Mobile Ed: OT317 Book Study: Judges (18 hour course - audio)

Course Outline

Introduction

• Introducing the Speaker and the Course

Unit 1: Introduction to the Book

• Considering the Title “Judges”
• The Date of Judges
• The Purpose of the Book
• The History of Interpretation
• How to Read Judges
• Extrabiblical Sources
• Historical and Religious Issues
• Read as Great Literature

Unit 2: The Canaanization of Israel: Background (Judg 1:1–36)

• Background and Purpose of Judges 1
• Overview: The Report of Israel’s Performance (Judg 1:12–36)
• Introduction to the Book (Judg 1:1–2)
• The Successes of Judah (Judg 1:3–20)
• Adoni-Bezek
• Jerusalem and the Upland Campaign (Judg 1:4–8)
• Conquest of Hebron (Judg 1:10)
• Conquest of Debir (Judg 1:11–15)
• Caleb and Acsah (Judg 1:11–15)
• Settling in Arad (Judg 1:16)
• Sacking of Hormah (Judg 1:17)
• The Southwest Coastal Lowlands (Judg 1:18)
• Summary of Judah’s Campaigns (Judg 1:19–20)
• The Remaining Tribes (Judg 1:21–29)
• The Northern Tribes (Judg 1:30–36)

Unit 3: What’s Wrong in Israel (Judg 2:1–3:6)

• Overview of Judges 2
• The Structure of Judges 2
• The Envoy of YHWH and the People’s Response (Judg 2:1–5)
• Interpretations of Israel’s Behavior (Judg 2:1–20a)
• The Roots of Israel’s Apostasy (Judg 2:6–10)
• The Expression of Apostasy (Judg 2:11–13)
• God’s Reaction to Israel’s Apostasy (Judg 2:14–20a)
• God’s Interpretation of Israel’s Behavior (Judg 2:20b–22)
• Consequences of Apostasy
• More about Domestic Consequences of Apostasy (Judg 3:1–6)

Unit 4: Introduction to the Book of Deliverers (Judg 3:7–31)

• Structure of Deliverer Accounts
• Preliminary Observations (Judg 3–16)
• Othniel and Aram-Naharaim: A Paradigmatic Account (Judg 3:7–11)
• Ehud and Moab (Judg 3:12–30)
• Ehud’s Left-Handedness
• Ehud’s Preparation
• Ehud’s Deliverance of Israel
• Ehud: Theological and Practical Implications
• Shamgar the Judge (Judg 3:31)

Unit 5: Barak and the Canaanites (Judg 4–5)

• Literary Observations on the Barak Cycle
• Structure of Judges 4–5
• Jabin and Sisera
• The Oppression of Sisera (Judg 4:1–3)
• God Raises a Deliverer (Judg 4:4–10)
• Who Was Deborah?
• Deborah’s Role in Israel (Judg 4:4–5)
• Deborah and Barak (Judg 4:6–9)
• Summary of Events in Judges 4
• Barak’s Victory (Judg 4:11–22)
• The Battle’s End (Judg 4:15–22)
• Jael the Assassin (Judg 4:17–22)
• Evaluating Barak and Jael

Unit 6: Celebrating the Victory (Judg 5:1–31)

• Song of Celebration
• Ancient Near Eastern Victory Hymns
• Authorship of the Song
• The Historical Representation of Israel in Judges 5
• The Purpose of Judges 5
• Reading the Hymn, Part 1 (Judg 5:1–27)
• Reading the Hymn, Part 2 (Judg 5:28–31)
• Chariots and Sun Gods
• Theological and Practical Implications of Judges 5

Unit 7: The Gideon Cycle: Overview and Early Events (Judg 6–9)

• Overview of the Gideon Cycle
• Oppression in the Gideon Cycle (Judg 6:1–5)
• The Prophet’s Message (Judg 6:7–10)
• Gideon’s Call (Judg 6:11–24)
• Gideon Cleans House (Judg 6:25–32)
• Gideon’s Piety
• Gideon’s Problems

Unit 8: Gideon’s Big Test (Judg 6:33–8:3)

• Preparing for Battle and Second-Guessing
• Reducing the Troops (Judg 7:1–8)
• Gideon’s Third Thoughts (Judg 7:9–15)
• An Unlikely Battle Plan (Judg 7:16–23)
• After the Battle (Judg 7:24–25)
• Postscript of the Battle (Judg 8:1–3)

Unit 9: Aftermath of Battle (Judg 8:4–28)

• Structure and Themes of the Section
• Gideon and the Succothites (Judg 8:4–9)
• Capture and Cruelty (Judg 8:10–17)
• Gideon’s Personal Vendetta (Judg 8:18–21)
• Gideon Becomes a Problem (Judg 8:22–27)
• Gideon’s Legacy

Unit 10: Gideon’s Legacy (Judg 8:28–35)

• Personal and Spiritual Legacy
• Marks of Israel’s Spiritual Decline
• Theological Significance of the Gideon Narrative

Unit 11: Gideon’s Dynastic Legacy: Abimelech (Judg 9:1–57)

• Overview of the Abimelech Account
• Abimelech Seizes the Throne (Judg 9:1–6)
• Jotham’s Preamble (Judg 9:7)
• Jotham’s Fable (Judg 9:8–15)
• The Evil Spirit (Judg 9:22–25)
• Conspiracy of Gaal (Judg 9:26–29)
• Defeat of Shechem (Judg 9:42–49)
• Death of Abimelech (Judg 9:50–55)
• The Epilogue (Judg 9:56—57)

Unit 12: The Minor Governors (Judg 10:1–5)

• The Significance of the Minor Governors
• Five Minor Judges (Judg 10:1–5)

Unit 13: Jephthah (Judg 10:6–12:7)

• Overview of the Jephthah Account
• Connections with Earlier Judges
• Israel’s Canaanization and God’s Anger (Judg 10:6–9)
• Israel’s Cry and God’s Response (Judg 10:10–14)
• The People’s Response (Judg 10:15–16)
• Israel’s Agent of Deliverance (Judg 10:17–18)
• A Candidate Emerges (Judg 11:1–3)
• Jephthah’s Response (Judg 11:4–11)

Unit 14: Jephthah’s Victory and Vow (Judg 11:12–12:7)

• Negotiations (Judg 11:12–28)
• Jephthah’s Masterful Speech (Judg 11:14–28)
• Tarnished Victory (Judg 11:29–33)
• Jephthah’s Vow (Judg 11:30–31)
• Ancient Child Sacrifice
• Joy and Tragedy (Judg 11:34–35)
• A Daughter’s Honor (Judg 11:36–40)
• A Closer Look at Jephthah’s Vow
• Negotiations with Ephraim (Judg 12:1–3)
• Civil War (Judg 12:4–7)
• Considering Jephthah and Israel
• Concluding Thoughts about the Jephthah Cycle

Unit 15: Samson and the Philistines (Judg 13:1–16:31)

• The Paradigm Breaks Down
• The Structure of the Samson Cycle
• The Philistines (Judg 13:1)
• Birth and Call Narrative (Judg 13:2–24)
• Manoah’s Wife and the Nazirite Vow (Judg 13:2–5)
• The Wife’s Report (Judg 13:6–7)
• Manoah’s Three Exchanges (Judg 13:8–16)
• Third and Fourth Exchanges (Judg 13:17–19)
• Two Responses to Wonder (Judg 13:20–23)
• The Promise Fulfilled (Judg 13:24)
• Summary of Judges 13

Unit 16: Samson’s Marriage (Judg 13:25–14:20)

• Overview of the Story of Samson’s Marriage
• A Lion and a Wife (Judg 13:25–14:10a)
• Wedding Preparations (Judg 14:10b–11)
• Samson’s Riddle (Judg 14:12–14)
• The Riddle Solved (Judg 14:15–18)
• The Theological Climax (Judg 14:19–20)

Unit 17: Samson Fights the Philistines (Judg 15)

• Overview and Introduction to Judges 15
• Fiery Jackals (Judg 15:4–5)
• Samson’s Philistine Ethic (Judg 15:6–13)
• A Deadly Jawbone (Judg 15:14–15)
• Celebration and Thirst (Judg 15:16–19a)
• Samson’s Selfishness (Judg 15:19b–20)

Unit 18: Samson in Gaza (Judg 16)

• Overview of Judges 16
• Key Questions (Judg 16:1–3)
• Purpose of the Narrative Fragment (Judg 16:1–3)
• Key Themes (Judg 16:1–31)
• The Sorek Valley (Judg 16:4–5)
• Delilah (Judg 16:4–5)
• Delilah’s First Attempt (Judg 16:6–9)
• Delilah’s Further Attempts (Judg 16:10–16)
• The Betrayal (Judg 16:17–20)
• The Tragic Climax (Judg 16:20–22)
• A Hair of Hope (Judg 16:22)
• In Praise of Dagon (Judg 16:23–24)
• The Philistines’ Song of Praise (Judg 16:24)
• Samson’s Final Prayer (Judg 16:25–28)
• The Last Act (Judg 16:29–31)
• Theological and Practical Implications of the Samson Cycle

Unit 19: The Climax of the Book (Judg 17–21)

• Overview of the Book’s Climax
• Absence of a King (Judg 17:6)
• Corruption of a Household (Judg 17:1–6)
• Corruption of the Priesthood (Judg 17:7–8)
• A Conversation between Micah and the Levite (Judg 17:8–13)

Unit 20: The Danite Mission (Judg 18)

• Overview of Judges 18
• A Parody of Sorts (Judg 18:1)
• Good Questions, Bad Answers (Judg 18:2–3)
• Requesting an Oracle (Judg 18:4–6)
• Peaceful Laish (Judg 18:7–10)
• On the March (Judg 18:11–20)
• Micah’s Empty Protest (Judg 18:21–26)
• The New Cult (Judg 18:27–31)

Unit 21: A Levite’s Misstep (Judg 19:1–28)

• Overview of Judges 19–21
• Anonymity and Absence in Judges 19–21
• Principal Characters (Judg 19:1–9)
• Setting the Stage (Judg 19:10–15)
• Social Outrage (Judg 19:16–21)
• Moral Outrage (Judg 19:22–23)
• The Gang Rape (Judg 19:24–26)
• The Journey Home (Judg 19:27–28)
• Theological and Practical Implications of Judges 19

Unit 22: Civil War in Israel (Judg 19:29–20:48)

• Overview of Judges 20
• The Nation at War (Judg 20:1–7)
• Preparing for War (Judg 20:8–17)
• The Rhythm of Battle (Judg 20:18–28)
• The Final Battle (Judg 20:29–48)
• Theological and Practical Implications of Judges 20

Unit 23: Saving Benjamin (Judg 21)

• Overview of Judges 21
• The Silence of God (Judg 21:3–4)
• A Legal Loophole (Judg 21:5–7)
• Second Holy War (Judg 21:8–11)
• An Insufficient Solution (Judg 21:12–18)
• The Second Solution (Judg 21:19–22)
• Implementing the Plan (Judg 21:23–25)
• Social and Historical Implications of Judges 21
• Theological Implications of Judges 21

Conclusion