Teaching Notes

TH1014: JUDGES

As we conclude this week in the book of Judges we have been shown a very black period in the history of the nation of Israel. And we said that what the historical accounts tell us, is that we are seeing a reflection of the heart of man. It is as the Lord said in Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately (incurably sick) wicked; who can know it?" And as God shows us the history of Israel, He doesn't hold back. He tells it like it is. God does not make us look better than we are. He knows what is going on inside our hearts and in time that will overflow into actions. If our heart is wicked, so too will be our actions, and that is what we have seen in the book of Judges. In chapters 17 and 18 we saw the religious apostasy that was taking place in Israel. And in chapters 19 through 21 we will be dealing with the social degradation that took place during this period of time. Thus, these last 5 chapters of the book of Judges are a appendix to the book, giving us a inside look at the spiritual, social and moral conditions of the people.

JUDGES 19

VERSE 1

1. Again we see the problem as we are introduced to another set of events in Israel's history. The problem, of course, was this, "There was no king in Israel." God was to be their king, but they removed Him from the throne of their hearts and were guided by their own fleshly lusts.

2. Thus, we see this Levite man do whatever he wants to satisfy self. God gave us the pattern for marriage back in Genesis chapter 2, one man and one woman joined together before God. And we see not only the people pervert this, but now the religious leaders also succumbed to their fleshly desires.

3. Understand that a concubine was nothing more than a second class wife. She would provide the companionship and take care of his needs, and yet she was not able to have the same blessings that a wife would have. And it seems to me that his desire was to have all his needs met without a true commitment! Sound familiar?

VERSE 2

1. Something happened between them and they split apart. She heads to her fathers house in Bethlehem and has an affair while she is there. Their separation lasted 4 months. VERSES 3-6 1. This man convinces his concubine to come home with him, but before he leaves, his father-in-law wants to have a little party for them. A time to eat, drink and be merry. The sad thing about this is that the nation was in trouble, in spiritual darkness, and as one of the spiritual leaders of the nation, he should have lead the people instead of partying.

2. Many in the church today are out to entertain instead of instructing in holiness. And there is nothing wrong in having a good time, but we must remember that there is a time to have fun and party and there is a time to be serious. Listen to what this church in Glendale Arizona hasconcluded as important in the instructing of their members. "...Terey Summers, Arizona's actress of the year, likes to stage skits in the sanctuary instead of having ministers preach from the pulpit. `People today aren't interested in traditional doctrines like justification, sanctification and redemption,' the pastor concluded." It is time for the church to wake-up and get serious. It is not a time to party when a war is going on. God wants us to be a holy people and you won't become holy through entertainment!

VERSES 7-10

1. Jebus (Jerusalem), was about 5 miles away from Bethlehem, and was a Jebusite stronghold. In Judges 1:21 we are told that the tribe of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites, and they thus held the city and grew stronger driving the children of Israel out. It was not till the time of David that this city was taken back, II Samuel 5:6. Now evening was approaching and so this Levite and his concubine wanted to get started for it was very dangerous to travel at night.

VERSES 11-12

1. As they traveled the Levite wanted to push farther past Jebus, for Jebus was enemy territory and could be a dangerous place to spend the night, or so he thought. And so they traveled another 4 miles to the city of Gibeah, which was where the Benjamites settled. And I'm sure this man felt safe being amongst his own brethren, that is why he traveled the extra 4 miles. (Ramah was a northern suburb of Jebus or Jerusalem).

VERSES 13-15

1. We see clearly that no hospitality was offered to this man. And in the Middle East it was a common practice to open your home up to strangers so that they might come under the protection of your house. In fact, even your enemies were honor bound to protect you within their home. But here, this was family and they still rejected him. The hearts of the people had grown hard and cold!

VERSES 16-19

1. This Levite had all his supplies, food, straw for the animals, drink, but was missing only a place to lay down, someone's home that would be opened up to him for shelter. There were no Holiday Inn's he could check into.

VERSE 20

1. So this old man, a fellow brother from the mountains of Ephraim, opens up his home to this Levite and the people who were traveling with him. They were to be safe and secure under the shelter of his roof, for this old man was fully aware of how dangerous it was to sleep in the open square.

VERSES 21-24

1. You read these verses and you wonder where do you even begin? What happened to a nation that was governed by God? How can they do such things? First of all we see the men of the city come to this man's door and demand that he send out this Levite so they can have homosexual relations with him. And the old man told these guys that he is under the protection of his roof. That he was bound to protect him. And then this old man does something that not only breaks your heart, but it makes you angry and sick. He tells these perverted men that instead of having sexual relations with this Levite man, he was willing to send out his own daughter and this Levite's concubine, to do to them whatever they wanted. But for this Levite man, you must leave him alone.

2. Even understanding that women were treated as second class citizens back in those days, it is still hard to believe and understand how he could make such an offer. Even today in the Middle East, many women must walk behind their husbands and are still thought of as second class citizens. Thus, we see many women's liberation organizations trying to elevate women to a place equal with man, but the reality is they have only put themselves into greater bondage. Jesus has elevated women back to that position of true equality, but as a nation turns from Him, much depravity takes place in relationships and in actions.

3. This story is very reminiscent of what took place in Sodom back in Genesis chapter 19. The big difference of course is that the men of Sodom were pagan, not children of God. The sad point here is that the men of Benjamin were God's special people and yet they were acting just like the people of Sodom. As you look at the final stages in the destruction of a nation, you will see many times blatant homosexuality running rampant. Before Rome rotted out from the inside, homosexuality was running wild and as we take a close look at this country, we are seeing the same things happen. One writer put it this way. He said "Don't ever take lightly the evil results of sexual perversion and homosexuality, terrible acts of violence and sadism go hand in hand with these same forms of immorality within our own loose and indulgent society." How close are we to destruction as blatant homosexuality is pushed more and more upon us as a alternative life style? God only knows that, but when He created us, He created us Adam and Eve, and not Adam and Steve!

VERSES 25-28

1. Talk about being insensitive on the part of this Levite. He hands his concubine over to these men so they can abuse her all night long. Then he goes back into the house after handing her over and goes to sleep. It doesn't even bother him, for he has no problem going to sleep as she is being sexual abused all night. This woman he loved, was in reality just lust. You see, he was just interested in saving his own skin, looking out for himself. She, on the other hand was just something to satisfy his own needs!

2. They abused this woman all night till she finally died because of their actions. How sad when a society becomes accustomed to violence and sexual perversion to the point where no one is shocked any more!

VERSES 29-30

1. Don't think this guy was trying to unite the nation against these men because they killed the woman he loved. He was upset because they had taken away, killed his possession. If he really loved her, he would not have handed here over to these perverted men. Now, instead of bringing this action before the High Priest in Shiloh, and the High Priest could have handled this situation. Instead he cuts his concubine into 12 pieces and sends them to the 12 tribes in Israel, and because of his actions, civil war is about to break out!

JUDGES 20

VERSES 1-5

1. All Israel came together, from the North (Dan), down to the South (Beersheba), and even the Transjordanian tribes represented by Gilead. And as this Levite explains what has happened, he looks very good. He doesn't tell them that he handed this concubine over to these perverted men.

VERSE 6

1. His actions remind me allot of Samson, you did this to me so I am going to do this to you. But again we see the heart of this spiritual leader.

VERSES 7-14

1. Here again we see the sad condition of the hearts and minds of the people of Benjamin. Israel requested the men who have done this murder, so that they could purge out this evil from among the nation. But instead of being incensed and outraged over what their own have done, Benjamin is ready to go and fight for their freedom. The men of Benjamin should have dealt with this evil, but instead they will go to war against their own brothers so that these evil men can live. It is as Isaiah said, "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" Isaiah 5:20. 2. Doesn't this sound familiar? Many lawyers, the ACLU, the People for the American Way, and-so-on, represent people that should be put away for their crimes but instead attempt to free them. They are standing up for evil and coming against good. We, as a nation, are just as mixed up as the nation of Israel was. Our philosophy, like Israel's was "What ever they think is right to do in their own eyes is ok, even though I may not agree with it. They have the right to do it."

VERSES 15-18

1. The Benjamites had 26,000 men plus a special forces group of men numbering 700 who were left handed and able to sling a stone some distance with precision accuracy. Israel had 400,000 men, and before they go into battle, which they should have easily won, they ask the Lord who shall lead them in this battle against Benjamin? Which tribe will go first?

2. As we continue on in this story I think you will see that they asked the wrong question. It should not have been "Who is going to led?" But "Should we go to war against our brothers?" Obviously this was a highly emotional issue, and because of that, it may have gotten the better of them. They were so upset that they already formulated a plan to destroy the tribe of Benjamin and then asked God to bless it. Don't let your emotions blind you to what God wants you to do - God does have a plan, but we must listen! VERSES 19-21 1. During the first battle Israel loses 22,000 men, even though they outnumbered Benjamin almost 15 to 1!

VERSES 22-25

1. Again they lose a second time in battle, this time 18,000 men. And yes they were fighting a righteous cause, the men that did this murder were evil, but was Israel any better?

VERSES 26-28

1. Now they truly seek counsel of God. We see them fast and offer sacrifice to the Lord. And Eleazar, the High Priest, asks counsel of God, and the Lord tells them to go and fight, they will be victorious.

VERSES 29-31

1. They set-up an ambush, and as the men of Benjamin think they defeating Israel and causing them to flee, they run into this ambush.

VERSES 32-48

1. Israel was victorious this time, almost completely wiping out the tribe of Benjamin. Only 600 men survived this civil war from the tribe of Benjamin. A tremendous slaughter but a very sad day when brothers will fight against brothers.

JUDGES 21

VERSE 1

1. Here again we see another foolish vow, reminiscent of Jephthah's foolish vow regarding his daughter in Judges chapter 11. And again the Bible never commands us to make a oath, but if we do, then we better keep it. Their oath is that they will not give any of the 600 remaining Benjamite men their daughters in marriage and thus the tribe of Benjamin will fade off the scene. It was in a sense their death sentence.

VERSES 2-3

1. Now reality comes into view and they realized what they have done. They had won in battle but the victory was empty. The tribe of Benjamin had only 600 men left and now because of thisvow, they would be unable to marry any women from Israel, and thus Benjamin would be no more.

VERSES 4-5

1. This other oath was made before they went into battle, and it was for all those in Israel who did not assist them in this war against Benjamin. Those that did not come to battle would be put to death.

VERSES 6-15

1. People are always looking for loop holes, and Israel is no exception. One town, Jabesh Gilead did not go into battle with them, so they destroy the people of this town, except the virgins, and these virgins they give to the men of Benjamin as wives. They had found a partial solution to their problem. The question we must ask ourselves is this, "Did God smile down upon what they were doing?" "Do they think they are serving God by their actions?" How mixed up they were!

2. It is amazing how easily they forgot the wickedness of the men of Benjamin. They wiped out almost the entire tribe in battle, and then they just say "Let's forget about what has happened!" The men of Benjamin did not repent of their actions and yet Israel was willing to forget what has happened. It is amazing how easily they were guided by their emotions. And we still see 200 men of Benjamin needing wives, and thus another solution will need to be drawn up.

VERSES 16-23

1. Here they steal 200 women who were out celebrating at a feast in Shiloh. If anyone questioned their actions they would tell them that it was ok because we did not give them our daughters but they took them, and thus we did not break our oath to God.

2. Again we see them find a loop hole to solve their problem. And it is interesting, even today in Israel they try to find loop holes in the Law that would let them continue on in the work they are doing. For instance, every seventh year the land was to rest, but what the Jews will do is hand over the land to an Arab for that seventh year and then come back and retrieve it in the eighth year. In Israel everything closes up on the Sabbath, but if you want to remain open you would have your Arab employee run your business for the day. Times have not changed much.

VERSES 24-25

1. So everyone goes back to their homes as if nothing has happened. Life just continues on amidst all the immorality that is around them. And the reason again for their failure, in case you have missed it, is that the Lord was no longer important to them. He was not reigning on the thrones of their hearts and they thus were doing whatever they felt was right in their own eyes. That is murder, sexual immorality, homosexuality, idolatry, child sacrifice, civil war, stealing and I think you get the picture. Right was wrong and wrong was right.

2. And as we conclude this book you wonder what good can come out of this period of time. It was so dark and ugly. And yet the very next book we will come to, the book of Ruth, is a light that shines in darkness. It is hope when everything else was falling apart. And it tells me that no matter how bad things look, God is still working and there will always be those who love Him and serve Him. Those who have the Lord on the thrones of their hearts. That is what we will see next week in the book of Ruth.

3. "Back in 1928, when the depression first began, a brief editorial appeared in the staid Wall Street Journal, which went something like this:

`What America needs today is not Government

controls, industrial expansion, or a bumper

corn crop; American needs to return to the day

when grandpa took the team out of the field in

the early afternoon on Wednesday in order to

hitch them to the old spring wagon into which

grandma put all of the children after she

washed their faces shinning clean; and they

drove off to prayer meeting in the little

white church at the crossroads underneath the

oak trees, where everyone believed the Bible,

trusted in Christ, and loved one another.'

(Judges, McGee, p. 86)