6/28/2016 RING-A-RING O’ ROSES In Times Like These “Ring-a-ring o’ roses, A Study of the Book of Judges A pocketful of posies; Study Number Fifteen: A-tishoo! A-tishoo!* “RUB A DUB DUB” We all fall down.” Judges 12:7-15 *Ashes, Ashes HUMPTY DUMPTY RUB A DUB DUB “Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall, “Rub-a-dub-dub, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall; Three men in a tub, All the king’s horses And who do you think they be? and all the king’s men The butcher, the baker, Couldn’t put Humpty together again.” The candlestick-maker, All put out to sea.” “The Butcher, the Baker, “Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon, the Candlestick Maker” three men on a throne. Take my advice, you’d better look twice, “Ibzan, Elon, Because all too soon they’ll be gone!” and Abdon” 1 6/28/2016 WHERE WE LEFT OFF LAST WEEK: Judges 12:7… WHERE WE PICK UP TONIGHT: “Jephthah led Israel six years. Then Judges 12:8-15… Jephthah the Gileadite died, and was buried in a town in Gilead.” LET ME SUGGEST I. WE SEE FOUR THINGS THE SEEMING WE CAN TAKE AWAY SELECTIVITY OF FROM THIS TEXT… GOD’S WORD II. WE SEE III. WE SEE THE ENDURING THE ABRUPT ENIGMA OF ABSENCE OF GOD’S WAYS GOD’S REST 2 6/28/2016 THREE FORMULAS FOR MEASURING TIME IN JUDGES 1. The Number of Years the People of Israel Served a Foreign Oppressor IV. WE SEE (Examples: 3:8,14 / 4:3 / 10:8 / 13:1) 2. The Number of years the Land of Israel THE PASSING Enjoyed Rest from War (Examples: 3:11,30 / 5:31 / 8:28) PARADE OF 3. The Number of Years the Leader of Israel Judged or Led the Nation GOD’S LEADERS (Examples: 10:2,3 / 12:7,9,11,14 / 15:20 / 16:31) Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon” 3 .