The Book of Judges

By Dr. Brian J. Bailey

Can you imagine being ruled over and governed by judges? Not a king, a president, or a prime minister, but a judge! The nation of Israel was ruled in this fashion for approximately 350 years. During this time, Israel entered into a continual cycle of rebellion, judgment, and repentance. Read Dr. Bailey’s account of how you can avoid cycles of rebellion in your life by taking heed to the warnings given in this book, that you may be found among those who walk in the fear of the Lord, finding peace and rest and inheriting eternal glory.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zion Christian Publishers
• Release date: Apr 16, 2015
• ISBN: 9781596651647

Book preview

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OUTLINE

Introduction   (1:1 - 3:7)

Othniel – The First Judge (3:8-11)

Ehud – The Second Judge (3:12-30)

Shamgar – The Third Judge (3:31)

Deborah – The Fourth Judge (4:1 - 5:31)

Gideon – The Fifth Judge (6:1 - 8:35)

Abimelech – The Sixth Judge (9:1-57)

Tola – The Seventh Judge (10:1-2)

Jair – The Eighth Judge (10:3-5)

Jephthah – The Ninth Judge (10:6 - 12:7)

Ibzan – The Tenth Judge (12:8-10)

Elon – The Eleventh Judge (12:11-12)

Abdon – The Twelfth Judge (12:13-15)

Samson – The Thirteenth Judge (13:1 - 16:31)

The Idolatry of Micah (17:1-13)

The Wickedness of Dan (18:1-31)

The Death of a Concubine (19:1-30)

Vengeance upon Benjamin (20:1-48)

The Restoration of Benjamin (21:1-25)

PRINCIPAL CITIES AND REGIONS OF PALESTINE IN THE TIME OF THE JUDGES

TRIBAL BOUNDARIES IN THE PROMISED LAND

Numbers 32 & Joshua 14-21

* These were the original tribal boundaries, but with time many alterations were made to them.

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction

1:1 - 3:7

The book of Judges opens with the statement that Joshua has died (see also Judges 2:8). Following this, we are given a detailed modus operandi (a method of operating) of the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.  Although the land of Canaan had been conquered during the time of Joshua, Israel had never possessed their full inheritance.  Each of the tribes of Israel were responsible for subjugating the enemies in their particular portions of the land, but there were still many Canaanite strongholds still held by their enemies.  We should also note that these opening chapters (from 1:1 - 3:4) are not sequential in their presentation and some of the events occur prior to Joshua’s death.

Judah Possesses Their Inheritance

1:1 - Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? The book of Judges opens with a scene that took place after the death of Joshua. The elders who outlived Joshua and the rest of the Israelites asked the Lord for guidance in choosing the tribe who should go up first to fight against the Canaanites.

1:2 - And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand. The Lord chose the tribe of Judah to go up first. This was a fulfilment of the prophecy by the patriarch Jacob over his son Judah, that the sceptre (or leadership) would not depart from Judah (Gen. 49:10). God further promised that He would fight for Judah and give their enemies into their hands.

1:3 - And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him. Judah asks for Simeon’s help in their battle with the Canaanites. The attachment that the tribe of Judah had for the tribe of Simeon can be explained from Genesis 49:7, where Jacob, their father declared that Simeon would be scattered among the tribes of Israel. The inheritance of the tribe of Simeon was largely within the tribe of Judah. As we read in Joshua 19:9, Out of the portion of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon: for the part of the children of Judah was too much for them: therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of them.

1:4 - And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men. The Canaanites were descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham, who was the son of Noah (Gen. 10:6). In fact, most of the inhabitants of Canaan were descendants of Ham, who had been cursed. His descendants include the following ten nations: the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgasites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, the Hamathites, and the Canaanites (Gen. 10:15-20). They were all occupants of the land that God had promised to Abraham and his seed, settling in the area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.

The name Canaanites over time became synonymous with merchants, but they were also engaged in agriculture (cf. Zech. 14:21. See Strong’s H3669). The Perizzites dwelled in villages, while the Canaanites mostly dwelled in walled cities. The city of Bezek was near Gezer—approximately 20 miles from Jerusalem.

1:5-7 - And they found Adonibezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites. But Adonibezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. And Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.

Adonibezek, meaning lord of Bezek, was their king. The Israelites pursued him, and when they caught him, they cut off his thumbs and his big toes. It is interesting that the Israelites inflicted upon him the same punishment that he had meted out to 70 other kings. This punishment would disable him from using weapons.

The punishment of Adonibezek illustrates one of the most important truths in the Word of God. It is repeated again and again in Holy Scripture from Genesis to Revelation: We reap what we sow. If we sow good, we will reap good, but if we sow evil, we will reap evil as did Adonibezek. Paul says in Galatians 6:7, Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. If we kill by the sword, we will die by the sword (Rev. 13:10). We must not be deceived into thinking that we will not reap the consequences of our actions. The Lord metes out the punishment that fits the crime in this life as well as in the life to come (Rev. 20:12).

1:8 - Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire. Here it is declared that Jerusalem was taken by Judah, but evidently they did not hold it for very long. The Jebusites obviously had returned to occupy Jerusalem by the time the Benjaminites sought to acquire their territory. In fact, the Jebusites remained there until the time of David, when he took the city (2 Sam. 5:6-9).

The Conquest of Hebron

The conquest of Hebron was a very important event in Israel’s history. Hebron, which literally means seat of association, was the dwelling place of Abraham and Sarah as well as their burial place. It was later given to Caleb as his inheritance. Since Caleb wholly followed the Lord (Num. 32:12), Hebron speaks of the inheritance of those who are wholehearted.

Years later, King David reigned for seven and a half years in Hebron before he took Mount Zion, the ultimate inheritance and the dwelling place of God. These two cities (and mountains) speak of spiritual experiences and inheritances. As believers, we must first learn all the lessons of Hebron and be wholehearted for the Lord before we can ascend the holy hill of the Lord—Mount Zion.

1:9 - And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley. After their conquest of Jerusalem and the Jebusites, the armies of Judah and Simeon then turned toward the south to Hebron, which is situated 3,000 feet above sea level, about 19 miles south of Jerusalem.

1:10 - And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron: (now the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba:) and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai. Kirjatharba means the city of Arba. Arba was an outstanding warrior among the Anakim, a tribe of giants with very long necks.  He was also the father of Anak (Josh. 14:15; 15:13).  These giants (or Nephilims in the Hebrew) were from the same tribe that the ten spies sent out from Israel had encountered about 40 years before, when they spied out the land.

Numbers 13:22 says, And [the Hebrew spies] ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak... At that time Israel had been filled with unbelief and failed to enter into the Promised Land at Kadesh Barnea (Num. 13:32-33).  It was later, during the time of Joshua, that these giants were summarily dealt with.

Caleb is credited with the slaying of these three giants as recorded in Joshua 15:13-14: And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, even the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron. And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.  Caleb was from the tribe of Judah (Num. 13:6) and would have been the commander of the army of Judah.

It is a solemn fact that if we do not fulfil the Lord’s purposes, He will raise up someone else to accomplish the task. Let us pay full heed to the warning in Hebrews 4:1: Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

1:11-12 - And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher. And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. Kirjathsepher, an alternate name for Debir, means the city of the book. Undoubtedly, it was a city where writers congregated.

Judah attacked Debir, which is about 11 miles southwest of Hebron. The ancient city of Debir is associated with the modern-day city of Tell Beit Mirsim. This city still has the two functioning springs of cold water which provide water for the local farmers.

Joshua 15:15-16 says, And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher. And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. These verses are identical to Judges 1:11-12. Therefore, we may assume that the chronological order changes here. This event took place during the lifetime of Joshua, several years after Caleb requested Hebron as his inheritance.

1:13-15 - And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou? And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether [or lower] springs. We are now introduced to the beautiful character of Achsah.

I spoke over 30 years ago about this beautiful woman of God in a certain Bible School. One of the students whose wife was then pregnant named his firstborn daughter Achsah. She is now a beautiful young lady and very worthy of the name she bears.

The reason that I lauded the character of Achsah is simply that she moved her husband in the right direction—seeking all that the Lord had for them both. She prompted Othniel to ask for his godly, physical inheritance—the upper and nether springs. The Lord gave us the command in Psalm 2:8, Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. A wife has a tremendous influence on her husband. She will either strengthen him in the right way or in the wrong way.

Jezebel, for example, encouraged her husband to do wickedly. First Kings 21:25 says, "But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up." Jezebel actually urged or incited her husband Ahab to do wicked things.

Therefore, wives must understand that they are the stimulus behind their husbands’ actions, and they will either confirm their husbands in the path of God or in the path of wickedness.

Achsah wanted Othniel to receive all that God had for him, to get God’s full blessing. Every wife should seek to emulate the character of Achsah so that through prayer and godly encouragement they move their husbands to press on into all that God has for them. This is a true helpmate.

And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether [or lower] springs. These two springs can be paralleled with the two rains in Israel—the former rain (nether springs) and the latter rain (upper springs). The former rain is the initial rain that softens the ground so the seed can be sown, and the latter rain is the heavy rain that comes toward the end of harvest to bring the crop to maturity.

Spiritually, the former rain represents the initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (when the Church Age began and the seed of the Gospel was sown). The latter rain represents the last day revival when the Feast of Tabernacles will be spiritually celebrated by the Church worldwide (cf. Joel 2:23)—bringing the Church to maturity and preparing her for the Second Coming of Christ.

1:16 - And the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees [Jericho] with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people. The children of Moses’ father-in-law Jethro (Num. 10:29-32; Jdg. 4:11), left their habitation in the hill country of Judah to live amongst the tribe of Judah. The Kenites were a nomadic tribe, likely consisting of many blacksmiths, for the word Kenites means smith. The city of palm trees refers to Jericho (Deut. 34:3; 2 Chr. 28:15).

1:17 - And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah. This is a town in southwestern Judah near Arvad. Its original meaning was watchtower, but its name was changed to Hormah, which was cursed for destruction. It was at Hormah that the Israelites were defeated when they presumptuously tried to go into the land after they had been forbidden to do so by Moses (Num. 14:45).

1:18 - Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof. Judah drove the Philistines out of Gaza, a city along the coastal plain of Israel and inland about three miles from the Mediterranean Sea. However, the Israelites did not completely destroy them, since they emerged again in the time of Samson and also David.

From the order of the towns, it is clear that the children of Judah came south through Jerusalem, then through the desert, swung west, and then took the territory from the south. They conquered these cities, but as we have said, by the time of Samson all these cities once again were in the possession of the Philistines.

This verse has a great importance and significance for today. Gaza, which today is known as the Gaza strip in Palestine, was given by God to the tribe of Judah as their inheritance (Josh. 15:20-62). The original inhabitants of Gaza, the Philistines (today known as the Palestinians), were rejected by God, and the Lord gave their land to Israel.

Therefore, today when politicians seek to give Gaza to the Palestinians for the sake of peace, they do not know what they are doing. They are seeking to give away God’s holy land. The land of Israel was promised by God to the seed of Abraham (the Jews), and anyone who tries to take it away from them will be severely judged by God, in this life and