Bible in One Year Day 89 (Judges 1 - 3, Ruth 1, Psalm 133)

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Day 89:  Israel's Cycle of Disobedience 

Agape Bible Study 

Judges 1 - 3 

INTRODUCTION

The Book of Judges is the second book among the section of the historical books of the Christian canon, coming after the Book of Joshua and before the Book of Ruth. In the Hebrew canon, Judges is part of the second canonical division, Nevi'im or Prophets, and within that division is considered among the works of the "former prophets." The Nevi'im is comprised of the eight books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve Minor Prophets (considered as one work). These books are divided in half with Joshua through Kings called the "former prophets" (nevi'im rishonim), and Isaiah through the Twelve Minor prophets called the "latter prophets (nevi'im aharonim). The terms "former" and "latter" refer only to the placement of these books within the Nevi'im and not to their chronological order (see the chart on the comparison between the Jewish and Christian Old Testaments).

The Hebrew title of Judges is Shophetim (judges). Shophetim not only means "judges" in the sense of maintaining justice by settling disputes but it can also carry the meaning "liberators" or "deliverers." Israel's judges are first sent by God to deliver the people from their enemies and then also to continue to rule and administer justice. Every instance of the Israelites' deliverance through God's divine intervention brought a period of peace that often lasted for about a generation before there was another cycle of apostasy and oppression by Israel's enemies that was followed by another cycle of the people's repentance and God's deliverance.

Theme of the Book of Judges

 

The theme of the Book of Judges and the message for modern readers is that when a society who professes belief in Yahweh becomes disloyal and refuses to adhere to God's moral and spiritual laws the result is anarchy and violence. In the Book of Judges, the violence begins in the first chapter with the cutting off of an enemy's toes and thumbs and ends with the total lack of morality exhibited in the final chapters with the murder and desecration of the body of a defenseless woman and the resulting civil war. Even the judges are for most part a product of their times. Most of the judges are moral people whose actions are guided by their faith in God and obedience to His laws, but some are as vicious as their enemies and one (who was not called by God) is a completely cruel and unprincipled man who reflected the state of Israelite society's complete moral decay. The Book of Judges is the most violent book in the Bible.

In the Israelites' repeated forgetfulness of God's mighty acts on their behalf and their ingratitude in their forgetfulness of those acts, the Book of Judges tells us "each man did what he felt was fit" (17:6; 21:25) instead of relying of the Law of the Sinai Covenant to be the guide to a righteous life individually and as a people. In the repeated cycle of covenant failure in usurping God's sovereignty over their lives by deciding for themselves what was right, the ancient Israelites in the period of the Judges are much like us. How many of us have turned away from faith, trust and obedience in God and in the guidance of mother Church to decide for ourselves what is right or wrong behavior according to what "feels right" according to secular standards of moral behavior (premarital sex, divorce, adultery, abortion, etc.)? The condition of Israel in the time of the Judges can be seen as an example of mankind's continual need for repentance and conversion that is necessary on the faith journey to eternity.

The Author

The inspired writer is anonymous, but according to tradition the writer is Israel's last judge, the prophet Samuel (see 1 Sam 1:19-28; 3:1-21). Samuel is not only Israel's last judge but he is also the link between the period of the judges and the period of Israel's United Monarchy.

Date

Internal evidence helps to establish an approximate date of composition. Judges 18:31 and 20:27 reveals that the book was written after the Philistines attacked the shrine of Yahweh at Shiloh and captured the Ark of the Covenant (2 Sam 4:3-11). There is also the repeated phrase "in those days there was no king in Israel" (Judg 17:6; 18:1; 19:1 and 21:25), which reveals that the book was written before there was a monarchy to rule over Israel. In addition, the mention that the Jebusites still controlled Jerusalem "to this day" (Judg 1:21) means the book had to be written prior to King David's conquest of Jerusalem in c. 1000 BC (2 Sam 5:5-9). The period of the judges can be estimated as covering the 350/410 years during the time eleven men and one woman gave justice and guidance to the twelve tribes before Saul was chosen as Israel's first king in c. 1047 BC.

Format of the Book

The Book of Judges can be divided into three parts. The first two chapters are both a prologue and a bridge from the narrative at the end of the Book of Joshua. Chapter one contains the account of the death of Joshua, God's agent and the hero of the conquest of Canaan, and also the failure of the twelve tribes of Israel to complete the conquest after his death. Chapter 2:1-3:4 contains the judgment of God for not completing the conquest:

1. An Angel of God announces God's judgment (2:1-5)
2. The Godly generation of the conquest dies (2:6-10)
3. The enemy is left to test Israel's obedience and faith (2:11-3:4)

The announcement of the uncompleted conquest and God's judgment sets the stage for the events during the years between Joshua's death and the beginning of the united monarchy of Israel. Part II of Judges in chapters 3-12 presents a repeated formulaic sequence of events:

1. Israel's disloyalty to God (sin).
2. God removes his hand of protection and Israel is oppressed by her enemies (subjugation).
3. Israel's repentance and pleas to God for deliverance (supplication).
4. God sends up a judge to unite the people and rescue them from their enemies (salvation).

Part II records the six campaigns against Israel's enemies and six cycles of repentance, deliverance, and the return to apostasy:

1. The Southern Campaign: (Judg 3:5-31)
   1. The Judge Othniel (3:5-11)
   2. The Judge Ehud (3:12-30)
   3. The Judge Shamgar (3:31)
2. The Northern Campaign: The Judge Deborah (Judg 4:1-5:31)
3. The Central Campaign: (Judges 6:1-10:5)
   1. The Judge Gideon (6:1-8:32)
   2. Abimelech (8:33-9:57)
   3. The Judge Tola (10:1-2)
   4. The Judge Jair (10:3-5)
4. The Eastern Campaign: The Judge Jephthah (Judg 10:6-12:7)
5. The Second Northern Campaign (Judges 12:8-15)
   1. The Judge Ibzan (12:8-10)
   2. The Judge Elon (12:11-12)
   3. The Judge Abon (12:13-15)
6. The Western Campaign: The Judge Samson (Judg 13:-16:31)

The book concludes in Part III with three failures of the Israelites in sinning like the pagan peoples they were commanded to dispossess and in their failure to maintain their unity as a covenant people in Judges 17:1-21:25:

1. The failure of Israel through idolatry (17:1-18:31)
2. The failure of Israel through immorality (19:1-30)
3. The failure of Israel through civil war (20:1-21:25)

In the Book of Judges, every incidence of Israel's repentance and deliverance is sadly followed by another descent into sin and apostasy and another repeated cycle of repentance, deliverance and the slow decent again into sin and separation from God. The stories of each of the twelve judges that God sent to deliver Israel are presented in a seven-part formulaic sequence:

1. Announcement of Israel's wrong doing
2. Statement of Yahweh's response
3. Notice of how long Israel was oppressed by the enemy
4. Reference to Israel's repentance in "crying out" to God
5. Announcement of God "raising up" a deliver
6. Description of how deliverance was achieved
7. Concluding statement of how long peace lasted

The Judges of Israel do not work to unify Israel. Each judge serves his own tribe or a collection of tribes in his own region of Canaan/Israel, but occasionally the call is made for a unified response against an enemy or to right a wrong within the tribal confederation. Traditionally the major judges are Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson. The minor judges are Shamagar, Tola, Jair, Ibzan, and Elon. Abimelech is not numbered as a judge; he was the son of a Judge and was a usurper who ruled unjustly. Although there are 12 judges, they do not match the 12 tribes of Israel. The tribes of Reuben, Simeon and Levi have no judges attached to them chronicled in this book.
The Judges and their Tribes:

1. Othniel — Judah
2. Ehud — Benjamin
3. Shamgar (perhaps a foreign convert)
4. Deborah — Ephraim
5. Gideon — Manasseh
6. Tola — Issachar
7. Jair — Manasseh (in Gilead on the east side of the Jordan River)
8. Jephthah — Manasseh (in Gilead on the east side of the Jordan River)
9. Ibzan — Judah
10. Elon — Zebulun
11. Abdon — Ephraim
12. Samson — Dan

See Judges of Israel for a chart of the Judges.

SUMMARY OF THE BOOK OF JUDGES

BIBLICAL PERIOD	#5 THE JUDGES RULE ISRAEL
FOCUS	CYCLE OF APOSTASY	CYCLE OF DELIVERANCE	CYCLE OF DEPRAVITY
COVENANT	THE SINAI COVENANT
SCRIPTURE	1:1------------------------------3:6-----------------------------17:1---------------19:1---------------20:1-------21:5
DIVISIONS	Prologue: –Israel fails to complete the conquest –God judges Israel	The six campaigns to conquer the land	Results of Israel's spiritual and moral decay
TOPIC	Causes of apostasy	Curses of apostasy	Sin of idolatry	Sin of immoral conduct	Sin of Civil War
	Living with the pagan occupiers of the land	The wars against Israel's enemies	Adopting pagan customs and religious practices
LOCATION	THE PROMISED LAND OF CANAAN/ISRAEL
TIME	circa 350/410 YEARS*

*When the various time spans of the Judges are added together they total 410 years (i.e., the years oppression, judging, and peace). However, a number of the judges' time of service probably overlapped since most were from different tribes and regions of the land.

TIME LINE: BC
World Empire: Egypt----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Assyria
                                                                                                                                     UNITED KINGDOM ---DIVIDED KINGDOM
                                                                                                                                                                      Northern Kingdom = Israel
                                                                                                                                                                      Southern Kingdom = Judah
c.1300                                      c.1200                                    1100                             1047         1000           930                     722
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
               Conquest of       ---------   c. Period of the Judges     --------------------------    Saul          David         Rehoboam=        Assyria
                  Canaan                                                                                   /                                   conquers    Civil War              conquers
                                                                                                          Ruth and Boaz                 Jerusalem                                Israel

Historic Condition of Israel in the Era of the Judges

Archaeology has shown that in the days of the Judges of Israel most of the Israelite settlements were located on hilltops. They were small communal sites with possibly 400 people in the largest towns (Shiloh and Gibeon for example) and were for the most part unwalled settlements. For defense the people clustered the houses close together with the fields surrounding the settlement divided into different plots of farm land. 

The domesticated animals were mostly sheep and goats but some families were wealthy enough to own donkeys and cattle. Rarely was an animal killed but most often it was used for milk, diary by-products and wool. The animals were very valuable so if a family only owned a few sheep they were often kept inside the house at night in one of the smaller side rooms on the first floor or in the common courtyard. The boys took the animals out to the fields to graze in the morning and stayed with them throughout the day (like David in 1 Sam 16:11). Larger herds and flocks were kept within stone enclosures or caves in the fields and guarded in the day and throughout the night (as was still the case when Jesus was born in Lk 2:8).

In this period the Israelites had no domesticated horses or camels, nor did they have the technology for smelting iron. They used flint and bronze tools and for weapons they depended on the bronze cycle-sword (called a kadif) and slings and had no trained standing army. 

Israel had no central government and was a loose confederation of twelve tribes with each tribe and town governed by elders. Every town had its own hierarchy and was ruled by the chief from a ruling tribal family or by town elders that handled day-to-day affairs within the community (Judg 11:4-11; Rt 4:9-12). Disputes that could not be settled locally were brought before the judge who was in office at the time, either at some central location (Judg 4:4-5) or at certain designated towns which the judge visited regularly (1 Sam 7:15-17).

The towns belonged to larger political units or regional chiefdoms of whatever tribe was allotted that area of the Promised Land. The smaller villages were under the jurisdiction of the major town of the area. 

The archaeological evidence suggests that for the most part the Israelites appeared to be obedient to God's command that worship must be limited to His one Sanctuary and one altar which was first at Gilgah (Judg 2:1) and later was located at Shiloh in the central highlands, about ten miles north of Bethel to the east of Jerusalem (Judg 18:31). No large temples or idols have been found in Israel from this period, although some small household shrines and figurines have been found that were perhaps kept in secret by some less than observant families. 

Elimelech and his Wife Naomi (Ruth 1) 

Chapter 1: Prologue
The Summary of the Renewed Conquest in Canaan

When the initial phase of the war was completed and the Israelites have settled their families in the land. Now it was time to continue the conquest as God had laid out the plan before the Israelites had crossed the Jordan River into Canaan. The renewed conquest will begin in southern Canaan in the lands allotted to Judah and Simon (Jugd 1:4-21; also see Josh 15:1-12). Next, the renewed conquest will move to central Canaan as the tribe of Joseph conquers Bethel (Judges 1:22-26), and finally to the northern parts of the country and the failures of the northern tribes on the east side of the Jordan River (Judges 1:27-35). When the conquest first began, the Israelite men of fighting age numbered in the census in Numbers chapter two were 603,550. With the return of about 108,250 men of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh to the east side of the Jordan River, the army of Israel on the western side of Canaan now numbers only about 495,300 men of fighting age (between 20 and 50). The Israelites are outnumbered by the inhabitants of Canaan, but God has promised them, if they are obedient to His commands, He will give them victory (Dt 7:17-24). It is the same promise God gave to Joshua at the beginning of the conquest (Josh 1:1-9).

Judges 1:1-9 ~ The Renewed Conquest of Judah and Simeon

Joshua died when he was 110 years old. Joshua's friend Caleb, who was probably about the same age, was 85 years old in the fifth year of the conquest when only parts of the central and southern sections of Canaan had been conquered (Josh 14:6-10). The Northern campaign covered a large area and the fighting was against a coalition of five kings. The initial success in the north was followed by the allotment of lands and the Israelites settling their families in the lands they had conquered thus far. The first phase of the conquest must have taken at least 20 years followed by the settling of the families and establishing the farmland.

Question: What did God tell the Israelites was the plan for conquering the land? 
Answer: Yahweh instructed the tribes prior to the invasion of Canaan that the conquest must be accomplished over time. 

After the first three campaigns of the conquest in central, southern, and northern Canaan, the tribal lands were chosen by lot (Joshua chapters 15-19) and the Levitical towns and cities of refuge were designated (Joshua chapters 20-21). At that time the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh who had been given land on the east side of the Jordan River were dismissed from military service and were allowed to return to their families (Josh chapter 22). The army of Israel on the west side of the river has been reduced to about 495,300 men of fighting age.

After Joshua's death and when the tribes were settled on their allotted lands, it was God's will that the conquest should continue. The tribes consulted Yahweh, asking, Which of us is to march on the Canaanites first, to make war on them?' They probably went to Yahweh's Sanctuary which may have still been at Gilgah (Judg 2:1) and asked the reigning high priest to consult the urim and thummim, the devices kept in his breastplate and used to determine the will of God in what was probably a "yes" or "no" (Ex 28:30; Lev 8:8). God told Moses to have Joshua consult Him through these devices: He will present himself to the priest Eleazar who will consult Yahweh on his behalf by means of the rite of the urim; at his command, they will go out and, at his command, they will come in, he and all Israelites with him, the whole community (Num 27:21). What is different is that for the first time no one man is designated by God as the leader of the people other than the high priest.

Question: Which tribe does God task with carrying on the holy war to secure the lands not yet conquered? What do we know about this tribe? Who was Judah's ancestral father? See Genesis 29:31-35 and also see Numbers 2:1-31 for the numbers of fighting men in each tribe.
Answer: The tribe of Judah was descended from Judah, the fourth son of Jacob-Israel and his wife Leah. Judah was the strongest of the twelve tribes, having the greatest number of fighting men between 20 and 50 years of age.

None of Israel's previous leaders had come from the tribe of Judah. Joseph was the youngest son of Jacob-Israel and the father of the tribe of Joseph that became the two half-tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim (from Joseph's sons), Moses was from the tribe of Levi, and Joshua was an Ephraimite from the tribe of Joseph.

Question: When had God singled out the tribe of Judah previously at Mt. Sinai? 
Answer: The tribe of Judah was singled out by God to be the vanguard in the march of the tribes during the forty years in the wilderness wanderings before coming to the camp on the east side of the Jordan River, and it was Judah who was given the place of honor in camping farthest to the east guarding the entrance of the Sanctuary.

Question: Why does the tribe of Judah ask the tribe of Simeon to join them in driving out the pagan peoples? 

Answer: The tribal lands allotted to Simeon were within the lands allotted to Judah in southern Canaan, and therefore it was in the interests of both tribes to work together to drive out the original inhabitants from their inherited lands.

The combined armies of Judah and Simeon defeated a coalition of Canaanites and Perizzites at Bezek, a city ruled by Adoni-Bezek. The exact location of this city is debated, but most archeologists believe it was located between Shechem and Jerusalem.

Question: How was the captured ruler mutilated and why? What was his response to his fate?
Answer: Without his thumbs he can no longer wield a sword or shoot a bow and arrow. With his toes cut off he can no longer run. He is no longer fit for battle or fit to lead soldiers in battle. His fatalistic response is that he has received the same king of punishment he inflicted upon his defeated enemies.

Question: What are the iniquities of the Canaanites and other inhabitants of the land that are listed above in the passage from Wisdom 12:3-11 and also listed in Num 33:52; Dt 7:5, 25; 12:31 and 18:9-12 that are abhorrent to God?

Answer:

1. Sorcery and the occult
2. Unholy rites/acts (immoral rituals including orgies & ritual prostitution and incest)
3. Child sacrifice
4. Cannibalism
5. Abortion
6. Idol worship

Judges 1:10-16 ~ The Settlement of Caleb's Clan and the Settlement of Hobab the Kenite

Question: Who is Caleb? What is his ethnic background and to what tribe is he allied? How is the unity of Joshua and Caleb in their faith and trust of God become symbolic of the New Covenant?
Answer: Caleb was a Kenizzite Gentile convert who became a chieftain of the tribe of Judah. He was one of the 12 spies chosen to reconnoiter the land of Canaan after the Israelites first left Mt. Sinai. Along with Joshua, they were the only men of the 12 spies to have faith and trust in God and believed they could conquer the people living in the land of Canaan. God condemned the Israelites to 40 years of desert wandering for their failure to be willing to trust Him in taking the Promised Land; only Caleb and Joshua are promised that they will live to take part in the conquest led by the new generation of Israel. For his faithfulness, God promised him a portion of the Promised Land. Caleb the Gentile and Joshua the Israelite, men who loved the Lord and had complete faith and trust in Him, symbolize the composition of the New Covenant Church in which Gentiles and Israelites/Jews are united in Christ Jesus.

Question: What promise does Caleb make to the man who successfully took the city of Debir?
Answer: He promised to give his daughter as a bride to the man who led the attack on Debir and conquered the city.

Question: Who was Othniel, who was Othniel's father, and what is the relationship to Caleb? See Josh 15:17; Judg 1:13.
Answer: Othniel was the Judahite chieftain under Caleb's command who took Debir. Othniel's father was a man named Kenaz who was Caleb's younger brother; therefore Othniel was Caleb's nephew and his father was a Gentile convert like Caleb who was adopted into the tribe of Judah.

Othniel's father was a convert, but Othniel was a member of the new generation of Israelite warriors after the Exodus generation. With his new wife, Achsah, his first cousin and the daughter of Caleb, they will become the parents the first generation of Israelites from the tribe of Judah to be born in the Promised Land.

There are an unusual number of women named or mentioned in the Book of Judges, more than in any other Old Testament book. Four women are named in the Book of Judges and twelve are unnamed individuals or groups of women. Achsah, Deborah, Jael, and Delilah are named, and the unnamed women are Sisera's mother, Jephthah's daughter, the woman of Thebez, Samson's mother (Manoah's wife), the Timnah women (Samson's wife and her younger sister), the thirty daughters of Ibzan, the mother of Micayehu, the daughter of the man of Gibeah, the Levite's concubine, the woman and virgins of the tribe of Benjamin, and the daughters of Shiloh. Only more women are mentioned by name in the books of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles in the Old Testament. In the New Testament more women are mentioned by name in the Gospel of Luke in which eight women are named, and in the 16^th chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Romans where he mentions eight women and names six. As we read about these women in the narrative of the book of Judges, notice what the named women in have in common as opposed to the unnamed women.

Just as the narrative of the conquered lands of tribe of Judah began with an account of Caleb's promised heritage within the tribal lands of Judah, so now in the continuing story of Judah's conquered lands comes the retelling of Caleb's personal story. This account, first told in Joshua chapter 15, completes the promise Caleb made to Joshua in 14:12 to drive the Anakim out of Hebron and to take the town of Debir. The taking of Debir was covered in a general summary in the story of the southern campaign in Joshua 10:38-39.

Question: Why does Achsah's husband ask her to petition her father for additional land? Debir was located on the edge of the hill country as it descends into the arid Negeb.
Answer: Debir was located where the Judean hill country descends into the arid Negeb; therefore the land was not as favorable for growing crops. Othniel wants better land for farming.

Question: How does Achsah solve the problem?
Answer: She goes to her father and wisely asks him for a blessing. The blessing she asks for is a well to water the land he has given her new family as a part of the bridal dowry. The water source will provide irrigation for the crops.

Question: What is her father's response and how does his answer tell us more about his character?
Answer: Before she asks, her father anticipates that she has come to make a request. He not only grants her request for a source of water, but her father generously gives her the "double blessing" of an upper and lower spring.

Judges 1:17-21 ~ Judah and Simeon complete the Campaign

Zephath was located in the lowlands at the southern end of the Shephelah (the low hills in western Canaan separating the coastal plains from the central mountain ridges to the east) and adjacent to the Negeb. The tribes of Judah and Simeon conquered the Canaanites who lived in Zephath, a town specifically allocated to the tribe of Simeon (Josh 19:4). The city was then subjected to herem, the curse of total destruction that God required of all Canaanite/Amorite cities (Dt 7:1-6, 24-26; 20:16-18; Josh 6:18, 21). A new Hebrew name was given to Zephath; the Israelites called it Hormah, which means "destruction."

Ruth swearing to Naomi (Jan Victors)  Ruth Chapter 1

Judges 1:22-26 ~ The Tribe of Joseph Conquers Bethel

In the first years of the Conquest, the armies of Israel fought against the combined forces of Ai and Bethel/Luz in the central highlands north of Jerusalem and took the town of Ai (Josh 8:17). Apparently the Israelites conquered Ai but not Bethel (Josh 8:26-29). The tribe of Joseph is successful at Bethel (see Gen 28:19; 35:6-7; 48:3) which became part of the tribal lands of Joseph-Ephraim. Yahweh was with them because they were faithful to Yahweh. They spared the man and his extended family who showed them how to attack the town because of the covenant of peace they made with him (verse 24), in the same way the Israelites spared Rahab of Jericho and her family (Josh 6:27-25). In obedience to God's command, the tribe of Joseph placed the Canaanite population under the curse of herem. The man who helped them did not join the Israelites like Rahab and her family; he left to establish another city called Luz in the region of modern Syria. The site archaeologists believe is ancient Bethel shows a massive destruction by fire at the end of the Late Bronze Age (late 13^th century BC).

Judges 1:27-36 ~ The Failure of the Northern Tribes

Question: What is the reoccurring pattern of the tribes' failures and what are the repeated formula statements?
Answer: In each case it is said that the tribes of Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali "did not dispossess" the inhabitants living on their allotted lands, but they were strong enough to "subject them to forced labor."

God promised the Israelites victory over their enemies so long as they were faithful and obedient to God's commandments.
Question: What did God warn the Israelites would happen if they were not faithful to the covenant and to Yahweh's command to drive out their enemies? See Num 33:55.
Answer: If they did not drive out the pagan inhabitants:

• The pagan idolatry would become a snare for the Israelites.
• They would not be free from harassment by their enemies.
• God will treat the Israelites as He intended to treat their enemies.

The question is if these tribes were powerful enough to force these peoples to work for them, were they really unable to dispossess them from the land or was the temptation to have unpaid laborers a more appealing prospect. This would be in direct violation of God's command to drive out the inhabitants of the land since otherwise their sinful practices would become a snare and a trap for Israel; all the inhabitants and their towns were under the "curse of destruction" (Dt 7:1-16, 23-26).

Ruth and Naomi (Thomas Matthews Rooke) 

Chapter 2: The Angel of Yahweh tells Israel of Disasters to Come

Judges 2:1-5 ~ Prophecy of Disasters to Come

Sanctuary of Yahweh will later be located at Bethel for a time (Judg 20:18-28), but apparently at this time it was still at Shechem (Josh 24:25-26). The angel/messenger of Yahweh travels from Gilgal to an assembly of the tribes at Bethel. The place-name "gilgal" means "circle" and probably refers to a stone circle of memorial stones like those Joshua placed at Gilgal on the west side of the Jordan River (Josh 4:19-20). Memorial stone circles were common in Canaan. There were four places named Gilgal in Canaan/Israel:

1. Gilgal was the site of the first Israelite camp on the west side of the Jordan River near Jericho (Josh 4:19-20; 5:9-12). 
2. There was a town called Gilgal that was located south Shechem and Mounts Ebal and Gerizim (Dt 11:30) and about seven miles north of Bethel. It was the Gilgal that was near the home of a community of prophets and is associated with the prophets Elijah and Elisha (2 Kng 2:1-4; 4:48).
3. Gilgal north of Joppa where Joshua made camp (Josh 9:6).
4. Gilgal/Galili near Dor, a seaport on the cost of the Mediterranean Sea south of Mt. Carmel, mentioned in a list of conquered Canaanite kings (Josh 12:23).

This is the first of three confrontations between Yahweh and Israel in the Book of Judges:

1. The angel/messenger (mal'ak) of Yahweh confronts Israel (Judg 2:1-5).
2. A prophet (navi) sent by Yahweh confronts Israel (Judg 6:7-10).
3. Yahweh Himself confronts Israel (Judg 10:10-16).

The Hebrew word mal'ak literally means "messenger," but is often transliterated into English from the Greek aggelos as "angel." The title "angel/messenger of Yahweh" was also the divine personage who led the children of Israel on their 40 year desert wanderings (Ex 23:20; 32:34). Another divine messenger, called the "Captain of the army of Yahweh," appeared to Joshua to comfort and encourage him just before the first great battle of the conquest against Jericho (Josh 5:13-15).⁽⁴⁾

This messenger is either Yahweh Himself in visible form (Gen 16:7) or an angel, or he is a human prophet who speaks the words of Yahweh. It is likely that the "messenger of Yahweh" is a human prophet since he traveled from the Sanctuary at Gilgal (probably the Gilgal near Jericho) to the tribal assembly at Bethel whereas divine messengers appear and disappear at will. 

Question: What are the two reasons for God's divine judgment and what is the punishment?
Answer: Since the Israelites in their disobedience have (1) failed to destroy the pagan altars and (2) have made covenant-treaties with the pagan inhabitants of the land:

1. Yahweh will not drive out the pagan nations.
2. They will oppress Israel.
3. Their false gods will be a snare for the people.

The people mourn their fate but then committed another act of disobedience by offering sacrifice at a site other than God's altar of sacrifice at the Sanctuary (see Lev 17:1-10; Dt 12:8-12). It is another act of defiance in deciding for themselves what is acceptable to God. They called the place ha-Bochim, a Hebrew word meaning "the Weepers," which may be at the "Oak of Tears" near Bethel (Gen 35:8). It appears that their weeping was more a sign of distress concerning the conditions of God's judgment than a sign of genuine repentance.

The Second Introduction: Reflections on the Period of the Judges

Judges 2:6-10 ~ Review of the Condition of Israel after the Death of Joshua

The obvious question is why has the inspired writer returned to the time of Joshua's death to offer part two of the prologue in 2:6-10?   The answer is that the prologue in chapter one was primarily a survey concerned with the military and political aspect of the renewed conquest dealing with the tribes of Israel's relationship with the Canaanites.   The religious aspect was only secondary.   But with the delivery of Yahweh's divine judgment in the form of a covenant lawsuit delivered by the messenger of Yahweh, the focus has shifted in 2:6-10 to the religious implications of Israel's failures, to Yahweh's perspective of His relationship with Israel, and the religious consequences of Israel's lack of a covenant relationship with Him.

Judges 2:11-19 ~ Summary of the Age of the Judges

Notice the statement that "the Israelites did what is evil in Yahweh's eyes."  It will be repeated eight times; seven times within the section on the history of the Judges (3:7, 12 [twice]; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6 and 13:1) to remind us of the root of Israel's problem with maintaining her covenant with Yahweh.   

Question: In this passage, how does the inspired writer summarizes the reoccurring four part cycle that will be the condition of Israel in the era of the Judges?  This four part cycle will be the focus of the history of Israel in chapters 3-12.
Answer: It is a cycle of sin, suppression, supplication, and salvation:

1. Israel's disloyalty to God (sin).
2. God removes his hand of protection and Israel is oppressed by her enemies (subjugation).
3. Israel's repentance and pleas to God for deliverance (supplication).
4. God sends a judge to unite the people and rescue them from their enemies (salvation).

Question: What were the consequences of God's judgment against Israel?   
Answer: As God had warned the Israelites through Moses:

1. God allowed the Canaanites to pillage their settlements and to oppress them.
2. God did not bless any military expedition against the Canaanites.

Question: When did the cycle of salvation end and another cycle of sin begin?   See verse 19.
Answer: After the death of Yahweh's judge.

Joshua 2:20-3:6 ~ Why God Allowed the Pagan Nations to Remain in Canaan

Several reasons are given for God slowing the progress of the conquest and allowing the Canaanites to continue to live in the Promised Land.
Question: In addition to the plan of God revealed to Israel in Deuteronomy 7:22 that He would drive the Canaanites out "little by little" and the judgment in Judges 2:3 that God would no longer help to drive out the pagans because of Israel's covenant failures (2:20), what other two reasons are given in this passage?
Answer:

1. God has left them to be a "test" for Israel to see if Israel will remain faithful to Yahweh (Judg 2:22; 3:4).
2. God has left the enemy so that in the continuing warfare the new generations will learn the art of war (Judg 3:1).

God does not tempt us to sin, but He does allow us to be tested.  

This is the first mention of the Philistines as enemies of Israel.   The Philistines had five city-states on the southern coast of Canaan.   

Question: What are the three violations of the commands of Yahweh that are mentioned in verses 5-6?
Answer:

1. The Israelites lived among the pagans.
2. The Israelites intermarried with the pagans.
3. The Israelites served the pagan gods.

That the Israelites of the new generations are now intermarrying with the pagans is a direct violation of the covenant prohibition in Deuteronomy 7:3-4 You must not intermarry with them; you must not give a daughter of yours to a son of theirs, or take a daughter of theirs for a son of yours, for your son would be seduced from following me into serving other gods; the wrath of Yahweh would blaze out against you and he would instantly destroy you.   The spiritual decline of the covenant people is reflected in their moral decline.

The Wars Against Israel's Enemies:
the Judges Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar and Deborah

Chapter 1 of Judges recounted the wars of the renewed conquest beginning with the tribe of Judah and ending with the tribe of Dan.   Now the history of the Judges of Israel reflects that same order: beginning with Othniel of the tribe of Judah and ending with Samson of the tribe of Dan.

Judges 3:7-11 ~ Othniel

The repeated phrase "The Israelites did what is evil in Yahweh's eyes" is first mentioned 2:11 where the phrase introduced an overview of the period of the judges; it is repeated eight times.   Now it introduces the time of the Judges when God called Othniel to liberate His people.   Othniel's name may mean "lion of God."

We now see the reason the inspired writer included what seemed to be misplaced information about Judah's boundary with Edom in 1:36.   It is the Edomites that will be the first to subjugate the Israelites.   That the Israelites were "enslaved" (verse 8) means that they became a vassal people of the Edomites and were required to pay an annual tribute.   It was the common burden of a subjugated people.   Since they were farmers and herdsmen, their tribute was in agricultural products and animals. 

Question: How does the story of Othniel fit this seven-part sequence?
Answer:

1. Announcement of Israel's wrong doing (verse 7)
2. Statement of Yahweh's response (verse 8a)
3. Notice of how long Israel was oppressed by the enemy (verse 8b)
4. Reference to Israel's repentance in "crying out" to God (verse 9a)
5. Announcement of God "raising up" a deliver (verse 9b)
6. Description of how deliverance was achieved (verse 10)
7. Concluding statement of how long peace lasted (verse 11)

Question: Who is Othniel?  
Answer:

• He is a member of the holy warrior generation of the conquest who conquered the city of Debir in southern Canaan.
• He is the son of the Gentile convert Kenaz.
• He is the nephew of the chieftain of Judah and Gentile convert, Caleb.
• He is the husband of Caleb's daughter Achsah.
• His family will be listed as a clan of Judah in the genealogies.

Question: Who are the Edomites who oppressed the tribe of Judah?   See Gen 25:20-26, 29-30; 36:9.
Answer: The Edomites were descendants of Jacob's twin brother Esau.

The Edomites did not worship Yahweh.   The name of Edom's king is Cushan-Rishathaim (koosh'an-rish'uh-thay'-im), meaning "Cushan of double wickedness;" it may be an Israelite modification of his original name.   

Question: For what reason did Othniel take up the leadership of his people?
Answer: He was divinely called by God, and God's Spirit rested upon Othniel to empower him.

Question: For how many years did the Edomites oppress the tribes of Judah and Simeon?   For how many years was there peace after Othniel's victory?
Answer: They were oppressed for eight years, and during Othniel's lifetime they enjoyed forty years of peace.

Judges 3:12-30 ~ Ehud

Notice the twice repeated statement that Israel "did what was evil in Yahweh's eyes..." in verse 12.
Question: How is the story of Ehud presented in the seven-part formulaic sequence?
Answer:

1. Announcement of Israel's wrong doing (3:12a)
2. Statement of Yahweh's response (3:12b)
3. Notice of how long Israel was oppressed by the enemy (3:14)
4. Reference to Israel's repentance in "crying out" to God (3:15a)
5. Announcement of God "raising up" a deliver (3:15b)
6. Description of how deliverance was achieved (3:16-29)
7. Concluding statement of how long peace lasted (3:30)

The story of Ehud is one of the more detailed, colorful, and gory stories of the Book of Judges.   The Moabites, whose kingdom was on the east side of the Jordan River north of Edom and south of the tribal lands of Reuben, became Israel's oppressors.   They formed an alliance with the Ammonites and Amalekites and captured Jericho, "City of Palms."   For eighteen years the Israelites were required to pay tribute to Moab until the Israelites cried out to God who "raised" Ehud as their deliverer.   Apparently the king of Moab received the Israelite tribute in the city of Jericho.

Question: What does the narrative tell us about Ehud?
Answer: He was a left-handed man from the tribe of Benjamin who freed Israel from eighteen years of Moabite domination.

Do not miss the detail that he was left-handed.   It is a detail that is not only significant to the story but significant to the tribe of Benjamin. What is interesting is that this is the first of several passages about left-handed people in the Bible, all of which involve men in military contexts and all, curiously enough, come from the tribe of Benjamin.    This noted left-handedness of Benjamites is rather ironic since the name "Benjamin" in Hebrew means "son of [my] right hand."

Ehud is selected as part of the delegation to take the annual tribute to be presented to the King of Moab.   After delivering the tribute, he begins to return across the Jordan back into Israel with the delegation.   But immediately after the crossing at Gilgal, he tells the other Israelites he must return.   

Question: Why did Ehud leave with the other Israelites?   Why didn't he just make the request for a private audience when he was at the palace of king Eglon?
Answer: It is possible that he wanted to protect the other Israelites if his mission to assassinate the king failed.   It was also easier for one man to slip away than a large group of men who would not have been permitted a private audience without armed guards.

Question: For how many years was Israel at peace?   How does this peace compare to the other periods of peace in the Book of the Judges?  
Answer: Eighty years; it is the longest period of peace.

Judges 3:31 ~ Shamgar
31 After him came Shamgar son of Anath.   He routed six hundred of the Philistines with an ox-goad; he too was a deliverer of Israel.

This short account of Shamgar does not have the typical seven-part sequence.   His name is not Hebrew and he is identified as son of Anath, the name of a Canaanite warrior goddess.   This suggests that he was a Gentile convert who might have been the son of a Canaanite woman who served in the temple of the goddess Anath, or his mother was named after the goddess, or it is an honorary title because of his exploits.   He fought the Philistines who lived on the southern coast of Canaan with an unconventional weapon.   Perhaps he had been a farmer who worked with oxen.   That he killed six hundred Philistines with an ox-goad is of course hyperbole to highlight his great skill as a warrior.   He is not called a judge/deliverer in the passage, but according to tradition he has been counted as a judge.   He is a contemporary of the judge Deborah and her military leader Barak and they honor him by mentioning his name in their victory song in Judges 5:6.  

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A Daily Defense
DAY 89 Chronology in the Gospels

CHALLENGE: “The Gospels sometimes record the events of Jesus’ ministry in different order and thus contradict one another.”

DEFENSE: These are not contradictions.

Ancient authors had the liberty to record events chronologically or non-chronologically. Even in our modern, time-obsessed world, biographers have liberty to arrange material in non chronological ways.

A biography of Abraham Lincoln might devote a chapter to his thoughts on slavery and race relations rather than breaking this material up and covering it repeatedly throughout a chronological account of his career. 

Similarly, Jesus’ ethical or prophetic teachings might be put together in single sections of a Gospel, as with the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5–7) and the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24–25). In the ancient world, people usually did not have day-by-day records of a person’s life. The memory of what a great man did persisted, but not precisely when he did things. 

Recording material in a non-chronological order was thus expected. This was true even of the most famous men in the world. See Suetonius’s The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, which records the words and deeds of the Caesars without a detailed chronology. 

Ultimately, what a great man said and did was considered important, not precisely when the events happened. That’s why the former were remembered and the latter was not.

Jesus gave his teachings on many occasions, but without having a detailed chronology available, the evangelists sequenced them according to topical and literary considerations. The same was true of many individual deeds Jesus performed (e.g., healings). 

This is not to say that the evangelists give us no chronological information. Some events obviously occurred before or after others. Thus his baptism (with which he inaugurated his ministry) is toward the beginning of the Gospels and the Crucifixion is at the end.

Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist