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O C T O B E R 2 0 1 0
JGDU :S E
the good,
the bad
and
the ugly:
judges ...
For Israel, the years of the judges were the “wild west”
years. As the people settled their new frontier home, they
became a fragmented, lawless people, each man “doing what
was right in his own eyes.” God’s chosen people settled for a
cycle of failure, sin, repentance and restoration. In the worst
of times, God would intervene by appointing judges, special
servants, who led His people against invaders, oppressors
and Israel’s own moral and religious corruption. For a
brief lifetime or a generation, God’s people would operate
as He meant them to. But then rebellion, disinterest and
week one
forgetfulness would once again take them back through a
terrible cycle.
What do these pages from history say to us today? Tis
The Passing of
study looks at how godly leadership and faithful obedience
can lead to blesings and peace; but the fip side is this: When gianTs
we fail to follow God’s commands, disobedience leads us Not all of us are called to lead others, but we are all
to the worst of times. Yet, even then, God is faithful to us, called to lead ourselves in a godly life. Consider the areas
redeeming our failures and turning them into something good of your life that could use some godly assistance.
by His grace. He may allow us to face judgment and pain, but
He never leaves us without hope and a future. When the Book of Judges opens, Moses is only a memory;
Joshua is dead and Caleb is an aging warrior. A void in leadership
had formed, with no new leaders stepping up to take their place.
Tere were, however, a few bright spots. Te tribes of Judah
P.S. Te icon marks activities useful for group
and Simeon had teamed up to assist one another in conquering
discussion or assignments. Feel free to use them as you
their portions of the land, and God honored their boldness. Ten
choose. there was Caleb. He was the last living link with Israel’s former
2 meet with God October 2010 meet with God October 2010 3
years as slaves in Egypt. And even in old age, Caleb remained a renew
ferce warrior, taking on greater challenges. But Caleb was old and
wouldn’t live forever. yourself
How diferent the landscape looks when the followers become in God’s Word !
the new leaders! Just as your perspective on the highway and trafc
changes as soon as you slip behind the steering wheel, so does your
view when you’re a new leader. Leading is always more complicated
than it looks and the Book of Judges provides dramatic proof. Read Judges 1:1–20; 2:1–10
Tese opening chapters record many of the “did nots” of Israel Israel did not completely obey God when they conquered
after the deaths of their renowned leaders. Tribe after tribe did not Canaan. What did they fail to do and what caused their
take complete possession of their assigned territories. Even a tribe failure?
like Judah, who experienced God’s blessing in their eforts, failed
to trust Him beyond their comfort zone. Judges 1:19 captures the
mixed victory they had over the nations in the mountainous terrain,
“the Lord was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill
country.” It goes on to say, however, “but he could not drive out the According to verse 2:10, what was the ultimate failure of
inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of iron.” the nation of Israel?
Later, one of Judah’s best-known sons, King David, expressed
what the tribe should have practiced: “Some trust in chariots, and
some in horses; but we trust in the name of the Lord our God”
(Psalm 20:7). And that’s the key. Success in life is never about our
human leadership, it’s about our heavenly leadership. Moses wasn’t Read Deuteronomy 11:18–20. How can you ensure that
successful because of his charisma or political acumen; he was the next generation doesn’t forget about God?
successful because he fully trusted God. Te same went for Joshua
and Caleb, and the same goes for you.
As we read the Book of Judges, we need to be cautious about
passing judgment. Te failures of others will be obvious. We may
be tempted to feel successful by comparison. But those failures ofer
us a mirror to see how our lives refect what we actually believe.
Our lives speak louder than our lips. And victory consists of acting
on what we say we believe. In what areas of our lives do we need to “DiminisheD faith
admit that we “did not” do what God promised to help us do? always brings about
DiminisheD victory,
anD no faith always
brings Defeat.”
4 meet with God October 2010
— woDr ow k rol
dAY 1: The Passing of Giants
Read Judges 3:1–11
dAY 2: The devastation
This isn’t the frst place we’ve met Othniel. Read Joshua
of Failure 15:16–19. What makes Othniel a logical choice to be the
frst judge of Israel?
Read Judges 1:21–2:11
These verses list Israel’s failures. How does their failure to
drive out the inhabitants of the land affect them?
How are the judges of Israel diferent from the judges of
today (e.g. the Supreme Court Justices)?
What does this teach you about tolerating sin?
How long did Israel experience peace because of Othniel?
dAY 3: The Hot Wrath of God
Read Judges 2:11–23
What provoked God’s wrath?
time slips away
It takes about 105 minutes to read through Judges, so every one
minute of reading covers about 3 years of history. And while
What was the purpose of God’s wrath? the events of Judges seem close together as you read, there are
gaps of 20, 30, 40 years or more that slip by without your notice.
In these times between the judges, the silent years, Israel would
grow complacent and forgetful of God, ending up in trouble
again. Time may cause us to forget the work of God in our lives,
How is God’s mercy evident even here? but it doesn’t excuse us from following and obeying Him.
What actions can you take to keep yourself from becoming
forgetful about God’s work in your life? Journaling, passing along
family stories, traditions or visual markers can help.
dAY 4: othniel
week two
dAY 5: Ehud
Read Judges 3:12–30
In verse 15, what was Ehud’s distinct physical characteristic?
The literal translation of the Hebrew means that Ehud was
“hindered in the right hand” which means it’s likely Ehud was
actually physically disabled. How does this challenge you to think
about the things you consider your weaknesses?
Have you allowed those things to keep you from serving God?
The Chosen Many
Are you living with any broken relationships or
WEEKENd: deborah situations that need to be reconciled? Any areas where
you need to say, “Lord, I blew it”? Admit your failure to
Read Judges 4:1–24
God and ask His deliverance.
Describe the cycle we see Israel repeating in Judges.
Most of us would probably agree with the saying, “If it ain’t
broke, don’t fx it.” Te often-ignored parallel idea states: “If it is
broke, fx it.”
We may have many reasons to ignore the second rule, but
Read Joshua 17:17–18 and Judges 1:19. What are Deborah’s odds
usually it’s a failure to acknowledge the problem. We look at
going up against an enemy with chariots and horses?
shattered relationships and chaotic situations and murmur, “It’s
not that broken; maybe it’ll fx itself,” or “Let’s see how it looks
tomorrow.” As a result, we end up living with broken things for
years!
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Te people of Israel rarely maintained their relationship with renew
God for long. Tey broke it by neglect and by deliberate actions.
Tey ignored Him and disobeyed Him. And then they refused, yourself
sometimes for decades, to admit anything was wrong. in God’s Word !
As a consequence of this broken relationship, they experienced
slavery, poverty, humiliation and defeat. God allowed things to
deteriorate until His people fnally cried out, “All right, Lord, we
admit it’s broken! We blew it! Please help us!” Ten God would dAY 1: The Song of deborah
send a handpicked fxer, known as a judge.
We’ve already met the frst two judges: Othniel and Ehud. Read Judges 5:1–31
Each man was a unique character with skills that God put to In verse 8, Deborah addresses what led Israel to point of desperation.
good use. Othniel was a warrior, and Ehud was a courier. Othniel What was it?
delivered defeat; Ehud delivered a “pointed” message. When the
Bible introduces each of these judges it tells us, “Te Lord raised
up for them a deliverer” (Judges 3:9,15).
God chooses and uses His servants according to His purposes.
God raised up the judges and flled them with His Spirit (3:10). According to Deborah’s song, which tribes of Israel did not
Othniel, Ehud and the rest had unique skills, but their real participate in the fghting?
contribution came as a result of God’s guidance. Tey brought
about God’s will—the deliverance of His people. When the people
repented of sin, God intervened with human servants.
God still makes unlikely heroes of ordinary people. He
accomplishes extraordinary good in our lives by unexpected Think of the last time God provided
means. His Word and His Spirit are His for you; how did you respond to Him?
primary tools. But He also fxes broken
things using His servants, His churches,
His radio programs, His books—God
delivers!
God doesn’t force deliverance on
us. He patiently and lovingly waits for
us to acknowledge the sin-chaos in our
lives and say to Him, “All right, Lord,
we admit it’s broken! We broke it! Please
help us!” Ten He delivers.
10 meet with God October 2010
dAY 2: Gideon Hesitates dAY 4: Gideon’s Fear
Read Judges 6:1–24 Read Judges 7:1–15
What is Gideon doing when the angel appears? What two tests did Gideon’s men face?
What assurance does God give Gideon that he will be successful What was God’s reason for reducing Gideon’s army so drastically?
when he attacks the Midianites?
How did God reassure Gideon?
dAY 3: Gideon’s Fleece
Read Judges 6:25–40
Why is Gideon’s frst task to remove the altar of Baal? dAY 5: Gideon’s Victory
Read Judges 7:16–25
If you watched any of the recent World Cup soccer games, you
heard the noisy vuvuzelas. Now, imagine these horns waking you
Gideon put out feeces. How did that demonstrate his doubt from a sound sleep! Add in crashing noises and sudden light …
rather than his faith? (Day 2’s questions may give you a hint.) and you get a taste of what the Midianite army experienced. How
does the Bible describe the effect of these unusual tactics on the
sleeping army?
We often think of the feeces as an effort to discover God’s will,
but Gideon knew what God wanted him to do; he was just fearful What do you think this victory did for the faith of those who
to do it. Have you had that experience? How did you resolve it? followed Gideon?
We all have moments when we feel stress or fear
WEEKENd: Gideon’s Critics because of one situation or another. Following are
several verses that address fear. Cut them out and place
Read Judges 8:1–21 them in your Bible or somewhere you can access them
Why did the tribe of Ephraim complain? when you feel afraid.
“The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: ‘Fear
not, Abram, I am you shield; your reward shall be very
How did the offcials of Succoth undermine Gideon’s leadership? great’” (Genesis 15:1).
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4).
How did Gideon handle each of these situations?
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be
afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).
How do you respond when you try to do as God asks but other
believers are critical or even obstructive?
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you” (Psalm 56:3).
“‘Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be
afraid; for the Lord GOD is my strength and my song, and he
has become my salvation’” (Isaiah 12:2).
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love
and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7).
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For
fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not
been perfected in love” (1 John 4:18).
week three
army would claim victory even if God did all the work. So, God
When The odds whittled down the army from 32,000 to just 300 men. He wanted
His people to be absolutely convinced of the source of victory.
don’T CounT Ten God allowed Gideon to visit the Midianite camp by
The odds were 450 to 1; victory would take a miracle. night and overhear the news that fear and defeat had already
And that’s the point. infected that huge fghting force. Gideon returned to his band of
men assured the victory was theirs. It may sound like a joke to
Gideon and God had some history. Te story of Gideon’s great say that 300 men surrounded 135,000, but that tiny army had
victory begins with his call in Judges 6. God found the future leader three powerful allies: God, darkness and chaos. In the noise and
of Israel trying to keep his head down and stay out of trouble with confusion, the Midianite soldiers killed each other.
the Midianites. In the end, God’s concern proved true. Te people weren’t
When the Angel of the Lord addressed him as a “mighty man able to claim God’s victory for themselves, so they claimed it for
of valor” (Judges 6:12), Gideon responded with something like, Gideon. Tey wanted to make him king, “for you have saved us
“Who? Me?” Like many of God’s chosen servants, Gideon accepted from the hand of Midian” (8:22).
his call with reluctance. To his credit, Gideon resisted the temptation. To his debit,
Along with the rest of Israel, Gideon wanted God’s help, but Gideon decided to create a memorial of the victory in the form of
he didn’t see himself as the person to deliver it. So, Gideon tested an ephod—an ornate and symbolic cloak. His original intent may
God with a sacrifce and with the famous feeces (6:36–40). have been to honor God, but the object quickly became an idol.
After God dealt with the feece test and the people focked to Gideon ofers us an example of the importance of giving our
Gideon, God gave Gideon a test of His own. Despite the fact that undivided attention to serving and worshiping God. But godly
the Midianites still grossly outnumbered Israel, God knew Gideon’s intention must be matched with godly attention.
renew
more than
yourself
in God’s Word !
“i’m sorry.”
Te seven laws of repentance:
1. Repentance always distinguishes itself from regret.
Read Judges 8:22–9:57
2. Repentance always means more than saying you’re sorry.
A lot of people, including Gideon himself, probably wish that
his story ended after chapter 7. But it doesn’t, and we see from 3. Repentance always arises out of brokenness.
Gideon’s life that our greatest victories are often followed by 4. Repentance recognizes your ofense against God, not just others.
times of greatest temptation. Why was it wrong for Gideon to 5. Repentance never attempts to dictate the terms of restitution.
make an ephod?
6. Repentance never retaliates or seeks revenge.
7. Repentance is real only when subsequent change is evident.
Though he declined the kingship, what evidence is there that
Gideon lived a kingly lifestyle? (Extra: Do some research and
fnd out what the name Abimelech, Gideon’s son, means.)
dAY 2: Trying to Hustle God
Read Judges 10:1–18
In Jotham’s parable, who did the trees represent? What lesson
Have you ever tried to “hustle” God in the way Israel did (v. 15)?
do you learn from this story?
How did God call your bluff?
By your count, how many times has Israel repeated its pattern of
sin, oppression, repentance and deliverance at this point in Judges?
dAY 1: Gideon’s Legacy
