Chapter 1
Judges 1:3 And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.
Isn’t that kinda sweet. Brother helping brother. Faith in family and the promises of God.
Judges 1:6 But Adonibezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.
Ouch. Why did they do that?
Judges 1:7 And Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.
So did Adonibezek cut off the thumbs and great toes of 70 other kings. What goes around comes around, huh? This is an indication of how these people were. I think they were vicious to each other. No one king ruled the area, it was a lot of little kings that were constantly fighting with each other.
Judges 1:8 Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.
Jerusalem is now the children of Israel’s. Salem. Peace? There’s never been much peace in Jerusalem.
Judges 1:12 And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.
This was also mentioned in Joshua. I don’t think this is legal today.
Judges 1:19 And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.
Well they had chariots of iron! That was some pretty technical stuff. Where did they get the iron ore I wonder. Those were the first tanks! Chariots of iron! Well, God had chariots of fire! Fire melts iron. God wins.
Judges 1:20 And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak.
Hit the road Jack and don’t you come back here no more! Anak was the one who scared off Israel in the first place. Caleb said, “I’ve been waiting a long time for this! I could have took you out 40 years ago, but nobody wanted to come with me. Well, here I am. And there you go!”
Judges 1:21 And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.
This I don’t understand. Apparently Judah and Benjamin reside in Jerusalem? And Judah drive his part out but Benjamin doesn’t his? I don’t understand. Was there a border in the city?
Judges 1:24-25 And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy. (25) And when he shewed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man and all his family.
Rahab. Be nice to God’s people. You never know what it will lead to.
Judges 1:27 Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Bethshean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.
What is the problem with these guys? Were they trying to fail? Okay, so if all this is for admonishment, what is the application? Incomplete obedience will come back to bite us. It’s better to stick together. Joshua said that God would drive them out, so what’s the problem.
The journey into the promised is marked with a type. Feet in first, then water moves. I think that maybe Manasseh didn’t succeed because they didn’t try. I really don’t know. I need to study that up.
Chapter 2
Judges 2:2 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?
That angel is saying exactly what I’m thinking.
Judges 2:10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.
It’s so easy to lose information from one generation to the next. There were alot of them standing there that were born in the wilderness. They grew up hearing their mom and dad complain all the time. You never know what they thought or knew. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob? Who’s that? Joseph was 2nd greatest in Egypt and now we were all slaves? What?
Judges 2:15 Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.
Are you distressed? Maybe the hand of the LORD is against you.
Why was it. Well now they served Baalim. The bowed down to Baal and Ashtaroth. Great. So they go there by the and of God and then they forgot him. Diligence is important. Some people call it legalism.
Judges 2:16 Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.
Nevertheless! God is good.
Judges 2:19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.
It’s so stressful to read about the up and down roller coaster relationship that Israel had with the Lord. God is faithful and clear. But Israel is in and out, up and down, yes and no. They just can’t stick with the program. Stubborn.
Judges 2:22 That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.
Here’s the challenge for all Christians: your children!
The typology: Egypt, Wilderness, Promised Land: Lost, Saved and Carnal, Saved and Spirit-filled. But then come the battles. The key: Judges 2:10 “…there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD”
Chapter 3
Judges 3:6 And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
There it is again: Sounds like the doctrine of Baalim. Mickey’s advise: Women weaken legs. Becareful who you marry.
Judges 3:9 And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.
Othniel. Caleb’s little brother. Those little brothers are watching the older brother. You are an example to them.
Judges 3:13 And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.
What is the city of palm trees. I’m gonna have to look at this later.
Deut 34:3, Judges 3:13, Judges 1:16, 2 Chronicles 28:15
Judges 3:15 But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.
This is proof that we let Georgians come into Texas back in the early 1600’s to help us with the King James Bible. Since most of the church lived down here around Padre Island, we named the town Corpus Christi and we held the Texas Receptus there in a secret vault. We let the Georgians translate the book of Judges. You can see that in their use of the name Ehud, instead of Ed.
Judges 3:22 And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out.
This is gross.
Judges 3:30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.
I don’t have much to say about Ehud right now. I did preach a message years ago, “Ehud made a dagger!” I remember I had a great time preaching that message. I’m gonna have to dig that up one day.
Judges 3:31 And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.
Patty said the other day, “I’m just trying to get your goat”
“You better not mess with my ox goad!”
Chapter 4
Judges 4:11 Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh.
Interesting. I thought Jethro was Moses’ father-in-law? Was Hobab and Jethro the same person all this time? No way! Where exactly did Hobab come from?
Chapter 5
Judges 5:2 Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.
This is a song of praise. Praise him for fighting for us. Praise him for the victories.
The people willingly offered themselves. This kinda reminds me of a preacher begging people to come down to the altar. I’m all for it. Beg them. Plead with them. Encourage them. Drag them. Whatever it takes. But what a blessing when the people willingly offer themselves. Present your bodies a living sacrifice.
Judges 5:6 In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways.
Shamgar. Not much said of him. Killed 600 Philistines with an ox goad. Not sure what this means. No a lot of business going on. Not a lot of trade. Not very friendly maybe. I don’t know.
Judges 5:9 My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the LORD.
There’s that willingly again. Oh Lord, may I ever be willing. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
Judges 5:12 Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.
He lead captivity captive. What in the world does this mean? I’ve heard this of Jesus and I know it was uttered in the OT, but this is such a mystery to me. Lead captivity captive. That’s like leading freedom free.
Judges 5:24 Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.
I’m too sleepy. I though Mary was blessed above all women? Because she could wield a hammer and nails. She was a master-builder.
Judges 5:31 So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.
Rest? Good idea. Good night