Assignment for Judges

Old Testament Survey

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Read: Chapter 2 and as much of the book of Judges.

 

Name_____________________________________________Date________________________

 

Vital Statistics

 

PURPOSE:

To show that God's judgment against sin is certain, and his forgiveness of sin and restoration are just as certain for those who repent.

 

AUTHOR:

Unknown but attributed to Samuel.

 

DATE WRITTEN:

Written between ________B.C. and _______B.C.

 

SETTING:

The Land of Canaan, later called Israel. God had helped the Israelites conquer Canaan, which  had been inhabited by a host of wicked nations. But they were in danger of losing this Promised Land because they compromised their convictions and disobeyed God.

 

KEY VERSE:

“In those days, there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes." (17:6)

 

KEY PEOPLE:

Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Abimelech, Jephthah, Samson, Delilah.

 

KEY PLACES:       

The Land of Israel, (formerly Canaan)

 

DID YOU KNOW?

That the book of Judges records Israel's first civil war.

 

THE BLUEPRINT:

A.) THE MILITARY FAILURE OF ISRAEL (1:1 - 3:4)

1.) Incomplete Conquest of the Land

2.) Religious rebellion of the People

 

B.) THE RESCUE OF ISRAEL BY THE JUDGES (3:5 - 16:31)

1.)  First period: Othniel

2.)  Second period: Ehud and Shamgar

3.)  Third period: Deborah and Barak

4.)    Fourth period: Gideon, Tola, and Jair

5.)    Fifth period: Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon and Abdon

6.)    Sixth period: Samson

 

C.) THE MORAL FAILURE OF ISRAEL (17:1 - 21:25)

1.)    Idolatry in the tribe of Dan

2.)    War against the tribe of Benjamin

 

MAIN THEMES SEEN IN GENESIS:

Decline/Compromise - Whenever a judge died, the people faced decline and failure because of compromising their high spiritual purpose.

 

Decay/Apostasy - Israel's moral downfall had its roots in the tribal Independence of the Children of Israel, and their lack of a Dependency on God.

 

Defeat/Oppression - God used evil oppressors to punish the Israelites for their sin, to bring them to the point of repentance, and to test their allegiance to Him.

 

Repentance - Decline, decay, and defeat caused the people to cry out to God for help. When they repented, God delivered them.

 

Deliverance/Heroes – Because of Israel's repentance, God raised up heroes to deliver them.

 

WORDS/VOCABULARY:

1.) Define "Apostasy"  ___________________________________________________________________

          

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2.) Define "Compromise"  _________________________________________________________________

 

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QUESTIONS:

1.)    Who was Deborah?_________________________________________________________________

 

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2.) Who was Jephthah?_________________________________________________________________

 

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3.) Give a definition of "mercy" and of "grace"  ____________________________________________

           

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4.) What was the riddle Samson gave to the Philistines?_______________________________________

 

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5.) How did Samson destroy the Philistines Temple?  _________________________________________

 

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6.)What famous bone did Samson use to kill a thousand Philistines?  _____________________________

           

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SUMMARY:

This book depicts Israel's settling in the land and the special problems they confronted. It is a book of  mixture as we find both victories and defeats, good and evil, revival and apostasy. Unity and anarchy. There is a cycle that is repeated seven times in the book that is best summarized in Judges 1:11-19.

Departure from the Lord

            Servitude to enemies

            Supplication to the Lord

            Savior/Judge raised up

            Return to the Lord

Though the book covers approximately 400 years of Israel's history, only 111 years were actually spent in servitude. Though a book of  failure, faith is seen in the ministry of the Judges (Hebrews 11:32-34).

 

NOTE: The book of Judges is not written in strict chronological order, but events are grouped according to spiritual significance.