Week 14 - Judges 6 - Ruth 4

Judges 6-8

When Israel is oppressed by the Midianites, the Lord calls out Gideon to be

His leader in destroying the kings and armies of Midian. Gideon is timid and

fearful, from the smallest of families in Manasseh, but he goes forth in faith, and

leads 300 men in routing the army of the Midianites. Like many great men who

God calls, Gideon was flawed, but he is included in the Hebrew 11 recounting of

those who walked by faith.

Judges 9

Abimelech, a wicked son of Gideon, kills 70 of his brothers, and seeks to be

king over his own people in Shechem. However God prophesies of his demise

through Abimelech’s brother Jotham, and then brings about the defeat of

Abimelech and the people of Shechem, who were worshipping Baal.

Judges 10-12

These chapters recount the years of many judges in Israel who rose up to

save the nation from their enemies, which always occurred when they betrayed

the Lord in going after the false gods of the countries around them.

The story of Jephthah is told, who God raised up to save Israel from the

Ammonites. Jephthah makes a foolish vow that ruins the life of his only

daughter. This vow was foolish for many reasons, but primarily because God

required no such vow, and was going to use him to defeat the Ammonites

anyway. We should be careful in making promises to the Lord, as He will be

gracious without them, but will nevertheless expect them to be honored.

Judges 13-16

We have the story of Samson, who was given by God to judge Israel for 20

years. He was dedicated to God from before his birth, and demonstrated mighty

works of God against the Philistines. Hebrews 11:32 includes Samson in the

accounting of those who exhibited great faith, which is difficult for many to see.

Samson was highly flawed, yet God used him mightily as long as he obeyed. His

flaws and sensual lusts brought him down, but he had great faith in God in his

death, and it can be said that he ended well.

Judges 17-19

The last five chapters in Judges tell of an earlier age in Israel, which would

have followed the death of Joshua, but preceded the first judge Othniel. In

chapters 17-18 is the sad story of idolatry that was ultimately established in the

tribe of Dan, who stole a silver idol from the house of Micah in Ephraim, and

hired a Levite to be the priest of that idol for their tribe. The tribe of Dan would

serve this false god for generations, until the northern tribes would be taken into

captivity by the Assyrians many hundreds of years later.

The last three chapters in Judges tells the story of civil war in Israel during the

days of Phinehas, who was High Priest in Israel, and the grandson of Aaron. A

Levite stops to spend the night in the town of Gibeah with his concubine, and the

men of Gibeah behave like the men of Sodom, in the days of Lot, and she ends

of dying as a consequence of their abuse.

Judges 20-21

The evil done in Gibeah is abhorrent to all the remaining tribes in Israel, and

they gather to make war with Benjamin, where Gibeah is located. As a

consequence of this war, almost all of the tribe of Benjamin is wiped out, with

less than a thousand men who survived. However, the tribes in Israel are not

willing to let Benjamin be completely wiped out, and they make provisions for the

remaining men to get wives from among them. King Saul in the future will come

from the tribe of Benjamin, as will the apostle Paul.

Ruth 1-4

This short story of Naomi and Ruth occurs during the times of the Judges.

Naomi, with her husband and 2 sons move to Moab during a famine in Israel,

and in the 10 years there her husband and 2 sons all die. Both sons were

married, but died childless, and Ruth chooses to stay with Naomi and go with her

back to Bethlehem, where she was from.

This story demonstrates the role of the “Goel”, or kinsman redeemer, who

would assume familial responsibility to keep the property of the dead man within

their family, and to also raise up children in his name. Boaz fulfills this role and

not only redeems the property of Naomi’s dead husband, but marries Ruth, and

she bears a son named Obed, who would become the grandfather of David, and

an ancestor in the lineage of Jesus.

This whole story also presents Boaz as a type of Jesus, who takes a gentile

bride out of mercy and love, Who had no obligation to do so.