RETURN TO
SYLLABUS
JUDGES 1
LESSON #02
AN UNSTABLE FAITH
- MEMORY VERSE: JUDGES 17:6
WHEN THE ISRAELITES ENTERED THE PROMISED LAND UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF JOSHUA, GOD GAVE
THEM TWO MAJOR WARNINGS:
- THEY MUST KILL ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THE LAND.
- IN ORDER TO REMAIN IN THE LAND, THEY MUST BE FAITHFUL TO GOD AND OBEY HIM.
JUDGES CHAPTER 1 SETS UP THE CONDITIONS AMONG THE ISRAELITE TRIBES UNDER WHICH THE
PERIOD OF THE JUDGES BEGINS.
- READ JDG 1:1-20 THE FAILURE OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH
- THE PROBLEM:
- UNDER JOSHUA THE ISRAELITES HAD CONQUERED THE LAND. THEY BROKE THE MILITARY BACK OF THE
CANAANITES AND AMMONITES. HOWEVER, EACH TRIBE WAS TO POSSESS THEIR GOD-GIVEN TERRITORY.
- THAT MEANT THAT EACH TRIBE HAD TO FIGHT THEIR OWN SMALL BATTLES OF POCKET RESISTANCE
WITHIN THEIR TERRITORIAL BORDERS.
- THE CANAANITES PREVENTED THE ISRAELITES FROM POSSESSING ALL THE LAND GOD GAVE THEM.
- THE ISRAELITES WERE FORCED TO LIVE IN THE MOUNTAINS AND NOT ALLOWED TO DWELL IN THE
FERTILE VALLEYS THAT WERE STILL HELD BY CANAANITES. (19) (34)
- GOD’S ANSWER:
- THE TRIBE OF JUDAH SHALL GO TO BATTLE AGAINST THE CANAANITES WITH THE HELP OF GOD.
- THE TRIBE OF JUDAH RESPONDS:
- THE TRIBE OF SIMEON WILL GO WITH US.
- THE LAND THAT GOD GAVE TO THE TRIBE OF SIMEON WAS AT THE SOUTHERN BOUNDARY OF THE TRIBE
OF JUDAH.
- THE RESULTS OF THE BATTLE:
- GOD DELIVERED THE CANAANITES AND THE PERIZZITES INTO THEIR HANDS. (10,000 ENEMY KILLED)
- THE DEFEAT OF ADONI-BEZEK (LORD BEZEK):
- THE ISRAELITES CUT OFF THIS LEADER’S THUMBS AND BIG TOES. WHY?
- TO USE A BOW, IT WAS NECESSARY TO HAVE WORKING THUMBS.
- TO INSURE ONE’S FOOTING IN BATTLE, BIG TOES WERE AN ASSET.
- A KING WAS EXPECTED TO LEAD HIS ARMIES INTO BATTLE. A KING WHO COULD NOT DO THAT WAS
DISQUALIFIED AS A KING.
- ADONI-BEZEK, HIMSELF, HAD DONE THE SAME THING TO 70 OTHER KINGS IN THE PAST, INDICATING
THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PRACTICE.
- CALEB (12):
- WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT CALEB?
- REMEMBER THAT CALEB AND JOSHUA WERE THE ONLY TWO WHO CAME OUT OF EGYPT AND WERE FAITHFUL
TO GOD TO ENTER INTO THE PROMISED LAND. CALEB AND JOSHUA WERE THE TWO SPIES WHO BELIEVED
GOD’S PROMISE OF THE LAND. CALEB WAS AN OLD MAN WHEN HE AND JOSHUA ENTERED THE
PROMISED LAND. JOSHUA GAVE CALEB A MOUNTAIN FOR HIS INHERITANCE. NOW JOSHUA HAS DIED AND
CALEB IS STILL LIVING. CALEB HAD A STRONG FAITH.
- TO ENCOURAGE HIS PEOPLE TO FIGHT THE ENEMY, CALEB OFFERS HIS DAUGHTER TO THE ONE WHO
WILL DEFEAT THE ENEMY.
- OTHNIEL WAS THE MAN WHO TOOK UP THE CHALLENGE AND WON THE HAND OF CALEB’S DAUGHTER.
- WHO WAS OTHNIEL?
- HIS RELATIONSHIP TO CALEB:
- SCRIPTURE INDICATES THAT OTHNIEL WAS A YOUNGER BROTHER OF CALEB.
- THE HEBREW WORD AND PHRASING USED MEANS A FAMILY RELATIONSHIP. IN OTHER WORDS, HE COULD
HAVE BEEN A NEPHEW TO CALEB.
- A TECHNICAL QUESTION:
- HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THE FACT THAT JDG 1:10 INDICATES THAT CALEB KILLED THE SONS OF ANAK
WHEN JDG 1:20 AND JDG 15:14 SAYS THAT THEY WERE EXPELLED FROM THE LAND?
- THE TWO INTERPRETATIONS:
- =1= JDG 1:10 AND JDG 1:20 REFER TO TWO DIFFERENT EVENTS AT TWO DIFFERENT TIMES:
- WHEN JOSHUA FIRST CONQUERED THE LAND, THE SONS OF ANAK WERE EXPELLED ONLY TO RETURN
LATER. THEN AFTER THE INITIAL CAMPAIGN, JOSHUA AND CALEB KILLED THE SONS OF ANAK WHEN THEY
RETURNED TO THE LAND.
- =2= JDG. 1:10 AND JDG 1:20 REFER TO THE SAME EVENT:
- THE HEBREW WORD FOR "EXPEL" CAN MEAN = TO DRIVE OUT, OR IT CAN MEAN = TO
DESTROY.
- THE KENITES (16):
- THE KENITES WERE A NOMADIC PEOPLE ASSOCIATED WITH THE AMELEKITES AND MIDIANITES.
- MOSES’ FATHER-IN-LAW WAS A MIDIANITE.
- WHAT WAS JUDAH’S FAILURE?
- GOD’S INSTRUCTION WAS THAT THE TRIBE OF JUDAH WAS TO FIGHT THIS BATTLE, BUT THEY
FELT INADEQUATE. THEY DID NOT HAVE FAITH IN GOD TO GIVE THEM THE VICTORY WITHOUT HELP FROM
THE TRIBE OF SIMEON.
- THE TRIBE OF JUDAH FAILED TO PERMANENTLY DEFEAT THE JEBUSITES (THE PEOPLE WHO OCCUPIED
JERUSALEM). (JOS 15:63)
- THROUGH THESE VERSES WE SEE PARTIAL VICTORIES AND SOME DEFEATS. THE TRIBE OF JUDAH HAS
SPOTTY SUCCESS IN DRIVING OUT THE PAGAN INHABITANTS OF THE LAND.
READ JDG 1:21 THE FAILURE OF THE TRIBE OF BENJAMIN
- BENJAMIN’S LAND WAS JUST TO THE NORTH OF THE LAND BELONGING TO THE TRIBE OF JUDAH.
JERUSALEM WAS LOCATED AT THE BORDER OF THESE TWO TRIBES.
- THE JEBUSITES WERE NOT PERMANENTLY DEFEATED UNTIL KING DAVID DROVE THEM OUT AND MADE
JERUSALEM HIS CAPITAL.
READ JDG 1:22-29 THE FAILURE OF THE TRIBES OF JOSEPH (EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH)
- NOTICE IN VERSE 29 THAT THERE WERE ALSO SOME SUCCESSES AND SOME FAILURES. HOWEVER, EVEN
WHEN THEY WON, THEY DID NOT DESTROY THE ENEMY BUT LET THEM REMAIN IN THE LAND AND PAY
TRIBUTE.
- THE MONEY WAS MORE IMPORTANT TO THEM THAN THE WILL OF GOD.
READ JDG 1:30 THE FAILURE OF THE TRIBE OF ZEBULUN
- THIS TRIBE ALSO CONSIDERED THE MONEY FROM TRIBUTE AS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE WILL OF
GOD.
READ JDG 1:31-32 THE FAILURE OF THE TRIBE OF ASHER
- THE SCRIPTURES DOES NOT MENTION ANY SUCCESSES FOR THIS TRIBE.
READ JDG 1:33 THE FAILURE OF THE TRIBE OF NAPHTALI
- THIS TRIBE ALSO HAD SOME CANAANITES PAY THEM TRIBUTE.
READ JDG 1:34-36 THE FAILURE OF THE TRIBE OF DAN
- THE AMORITES PAID TRIBUTE TO THE TRIBE OF DAN.
SUMMARY AND APPLICATION:
- JUDGES CHAPTER 1 HAS GIVEN US A BRIEF GLANCE AT 9 OF THE 12 TRIBES OF ISRAEL. WE CAN
ASSUME THAT THE OTHER 3 TRIBES SUFFERED UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS OF PARTIAL SUCCESS.
- NOTICE THROUGH THIS CHAPTER IT SAYS THAT GOD WAS WITH THEM. (19, 22)
- IF GOD WAS WITH THEM, WHAT WAS THEIR PROBLEM? WHY DID THE TWELVE TRIBES STRUGGLE SO MUCH
WHEN GOD GAVE THEM THE BLESSING OF THE PROMISED LAND?
- THE TWELVE TRIBES HAD A LACK OF CONSISTENT FAITH.
- THEIR LACK OF FAITH CAME FROM A POOR VIEW OF THEMSELVES.
- THE TWELVE TRIBES SAW THEMSELVES AS WEAK, DIVIDED, AND ALONE.
- THEY FORGOT GOD WAS WITH THEM.
- VICTORIOUS FAITH REQUIRES CONSISTENCY.
- THE ENEMY WAS ALWAYS READY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEM.
- THE CONDITIONS WE SEE AMONG THE TWELVE TRIBES ARE THE SAME CONDITIONS WE FIND AMONG MANY
CHRISTIANS:
- POOR, INCONSISTENT FAITH LEADING TO AN INCOMPLETE VICTORY.
- READ JAM 1:5-8
- WHAT ONE WORD WOULD YOU SAY DESCRIBES THE TWELVE TRIBES AT THAT TIME?
- THERE ARE MANY WORDS WE COULD CHOOSE TO DESCRIBE THE CONDITION OF THE 12 TRIBES. I LIKE
THE WORD "UNSTABLE" BECAUSE JAM 1 IS A GOOD DESCRIPTION OF JUDGES CHAPTER 1.
- THE WORD "UNSTABLE" DESCRIBES MANY CHRISTIANS TODAY WHO TAKE GOD FOR GRANTED.
YOU SEE THEM VICTORIOUS CHRISTIANS AT TIMES AND THEN AT OTHER TIMES, YOU SEE THEM
COMPROMISING WITH THE WORLD.
- WHAT IS THE SOLUTION FOR BECOMING A MORE STABLE CHRISTIAN?
- STRENGTHEN YOUR FAITH BY CONSISTENT STUDY OF THE WORD OF GOD.
- STRENGTHEN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THROUGH PRAYER.
- STRENGTHEN YOUR OBEDIENCE TO GOD THROUGH AN INCREASED SENSITIVITY TO THE HOLY SPIRIT.
HOMEWORK
JUDGES 2
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FOR
CORRECTION.
- APPLICATION FOR JDG 1:
- WHICH SUGGESTION DO YOU NEED TO FOLLOW TO BECOME A MORE STABLE CHRISTIAN?
- WRITE DOWN EXACTLY WHAT YOU WILL DO THIS WEEK TO MAKE YOUR CHRISTIAN LIFE MORE STABLE.
PREPARATION FOR JDG 2:
- READ JDG 2:1-23
- WHO DO YOU THINK IS "THE ANGEL OF THE LORD"? (1)
- WHAT SPECIFIC WARNING DID THE ANGEL OF THE LORD GIVE TO THE ISRAELITES?
- WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM WITH THE GENERATION AFTER JOSHUA?
- HOW DID GOD CHASTISE THE GENERATION AFTER JOSHUA?
- HOW DID GOD MANIFEST HIS MERCY TO THE GENERATION AFTER JOSHUA?
- WHAT WAS ISRAEL’S GREATEST SIN?
MEMORY VERSE: DEU 4:23