The Transitional Times of the Judges: The History of the Israelite Kings

By Dr. Ron Gerrard

Because not many colleges today teach in-depth classes on the Old Testament and because it’s difficult for some to understand, I’ve written this Reader’s Digest version compiling the best resource materials available that this rich history might come alive and the readers might better understand why it’s here and how it applies so as to better understand the New Testament. There is far too little emphasis put on the OT today, and it’s such an important part of the foundation needed to better understand God’s Word. In my humble opinion this would serve to be an informative study, and a great tool used by those in the mission field who were without the benefits of formal schooling.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 25, 2019
• ISBN: 9781728322551

Dr. Ron Gerrard

I’ve been a Christian for almost forty years and happily married for thirty-five years. I’m a an ordained and licensed minister through the assemblies of God, and have a PhD in theology. I’ve been a student of God’s Word for those forty years and have taught adult classes for more than fifteen years. What I’ve provided here are my teaching notes, a condensed Reader’s Digest version on the transitional period of the Judges that leads to the history of the Israelite kings, which will by God’s grace be my next book.

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© 2019 Dr. Ron Gerrard. All rights reserved.

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Published by AuthorHouse 08/23/2019

ISBN: 978-1-7283-2257-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-2256-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-2255-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019911322

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Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

Contents

Book 1 Judges

Introduction

History of Servitudes and One Civil War

Maps

1. Judges 1: The Continuing Conquest of Canaan

Summary of Israel’s Successes and Failures Occupying the Land

2. Judges 2: Israel’s Disobedience Is Condemned

3. Judges 3: First Oppression, by King Cushan

Othniel, the First to Judge Israel

Second Oppression by Eglon, the King of Moab

Ehud Was the Second to Judge Israel

4. Judges 4: The Oppression by Jabin, King of the Canaanites

Deborah the Prophetess Was the Third to Judge Israel

5. Judges 5: The Song of Deborah

Part 1—The Significance of the Victory

Part 2—The Call to Battle

The Poetic Intervention of Jehovah

Part 3—The Victory

6. Judges 6: The Oppression of the Midianites and Gideon

About the Midianites

Gideon—The Political and Historical Background

Gideon—The Fourth to Judge Israel

7. Judges 7: The Reduction of Gideon’s Army

8 .Judges 8: Gideon and the Ephriamites

Gideon and the Men of Succoth

9. Judges 9: Abimelech, the Son of Gideon

The Rise and Fall of Abimelech, the Fifth to Judge Israel

Jotham’s Parable of the Trees

The Interpretation of Jotham’s Prophetic Parable

10. Judges 10: The Judges Tola and Jair

Tola, the Sixth Judge of Israel

Jair, the Seventh Judge of Israel

11. Judges 11: Jepthah, the Eighth Judge of Israel

12. Judges 12: Jepthah’s Civil War with Ephraim

The Judges after Jepthah—Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon

Judge Elon also from the Tribe of Zebulon, and was the Tenth to Judge Israel

Judge Abdon from the Tribe of Ephraim was the Eleventh to Judge Israel

13. Judges 13: Samson and the Philistines

A Nazarite

14. Judges 14: The Spirit of the Lord Came upon Samson

15. Judges 15: Samson’s Revenge because of His Betrothed

16. Judges 16: Samson Escapes Gaza

Samson and Delilah

17. Judges 17: Micah, His Mother, and Her Idolatry

18. Judges 18: The Danites Seek the Land of Their Inheritance

19. Judges 19: A Levite Takes a Wife

20. Judges 20: The Tribe of Benjamin Was Nearly Wiped Out

21. Judges 21: The Tribe of Benjamin Is Spared Extinction

Book 2 The Book of Ruth:

The Time of the Judges—

A Time of Transition

Introduction

22. Ruth 1: The Famine in Judah

Naomi Returns to Judah

23. Ruth 2: The Fields of Boaz

The Kinsman Redeemer: Leviticus 25:26, 48–49

24. Ruth 3: The Threshing Floor

25. Ruth 4: Boaz’s Transaction at the City Gate

The Genealogy of Boaz and Ruth (Also in Matthew 1:3)

Book 3 The Book of Samuel: The Time of the Judges— A Time of Transition

26. 1 Samuel: Introduction

27. 1 Samuel 1: The Call of Samuel

The Birth of Samuel

28. 1 Samuel 2: The Song of Hannah

Poetic Contrasts in Hannah’s Song

Other Notable Songs

The Introduction of Eli

These Caused Israel to Sin

Eli and the Unknown Prophet

The Judgment on the House of Eli

29. 1 Samuel 3: The Call of Samuel

30. 1 Samuel 4: Judgment upon the House of Eli. Israel Is Defeated by the Philistines

More about the Philistines

The Ark of the Covenant Is Taken as Booty

31. 1 Samuel 5: The Ark in the Temple of Dagon at Ashdod

32. 1 Samuel 6: The Philistines Don’t Want the Ark

The Strategy of the Philistine Priests

33. 1 Samuel 7: Israel Repents at Mizpeh

34. 1 Samuel 8: Israel Demands a King

35. 1 Samuel 9: Saul Attempts to Recover His Father’s Donkeys

36. 1 Samuel 10: Samuel Anoints Saul—Three Signs

Three Signs would follow and confirm Saul’s Anointing

Saul Confirmed King by the casting of Lots

The Casting of Lots

37. 1 Samuel 11: Ammon Attacks Gilead

A Brief History of Ammon

Saul Is Confirmed as King

38. 1 Samuel 12: Samuel Defends His Integrity

Samuel Defends Himself

Much like in a court hearing, Samuel Laid Israel’s Sin before Them

Israel Will Witness a Horrific Miracle

Samuel Ministers Grace to Israel

39. 1 Samuel 13: The Beginning of the End for King Saul

Samuel Rebukes Saul

40. 1 Samuel 14: Jonathan’s Heroic Victory

Saul’s Rash Vow

Saul’s Military Dominion

41. 1 Samuel 15: Saul and the Amalekites

Samuel Rebukes Saul a Second Time

God Rejects King Saul

Samuel and Agag

42. 1 Samuel 16: God Sends Samuel to Anoint David

43. 1 Samuel 17: David and Goliath

44. 1 Samuel 18: David and Jonathan

David and Saul

45. 1 Samuel 19: David and Saul

Jonathan Discloses Saul’s Designs toward David

Jonathan Tries to Reason with the King

Michal Helps David Escape

David Flees to Samuel

46. 1 Samuel 20: David and Jonathan

47. 1 Samuel 21: David at Nob with Ahimelech

48. 1 Samuel 22: David at the Cave of Adullam

The Cave of Adullam

Saul, Doeg, and Ahimelech

49. 1 Samuel 23: David Rescues Keilah

David Holds Up at Ziph and Then at Engedi

50. 1 Samuel 24: David Holes Up at Ziph and Engedi

51. 1 Samuel 25: Samuel Dies

David, Nabal, and Abigail

52. 1 Samuel 26: David and Saul at Hachilah

53. 1 Samuel 27: David Flees to Ziklag

54. 1 Samuel 28: Saul Battles the Philistines at Gilboa

Samuel Dies

Saul Seeks Out the Witch at Endor

55. 1 Samuel 29: Saul Battles the Philistines at Gilboa

David Is Sent Home by the Philistine Lords

56. 1 Samuel 30: The Amalekites Attack Ziklag

57. 1 Samuel 31: King Saul Battles the Philistines from Mt. Gilboa

King Saul and His Sons Die in Battle

About the Author

BOOK 1

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Judges

Introduction

The Hebrew word translated judges is shophetim (8199); is a prime root that means to litigate or to judge, and to execute judgment so as to vindicate or punish. When you see these numbers in parenthesis throughout these books they are the numbers that coincide with the reference numbers in the dictionary section in the back of Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, of course the OT is in the Hebrew and the NT is in the Greek. In the book of Judges, Jehovah, the God of Israel, appointed and divinely empowered these judges to rescue and save the nation of Israel from its enemies, who were primarily the descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham (Genesis 10:6–20).

But rather than being civil leaders, these judges delivered God’s people from the aggression that opposed their occupation of these lands God had given them. The author of Judges is unknown; most scholars suggest that Samuel wrote it. In it, we witness the foundations of what became the world’s only sovereignty ruled as a theocracy.

From its inception, these judges functioned according to the will of their God, Jehovah, who in His wisdom was their King; he orchestrated the affairs of men from His throne in heaven communicating through His appointed prophets and Judges as we have recorded here.

The history of this theocracy and these thirteen judges, twelve men and one woman, encompassed approximately 350 to 400 years, 1475–1075 BC, from the death of Joshua through the death of Samson that ushered the reader into the time of Samuel, and the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, which began somewhere around 1100 BC. So the history of these judges will lead us to the time of the monarchy and the history of the kings of Israel that began with King Saul about 1050 BC.

I strongly encourage readers to read the verses in the King James Version first, and then read the notes provided.

History of Servitudes and One Civil War

1. The oppression of Mesopotamia’s King Cushan delivered under Othniel

2. The oppression of Moab delivered under Ehud and Shamgar

3. The oppression by the Canaanite’s King Jabin delivered under the prophetess Deborah and her commander Barak

4. The oppression of the Midianites delivered under Gideon

5. Abimelech made king of Shechem.

6. The oppression of the Philistines and the Ammonites delivered under Jepthah, the civil war with Ephraim, then the judges of Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon

7. The oppression of the Philistines delivered partially under Samson

The arrangements of these servitudes in the narrative are not chronological; some of these events overlap. But the political and religious turmoil accompanied by Israel’s attempts to occupy these lands that were conquered and then divided under the leadership of Joshua brought about those conflicts.

It is even recorded how the tribes in Israel fought among themselves—Ephraim against Manasseh and then a coalition against the tribe of Benjamin. The theme of this book is defeat and deliverance, as Israel was repeatedly attacked by their enemies. Israel was occasionally lifted up in intervals of revival brought by their divinely appointed judges only to fall back into moral and spiritual decline. These were spiritually, politically, and socially unstable times when there was no King in Israel, and every man did that which seemed right in his own eyes (Judges 1:1).

What’s really unfortunate is that this cycle repeats itself even today.

Maps

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Chapter 1

Judges 1: The Continuing Conquest of Canaan

V. 1    After the death of Joshua, who died at age 110 (Judges 2:8–9), the book of Judges picked up where the book of Joshua left off, and the tribes of Israel were determined to continue their struggles with the Canaanites and occupy the lands God had given them. In verse 1, the children of Israel asked the Lord, Who among us shall go up against and fight the Canaanites first?

V. 2    Jehovah answered, Judah shall go up, behold I have delivered the land into his hand. This inquiry was likely made through the high priest, probably Eleazar, who would use the urim and thummim. The Urim and Thummim are mentioned first in Ex28:30, they were two identical stones carried in a pouch on the backside of the breast plate worn only by the High Priest, and when drawn from would thus provide a yes or no answer so as to determine God’s will.

Judah was determined by God to lead the nation, and God would give them the victory. In Genesis 49:8–10, Jacob blessed Judah and prophesied, Thou art whom thy brethren will praise, and thy hand shall be on the necks of thine enemies. This was the lion, the tribe of Judah, a standard that spoke of courage, but the Canaanites were entrenched in the land because the Israelites had failed to drive them out in spite of the command Jehovah had given Joshua, and the work Joshua had already completed.

V. 3    In verse 3, the tribal leadership of Judah approached the tribe of Simeon, which was known also for their fierceness in battle. These two tribes were brothers from the same mother, Leah, and Simeon’s inheritance was within the territorial borders apportioned to Judah (Joshua 19:1–9); the strategy was that the two brothers would help each other displace and destroy the Canaanites. And Simeon consented and joins with Judah. Initially, this mutual cooperation seemed a good idea, but it was also a sign of weakness and a lack of faith demonstrated by the tribe of Judah because with God’s help, they should have prevailed, and as this history reveals, the Canaanites were never completely driven out of the land.

V. 4    Judah was under the leadership of Caleb; The Lord delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands, and they slew 10,000 men in Bezek. These Perizzites dwelled in the mountainous parts of the land while the Canaanites lived in the lowlands and the coastal plains. These tribes are mentioned in Genesis 13:7 as representative of Canaan as a whole. The city of Bezek was obviously a primary or capital city; not much is otherwise known about it except that it was from where Adoni-Bezek, a title meaning Lord of Bezak, reigned.

Vv. 5–6    So the Canaanites and the Perizzites were defeated and Adoni-Bezek was captured as he attempted to flee the slaughter. The cutting off of their thumbs was to prevent their enemies from ever drawing a bow or wielding a sword again, and the cutting off of the big toe was to diminish the warriors’ sure-footedness, speed, and agility. It also served to hinder their escaping and assure they would never again reign with authority because in the mind-set of the day, their kings had to be without blemish. This brutal practice was said to have been carried out first by the Athenians.

V. 7    The phrase seventy kings may be hyperbole. When Joshua was said to have conquered the land, it recorded how he smote only thirty-one kings, see Josh 12:9-24, but Adoni-Bezek was not counted among them.

V. 8    Adoni-Bezek must have been restrained in the camp of Judah while they laid siege to Jerusalem then occupied by the Jebusites. In Joshua 10:1–26 and 15:63, it appears that Joshua had already conquered and smote the inhabitants of Jerusalem, put their king to the sword, and burned the city, so it would appear here that the Jebusites had restored much of what Joshua had previously destroyed.

Even here, the city of Jerusalem was not entirely taken because that didn’t happen until they were defeated by King David (see 2 Samuel 5:6–10); then he renamed it the City of David.

Vv. 9–10    Then they went down from Jerusalem and conquered Hebron and Debir. Hebron was about twenty miles south of Jerusalem and it was the home of Abraham. This city was a citadel built on a plateau about three thousand feet above sea level. It was previously occupied by the sons of Anak, who were the giants the twelve spies had seen when they came to spy out the land (Numbers 13:22–29). But this time, Caleb and his men conquered the city and defeated the Anakim.

Vv. 11–13    The city of Debir was eleven miles further southwest of Hebron; it was also a fortified city and probably had a library. It was likely a cultural center that again Joshua was said to have defeated and burned (refer to Joshua 15:14–19). Here, Othniel, Caleb’s nephew, captured the city. Whoever took this city was promised the reward of receiving Caleb’s daughter, Achsah, whom Othniel later took to be his wife.

Vv. 14–15    Then Caleb’s daughter asked a gift from her father—a field with a spring. Apparently, their land was in the south of Judah, meaning a dry land probably next to the arid desert of the Negev, and his daughter asked if she could have a dowry, a wedding gift, and Caleb gladly gave her the upper and lower springs. The Hebrew word translated spring is galloth (1543); it is in the plural and meant bubbling as a well or a spring would. So below the hill on which the city of Debir was built was a rich valley watered by the spring; this was the gift she asked her father for.

V. 16    This migration of the Kenites was connected to the conquest of the city of Debir. The Kenites were the elder branch of the Midianites; they had originally lived in the rocky cliff district of Aqabah. Moses had married a Kenite girl and her family was nomadic herdsman.

Moses had invited the Kenites, his in-laws, to accompany them to Canaan (Numbers 10:29). The City of Palms was a reference to the city of Jericho, and that was likely where the nomadic Kenites had set up camp on the plains near and around Jericho. After Judah defeated the city of Hebron and Debir, the Kenites moved with Israel and set up camp on the southwestern edge of the desert outside Judah in the district of Arad and formed a useful frontier guard for the Holy Land.

V. 17    And, Judah went with his brother Simeon and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed the city. They renamed the city Hormah, which meant totally destroyed.

So then here Judah was helping Simeon occupy their given land refer to Joshua 15:30 and 19:4. After destroying the city of Zephath, Judah and Simeon set up a ban regarding this city because it could well have been the same city Moses had destroyed near Arad recorded back in Numbers 21:1–3. By this destruction, Israel could be fulfilling a previous vow made, and this was the conclusion of that vow to punish the descendants of King Arad for their aggression against Moses, and the people of Israel.

Vv. 18–19    The coastal cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron were three of the five primary cities-states of the sovereignty of Philistia. If the progression of the record is accurate, the victories started from the south and progressed north, Gaza being the farthest south and Ekron the northernmost. These were the coastal cities of Philistia that Israel defeated because the Lord was with them.

But concerning the two cities in the hills and the plains, Ashdod and Gath, it appears the Israelites were outgunned and were unsuccessful. The record here says the Philistines were armed with iron chariots from Egypt, which Israel was not prepared to defend against, so here Judah and Simeon were only partially successful.

Summary of Israel’s Successes and Failures Occupying the Land

V. 20    As Moses had promised, the city and the surrounding rural lands of Hebron were given to Caleb, and because Caleb said in faith, Give me this mountain, he successfully expelled the three sons of Anak, meaning the giants in the land, and the Anakim were destroyed. This was a significant victory for Judah. Hebron was later designated a Priestly city and also became a city of refuge.

V. 21    The city of Jerusalem was fundamental to the tribe of Benjamin; it was on the border between Benjamin and Judah, but neither the tribe of Benjamin nor the tribe of Judah could overpower the Jebusites to take this stronghold, so regrettably, they settled on a somewhat mutual co-existence. The Jebusites were even allowed to maintain their own king, Araunah, so here the tribe of Benjamin also failed.

Vv. 22–25    Joseph was the firstborn son of Jacob from Rachel and so the favorite of Jacob; his younger brother, Benjamin, was also from Rachel. The town of Bethel was about twelve miles north of Jerusalem and on a major trade route between Hebron and Shechem. This city was assigned to the territory of Benjamin but was on the border between Benjamin and Ephraim; it would later become the territorial marker between the north and south kingdoms. Jacob had given this city its name in Genesis 28:19; the name Bethel meant the house of God, but the Canaanites called it Luz. To capture this city, the house of Joseph sent spies to gather intelligence. These scouts found someone who revealed to them a concealed entrance to the city; in return, he would be spared and released with his family to escape to safety (v. 25). The house of Joseph was successful and smote the city of Bethel.

V. 26    This co-conspirator who was set free headed north to the land of the Hittites and built a city he named Luz. The Hittites were one of the larger tribes of the Canaanites and had settled in what would later become the sovereignty Syria to Israel’s north and west along the Mediterranean coast.

V. 27–28    Here, the author began a review of the attempted occupation by the Israelites and surveyed their progress, or better, the lack thereof, and from the southern tribes, his narrative progressed north. He began, "Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of the towns of …" All these towns in the Valley of Jezreel had been mentioned back in Joshua 17:12–13 but not in the same order.

Joshua recorded how the tribe of Manasseh only put them to tribute; so they were defeated in battle and forced to pay vassal status tribute; The point being, even though Israel would exploit them they could not drive them out and fully occupy the land.

The city of Beth-Shean was a fortified city on an important trade route across the Plain of Jezreel from the Mediterranean northeast to Damascus and then farther east into Mesopotamia. The city of Taanach was five miles southeast of Megiddo and controlled a strategic mountain pass along that trade route. The city of Dor was on the Mediterranean coast in the foothills of Mt. Carmel, Israel couldn’t drive them out either.

V. 29    "Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites." Gezer was fortified and strategically located; it guarded the foothills northwest of Jerusalem.

V. 30    "Neither did the Zebulon drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or Nahalol."

Vv. 31–32    "Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Achonor, or Zidon, or Ahlab, nor Achzib, nor Helbah, nor Aphik, nor Rehob." These cities were north of Mount Carmel and primarily along the Mediterranean coast. The northern part of this territory later became Phoenicia and then Syria with the wealthy and strategic port cities of Sidon and Tyre and the cedar forests of Lebanon.

V. 33    Neither were the Naphtalites successful in dislodging the inhabitants of the fortified cities of Beth-shemesh or Beth-anath; they too became subject to their sovereignty and were forced to pay tribute. Beth-shemesh meant the house of the sun and was likely a center for Baal worship. Beth-anath was the sister city. Anath was the Canaanite god of war.

Vv. 34–36    The situation with the tribe of Dan and the Amorites was likely the worst outcome. The Danites were not able to subdue this people; if fact the record suggests the opposite occurred—the Danites were defeated, driven out of their cities, chased into the hill country, and forced to live in the nearby caves in the mountains. They were also forcibly restrained from entering or using the productive lands in the valleys below, which amounted to most of the farm land allotted to the tribe of Dan, from which they would be excluded. Later in chapter 18, the tribe of Dan successfully sought another territory and became the northernmost territory of the twelve tribes having relocated around the land of Mount Hermon but north of the waters of Merom. In this narrative however, the Amorites maintained the cities of Aijalon and Shaalabbin, which were about eleven miles northwest of Jerusalem.

However the Amorites were eventually subjugated by the tribe of Ephraim, which was allotted that land originally given to Dan.

Many speculate about the reasons for Israel’s many failures recorded here; indeed, their successes were few and far between, but among those reasons were the death of Joshua and the resulting lack of vision and leadership. Many ask where the leadership from the priests and Levites was.

This attempted occupation dragged on for more than seven years, and Israel grew weary of the conflict. Compromise obviously played a role as did their lack of faith, but most of all was their failure to teach their young men the ways of God. The result was how the idolatry of the ungodly who were allowed to remain in the land, crept into their midst and eroded their moral foundation; in the end, it destroyed the nation just as God new it would.

Chapter 2

Judges 2: Israel’s Disobedience Is Condemned

Vv. 1–2    And the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you into the land I sware unto your fathers, and I said I would never break My covenant with you. But, ye shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; and you shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed My voice; why have you done this?

This is the angel of Jehovah. Many have argued this was the pre-incarnate Christ sent to do Jehovah’s bidding, but they lack any substance to support their arguments. What we do know was this was a messenger from Jehovah; it could more likely have been a manifestation of Jehovah Himself. If the language is a consideration, and in God’s word it always is, notice the personal pronouns, this was clearly an epiphany.

So Jehovah was asking in the first person why Israel had disobeyed His direction. To have come from Gilgal was probably a reference to where some of the gatherings between Joshua and the elders of Israel had previously been conducted, but some were also conducted at Shiloh. But Gilgal was where the Israelites were circumcised and where they had renewed their covenant relationship in preparation for their entering the land of promise (Joshua 5:13).

The connection could easily imply that Israel had violated its covenant and Jehovah had come to rebuke His people, expose their motives, the decline of their moral character, and reveal the consequences of such grievous transgressions, not to mention how God’s law stated clearly that Israel was to make no leagues with the ungodly (Deuteronomy 7:2, 12:2–3; Exodus 23:31–33, 34:12). The name of this place was Bochim, which in Hebrew meant to weep or a place of wailing, and that’s what it was about to become.

V. 3    The consequences of their disobedience and the resulting failures was because God would no more drive them out, and the Canaanites would become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto Israel; this was indeed prophetic.

It becomes obvious that what Jehovah said here was taken from either Numbers 33:55 or Exodus 23:33 or both. He almost quoted them, as if to make the point how Israel had been clearly warned, and not just once, and how their repeated failures would have dire consequences

Vv. 4–5    And after the angel of the Lord spake these things Israel lifted their voices and wept, and they offered sacrifices to the Lord.

Vv. 6–7    Joshua was still alive when the angel of the Lord rebuked Israel and their transgressions exposed. Then Joshua dismissed the people and all Israel went to possess their inherited lands, and the people served the Lord until Joshua and his contemporary elders died.