GOD’S ECONOMY
SERIES THIRTEEN
GOD’S ECONOMY IN ALL THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
God’s Economy as Revealed in the Old Testament
Message Eight
God’s Economy as Revealed in Judges
Scripture Reading: Judg. 2:11-13, 17, 3:7, 8:33, 10:6, 18:31, 19:1-30, Isa. 54:5, Deut. 8:7-10, Col. 2:6-7
I. In writing the books of history, Samuel put Judges after Joshua to show us the kind of life Israel lived toward her Husband; as unveiled in this book, Israel did not have a heart to be the wife of Jehovah; she forsook God as her Husband and went about as a harlot after other gods and worshipped them—Judg. 2:11-13, 17, 3:7, 8:33, 10:6, cf. Jer. 11:13, Ezek. 16:25-26, Hosea 1:2, 2:2: (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Judg. 1:1, footnote 1)
A. According to the full scope of the Old Testament, at Mount Sinai God married Israel; in His concept and desire, God wanted to be a Husband to Israel, and He wanted Israel to be a wife to Him, living in the most intimate contact with Him in this marvelous marriage union—Isa. 54:5, Exo. 20:6 footnote 1. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Judg. 1:1, footnote 1)
B. After the account of Judah and Caleb in 1:1-20, Israel’s history as recorded in this book is full of the rottenness and corruption of a harlot—Judg. 2:17, 12. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Judg. 1:1, footnote 1)
II. The central thought of the book of Judges is that Israel forsook God, suffered defeat by their enemies, and became rotten; and since there was no king among them, everyone did that which was right in his own eyes—17:6, 21:25, Hosea 10:3: (Life-study of Judges, msg. 1)
A. Judges is the book of Israel’s history full of miserable defeats under their enemies in the forsaking of Jehovah; this is the intrinsic significance of the book of Judges—2 Chron. 24:18, Judg. 10:6. (Life-study of Judges, msg. 1)
B. The content of Judges consists of the children of Israel trusting in God, forsaking God, being defeated by their enemies, being delivered through the judges, and becoming corrupted—1:1-2, 2:11-3:11: (Life-study of Judges, msg. 1)
1. When the children of Israel, who had trusted in God, forsook God, they were defeated by their enemies—2:14. (Life-study of Judges, msg. 1)
2. Because of their miserable situation, they repented, and the Lord mercifully raised up judges to deliver them—v. 16-19. (Life-study of Judges, msg. 1)
3. After the children of Israel were delivered, they became corrupted; all this became a cycle that was repeated over and over in Judges—v. 19. (Life-study of Judges, msg. 1)
C. In the book of Judges, a particular saying is repeated a number of times: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did that which was right in his own eyes”—Judg. 17:6. (Life-study of Judges, msg. 1)
D. The age of judges may be considered the darkest period in the history of Israel; it was also a period of tragedy; the unbelief of the children of Israel caused them to wander for forty years so that even their carcasses fell in the wilderness; their forsaking God and their idolatry after they entered the land issued in a situation of defeat and tragedy that lasted not merely forty years, but ten times forty years—Heb. 3:7, 19. (Truth Lessons, Level 1, vol. 1, ch. 10)
III. The book of Judges has three sections: Israel’s trusting in God; Israel’s forsaking of God (comprising their suffering of defeats, their repentance, and God’s deliverance); and Israel’s becoming corrupted—1:1-2:5, 2:6-16:31, 17:1-21:25: (Life-study of Judges, msg. 1)
A. Israel’s trusting in God—1:1-2:5: (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Judges outline)
1. Judah’s boldness and victory—1:1-21. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Judges outline)
2. The house of Joseph going up to fight against Bethel, Jehovah being with them, and they striking the people of the city with their sword—1:22-26. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Judges outline)
3. The admonition of the Angel of Jehovah (Christ as the acting Jehovah in the Old Testament to take care of Israel)—2:1-5. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Judges outline)
B. Israel’s forsaking of God (comprising their suffering of defeats, their repentance, and God’s deliverance)—2:6-16:31: (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Judges outline)
1. The first cycle, through Othniel—3:7-11a. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Judges outline)
2. The second cycle, through Ehud and Shamgar—3:11b-31. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Judges outline)
3. The third cycle, through Deborah—4:4. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Judges outline)
4. The fourth cycle, through Gideon—6:36. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Judges outline)
5. The fifth cycle, through Abimelech, Tola, and Jair—10:1-5. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Judges outline)
6. The sixth cycle, through Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon—12:7-8, 12-13. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Judges outline)
7. The seventh cycle, through Samson—16:31. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Judges outline)
C. Israel’s becoming corrupted—17:6-19:30: (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Judges outline)
1. The abominable chaos in their worship—17:1-18:31. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Judges outline)
2. The sodomitical corruption in their morality—19:1-30. (Holy Bible Recovery Version, Judges outline)
D. The reason for Israel’s forsaking of God—2:11, 6-10: (Life-study of Judges, msg. 3)
1. The death of Joshua, of the elders, and of that entire generation was the reason for Israel’s forsaking of God—1:6-10a. (Life-study of Judges, msg. 3)
2. Because the present generation did not know Jehovah or the work that He had done for Israel—1:10b. (Life-study of Judges, msg. 3)
E. When the children of Israel, who had trusted in God, forsook God, they were defeated by their enemies; because of their miserable situation, they repented, and the Lord mercifully raised up judges to deliver them; as many as seven times, they rebelled, were enslaved, repented, and were delivered, all this became a cycle that was repeated over and over in Judges, this continued until Samuel was raised up by God. Then the age of the judges was ended.—1:1-2, 2:11-20. (Life-study of Judges, msg. 1; Truth Lessons, Level 1, vol. 1, ch. 10)
IV. In Judges, we are concerned not with history but with learning from the types how to gain Christ and enjoy Him; how we can gain and enjoy the good land, which is a complete and all-inclusive type of Christ—1 Sam. 26:19b, Deut. 8:7-10: (Life-study of Judges, msg. 9)
A. According to the record in Judges, in the degradation Israel became chaotic in government, in worship, and in morality; such a people surely could not gain Christ and enjoy Him—Judg. 18:31, 19:1-30. (Life-study of Judges, msg. 10)
B. Judges is a book concerning the enjoyment of the good land, which is a type of Christ; we need to be careful every day in and every detail, keeping ourselves in the enjoyment of Christ all the time; then God’s economy will be able to go forward—Deut. 8:7-10. (Life-study of Judges, msg. 5, msg. 9)
C. We must take Him, love Him, honor Him, respect Him, regard Him, exalt Him, and cling to Him, rejecting Satan to the uttermost; then we will be blessed—Col. 2:6-7. (Life-study of Judges, msg. 6)