Thursday
Evening Bible Study
September
8, 2011
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
The book of Judges gives us little historical vignettes during that four
hundred year period between the conquest of the Promised Land under Joshua, and
the beginnings of the kingdom.
In the book, we have begun to see the spiritual roller coaster ride of the
nation of Israel. They kept repeating
the cycle of falling away from the Lord, going through difficult times, crying
out to God, being restored back to God, and then falling away again.
3:1-6 Leftovers
:1 Now these are the nations which the LORD left, that He might test Israel
by them, that is, all who had not known any of the wars in Canaan
:2 (this was only so that the generations of the children of Israel might
be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known it),
:1 test Israel
– nacah – prove, put to the proof or
test
Lesson
Tests
Sometimes God will allow His people to experience difficulty for the
purpose of “testing” them.
He wants to show us what we are made of – He already knows.
Sometimes we go
through difficulty and we cry out, “I can’t take it any more”.
Is that really true? Has God allowed
things to go beyond what we are capable of handling?
Paul wrote,
(1 Co 10:13
NKJV) No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but
God is faithful, who will
not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the
temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
The word “temptation” and “tempted” are based on Greek
words that have the exact same idea of nacah. It’s not just about temptations to sin, but
difficulties in general.
God promises to not allow us to be in a situation that we
can’t handle.
If I’m in a difficult situation, God must think I can
handle it.
Sometimes I have to prove that to myself.
:2 might be taught to know war
Lesson
The reality of war
Whether we realize it or not, we are in a very real war.
(Eph 6:11–13 NKJV)
—11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the
wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but
against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in
the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Sometimes the war is right in your face. Sometimes there are people persecuting you
for following Jesus.
Sometimes the war is behind the scenes – the temptation to ease up in
your walk, to not “be so serious” about this “God-stuff”.
If the enemy can get you to go to sleep, it’s just as
good as if he killed you in combat.
God is allowing Israel to have “enemies” to teach them the skills of
war.
Our difficult times ought to strengthen our hand, teach us to cling to
God.
:3 namely, five
lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites
who dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath.
Play Israel’s
enemies map video
The Philistines lived in the coastal plains in the southwest.
The Canaanites were scattered throughout the land
The Sidonians lived in the northwest on the coast.
These Hivites lived in the mountain region in the northeast.
:4 And they were
left, that He might test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the
commandments of the Lord, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of
Moses.
:5 Thus the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites,
the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
:6 And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their
daughters to their sons; and they served their gods.
:6 they took their
daughters to be their wives
Lesson
Consequences of sin
Just before crossing into the Promised Land, God warned the people through
Moses about this very thing:
(Dt 7:3–4 NKJV) —3 Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your
daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. 4 For they will
turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the
Lord will be aroused against you
and destroy you suddenly.
We’re going to watch this played out – the results of
people not following God’s clear commandments.
The entire book of Judges is going to be an example of
what happens when God’s people turn their backs on God’s ways.
You may not think that it’s that big of a deal to do
things God’s way, but it is.
God isn’t “spoiling our fun”, He’s preserving our life.
People will think, “It’s okay to flirt even if I’m
married.” Guys will spend time looking
at things online that they shouldn’t be looking at.
Solomon wrote,
(Pr 6:23–35 NKJV)
—23 For the commandment is a lamp, And the law a light; Reproofs of instruction
are the way of life, 24 To keep you from the evil woman, From the flattering
tongue of a seductress. 25 Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, Nor let
her allure you with her eyelids. 26 For by means of a harlot A man is reduced
to a crust of bread; And an adulteress will prey upon his precious life. 27 Can
a man take fire to his bosom, And his clothes not be burned? 28 Can one walk on
hot coals, And his feet not be seared? 29 So is he who goes in to his
neighbor’s wife; Whoever touches her shall not be innocent. 30 People do not
despise a thief If he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving. 31 Yet
when he is found, he must restore sevenfold; He may have to give up all the
substance of his house. 32 Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks
understanding; He who does so destroys his own soul. 33 Wounds and dishonor he
will get, And his reproach will not be wiped away. 34 For jealousy is a
husband’s fury; Therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. 35 He will
accept no recompense, Nor will he be appeased though you give many gifts.
(Pr 6:32–33 NKJV) —32 Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; He
who does so destroys his own soul. 33 Wounds and dishonor he will get, And his
reproach will not be wiped away.
It’s fun to be tempted.
Sin is fun … for a moment.
But afterwards there are terrible prices to be paid for
sin.
3:7-11 Othniel
:7 So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot
the LORD their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs.
:7 Baals and
Asherahs
Male and female “gods”
:8 Therefore
the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of
Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the children of Israel served
Cushan-Rishathaim eight years.
:8
Cushan-Rishathaim – “Cushan of Double Wickedness”
:8 Mesopotamia
“Between the
Rivers” – the land if Iraq today,
between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
:9 When the children
of Israel cried out to the LORD, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the
children of Israel, who delivered them: Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s
younger brother.
:10 The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out
to war, and the Lord delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his
hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim.
:10 The Spirit of
the LORD
We see our first glimpse of the Holy Spirit in the book of Judges.
There are SEVEN
mentions of the Holy Spirit in the book of Judges.
(Jdg 3:10 NKJV) —10
The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war,
and the LORD delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and
his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim.
(Jdg 6:34 NKJV) —34
But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the
Abiezrites gathered behind him.
(Jdg 11:29 NKJV) —29
Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead
and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he
advanced toward the people of Ammon.
(Jdg 13:25 NKJV) —25
And the Spirit of the LORD began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dan between Zorah
and Eshtaol.
(Jdg 14:6 NKJV) —6
And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart
as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand.
But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.
(Jdg 14:19 NKJV) —19
Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily, and he went down to
Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the
changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle. So his anger was
aroused, and he went back up to his father’s house.
(Jdg 15:14 NKJV) —14
When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him. Then the
Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms
became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his
hands.
The men that God uses are men who are filled with the Holy Spirit.
:10 he judged
Israel. He went out to war
The idea is
that he brought repentance to the nation. He cleansed the nation of its
idolatry. He got the nation back on track spiritually.
Then he went to battle.
:11 So the land had rest for forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz
died.
:9 Othniel
– “lion of God”
We met Othniel last week. He’s the
fellow that captured the city of Debir (1:13) and was rewarded by Caleb giving
him Achsah, Caleb’s daughter, to be his wife.
Lesson
Building on the Tests
I like the fact that this first “judge” was someone who had a history.
He was someone who had previous battle experience. He was tested.
We may not always like going through the battles of life, but battle
experience makes us more useful in the future, it helps us with the things up
ahead.
I think it all starts with learning to say “yes” to God.
When I go through a hard time, a testing time, I need to turn to God and
say “yes”, “whatever you want me to do I will do”.
When I say “no”, I often find that I have to re-take the test at some later
time.
3:12-30 Ehud
:12 And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD. So
the LORD strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they had done
evil in the sight of the LORD.
:13 Eglon – “calf-like”
:13 Then he gathered to himself the people of Ammon and Amalek, went and
defeated Israel, and took possession of the City of Palms.
:13 the City of
Palms
This is another name for the city of Jericho.
Even though there was a curse placed by Joshua on anyone who rebuilt
Jericho, there were apparently people living at the site without having built
the walls and gates.
Jericho is the first city across the Jordan from the land of Moab.
Eglon sets up a sort of headquarters in Jericho.
When Joshua defeated Jericho, there was a curse placed on the city
against anyone who would rebuild the city.
(Jos 6:26 NKJV)
—26 Then Joshua charged them at that time, saying, “Cursed be the man before
the Lord who rises up and builds
this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his
youngest he shall set up its gates.”
This curse would come to pass during the days of Ahab when a fellow named
Hiel rebuilt the city.
(1 Ki 16:34 NKJV)
—34 In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation with
Abiram his firstborn, and with his youngest son Segub he set up its gates,
according to the word of the Lord,
which He had spoken through Joshua the son of Nun.
But apparently without rebuilding the city as a full city, there were
people living at the site without rebuilding the fortifications and walls.
:14 So the children
of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.
:14 eighteen years
They served the king of Mesopotamia for eight years. This time it’s Eglon for eighteen.
It’s taking longer for the people to turn around and call on God for help.
Lesson
Don’t get comfortable in your sin.
Sometimes we tend to “sleep” through things we ought to be waking up for.
Illustration
A big executive
boarded a New York to Chicago train. He explained to the porter, “I’m a heavy sleeper, but I
want you to be sure and wake me up at 3:00 am for the stop in Buffalo. I don’t
care what I say, you just make sure I get off in Buffalo.” The next morning the
executive woke up in Chicago. He was furious. He found the porter and really gave him an earful
before hustling off to purchase a return ticket. After he left, a co-worker
said to the porter, “How can you stand there and let that passenger abuse you
like that?” “That’s nothing,” said the porter. “You should have heard the guy who I put off in
Buffalo!”
Our hearts can become hardened and callused to sin. Instead of “getting
off” where we should, we sleep right through and end up in trouble.
:15 But when
the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer
for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. By him the
children of Israel sent tribute to Eglon king of Moab.
:15 Ehud
– “I will give thanks”
Josephus (Antiquities – 5:4:2)
describes Ehud –
There was a young man of the
tribe of Benjamin, whose name was Ehud, the son of Gera, a man of very great
courage in bold undertakings, and of a very strong body, fit for hard labor,
but best skilled in using his left hand, in which was his whole strength
:16 Now Ehud made himself a dagger (it was double-edged and a cubit in
length) and fastened it under his clothes on his right thigh.
:17 So he brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very
fat man.)
:16 under his
clothes on his right thigh
Sort of secret-agent
style. The first Mossad agent.
:17 a very fat man
For some reason, I’ve
always pictured Eglon looking something like Jabba the Hut.
:18 And when he
had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who had carried
the tribute.
:19 But he himself turned back from the stone images that were at Gilgal,
and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” He said, “Keep silence!”
And all who attended him went out from him.
:19 he himself
turned back
Apparently Ehud and his entourage had headed off towards Gilgal. Ehud sends them on up ahead while he goes
back to talk with Eglon.
:20 So Ehud came
to him (now he was sitting upstairs in his cool private chamber). Then Ehud
said, “I have a message from God for you.” So he arose from his seat.
:21 Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the dagger from his right
thigh, and thrust it into his belly.
:22 Even the hilt went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the
blade, for he did not draw the dagger out of his belly; and his entrails came
out.
:22 his entrails
came out
The Old King James has an interesting translation:
(Jdg 3:22 AV) … and the dirt came out.
Years ago I heard Jon Courson teach on this passage and his point was this:
“The sword went in
and the dirt came out”
Jon took this picture
of what God’s Word does in our lives – how it washes and cleanses us.
Put the sword in and let the dirt come out.
Sometimes you can’t escape the filth that the world throws
on you – how do you handle those dirty thoughts? Sword in, dirt comes out.
:23 Then Ehud
went out through the porch and shut the doors of the upper room behind him and
locked them.
:24 When he had gone out, Eglon’s servants came to look, and to their
surprise, the doors of the upper room were locked. So they said, “He is
probably attending to his needs in the cool chamber.”
:24 attending to his needs
This is a polite
way of saying that the servants thought that Eglon was going to the bathroom
and they didn’t want to bother him.
:25 So they waited
till they were embarrassed, and still he had not opened the doors of the upper
room. Therefore they took the key and opened them. And there was their master,
fallen dead on the floor.
:26 But Ehud had escaped while they delayed, and passed beyond the stone
images and escaped to Seirah.
:27 And it happened, when he arrived, that he blew the trumpet in the
mountains of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the
mountains; and he led them.
:28 Then he said to them, “Follow me, for the Lord has delivered your
enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him, seized the
fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over.
:29 And at that time they killed about ten thousand men of Moab, all stout
men of valor; not a man escaped.
:30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had
rest for eighty years.
:28 the fords of
the Jordan
Play “Moab
Crossing” map video
Eglon had set up his Israel headquarters near the old city of Jericho. Ehud had been heading back to Gilgal when he
turned back to kill Eglon. When the
Moabites realize their king has been killed, they all decide to head back home
to Moab, on the other side of the Jordan.
But Ehud has outflanked them and has already captured the crossing point at
the Jordan River and he kills all the Moabites trying to flee to Moab.
3:31 Shamgar
:31 After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed six hundred men of
the Philistines with an ox goad; and he also delivered Israel.
:31 Shamgar
– “sword” (in Chinese it’s translated “Jackie Chan”)
:31 ox goad
A pointy stick
with a metal tip, about 8-10 feet long, to direct animals.
We have found archive footage of Shamgar in action. He was a martial arts master.
4:1-24 Deborah
:1 When Ehud was dead, the children of Israel again did evil in the sight
of the Lord.
:2 So the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned
in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth Hagoyim.
:2 Jabin
– Yabiyn – “whom God observes”
:2 Hazor
A major city north of the Sea of Galilee
:2 Harosheth Hagoyim
Harosheth of the Gentiles.
33 miles southwest of Hazor in the valley of Megiddo
:3 And the children
of Israel cried out to the Lord; for Jabin had nine hundred chariots of iron,
and for twenty years he had harshly oppressed the children of Israel.
:4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at
that time.
:5 And she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and
Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim. And the children of Israel came up to her
for judgment.
:4 Deborah
– “bee” (or, “gorgeous”)
I know this is going to sound sexist to some.
I believe that God wants men to be strong leaders.
But sometimes there are no men around who are strong leaders.
What if there are no men who are willing to lead?
Sometimes God uses a woman.
Don’t be too quick to judge those churches who are ordaining women –
perhaps there are no men to step up.
I don’t mean to say that when God uses a woman it’s only “second best”
But as you’re going to see, the male leaders in Deborah’s day were not
exactly willing to step up to the plate.
Lesson
God uses women
God is not against women. God uses
women.
When the priests rediscovered God’s
word during the reign of King Josiah (2Ki.
22), the king was very disturbed by the things he was reading in
the scriptures. He sent a delegation, including the high priest, to go and
“inquire” of God whether He was going to wipe out the nation or not.
How did they “inquire of the Lord”?
They went to a prophetess, Huldah (2Ki. 22:14).
Was this because
there were no men who could speak for the Lord? That’s possible, but however
you want to look at it, God used a woman.
Keep in mind as you read about Deborah, you will not find a single negative
comment about her. You will not find a word stating, “Gosh, it would have been
nice if a man had been judging Israel, but we’ll take whatever we can get”.
:4 Lapidoth – “torches”
:4 between Ramah
and Bethel
Play Deborah’s Battle
map video
Deborah lives about 75 miles south of where Jabin rules from.
Jabin’s city is in Hazor north of Galilee, his general Sisera lives in
Harosheth, to the southwest.
Barak lives in Kadesh along the southern edge of the Sea of Galilee.
Mount Tabor will be a place of action as will the River Kishon.
:6 Then she sent
and called for Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to
him, “Has not the Lord God of Israel commanded, ‘Go and deploy troops at Mount
Tabor; take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons
of Zebulun;
:7 and against you I will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army,
with his chariots and his multitude at the River Kishon; and I will deliver him
into your hand’?”
Apparently the major victory would
take place near the river Kishon, in the vicinity of the city of Megiddo (Judg. 5:19-21). Part of the
victory seems to be the flooding of the river that caused the chariots to be
useless in the fight.
:8 And Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if
you will not go with me, I will not go!”
:8 If you will go
with me
In a way, this could seem kind of admirable of Barak. He recognizes that
God is using Deborah, and perhaps he wants to be as clued in to God’s leading
as possible. Some have suggested that
it is almost admirable of Barak because the ancients would tend to take the
things most dear to them to the battlefield as a way of encouraging themselves
to fight bravely.
But Barak’s limitations are going to affect his life.
Barak is putting limitations on what God can do. He just can’t see how God
can work unless Deborah is present.
Lesson
Over-dependence upon people
I see it in the
church at times when we can get the idea that unless a certain person shows up,
man or woman, that God certainly can’t work.
All that’s important at church is that GOD shows up.
It’s kind of
interesting that the story we’re looking at is about a man who was too
dependent upon a woman.
Sometimes this can happen inside a marriage, where a man is not willing to
be the head of the home. He becomes so dependent upon his wife that he is
unable to think for himself or make a decision by himself.
:9 So she said,
“I will surely go with you; nevertheless there will be no glory for you in the
journey you are taking, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a
woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.
:9 no glory for you
It seems pretty clear that Deborah is saying that because Barak was being
dependent upon her, a woman, that the honor of the battle wouldn’t go to him,
but to a woman.
Lesson
Don’t give your rewards away.
God has a work to do. Sometimes He will tap you on the shoulder and ask you
to step up.
When I begin to make excuses, God will still get the work done, but He may
do it through another and I may lose out on having received all that God wants
for me.
Moses –
he made excuses as to why God couldn’t use him. He thought that he wasn’t
eloquent enough with his speech. God dickered back and forth with Moses for
awhile, but there came a point where God simply said in frustration, “Okay, then I’ll use your
brother Aaron!”
Esther –
she was a little reluctant when she first found out about the plot by Haman to
have all the Jews in the Persian empire be destroyed. But her uncle Mordecai
said to her –
(Es 4:14 NKJV) For if you remain
completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another
place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you
have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
God will use someone else if He has to. But why would you
not want to see what God could do through you?
Esther stood up and took on the challenge.
Show Map when
reading.
:10 And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; he went up with ten
thousand men under his command, and Deborah went up with him.
:11 Now Heber the Kenite, of the children of Hobab the father-in-law of
Moses, had separated himself from the Kenites and pitched his tent near the
terebinth tree at Zaanaim, which is beside Kedesh.
:12 And they reported to Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to
Mount Tabor.
See Tabor
:13 So Sisera gathered together all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of
iron, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth Hagoyim to the River
Kishon.
Harosheth Hagoyim to the River Kishon
:14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day in which the Lord
has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the Lord gone out before you?” So
Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.
:15 And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with
the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot and
fled away on foot.
Part of the victory seems to be the flooding of the river Kishon that
caused the chariots to be useless in the fight. (Judg. 5:19-21)
:16 But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth
Hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man
was left.
:17 However, Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of
Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house
of Heber the Kenite.
:18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, “Turn aside, my
lord, turn aside to me; do not fear.” And when he had turned aside with her
into the tent, she covered him with a blanket.
:19 Then he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am
thirsty.” So she opened a jug of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him.
Some suggest it was warm yogurt.
:20 And he said to her, “Stand at the door of the tent, and if any man
comes and inquires of you, and says, ‘Is there any man here?’ you shall say,
‘No.’ ”
:21 Then Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg and took a hammer in her hand,
and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went down into
the ground; for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.
:21 Jael, Heber’s
wife
Just as Deborah promised, a woman did what a man refused.
Illustration
WOMEN'S BRAINS COST LESS
The patient’s
family gathered to hear what the specialists had to say. “Things don’t look
good. The only chance is a brain transplant. This is an experimental procedure.
It might work, but the bad news is that brains are very expensive, and you will
have to pay the costs yourselves.” “Well, how much does a brain cost?” asked
the relatives. “For a male
brain, $500,000. For a
female brain, $200,000.” Some of the younger male relatives tried to look
shocked, but all the men nodded in understanding, and a few actually smirked.
Then the patient asked, “Why the difference in price between male brains and
female brains?” “A standard pricing practice,” said the head of the team,
“women’s brains have to be marked
down because they are used.”
:22 And then,
as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him, “Come, I
will show you the man whom you seek.” And when he went into her tent, there lay
Sisera, dead with the peg in his temple.
:23 So on that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan in the presence of the
children of Israel.
:24 And the hand of the children of Israel grew stronger and stronger
against Jabin king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.
:23 God subdued
Jabin
Lesson
God gets the credit
Jesus said,
(Mt 5:16 NKJV) Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in
heaven.
God’s desire is that we learn to do things in such a way so that God is the
one who gets the credit in the end.