Judges: Hope For Troubled Times

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JudgesHope For Troubled Times

• Chapters 17-19
• A Levite and His Concubine

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Announcements
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Judges and Ruth
Week Date Topic
1 07 Dec 11 Overview Judges and Ruth
2 14 Dec 11 Israels Success and Failure Judges 11-25
3 21 Dec 11 Oppression and Deliverance Judges 26-331
4 28 Dec 11 Deborah, Gideon Judges 4-6
5 04 Jan 12 Gideons Success and Failure Judges 71-105
6 11 Jan 12 Jephthah the Judge Judges 106-1215
7 18 Jan 12 Samson and His Exploits Judges 13-14
8 25 Jan 12 Samson and Delilah Judges 15-16
9 01 Feb 12 Auditorium
10 08 Feb 12 A Levite and His Concubine Judges 17-19
11 15 Feb 12 The War with Benjamin Judges 20-21
12 22 Feb 12 Ruth and Naomi Return to Bethlehem Ruth 1-2
13 29 Feb 12 Ruth and Boaz are Married Ruth 3-4
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Todays Objectives

• Review past lesson, Judges 15-16
• Provide an historical background and timeline for
  this weeks lesson
• Review historical maps of Israel and the region
• Review Judges 17-18, read Judges 19
• Discovered how far the moral foundation of Israel
  had degraded
• Examine how a Levite left his concubine to endure
  his own abuse
• Have the right attitude about hospitality to
  others

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Historical Background

• Jewish traditions states Samuel wrote Judges
• Written around 1050 B.C. and covered the period
  from 1375 B.C. to 1050 B.C.
• Death of Joshua to the beginning of the monarchy
• Israels form of government was a theocracy
• God alone was their King
• God raises up a series of judges between Joshuas
  death and the coronation of Saul
• Major and minor judges most did not rule over
  all
• Depressing period in Israels history
• Cycle of sin, oppression, repentance, and
  deliverance
• Spiritual compromise was the norm of Israel
• God sends powerful oppressors to counter
  spiritual compromise

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Historical Background

• Judges 17-19 1400-1375 B.C.
• Epilogue describing the period before the Judges
• Shortly after the death of Joshua
• Political background
• Much political upheaval in the region
• Egyptians and Hittites are regional powers
• Rise of the Assyrians in the north
• Israelite freedom of movement in the south
• Israel waging war to gain the land
• Against various tribal groups in Canaan and
  themselves
• Israel repeatedly attacked by nomadic groups from
  Moab, Ammon, and the eastern desert

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Tribe of Dan

• Name
• Fifth son of Jacob by Bilhah, maid of Rachel
• Name means judge (Gen 306)
• Jacobs blessing, Dan shall judge his people
  (Gen 4916)
• Dan will be a serpent on the roadside, a viper
  along the path (4917)
• Leading characteristics
• Unsteady
• Unscrupulous
• Violent
• Grim humor
• Stealthy in tactics

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Tribe of Levi

• The third son of Jacob by Leah
• Levitical order consisted of all the descendants
  of Levi's three sons, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari
• Sanctuary service as assistants to the priests
• Selected for this purpose because of their zeal
  for the glory of God
• Special guardians of the tabernacle
• Gershonites pitched their tents on the west of
  the tabernacle, the Kohathites on the south, the
  Merarites on the north, and the priests on the
  east

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Tribe of Ephraim

• The second son of Joseph, born in Egypt
• Jacob set Ephraim the younger before his brother
• Took precedence over that of Manasseh by virtue
  of Jacob's blessing
• Land included most of what was afterwards called
  Samaria as opposed to Judea and Galilee
• Tribe manifested a domineering, haughty, and
  discontented spirit
• Dependent tribes of Manasseh and Benjamin
• Initially home to the Ark in Shiloh until moved
  to Zion
• Continuing decline when kingdom divided

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Moral and Spiritual Decline (Judges 17-18)

• Chapters 17-21 represent an Epilogue
• Mentioned four times that Israel did not have a
  king in those days
• Absence of an established authority to enforce
  Gods law
• Moral and spiritual degradation
• Took place shortly following Joshuas death
• Jonathan and Phinehas were alive (1830, 2028)
• Story of Micah
• Took 1100 shekels of silver from his mother
• He returns the silver
• She hires a silversmith to make an idol to place
  in Micahs house

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Moral and Spiritual Decline (Judges 17-18)

• Micah creates his own pagan shrine
• Son serves as a priest initially
• Tries to make the shrine legitimate by hiring a
  Levite from Bethlehem (Judah) to be his priest
• Tribe of Dan still searching for a place to
  settle
• Sends out five spies to search for land near
  Laish
• Visit Micah and his priest
• Spies return, recommend an attack on Laish
• 600 Danites set out to attack Laish
• On their way, took Micahs idols and his priest
• Danites attack Laish and burn the city
• Danites rebuild the city, call it Dan, worship
  idols

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Levite Retrieves His Concubine (191-10)

• Levite who lived in the remote part of Ephraim
• Levites were allotted no land, only 48 cities to
  occupy
• Levite obtained a concubine from Bethlehem
• Female slave, wife of secondary rank or status
• Often did not have the inheritance rights of a
  legal wife
• Concubine did not remain faithful
• She deserts the Levite and returns to her father
  (192)
• No Israelite law for a wife to divorce her
  husband
• Levite travels to take his concubine back
• Levite visit goes well and he stays for five days
  (198)
• Travels to Jebus, about six miles (1910)

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Travelers Stop In Gibeah (1911-21)

• The Levite and his concubine arrive at Jebus
• Jebus under the control of non-Israelites (1912)
• Decides to proceed to Gibeah
• Arrival at Gibeah
• Three miles north of Jebus
• Willing to go as far as Ramah to find lodging
  (1913)
• Decided to spend the night at Gibeah
• No Israelite willing to put them up for the night
• Sat in the city square (1914-15)
• Farmer, originally from Ephraim, took them in
• Realized the potential danger they faced

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Men of Gibeah Perform Evil Deeds (1922-30)

• Wicked men of Gibeah gather around the house
• Demanded the farmer surrender the Levite
• To sexually abuse the Levite (1922)
• Farmer pleads with the men of Gibeah (1923)
• Offers his virgin daughter and the concubine
  (1924)
• Underscores how quickly Israel had decline
• Men of Gibeah
• Farmer, Levite, and his servant did not defend
  the women Levite throws the concubine to the men
  (1925)
• The concubine dies from the all-night abuse
• The Levite evaded personal responsibility

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Constables Commentary

• This is a story about love and hate. The major
  manifestation of love is hospitality. The major
  manifestation of hate is immorality (lit. what is
  contrary to manners). Webster's dictionary
  defines immoral as "contrary to the moral code of
  the community. The idea that man sets his own
  standards of morality goes all the way back to
  the Fall (Gen. 3). Really God sets these
  standards. He does so in love and for the welfare
  of humanity, and He reveals them in His Word.
  When people abandon God's standards, life breaks
  down, unravels, and disintegrates.

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Review

• Reviewed past lesson, Judges 15-16
• Provided an historical background and timeline
  for this weeks lesson
• Reviewed historical maps of Israel and the region
• Reviewed Judges 17-18, read Judges 19
• Discovered how far the moral foundation of Israel
  had degraded
• Examined how a Levite let his concubine to endure
  his own abuse
• Learn how to have the right attitude about
  hospitality to others