Judges:Hope For Troubled Times

Chapters 4-6

“Deborah and Gideon”

Announcements

Judges and Ruth – Winter QuarterWeek Date Topic

1 07 Dec 11 Overview – Judges and Ruth

2 14 Dec 11 Israel’s Success and Failure: Judges 1:1-2:5

3 21 Dec 11 Oppression and Deliverance: Judges 2:6-3:31

4 28 Dec 11 Deborah, Gideon: Judges 4-6

5 04 Jan 12 Gideon’s Success and Failure: Judges 7:1-10:5

6 11 Jan 12 Jephthah the Judge: Judges 10:6-12:15

7 18 Jan 12 Samson and His Exploits: Judges 13-14

8 25 Jan 12 Samson and Delilah: Judges 15-16

9 01 Feb 12 A Levite and His Concubine: Judges 17-19

10 08 Feb 12 The War with Benjamin: Judges 20-21

11 15 Feb 12 Ruth and Naomi Return to Bethlehem: Ruth 1-2

12 22 Feb 12 Ruth and Boaz are Married: Ruth 3-4

13 29 Feb 12 Review – Judges and Ruth

Today’s Objectives• Review past lesson, Judges 2:6-3:31• Provide an historical background and timeline for

this weeks lesson• Review historical maps of Israel and the region• Read Judges 4, review Judges 5, and read Judges 6• Understand Deborah’s role in Israel• Learn how God defeated the Canaanites• Learn how God raised up Gideon to be a judge• As Christians, sense the need to trust and rely more

upon God and less upon our own strength

Review From Last Week• Provided an historical background and timeline for

Judges 2:6-3:31• Reviewed historical maps of Israel and the region• Recognized why God raised up “judges” to deliver

the Israelites from their oppressors• Sensed the love and compassion of God for His

people when they continually failed to obey Him• Examined our own lives to make sure no “idols” are

vying to be worshiped alongside, or ahead of, God

Historical Background• Jewish traditions states Samuel wrote Judges• Written around 1050 B.C. and covered the period

from 1375 B.C. to 1050 B.C.– Death of Joshua to the beginning of the monarchy– Israel’s form of government was a theocracy– God alone was their King– God raises up a series of judges between Joshua’s death and the

coronation of Saul– Major and minor judges; most did not rule over all

• Depressing period in Israel’s history– Cycle of sin, oppression, repentance, and deliverance– Spiritual compromise was the norm of Israel– God sends powerful oppressors to counter spiritual compromise

Historical Background• Judges 4-6 (1209 B.C. to 1122 B.C.)

– Deborah ruled 1209-1169 B.C.– Eli born 1173 B.C.– Gideon 1162-1122 B.C.– Ruth’s story occurred around 1130 B.C.– Collapse of the Hittite empire 1180 B.C.

– Migration of the “Sea People”– 20th Egyptian Dynasties

• Ramses III ( 1st king of 20th Dynasty)• Called the “last great Pharaoh”• 1187-1156 B.C.• Period of large scale crop failures possibly caused by eruption of Hekla III

volcano in Iceland• Invasions by Libyans and “Sea People”

Key People in Today’s Lesson• Deborah

– Judge raised to defeat Jabin• Barak

– Directed by Deborah to make war with Jabin• Jabin

– King of Hazor• Sisera

– Leader of Jabin’s army– Defeated by Barak– Killed by Jael

Hazor

Key People in Today’s Lesson• Gideon

– Called directly by God to defeat the Midianites and Amalekites

– Family of Baal worshippers– Army of 300 defeated the Midianites

• Midianites– Children of Midian, son of Abraham through a

concubine– Generically called Ishmaelites (Gen 37:28)

• Amalekites– Thought to be descendents of Esau

Deborah Agrees to Help Barak (4:1-10)• Another generation of Israelites begins the cycle

– Sin, Oppression, Repentance, Deliverance– Jabin, of Hazor, defeated and oppressed Israel (4:2)– Sisera, Jabin’s military commander, headquartered at

Harosheth Haggoyim (4:2)– Canaanite’s became the only oppressor from within

Israel during the time of the judges• Israelites were no match for Sisera

– 900 iron-plated chariots (4:3)– Oppressed Israel for 20 years

• God raises Deborah to free Israel (4:4)

• Deborah as judge– Calls for Barak, from the land of Naphtali (4:6)– Tells Barak to lead 10,000 men against Sisera at Mt.

Tabor (4:6)• God enables Deborah and Barak fight the

Canaanites in the Jezreel Valley– Barak’s initial timidity (4:8)– Prophecy concerning the death of Sisera (4:9)– Other tribes join the fight (Ephraim, Benjamin, Makir)

while others refused (Reuben, Gad, Dan, and Asher) (4:13-15, 18 and 5:15-17)

Deborah Agrees to Help Barak (4:1-10)

• Heber the Kenite– Nomadic tribe, skilled in metalworking– Descended from Hobab– Heber forms and alliance with Jabin and Sisera– Informs Sisera of Barak’s location (4:12)

• Sisera relocates his forces to the Kishon River– Tactically sound, except God got involved– Armies clash in the Valley of Jezreel, Israel is successful

in defeating Sisera– God causes the Kishon River to flood (5:21)

Barak Defeats Canaanites (4:11-16)

• Sisera flees (4:17)– Travels by foot to the tent of Jael’s tent, wife of Heber– Relying upon the relationship between Heber and Jabin– While Heber sided with Jabin, Jael sided with God

• Jael kills Sisera– Sisera hides in Jael’s tent, then falls asleep (4:19)– Jael drives tent peg into Sisera’s skull (4:21)

• Barak finds Sisera dead (4:22)• Israel continues to fight Jabin until he is destroyed

(4:24)

Jael Kills Sisera (4:17-24)

• Memorializes God’s victory over Sisera– Praises God for His leadership– Review God’s actions on behalf of the Israelites from

Egypt, through the Sinai, and into the promised land– Recalls the crucial role that Deborah and Barak played

in defeating Sisera– Song ends by asking God to cause all of His enemies

to perish and bless those who truly love Him

Song of Deborah (Ch 5)

Israel Cries Out (6:1-10)• Midianites oppress Israel

– Seven years (6:1)– Forced the Israelites to evacuate low-lying regions (6:2)– Midianites banded with the Amalekites and other

nomadic people from Moab and Ammon (6:3)– Invaders stripped the land (6:4-5)

• Israel again calls out to God– God first sends a prophet (6:7-9)– Israel fear the Amorite God but not their own God (6:10)

The Lord Calls Gideon (6:11-24)• Angel of the Lord calls upon Gideon

– In Ophrah, west of the Jordan River, territory of Manasseh

– God appoints Gideon to free Israel from the Midianites• Gideon begins to doubt

– Asks why God would do all these bad things (6:13)– The angel tells Gideon that God will deliver His

people– Gideon would carry out the task (6:14)– Gideon doubted he could rescue Israel (6:15)

• Gideon asks for a sign from God– Burning of food (6:18-22)

Gideon Challenges Idolatry (6:25-32)• God commissions Gideon to remove presence of

idolatry– Destroy the alters to Baal and Asherah at night– Build an alter to God at a higher point– Wood from the sacred pole of Asherah would serve as

fuel for the burnt offering to God (4:25-26)– Feared the townspeople would kill him (4:27)– Townspeople call for Gideon’s execution (4:30)

• Gideon’s father, Joash, sides with Gideon– Wrong to worship Baal (4:31)– Baal could defend himself– Gideon then called “Jerub-Baal”

Gideon Tests God (6:33-40)• Coalition of invaders return

– Midianites, Amalekites camp in Jezreel Valley (6:33)– Jezreel Valley was a major agricultural area and trade

route• Spirit of the Lord comes upon Gideon

– Gideon empowered by God to fight the invaders– Gideon signals men from his hometown to battle– Also from Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, Naphtali (6:35)– Gideon asks God for two more signs of His power

(6:38-40)

Review• Reviewed last weeks lesson, Judges 2:6-3:31• Provided an historical background and timeline for

Judges 4-6• Reviewed historical maps of Israel and the region• Read Judges 4, reviewed Judges 5, read Judges 6• Understood Deborah’s role in Israel• Learned how God defeated the Canaanites• Learned how God raised up Gideon to be a judge• As Christians, sensed the need to trust and rely more

upon God and less upon our own strength• Next Class: Judges 7:1-10:5