Judges as a book does not set out to tell one cohesive story from start to finish. It gives Israel’s history in fragments. A good example of this is in chapter 11 where reviewed is the history of the generation who knew Joshua. Joshua it had been said sent the people away to their inheritances. They had a more godly approach to life than their descendants would, but still only sort of did the right thing. By verse 6 of chapter 2 the author of Judges does a reset here of sorts. He starts over telling the wicked side of the Israelite history. Chapter 1 seems to occur chronologically between verses 9 and 10 of chapter 2
FROM: Joshua and doing the right thing
TO: Sort of the right thing
TO: Mostly the wrong thing
Going all the way back to the escape from Egypt it seems that there was a national plan of learning to depend upon God in the era of Moses. After Moses there was a national plan of living God’s way under the leadership of Joshua. Then the national plan dwindled toward losing dependence upon God as the generation who had lived under Joshua’s leadership passed away.
Israel the nation
Lesson date: May 8th, 2016
Chapter 2:6-9 »» Commencement
Chapter 2:10-15 »» Atrophy
Chapter 2:16-19 »» Stubbornness
Gideon: God uses the insecure
Lesson date: May 15th, 2016
Chapter 6:1-5 »» Sins wages
Chapter 6:6-10 »» God hears: Answer 1
Chapter 6:11-13 »» God hears: Answer 2
Chapter 6:14-16 »» The source button
Jephthah: God uses the strong with a tainted beginning
Lesson date: May 22nd, 2016
Chapter 11:1-3 »» Sins in the house have consequences
Chapter 11:4-7 »» Hat in hand
Chapter 11:9-11 »» Godly negotiations
Chapter 11:13-28 »» An attempt at peace through history
Samson: God uses the bad
Lesson date: May 29th, 2016