Part 2: The downward spiral of Israel’s apostasy

Tola and Jair (Judges 10:1-5)

• Judges 10:4 – These 30 cities were tent settlements. Donkeys were associated with royalty at that time. Donkers were also better ssuited for battle in hill country than horses.

Jephthah (Judges 10:6-12:7)

Apostasy and distress (Judges 10:6-18)

• Judges 10:6 – Here we get a full list of all the idols that Israel served.
• Judges 10:14 – See Deuteronomy 32:37; Nehemiah 9:26. This is the first and only time in Judges where we get an extended interaction between God and Israel and the Israelites make concrete steps toward repentance.
• Judges 10:17 – The name Mizpah just means “overlook” and is a common place name in the Old Testament.
• Judges 10:18 – They apparently had no good candidates, so they had to go recruit Jephthah.

Introduction to Jephthah (Judges 11:1-13)

• Judges 11:3 – Jephthah did not have the best group of friends.

Jephthah’s commissioning (Judges 11:4-11)

• Judges 11:7-10 – Jephthah uses his position to negotiate and get back some of what he’d lost in Judges 11:2 when his brothers drove him out.

Diplomatic discussions (Judges 11:12-28)

• Judges 11:12 – Jephthah first starts with diplomacy. If the Ammonites had this territory, it would have greatly their territory.

Class 8 Takeaway

• For the first and only time in the Judges narrative, the Israelites’ cries for deliverance are accompanied by concrete acts associated with repentance: “putting away the foreign gods from among them” and serving the Lord (Judges 10:16).
• Acceptable repentance today follows this same pattern (II Corinthians 7:10-11). Turning from sin and toward the Lord involves definite, visible steps to expel sin and (re-)center our lives on Jesus (Matthew 18:8-9; Acts 26:20; Romans 2:4).

Introduction

• Matthew 7:21-27

Worship …

• I Samuel 15:22
• Isaiah 1:10-17 – We can’t live however we want and then think we can still worship God.
• Psalms 63:1-4 – Our worship should be a response to the greatness of God.
• Luke 6:46

Preaching …

• Luke 3:3-14, 18 – John the Baptist presented some hard teaching but included some useful applications. Modern day preachers should do the same.
• II Timothy 4:2
• Luke 3:10 – The audience also has a responsibility. They asked what they should do.

… and now it’s up to ME!

• Matthew 23:1-4
• Luke 18:9-14
• We must apply the lessons to ourselves. The first application must always be to myself.
• Luke 8:5-8, 15 – I need to commit myself to living the word, even in hard times.
• Ezekiel 33:30-33 – They were just listening to Ezekiel’s lessons like one listens to a song – enjoying it but going away unchanged. Let us not do the same!

I Timothy 5

• I Timothy 5:1-2 – Timothy dealing with people.
• I Timothy 5:3-16 – Widows
  • I Timothy 5:9 - “Enrolled” here seems to mean, “included in ongoing support.” “Wife of one husband” seems to mean that she lived in harmony with God’s marriage law.
  • I Timothy 5:10 – Washing the feet of saints here seems to just be an elaboration of hospitality. It does not necessarily mean that she must have literally washed feet.
• I Timothy 5:17-25 – Elders

I Timothy 6

• I Timothy 6:1-2 – “Under the yoke as slaves”
• I Timothy 6:3-5 – “a different doctrine”
• I Timothy 6:6-8 – “contentment”
• I Timothy 6:9-10 – “the love of money”

Introduction

• Psalms 146:1-10

Creator

• Psalms 95:4-6 – He is our Maker!
• Psalms 95:7-11 – Massah and Meribah are a reference to Exodus 17. God knows our needs!
• James 1:19-20 – God knows how our bodies work we get angry and He says to slow down.

Father

• I John 3:1-2 – We are children of God.
• I John 3:7
• II Corinthians 6:18, 14
• We may have to give up earthly relationships, but it will be worth it to be welcomed into God’s arms.
• Romans 8:15-17
• Galatians 4:6-7

Judge

• Acts 17:30, 21
• Romans 2:16
• In the end, we will stand before God and give account for ourselves.
• Luke 16:14
• When I read the Bible, I must be sincerely looking for ways to change myself.

Part 2: The downward spiral of Israel’s apostasy (Judges 3:7-16:31), continued

Gideon (Judges 6:1-8:35), continued

Abimelech, apostate “king” (Judges 9:1-5)

Abimelech’s sordid rise (Judges 9:1-6)

• Abimelech hired worthless men and went and killed all his brothers except for Jotham.

Indictment of Abimelech; Jotham’s fable (Judges 9:7-21)

• The image here is of a bramble ruling over cedars of Lebanon. Jotham was trying to expose their hypocrisy.

Abimelech’s violent reign and end (Judges 9:22-55)

• Judges 9:26 – Gaal means “abhor” and Ebed means “servant.” Some suggest this was not actually his name but was a commentary on him by the author.
• Judges 9:45 – Sowing the ground with salt would make the soil infertile, making it difficult to inhabit the city.
• Judges 9:54 – Compare the death of Sisera by Jael (Judges 4:21-22) and the death of Saul (I Samuel 31:4).

Final verdict on Abimelech

• Proverbs 5:22
• See Judges 9:7-21 regarding Jotham’s curse.

Class 7 Takeaway

• The Shechemite leaders aided and abetted Abimelech in his sinful act of murdering his half-brothers. This resulted in their condemnation along with Abimelech’s (Judges 9:24, 57).
• We need to be very careful not to support, promote, or otherwise aid the sins of others.