The Bible Jesus Used A Gospel-Centered Glance at the Old Testament Bethlehem Baptist Church, 2011–2012 Jason S. DeRouchie

Judges at a Glance Introduction: Israel’s Canaanization1:1–2:23 The Judges: Yahweh’s Response to Israel’s Canaanization 3:1–16:31 Conclusion: The Effects of Israel’s Canaanization 17:1–21:25

Introduction: Israel’s Canaanization (1:1–2:23)  Setting: The Conspicuous Ending to Joshua  Three exhortations to remove idols to serve Yahweh and three responses to follow Yahweh with no mention of idols (Josh. 24:14–24).  What’s next? “Israel served Yahweh all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that Yahweh did for Israel” (Josh. 24:31). 3

 The Report of Israel’s Performance (1:1–36)  Background: What was Israel supposed to do upon entering the land?  Deut. 7:1–4. When Yahweh your God brings into the land that you are entering to take possession of it and clears away many nations before you…. and when Yahweh gives them over to you and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. And you shall not intermarry with them … lest they turn away your sons from following me to serve other gods. Then the anger of Yahweh would be kindled against you and he would destroy you quickly.

 The Report of Israel’s Performance (1:1–36)  Background:  What was Israel supposed to do? Utterly destroy the Canaanites  What was the basis for this call to destruction?  Deut. 9:5. It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the word that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. (Cf. Gen. 15:16.)

 The Report of Israel’s Performance (1:1–36)  Background: Israel was called to utterly destroy Canaanites for their wickedness.  A good beginning (1:1–4) but disturbing ending (1:19) for Judah.  Tribe after tribe fails to fulfill Yahweh’s war of judgment.  Background: What had God promised would happen if Israel failed in their mission?  Num. 33:55–56. But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. 56 And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.

 The Theological Significance of Israel’s Performance (2:1–23)  God’s response to Israel’s failure (2:1–5)  Judg. 2:3. So now I say, “I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”  Key Truth: Sin not only brings judgment; sin is judgment.  Rom. 1:24, 26, 28. God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity…. 26 God gave them up to dishonorable passions…. 28 God gave them up to a debased mind. (Cf. 6:17; 12:2.)

 The downward spiraling cycles of Israel’s disobedience (2:6–23)  Echoes of Joshua 24:31, 33 and the question answered: Apostasy in a single generation (2:6–10)  Judg. 2:10. And there arose another generation after them who did not know Yahweh or the work that he had done in Israel.  Just one generation: the horrendously tragic story of the Levite, his concubine, and the Civil War happens while Phineas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, his high priest (see Judg. 20:28 with Josh. 24:33).

 Failures of the priests:  Lev. 10:11. And you are to teach the people of Israel all the statues that Yahweh has spoken to them by Moses.  Failures of the parents  Deut. 6:6–7. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

 Deut. 6:20–24. When your son asks you in time to come, “What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that Yahweh our God has commanded you?” 21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And Yahweh brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 And Yahweh showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. 23 And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. 24 And Yahweh commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear Yahweh our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day.

 The nature of the apostasy (2:11–13)  “The people did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh” (2:11)  Othniel: 3:7  Ehud: 3:12  Deborah and Barak: 4:1  Gideon: 6:1  Jephthah: 10:6  Samson: 13:1  Idolatry: they served the Baals and went after other gods (2:11–12; cf. 3:6; 10:14; 18:24).