Judges 1-21 - The Bible from 30,000 Feet - Skip Heitzig - Flight JUD01

Overview of the Book of Judges highlighting Israel's transition from conquest to compromise and chaos under tribal leadership.

Key Takeaways

The Book of Judges marks a shift from centralized to tribal leadership in Israel.
Israel repeatedly fails to fully obey and serve the Lord, leading to cycles of sin and oppression.
Judges were military and political leaders, not courtroom judges as commonly imagined.
The book’s narrative is raw and honest about the moral and social failures of God’s people.
The period of Judges sets the stage for the eventual establishment of monarchy under Saul.

What the video covers

The video provides a high-level overview of the Book of Judges from the Old Testament, emphasizing its historical and theological context.
It contrasts the strong centralized leadership under Joshua with the tribal chieftain system during Judges.
The theme of the book is framed as a progression from conquest to compromise and finally chaos.
The speaker explains the sin cycle Israel experiences during this period and the moral failures of the people.
Judges is described as a violent and disturbing book that does not hide the imperfections and failures of biblical heroes.
The video highlights the political and military role of judges as regional leaders rather than judicial figures.
It discusses the incomplete conquest of Canaan and the resulting ongoing conflicts with remaining inhabitants.
The historical period covered is about 350 years between Joshua’s death and the rise of King Saul.
The speaker draws parallels between ancient Israel’s struggles and modern contexts, emphasizing the Bible’s honesty about failure.
The video warns viewers about the challenging and graphic nature of the book’s content.

Chapters

What is the main theme of the Book of Judges according to this video?

The main theme is the transition from conquest under Joshua to compromise and chaos during the tribal leadership period, highlighting Israel's repeated failure to fully obey God.

How does the video describe the role of judges in the Old Testament?

Judges were regional political and military leaders, similar to tribal chieftains, rather than judicial figures as the modern term suggests.

Why is the Book of Judges described as a 'rated R' book?

Because it contains very violent, bloody, and disturbing accounts that honestly portray the moral corruption and failures of Israel during this period.

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

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The Bible from 30,000 feet, soaring through the scripture from Genesis to Revelation. Would you turn in your Bibles, please, to the book of Judges in your Old Testament? Judges chapter 1. Bible from 30,000 feet, I want to remind you of that.

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because there are sections of this book that a lot of you would love to study in depth we have done that before it is recorded for you to get anytime you wish but this is the Bible from 30,000 feet

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Because there are sections of this book that a lot of you would love to study in depth. We have done that before. It is recorded for you to get anytime you wish, but this is the Bible from 30,000 feet.

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would do bad on a test or get a bad grade in a test if I got below a certain GPA my parents didn't deal with that well I didn't deal with that well Israel in the book of Judges gets an epic F for

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So we're not going to be uncovering every branch, every twig of relief, just sort of looking at things in general and telling the story. As we begin, I was thinking how I remember back in school the empty feeling I used to get when I

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in my house finish it for me we will serve the Lord we will serve the Lord that's what Joshua said he put his Gotland down and said we're gonna I'm gonna serve the Lord with my family Israel responded

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would do bad on a test or get a bad grade on a test. If I got below a certain GPA, my parents didn't deal with that well. I didn't deal with that well. Israel in the book of Judges gets an epic F for

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Joshua this is the end of a strong centralized leadership in the nation of Israel when Moses died God raised up Joshua to take his place but now Joshua is dead even though his death will be mentioned here again in this book and after Joshua dies

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failure on their test to obey and serve the Lord. Here's what I mean. Do you remember how the book of Joshua ended when Joshua gave his farewell speech to the nation and he says, "Choose this day whom you will serve. As for me

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out but it think of it as three hundred and fifty years from the centralized government under Joshua as their central leader to the first king of Israel King Saul between Joshua and King Saul is the period of the book of Judges now it says

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and my house," finish it for me, "we will serve the Lord. We will serve the Lord." That's what Joshua said. He put his Godland down and said, "We're gonna, I'm gonna serve the Lord with my family." Israel responded

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warriors a judge in the Old Testament was a regional political military leader think of it as a tribal chieftain the book of Judges highlights 13 of them some count 14 I'm going to say thirteen twelve men and one woman that we're

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immediately saying, "Us too. We will serve the Lord." With that sentence still ringing in the air, so to speak, we come now to the book of Judges that shows their total failure to serve the Lord. Verse 1 begins, "Now after the death of

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Israel's moral corruption but I got to tell you something this is why I like the Bible the Bible doesn't hide the truth about its own history the history of God's people not only are they imperfect but in some cases they utterly blow it and

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Joshua," this is the end of a strong centralized leadership in the nation of Israel. When Moses died, God raised up Joshua to take his place, but now Joshua is dead. Even though his death will be mentioned here again in this book, and after Joshua dies,

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that they write about the Bible tells you the dark underside of biblical heroes and we find biblical heroes in this book now the theme of the book of Judges is from conquest to compromise Joshua was all about conquest the first

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there's no central leader anymore. Now there are just the tribes of Israel settling into their land allotments, making decisions to go to war. So it is tribal government rather than central government. It's a three hundred and fifty year period that this book marks

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sin cycle chapters 1 & 2 speak about conquest chapters 3 through 16 highlight their compromise and chapters 17 through 21 chaos the chaos that fills the nation of Israel so conquest compromise and chaos and I'm going to read something to

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out, but think of it as three hundred and fifty years from the centralized government under Joshua as their central leader to the first king of Israel, King Saul. Between Joshua and King Saul is the period of the book of Judges. Now it says

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age of the world's great civilizations is about 200 years they all travel through the same sequence from bondage to spiritual faith from spiritual faith to great courage from great courage to Liberty from Liberty to abundance from abundance to leisure now listen

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the book of Judges, and immediately you think in your mind, most people do, a courtroom, a guy in a black robe with a gavel litigating, pronouncing guilty or innocent. You need to push that out of your mind and think in terms of tribal

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that that basically is the book of Judges now if there if if there was one book of the Bible that I was allowed to erase with a giant eraser it would be this book because it doesn't highlight the great moments of God's people but

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warriors. A judge in the Old Testament was a regional political military leader. Think of it as a tribal chieftain. The book of Judges highlights 13 of them. Some count 14. I'm going to say thirteen, twelve men and one woman that we're

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just about any other book but stay away from this one it'll drive you deeper into depression now the book opens up with success it opens up with the tribes of Israel settling in their various tribal allotments in the new land in the

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going to get to, but I want to give you a warning. The book is rated R. It's a very bloody book. It's a very violent book. It is a disturbing book. It is filled with and tells the truth of

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oh this is good it's good because there's no Joshua but there's always God so if there's no Joshua then let's talk to God that's good problem is that's it they don't keep doing this they start having success because they're looking

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Israel's moral corruption. But I got to tell you something. This is why I like the Bible. The Bible doesn't hide the truth about its own history, the history of God's people. Not only are they imperfect, but in some cases they utterly blow it and

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groups that lived in the land west of the Jordan River that we call today modern-day Israel in those days it was Canaan and there were all sorts of groups that were eventually put under the heading of Canaanites even though Canaanite was a

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become so morally depraved, not even reflecting the God they said they would serve. But to me, that actually highlights the veracity of the scripture because a lot of biographies will just tell you all the good points about the heroes

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indeed I have delivered the land into his hand notice the past tense that God uses he's so sure it'll happen verse 4 then Judah went up and the Lord delivered the Canaanites and the perizzites into their hand and they killed ten

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that they write about. The Bible tells you the dark underside of biblical heroes, and we find biblical heroes in this book. Now the theme of the book of Judges is from conquest to compromise. Joshua was all about conquest. The first

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Jerusalem verse 27 however Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of bet she'an and it's villages you who have toured with us to Israel we always spend a half a day at becchi on verse 29 nor did he from drive

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part of this book is all about conquest, but quickly it goes from conquest to compromise, and we find God's people, the children of Israel, walking in circles or more appropriately cycles of sin. I'm going to explain that in a moment, the

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general led attacks and defeats of many Canaanite towns but not all of them not all of them have been driven out there's still much to be taken and they're still Canaanites who live in the land chapter one gives a long detailed list of those

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sin cycle. Chapters 1 and 2 speak about conquest. Chapters 3 through 16 highlight their compromise, and chapters 17 through 21 chaos, the chaos that fills the nation of Israel. So conquest, compromise, and chaos. And I'm going to read something to

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and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua who had seen all the great works of the Lord which he had done for Israel no implied in that statement is that as long as good spiritual leadership was intact and

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you that I found, and I want you to keep this in mind not only as you think of Judges in 1300 BC but think of this in terms of modern United States of America. One historian writes this: The average

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good get an a on that test Joshua the son of noon the servant of the Lord died when he was 110 years old this marks the end of a strong centralized leadership in that nation remember where we've come from we looked

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age of the world's great civilizations is about 200 years. They all travel through the same sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from great courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to leisure. Now listen

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Moses to deliver the children of Israel out of Egypt Moses at the end of his life was told to select Joshua Joshua became the leader now Joshua is dead there's a vacancy and leadership there's no leader to lead the driving out of the

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carefully: from leisure to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence to weakness, and from weakness back to bondage. That's a very astute observation at the history of ancient civilizations, and we do well to heed

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the whole point and I have detailed what that is like before I will just say they were so corrupt they worshipped false gods by sacrificing their babies human sacrifices were very common among the practice of the Canaanite religion and

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that. That basically is the book of Judges. Now if there, if there was one book of the Bible that I was allowed to erase with a giant eraser, it would be this book because it doesn't highlight the great moments of God's people but

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what they did is they just moved in next to them and became exactly like them that's what happened the canaanites didn't get influenced by the Israelites the Israelites got influenced by the Canaanites and drugged them down to their level in chapter 2 I'm gonna point

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the lowest moments of their history. It is a dark book. It is a depressing book. It's not the book you turn to when you're desperately needing hope. It's like, "Man, I feel so depressed. What book do I turn to?" Stay away from Judges. Find

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know who it is some think it's Samuel who wrote this book truth is we don't know who wrote the book of Judges whoever did stops the narration the flow of the story and he gives a view of the

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just about any other book, but stay away from this one. It'll drive you deeper into depression. Now the book opens up with success. It opens up with the tribes of Israel settling in their various tribal allotments in the new land, in the

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four phases of the sin cycle number one the first phase is rebellion chapter 2 verse 10 when all the generation that had been gathered to their fathers another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which

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promised land, but the job isn't done. There are still enemies to be conquered. So initial success starts in chapter 1, verse 1, where it says, "Now after the death of Joshua, it came to pass that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying,"

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Egypt and they followed other gods from among the gods at the people who were all around them and they bowed down to them and they provoked the Lord to anger they forsook the Lord and served the bails or served

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"Oh, this is good. It's good because there's no Joshua, but there's always God. So if there's no Joshua, then let's talk to God." That's good. Problem is, that's it. They don't keep doing this. They start having success because they're looking

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can sort of say whatever we want when it comes to pronouncing words I've discovered so but all or Bale and Ashe tart also called ashteroth these two are the two principal Canaanite deities both of them that God and goddess of

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to the Lord initially, but not eventually. But they ask the Lord, saying, "Who shall be first to go up against the Canaanites to fight against them?" Now the term Canaanites, by the way, is a broad term for a whole bunch of different ethnic

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controlled sunshine so he controlled the production of the crops by the way Bale was at its strongest they believed midday when the Sun was shining directly the heat of the day this helps you understand a first Kings chapter 18 when

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groups that lived in the land west of the Jordan River that we call today modern-day Israel. In those days it was Canaan, and there were all sorts of groups that were eventually put under the heading of Canaanites, even though Canaanite was a

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Bale and Yahweh the God of Israel wins that battle you know that story so that's bale he's the storm God the principle deity of fertility ash tart or Ashtaroth was also the goddess of fertility love and war now when I say

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specific group. The Canaanites was sort of a broad term for Girgashites, Parasites, Termites—no, not termites, but just all these different people groups were in the land of Canaan, which became the promised land later on. And the Lord said, verse 2, "Judah shall go up.

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asteroth was to mimic what they did in the heavens so they would have prostitutes who would bring people to have sexual intercourse and there were incantations that would say just as fertility is taking place right now right here may my crops may my

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Indeed, I have delivered the land into his hand." Notice the past tense that God uses. He's so sure it'll happen. Verse 4, "Then Judah went up, and the Lord delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they killed ten

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worship so that's the first phase rebellion second phase retribution verse 14 and the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel it's telling the story of the whole book so he delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled

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thousand men at Bezek." So at first, success. Why? Because initially they were wise. They asked the Lord what to do, and the Lord answered. Go down to verse 21, "But the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited

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summed up wherever they went verse fifteen whenever they went out the hand of the Lord was against them for calamity as the Lord had said and the Lord had sworn to them and they were greatly distressed so phase one

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Jerusalem." Verse 27, "However, Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Bet She'an and its villages. You who have toured with us to Israel, we always spend a half a day at Bezek." Verse 29, "Nor did he drive

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but they played the harlot with other gods and bowed down to them they turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked in obeying the commandments of the Lord they did not do so and when the Lord raised up judges

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out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gazer." Verse 13, "Or did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kittim?" Verse 31, "Nor did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Akko." So think of where we've come from. Joshua, as the military

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oppress them and harassed them that's the sin cycle and this cycle gets repeated in this book over and over and over and over again 350 wasted years of people not learning the lesson that God was trying to teach them it came to

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general, led attacks and defeats of many Canaanite towns, but not all of them. Not all of them have been driven out. There's still much to be taken, and there are still Canaanites who live in the land. Chapter one gives a long detailed list of those

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what I love God's love is an unrelenting pursuing love even though they keep blowing it over and over again God says I'm not giving up I'm gonna chase you down and make life miserable for you so that in your misery you'll say I'm sorry

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towns. We're not going to bother to read them, but as you look at chapter two, we are given a preview into their failure. Chapter 2, verse 7, it says, "So the people se..."

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in fact it could be summed up by that great hymn called the love of God that says the love of God is greater far than ink or pen could ever tell it stretches to the farthest star it reaches to the

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lowest hell could we with ink the oceans fill and were the skies of parchment made were every stock on earth the quill and every man a scribe by trade to write the love of God would drain the oceans

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dry nor could that scroll contain the whole those stretch from Sky to sky the love of God unrelenting pursuing in fact there's a word for it in the Old Testament it's sometimes translated loving-kindness it's the Hebrew word has

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said has said means covenant love or loving kindness two years ago I sat in Benjamin Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem and we were talking about Jesus and he said well I have to admit Jesus Christ brought a whole different level of and

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he said he was trying to think of the word and he said it in Hebrew to his aide he said yes and I recognize the word so I interrupted I said loving-kindness he goes that's it loving-kindness Jesus brought a whole new level of

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loving-kindness and he did that is a word that describes God's love that's a Hebrew word even from the Old Testament well the first four judges shown in chapters three four and five are as follows auth Niall a who'd Shamgar and

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Deborah these chapters record what they did in delivering Israel but I gotta warn you they're violent I already gave you the warning at the beginning of the book it's details of their violence against their enemies now when we get to

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the story of Deborah chapter five I've always seen Deborah and I like she's the only female judge in this book but she's there she's a leader Deborah reminds me of Golda Meir anybody heard of Golda Meir she was the fourth

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prime minister of the nation of Israel she was called the Iron Lady of Israeli politics a very apt leader she was the prime minister during the late 60s in chapter 4 verse 4 Deborah is called a prophetess please mark that it indicates

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there were prophets but also there were women who were given the title prophetess and she is one also in that verse she is called a wife a prophetess who was the wife of lat be ducked that's her husband's name weird name but that's

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her husband's name and that's an important designation it doesn't say LAPI dog was the husband of Deborah even though that would seem to be appropriate because she's the one that does the leadership not him but she knew her

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place within the family and they knew what her place within the family and her place within the family was different than her place within the nation and so she is called a prophetess the wife of Lappe dotes so they understood each

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other he knew that she was a leader and he gave the freedom to do that somebody said marriage is like a long trip and a tiny rowboat if one passenger starts to rock the boat the other has to steady it or they'll

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both go to the bottom together so they learned the balance in their relationship in chapter 5 verse 7 she sings a song after the victory God gives her and it says village life ceased that is in Israel it ceased in Israel until I

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Deborah arose arose a mother in Israel so she's a prophetess she's a wife and she's a mama there's an old hymn of the church faith of our fathers anybody heard that song faith of our fathers living still really

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that's all the only four of you know that or have heard that song great song faith of our fathers we need to add a verse faith of our mothers she was a prophetess a wife she was a mother in

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Israel and she was a leader that God raised up the next few judges are Gideon you've heard of him Toula you may not be too familiar with him Jair or your ear and Jephthah now a couple of these have longer narratives

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that is the story is told with more words and the story focuses on the character flaws of these leaders so give Gideon Gideon begins as the coward he was a coward he was scared he was fearful of the enemy but he he learns to

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trust the Lord through a process that God puts him through and he defeats the Midianite army with 300 of the children of Israel by the way on our trips to Israel we don't always do it but I like

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to if we have the time take people to the well of Hirota and the spring that runs out of there it's where he took the 300 men and had them bring the water to their mouths and lap it's recorded in this book and and

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we reenact that scene there and even drink if you trust the water enough if you trust the Lord enough to drink the water we let you try it there so let's meet our hero Gideon in chapter 6 verse

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11 now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which I just kind of like here's an angel just like just sitting down under the tree under the shade that's what angels do which is in Oprah which belonged to

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joash the abbeys right while his son Gideon now watch this gideon thresh tweet in the winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites and the angel of the lord appeared to him and said to him the lord is with you you mighty man of

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Valor a winepress is located at the bottom of a hill wheat is not trashed at the bottom of a hill weed was threshed at the top of the hill the threshing floor was on the top of the hill so that the afternoon

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breezes the blow through you can throw the wheat in the air with your pitchfork the chaff gets separated from the wheat and blows away the wheat falls to the ground but you need a breeze for that to happen the best breeze is on the top of

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the hill that's why threshing floors were always on top of a hill wine presses were on the bottom he's not on the top he's down below at the bottom because he's scared you know what doesn't want to be in plain sight so he

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hides and he throws this wheat up in the air and there may be a little bit of a breeze blowing through but it would take like four times as long to separate that stuff but that's why he's down there so

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it's funny when the angel of the Lord says hey mighty man of Valor he's probably looking around like is there somebody else up here or down here now why does the angel of the Lord call this coward a mighty man of Valor here's why

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I believe God doesn't see you just as you are he sees what you will become by his strength he is not a mighty man of Valor but he will become one through this process God is putting him through now he should be

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at the top of the hill but fear always brings you down so he is not a mighty man of Valor but the Lord calls him that through his angel because that's what the Lord wants to do with him just like

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Peter was called a rock he was given the title Cephas was called a rock jesus knew what Peter could become now that's Gideon but the story goes on to show the dark side of Gideon I mean kind of sum

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it up for you Gideon murders a bunch of Israelites his own people for not helping him defeat the Midianites then to make matters worse he takes gold that he got from the battles he makes an idol out of

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it and when he dies the children of Israel worship the idol and the sin cycle begins all over again so good guy had a bad bad side when we come to the ninth judge called Jeptha in chapters 10

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through 12 we come to another great warrior but immoral in many ways Jeptha was adept in battle a real warrior but you have to think of Jeptha sort of like a gang thug yeah he was the guy given

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all the signals he was the mafia boss he fights against the ammonites because they asked him to chapter 11 verse 1 now Jeptha the gileadite was a mighty man of Valor but he was the son of a harlot and

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Gilead begot Jephthah so he's an illegitimate son he is scorned by people that's how he grew up invariably in that culture maybe that helps us understand a little bit of his rough-around-the-edges character verse 3 then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land

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of tobbe and worthless men banded together with Jetha and went out raiding with him these are idle men they're bored they want action now here's what you need to know about Jeff Oh Jeff duh used by God I grant that but he is so unfamiliar

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with God's character that he treats God the true God Yahweh as if he were a pagan deity a Canaanite deity what do I mean by that he is willing to take his own daughter and sacrifice her kill her

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as a thanksgiving for winning a battle chapter 11 verse 29 it says the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jaffa and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh passed through Mizpah Gilead and from Mizpah of Gilead he advanced toward the

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people of Ammon and Jeff them made a vow to the Lord and said if you will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to

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meet me when I return in peace from the people of Ammon will surely be the lords I will offer it up as a burnt offering whatever comes out if my cat comes out it's a dead cat it gets sacrificed if my

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mother-in-law comes out I made a vow sadly verse 34 his daughter came out after he had won the battle after he had brought the victory his daughter comes out with timbrels and she's singing and she's dancing and in verse 39 he keeps

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his grisly vow why is this story even in here it's in here to help highlight how bad a shape Israel was in at the time that they no longer even knew the character the nature of their own God

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chapter 12 there are three more judges there is if Xan Ilan the Zebulon ight meaning he's from the tribe of Zebulun and abdon who is the per at the night simply means he is from per a thong I

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have no idea where that is it just says he's from there I could find it but I didn't Sampson chapters 13 through 16 Sampson is by far the worst of all the judges you go worst come on he was my Sunday school hero I remember

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the story he's the Superman of the Old Testament he's the Terminator of the Old Testament he's the transformer that Samson actually Samson was promiscuous violent arrogant yes he won great victories but at the expense of his own integrity

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Joseph Parker a contemporary of Charles Spurgeon said Samson was an elephant in strength but a babe in weakness you know the Sunday school stories you know he could rip Lions in half you know he could take 300 foxes tie their tails

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together light it on fire and burn the fields of the Philistines you know that he could take the jawbone of a donkey in' and killed the enemy in fact in this story he even runs 38 miles with door

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on his back you know some guys go to the gym workout with weights he worked out with doors incredibly strong at the end of his life he brings the house down literally he stands in the temple of Dagon between two pillars pushes him

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aside God answers his final prayer destroys himself and his enemies in that temple now it would be great to have Samson as your big brother I had a big brother who was six foot eight six foot eight I loved when he was around I loved

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when I got bully to go Bob be great to have Samson to do that he'd be a great big brother he was a horrible spiritual leader in fact you read a story seems like he has no spiritual values at all

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in chapter 13 verse 1 again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for 40 years now that's the longest period of their oppression in the book of Judges

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in the three hundred and fifty years this 40-year length is the longest period and it's because of the Philistines let me tell you a little bit about the Philistines the Philistines originated in the area of Greece and the

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Aegean Sea the islands around the Aegean Sea they had been forced out of their homeland and in 1200 BC they sailed from that area went to Egypt and attacked the Egyptians and one gypped was a superpower philistines beat the

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egyptians then started moving up the coast from egypt into the land of israel and settled along the coast lands of ancient israel in five principal cities mentioned frequently in your Old Testament they are a Gaza it's still a

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city today in the territories called the Gaza Strip Gaza Ashdod Ashkelon gas and eccrine those are the five Philistine cities typically on a tour of Israel we'll take a half we'll go down to the Philistine country into the Valley of Elah where David slew

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Goliath and see where Samson was born in that area called the Philistine country the Philistines once they settled in the land they had an advantage over Israel because they were advanced in metallurgy they had a lot of metal Smith's

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blacksmiths they knew had a mine iron and smelt it and formed weapons and so they had that advantage over Israel so as the Philistines are oppressing God gets hold of the parents of Samson verse five will jump to the story for behold

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you shall conceive God says to them and bear a son and no razor shall come upon his head for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the

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hands of the Philistines so God God had great plans for him the end and the plans God made for him was to be a man of God but he becomes a man of the flesh he really wants nothing to do with God

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ruling over his life very strong but very weak morally now he's to take a vow of a Nazarite it's unusual because God says he's going to be a Nazarite from his birth that Nazarite vow was usually for a certain period of time had a

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beginning had an ending you don't cut your hair you cut it at the end of the vow and you burn it you don't touch wine you don't touch any of the dead to be defile there's certain restrictions for

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a Nazarite he was to be a lifelong Nazarite along the lines of later on John the Baptist in the New Testament that's how he had set up go down to verse 24 so the woman that is Samson's mom bore a son and called him shame

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Shung now I didn't say it right it's it's Samson in English but in Hebrew Shem shown which is a word that means of the son or Sonny Boy so Sonny boy's name probably comes from the Sun worship Bale

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worship so that his parents were already influenced by the paganism of the Philistines that were around him he is called Sonny Boy or of the son Samson she's shown says the child grew in the Lord blessed him and the Spirit of the

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Lord watched this the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him at Muhannad and between zorah and eshtaol the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon Samson this is the secret of Samson's strength it's not his hair it's not his arms it's the

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Spirit of God moving upon him Jesus in the New Testament will say without me you can do how much nothing so the strength of this man was not his hair was not his arms was not the fact that

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he worked out with doors and ran 38 miles got really in shape it was the Spirit of God that was on him that's the secret of this man's strength now I want to stop right here and make a note of

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this at key times in Israel's history both with judges and with Kings the Spirit of God will come upon a person to empower that person to accomplish God's work and in this case to accomplish deliverance the fact that God uses him

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does not mean that God endorses him you need to know that because you go whoa this guy's wicked and says the Spirit of God came upon him he's not in him he does come upon him for a specific season

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to accomplish a specific task the fact that God uses a person doesn't mean that God endorses a person now you should know that from your reading of the Bible God raises up a guy by the name of King

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Cyrus a Persian a pagan hates Israel oppresses Israel at first helps them later but he's called the servant of God Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon hated the Jews burned their temple took them captive but it says God used him and he was a servant of the

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Lord a Caesar in the New Testament God used a Caesar to make all the world get registered which is why Joseph and Mary leave Nazareth to go to Bethlehem so that Jesus can be born in Bethlehem so all the kings of the world can be used

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by God at specific times in the fact that God uses them does not mean that God endorses them so that's a very very important concept again now God wants to save his people and God wants to rule over his people the truth is this is all

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he's got to work with these knuckleheads call judges so flawed so imperfect that's how bad Israel had become that's really the point God really wants to do a work but all he's got to work with his numskulls like this so he does well

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here's the story seems shown sammy-boy sees two girls two Philistine girls one is unnamed the other is named you know her name it's Samson and Delilah well when he meets them it is it's lust at first sight he just says she's so beautiful I have

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to have her and he has both of them he's a man that has potential but he is weak why he didn't have the power inside to counteract the pressure outside he didn't have the power inside to counteract the pressure outside in the

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1960s there was a submarine that America had called the thresher submarine and it was going through its paces up by Cape Cod in the Atlantic Ocean and when it was doing its depth test it's very thick skinned hull but it went down to a depth

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and it never came up the hall imploded even though it was stout it was built well it seemed like it could withstand the pressure but the water pressure on the outside was too much that had just crumpled that submarine and all the crew

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died in that horrible disaster what's odd is at the same depth with the submarine crumpled there's little fish that swim around with very thin skin almost well it is it's translucent it's almost like you can see through it but

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they're just sort of swimming by the submarine Lexia no problem this is easy they're not imploding you know why the pressure on the inside equals the pressure on the outside and they can manage we have a power God promises us a

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person the Holy Spirit of God that is equal and stronger stronger than the pressure on the outside greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world you have a power on the inside that can withstand the pressure on the

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outside Sampson didn't live that way so this whole section is simply to show how bad things had gotten in Israel and this is only with the leaders the last section chapter 17 through 21 shows Israel as a whole and how depraved not

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just the leaders the judges were even though God used them he didn't endorse them but just how corrupt and how bad the nation had gotten how depraved the whole bunch of them had become and we have two tragic stories that sound and

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read like soap operas really now the last section chapter 17 through 21 is punctuated by a sentence that has mentioned four times four times and in these chapters this sentence is mentioned in chapter 17 chapter 18 chapter 19 chapter 21 this phrase and

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there was no king in Israel and everyone did what was right in his own eyes so the author the narrator begins the book by telling the successes moves to telling the whole story of the book of Judges in a

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nutshell with the sin cycle then he goes through the judges said Yap God used them but they were pretty corrupt now he ends the book by showing us two horrible soap opera stories chapters 17 and 18 is the story of a guy by the name of Micah

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not Micah the prophet a different Micah Micah in this story builds a private temple to an idol private temple private worship even found a corrupt Levi to become his own private priest that private priesthood in private temple is

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plundered by a private army from the tribe of Dan six hundred men from the tribe of Dan they a plunder the temple they take the idol with them they go north these Danites go north to a little peaceful town called Leia Sh and as you

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read the story they plunder the city they burn it to the ground and they murder all the inhabitants in Leia Sh that's how bad it's gotten when Israel rejects Yahweh as it's God might makes right they just start killing and

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plundering and murdering they're bullying people in the territory verse a chapter 18 verse 27 they took the things Micah had made and the priests who had belonged to him and went to lie --is-- to a people quiet and secure this is up

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north by Mount Hermon beautiful area and struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire there was no deliverer because it was far from Sidon they had no ties with anyone it was in the valley that belongs to Beth

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Rahab and so they built the city and dwelt there and they called the name of the city Dan after the name of their father now again when you go on a tour to is real with us we will take you to this

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town called lay ich which is now called tel which is a little archaeological hill tell Dan or the city of Dan the remains are still there in fact the very ancient Canaanite gate through which we believe Abraham entered into this city mentioned

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in Genesis is still intact so we invite you to come and see it now the final story and we'll close the final story is the worst they saved the worst for last this final story is the most disturbing story in the book it's a

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story about sexual abuse and violence that leads to Israel's first civil war now this is the whole point the whole point is here is a nation that said we're gonna serve the Lord Josh we're gonna do it with you in your house and

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they failed they got an F on the test they turned away from the God who loves them the God who once delivered them from Egypt now has to be delivered they have to be delivered from themselves they've become so corrupt chapter 19

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I'll sum it up is about a hillbilly Levite who takes a concubine by the way Levites aren't supposed to have one so that gives you insight into his morality the concubine belongs to him in those days she leaves the corrupt

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Levite has an affair with another man leaves the other man goes back home to her father's house the Levite finds her fetches her takes her back home but on the way as we're going toward Jerusalem they stop at a town called Gibeah

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because they need to stay the night nobody will let them in one guy lets them in as they are inside the house of the host the men of the city gather around the house demanding that the man come out that they can have relations

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with him it's very much to another chapter 19 in the Bible Genesis chapter 19 the story of sodom and gomorrah so they say bring out the man instead the host to satisfy the sexual appetite of these men gives his daughter to them and the

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Levites concubine they abused these women all night til they're dead so the Levi has a concubine concubine has an affair the host gives the girls to the perverted strangers in the city see how depraved this story is chapter

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19 verse 27 now if you think that was bad sorry but I'm gonna read this part when her master arose in the morning and opened the door this is the Levite the doors of the house and went out to go

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his way there was his concubine fallen at the door of the house with her hands on the threshold she's dead she has been abused all night and he said to her get up and let's be going but there was no answer so the man

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lifted her on the donkey the man got up and went to his place when he entered his house he took a knife laid hold of his concubine divided her into 12 pieces limb by limb and sent her throughout all

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the territory of Israel so he dismembered his dead concubines body in 12 care packages to the tribes of Israel to shock them and to summons them into a fight against the tribe of Benjamin who perpetrated the crime chapter 20 shows

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the attack of the nation of Israel against the tribe of Benjamin they lost the first few attempts in the civil war the Israelite lost 22,000 men that's the first day Benjamin lost 26 thousand one hundred men and they almost the children

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of Israel almost totally annihilated the entire tribe of Benjamin there were only six hundred men left after the civil war ended six hundred men left and that had to be remedied so it could grow the tribe back up chapter 21 verse

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24 we come to the end of the book so the children of Israel departed from there at that time every man to his tribe and family is after the civil war they went out from there every man to his

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inheritance in those days there was no king in Israel and everyone did what was right in his own eyes that verse sums up the book it does in one verse what that chapter chapter two did in a whole

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chapter giving you the foresight phases of the sin cycle this sums it up every man did what was right in his own eyes but this verse sets up the stage for the next book the next book is what Ruth

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Ruth tells the ancestry of King David so every man doing what's right in his own eyes sets up for the ancestry of David and the yearning of the people in the next book after that for Samuel for a

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king so it ends setting it up for a new beginning let me give you three takeaway lessons number one God often uses the most unlikely people to accomplish his work I hope you say oh good because the book of Judges proves in very graphic

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ways the truth that Paul will articulate in the New Testament book of 1st Corinthians 1 God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise I am confounded at the book of Judges it's a confounding narrative he did what

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they did what I'm confounded the Lord reserves the right to use the worst people to accomplish his ends number two God is holy and because God is holy he cannot stand the presence of sin that's why every time they turned away God

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judged them until they cried out god soft heart of love rescued them and they did it all over again but God is holy and judges sin third lesson now I'm gonna ask you at this third lesson since we're almost

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done and I'm gonna even take a seat as we close the book I'm gonna give you something that is I'm gonna wax a little philosophical for a moment can I abandoning absolutism leads to moral relativism you know without absolutism

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is you and I are absolutist we believe in an absolute morality expressed in God's Holy Word God hasn't changed from that there's only one way to heaven there's right there's wrong there's truth there's err we believe that that's

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absolutism if you don't believe that if you push that away then you become a moral relativist well your truth isn't my truth and everybody has her own truth and their own way of doing things their own way of thinking hey that's the last

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verse of the book every man did what was right in his own eyes so abandoning absolutism leads to moral relativism which leads to moral Anarchy it leads to moral Anarchy think of the two hundred years the nation's survived and the

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steps that they took what I read at the beginning Nietzsche said God was dead right but he said this if God is dead then everything is permitted if God is dead then do anything you want because you're never gonna face the bar

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of judgment there is no God you can do anything you want have any pleasure you want as long as you want if god is dead everything is permitted so abandoning absolutism leads to moral relativism which leads to moral Anarchy you do

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whatever you want we know better there may not be a king in Israel but there was a God in Israel and God was watching and God is going to send a deliverer Sall will be the first king he'll blow

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it David will be the man after God's own heart but in David is the greater promise of the greater son of David the Lord Jesus Christ and every time they long for a king they're longing for Jesus the Messiah to come and deliver

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from sin and punishment and abandon them so it sets it up for the hope of the gospel that's the book of Judges let's pray father we want to thank you for these very very dark lessons that show what happens the consequence of nations

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or individuals turning from you and father I pray this would serve as a warning to any of us Lord or trying to play sort of fast and loose with values and morality and truth that we would deal with these hard questions that we

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all struggle with and come to a place where we trust you and we know Lord that the wages of sin is death and every aberrant behavior comes with a consequence I pray Lord that this would serve in turning our hearts back to you

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and being generous with our love and admiration and abandonment and surrender to you and we would reap the benefits of those blessings in Jesus name Amen we hope you enjoyed this message from skip Heitzig of Calvary Church for more

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resources visit calvary and dot Church thank you for joining us for this teaching from the Bible from 30,000 feet

Topics:Book of JudgesOld TestamentIsrael historytribal leadershipsin cycleJoshuaKing SaulCanaanitesbiblical heroesBible study

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