his name. And the prophet of the Lord spoke for him and said, I am the Lord your God. Do not worship the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live, but you have not listened to me. An angel of the Lord came and spoke to Gideon, who was threshing wheat in a winepress instead of a threshing floor, because he was fearful of the Midianites. When we first saw Gideon, he was filled with fear and doubt. The angel called him a mighty warrior, and Gideon responded, If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt? But now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian. What struck me in this passage is that the other generation did tell this present generation some of the things that the Lord had done for them. If you remember in chapter 2 verse 10 it reads, After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. With Gideon we see that he was told, but he had not experienced God in his power. It could also be that the generation told them, but just like Pharaoh did not know Joseph, the next generation may not have wanted to know God because they wanted to go their own ways. Gideon described himself as the weakest in Manasseh and the least in his family. Through his encounter with the angel, he tore down his father and the town's idols and built the Lord an altar. The Lord gave him affirmation on his calling by overhearing his enemy's dream. Plus the Lord did not get angry when Gideon asked the Lord for a sign with the wool fleece on the threshing floor. The first morning it was wet from the dew, but the land was dry and the second morning the fleece was dry and the land was wet, a bowl full of water, chapter 6 verse 38. In chapter 7 Gideon had confidence and tells his men to follow my lead, verse 17. They defeated the Midianites and by chapter 8 Gideon was full of pride. The people asked him to rule over us. He said no, that the Lord will rule over you, but then he asked the people to give him an earring from the plunder of the battles and he used them to make an ephod, which is what the high priest alone was to wear. He placed it in his town and chapter 8 verse 27 tells us it became a snare to Gideon and his family. Through Gideon's leadership the land had peace 40 years. In chapter 6 verse 32 we learn that the townspeople changed Gideon's name to Jerob Baal, which means let Baal contend, because he tore down the idols of Baal and his parents protected him by saying if Baal really is a god he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar. So chapter 8 ends with Gideon or Jerob Baal went back home, had many wives and had 70 sons. We learn he also had a concubine who lived in Shechem who had a son named Abimelech. Verses 33 and 35 say no sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal Barath as their god and did not remember the Lord their god who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. They also failed to show kindness to the family of Jerob Baal that is Gideon for all the good things he had done for them. They did not remember because they did not want to remember. Chapter 9 is the story of Abimelech Gideon's illegitimate son in Shechem. He asked the people if they would rather have Jerob Baal's 70 sons rule over them or himself. He hired reckless adventurers and killed his 70 brothers but one escaped Jotham the youngest. Abimelech was crowned king when Jotham heard it he climbed Mount Gerizim and declared in a poetic form of a curse on the people and he said if you've acted honorably then may Abimelech be your joy but if you have not and he knew they had not let fire come out from Abimelech and consume you citizens of Shechem and Beth Milo and consume Abimelech. He then ran for his life. Verses 22 through 24 tell us after Abimelech had governed Israel three years God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem who acted treacherously against Abimelech. God did this in order that the crime against Jerob Baal's 70 sons the shedding of their blood might be avenged on their brother Abimelech and those who helped him. Now ladies one thing we see in Judges is the role of the spirit of the Lord in the things that happen. Here God sent an evil spirit. The whole Bible teaches us that God is creator and over all things. He is the supreme ruler and nothing happens except that God caused it or allowed it. To be honest sometimes I struggle with that and most honest Christians do at times in their life. But another thing the Bible is clear on is that God is good. So when we don't understand the evil things that happen in this world and why God allowed it we can trust God's heart. But again I find that is easier to do after I've walked with him a long time versus when I was younger. In this passage we see why this happened and it was to bring justice on the murder of Gideon's 69 sons from Abimelech. We find the rest of chapter 9 brings Abimelech's death by a woman who threw a rock on his head and the last sentence of chapter 9 says the curse of Jotham son of Jerob Baal came on them. Technically Abimelech was not a judge that was raised up by the Lord. He was doing his own thing for his own glory. Chapter 10 starts with two minor judges who followed Abimelech. Tola was from Shamir in Ephraim. He rose, saved, lived, led for 23 years and then died. Verses 3 and 5 cover Jair from Gilead Manasseh who led for 22 years before he died. And the only thing we know of him is he had 30 sons he rode 30 donkeys and they controlled 30 towns in Gilead. So he seemed wealthy. Chapter 10 verse 6 through chapter 12 verse 7 we have the story of Jephthah. It starts with that cycle again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord. It seemed they worshiped every god from all the peoples they ever encountered. Then oppression, then they cried out. But this time the passage does not say the Lord raised up a judge. Instead it says in verses 11 through 14 the Lord replied when the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Mahonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help. Did I not save you from their hands? But you have forsaken me and served other gods so I will no longer save you. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble. I wonder if a prophet came and gave them this word but it does not say how they got it. Dr. Abraham Curavella pointed out in his commentary that in the beginning of Judges God responded quickly to the people's cries. With Barak the fearful leader, Deborah the prophetess and judge had to mediate for Barak but then he went. With Gideon there was a process before he was ready for duty as a judge. Here the Lord now refused to be manipulated by his people. Curavella said quote one can sense the distance between Yahweh and his people increasing dangerously as the book advances. He also says quote failure to live holy lives serving God has serious consequences for God's people. The story does say the people acknowledged their sin and they got rid of the foreign gods and then it says in verse 16b and he could bear Israel's misery no longer. Curavella's translation is and his soul or person was short or impatient because of the exertions or the labor or the quasi repentance of Israel. Then we do not find any reference to the Lord raising up a judge but instead we find the Israelites telling the people if anyone is willing to launch the attack against the Ammonites they will be the head of all those living in Gilead. Chapter 10 verse 18 Jephthah the Gilead was a mighty warrior. His dad was Gilead and his mother was a prostitute so Jephthah was driven away by Gilead's wife. He was an outcast but now he has become their commander. Verse 29 says then the spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah. Jephthah made a vow to the Lord that if he lets them win against the Ammonites then whatever comes out of the door of his house he will sacrifice as a burnt offering. They won and sadly it was his only daughter that ran out of the house. He let her live for two months before he sacrificed her. Now keep in mind the Lord did not ask this of him. This was all Jephthah's doings. In chapter 12 the tribe of Ephraim confronted Jephthah about not including them in the fight. Jephthah said he did but they did not come to the rescue. Because of that Jephthah fought a tribe of Israel. Ephraim killed 42,000 and took their land. Now Israel is fighting Israel. Chapter 12 ends with three minor judges. Ibzan of Bethlehem who led for seven years. He had 30 sons and 30 daughters. He gave his daughters away to marry outside the clan and brought 30 young women from outside the clan for his sons to marry. They weren't supposed to intermarry. Verses 11 through 12 tell of Elan the Zebulonite who led for 10 years and then died. Verses 13 through 15 are about Abdon son of Hillel and Ephraim. He led for eight years and died. He had 40 sons and 30 grandsons and each had a donkey to ride so he was pretty wealthy. Two things stand out for me in this lesson. The Israelites did not know the Lord and I'm not sure they really wanted to. If you claim to be a Christian do you know him? I heard one time that Billy Graham was asked how he could believe in God and he said well I just talked to him this morning. God wants you to know him and he already knows everything about you. Just read Psalm 139. Second there is a time when the Lord says enough is enough. There is a danger when we choose to live in disobedience to the Lord that we harden our own hearts to the point that he will not save us anymore. We will reap what we sow. Please don't test the Lord's patience and his unfailing love. If you have heard the Lord today please don't harden your heart. Instead let's be women who hear and obey. Until next time and thanks so much for listening.