1 Samuel chapters 1 and 2 introduce us to the story of Hannah, a woman deeply distressed by her inability to have children.

• In her anguish, she prays fervently to the Lord, promising that if He grants her a son, she will dedicate him to the Lord's service.

1 SAMUEL 1
10 Deeply hurt, Hannah prayed to the Lord and wept with many tears. 11 Making a vow, she pleaded, “Lord of Armies, if you will take notice of your servant’s affliction, remember and not forget me, and give your servant a son, I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and his hair will never be cut.”[1]

• God hears her prayer, and she gives birth to Samuel, whom she later brings to the temple to fulfill her vow.

20 After some time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, because she said, “I requested him from the Lord.”[2]
 
27 I prayed for this boy, and since the Lord gave me what I asked him for, 28 I now give the boy to the Lord. For as long as he lives, he is given to the Lord.” Then he worshiped the Lord there.[3]
 
Chapter 2 begins with Hannah's prayer of thanksgiving, a beautiful expression of praise and acknowledgment of God's sovereignty and faithfulness (1 Samuel 2:1-10).

• The narrative then shifts to the corruption of Eli's sons, who are priests but act wickedly, contrasting with the growing favor of young Samuel, who serves the Lord faithfully (1 Samuel 2:12-17, 26).

 
1 SAMUEL 2
12 Eli’s sons were wicked men; they did not respect the Lord 13 or the priests’ share of the sacrifices from the people. When anyone offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged meat fork while the meat was boiling 14 and plunge it into the container, kettle, cauldron, or cooking pot. The priest would claim for himself whatever the meat fork brought up. This is the way they treated all the Israelites who came there to Shiloh. 15 Even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the one who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast, because he won’t accept boiled meat from you—only raw.” 16 If that person said to him, “The fat must be burned first; then you can take whatever you want for yourself,” the servant would reply, “No, I insist that you hand it over right now. If you don’t, I’ll take it by force!” 17 So the servants’ sin was very severe in the presence of the Lord, because the men treated the Lord’s offering with contempt.[4]
 
26 By contrast, the boy Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people.[5]
These chapters highlight themes of faith, prayer, and God's faithfulness in answering prayers.

• They also set the stage for the rise of Samuel as a significant prophet and leader in Israel, emphasizing God's ability to work through humble and faithful individuals to accomplish His purposes.

27 A man of God came to Eli and said to him…[6]
35 “ ‘Then I will raise up a faithful priest for myself. He will do whatever is in my heart and mind. I will establish a lasting dynasty for him, and he will walk before my anointed one for all time.[7]
 
SAMUEL’S CALL
1 SAMUEL 3
1 The boy Samuel served the Lord in Eli’s presence. In those days the word of the Lord was rare and prophetic visions were not widespread.
2 One day Eli, whose eyesight was failing, was lying in his usual place. 3 Before the lamp of God had gone out, Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was located.
4 Then the Lord called Samuel, and he answered, “Here I am.” 5 He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
“I didn’t call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
6 Once again the Lord called, “Samuel!”
Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
“I didn’t call, my son,” he replied. “Go back and lie down.”
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, because the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

•  It probably means that the boy had not yet come to know Yahweh as he was about to know Him, having heard His voice speaking directly to him 

8 Once again, for the third time, the Lord called Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
Then Eli understood that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 He told Samuel, “Go and lie down. If he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 The Lord came, stood there, and called as before, “Samuel, Samuel!”
Samuel responded, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
11 The Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do something in Israel that will cause everyone who hears about it to shudder. 12 On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I said about his family, from beginning to end. 13 I told him that I am going to judge his family forever because of the iniquity he knows about: his sons are cursing God, and he has not stopped them. 14 Therefore, I have sworn to Eli’s family: The iniquity of Eli’s family will never be wiped out by either sacrifice or offering.”
15 Samuel lay down until the morning; then he opened the doors of the Lord’s house. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, 16 but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”
“Here I am,” answered Samuel.
17 “What was the message he gave you?” Eli asked. “Don’t hide it from me. May God punish you and do so severely if you hide anything from me that he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything and did not hide anything from him. Eli responded, “He is the Lord. Let him do what he thinks is good.”
19 Samuel grew. The Lord was with him, and he fulfilled everything Samuel prophesied. 20 All Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a confirmed prophet of the Lord. 21 The Lord continued to appear in Shiloh, because there he revealed himself to Samuel by his word
 
1 SAMUEL 4
And Samuel’s words came to all Israel.[8]
 
THE ARK CAPTURED BY THE PHILISTINES
Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped at Ebenezer while the Philistines camped at Aphek. 2 The Philistines lined up in battle formation against Israel, and as the battle intensified, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who struck down about four thousand men on the battlefield.
3 When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord defeat us today before the Philistines? Let’s bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh. Then it will go with us and save us from our enemies.” 4 So the people sent men to Shiloh to bring back the ark of the covenant of the Lord of Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 5 When the ark of the covenant of the Lord entered the camp, all the Israelites raised such a loud shout that the ground shook.
6 The Philistines heard the sound of the war cry and asked, “What’s this loud shout in the Hebrews’ camp?” When the Philistines discovered that the ark of the Lord had entered the camp, 7 they panicked. “A god has entered their camp!” they said. “Woe to us! Nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who will rescue us from these magnificent gods? These are the gods that slaughtered the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness. 9 Show some courage and be men, Philistines! Otherwise, you’ll serve the Hebrews just as they served you. Now be men and fight!”
10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. The slaughter was severe—thirty thousand of the Israelite foot soldiers fell. 11 The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
 
ELI’S DEATH AND ICHABOD’S BIRTH
12 That same day, a Benjaminite man ran from the battle and came to Shiloh. His clothes were torn, and there was dirt on his head. 13 When he arrived, there was Eli sitting on his chair beside the road waiting, because he was anxious about the ark of God. When the man entered the city to give a report, the entire city cried out.
14 Eli heard the outcry and asked, “Why this commotion?” The man quickly came and reported to Eli. 15 At that time Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes didn’t move because he couldn’t see.
16 The man said to Eli, “I’m the one who came from the battle. I fled from there today.”
“What happened, my son?” Eli asked.
17 The messenger answered, “Israel has fled from the Philistines, and also there was a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” 18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off the chair by the city gate, and since he was old and heavy, his neck broke and he died. Eli had judged Israel forty years.
19 Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news about the capture of God’s ark and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband, she collapsed and gave birth because her labor pains came on her. 20 As she was dying, the women taking care of her said, “Don’t be afraid. You’ve given birth to a son!” But she did not respond or pay attention. 21 She named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” referring to the capture of the ark of God and to the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 “The glory has departed from Israel,” she said, “because the ark of God has been captured.”[9]
 
In 1 Samuel, chapters 5 to 7, we see the journey of the Ark of the Covenant after the Philistines captured it.

• In chapter 5, the Philistines place the Ark in the temple of their god Dagon, but the statue of Dagon falls before the Ark, and the people of Ashdod are afflicted with tumors.
• Realizing the power of the God of Israel, the Philistines move the Ark to different cities, but each city experiences similar plagues (1 Samuel 5:1-12).

 
1 SAMUEL 5
11 The Ekronites called all the Philistine rulers together. They said, “Send the ark of Israel’s God away. Let it return to its place so it won’t kill us and our people!” For the fear of death pervaded the city; God’s hand was oppressing them. 12 Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.[10]
In chapter 6, the Philistines decide to return the Ark to Israel, sending it back on a cart with offerings of gold as a guilt offering.

• The Ark arrives in Beth-shemesh, where the people rejoice, but some are struck down for looking into the Ark, highlighting the holiness of God and the importance of reverence (1 Samuel 6:13-19).

 
1 SAMUEL 6
13 The people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they were overjoyed to see it. 14 The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there near a large rock. The people of the city chopped up the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord.

• The ark was extremely important in Israel's national life. It was where Yahweh manifested His presence, and it symbolized God's presence.

15 The Levites removed the ark of the Lord, along with the box containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock. That day the people of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. 16 When the five Philistine rulers observed this, they returned to Ekron that same day.
17 As a guilt offering to the Lord, the Philistines had sent back one gold tumor for each city: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. 18 The number of gold mice also corresponded to the number of Philistine cities of the five rulers, the fortified cities and the outlying villages. The large rock, on which the ark of the Lord was placed is still in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh today.
19 God struck down the people of Beth-shemesh because they looked inside the ark of the Lord. He struck down seventy persons. The people mourned because the Lord struck them with a great slaughter.[11]
 
Chapter 7 describes the Ark's journey to Kiriath-jearim, where it remains for twenty years.

• During this time, Samuel calls the Israelites to repentance, urging them to turn away from foreign gods and serve the Lord alone.
• The people respond, and Samuel leads them in a time of national repentance and prayer.
• God delivers Israel from the Philistines..

 
1 SAMUEL 7
12 Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it upright between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, explaining, “The Lord has helped us to this point.”

• Map

13 So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israel’s territory again. The Lord’s hand was against the Philistines all of Samuel’s life. 14 The cities from Ekron to Gath, which they had taken from Israel, were restored; Israel even rescued their surrounding territories from Philistine control. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites. [12]
These chapters emphasize God's holiness, the importance of reverence, and the power of repentance and turning to God for deliverance.

• They also highlight Samuel's role as a spiritual leader who guides Israel back to faithfulness.

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Sa 1:10–11.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Sa 1:20.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Sa 1:27–28.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Sa 2:12–17.
[5] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Sa 2:26.
[6] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Sa 2:27.
[7] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Sa 2:35.
[8] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Sa 3:1–4:1.
[9] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Sa 4:1–22.
[10] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Sa 5:11–12.
[11] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Sa 6:13–19.
[12] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Sa 7:12–14.

The name "Ruth" may mean "friendship," "comfort," or "refreshment."

• It appears to have been a Moabite name and not a Hebrew name originally.
• The only other Old Testament book that was named for a Gentile (non-Israelite) is Job.
• The Book of Ruth was attached to the end of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible.
• Books of the Bible picture
• Later the Jews placed Ruth in the third major division of their canon, the Kethubim (Writings).
• In most Hebrew Bibles, Ruth occurs immediately after Proverbs and before Song of Songs in the Writings, the third section of the Tanak [Hebrew Bible].
• This placement associates Ruth with Proverbs 31, the poem of the virtuous woman, and the Song of Songs, in which the woman takes the lead in the relationship.

 

• Twenty-three of its 85 verses mention God.
• Of these, only 1:6 and 4:13, which bracket the book, are the narrator's comments.
• All the rest appear in the characters' speeches.
• Contrast the Book of Esther, which also teaches the providence of God, but does not mention God even once.
• This is one of the only two books in Scripture which bear the names of women.
• Those two are Ruth and Esther; and they stand in marked contrast.
• Ruth is a young Gentile woman who is brought to live among Hebrews and marries a Hebrew husband in the line of royal David.
• Esther is a young Hebrew woman who is brought to live among Gentiles and marries a Gentile husband on the throne of a great empire.

 

• The Ruth narrative provided a gratifying reminder that even in the darkest times God was at work in the hearts of His faithful remnant.

 
NAOMI’S FAMILY IN MOAB
RUTH 1
1 During the time of the judges, there was a famine in the land. A man left Bethlehem in Judah with his wife and two sons to stay in the territory of Moab for a while. 2 The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife’s name was Naomi. The names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They entered the fields of Moab and settled there. 3 Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 Her sons took Moabite women as their wives: one was named Orpah and the second was named Ruth. After they lived in Moab about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was left without her two children and without her husband.
 
RUTH’S LOYALTY TO NAOMI
6 She and her daughters-in-law set out to return from the territory of Moab, because she had heard in Moab that the Lord had paid attention to his people’s need by providing them food. 7 She left the place where she had been living, accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, and traveled along the road leading back to the land of Judah.
8 Naomi said to them, “Each of you go back to your mother’s home. May the Lord show kindness to you as you have shown to the dead and to me. 9 May the Lord grant each of you rest in the house of a new husband.” She kissed them, and they wept loudly.
10 They said to her, “We insist on returning with you to your people.”
11 But Naomi replied, “Return home, my daughters. Why do you want to go with me? Am I able to have any more sons who could become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters. Go on, for I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me to have a husband tonight and to bear sons, 13 would you be willing to wait for them to grow up? Would you restrain yourselves from remarrying? No, my daughters, my life is much too bitter for you to share, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me.” 14 Again they wept loudly, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Follow your sister-in-law.”
16 But Ruth replied:
Don’t plead with me to abandon you
or to return and not follow you.
For wherever you go, I will go,
and wherever you live, I will live;
your people will be my people,
and your God will be my God.
17 Where you die, I will die,
and there I will be buried.
May the Lord punish me,
and do so severely,
if anything but death separates you and me.

• Ruth, being a Moabitess, was a descendant of Lot, who chose to leave the Promised Land because he thought he could do better for himself elsewhere (Gen. 13:11-12).
• Ruth now reversed the decision of her ancestor and chose to identify with the promises of Yahweh that centered in the Promised Land.

18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped talking to her.
19 The two of them traveled until they came to Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, the whole town was excited about their arrival, and the local women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”
20 “Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara,” she answered, “for the Almighty has made me very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has opposed me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?”
22 So Naomi came back from the territory of Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabitess. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.[1]
 
RUTH AND BOAZ MEET
RUTH 2
1 Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side. He was a prominent man of noble character from Elimelech’s family. His name was Boaz.
2 Ruth the Moabitess asked Naomi, “Will you let me go into the fields and gather fallen grain behind someone with whom I find favor?”
Naomi answered her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” 3 So Ruth left and entered the field to gather grain behind the harvesters. She happened to be in the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from Elimelech’s family.
4 Later, when Boaz arrived from Bethlehem, he said to the harvesters, “The Lord be with you.”
“The Lord bless you,” they replied.
5 Boaz asked his servant who was in charge of the harvesters, “Whose young woman is this?”
6 The servant answered, “She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the territory of Moab. 7 She asked, ‘Will you let me gather fallen grain among the bundles behind the harvesters?’ She came and has been on her feet since early morning, except that she rested a little in the shelter.”
8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Don’t go and gather grain in another field, and don’t leave this one, but stay here close to my female servants. 9 See which field they are harvesting, and follow them. Haven’t I ordered the young men not to touch you? When you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the young men have filled.”

• Boaz is instituting the first anti-sexual-harassment policy in the workplace recorded in the Bible.

10 She fell facedown, bowed to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor with you, so that you notice me, although I am a foreigner?”
11 Boaz answered her, “Everything you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband’s death has been fully reported to me: how you left your father and mother and your native land, and how you came to a people you didn’t previously know. 12 May the Lord reward you for what you have done, and may you receive a full reward from the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”
13 “My lord,” she said, “I have found favor with you, for you have comforted and encouraged your servant, although I am not like one of your female servants.”
14 At mealtime Boaz told her, “Come over here and have some bread and dip it in the vinegar sauce.” So she sat beside the harvesters, and he offered her roasted grain. She ate and was satisfied and had some left over.
15 When she got up to gather grain, Boaz ordered his young men, “Let her even gather grain among the bundles, and don’t humiliate her. 16 Pull out some stalks from the bundles for her and leave them for her to gather. Don’t rebuke her.” 17 So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. She beat out what she had gathered, and it was about twenty-six quarts of barley.

• This was the equivalent of at least half a month's wages in one day.

18 She picked up the grain and went into the town, where her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She brought out what she had left over from her meal and gave it to her.
19 Her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you gather barley today, and where did you work? May the Lord bless the man who noticed you.”
Ruth told her mother-in-law whom she had worked with and said, “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz.”
20 Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May the Lord bless him because he has not abandoned his kindness to the living or the dead.” Naomi continued, “The man is a close relative. He is one of our family redeemers.”
21 Ruth the Moabitess said, “He also told me, ‘Stay with my young men until they have finished all of my harvest.’ ”
22 So Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, “My daughter, it is good for you to work with his female servants, so that nothing will happen to you in another field.” 23 Ruth stayed close to Boaz’s female servants and gathered grain until the barley and the wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.[2]
 
RUTH’S APPEAL TO BOAZ
RUTH 3
1 Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, shouldn’t I find rest for you, so that you will be taken care of? 2 Now isn’t Boaz our relative? Haven’t you been working with his female servants? This evening he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. 3 Wash, put on perfumed oil (Midnight in Moab), and wear your best clothes. Go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let the man know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, notice the place where he’s lying, go in and uncover his feet, and lie down. Then he will explain to you what you should do.”

• Touching and holding his feet was an act of submission.

5 So Ruth said to her, “I will do everything you say.” 6 She went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law had charged her to do. 7 After Boaz ate, drank, and was in good spirits, he went to lie down at the end of the pile of barley, and she came secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.
8 At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned over, and there lying at his feet was a woman! 9 So he asked, “Who are you?”
“I am Ruth, your servant,” she replied. “Take me under your wing,, for you are a family redeemer.”
10 Then he said, “May the Lord bless you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before, because you have not pursued younger men, whether rich or poor. 11 Now don’t be afraid, my daughter. I will do for you whatever you say, since all the people in my town know that you are a woman of noble character. 12 Yes, it is true that I am a family redeemer, but there is a redeemer closer than I am. 13 Stay here tonight, and in the morning, if he wants to redeem you, that’s good. Let him redeem you. But if he doesn’t want to redeem you, as the Lord lives, I will. Now lie down until morning.”

• (1) He had to be a near kinsman.
• (2) He had to be willing to redeem.
• (3) He had to be able to redeem.
• (4) He had to be free himself.
• (5) He had to be able to pay the price of redemption.

14 So she lay down at his feet until morning but got up while it was still dark. Then Boaz said, “Don’t let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 And he told Ruth, “Bring the shawl you’re wearing and hold it out.” When she held it out, he shoveled six measures of barley into her shawl, and she went into the town.
16 She went to her mother-in-law, Naomi, who asked her, “What happened, my daughter?”
Then Ruth told her everything the man had done for her. 17 She said, “He gave me these six measures of barley, because he said, ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’ ”
18 Naomi said, “My daughter, wait until you find out how things go, for he won’t rest unless he resolves this today.” [3]
 
RUTH AND BOAZ MARRY
RUTH 4
1 Boaz went to the gate of the town and sat down there. Soon the family redeemer Boaz had spoken about came by. Boaz said, “Come over here and sit down.” So he went over and sat down. 2 Then Boaz took ten men of the town’s elders and said, “Sit here.” And they sat down. 3 He said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has returned from the territory of Moab, is selling the portion of the field that belonged to our brother Elimelech. 4 I thought I should inform you: Buy it back in the presence of those seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you want to redeem it, do it. But if you do not want to redeem it, tell me so that I will know, because there isn’t anyone other than you to redeem it, and I am next after you.”
“I want to redeem it,” he answered.
5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from Naomi, you will acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the deceased man, to perpetuate the man’s name on his property.”,
6 The redeemer replied, “I can’t redeem it myself, or I will ruin my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption, because I can’t redeem it.”
7 At an earlier period in Israel, a man removed his sandal and gave it to the other party in order to make any matter legally binding concerning the right of redemption or the exchange of property. This was the method of legally binding a transaction in Israel.
8 So the redeemer removed his sandal and said to Boaz, “Buy back the property yourself.”
9 Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I am buying from Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon. 10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, to perpetuate the deceased man’s name on his property, so that his name will not disappear among his relatives or from the gate of his hometown. You are witnesses today.”
11 All the people who were at the city gate, including the elders, said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is entering your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built the house of Israel. May you be powerful in Ephrathah and your name well known in Bethlehem. 12 May your house become like the house of Perez, the son Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring the Lord will give you by this young woman.”
13 Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. (rest) He slept with her, and the Lord granted conception to her, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you without a family redeemer today. May his name become well known in Israel. 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. Indeed, your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Naomi took the child, placed him on her lap, and became a mother to him. 17 The neighbor women said, “A son has been born to Naomi,” and they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
 
DAVID’S GENEALOGY FROM JUDAH’S SON
18 Now these are the family records of Perez:
Perez fathered Hezron,
19 Hezron fathered Ram,
Ram fathered Amminadab,
20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon,
Nahshon fathered Salmon,
21 Salmon fathered Boaz,
Boaz fathered Obed,
22 Obed fathered Jesse,
and Jesse fathered David.[4]

• Ruth became an example of what God intended Israel to be in the world: a blessing to others and blessed herself.
• God was faithful to bring this to pass because Ruth exercised faith in Him.
• Rest is God's reward for those who follow Him faithfully, as Hebrews 3 and 4 make clear.

 

• The Book of Ruth reveals God's grace in providing a redeemer.
• First, He provided Boaz, to redeem Ruth and Naomi.
• Then, through Ruth, He provided David to set Israel free from her enemies.

Finally, through David, He provided Jesus Christ to set the world free of its slavery to sin.

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Ru 1:1–22.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Ru 2:1–23.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Ru 3:1–18.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Ru 4:1–22.

Judges 13-16 deals with the 6th apostasy of Israel.

• Dan was one of the strongest tribes with the movement into Canaan.
• But due to their helplessness against the Amorites, they eventually settled in the north.
• Maps
• List of Judges
• We see Israel moving from judges to kings with Samson, Samuel, and Saul.
• Samson 1123 BC – 1085 BC
• Began judging in 1105 BC

 
BIRTH OF SAMSON
JUDGES 13
1 The Israelites again did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines forty years. 2 There was a certain man from Zorah, from the family of Dan, whose name was Manoah; his wife was unable to conceive and had no children. 3 The angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Although you are unable to conceive and have no children, you will conceive and give birth to a son. 4 Now please be careful not to drink wine or beer, or to eat anything unclean; 5 for indeed, you will conceive and give birth to a son. You must never cut his hair, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from birth, and he will begin to save Israel from the power of the Philistines.”

• Samson only began to deliver Israel from the Philistines.
• At the end of his life and story, conditions in Israel were even worse than at the beginning.
• The Philistines continued their oppression of the Israelites into King David's reign.

 
Verses 6-25

• The woman went and told her husband.
• Manoah prayed and asked for Him to return
• He returned to his wife and she went and got Manoah.
• The angel of the Lord repeated everything to Manoah.
• Manoah prepared a feast on an altar just as Gideon did in Judges 6.
• A flame consumed the offering and the angel ascended into heaven with the flame.
• Manoah thought they were going to die, just like Gideon thought.
• His wife assured him they would not because their child had to be born.
• Then Samson was born.
• "little sun" or "sunny boy."
• Naming Samson after the sun, we have a dangerous dabbling in paganism.
• Not a good sign.
• Samson's name also means "the strong (daring) one."
• Normally Israelites took the Nazirite vow voluntarily and only for a short period of time.
• But Samson was to be a lifelong Nazirite.

 
SAMSON’S RIDDLE
JUDGES 14
1 Samson went down to Timnah and saw a young Philistine woman there.

•  Timnah was only about four miles southwest of Samson's hometown of Mahaneh-dan.

2 He went back and told his father and his mother, “I have seen a young Philistine woman in Timnah. Now get her for me as a wife.”

• His intention reveals disregard for his divine calling in life, which was to save Israel from the Philistines.

3 But his father and mother said to him, “Can’t you find a young woman among your relatives or among any of our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines for a wife?”
But Samson told his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.”

• Turned to self instead of God.

4 Now his father and mother did not know this was from the Lord, who wanted the Philistines to provide an opportunity for a confrontation. At that time, the Philistines were ruling Israel.
5 Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Suddenly a young lion came roaring at him, 6 the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on him,
“Spirit of the Lord” is referenced 39 times in the OT.
and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done. 7 Then he went and spoke to the woman, because she seemed right to Samson.
8 After some time, when he returned to marry her, he left the road to see the lion’s carcass, and there was a swarm of bees with honey in the carcass.

• Bees normally do not inhabit cadavers; flies and maggots do.
• So, the presence of bees and honey in a dead lion's carcass was an attention-getting phenomenon.
• Evidently the carcass of the lion had been picked clean by predators and had dried out thoroughly in the hot sun.
• When Samson scraped the honey out of the lion's carcass with his hand, he may have violated part of his Nazirite condition.
• Like bees in a carcass, Israel was to inhabit a country of idolaters, a country that became habitable for God's community only through the death of God's enemies.

9 He scooped some honey into his hands and ate it as he went along. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it. But he did not tell them that he had scooped the honey from the lion’s carcass.

• Now Samson has not only defiled himself but also his parents.

10 His father went to visit the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, as young men were accustomed to do. 11 When the Philistines saw him, they brought thirty men to accompany him.
12 “Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson said to them. “If you can explain it to me during the seven days of the feast and figure it out, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes. 13 But if you can’t explain it to me, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes.”

• It was also common in ancient times for people to present riddles as entertainment.
• This type of riddle was a question or statement intentionally phrased so as to require ingenuity in discovering its answer or meaning, and it was typically presented as a game.

“Tell us your riddle,” they replied. “Let’s hear it.”
14 So he said to them:
Out of the eater came something to eat,
and out of the strong came something sweet.
After three days, they were unable to explain the riddle. 15 On the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, “Persuade your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father’s family to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?”

• The writer called the Timnite Samson's "wife," even though the engaged couple had not yet consummated their marriage.

16 So Samson’s wife came to him, weeping, and said, “You hate me and don’t love me! You told my people the riddle, but haven’t explained it to me.”
“Look,” he said, “I haven’t even explained it to my father or mother, so why should I explain it to you?”
17 She wept the whole seven days of the feast, and at last, on the seventh day, he explained it to her, because she had nagged him so much. Then she explained it to her people. 18 On the seventh day, before sunset, the men of the city said to him:
What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?
So he said to them:
If you hadn’t plowed with my young cow,
you wouldn’t know my riddle now!

• In calling her [his "wife"] a 'heifer' he was ridiculing her for her untamed and stubborn spirit 

19 The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on him, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men. He stripped them and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. In a rage, Samson returned to his father’s house, 20 and his wife was given to one of the men who had accompanied him.[1]
 
SAMSON’S REVENGE
JUDGES 15
Verses 1-13

• Eventually, Samson stopped pouting and returned for his wife but her Father had already given her over to one of Samson’s friends.
• The Father offers her younger sister to Samson.
• Samson was mad.
• He captured 300 foxes, placed torches between their tales and sent them off into the grain fields.
• The Philistines figured out who did this and went and killed the Father and daughter by burning them.
• Samson proceeded to avenge his "wife's" death by ruthlessly slaughtering many more of the Philistines.
• Then he took refuge in a cave nearby.
• The Philistines attacked the Israelites in Lehi and explained they did this as revenge for what Samson did to their men.
• 3,000 men of Judah found Samson in the cave and tied him up with 2 new ropes.
• They promised not to kill Samson.
• They turned him over to the Philistines.

14 When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came to meet him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on him, and the ropes that were on his arms and wrists became like burnt flax and fell off. 15 He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand, took it, and killed a thousand men with it. 16 Then Samson said:
With the jawbone of a donkey
I have piled them in heaps.
With the jawbone of a donkey
I have killed a thousand men.
17 When he finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone and named that place Jawbone Hill. 18 He became very thirsty and called out to the Lord, “You have accomplished this great victory through your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19 So God split a hollow place in the ground at Lehi, and water came out of it. After Samson drank, his strength returned, and he revived. That is why he named it Hakkore Spring, which is still in Lehi today. 20 And he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines.[2]
 
SAMSON AND DELILAH
JUDGES 16

• Samson went to Gaza (heart of Philistine territory… slept with a prostitute.
• Samson's weakness contrasts with his strength throughout this chapter.
• Here we see his moral and spiritual weakness.
• Samson's liaison with the prostitute signifies Israel's lusting after other gods for the sake of personal gratification and self-centered desires.
• The men wanted to attack Samson
• In the middle of the night he picked up the city gates and set them up on hill for all Gazaites to see.

4 Some time later, he fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the Sorek Valley.

• Samson now allowed a third woman to seduce him.
• Josephus called her a harlot.

5 The Philistine leaders went to her and said, “Persuade him to tell you where his great strength comes from, so we can overpower him, tie him up, and make him helpless. Each of us will then give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”

• A person could live comfortably on 10 pieces of silver a year (cf. 17:10).
• Taking $25 thousand as the average annual wage, the governors' total offer to Delilah would approach $15 million.

6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me, where does your great strength come from? How could someone tie you up and make you helpless?”
7 Samson told her, “If they tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I will become weak and be like any other man.”
8 The Philistine leaders brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him up with them. 9 While the men in ambush were waiting in her room, she called out to him, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But he snapped the bowstrings as a strand of yarn snaps when it touches fire. The secret of his strength remained unknown.
10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and told me lies! Won’t you please tell me how you can be tied up?”
11 He told her, “If they tie me up with new ropes that have never been used, I will become weak and be like any other man.”
12 Delilah took new ropes, tied him up with them, and shouted, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But while the men in ambush were waiting in her room, he snapped the ropes off his arms like a thread.
13 Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me all along and told me lies! Tell me how you can be tied up.”
He told her, “If you weave the seven braids on my head into the fabric on a loom—”
14 She fastened the braids with a pin and called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” He awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin, with the loom and the web.
15 “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ ” she told him, “when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and not told me what makes your strength so great!”
16 Because she nagged him day after day and pleaded with him until she wore him out, 17 he told her the whole truth and said to her, “My hair has never been cut, because I am a Nazirite to God from birth. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I will become weak and be like any other man.”
18 When Delilah realized that he had told her the whole truth, she sent this message to the Philistine leaders: “Come one more time, for he has told me the whole truth.” The Philistine leaders came to her and brought the silver with them.

• Satan ruins men by rocking them asleep, flattering them into a good opinion of their own safety, and so bringing them to mind nothing and fear nothing, and then he robs them of their strength and honour and leads them captive at his will.

19 Then she let him fall asleep on her lap and called a man to shave off the seven braids on his head. In this way, she made him helpless, and his strength left him. 20 Then she cried, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” When he awoke from his sleep, he said, “I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.

• There was no magic in his hair.
• It was only a symbol of his separation to God.

 
SAMSON’S DEFEAT AND DEATH
21 The Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles, and he was forced to grind grain in the prison. 22 But his hair began to grow back after it had been shaved.
23 Now the Philistine leaders gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They rejoiced and said:
Our god has handed over
our enemy Samson to us.
24 When the people saw him, they praised their god and said:
Our god has handed over to us
our enemy who destroyed our land
and who multiplied our dead.
25 When they were in good spirits, they said, “Bring Samson here to entertain us.” So they brought Samson from prison, and he entertained them. They had him stand between the pillars.
26 Samson said to the young man who was leading him by the hand, “Lead me where I can feel the pillars supporting the temple, so I can lean against them.” 27 The temple was full of men and women; all the leaders of the Philistines were there, and about three thousand men and women were on the roof watching Samson entertain them. 28 He called out to the Lord, “Lord God, please remember me. Strengthen me, God, just once more. With one act of vengeance, let me pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.”

• This is the only time we ever read of Samson praying before he used his strength.
• Now his strength was disciplined by faith, but it took failure to teach him this response.

29 Samson took hold of the two middle pillars supporting the temple and leaned against them, one on his right hand and the other on his left. 30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” He pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the leaders and all the people in it. And those he killed at his death were more than those he had killed in his life.
31 Then his brothers and his father’s whole family came down, carried him back, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. So he judged Israel twenty years.[3]

• In God's sovereignty the Holy Spirit came on men for particular tasks, and this provision was not necessarily proportionate to one's spirituality.
• The Spirit's power enabled men to inspire Israel and to perform great feats of strength.
• But it was a temporary provision, and Samson and later Saul tragically discovered that the Lord had left them.
• The essence of the Samson syndrome lies right here: the presumption that one can indulge the flesh and at the same time know the Spirit's fulness.

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jdg 14:1–20.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jdg 15:1–20.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jdg 16:1–31.

These chapters highlight the Israelites' struggle to remain faithful to God amidst the influences of the surrounding nations and set the pattern of recurring cycles of disobedience and deliverance that define the era of the judges.
 

• List of Judges

 
MIDIAN OPPRESSES ISRAEL
JUDGES 6
1 The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord handed them over to Midian seven years, 2 and they oppressed Israel. Because of Midian, the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people of the east came and attacked them.

• Maps (two)

4 They encamped against them and destroyed the produce of the land, even as far as Gaza. They left nothing for Israel to eat, as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey. 5 For the Midianites came with their cattle and their tents like a great swarm of locusts. They and their camels were without number, and they entered the land to lay waste to it.

• The effective domestication of the camel had been accomplished somewhat earlier deep in Arabia and had now spread to tribal confederacies to the south and east of Palestine, giving them a mobility such as they had never had before.

6 So Israel became poverty-stricken because of Midian, and the Israelites cried out to the Lord.
7 When the Israelites cried out to him because of Midian, 8 the Lord sent a prophet to them. He said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I brought you out of Egypt and out of the place of slavery. 9 I rescued you from the power of Egypt and the power of all who oppressed you. I drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 I said to you: I am the Lord your God. Do not fear the gods of the Amorites whose land you live in. But you did not obey me.’”

• God sent an unnamed prophet to them to explain the reason for their discipline.
• Yet this particular prophet did not deliver the people.

 
THE LORD CALLS GIDEON
11 The angel of the Lord came, and he sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite (A-Bye-Ezrite).

• Map
• Ophrah was a village over which Gideon's father apparently exercised a strong influence (cf. v. 31).

His son Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites.

• Gideon's name means "Hacker."
• God used him to cut down the altar of Baal and then the Midianites.
• Who would thrash wheat at a wine press? To be less conspicuous.

12 Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “The Lord is with you, valiant warrior.”

• How do you picture Gideon?
• What if he was not?
• One of the great truths of Scripture is that when God looks at us, He does not see us for what we are, but for what we can become, as He works in our lives.

13 Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened? And where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about? They said, ‘Hasn’t the Lord brought us out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.”
14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and deliver Israel from the grasp of Midian. I am sending you!”
15 He said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s family.”

• Referred to as a 2nd Moses

16 “But I will be with you,” the Lord said to him. “You will strike Midian down as if it were one man.”

• Verse 12 – “The Lord is with you.”
• Verse 16 – “But I will be with you.”
• This is the reality of the New Covenant Church and they don’t accept it either.

17 Then he said to him, “If I have found favor with you, give me a sign that you are speaking with me. 18 Please do not leave this place until I return to you. Let me bring my gift and set it before you.”

• Gideon still wasn’t quite sure it was the Lord.

And he said, “I will stay until you return.”
19 So Gideon went and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from a half bushel of flour. He placed the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.

• The food that Gideon offered his visitor was what a person would normally set before a guest whom one wished to honor in a special way, in that culture.
• The Lord was just chillin’ under the ol’ oak tree.

20 The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat with the unleavened bread, put it on this stone, and pour the broth on it.” So he did that.

• Everything is saturated with broth (even the ground)

21 The angel of the Lord extended the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight.
22 When Gideon realized that he was the angel of the Lord, he said, “Oh no, Lord God! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”

• Gideon thought he was going to die.

23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace to you. Don’t be afraid, for you will not die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. It is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites (A-Bye-Ezrites) today.
 
GIDEON TEARS DOWN A BAAL ALTAR
25 On that very night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s young bull and a second bull seven years old. Then tear down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. 26 Build a well-constructed altar to the Lord your God on the top of this mound. Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his male servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his father’s family and the men of the city to do it in the daytime, he did it at night.

• All together there were four indignities against Baal here:
• 1) His altar was to be thrown down;
• 2) An altar to the true God was to be built over the destroyed altar;
• 3) A prime bull, the sacred animal in Baalism, was to be offered on this altar, being sacrificed, not to Baal, but to the God of Israel;
• 4) The Asherah poles, which represent Baal, were to be used as the firewood for the sacrifice.

28 When the men of the city got up in the morning, they found Baal’s altar torn down, the Asherah pole beside it cut down, and the second bull offered up on the altar that had been built. 29 They said to each other, “Who did this?” After they made a thorough investigation, they said, “Gideon son of Joash did it.”
30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he tore down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”
31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead Baal’s case for him? Would you save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead his own case because someone tore down his altar.” 32 That day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, since Joash said, “Let Baal contend with him,” because he tore down his altar.
 
THE SIGN OF THE FLEECE
33 All the Midianites, Amalekites, and people of the east gathered together, crossed over the Jordan, and camped in the Jezreel Valley.

• Map

34 The Spirit of the Lord enveloped Gideon, and he blew the trumpet and the Abiezrites rallied behind him. 35 He sent messengers throughout all of Manasseh, who rallied behind him. He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, who also came to meet him.
36 Then Gideon said to God, “If you will deliver Israel by me, as you said, 37 I will put a wool fleece here on the threshing floor. If dew is only on the fleece, and all the ground is dry, I will know that you will deliver Israel by me, as you said.” 38 And that is what happened. When he got up early in the morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung dew out of it, filling a bowl with water. 39 Gideon then said to God, “Don’t be angry with me; let me speak one more time. Please allow me to make one more test with the fleece. Let it remain dry, and the dew be all over the ground.” 40 That night God did as Gideon requested: only the fleece was dry, and dew was all over the ground.[1]

• Gideon's fleece is not a sign of faith.
• It is the opposite.
• It is not a search for God's will.
• It is a desperate grasp for security by one who knows clearly what that will is but who is reluctant to do it.

 
GOD SELECTS GIDEON’S ARMY
JUDGES 7
1 Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the troops who were with him, got up early and camped beside the spring of Harod.

• Pictures and Video

The camp of Midian was north of them, below the hill of Moreh, in the valley. 2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many troops for me to hand the Midianites over to them, or else Israel might elevate themselves over me and say, ‘I saved myself.’ 3 Now announce to the troops, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ ” So twenty-two thousand of the troops turned back, but ten thousand remained.
4 Then the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many troops. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. If I say to you, ‘This one can go with you,’ he can go. But if I say about anyone, ‘This one cannot go with you,’ he cannot go.” 5 So he brought the troops down to the water, and the Lord said to Gideon, “Separate everyone who laps water with his tongue like a dog. Do the same with everyone who kneels to drink.” 6 The number of those who lapped with their hands to their mouths was three hundred men, and all the rest of the troops knelt to drink water. 7 The Lord said to Gideon, “I will deliver you with the three hundred men who lapped and hand the Midianites over to you. But everyone else is to go home.” 8 So Gideon sent all the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred troops, who took the provisions and their rams’ horns. The camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
 
GIDEON SPIES ON THE MIDIANITE CAMP
9 That night the Lord said to him, “Get up and attack the camp, for I have handed it over to you. 10 But if you are afraid to attack the camp, go down with Purah your servant. 11 Listen to what they say, and then you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the troops who were in the camp.
12 Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and all the people of the east had settled down in the valley like a swarm of locusts, and their camels were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore. 13 When Gideon arrived, there was a man telling his friend about a dream. He said, “Listen, I had a dream: a loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp, struck a tent, and it fell. The loaf turned the tent upside down so that it collapsed.”
14 His friend answered, “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has handed the entire Midianite camp over to him.”
 
GIDEON ATTACKS THE MIDIANITES
15 When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to Israel’s camp and said, “Get up, for the Lord has handed the Midianite camp over to you.” 16 Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies and gave each of the men a trumpet in one hand and an empty pitcher with a torch inside it in the other hand.
17 “Watch me,” he said to them, “and do what I do. When I come to the outpost of the camp, do as I do. 18 When I and everyone with me blow our rams’ horns, you are also to blow your rams’ horns all around the camp. Then you will say, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’ ”
19 Gideon and the hundred men who were with him went to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch after the sentries had been stationed. They blew their rams’ horns and broke the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 The three companies blew their rams’ horns and shattered their pitchers. They held their torches in their left hands and their rams’ horns to blow in their right hands, and they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 Each Israelite took his position around the camp, and the entire Midianite army began to run, and they cried out as they fled. 22 When Gideon’s men blew their three hundred rams’ horns, the Lord caused the men in the whole army to turn on each other with their swords. They fled to Acacia House in the direction of Zererah as far as the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath. 23 Then the men of Israel were called from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh, and they pursued the Midianites.
 
Judges 7:24 – 8:21 goes into more detail of the different battles of Gideon.
 
GIDEON’S LEGACY
22 Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us, you as well as your sons and your grandsons, for you delivered us from the power of Midian.”
23 But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.” 24 Then he said to them, “Let me make a request of you: Everyone give me an earring from his plunder.” Now the enemy had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.
25 They said, “We agree to give them.” So they spread out a cloak, and everyone threw an earring from his plunder on it. 26 The weight of the gold earrings he requested was forty-three pounds of gold, in addition to the crescent ornaments and ear pendants, the purple garments on the kings of Midian, and the chains on the necks of their camels. 27 Gideon made an ephod from all this and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. Then all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.
28 So Midian was subdued before the Israelites, and they were no longer a threat. The land had peace for forty years during the days of Gideon. 29 Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) son of Joash went back to live at his house.
30 Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, since he had many wives. 31 His concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech. 32 Then Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
33 When Gideon died, the Israelites turned and prostituted themselves by worshiping the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. 34 The Israelites did not remember the Lord their God who had rescued them from the hand of the enemies around them. 35 They did not show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) for all the good he had done for Israel. [2]
​
[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jdg 6:1–40.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jdg 7:25–8:35.

• The Book of Joshua reveals that victory, success, and progress result when God's people trust and obey Him consistently.
• The Book of Judges shows that defeat, failure, and retrogression follow when they fail to trust and obey Him consistently.
• In this respect Joshua and Judges are like two sides of one coin.

"This book is … quite negative: it begins bleakly, continues darkly, and ends horribly."
 
Judges 1-3 sets the stage for the period of the judges in Israel's history, highlighting the challenges the Israelites face in the Promised Land and the beginning of the cycle of disobedience and deliverance.

• Judges settled civil disputes but sometimes also served as military leaders.

1. Judges 1: After Joshua's death, the Israelites continued their efforts to conquer the remaining Canaanite territories.

• The tribe of Judah led the charge, achieving some victories, but many tribes failed to fully drive out the Canaanites.
• This incomplete obedience led to the Israelites living among the Canaanites, which set the stage for future idolatry and conflict.

1. Judges 2 : An angel of the Lord rebukes the Israelites for not obeying God's command to completely remove the Canaanites.

• The chapter outlines the cycle that will characterize the book of Judges: Israel's disobedience, oppression by enemies, crying out to God, and deliverance by judges.
• Chart of judges
• The chapter also notes the death of Joshua and the rise of a new generation that does not know the Lord, leading to their worship of other gods.

1. Judges 3 : The first judges are introduced.

• Othniel, the first judge, delivers Israel from the king of Aram, bringing peace for 40 years.
• Ehud, the second judge, delivers Israel from the Moabites by assassinating King Eglon, leading to 80 years of peace.
• Shamgar, the third judge, delivers Israel from the Philistines, though his story is briefly mentioned.

These chapters highlight the Israelites' struggle to remain faithful to God amidst the influences of the surrounding nations and set the pattern of recurring cycles of disobedience and deliverance that define the era of the judges.
 
 
DEBORAH AND BARAK
JUDGES 4
1 The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud had died. 2 So the Lord sold them to King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera who lived in Harosheth of the Nations.

• Northern Galilee area
• Hazor was one of the largest cities in the Promised Land – controlled by Canaanites.

3 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, because Jabin had nine hundred iron chariots, and he harshly oppressed them twenty years.
4 Deborah, a prophetess and the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.

•  Her name means "Bee," and she did what often typifies a bee: She stung the enemy, and she brought sweet refreshment (as honey refreshes one's spirit and strength) to her people.

5 She would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to settle disputes.
6 She summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “Hasn’t the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, deploy the troops on Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the Naphtalites and Zebulunites?

• On this occasion, Israel's forces were very numerous.
• They had perhaps a 10 to one advantage over the Canaanites.

7 Then I will lure Sisera commander of Jabin’s army, his chariots, and his infantry at the Wadi Kishon to fight against you, and I will hand him over to you.’ ”
8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go. But if you will not go with me, I will not go.”

• Most Israelite commanders called on God to help them but Barak called on Deborah.

9 “I will gladly go with you,” she said, “but you will receive no honor on the road you are about to take, because the Lord will sell Sisera to a woman.” So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.

• Whatever his motivation may have been, Barak put a condition on obeying God.
• The will of God was clear.
• He even had God's promise of victory.
• Nevertheless he refused to obey unless Deborah accompanied him.
• Barak would defeat the Canaanites, but a woman would get the honor for defeating the commander, Sisera.
• This was Barak's punishment for putting a condition on his obedience to God.

10 Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.
11 Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites, the sons of Hobab, Moses’s father-in-law, and pitched his tent beside the oak tree of Zaanannim, which was near Kedesh.
12 It was reported to Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up Mount Tabor. 13 Sisera summoned all his nine hundred iron chariots and all the troops who were with him from Harosheth of the Nations to the Wadi Kishon. 14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the Lord has handed Sisera over to you. Hasn’t the Lord gone before you?” So Barak came down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.
15 The Lord threw Sisera, all his charioteers, and all his army into a panic before Barak’s assault. Sisera left his chariot and fled on foot. 16 Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth of the Nations, and the whole army of Sisera fell by the sword; not a single man was left.
17 Meanwhile, Sisera had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between King Jabin of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite. 18 Jael went out to greet Sisera and said to him, “Come in, my lord. Come in with me. Don’t be afraid.” So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a blanket. 19 He said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink for I am thirsty.” She opened a container of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him again.

• Sisera had violated every part of the code governing the actions of host and guest.
• Sisera should have gone directly to Heber, the head of the household, not to his wife's tent.
• This violation of hospitality customs would have alerted Jael that something was amiss.
• Furthermore, Sisera should not have accepted Jael's offer of hospitality.
• But when he did, this doubtless indicated to Jael again that his intentions were not right.

20 Then he said to her, “Stand at the entrance to the tent. If a man comes and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say, ‘No.’ ” 21 While he was sleeping from exhaustion, Heber’s wife, Jael, took a tent peg, grabbed a hammer, and went silently to Sisera. She hammered the peg into his temple and drove it into the ground, and he died.

• To die by the hand of a woman was a disgrace in the ancient Near East (cf. 9:54 - Abimelech).

22 When Barak arrived in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to greet him and said to him, “Come and I will show you the man you are looking for.” So he went in with her, and there was Sisera lying dead with a tent peg through his temple!

• The man who should have taken the initiative in attacking Israel's enemy years earlier now got another order from a woman—a seemingly "ordinary housewife," who had conquered General Barak's mighty enemy: General Sisera.

23 That day God subdued King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 The power of the Israelites continued to increase against King Jabin of Canaan until they destroyed him.[1]
 
DEBORAH’S SONG
JUDGES 5
1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang:
2 When the leaders lead in Israel,
when the people volunteer,
blessed be the Lord.
3 Listen, kings! Pay attention, princes!
I will sing to the Lord;
I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.
4 Lord, when you came from Seir,
when you marched from the fields of Edom,
the earth trembled,
the skies poured rain,
and the clouds poured water.
5 The mountains melted before the Lord,
even Sinai, before the Lord, the God of Israel.
6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
in the days of Jael,
the main roads were deserted
because travelers kept to the side roads.
7 Villages were deserted,
they were deserted in Israel,
until I, Deborah, arose,
a mother in Israel.
8 Israel chose new gods,
then there was war in the city gates.
Not a shield or spear was seen
among forty thousand in Israel.
9 My heart is with the leaders of Israel,
with the volunteers of the people.
Blessed be the Lord!
10 You who ride on white donkeys,
who sit on saddle blankets,
and who travel on the road, give praise!
11 Let them tell the righteous acts of the Lord,
the righteous deeds of his villagers in Israel,
with the voices of the singers at the watering places.
Then the Lord’s people went down to the city gates.
12 “Awake! Awake, Deborah!
Awake! Awake, sing a song!
Arise, Barak,
and take your prisoners,
son of Abinoam!”
13 Then the survivors came down to the nobles;
the Lord’s people came down to me against the warriors.
14 Those with their roots in Amalek came from Ephraim;
Benjamin came with your people after you.
The leaders came down from Machir,
and those who carry a marshal’s staff came from Zebulun.
15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah;
Issachar was with Barak;
they were under his leadership, in the valley.
There was great searching of heart
among the clans of Reuben.
16 Why did you sit among the sheep pens
listening to the playing of pipes for the flocks?
There was great searching of heart
among the clans of Reuben.
17 Gilead remained beyond the Jordan.
Dan, why did you linger at the ships?
Asher remained at the seashore
and stayed in his harbors.
18 The people of Zebulun defied death,
Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.
19 Kings came and fought.
Then the kings of Canaan fought
at Taanach by the Waters of Megiddo,
but they did not plunder the silver.
20 The stars fought from the heavens;
the stars fought with Sisera from their paths.
21 The river Kishon swept them away,
the ancient river, the river Kishon.
March on, my soul, in strength!
22 The horses’ hooves then hammered—
the galloping, galloping of his stallions.
23 “Curse Meroz,” says the angel of the Lord,
“Bitterly curse her inhabitants,
for they did not come to help the Lord,
to help the Lord with the warriors.”
24 Jael is most blessed of women, is Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite;
she is most blessed among tent-dwelling women.
25 He asked for water; she gave him milk.
She brought him cream in a majestic bowl.
26 She reached for a tent peg,
her right hand, for a workman’s hammer.
Then she hammered Sisera—
she crushed his head;
she shattered and pierced his temple.
27 He collapsed, he fell, he lay down between her feet;
he collapsed, he fell between her feet;
where he collapsed, there he fell—dead.
28 Sisera’s mother looked through the window;
she peered through the lattice, crying out:
“Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why don’t I hear the hoofbeats of his horses?”
29 Her wisest princesses answer her;
she even answers herself:
30 “Are they not finding and dividing the spoil—
a girl or two for each warrior,
the spoil of colored garments for Sisera,
the spoil of an embroidered garment or two for my neck?”
31 Lord, may all your enemies perish as Sisera did.
But may those who love him
be like the rising of the sun in its strength.
And the land had peace for forty years. [2]

• This chapter celebrates the fact that God gave His people a great victory through these women.

And today, the fighting between Israel and it’s enemies ceases for another season as the peace treaty goes into effect between Israel and Gaza.

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jdg 4:1–24.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jdg 5:1–31.

Joshua 9-10 left the Israelites conquering kings but not overtaking the land.
In Joshua 11-12 they defeat all the kings and take over most of the land of Israel.
 
UNCONQUERED LANDS
JOSHUA 13
1 Joshua was now old, advanced in age, and the Lord said to him, “You have become old, advanced in age, but a great deal of the land remains to be possessed. 2 This is the land that remains:
All the districts of the Philistines and the Geshurites: 3 from the Shihor east of Egypt to the border of Ekron on the north (considered to be Canaanite territory)—the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as the Avvites 4 in the south; all the land of the Canaanites, from Arah of the Sidonians to Aphek and as far as the border of the Amorites; 5 the land of the Gebalites; and all Lebanon east from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to the entrance of Hamath,—6 all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, all the Sidonians.
I will drive them out before the Israelites, only distribute the land as an inheritance for Israel, as I have commanded you. 7 Therefore, divide this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh.”

• Having successfully removed the major military threats to Israel’s survival in Canaan, Joshua the aged soldier now became an administrator.
• The land conquered by bloody warfare had to be assigned to the various tribes and Joshua would oversee this important transaction.
• It would be a service less exhausting and more suited to his advancing years.
• To many people this section of the Book of Joshua, with its detailed lists of boundaries and cities, seems tedious.
• Someone has said, “Most of this long section reads like a real estate deed.”
• And that is precisely what is found in these lengthy narrations—legal descriptions (after the manner of that ancient day) of the areas allocated to the 12 tribes.
• Title deeds are important documents so these should not be regarded as insignificant or superfluous.
• This was a climactic moment in the life of the young nation.
• After centuries in Egyptian bondage, decades in the barren wilderness, years of hard fighting in Canaan, the hour had arrived when the Israelites could at last settle down to build homes, cultivate the soil, raise families, and live in peace in their own land.
• The days of land allotment were a happy time for Israel.[1]

8 With the other half of the tribe of Manasseh, the Reubenites and Gadites had received the inheritance Moses gave them beyond the Jordan to the east, just as Moses the Lord’s servant had given them[2]
 
14 He did not, however, give any inheritance to the tribe of Levi. This was their inheritance, just as he had promised: the food offerings made to the Lord, the God of Israel.[3]
 
23 The border of the Reubenites was the Jordan and its plain. This was the inheritance of the Reubenites by their clans, with the cities and their settlements. [4]
 
28 This was the inheritance of the Gadites by their clans, with the cities and their settlements. 29 And to half the tribe of Manasseh (that is, to half the tribe of Manasseh’s descendants by their clans) Moses gave 30 this as their territory: [5]
 
ISRAEL’S INHERITANCE IN CANAAN
JOSHUA 14
1 The Israelites received these portions that the priest Eleazar, Joshua son of Nun, and the family heads of the Israelite tribes gave them in the land of Canaan. 2 Their inheritance was by lot as the Lord commanded through Moses for the nine and a half tribes, 3 because Moses had given the inheritance to the two and a half tribes beyond the Jordan. But he gave no inheritance among them to the Levites. 4 The descendants of Joseph became two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. No portion of the land was given to the Levites except cities to live in, along with pasturelands for their cattle and livestock. 5 So the Israelites did as the Lord commanded Moses, and they divided the land.[6]

• Map

 

• Caleb was promised territory by Moses for being a great scout the 2nd time.

13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as an inheritance. 14 Therefore, Hebron still belongs to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance today because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, completely.[7]

• Map

 
JUDAH’S INHERITANCE
JOSHUA 15
1 Now the allotment for the tribe of the descendants of Judah by their clans was in the southernmost region, south to the Wilderness of Zin and over to the border of Edom.[8]
 
63 But the descendants of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. So the Jebusites still live in Jerusalem among the descendants of Judah today.[9]
 
EPHRAIM’S INHERITANCE
JOSHUA 16
8 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Ephraim by their clans, together with 9 the cities set apart for the descendants of Ephraim within the inheritance of the descendants of Manasseh—all these cities with their settlements. 10 However, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So the Canaanites still live in Ephraim today, but they are forced laborers. [10]
 
WEST MANASSEH’S INHERITANCE
JOSHUA 17
1 This was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh as Joseph’s firstborn. Gilead and Bashan were given to Machir, the firstborn of Manasseh and the father of Gilead, because he was a man of war. 2 So the allotment was for the rest of Manasseh’s descendants by their clans,[11]
 
12 The descendants of Manasseh could not possess these cities, because the Canaanites were determined to stay in this land. 13 However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they imposed forced labor on the Canaanites but did not drive them out completely.
 
JOSEPH’S ADDITIONAL INHERITANCE
14 Joseph’s descendants said to Joshua, “Why did you give us only one tribal allotment as an inheritance? We have many people, because the Lord has been blessing us greatly.”
15 “If you have so many people,” Joshua replied to them, “go to the forest and clear an area for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, because Ephraim’s hill country is too small for you.”
16 But the descendants of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who inhabit the valley area have iron chariots, both at Beth-shean with its surrounding villages and in the Jezreel Valley.”
17 So Joshua replied to Joseph’s family (that is, Ephraim and Manasseh), “You have many people and great strength. You will not have just one allotment, 18 because the hill country will be yours also. It is a forest; clear it and its outlying areas will be yours. You can also drive out the Canaanites, even though they have iron chariots and are strong.”[12]
 
LAND DISTRIBUTION AT SHILOH
JOSHUA 18
1 The entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land had been subdued before them, 2 but seven tribes among the Israelites were left who had not divided up their inheritance. 3 So Joshua asked the Israelites, “How long will you delay going out to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, gave you?[13]

• They went and surveyed the land and returned to Joshua.

10 Joshua cast lots for them at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord where he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their divisions.[14]
 

• Land distributed to:
• Benjamin – 18:21-28
• Simeon – 19:1-9
• Zebulun – 19:10-16
• Issachar – 19:17-23
• Asher – 19:24-31
• Naphtali – 19:32-39
• Dan – 19:40-48

 
JOSHUA 19
49 When they had finished distributing the land into its territories, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them. 50 By the Lord’s command, they gave him the city Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, which he requested. He rebuilt the city and lived in it.
51 These were the portions that the priest Eleazar, Joshua son of Nun, and the family heads distributed to the Israelite tribes by lot at Shiloh in the Lord’s presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing up the land.[15]
 
CITIES OF REFUGE
JOSHUA 20
1 Then the Lord spoke to Joshua, 2 “Tell the Israelites: Select your cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, 3 so that a person who kills someone unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood. 4 When someone flees to one of these cities, stands at the entrance of the city gate, and states his case before the elders of that city, they are to bring him into the city and give him a place to live among them. 5 And if the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not hand the one who committed manslaughter over to him, for he killed his neighbor accidentally and did not hate him beforehand. 6 He is to stay in that city until he stands trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest serving at that time. Then the one who committed manslaughter may return home to his own city from which he fled.”
7 So they designated Kedesh in the hill country of Naphtali in Galilee, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. 8 Across the Jordan east of Jericho, they selected Bezer on the wilderness plateau from Reuben’s tribe, Ramoth in Gilead from Gad’s tribe, and Golan in Bashan from Manasseh’s tribe.
9 These are the cities appointed for all the Israelites and the aliens residing among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there and not die at the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the assembly. [16]
 
CITIES OF THE LEVITES
JOSHUA 21
1 The Levite family heads approached the priest Eleazar, Joshua son of Nun, and the family heads of the Israelite tribes. 2 At Shiloh, in the land of Canaan, they told them, “The Lord commanded through Moses that we be given cities to live in, with their pasturelands for our livestock.” 3 So the Israelites, by the Lord’s command, gave the Levites these cities with their pasturelands from their inheritance. [17]
 
THE LORD’S PROMISES FULFILLED
43 So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. 44 The Lord gave them rest on every side according to all he had sworn to their ancestors. None of their enemies were able to stand against them, for the Lord handed over all their enemies to them. 45 None of the good promises the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed. Everything was fulfilled. [18]
 
JOSHUA 23
1 A long time after the Lord had given Israel rest from all the enemies around them, Joshua was old, advanced in age. 2 So Joshua summoned all Israel, including its elders, leaders, judges, and officers, and said to them, “I am old, advanced in age, 3 and you have seen for yourselves everything the Lord your God did to all these nations on your account, because it was the Lord your God who was fighting for you. 4 See, I have allotted these remaining nations to you as an inheritance for your tribes, including all the nations I have destroyed, from the Jordan westward to the Mediterranean Sea. 5 The Lord your God will force them back on your account and drive them out before you so that you can take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you.
6 “Be very strong and continue obeying all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you do not turn from it to the right or left 7 and so that you do not associate with these nations remaining among you. Do not call on the names of their gods or make an oath to them; do not serve them or bow in worship to them. 8 Instead, be loyal to the Lord your God, as you have been to this day. [19]
 
14 “I am now going the way of the whole earth, and you know with all your heart and all your soul that none of the good promises the Lord your God made to you has failed. Everything was fulfilled for you; not one promise has failed. 15 Since every good thing the Lord your God promised you has come about, so he will bring on you every bad thing until he has annihilated you from this good land the Lord your God has given you. 16 If you break the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow in worship to them, the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly disappear from this good land he has given you.” [20]

• Like a masterful preacher, Joshua restated his discourse, this time emphasizing that he was a dying man, hoping that this would make his words sink more deeply into their hearts.
• Once more he spoke of God’s punctilious faithfulness to every promise; once more he warned of the doom caused by disobedience.
• The terrible climax of this message to the nation’s leaders emphasized the fact that Israel’s greatest danger was not military—it was moral and spiritual.
• If Joshua were alive today the strong likelihood is that he would say the same thing to this nation.[21]

 
JOSHUA 24
29 After these things, the Lord’s servant, Joshua son of Nun, died at the age of 110. 30 They buried him in his allotted territory at Timnath-serah, in the hill country of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash. 31 Israel worshiped the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived Joshua and who had experienced all the works the Lord had done for Israel. [22]

[1] Donald K. Campbell, “Joshua,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 355.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 13:1-8.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 13:14.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 13:23.
[5] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 13:28–30.
[6] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 14:1–5.
[7] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 14:13–14.
[8] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 15:1
[9] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 15:63.
[10] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 16:8–10.
[11] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 17:1–2.
[12] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 17:1–18.
[13] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 18:1–3.
[14] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 18:10.
[15] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 19:49–51.
[16] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 20:1–9.
[17] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 21:1–3.
[18] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 21:43–45.
[19] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 23:1–8.
[20] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 23:14–16.
[21] Donald K. Campbell, “Joshua,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 368.
[22] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 24:29–31.

Joshua 8 left the Israelites recommitting to the Law after they conquered the city of Ai.
 
DECEPTION BY GIBEON
JOSHUA 9
1 When all the kings heard about Jericho and Ai, those who were west of the Jordan in the hill country, in the Judean foothills, and all along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea toward Lebanon—the Hethites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—2 they formed a unified alliance to fight against Joshua and Israel.
3 When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, 4 they acted deceptively. They gathered provisions and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys and old wineskins, cracked and mended. 5 They wore old, patched sandals on their feet and threadbare clothing on their bodies. Their entire provision of bread was dry and crumbly.

• Map
• Gibeon stood seven miles south of Bethel.
• It was "one of the largest towns in the central part of Canaan,” larger than Ai (10:2), and possibly the capital city of the Hivites.
• It later became a Levitical town (18:25; 21:17).
• The Israelites much later pitched the tabernacle there, and it remained at that site until Solomon built his temple (1 Kings 3:4-5; 1 Chron. 16:39; 21:29).
• Hivites inhabited Gibeon at the time of the conquest (v. 7).

6 They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land. Please make a treaty with us.”

• God had not forbidden the Israelites from making peace treaties with non-Canaanite peoples (Deut. 20:11), but He had expressly commanded them not to make treaties with the native Canaanites (Exod. 23:32; 34:12; Num. 33:55; Deut. 7:2).

7 The men of Israel replied to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us. How can we make a treaty with you?”
8 They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.”
Then Joshua asked them, “Who are you and where do you come from?”
9 They replied to him, “Your servants have come from a faraway land because of the reputation of the Lord your God. For we have heard of his fame, and all that he did in Egypt, 10 and all that he did to the two Amorite kings beyond the Jordan—King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan, who was in Ashtaroth. 11 So our elders and all the inhabitants of our land told us, ‘Take provisions with you for the journey; go and meet them and say, “We are your servants. Please make a treaty with us.” ’ 12 This bread of ours was warm when we took it from our houses as food on the day we left to come to you; but see, it is now dry and crumbly. 13 These wineskins were new when we filled them; but see, they are cracked. And these clothes and sandals of ours are worn out from the extremely long journey.” 14 Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions, but did not seek the Lord’s decision.

• The Israelites had failed at Ai because they had confidence in their own strength.
• They failed here because they had confidence in their own wisdom.
• How easy it is even in the service of the Lord to take God's guidance and blessing for granted!

15 So Joshua established peace with them and made a treaty to let them live, and the leaders of the community swore an oath to them.
 
GIBEON’S DECEPTION DISCOVERED
16 Three days after making the treaty with them, they heard that the Gibeonites were their neighbors, living among them. 17 So the Israelites set out and reached the Gibeonite cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.

• Wait… what?
• Joshua has been deceived.

18 But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the community had sworn an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. Then the whole community grumbled against the leaders.

• Here, the wilderness motif had been turned upside down, for in the wilderness, the leaders were justified, while the congregation was guilty.
• Here, the congregation is justified, while the leaders are at fault.

19 All the leaders answered them, “We have sworn an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them. 20 This is how we will treat them: we will let them live, so that no wrath will fall on us because of the oath we swore to them.” 21 They also said, “Let them live.” So the Gibeonites became woodcutters and water carriers for the whole community, as the leaders had promised them.
22 Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said to them, “Why did you deceive us by telling us you live far away from us, when in fact you live among us? 23 Therefore you are cursed and will always be slaves—woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”

• The reason God forbade His people from allowing the pagan Canaanites to live, and subsequently become incorporated into Israel, was that they might lead the Israelites into idolatry.
• The leaders of Israel therefore punished the Gibeonites for their deception in a way designed to minimize the possibility of their ever doing this:
• They made them servants in the tabernacle, namely, gatherers of firewood and drawers of water for the Israelite congregation.

24 The Gibeonites answered him, “It was clearly communicated to your servants that the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you. We greatly feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this. 25 Now we are in your hands. Do to us whatever you think is right.” 26 This is what Joshua did to them: he rescued them from the Israelites, and they did not kill them. 27 On that day he made them woodcutters and water carriers—as they are today—for the community and for the Lord’s altar at the place he would choose.[1]

• This plan probably reinstated the leaders in the good favor of the Israelites.
• Nevertheless, this was not a wise move, because the LORD wanted only authorized Israelites (Levites) to assist in tabernacle worship.
• By bringing these foreigners into tabernacle service, the leaders of Israel violated the holiness of God.
• The Gibeonites never led the Israelites into idolatry, as far as the text records, but their presence in the tabernacle displeased the LORD (cf. Ezekiel 44:7 - 7 When you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in both heart and flesh, to occupy my sanctuary, you defiled my temple while you offered my food—the fat and the blood. You broke my covenant by all your detestable practices. 8 You have not kept charge of my holy things but have appointed others to keep charge of my sanctuary for you.’ [2]).
• So there really are exact parallels between Rahab the individual and the Gibeonites the corporate unit.
• Rahab (plus her family) was the only individual saved out of Jericho.
• The Gibeonites were the only people saved out of the land.
• Rahab believed, left Jericho and came among the people of God.
• The Gibeonites were the only people in the land who turned to God, and they flowed on through all the years of Jewish history.

 
THE DAY THE SUN STOOD STILL
JOSHUA 10

• This chapter records the Canaanites' first aggressive action against the Israelites.
• The Canaanites threw the first stone against God’s people.

1 Now King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and completely destroyed it, treating Ai and its king as he had Jericho and its king, and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were living among them. 2 So Adoni-zedek and his people were greatly alarmed because Gibeon was a large city like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were warriors. 3 Therefore King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent word to King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and King Debir of Eglon, saying, 4 “Come up and help me. We will attack Gibeon, because they have made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.” 5 So the five Amorite kings—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon—joined forces, advanced with all their armies, besieged Gibeon, and fought against it.

• Here the writer used the name Amorites (v. 6), in a general sense, to describe the Canaanites who were living in the nearby hills, including the Jebusites.
• The Amorites who lived in the mountains were the strongest of all the Canaanites.

6 Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Don’t give up on your servants. Come quickly and save us! Help us, for all the Amorite kings living in the hill country have joined forces against us.”
7 So Joshua and all his troops, including all his best soldiers, came from Gilgal.

• Map

8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have handed them over to you. Not one of them will be able to stand against you.”

• This was the first time that Israel went into battle against an alliance of city-states.
• God reassured Joshua that he would be victorious.

9 So Joshua caught them by surprise, after marching all night from Gilgal.

• Their night march covered about 20 miles up steep terrain, with gear, under stress, in the middle of the night, and with a battle still before them.

10 The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel. He defeated them in a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them through the ascent of Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.

• Map

11 As they fled before Israel, the Lord threw large hailstones on them from the sky along the descent of Beth-horon all the way to Azekah, and they died. More of them died from the hail than the Israelites killed with the sword.

• The Amorites and the Israelites realized that the victory came as a result of the supernatural help of Yahweh, and not simply by Israel's own power.
• Yahweh, not just Israel, had devoted the Amorites to destruction.

12 On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord in the presence of Israel:

• Joshua based his impressive petition on God's promise (v. 8).
• It was a public prayer that he spoke to the LORD in the hearing of the Israelites.

“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
and moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
13 And the sun stood still
and the moon stopped
until the nation took vengeance on its enemies.
Isn’t this written in the Book of Jashar?
So the sun stopped
in the middle of the sky
and delayed its setting
almost a full day.
14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord listened to a man, because the Lord fought for Israel. 15 Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp at Gilgal.
 
EXECUTION OF THE FIVE KINGS
16 Now the five defeated kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah. 17 It was reported to Joshua, “The five kings have been found; they are hiding in the cave at Makkedah.”
18 Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and station men by it to guard the kings. 19 But as for the rest of you, don’t stay there. Pursue your enemies and attack them from behind. Don’t let them enter their cities, for the Lord your God has handed them over to you.” 20 So Joshua and the Israelites finished inflicting a terrible slaughter on them until they were destroyed, although a few survivors ran away to the fortified cities. 21 The people returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah. And no one dared to threaten the Israelites.
22 Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave, and bring those five kings to me out of there.” 23 That is what they did. They brought the five kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon to Joshua out of the cave. 24 When they had brought the kings to him, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the military commanders who had accompanied him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So the commanders came forward and put their feet on their necks. 25 Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Be strong and courageous, for the Lord will do this to all the enemies you fight.”
26 After this, Joshua struck them down and executed them. He hung their bodies on five trees and they were there until evening. 27 At sunset Joshua commanded that they be taken down from the trees and thrown into the cave where they had hidden. Then large stones were placed against the mouth of the cave, and the stones are still there today.
 
CONQUEST OF SOUTHERN CITIES
28 On that day Joshua captured Makkedah and struck it down with the sword, including its king. He completely destroyed it and everyone in it, leaving no survivors. So he treated the king of Makkedah as he had the king of Jericho.
29 Joshua and all Israel with him crossed from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah. 30 The Lord also handed it and its king over to Israel. He struck it down, putting everyone in it to the sword, and left no survivors in it. He treated Libnah’s king as he had the king of Jericho.
31 From Libnah, Joshua and all Israel with him crossed to Lachish. They laid siege to it and attacked it. 32 The Lord handed Lachish over to Israel, and Joshua captured it on the second day. He struck it down, putting everyone in it to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah. 33 At that time King Horam of Gezer went to help Lachish, but Joshua struck him down along with his people, leaving no survivors.
34 Then Joshua crossed from Lachish to Eglon and all Israel with him. They laid siege to it and attacked it. 35 On that day they captured it and struck it down, putting everyone in it to the sword. He completely destroyed it that day, just as he had done to Lachish.
36 Next, Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it. 37 They captured it and struck down its king, all its villages, and everyone in it with the sword. He left no survivors, just as he had done at Eglon. He completely destroyed Hebron and everyone in it.
38 Finally, Joshua turned toward Debir and attacked it. And all Israel was with him. 39 He captured it—its king and all its villages. They struck them down with the sword and completely destroyed everyone in it, leaving no survivors. He treated Debir and its king as he had treated Hebron and as he had treated Libnah and its king.

• The purpose of Joshua's raids was to destroy the military capability of these city-states, and to instill fear and confusion in the remaining Canaanites.
• Archaeology has confirmed that many of these cities did not suffer complete destruction at this time.
• But beyond inflicting immediate loss, this campaign achieved little else by itself—it was a sweep, not an occupation: 'Joshua returned and all Israel with him, to the camp, to Gilgal' (Joshua 10:15, 43).
• Occupation of the land, to live in it, keep livestock and cultivate crops in it, etc., was a far slower process, visible in part later in Joshua and in Judges.

40 So Joshua conquered the whole region—the hill country, the Negev, the Judean foothills, and the slopes—with all their kings, leaving no survivors. He completely destroyed every living being, as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded. 41 Joshua conquered everyone from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and all the land of Goshen as far as Gibeon. 42 Joshua captured all these kings and their land in one campaign, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.

• The writer again emphasized the main reason for Israel's military success: "The LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel".

43 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.[3]

• Israel did not defeat every town or kill every Canaanite without exception.
• However, Joshua did remove the military threat to Israel that the larger cities in the south posed.

 

• The Israelites fought one battle at a time, and so must we.
• We need to do what God puts before us to do—day by day—rather than taking on more responsibility than God wants us to assume at that moment (cf. Matt. 6:25-34).
• The Israelites fought one battle at a time, and so must we.

Matthew 6:25-34
25 “Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? 27 Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. 30 If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you—you of little faith? 31 So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. 34 Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.[4]

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 9:1–27.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Eze 44:7–8.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Jos 10:1–43.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Mt 6:25–34.