Judges & 👑Jesus (With Audio)

Outline | Full Version

Outline

Judges covers 300 years of Israelite’s early history in Canaan (11:26)

The Beginning (1-2)

• 1:1: “After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord” 👑Jesus
• Ch. 1 ↘️Slopes down (see 2:19)

The Middle (3-16)

• 3: Ehud (3:15-31), South; Othniel (3:9-11), South left-handed
• 4-5: Deborah & Barak, Center and North man falls short; women rise up
• 6-9: Gideon (& Abimelech), North supernatural victory; idolatry, then rebellion
  • 8:23 👑Jesus; 8:24-9 ↘️slopes down; “Abimelech” = “My dad is king”
• 10-12: Jephthah, East of Jordan great victory; wicked vow; civil war
• 13-16: Samson, South God’s strength and victory; disobedient and lustful

The End (17-21)

• 21:25: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (see also 17:6; 18:1; 19:1)
• 17-18 Idols: “Bethlehem” (17:7) 👑David (1 Sam 17:12); Grandpa Moses (18:30)
• 19-21 Lust, Murder, Civil War: “Gibeah” (19:12) 👑Saul (1 Sam 10:26); Grandpa Aaron (20:28); 19:10-30 Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18-19), but worse: Israelites did it! (19:12); 20:29-48 Defeat like Ai (Josh. 7-8)
• These stories beg some questions:
  • What if it’s not proximity to Moses, Aaron that makes a difference? What if sin is still hideous there?
  • What if Bethlehem and Gibeah were tainted with sin and kings from those places couldn’t provide a remedy?
  • What if the problem is deep in us all along? Where can we get a deliverer? A: 👑Jesus

The Contrast

• The Beginning: God rules, they fight Canaan (Judges 1:1-3)
• The End: God 🚫 rule, they fight themselves (Judges 20:11, 18; 21:25; Ruth 1:1)
• Left-handed (3:15; 20:16); 10,000 (4:6; 20:34); 22,000 (7:3; 20:21); vow (11:30; 21:18); 1,100 silver (16:5; 17:2-3)

👑 Jesus

• Jephthah 11:34-35: “his only child” sacrificed as burnt offering (John 3:16)
• Samson 13-16: angelic birth, Spirit upon, silver betrayal, died–arms stretched
• Concubine 19:22-30: woman’s mutilation by sinners spares life of others
• Ruth 1:1-2: Elimelech (“God is My King”) / 👑David (4:22) / 👑Jesus (Matt. 1:1)

From https://www.conformingtojesus.com/charts-maps/en/judges_map.htm

Full Version

Judges covers 300 years of Israelite’s early history in Canaan (11:26)

Beginning (1-2)

• 1:1: “After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord” 👑Jesus
• Ch. 1 ↘️Slopes down (see 2:19)

Middle (3-16)

• 3: Ehud (3:15-31), South; Othniel (3:9-11), South left-handed
• 4-5: Deborah & Barak, Center and North man falls short; women rise up
• 6-9: Gideon (& Abimelech), North supernatural victory; idolatry, then rebellion
  • 8:23 👑Jesus
  • 8:24-9 ↘️Slopes down
    • 9 Abimelech, concubine son – name means “My dad is king”
• 10-12: Jephthah, East of Jordan great victory; wicked vow; civil war
• 13-16: Samson, South God’s strength and victory; disobedient and lustful

End (17-21)

• 21:25: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (see also 17:6; 18:1; 19:1)
• 17-18: Result #1: Idolatry
  • “of Bethlehem…a Levite” (17:7): 👑David’s home (1 Sam 17:12)
  • Grandson of Moses (18:30)
  • Idolatry in family > mix in a Levite > idolatry throughout a tribe
• 19-21: Result #2: Lust, Murder, Civil War
  • “we will pass on to Gibeah” (19:12): 👑Saul’s home (1 Sam 10:26)
  • Grandson of Aaron (20:28)
  • 19:10-30 Mirrors Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18-19), but worse: “We will not turn aside into the city of foreigners, who do not belong to the people of Israel, but we will pass on to Gibeah.” (19:12)
  • 20:29-48 Defeat of Benjamin like defeat of Ai (Joshua 7-8)

The Contrast

• King is God (1:1) vs Not-God (21:25; Ruth 1:1) 
• Judah fights Canaan (1:1-2) vs Israel (20:18)
• united against Canaan (1:3) vs against Benjamin (20:11)
• left-handed against Canaan (3:15) vs against Israel (20:16)
• 10,000 Israelites against Canaan (4:6) vs against Benjamites (20:34)
• 22,000 Israelites held back against Canaan (7:3) vs killed by Israel (20:21)
• hasty vow by one (11:30-31) vs hasty vow by all (21:18)
• 1,100 silver used by enemy to beat Israel (16:5) vs used by Israel to corrupt Israel (17:2-3) 

👑 Jesus

• Mark 1:15: “the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel”
• Galatians 3:21-24 Judges / Old Testament shows our need for a Savior
• Judges 1:1 – after Joshua, sought Jesus
• Judah (line of Christ) is chosen for conquest 1:1-2; 20:18
• Bad judges brought God’s deliverances
  • 6-8 Gideon routes 1:450
  • 8:23 – Gideon acknowledges only God is King…
• 3 – Ehud vs Double-edged sword of God (Heb 4:12)
• 9 – Jepthah vs Abraham→Jesus
• 16 – Samson vs Jesus
  • Similar: Angelic birth announcement; Spirit of God on them; betrayed for silver; greatest salvation at death; arms stretched out at death
  • Contrast: Samson disobedient, self-interested; accidentally saves; dies calling for revenge
• 16:22 hair began to grow again → sign of redemption and restoration
• 19-21 Man vs Jesus: he wickedly spared the woman under him so he could be saved as they mutilate her; Jesus (the man over us) willingly is sacrificed into the hands of sinners that we who deserved that would be spared
• Ruth: David→Jesus
  • Elimelech: means “God is My King” (between Judges and 1 Samuel)
• Gospel: Receive God as King → Love the brethren (John 5:24; 1 John 3:14)
• Judges: Reject God as King → Hate the brethren

Notable

• Divine judgment: 1:7 – Adoni-bezek; Eglon’s belly thrashed; Abimelech stone; 11:9, 35 – wanted to be sole head, left alone and low; Samson’s eyes; 19-21 Benjamites group kill; are killed by group of Israel
• Women noted: Achsah 1:11-15; Deborah; Jael; Woman with Abimelech; Jephthah’s daughter; poor treatment of women precipitated civil war; Ruth
  • While honoring women, may also show that men were not stepping up
• Idol Alert: Gideon 6:28-32; 8:22-28; Micah-Jonathan-Dan (started with repentance) 17-18
  • Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:26-40); Demons leave, but… Matt. 12:43-45
• Body parts harmed: 🖐 Thumbs and Big Toes 1:6–7;🫄 Belly / Abdomen 3:21–22; 💀 Temple / Skull / Head 4:21; 5:26; 9:53; 🦵 Hip and Thigh 15:8; 💇‍♂️ Hair and Head 16:19; 👀 Eyes 16:21; 🩻 Total Limbs / Entire Body 19:25–29
• Weapons used: Double-edged short sword 3:16; Swords 7:22, 20:25; Knife 19:29; Oxgoad 3:31; Tent peg 4:21; hammer 5:26; millstone 9:53; trumpets-torches-jars 7:16; slingstones 20:16; donkey jawbone 15:15
• 6-7 major judges: Othniel [Judah] (3:9-11); Ehud [Benjamin] (3:15-31); Deborah [Ephraim] & Barak [Naphtali] (4-5); Gideon [Manasseh] (6-8); Jephthah [Gilead] (11-12); Samson [Dan] (13-16)
• 6 minor judges: Shamgar [Naphtali?] (3:31); Tola [Issachar] (10:1-2); Jair [Gilead] (10:3-5); Ibzan [Judah?] (12:8-10); Elon [Zebulun] (12:11-12); Abdon [Ephraim] (12:13-15)
• 1 imposter judge: Abimelech [Manasseh] (9)

From https://www.conformingtojesus.com/charts-maps/en/judges_map.htm