Judges looks at the leaders of the Israelites.
The seventh book of the Bible is the Book of Judges. It tells the story of the Israelites after the death of Joshua and how, when they obeyed God's commands, they were victorious over their enemies, but when they rebelled against Him they were defeated and oppressed. The title of the book refers to the leaders of the Israelites during this time when they had no kings. There were 12 judges in all; Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon and Samson.
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The 4th Judge was Deborah. She called on the men of Israel to fight against the Canaanites, saying that God would bring them victory.
Judges 4:6-7 "And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand" |
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Jael waited until Sisera was asleep, then she drove a tent-peg through his temples.
Judges 4:21 "Then Jael Heber’s wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died." For her help Jael was praised in the Song of Deborah, which can be found in chapter 5 of the Book of Judges |
The people in Gideon's town had taken to worshipping the false god, Baal. Gideon's own father had an altar to Baal which God wanted destroyed.
Judges 6:25-26 "And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Take thy father’s young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it: and build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down" |
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God told Gideon to creep up to the enemy camp and surround it, then to uncover their torches and to blow trumpets. Gideon did this and the Midianites fought amongst themselves, then fled.
Judges 7:22 "And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the Lord set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Beth-shittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abel-meholah, unto Tabbath" |
Jephthah's only daughter came rushing to meet him on his return. Jephthah loved his daughter and gave her two more months of life, but still he kept his vow to God.
Judges 11:39-40 "And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel, that the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year" |
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Samson was a Nazarite, which meant that he had vowed to God never to drink alcohol, never to touch a corpse and never to cut his hair. If he broke his vow his strength would fail. Samson was to be a Nazarite from the moment of his birth, as an angel of God told his parents:
Judges 13:7 "But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death" |
Delilah discovered the source of Samson's strength and sold this secret to the Philistines.
Judges 16:18-19 "And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand. And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him" |
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Samson pushed with all of his might against the pillars which supported the Philistine hall and the building fell down, killing everyone inside.
Judges 16:29-30 "And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life" |
The Israelites made war against the tribe of Benjamin because of a crime committed by some men within it. The war was destructive and only 600 men from the tribe of Benjamin survived.
Judges 20:46-48 "So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour. But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months. And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to." |
Judges 3:20-21
"And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat. And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly"