Understanding the Book of Judges*
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Understanding the Book of Judges* In Hebrew the title of the book is Shophetim, which means “judges.” The book is set during the period of the settlement of Canaan. It was based on old stories gathered and edited at a later date. In the Hebrew scriptures called the TANAKH, Judges is the second book of the Former Prophets coming after Joshua. It describes the exploits of various tribal leaders and heroes during the period the settlement in Canaan between the entry into the Promised Land and the rise of the Monarchy under the Prophet Samuel. The author of judges is unknown, but Chapters 1-8 and 10- 16 may have been compiled by the Deuteronomists from old oral traditions possibly from the Northern tribes. Chapters 9 and 17-20 may have been added by a post-exilic editor known as the “R” source or the redactor. The Judges account of the settlement shows that it took far longer and involved more episodes than the book of Joshua suggests. The key themes of Judges are: • The Importance of obedience to God • Abandoning God leads to punishment • God’s mercy upon repentance In this regard, Joshua deals with three thematic segments: 1. Hostile Threats 2. Judges as Leaders 3. The Deuteronomistic View of History This week for Sunday, May 21, 2017, we will complete Judges Chapters 9-12 dealing with: • Abimelech, son of Gideon, kills his brothers to become king (Chapter 9 • Tola and Jair are judges (Chapter 10) • Jephtah defeats the Ammonites (Chapters 10-12:7) • Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon judge Israel (Chapters 12:8-15) We will also take up Judges Chapters 13-21 dealing with: • Samson defeats the Philistines and destroyes their temple after they cut his hair and blind him (Chapters 13-16 • Epilogue (Chapters 17-21) *John Bowker. The Complete Bible Handbook: an Illustrated Companion. DK Publishing. New York 1998 Judges Study Questions JUDGES 9 1. Who is Abimelech, where does he go, what does he ask and why? (Judges 9:1-2) 2. What is the answer given to Abimelech, what is he given, what does he do with it? (Judges 9:3-5) Judges Page | 2 3. How many people does he kill, and who is left? (Judges 9:5) 4. What do the men of Shechem do with Abimelech, where and what is the significance of this place? (Judges 9:6) (Genesis 12:6-7) 5. What does Jothan do, and what is the meaning of his parable? (Judges 9:7-15) 6. What challenge does Jothan issue, and what does he do afterward? (Judges 9:16-21) 7. What happens after three years of Abimelech’s reign, and what is the reason? (Judges 9:22-24) 8. Who challenges Abimelech? (Judges 9:25-29) 9. What does the reference in Judges 9:28 pertain to? (Genesis 34) 10. What is Abimelech’s response to the challenge? (Judges 9:30-49) 11. What is Abimelech’s end? (Judges 9:50-57) 12. How does this relate to what was spoken by Jothan in Judges 9:7-16) JUDGES 10 1. Who next judges Israel, for how long and from which tribe is he? (Judges 10:1-2) 2. Who is Israel’s next judge, from which tribe, and for how long? (Judges 10:3-5) 3. Into whose hands does the Lord now sell the children of Israel and for how long? (Judges 10:6-8) 4. On which side of the Jordan is this oppression taking place, and which tribes are affected by it? (Judges 10:8-9) 5. What is the Lord’s response to the cry of the people? (Judges 10:10-14) 6. What drastic action do the children of Israel take in reaction to the Lord’s position? (Judges 10:15-16) 7. For what are the people of this place waiting? (Judges 10:17-18) Judges Page | 3 JUDGES 11 1. Whom does God next call to be a judge, and what is peculiar about his parentage? (Judges 11:1) 2. What is the reaction of Jephthah’s brothers and where does he wind up? (Judges 11:2-3) 3. Who makes war with Israel, and who do the elders send for? (Judges 11:4-6) 4. What is his response to their call, and what do they swear to do if he will return? (Judges 11:7-11) 5. What emissary does Jephthah send to Ammon, and what is Ammon’s reply? (Judges 11:12-13) 6. What does Jephthah relate in his answer, and to what does he credit Israel’s possession of the land? (Judges 11:14-23) 7. What question does Jephthah put to Ammon, and what does it mean? (Judges 11:24) 8. What further challenge does Jephthah make to Ammon? (Judges 11:25-28) 9. What moves Jephthah, where does he go, and what vow does he make to the Lord? (Judges 11:29-31) 10. Who comes from Jephthah’s house to greet him after his victory over Ammon, and what is his reaction? (Judges 11:32-35) 11. What is his daughter’s response to this dilemma, and what does Jephthah do? (Judges 11:36-40) JUDGES 12 1. Who reacts to the passage of Jephthah’s passage through their territory, and what form does this reaction take? (Judges 12:1) 2. What is Jephthah’s explanation, and to what does he credit his actions? (Judges 12:2-3) 3. In their pursuit of the Ephramites, what device do the Gileadites use to trap the fleeing Ephramites, and how many are killed as a result? (Judges 12:4-6) 4. How long does Jephthah judge Israel, and who succeeds him? (Judges 12:7-15) Judges Page | 4 JUDGES 13 1. Into whose hands does the Lord deliver Israel when they do evil this time? (Judges 13:1) 2. To whom does the Angel of the Lord appear, in which tribe? (Judges 13:2) 3. What does the Angel of the Lord tell the woman, what does the Angel order her not to do, and from whence does this restriction come? (Judges 13:3-5) (Numbers 6) 4. What does Manoah do in response to what his wife tells him, and what does the Lord do? (Judges 13:6-11) 5. What does Manoah offer to do for the Angel of the Lord, and what is the Angel’s reply? (Judges 13:12-16) 6. What does Manoah ask of the Angel of the Lord, and what is the Angel’s reply? (Judges 13:18) 7. What does the Angel of the Lord do when the kid is offered, and why a kid? (Judges 13:19-20) (Leviticus 3) 8. What is Manoah’s fear when he realizes that they have seen the Lord, and what is his wife’s response? (Judges 13:21-23) 9. What comes to pass because of these things? (Judges 13:24-25) JUDGES 14 1. What does Samson ask, and what is the response of his parents? (Judges 14:1-3) 2. What is it that Samson’s parents are unaware of in his request, and what is the purpose? (Judges 14:4) 3. What encounter does Samson have on his way to Timmnath, what does he do, and who does he tell about it? (Judges 14:6) 4. What does Samson discover when he returns to Timmnath, who does he share it with, and what does he tell them about it? (Judges 14:7-9) 5. What does Samson ask at his wedding party, and what is the proposition? (Judges 14:10- 14) 6. How do Samson’s friends get the answer? (Judges 14:15-18) 7. What is Samson’s response to the trick played on him, what does he do to fulfill his part of the bargain and what is done with his wife? (Judges 14:18-20 Judges Page | 5 JUDGES 15 1. What is Samson told, by whom, when he returns to his wife, and what is he offered instead? (Judges 15:1-2) 2. What is Samson’s reply to what he is told, and what does he do in revenge? (Judges 15:3- 5) 3. What is the reaction of the Philistines to this act, and how does Samson respond? (Judges 15:1-8) 4. What do the Philistines then do, how do the men of Judah respond, what do they attempt to do and how many of them attempt to do it? (Judges 15:9-12) 5. What is Samson’s request, and what is done? (Judges 15:13) 6. What does Samson do, and what does he call the place where it is done? (Judges 15:14- 17) 7. What is Samson’s complaint to the Lord and what does the Lord do, and what is the place called? (Judges 15:18-19) 8. How long does Samson judge Israel? (Judges 15:20) JUDGES 16 1. Where does Samson go next, what does he do? (Judges 16:1-3) 2. Where does Samson go next, to whom, and who approaches her to entrap Samson? (Judges 16:4-5) 3. What does Delilah ask Samson, what does he tell her, and what happens? (Judges 16:6-9) 4. What is Delilah’s reaction, what does Samson tell her and what happens next? (Judges 16:10-12) 5. What does Samson next tell Delilah and what happens? (Judges 16:13-14) 6. What impact does Delilah's persistence eventually have on Samson, and what is the result? (Judges 16:15-21) 7. What eventually happened to cause Samson to regain his strength and how does he trap the Philistines? (Judges 16:22-31) 8.