Bible Stories for Adults

Judges Rule Israel

Judges

Next Week - The Birth and Call of Samuel (1 Samuel 1-4)
Bible Words to Remember:
"Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit," says the Lord Almighty. Zechariah 4:6

What were Joshua's last words to the Israelites before sending them home?
Joshua 24:14-15 = Choose today whom you will serve, me & my house will serve the Lord
How did the Israelites respond to Joshua's call?
Joshua 24:24 = We will serve the Lord our God and obey Him.
How faithful did the Israelites remain?
Judges 2:7, 10-13 = They forgot God after a generation, served Baal
Why did the Israelites continue to fall from God?
Judges 3:5-6 = Lived among other nations & intermarried & served their gods

How did God handle this?
Judges 2:14-15 = He punished with raiders & let enemies defeat them
How did God respond to Israel's cries?
Judges 2:16, 18 = He raised up judges to save them
Did the judges have a lasting effect on Israel's faithfulness?
Judges 2:19 = After the judge died, they returned to evil & became more corrupt
What did God decide as a result of this response?
Judges 2:20-22 = Allow other nations to remain to test Israel

Trouble - Judge - Peace Cycle = Like Israel in wilderness & Gen 4-11
Alphabet Cycle: Apostasy, Battered, Cry Out, Deliverer, Emancipate, Forget

What kind of leadership did Israel have after Joshua?
Judges 21:25 = In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit
What was the Israelites' opinion of a king?
Judges 8:22-23 = God is our king, no man can be king
How tight was the confederacy between tribes? = Israel was loose confederacy without king or central gov't
Judges 1:3 (1:17, 6:35, 20:1) = Banded together to fight enemies
Judges 20:35 (5:17, 8:1, 12:1) = Fought with each other

Who were Israel's enemies? = Table: Mesopotamia, Moab, Canaan, Midian, Ammon, Philistia - small local powers
What was Baal? = Various male gods for places or purposes, Made things good when gods had sex
Judges 2:11 = Priests & priestesses had sex to encourage gods, Fertility Cult
Who were the judges? = Local heros raised by God for specific needs, leadership not inherited
Exodus 18:25-26 (1-27) = Judges instituted as leaders under Moses
Hebrews 11:32-34 = Through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice ...

Who was Othniel and where was his first victory? = Caleb's nephew
Judges 1:12-13 = Captured Kiriath-Sepher (Debir) to become Caleb's son-in-law
Who did Othniel defeat when God called him as a judge?
Judges 3:9-11 = Cushan-Rishathaim, king of Aram (Mesopotamia)

Who was Israel's next oppressor? = City of Palms was at Jericho
Judges 3:12-13 = Eglon, king of Moab, with Ammonites & Amalekites
What is represented by the sword? = Tribute - regular payment to ruling nation
Judges 3:15, 20-22 = Ehud used hidden sword to kill fat king, left hand unnoticed
Why did Ehud have so much time to get away?
Judges 3:24-26 = Servants waited, thinking Eglon was in bathroom
How did Ehud then conquer 10,000 Moabites? = Moab made subject to Israel
Judges 3:27-30 = Gathered Ephraimites & killed Moabites trying to cross Jordan

Who was the oppressor at Deborah's time? = Deborah was a prophetess who judged
Judges 4:1-4 = Jabin, Canaan king in Hazor, Sisera commanded army
What was wrong with Barak, Israel's commander, wanting Deborah to go along?
Judges 4:8-9 = He was trusting Deborah, not God
What is represented by the tent spike? = Israel eventually destroyed Jabin (4:24)
Judges 4:17, 21-22 = Jael killed Sisera with tent spike, Barak didn't kill Sisera

Who was Israel's next oppressor?
Judges 6:1, 5-6 = Midianites moved in & ravaged the land, Israelites lived in caves
Who did God raise up as a judge and how was His call accepted? = Was hiding from Ms
Judges 6:11, 14-17 = Gideon said he was too weak, needed a sign
How did God reveal Himself to Gideon?
Judges 6:21 = Fire from rock consumed sacrifice of meat & bread
What nickname was Gideon given after he tore down his father's Baal altar?
Judges 6:31-32 = Jerub-Baal - let Baal contend

What signs did God give Gideon that he'd be successful over the Midianites?
Judges 6:36-40 = Fleece wet & ground dry one day, ground wet & fleece dry next
Why did God reduce Gideon's army from 32,000 to 300?
Judges 7:2 = So Israel would know victory was from God, not by man's powers
What is represented by the lamp & trumpet?
Judges 7:20-22a = Surrounded Midianites, lit lamps & blew trumpets; confused enemies

How did Gideon reply to the Israelites' request to become their leader?
Judges 8:22-23 = He declined, saying God is Israel's king
Despite his faithfulness, what did Gideon do that hindered Israel's faithfulness?
Judges 8:27 = Made golden robe out of plunder, Israelites revered it

Who did God use to punish the Israelites in Jephthah's day?
Judges 10:6-7 = Philistines & Ammonites
Who was Jephthah and how did he become an Israelite leader? = Gilead's illegitimate son
Judges 11:1, 3-6 = Driven away by brothers, called back when Amorites attacked
What is represented by the manuscript? = God would have given victory without vow
Judges 11:30-31 = Made a rash vow to sacrifice whatever first left his house
What did he have to sacrifice after God gave them victory?
Judges 11:34-35 = His daughter (only child) was first out of house

Who was jealous that they had not been a part of this victory?
Judges 12:1 = The tribe of Ephraim, Complained they weren't ask to help fight
What happened when the Ephraimites fought despite Jephthah's claim that he had asked?
Judges 12:5-6 = J set roadblocks at Jordan, killed any with Ephraimite "accent"

Who oppressed Israel in Samson's day?
Judges 13:1 = Philistines - 40 years (generation)
How was Samson set apart by God even before birth?
Judges 13:3-5 = He was to be a Nazirite his entire life
How did Samson's parents know that this message came from God?
Judges 13:19-20 = Angel ascended in flame of sacrifice

Why was Samson attracted to a Philistine woman?
Judges 14:3-4 = God wanted an occasion to confront the Philistines
How did Samson learn about his gift of strength on the way to see the girl?
Judges 14:6 = Easily tore a lion apart with his bare hands
What did Samson later find in the lion's carcass?
Judges 14:8-9 = A swarm of bees with honey

What kind of wager did Samson make with 30 Philistines?
Judges 14:12-14 = 30 sets of clothes if riddle answered in 7 days
What happened when the 30 Philistines asked the girl for the answer?
Judges 14:17-18 = She got the answer, they won the bet
How did Samson get the 30 sets of clothes to pay the bet?
Judges 14:19 = He killed 30 Philistines and took their clothes

What did Samson do when he learned his wife had been given to another man?
Judges 15:3-5 = Sent 300 foxes with torches thru Philistine fields
How did the Philistines respond and then what did Samson do?
Judges 15:6, 8 = P killed Samson's wife; Samson slaughtered many P's
What did Samson do with a jawbone after he was tied & turned over?
Judges 15:14-15 = He killed 1000 P's with the jawbone of a donkey

Who did Samson fall in love with that led to his demise?
Judges 16:4-5 = Delilah, Philistines paid her to learn secret of Samson's strength
How did Samson answer when asked of his secret?
Judges 16:6-7 = Tie me with 7 fresh thongs (bowstrings), undried
What were his second and third answers?
Judges 16:10-11, 13 = Tie me with new ropes; tighten hair braids into the loom
What was his fourth answer?
Judges 16:16-17 = Shave my head (I'm a Nazirite)

What happened after Delilah had Samson's head shaved?
Judges 16:19-22 = P's seized him, gouged out his eyes, imprisoned
How did the Philistines celebrate their capture of Samson?
Judges 16:23, 25 = Held party, brought out Samson to entertain them
How was Samson victorious even at death?
Judges 16:26, 29-30 = Knocked down the temple, killed more P's than while alive

Abimelech - Judges 9
CARGO - Leadership is chosen by God, not by man or heredity
Micah's Idols & the Danites - Judges 17-18
CARGO - Israelites were so misled, they thought God came with a Levite & his idols
The Levite, His Concubine & the Benjamites - Judges 19-21
CARGO - Remove the cancer from the body; Body must be whole, but well
Ruth
CARGO - Importance is devotion to God, not being Israelite
Who were some of Ruth's descendants? = David, Solomon, Jesus