Judges: A book study

Judges: The Struggle for Autonomy

This study is extensive—with the bibliography and notes it is 248 pages—so only
the contents and introduction are on this site. The pdf of the complete study can be downloaded here.

Dr. Paul Manuel—2010

Samson Pulls Down the Pillars, James Tissot (c. 1896-1900)

Announcement: Having spent 430 years as aliens in a foreign land and 40 more years as nomads in the wilderness, the descendants of Abraham are ready to settle down in a place of their own. With the Lord’s help, their future prospects are bright, but something goes wrong. After Israel enters Canaan, the nation turns from God and fails to establish its independence in the land. Instead, the people seem to get trapped in a vicious cycle (rebellion, retribution, repentance, restoration; rebellion, retribution, etc.). Why do they keep repeating their past mistakes, and who are those enigmatic figures the Lord keeps appointing, called judges? This study will explore the relationship between Israel’s intermittent devotion to God and the nation’s halting progress in His plan. We will also consider how the people’s experience informs God’s will for Christians today.

Preface: The biblical books of Joshua-2 Kings give a continuous narrative of four major periods in Israel’s history.

• Initial conquest of the land under Joshua (c. 1250)
• Early settlement of the land under the judges
• United monarchy under Saul, David, and Solomon
• Divided monarchy of Israel (north) and Judah (south)

The book of Judges falls in the period after the death of Joshua, Moses’ successor, and before Saul, Israel’s first king.

In Genesis, God made a covenant with Abraham , promising his descendants PLAK, elements essential to God’s plan for establishing a kingdom:

People

Land

Autonomy

King

The book of Judges is where God gives Israel the opportunity to gain the “A” of PLAK: Autonomy. Unfortunately, Israel is not always cooperative, evinced by a recursive, four-part cycle in Judges that marks the changing condition of the nation’s relationship with God:

Rebellion > Retribution > Repentance > Restoration

As with any portion of scripture, we must give careful consideration to the context in order to understand the book. Of particular importance to this study is the historical context, which includes history, proper, as well as geography and archaeology.

Contents

(see the pdf here to download the paper in its entirety)

Preface

Introduction

Excursus: Dating the Book of Judges

I. Prologue Judges 1:1-3:6

• A. Conquest summary Judges 1:1-36

Query: Why did Israel not conquer the land completely?

Query: Is Islam’s use of force like Israel’s?

• B. Religious apostasy Judges 2:1-3:6

Comment: On the uncertain location of various sites

Comment: On they “served Baal and the Ashtoreths”

Query: Does God prohibit mixed marriage?

Query: Why does God let bad things happen?

Query: Is God to blame when bad things happen?

II. Judges 3:7-16:31

A. First group Judges 3:7-9:57

• 1. Othniel (Judges 3:7-11)

Query: Why does God bother to discipline His people?

2. Ehud (Judges 3:12-30)

• Shamgar (Judges 3:31)

Query: Why does God condone the killing?

• 3. Deborah (Judges 4:1-5:31)

Query: What are the “iron chariots”?

Query: How does poetry enhance “The Song of Deborah”?

• 4. Gideon (Judges 6:1-8:35)

Comment: On “the angel of the LORD”

Comment: On “I will be with you”

Comment: On renaming in Judges

Comment: On large numbers in Judges

Query: Why is God so accommodating to Gideon?

Excursus: The Development of the Alphabet

Query: Should Gideon’s faults disqualify him for leadership?

Query: Is idolatry still a problem?

Abimelech (Judges 9:1-57)

Query: What is a fable?

Comment: On the structure of the fable

Excursus: The Extent of the Monarchy

Excursus: The Social Structure of Israel

B. Second group Judges 10:1-16:31

• Tola (Judges 10:1-2) 

• Jair (Judges 10:3-5)

Comment: On the role of judges

1. Jephthah (Judges 10:6-12:7)

Excursus: Prayer in the Bible and in Judges

Query: Should you adopt the prayer of Jabez?

Picture: Iron Age Pillared House (1200-1000)

Excursus: The Use of Oaths and Vows in Israel

Comment: On possibilities for Jephthah’s vow

Excursus: Dialect Differences in Israel

Excursus: Comparing Jephthah and Abimelech

• Ibzan (Judges 12:8-10)

• Elon (Judges 12:11-12) 

• Abdon (Judges 12:13-15) 

Comment: On the relative time periods of the judges

2. Samson (Judges 13:1-16:31)

Pictures: Rameses III and a Philistine Warrior

Comment: On circumcision and uncircumcision

Picture: Timnah Gate (10^th c.)

Picture: Philistine Beer Jar from Beth Shemesh

Query: How can Samson be so dense?

Excursus: Suicide in the Bible

3. Eli (1 Sam 1-4)

4. Samuel (1 Sam 5-8)

King Saul (1 Sam 9-31) 

III. Epilogue 17:1-21:25

• A. Danite migration Judges 17:1-18:31

Excursus: Religious Sites in Israel

Excursus: Religious Shrines in Israel

Excursus: Form and Worship

• B. Benjamite war Judges 19:1-21:25

Chart: A Comparison of Sodom and Gibeah

Conclusion

A Short Outline of the Book of Judges

Reprise: The Book of Judges Using The Brick Testament

Postscript on Methodology

Appendix A: The Four-Part Cycle in Judges

Appendix B: Mlv in Judges

Appendix C: The Song of Deborah (Judges 5)

Appendix D: The Anatomy of Apostasy

Appendix E: A List of Oaths in the Old Testament

Bibliography 

Endnotes

To download the entire paper with its bibliography and endnotes, see the pdf here [248 pages].