Teaching

Judges

Cycles of Unfaithfulness and Grace

Pastor Paul LeBoutillier

Life Bible Ministry · April 18, 2026

Video Coming Soon

Audio and transcript are available below

Discover the powerful cycle of turning in the Book of Judges, where our unfaithfulness meets God's unwavering grace, inviting us back to Him through repentance and hope.

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier JUDGES A TIME OF TURNING g A Devotional Bible Study on the Book of Judges by Sue LeBoutillier Copyright © 2021 Sue LeBouƟllier Published by: Calvary Chapel — Ontario, Oregon

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier g A Time of Turning g Judges Welcome to our Bible Study on the book of Judges called, A Time of Turning. People tend to like alliteraƟons — words that begin with the same first sound, like Peter Piper, Sense & Sensibility, Dunkin’ Donuts. In our English Old Testament, there are two books right next to each other that begin with the same sound — Joshua and Judges . Not only do the names of the books have a catchy flow to them, but the one- word summary of the books forms another alliteraƟon — promises and problems. — Joshua is filled with promises because God is faithful. — Judges is filled with problems because people are unfaithful. A faithful God, paired with unfaithful people, summarizes the cycle we will see over and over in this book. For Israel, the first 300 years in the Promised Land were characterized by: · The unfaithfulness of God’s kids (sin) · The oppression by God’s enemies (problems) · The cry of God’s kids (repentance) · The faithfulness of God (deliverance) We call this the cycle of sin, and we’ll read about it seven Ɵmes in twenty-one chapters. · Each Ɵme the people turn away from obedience to God, they en- counter problems. · Each Ɵme they cry out to God, He helps them by raising up a leader, called a judge, to act as His deliverer. · Each Ɵme they are delivered from their problems, they return once more to the beginning of the cycle — unfaithfulness! · Each Ɵme we read through a cycle, we silently scream — NO! Stop! Don’t do this again — haven’t you learned anything from history? If we’re honest, we will be able to see a familiar reflecƟon of our own image in the pages of Scripture and in the cycle of sin. We’ll realize

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier that we too have a propensity to be unfaithful to the instrucƟon of the Lord, which creates problems in our personal lives. This cycle can easily be seen in our naƟonal life as well. Certainly, in our country, we are encountering problems that have been caused by turning from God’s ways. We are a severely oppressed naƟon at the moment, and our greatest need is to move to the next phase of the cycle, which is repentance. This study is Ɵtled, A Time of Turning. The first turning we find will be Israel’s turning from obedience to God and that will be a bad thing. But there is an important blessing to be found when we embrace the idea that God is long-suffering and gives His kids opportunity to turn once again toward Him in repentance; that is always a good thing. Turning is always a choice — either for bad or for good. Lord, may we become beƩer equipped to turn the right direcƟon! I’m glad you are joining us on this journey through the book of Judges and I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide you into a greater under- standing through each page of Scripture, so that you can walk in faithfulness and obedience to His call in your life! Many Blessings, Sue LeBoutillier sue@ccontario.com *The best translaƟon of the Bible to use is the one you understand the most easily — and using more than one translaƟon can be a great aid to study! This study guide was created using the ESV (English Standard Version), which may be a helpful tool as you work through your study. To watch the video teachings for this Bible Study go to: ccontario.com/womens-studies or YouTube.com/calvarychapelontario

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier Our Study of Israel’s Judges Week 1: Chapters 1-2 — Turning from God — IntroducƟon to Judges Week 2: Chapters 1-3 — Turning to Idols — Othniel — Ehud — Shamgar Week 3: Chapters 4-5 — Turning to a Helper — Deborah & Barak Week 4: Chapters 6-7 — Turning from Fear — Gideon (Part One) Week 5: Chapters 8-12 — Turning to Pride — Gideon (Part Two) — Tola — Jair —Jephthah —Ibzan —Elon —Abdon Week 6: Chapters 13-16 — Turning from Purpose — Samson Week 7: Chapters 17-21 — Turning from PerspecƟve — Epilogue

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier Use these pages as you listen to the Week One teaching video. (www.ccontario.com/WOW-Judges). If you are studying in a group, the quesƟons on page 8 may provide some good discussion starters following the video. The book of Joshua represented a Ɵme of ____________________. The book of Judges represented a Ɵme of ____________________. In Judges, we note that Israel turned from doing what was right in ________ eyes, to doing what seemed right in ______________eyes. The book of Judges covers approximately ___________ years from the leadership of ______________ to the coronaƟon of __________. The author of this book is never disclosed, but many aƩribute the wriƟng to _______________. There are ___ minor judges and ___ major judges for a total of ____. Contrary to assurances given by today’s secular, progressive culture, when a naƟon departs from a Godly worldview, the honor and treat- ment of women spirals ________________. This we see in the book of Judges. Introduction to Judges — Turning from God “They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the LORD, and they did not do so.” — Judges 2:17 (ESV)

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Notes for Introduction to Judges

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier Questions for Thought & Discussion 1. Judges 2:10 tells us that a new generaƟon arose aŌer Joshua, who did not know the Lord or the work that He had done for Israel. What did God do for Israel in previous generaƟons? What may have contributed to the next generaƟon forgeƫng these things? 2. God’s covenant with Israel meant they should honor Him as their only God. Instead of rejecƟng pagan gods and pracƟces, they became familiar with them and then comfortable with them. How is this a warning to us about becoming familiar, and ulƟmately comfortable, with the ungodly aspects of the culture around us? 3. READ Psalm 106:34-41 (which is a difficult read). Discuss how this Psalm depicts the days of the Judges. 4. Why do you think Israel seemed to walk more faithfully with God while a judge was alive, and then faltered again once the judge was out of the picture? What/who could potenƟally have a posi- Ɵve influence in your life to help you stay closer to God? 5. In what ways can you be proacƟve to ensure that future genera- Ɵons know the Lord and the work that He has done for us? Give at least one pracƟcal idea.

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier Are you ready to launch into the book of Judges? This study will be both historical, since we’ll walk through Israel’s story of redemption; and it will also be devotional, because we’ll apply these lessons to our own spiritual journey. The book of Judges will remind us how our personal choices play into God’s work in our lives. Before we’re even introduced to the first judge, we have a thick overlap this week from the book of Joshua. Here’s what it looks like: · Chapter one gives the facts of Israel’s successes and compromises, before and directly following the death of Joshua. · Chapter two summarizes why Israel found itself oppressed by the neighboring nations. · Chapter three begins to chronicle the cycles of turning from the Lord. This is a five-day-a-week Bible study. The first day’s assignment will often be reading, while the remaining days will focus on particular passages to help us understand history, and consider how to apply the passage to our own lives. The final page with Questions for Thought and Discussion will be useful in your discussion groups. Remember to pray before you begin your study each week. Don’t underestimate the power of God’s Holy Spirit to enliven your heart, mind, and spirit to better understand the Holy Scriptures. a READ Judges 1-3. List three phrases from these chapters that seemed particularly important or relevant to you: · · · Judges 1-3 — Turning to Idols Day 1:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ Judges 1:1-26. In the Promised Land, the nation of Israel had relied on Joshua for leadership. Under his command, God had granted them ownership of the entire land, but they had not yet taken possession of it all. There was still work that needed to be done! Once Joshua was gone, Israel inquired of the Lord as to who should lead the way in continuing to take possession of what they had been given. · Who was to lead Israel against the Canaanites? · What was the assurance given by the Lord in v.2? · What offer did Caleb make for the one who would attack and capture Debir (v.12)? · Who was successful in that battle (v.13)? (Note him for future reference.) In general, these verses summarize the success of Israel’s conquest in the Promised Land. But they also hint at impending compromise: · From v.19, what advantage did the inhabitants of the plain seem to have over Israel and how did this play into the first small sign of weakness or failure on Judah’s part? · And, from v.21, what was Benjamin’s failure? Day 2:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier It sure doesn’t seem like a very big deal yet, but we’ll find out in the next passage, how the compromises quickly accelerated. a READ Judges 1:27-36, and as you read, log each verse number below, where the enemies of Israel were allowed to live — whether they were put to forced labor, or were just flat out allowed to live among Israel: Canaanites put to forced labor: Canaanites allowed to live among them: A new student of the Bible might find it difficult to understand why allowing the Canaanites to live would be a bad thing. For the sake of a brief review, let’s read two passages — God’s word through Moses: Deuteronomy 7:1-6 — God’s word through Joshua: Joshua 23:4-8 · Summarize the plain instructions given by the Lord through His servants and the reason for the instructions: Have you considered those small areas of obedience in your life that God has pointed out? Have you ever found yourself in the situation of obeying half-way? Maybe you’ve obeyed 90% and left just a few of those Jebusites in Jerusalem. It doesn’t seem like a very big deal in the moment, but wait till we’re done with tomorrow’s passage! We’ll see how those small compromises have a way of growing overnight! "God is perpetually at war with sin. That is the whole explanation of the extermination of the Canaanites." — G. Campbell Morgan1

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier I think it could be said that the first step in turning from the Lord may be parƟal obedience, and the second step may be passive obedience — put simply — apathy toward God’s Word. As parents, when our kids only half obey us, or lose interest in obeying us altogether, we respond and take acƟon. Chapter two explains how God responded to Israel’s choices. As we read this chapter, we need to remember that chronology is more important to Western readers than to the original audience. So to help us out a liƩle, read the following passages in this order: a READ Judges 2:6-13, Judges 2:1-5, Judges 2:14-15. In these verses, Israel not only turned from the Lord, but they turned to fake gods! They were a special people who belonged to the one true God, but they exchanged worshipping Him for worshipping imitaƟons. · How was the next generaƟon’s spirituality described in v.10? · What reasons do you think may have contributed to that? · Explain the spiritual choices Israel began to make in v.11-13: · From v.14-15, describe God’s pracƟcal response: Day 3:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier · In v.1, we read God’s symbolic response — the Angel of the Lord leŌ ___________ and went to ____________. In the Old Testament, the Angel of the LORD was oŌen a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus. This understanding transforms this passage, from an angel’s mere change in locaƟon, to a weighty, disappoinƟng symbolism of the shiŌ of God’s presence with His people. Gilgal was the place in Joshua Chapter 5, where Israel yielded in obedience to the work of God in circumcision. God declared there that, He rolled away the reproach of Egypt from them. Jesus appeared there to Joshua in the form of the Commander of the army of the Lord to impart courage. Bochim basically means weeping. When God’s people turned from their worship of the one true God to worship imitaƟons, there was nothing leŌ but weeping. We do read that they sacrificed to the Lord, which produces a small glimmer of hope for the reader — but it quickly fades as we realize that wet eyes don’t necessarily equal repentance. Their eyes dried soon enough and they conƟnued on as before. a READ Judges 2:16-23. There is a phrase in v.17 that forms our theme for this study: “they soon turned aside from the way...” That phrase implies that Israel was headed in the right direcƟon — but they made a choice to turn from it. God gave His people a land to live in, He promised victory over their enemies, and He showed persistent aƩenƟon to their welfare. But Israel sƟll whored aŌer other gods and bowed down to them (v.17). Whether we call this ‘a Ɵme of turning’ or ‘a cycle of sin’, the circular paƩern is obvious, and if we’re honest, we might even be able to idenƟfy a similar cycle in our own lives. Chapter two reads like a thesis statement given to us, before we read all of the specific examples of Israel’s chronic turning from the Lord.

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier Let’s idenƟfy the parts (or phases) of the cycle of sin. From v.11-19, fill in the missing words: PHASE 1: The unfaithfulness of God’s kids (sin) v.11 Israel did what was __________ in the sight of the Lord. v.12b They _______ ________ other gods...and ________ _______ to them. And they _________________ the Lord to anger. v.13 They ___________________ the Lord. PHASE 2: The oppression by God’s enemies (problems) v.14 He ______ _____ into the hand of their surrounding enemies. PHASE 3: The cry of God’s kids (repentance) (This phase isn’t detailed in the summary of chapter 2, but we read it oŌen in real-Ɵme, as we move along in Judges.) PHASE 4: The faithfulness of God (deliverance) v.16 Then the Lord raised up _____________, who __________ them out of the hand of those who plundered them. RETURN TO PHASE 1: (this is a cycle aŌer all) v.19 But whenever the __________ died, they __________ ______ and were more corrupt than their fathers, _________ _______ other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. We’ll become very acquainted with this paƩern by the end of Judges! a READ Judges 3:1-6. I think this is a good place to point out two important concepts: 1) God is Faithful: As ChrisƟans, when we say God is faithful, we usually refer to something wonderful God has done or will do to benefit us. Day 4:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier Faithfulness is part of God’s character. But one aspect of faithfulness we don’t oŌen celebrate, is that He is faithful to His promises to discipline His kids. Through His servants, God warned Israel many Ɵmes about what would happen if they turned away from Him. In the book of Judges, when Israel DID turn from God, we saw His faithfulness to bring oppression. 2) People grow in Ɵmes of struggle: We intuiƟvely think peace Ɵme would create the most ferƟle ground for spiritual growth, but this book shows us that seasons of safety oŌen devolve into Ɵmes of turning. Even in Joshua’s day, God leŌ enemy naƟons for Israel to conquer, because people grow stronger and their faith becomes larger when they have baƩles to fight. BaƩles are oŌen a good thing. This can be true in our lives — we try so hard to achieve peace and safety, that we someƟmes consider it a failure if all is not victory and stability in our lives. But I wonder if the Lord allows, even perpetuates, some of our struggles in order for our faith to conƟnue to grow. a READ Judges 3:7-11 — Othniel. As we read the first detailed account of Israel’s cycle of sin and God’s chosen judge/deliverer, I want to point out a few useful Ɵps for studying through these cycles: 1) During each Ɵme of turning, we’ll meet some repeƟƟve phrases like — Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. — But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, — The LORD raised up a deliverer. If you mark those in your Bible, they will help you idenƟfy the cycles. 2) The map on p.5 idenƟfies the region from where each judge arose. It’s both important and interesƟng to remember that God’s judges were not like kings or presidents. Israel was not united at this point — everyone did what was right in his own eyes. 3) There is a chart on p.9 to complete for each judge. You can see Othniel has been done for you as an example. I think you’ll find it interesƟng to fill in the chart as you move through this book.

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier Let’s invesƟgate the days of Othniel... · Who did God raise up to oppress Israel (v.8)? · How many years were they oppressed? · Where did you hear about Othniel before and why might that be significant? · What impressed you most about Othniel? · How many years of rest did Israel enjoy under Othniel? a READ Judges 3:12-30 — Ehud. Mark the repeƟƟve phrases in your Bible and complete the chart on p.9. · Who did God raise up to oppress Israel (v.12)? · READ Deuteronomy 34:3. What is the familiar name for the City of Palms? Can you imagine the disappointment, maybe even shame, to live under a foreign king, who set up shop for 18 years in the city that symbolized Israel’s iniƟal victory in the promised land? · What was unique about the judge (deliverer) whom God raised up? Day 5:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier Give a short summary of Ehud’s story from these verses: ·3:16-18 ·3:19-20 ·3:21-23 ·3:24-26 ·3:27-30 · Explain how God capitalized on Ehud’s uniqueness for victory. I purposefully called Ehud’s leŌ-handed condiƟon unique, but in his day, it was a handicap — a weakness. Clearly, we can appreciate several aspects of God’s work: 1) a handicapped man saving Israel; 2) God’s choice to use Ehud as His servant in the first place; and 3) Ehud’s willingness to rise above vicƟmhood, and simply trust in God’s strength. · How does that speak to areas of your life that you perceive as weaknesses or even handicaps? · Did Ehud seem to hesitate at all when God gave him an opportunity to fight for Israel?

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier · In what ways might you hesitate if you think you don’t have what it takes for the task God has set before you? · How many years of rest did Israel enjoy aŌer Ehud? a READ Judges 3:31 — Shamgar. Our third judge, Shamgar, gets just one verse! The text doesn’t even use the word judge or deliverer but it does say, ‘aŌer him’ (referring to Ehud) was Shamgar. On your chart on p.9, fill in as much informaƟon as you can find. · Who did God raise up to oppress Israel? · Since Israel had been stripped of their weapons, what was leŌ in Shamgar’s possession with which to deliver Israel? Both judge #2 and #3 seemed to funcƟon completely out of weakness—Shamgar’s only weapon was a seemingly useless farming tool. An ox goad was a long pole, with one pointed end to prod the oxen, and a shovel on the other end to clean the plow. Once again we realize that God chose an unlikely deliverer, with an unlikely tool, who took a risk and offered what he DID have for the Lord’s use. Well done, Shamgar! What unlikely tools do you have at your disposal to offer to the Lord? Pray through these lessons from today and tell God that you believe HE is able even if you are disabled! “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.” 1 Corinthians 1:27

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier Questions for Thought & Discussion 1. List some important concepts to understand about God and His relaƟonship to His people in chapters 1-3: 2. We noted that parƟal obedience was the first step in Israel turning from God. Read Luke 16:10. How do these words relate to the opening chapters of Judges and what relevance do they have in your life? 3. In what ways can you relate to Othniel, Ehud or Shamgar? 4. What specific character traits found in these men would you like to see increased in your life? 5. How are you inspired about the hidden potenƟal of ChrisƟans when they willingly surrender themselves to God’s power? 6. AŌer each judge, Israel enjoyed a period of rest — but it was never permanent because the people turned once more. How can you plan to not squander a season of peace or rest that God may provide?

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier The first few judges had some courageous character qualiƟes but, as we make our way through the full line-up of deliverers in the book of Judges, we’re going to find them geƫng more and more complicated. They are a mixture of heroes, heroines and helpers, seasoned with failures and flaws. This week’s judge, Deborah, is unique among the judges in that she is a woman! And as a bonus, this passage contains a co-heroine! a READ all of Judges 4 & 5. Chapter 4 is a historical narraƟve wriƩen in prose, while chapter 5 retells the story in poeƟc form. To help organize this drama in your mind, as you encounter its robust cast of characters, write a short de- scripƟon of each person as you meet him/her: Jabin: Sisera: Deborah: Barak: Heber: Jael: · List one of the most surprising elements of this narraƟve: · List one of the most troubling elements of this narraƟve: Day 1: Judges 4-5 — Turning to a Helper

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ Judges 4:1-5. Mark familiar phrases that are part of the cycle of sin, and fill in the chart on p.9 with any informaƟon you find. · What people group did God raise up as oppressors for Israel this Ɵme? · What did the enemy possess that was frightening to Israel? Jabin was likely a Ɵtle, like Pharaoh or Caesar — It’s doubƞul this was the same Jabin, who ruled in Hazor from Joshua’s day (Joshua 11:1). · READ Joshua 11:13. What had Joshua done to the town of Hazor? Then, how could the town of Hazor sƟll be around in Judges 5? How could Jabin be reigning in Hazor again? Well, go back to Judges 1:19. · What kept Judah from completely driving out the Canaanites? I guess you can burn the city, but if you don’t remove the people, they can probably rebuild as many Ɵmes as you can tear down. This is a clear demonstraƟon of the warning God gave about the Canaanites becoming thorns in their sides (Numbers 33:55). · How long had Israel been oppressed by Jabin (v.3)? As always, when God’s people cried for help, God rose up a judge. This Ɵme, the judge was already...judging! Deborah was a prophetess, a wife and a mother. She was the only one among the dozen judges, who seemed to have a role in decision-making, or pronouncing judg- ments. Here we find her under her palm, counseling and guiding the people even before God raised her up as a deliverer. She will remain true to herself in the coming narraƟve — counseling and guiding her people. Day 2:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ Judges 4:6-10. Deborah was a prophetess, so it’s no surprise that she had a word from the Lord for Barak. · What was Barak to do? · What did Deborah promise to do? · What was Barak’s reservaƟon/request? · What did Deborah predict would be the outcome? Deborah’s plan sounded a liƩle superhero-ish: “You go up on the mountain, I’ll draw out the bad guy, you catch him!” What could go wrong? That’s just the thing, when God determines it— it will hap- pen! Just not always how we think. · Write her exhortaƟon to Barak from v.6: a READ Judges 4:11-16. · What effect did the news of Barak’s army on the mountain have on Sisera? · Summarize Deborah’s second exhortaƟon to Barak from v.14: Day 3:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier · Summarize the outcome of the baƩle: READ Ephesians 5:17. As ChrisƟans, we need discernment and we need to understand the Ɵmes in which we are living. We must ask God to help us decipher His will. Even though Jabin was king, it seemed his commander, Sisera, was the real threat. Even though Barak was the general of the army, it seemed Deborah was the real inspiraƟon. Even though the tent belonged to Heber, it seemed the real heroine of this story was his wife, Jael! a READ Judges 4:17-24. · Why did Sisera take refuge in Heber’s home in the first place? · What do you think caused Jael to invite Sisera into her tent? Look at the map on p.5 to appreciate the scope of this baƩle. It was an unlikely victory, but again, when God ordains a thing — it happens! · What words might characterize Deborah’s role in this event? · What words might characterize Jael’s role in this event? Day 4:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier · What similariƟes do you see between Deborah and Jael? · Who got credit for the victory on that day (v.23)? · Unlike the days from Joshua Chapter 11, what did Israel do to Jabin this Ɵme around (v.24)? God was victorious and brought deliverance to Israel once again, but we shouldn’t move on too quickly, before appreciaƟng the extraordi- nary role of two women in His plan of deliverance. Does this surprise us? It’s the reason I Ɵtled this week, Turning to a Helper. READ Genesis 2:18. The word helper in the Hebrew is Ezer (pronoun- ced Ay-zer). In God’s divine design, He created the woman to be a helper suitable for the man. It’s a glorious design. Woman was not a lessor creaƟon or a second thought, she was made for a disƟnct pur- pose — to do what a man could not — specifically to be a life-giver. But there’s so much more to the nature of a woman. Did you know that the Spirit of God is also referred to by that Hebrew word, Ezer? (See Deuteronomy 33:29, Psalm 118:7, Psalm 121:1-2) · In what ways might you describe the deliverance of Israel through two women as a posiƟve funcƟon of a helper?

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier · In what ways might you see the reliance on a helper to be a nega- Ɵve commentary on the current condiƟon of the men of Israel? a READ Judges 5. The people of Israel would someƟmes break into song to commemo- rate impressive acts of deliverance. For example, Moses did this aŌer God opened the Red Sea in Exodus 15. A song preserved important informaƟon for the next generaƟon, and it was also an appropriate response of praise, aŌer benefiƫng from God’s generous victory. · What themes does Deborah’s song seem to celebrate the most? · In v.6-8, what further insights do we gain about Israel’s life just prior to this deliverance? · Describe how v.2 might be put into pracƟce in our world today: READ Numbers 10:35, Psalm 68:1-3, 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10. · Describe the unity you see in these passages with Deborah’s final request in v.31: · How many years did Israel have rest? Day 5:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier QuesƟons for Thought & Discussion 1. What do these chapters teach us about God’s providence? 2. With whom do you idenƟfy most in these chapters — Deborah, Barak, or Jael (or what combinaƟon of the three), and why? 3. How would you describe Barak’s trust in God? Why do you think he would only move forward if Deborah was with him? 4. In what ways does the life of Deborah inspire you to grow in dis- cernment or perspecƟve, so that you can encourage others? 5. In what ways does the quick thinking of Jael inspire you toward courage? 6. Even though they are not husband and wife, in what ways might Deborah and Barak demonstrate good teamwork in a marriage? 7. If you wrote a song about God’s work in your life, what might be its theme?

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier Running into familiar Sunday School stories can be one of the biggest blessings and also the greatest challenges in studying Judges. Gideon is one of those quintessential flannel board characters, so we’ll need to remove all of the imaginary flannel pieces and start from scratch, to discover what the Holy Spirit wants to show us in this study. a READ Judges 6 & 7. After reading all of the movements of Gideon’s story, which episode intrigues you the most and why? a READ Judges 6:1-10. In your Bible, mark the phrases related to the sin cycle. Then, begin to fill in the chart for Gideon on p.9. The Midianites and Amalekites oppressed Israel simply by bullying them. · What did they do to their crops and herds? · Where did Israel create places of refuge? Being taken captive to a foreign land must be devastating, but a slavery of fear in your own homeland has got to be equally challenging. · When Israel cried out to the Lord, whom did God send (v.8)? Judges 6-7 — Turning from Fear Day 1: Day 2:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier · What key elements of the prophet’s message should have helped them connect the dots between their actions and their situation? a READ Judges 6:11-24. Here we meet the Angel of the LORD again. · Describe His greeting to Gideon in v.12? · Explain the irony between the words of the greeting and the location of their meeting: Based on Gideon’s response to the Angel, it seemed that, either Gideon didn’t know about the prophet’s message, or he failed to understand it. But the Angel’s message was very clear. Write the message from the Angel to Gideon from these verses: V.12 V.14 V.16 Threshing involved tossing wheat into the air with a rake-like tool. The heavy inner kernel of wheat would fall to the ground as the wind blew away the outer chaff. For this to work properly, a person had to thresh in the open. To thresh inside a winepress with its high sides blocking the wind would be extremely frustrating. Gideon must have been desperate about hiding.2

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier We could rightly title this lesson, “The Call of Gideon”, because, once more, we witness God raise up a judge out of weakness and limitation, in order to highlight God’s ability and power. · Summarize the events of the meal they shared from v.19-23: · What was Gideon’s final interaction with the Angel (v.22-24)? The Bible tells of other servants of God, who needed a bit of time to warm up to His calling, like Moses (Exodus 3) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1). God had to remind others that they were known and chosen, even from birth, for a special purpose in His plan of redemption, like Paul (Galatians 1:15). · Write out Psalm 57:2— Consider the purpose for which YOU were created. Now, write a brief prayer, asking God to fulfill His purpose in you: a READ Judges 6:25-32. · What specific instructions did Gideon receive from the Lord? Day 3:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier · Why did Gideon take care of his mission at night? · What does the reacƟon from the townsmen tell us about their spiritual condiƟon at this Ɵme? · What was the nickname given to Gideon, and what did it mean? a READ Judges 6:33-40. It’s interesƟng that God first met Gideon privately, and gave him his first assignment right at home. Only aŌer that success, do we read about him calling up troops from most of Israel, in order to save the naƟon. · Describe the current threat to Israel: · God had promised earlier to be with Gideon. How is that promise described in v.34? The act of laying a fleece before the Lord is something ChrisƟans refer to even today. Some people think it’s a good way to find the direcƟon of the Lord. AŌer all, they say, it’s in the Bible. But we should remem- ber that not everything in the Bible is necessarily intended to be du- plicated, just as it’s recorded. · How did the posiƟve signs give Gideon the confidence needed?

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier This may have been a genuine act of seeking assurance from the Lord — aŌer all, it wasn’t that long ago that he was hiding in a winepress, and this mission would require an enƟrely new level of faith. · How did God respond, and what does that teach you about God’s benevolence? a READ Judges 7:1-11. Do you remember Jabin’s 900 iron chariots in the Ɵmes of Deborah? Certainly, any outsider would have laid mon- ey on the Canaanites as the clear winner in any skirmish. We tend to think more is beƩer, but God thinks and acts differently. In the case of Gideon’s army, God wanted Israel to know their victory would not be due to the sheer number of their soldiers — but it would be God’s victory. List the total number of men... ...at the spring of Harod: ___________________ … who returned home from fear: ________________ ...who voluntarily remained to fight: _____________ READ Deuteronomy 20:1, 8 for addiƟonal insight. · Describe the method of separaƟng the remaining men in v.5-7: This was not a readiness test. There was nothing militarily superior about those who lapped the water. The test was a means to segre- gate the smallest possible number of men with which to move for- ward in baƩle. How many men were finally remaining? ________ What percentage was that of the original number of men? ______ Day 4:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier Gideon hasn’t exactly been a pilar of faith since we’ve met him, but God has been gracious. He has not beliƩled Gideon, but has compas- sionately helped him overcome his fear. · Who was Gideon instructed to take into the camp with him? This is interesƟng — a ‘two-are-beƩer-than-one’ principle in acƟon! And can’t we all can use a friend, a comrade, a partner, an encourag- er, a helper to strengthen us for the task God has called us to? Read the following Scriptures and note how important the giŌ of companionship or encouragement can be: Exodus 17:8-12: Ecclesiastes 4:9-11: Philippians 2:19-20: 1 Thessalonians 5:11: a READ Judges 7:12-25. · Describe the contrast between the enemy army in v.12, and Gideon’s army at this point: Day 5:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier How would you feel right about now, if your massive army of 300 men was about to baƩle this horde? No wonder God graciously gave Gideon one more sign to inspire his courage. · Briefly summarize the Midianite’s dream and interpretaƟon: · What effect did this midnight eavesdropping have on Gideon? · How many men had trumpets and jars? Three groups of 100 men each, sparsely surrounded the enemy. In a normal military advance, only the leaders would have trumpets. The startled Midianite army likely presumed the sound of 300 trumpets would signal about 30,000 soldiers. The sudden light from the torches probably reinforced their guess! · Describe how the baƩle was won that night: · Summarize the remaining verses of the chapter:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier Turning from Fear This week’s Ɵtle is, Turning from Fear. Although Gideon may have been naturally fearful, I think many of us may have been found hiding in a wine press under similar circumstances. Gideon didn’t seem to be pracƟced at saying NO to fear and YES to trusƟng God (like Deborah). If Deborah represents faith and Gideon represents fear, what number on this scale would represent your own condiƟon right now? Fear like Faith like Gideon 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Deborah Improving that number isn’t as simple as telling yourself: Don’t live in fear — Have more faith! Gideon needed a lot of reassurance and God was paƟent with him. Maybe you need reassurance from Ɵme to Ɵme, as you face challenges that seem way too big for you to handle. Think back through this story and list points of inspiraƟon (both words and acƟons) that God gave Gideon: Now list the steps of faith, challenges or risks that Gideon accepted: There’s really no subsƟtute — our faith grows by facing those prob- lems, that are too large for us to handle, in the strength of the Lord. — What is God using right now to grow your faith? — What do you need to risk in order to obey God? — How is God providing reassurance for you?

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier QuesƟons for Thought & Discussion 1. In Judges 6:16, God told Gideon, I will be with you. When God gives you a specific assignment, do you usually have a sense that God will be with you? How does that effect your resolve in the task? 2. Describe a Ɵme when, like Gideon, you had an I-just-need-to-be- sure moment. In what ways did you seek counsel from God? 3. God reduced Gideon’s army to a small fracƟon of its original size, in order that they might not rely on their own power. In what mission or acƟvity are you most likely to automaƟcally rely on your own strength or abiliƟes? 4. What does the story of Gideon tell you about the type of people God chooses to complete His purpose? 5. In what specific way might you need to step out, take a risk and obey what God is calling you to do right now? 6. If someone asked you to share a significant Ɵp on how to have victory over debilitaƟng fear in your life, what would you tell them?

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier We’re going to pick up the pace this week and study one chapter each day. These passages cover the remainder of Gideon’s story, as well as the lives of six judges and one failed king. I’ve added a subƟtle for each day, to help put the whole narraƟve into perspecƟve. a READ Judges 8:1-3—Regarding the men of Ephraim: We read in chapter 7 that the men of Ephraim had actually been called to help. They captured Oreb and Zeeb. But since they were ab- sent for the main baƩle, they missed out on some of the spoils of war. We’re reminded that, even in victory, someone will surely complain! · What do you think Gideon meant by his diplomaƟc response in v.2? a READ Judges 8:4-17—Regarding the men of Succoth and Penuel: Right about now, we sure do miss that Ɵmid version of Gideon, with his big appeƟte for assurance from the Lord. He’s morphed into a different kind of man — not exactly bad, but not good either. He’s be- come just as complicated as the Ɵmes he lived in. · AŌer God had been gracious and long-suffering in dealing with Gideon’s own reservaƟons and fears, how did Gideon turn around and treat the men of Succoth and Penuel? · READ MaƩhew 18:23-35 and share the parallels you see: Judges 8-12 — Turning to Pride Day 1: When success goes to your head

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier · Explain how Gideon followed through on his threat. a READ Judges 8:18—35—Regarding Zebah and Zalmunna: · Who did these men admit to killing at Tabor? · How did Gideon deal with them? · What did the men of Israel suggest for Gideon aŌer this revenge? Gideon sounded so righteous by declining the kingship, but then he seemed to live just like a king. Gideon even went so far as to live like a priest — making for himself an ephod. · READ Exodus 28:1-4: In God’s original design, who was to bear the ephod, and for what purpose? · How did Gideon’s ephod become a problem for Israel? · Gideon’s son by his concubine was named: __________________ (Save that name for the next chapter!) “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” — Proverbs 14:12 (ESV)

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier Put a #1 or #2 (or both) before words that describe Gideon in his two phases of life: #1 = Gideon from the threshing floor through the baƩle; #2 = Gideon from the baƩle unƟl his death: ___fearful ____authoritaƟve ____obedient ____popular ___vindicƟve ____dependent on God ____humble ____angry ___heroic ____self-confident ____prideful ____wealthy Gideon was called by God to judge Israel, but despite his iniƟal suc- cess, he made no real, lasƟng impact on the naƟon, and even caused them to fall into spiritual idolatry. Legacy is a word that comes to mind when someone has been given the opportunity to influence others. · Write one sentence to sum up Gideon’s legacy: · Describe three different areas in which you would like to do beƩer than Gideon, and leave a posiƟve legacy for righteousness: · · · Chapter nine is all about Abimelech (Gideon’s son) and just to be clear, Abimelech was NOT a judge — he was a wannabe king — and God did not raise him up for either posiƟon, he raised himself up! We don’t have a record of an outside oppressor during this period, the oppression and tyranny came from inside Israel — Abimelech himself oppressed Israel and made their life difficult! a READ Judges 9:1-6. · Name the region of Gideon’s home (and his 70 sons): ___________________________ · Name the region of Abimelech’s home (and his mother): ___________________________ Day 2: When the enemy is within

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier Have you heard the saying ‘Repeat something oŌen enough and peo- ple will believe it’? · What propaganda did Abimelech ask his Shechem kinfolk to spread? · How did Abimelech gather a following? · Once he gathered a small army, what did he do? · How was Abimelech made king? a READ Judges 9:7-21. Abimelech had eliminated all threats to his reign, save one — Jotham! Do you remember the amazing acousƟcs between Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim from our study of Joshua (Joshua 8:30-33)? Well, Jotham got the idea to use that plaƞorm to speak a parable to those who crowned Abimelech. In his parable, he described the value of different types of trees: · What value could there be from an olive tree? · What benefit would be produced from a fig tree? · What resource comes from the vine? · What is the bramble good for? Even if you’re not an arborist, it’s easy to see there is only one tree in this parable that offers no comfort; even drawing close to it would be painful. What a great illustraƟon of the reign of Abimelech.

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ Judges 9:22-41. · How long did Abimelech rule over Israel? _______________ As already pointed out, the fact that Abimelech ruled over Israel didn’t mean he was either chosen or endorsed by God. God simply let the people have their way in this maƩer. God has a habit of being long- suffering, always giving Ɵme for repentance. But it does come to an end, He will not let the trespasser go unpunished. Summarize how the drama unfolded from v.23-29: a READ Judges 9:42-57. This is a hard chapter! Israel (at least the region of Shechem) was under the tyranny of a murderous, ungodly, vengeful oppres- sor. What’s worse? They had actually invit- ed him to rule over them! Now, in this passage, they are feeling the full heat of that burning bramble, while it devours everything in its path. · Summarize the sad events of the Tower of Shechem: · Summarize the events at the Tower of Thebez: When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules, people groan. — Proverbs 29:2

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier · Explain how God avenged Abimelech: · Explain how God avenged the men of Shechem: For a modern American, retribuƟon can be difficult to accept. Read the following verses, and note what you learn about God’s jusƟce: Genesis 18:25 Deuteronomy 32:35 Job 42:2 Habakkuk 2:3 GalaƟans 6:7-8 Even in dark and difficult Ɵmes, we can trust God to show Himself faith- ful to those who humbly submit to Him and honor Him with their lives. a READ Judges 10:1-5. Fill in the chart on p.9 with any informaƟon found for Tola and Jair. Very liƩle is wriƩen about these two judges, but the amount of peace- ful years that Israel enjoyed must have had something to do with their dedicated leadership. SomeƟmes short bios are the best legacy — there’s oŌen not much to write about people who squelch drama before it even starts! Unfortunately, the blessing of peace isn’t always leveraged to its best advantage. People have a tendency to take peace for granted. Rather than seizing the opportunity for spiritual growth and holiness, we may squander the years of blessing in pursuit of our own pleasures. Israel’s pleasure dropped them off on the front door of idolatry. It can be the same with us. As Solomon said, ‘there is nothing new under the sun’. Day 3: When you take blessings for granted

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ Judges 10:6-18. In your Bible, mark the familiar phrases related to the sin cycle. Then, begin to fill in the chart on p.9 from this chapter (even though we won’t be introduced to the name of the judge unƟl chapter 11). · To emphasize the extent of the spiritual adultery, list all the na- Ɵons from v.6, whom Israel joined in worshiping their wicked gods God was accustomed to hearing about His people’s regret and re- morse and their cry for rescue; but what He longed to hear was their repentance. God would not be mocked. He knew His people well and He knew they were not repentant in this moment. · Write out the sƟnging response God gave them in v.13-14: Therefore... When Israel put away the foreign gods and served the Lord once again, God relented and provided a way out. The parallels between the history of Israel and our own spiritual lives are obvious. God’s holiness and mercy were both held in tension with Israel, and God’s holiness and mercy are both saƟsfied for us at the Cross. · READ Ephesians 2:4-7 and describe any parallels you see between God’s mercy in Judges and His mercy in our lives:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier The chapter ends with the leaders of Gilead seeking a commander, as the Ammonite army camped on their doorstep. Remember, the Am- monites are distant relaƟves of Israel, descended from Abraham’s nephew Lot (Genesis 19:38). a READ Judges 11:1-11. We’re now introduced to the next judge of Israel by name, so conƟnue to fill in the chart on p.9. · List one admirable aƩribute of Jephthah: · List one objecƟonable aƩribute of Jephthah: Complicated. Compromised. Careless. Those words describe the days of Israel during the judges. Add ‘complex’ and we have a good descrip- Ɵon of the judges themselves — neither all good nor all bad — and oŌen marching to the familiar drum beat of family dysfuncƟon. · What do you think it was about Jephthah that caused the elders of Gilead to want to recruit him to be their commander? · Under what condiƟons did Jephthah accept? a READ Judges 11:12-27. The king of the Ammonites had a beef about Israel living in the land he thought belonged to his people — he wanted it back. Note — how Jephthah denied the Ammonite king’s claim, with a very accurate account of how Israel actually came into possession of the land on the east side of the Jordan River. (Numbers 21:21-35) Note — how Jephthah overturned the aƩempted rewrite of history, by poinƟng out that Israel actually won the land from the Amorites, not the Ammonites, since God had forbidden Israel to take land from their relaƟves in Deuteronomy 2:19. Day 4: When you speak before you think

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier Note — how Jephthah pointed out that Israel had already lived in the land for over 300 years. Now they wanted to claim it was theirs? If their god, Chemosh, wanted them to have the land, maybe he should have done a better job of providing it for them! · Based on that diplomatic meeting, how would you characterize Jephthah as a leader? a READ Judges 11:28-40. Up until now, we sort of liked this guy! He’s the type of diplomatic leader that any nation would be proud of (no wonder the leaders of Gilead sought him out). AND, as a bonus, v.29 tells us that the __________ of the Lord was _______ Jephthah! What could go wrong? One simple, careless vow at Mizpah in an attempt to bribe God — that’s what went wrong. · Describe the vow in v.30-31: · Describe the battle in v.32-33: · Describe the homecoming in v.34-35: A vow like that was never encouraged in God’s law. · What/who do you think may have influenced Jephthah? It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,” and to reflect only after making vows. — Proverbs 20:25

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ Judges 12:1-7. Enter the day-late-and-dollar-short men of Ephraim, who stirred up trouble again. (Remember Judges 8:1-3?) · What was their complaint? · How did their words spark a great conflict? · Who won the conflict? · Ironically, only the correct pronunciation of what word would give an Ephraimite a pass to escape to the west side of the Jordan? Hasty words — accusative words — complaining words — they are all likely to cause problems — even to create a civil war. Words are often at the root of family conflict, misunderstandings between friends, or tension at work. The wise Christian will endeavor to speak carefully! a READ Judges 12:8-15. List as much information as you can find about the next three Judges on your chart on p.9. Honestly, these verses are a welcome reprieve after what we’ve read. Three simple, ordinary men, whom God raised up to rule His people. Turning to Pride is the theme we choose for this week. For many of us, pride is lurking, just one or two thoughts away from taking control of our lives. Consider these preludes to pride and mark those you want to pray over, so you don’t turn to pride in your own life. ___ needing to be recognized ___ relying on previous success ___ needing to be in charge ___ relying on personal ability ___ needing to be included ___ concealing my weaknesses ___ minimizing other people’s efforts and contributions Day 5: When words create a civil war

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier Questions for Thought & Discussion 1. We often talk of overcoming fear. But Gideon’s story reminds us that triumphing over fear is just the first step. What needs to happen, after fear is handled, to live a successful life for God? 2. Unlike Deborah, we don’t read of any special thanks or spontaneous praise to God after the Midianite victory. Explain how giving God credit for His work in our lives benefits us. 3. The dark reign of Abimelech could have been avoided if the men of Shechem would have said no to him. Jotham did act on his convictions, when he spoke up on Mt. Gerizim. In what area do you need courage right now to stand up for your convictions? 4. Have you ever made a hasty decision or promise that you needed to change later? When is that appropriate and when is it not? 5. The sacrifice of Jephthah’s daughter is unconscionable. How do you think God would have responded if Jephthah would have confessed his hasty sin and sought God’s mercy and forgiveness? What stopped him from doing that? What stops you sometimes? 6. Discuss the areas of life that can cause pride to grow stronger in a Christian’s life. Then discuss practical ways to subdue that growth.

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ Judges 13-16. For the rest of this book, we won’t find Israel crying out to God for rescue. Maybe they wrote their own playbook for so long that they no longer recognized sin. Maybe they sunk so far that they forgot whom they belong to. Maybe they simply lost faith. Regardless of the reason, God was faithful in the midst of their faithlessness. Has that ever been true in your life? Has God stepped in to help you, to rescue you, to save you even before you asked? He has done that for me and I am so thankful. God sees and He knows, and He will fulfill His purpose for each of us. It’s part of His character. a READ Judges 13:1-7. In your Bible, mark any familiar phrases related to the sin cycle. Then, begin to fill in the chart on p.9 with the information found in v.1. · Describe the good news the Angel of the Lord gave Manoah’s wife: · What specific instructions was she given? · What additional information do you find out about a Nazirite vow by reading Numbers 6:1-12? Day 1: Judges 13-16 — Turning from Purpose Day 2:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier · In what way would the life of Samson have been slightly different from someone taking the Nazirite vow read about in Numbers? a READ Judges 13:8-25. The calling of Samson as a judge of Israel was unique. We’re given a lengthy nativity narration, where Samson’s purpose was made clear before he was even born. This reminds us that God has a solution long before we realize we have a problem. This section makes me smile since we’re given a glimpse into the personalities of Mr. & Mrs. Manoah. God already told the Mrs. what the life’s work of her child would be and how they were to raise him. · What type of questions did the Mr. ask of the Angel of the LORD? It sort of makes you wonder if he was even listening to his wife, or if he believed her, when she first told him about the Angel’s message. · Describe the similarities between Gideon’s food offering to the Angel of the Lord and this one. Another humorous part of the story lies in v.22-23. I think that God sprinkles interesting personality tidbits in Scripture for our pleasure! “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” Psalm 138:8 (ESV)

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier At the end of chapter 13, Samson was a grown man. The last sentences built excitement and promise for his future: And the LORD ________________ him. And the Spirit of the LORD began to ______________ him. a READ Judges 14:1-7. Also READ Deuteronomy 7:1-4. · Explain how Samson’s actions in these verses are out of agreement with God’s law and are a disappointment to us, based on the verses we completed above: Consider these statements: V.2 “I ________ one of the daughters of the Philistines…” V.3 “Get her for me, for she is right in my ____________.” V.7 “he talked with the woman, and she was right in Samson’s _____.” Samson was clearly indoctrinated by the surrounding culture, who were all doing whatever was right in their own eyes. It’s sad to read, especially after knowing that God specifically called Samson, even from the womb, for His purpose. · Consider v.4 and READ Genesis 50:20 . Why do you think it’s difficult for us to accept the fact that God can still accomplish His purpose, in the midst of disobedience and sin? a READ Judges 14:8-20. · From v.5, where did the incident with the lion happen and why might that not have been a great place for a Nazirite to be found? Day 3:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier · What addiƟonal problem do you see in v.8 for a Nazirite? Samson showed a complete disregard here for his calling and purpose in life. He was found going where he wanted to go, touching and eaƟng whatever he wanted, and marrying whomever he desired. Samson seemed to fit right in with the PhilisƟnes, which isn’t a compli- ment. They were an even match — the PhilisƟnes had a bullying problem and Samson had an anger problem. · V.19 tells us that the _________ of the LORD rushed _______ him. God had granted him strength for a purpose, but how did Samson end up using God’s strength in that moment? There is always a personal applicaƟon in Scripture. God lavishes giŌs on His kids for a purpose. We can choose to use those giŌs wisely for His Kingdom, or foolishly and without restraint, for whatever seems right in our own eyes. I’ve oŌen heard a secular music arƟst and thought, ‘he was meant to be a worship leader’, or heard a persuasive salesman and thought, ‘he is supposed to be teaching the Scriptures’. What about you? Reflect today on the skills God has granted you for His purposes. Are you using what He’s given you for His Kingdom? Are the giŌs He’s given you under the control of the Holy Spirit? Are you seeking to be a wise steward of what God has entrusted to you? · What effect did Samson’s lack of control have on his heifer, I mean, his new wife?

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ Judges 15:1-8. AŌer a cooling off period, Samson decided to resume his marriage right where he leŌ off. Certainly, he thought, With a giŌ like a goat, what girl wouldn’t be excited to see me? · What surprise awaited Samson regarding his wife? · What was he offered as a replacement for her? · Describe Samson’s retribuƟon from v.4-5: · Do you think his acƟons were jusƟfied and/or in proporƟon to the harm done to him? · Do you think the PhilisƟnes’ reprisal to burn a father and daugh- ter was in proporƟon to the harm done to them? · Do you think each party was doing what was right in their own eyes at the moment, and had a list of jusƟfiable reasons for their acƟons? Once these things begin to escalate, they can become almost impos- sible to contain. When each party can be labeled both vicƟm and aggressor, things become difficult to sort out. · Is there an area of your life where you see yourself as the vicƟm? · Does that embolden you to pay back, in some way, for the wrong done you? · What does a person do with these feelings of jusƟficaƟon? Day 4:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ Judges 15:9-20. The men of Judah seemed to be allying themselves with the Philis- Ɵnes in this conflict, by binding Samson and taking him capƟve. · Why did Samson tell them not to aƩack him themselves? V.14 tells us that the _________ of the LORD rushed ________ him, just as we read before. · What was Samson able to do with the power of the Lord? Samson was a wild, undisciplined, donkey of a man, and we may have a hard Ɵme believing God placed His Spirit upon him. This is not the type of judge we wanted for Israel. It just seems like he doesn’t de- serve to be used by God. But, in this moment, at least he knew who the oppressor was. The men of Judah, on the other hand, thought it wise to bind their deliverer in order to appease their oppressors. They had goƩen so used to their abusers that they actually began to pro- tect them, fearing a sense of loss without their authoritarian rule. We’re not finished with the story of Samson and yet v.20 seems to give a closing statement that he ruled Israel for 20 years. · What significance do you think there may be in this statement being posiƟoned right here at the end of chapter 15? Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart. Proverbs 21:2 (ESV)

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier List some of Samson’s shortcomings or weaknesses up to this point: a READ Judges 16:1-22. Clearly, one major weakness in Samson’s life was women. · Summarize the events of v.1-3: The last woman in Samson’s life was Delilah. The text doesn’t say that she was a PhilisƟne, but if not, she was at least a sympathizer. We wonder if she ever loved Samson, or if the silver was her real love. InteresƟngly, the amount given was equivalent to about 140 pounds of silver, which would fetch roughly a half million dollars today. · What was the first method, in v.7, that Samson said would subdue him? · What was the second method, in v.11? · What was the third method, in v.13? I don’t know if there’s something us modern girls are missing in these conversaƟons, but I just can’t figure out why Samson didn’t dump this lady and run out the door the first Ɵme. Maybe he was addicted to the cat and mouse game in some bizarre way. But Delilah kept pressing day and night unƟl finally, he shared his past, his purpose, and his promise. · What did he tell her in v.17? Day 5:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier · How good of a Nazirite had Samson been during his life? (Share some examples) · Do you think the Lord leŌ him because he shaved his hair? · Do you think the Lord returned his strength because his hair grew back? Why or why not? What a dreadful life for Samson to be doing women’s work for the en- emy! What a discouraging headline for Israel: “Blind Samson Grinds Grain for Israel’s Overlords.” a READ Judges 16:23-31. · Describe what happened in the house of Dagon: · How does the statement, “the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life” reinforce the Angel’s message to his mother (Judges 13:5) before he was even conceived? Like many of our judges, Samson’s legacy was confusing. Yes, he began to deliver Israel. Yes, he destroyed a great number of the enemy. But I personally see no joy or sense of purpose in his life. We wonder how things may have been different, if he would have fully submiƩed him- self to the purpose for which he was created. Samson oozed with po- tenƟal but lacked character. As we close this week, in what areas do you sense your potenƟal is sƟ- fled because of character issues? These are the types of quesƟons we want to ask ourselves, as we look into the mirror of Scripture. God is faithful to do a mighty work, even in areas that have been weak for years!

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier Questions for Thought & Discussion 1. Can you describe a situaƟon in your life when God prepared a so- luƟon, long before you even knew you had a problem? Explain: 2. Samson demonstrated a sad disregard for his calling and purpose. In what way might a ChrisƟan need to say ‘no’ to certain things, or ‘yes’ to others, in order to fulfill their God-ordained purpose? 3. Samson was a very reacƟve man — we might call him a hot-head! What are some ways a ChrisƟan can learn to submit their reac- Ɵons to the control of the Holy Spirit? 4. The concept of Samson’s power being connected to the length of his hair was supersƟƟous. In what ways might a ChrisƟan be mis- led to wrongly aƩribute some giŌ or ability to the wrong source? How can that thinking be corrected? 5. If someone told you they didn’t believe God had any purpose for their life, how would you respond to them? 6. What are some ways to gain clarity on God’s mission for our lives when we’re in the thick of day-to-day living?

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ Notes from Teaching on Judges 13-16 —

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier No one would describe these last five chapters as encouraging Bible study — but history is not supposed to encourage us as much as in- form us. These chapters will be HARD reading but they WILL inform us as to what a society becomes once its moral decay has reached a certain level. When that level is reached, when people have consist- ently done what is evil in the sight of the Lord, reality becomes stranger than ficƟon. That is what we’re about to learn. It’s important to note that the historical chronology of this book has ended now that we’ve arrived at chapter 17. What remains is a sort of appendix, an epilogue intended to put an exclamaƟon point on the dreadful condiƟons that face a naƟon when they turn from God. The events narrated in these chapters happened earlier in Judges, perhaps sprinkled over the enƟre Ɵmeline. They provide texture to our study, as we read how this great apostacy affected both individu- al lives and all of Israel. On the 300+ year Ɵmeline of the judges, most scholars would pin the story of Micah and the Levite around the same Ɵme as Othniel (Chapter 3). InteresƟngly enough, we Ɵtled that chapter in our study, ‘Turning to Idols’ and that is exactly what is narrated in chapter 17. a READ Judges 17:1-6. It’s interesƟng that the sum of 1100 pieces of silver surfaces again — the same amount offered to Delilah in the last chapter. Do you re- member how much money that represented? You’re right — a lot of money! We read, in v.2, that the mother had pronounced a curse on whoever stole her silver, but once she heard it was her son… · How did she respond with her words? Judges 17-21 — Turning from Perspective Day 1:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do? Psalm 11:3 (ESV) · How did she respond with her acƟons? Now, what mother among us would reward our kids for stealing our stuff? But this epilogue exposes how right becomes wrong, and how wrong becomes honored in a degenerate society. Write out v.6 here: ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ If these events actually did happen around the Ɵme of the first judge —Othniel, then that statement forms the first bookmark for the Ɵme of the judges. We’ll copy the exact statement as a final bookmark, when we get to the last verse in the book. This lesson is Ɵtled, Turning from PerspecƟve. One dicƟonary defini- Ɵon of the word perspecƟve means, “the state of one's ideas”. Where do our ideas come from? From what posiƟon do we establish our view of life? When our perspecƟve comes from God (today we call it a ChrisƟan world view), then success comes from doing what’s right in the eyes of God. When our perspecƟve comes from ourselves (today we call it a humanist view), then success comes from doing what’s right in our own eyes. By the way, we don’t use the term humanist view — we call it following your heart or being true to yourself. God has always desired that His people would desire His perspecƟve. It’s why He gave Israel the Law on Mt. Sinai. It’s why Jesus spoke the Sermon on the Mount in MaƩhew. Our lives should be marked by al- ways turning to God’s perspecƟve and acƟng upon that perspecƟve.

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ Judges 17:7-13. Enter the Levite! Levites were granted no ownership of land in Israel. They were to be supported by the offer- ings brought to the tabernacle. Yet, here, we meet this Levite wan- dering around the country, presumably looking for work. · Explain how Micah’s perspecƟve (the way he saw things) aligned more closely with how the pagan culture around him did religion: · Explain how the Levite’s perspecƟve (the way he saw things) allowed him to be so easily hired: · Explain how it may be possible for a modern church’s perspecƟve (the way they see things) to degenerate from godliness to human- ist, when everyone does what’s right in their own eyes: Micah now had a shrine, an ephod, an idol and an authenƟc Levite to be his priest. In his eyes, he had collected all the lucky charms neces- sary to prosper. But he was lacking a true perspecƟve from the God of Israel, so his religious supersƟƟon was sure to doom him. He’s not the only one. In this chapter, an enƟre tribe was found fol- lowing their own perspecƟve, rather than God’s. As v.1 reminds us, Israel was lacking a king, no one was following the rule of law or the Law of God, everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes. a READ Judges 18:1-10. Day 2:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier On your map, note the locaƟon of Zorah and the city of Laish (Dan), north of the Sea of Galilee. It might not be completely obvious what’s going wrong here, as Dan is seeking their inheritance. Can I translate? They were seeking an easier Ɵme in life! The assignment they had been given proved difficult for them (Judges 1:34), and rather than persevering in faith, they sent a delegaƟon to pursue other opƟons that might not be quite as hard. Well, Dan’s story is compelling on its own, but it’s the interacƟon they have with Micah and the Levite, which forms the interest. · What does v.3 suggest about the Levite’s accent and why do you think the men stopped and drilled him with so many quesƟons? · AŌer visiƟng with the Levite, they began to treat him as a seer and asked about their future. What do you find ironic about the words the Levite used to answer their quesƟon in v.6? a READ Judges 18:11-29. · Why do you think the army of Dan wanted Micah’s idols and ephod? · Explain the irony of Micah’s idols and ephod being stolen: · What words would you use to describe the Levite since he willing- ly leŌ Micah and took up with the men of Dan?

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ Judges 18:30-31. These two verses remind us of that point in a movie, when the villain rips off his mask to reveal his idenƟ- ty. It’s obvious that the author previously concealed the idenƟfy of the Levite in order to create this disturbing finale. · The name of the Levite from Bethlehem was: _______________, son of __________________, son of __________________ . I suppose we’re never exactly shocked at corrupƟon, but really? Mo- ses’ own grandson serving as a religious man for hire, with fake gods and a home-made ephod? This is one puzzle piece of the epilogue of Judges that should both offend and sadden the reader. · What can this chapter teach us about each generaƟon’s responsi- bility to walk with God? a READ Judges 19:1-9. · What was the home city of both the Levite from the previous chapters and the concubine from this chapter? · Which two characters held all the dialog and decisions in v.3-9? · What might that suggest about how these men viewed the rele- vance or importance of the woman? a READ Judges 19:10-21. · How did the Levite describe Jebus in v.12? Day 3:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier · They ended up staying the night in the city of _______________, which belonged to the tribe of ___________________. · Who was the only soul (also not a naƟve of the city) who was will- ing to take them in that night? a READ Judges 19:22-28. This is, in my opinion, the most horrific and twisted narraƟve in all of the Bible. There are already so many problems, on so many levels, with the Levite’s life — one being that he seemed to care absolutely nothing for his concubine. But all previ- ous moral failure is completely surpassed by his acƟons right here. And he’s not the only one, every character on the scene that night was comprehensively depraved. Explain how each character parƟcipates in the depravity that perme- ated the culture: · The men of the city: · The master of the house: · The Levite himself: a READ Judges 19:29-30. Apparently, a call to acƟon was included, with each body part distributed to the tribes. Perhaps a call to re- venge would be a more accurate descripƟon! There is no indicaƟon that the Levite was mourning the loss of anyone he loved or cher- ished. He was upset because he had been deprived of property and personally treated badly. It’s actually not too difficult to get people sƟrred up, outraged, and ready for a fight. It’s too bad they couldn’t have channeled that same indignaƟon into a unificaƟon to fight the Canaanites, rather than cre- ate a civil war.

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier a READ Judges 20:1-11. As if they had received a summons to court, the leaders of the people presented themselves to hear the opening statement at Mizpah. The defendant in the case was the tribe of Benjamin and the Levite, the plainƟff, the judge and the jury. Note in v.4-6 all of the I, my, me words spoken by the Levite. · Explain what elements of his ordeal he conveniently leŌ out of his tesƟmony and how he portrayed himself as the vicƟm. Israel didn’t require much convincing — just three verses worth of tesƟmony, and off they went to avenge this man’s loss. Don’t we see a similar public response today? Something shocking happens, but we rarely wait for the details. We listen to the equiva- lent of three verses of tesƟmony from the vicƟm, and in our outrage, we rush to fix the wrong. It is almost universally true that, in our haste, we do more damage than good through unintended conse- quences. a READ Judges 20:12-20. To Israel’s credit, they did give Benjamin an opportunity to turn over the evildoers, but Benjamin chose a clan- nish approach, and decided they would defend the molesters, rather than allow them to suffer the consequences of their acƟons. So, noth- ing remained but to draw up baƩle lines and let the fighƟng begin. a READ Judges 20:21-48. We’re not going to detail the baƩles and the losses and peƟƟons to the Lord. The toll on both sides was way too high. Too many people got drawn into this, for there to be any posiƟve outcome. Let’s suffice it to say, civil war is always the worst possible kind of war — there are no winners — nothing is proven. Day 4:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier · Of the 26,700 men of Benjamin who boldly defended the crimi- nals of Gibeah, how many men remained by v.47? This epilogue has revealed to us the deep moral decay that Israel experienced, not very long aŌer entering into the Promised Land. It grieves us to read these details... A mom rewarding her son’s theŌ. A Levite willing to play priest with carved idols (for $$). A tribe stealing idols to use as lucky charms. A Levite turning his concubine over to rapists. A town in Israel acƟng like Sodom. A Gibeonite choosing hospitality over fatherhood. A tribe protecƟng the criminals within. A civil war that leaves women and children destroyed. These are all symptoms of deep spiritual problems. These are all signs of a naƟon, who has lost its perspecƟve. These are all examples of things that grieve the Lord — nothing escapes His noƟce. Nothing can be done about the past, but as the next and final chapter begins, there is one problem facing their future, “How can the tribe of Benjamin be saved from exƟncƟon with no wives?” It doesn’t sound like it should be a really difficult dilemma to solve — at least not for a logical, God-fearing people. But those type of people are in short supply at the moment, everyone doing what’s right in their own eyes and all. So brace yourself — the soluƟons laid on the table will include: murder, kidnapping and rape! a READ Judges 21:1-14. It seems that during one of those convocaƟons, Israel had sworn a vow not to intermarry with the Benjamites (Note v.1, 7). Presently, they had pity on them and also didn’t want to see them snuffed out. Day 5:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier Rather than break their vow (which was a sin in their own eyes), they decided to avenge those among their countrymen, who didn’t show up for the war. They would steal their virgins (which apparently was be a sin). GAH! · Israel suddenly realized that, during their war with the tribe of Benjamin, there was an absence of fighƟng men from what specific area? · AŌer a cruel baƩle, what did Israel steal from these people to pre- sent as a peace offering to the remaining men of Benjamin? · What was the one problem presented in the final words of v.14? a READ Judges 21:15-24. It’s so ridiculous to read, “and the people had compassion on Benja- min”, because we want to ask, “where was your compassion before the civil war?” “Where was your compassion toward the men of Jabesh-Gilead?” “Why are you so selecƟve in your compassion?” When people begin to do what is right in their own eyes, they be- come selecƟve and fixated on whatever is in front of them. They make up rules and hold on Ɵght. They have lost perspecƟve. · Summarize their plan to find 200 more wives for the remaining men of Benjamin:

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier · READ Deuteronomy 22:28-29, and explain their twisted jusƟfica- Ɵon using this part of the Law: Abruptly, we come to the second bookend that forms the other boundary to the epilogue for Judges. Write out all of v.25: ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ The book of Judges does not have a saƟsfactory ending. It’s really not supposed to. There is no way for a happily ever aŌer ending in a dark Ɵme such as this. The intenƟon of history is to inform us, and we have studied 21 chapters that have highlighted the unfaithfulness of God’s children through their cycles of sin and the faithfulness of God, as His mercy is extended, Ɵme and Ɵme again. In closing, we return to the Ɵtle of our study — A Time of Turning. The final quesƟons we should ask ourselves would be quesƟons related to which direcƟon we are turning! — are we always turning closer to the Lord, His ways, His calling on our lives? — or are we turning away and walking more closely with the world, in a similar way as we’ve studied in Judges? Our united prayer is that we would indeed enter a Ɵme of turning and, in that Ɵme of turning, our eyes would be fixed upon Jesus! Turn your eyes upon Jesus Look full in his wonderful face And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of his glory and grace. — Helen H. Lemmel

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier Questions for Thought & Discussion 1. The tribe of Dan was Ɵred of doing hard things, so they leŌ to do something easier. In what ways might you be tempted to aban- don the hard things God has given you to do for those easier? 2. Hiring the Levite seemed to saƟsfy Micah’s supersƟƟous idea of religion. What types of modern supersƟƟons can make their way into our thinking today? 3. It’s not difficult to idenƟfy the vulnerable in these chapters — those who should have been protected, but were violated. Per- haps this hits close to home. Perhaps you were that vicƟm. How does a ChrisƟan woman turn that scenario of trauma into a mis- sion of mercy? 4. It’s easy to get people sƟrred up when something terrible hap- pens. Read Proverbs 1:16-18. What can a ChrisƟan do to avoid jumping into the fray, and rushing to hasty judgments or acƟons? 5. Is there some area of your life, where you have turned your per- specƟve and begun to do what was right in your own eyes? What change in perspecƟve is necessary for you? 6. Share one aspect of the book of Judges that has made the biggest impact on your spiritual life.

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier RĊċĊėĊēĈĊĘ Scripture quotaƟons are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 1— G. Campbell Morgan, Living Messages of the Books of the Bible, Vol. 1 (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell, 1912, p.104) 2— LifeChange Series, Navigators. Judges. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress Publishers, 2014. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.

A Time of Turning — Copyright 2021 — Sue LeBoutillier The following WOW Bible Studies written by Sue LeBoutillier are available through the Calvary Chapel Ontario bookstore, and through our online store at www.ccontario.com. Old Testament: · Genesis —Divine Design, From Eden to Egypt · Exodus —Divine Deliverance, From Egypt to Sinai · Numbers —The Wilderness Way, From Sinai to the Jordan · Joshua —The Path of Promise, From the Jordan into Canaan · Judges — A Time of Turning · Ruth — Rescue and Rest · 1 Samuel — The Coming King · 2 Samuel— The Reigning King · 1&2 Kings (Part One)— Solomon and the House of the Lord · Jonah —The Call of Compassion New Testament: · The Way of Jesus —The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew) · Simply Jesus —The “I AMs” of Christ (John) · Acts —Walking in the Spirit, The First Days of the Last Days · Galatians —Finding Grace in a Demanding World · Philippians —Finding Joy in a Disjointed World · Colossians —Finding Stability in a Changing World · Titus —While We Wait · James —Real Faith for Daily Life · 1 & 2 Peter —Hope, Holiness and Humility in a Hostile World Women of the Word Bible Studies

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