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OUTLINE OF JUDGES

Jdg 2:20 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; Jdg 2:21 I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:

Jdg 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Part One: The Deterioration of Israel and Failure to Complete the Conquest of Canaan (1:1-3:4)

I. The Failure of Israel to Complete the Conquest........................... 1:1-36

A.  Failure of Judah     1:1-20

Jdg 1:1 Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?

Jdg 1:2 And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.

Jdg 1:3 And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.

Jdg 1:19 And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.

B.  Failure of Benjamin     1:21

Jdg 1:21 And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.

C.  Failure of Tribes of Joseph     1:22-29

Jdg 1:23 And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.)

Jdg 1:24 And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy.

Jdg 1:28 And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out.

Jdg 1:29 Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.

D.  Failure of Zebulun     1:30

Jdg 1:30 Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries.

E.  Failure of Asher     1:31, 32

Jdg 1:31 Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob:

Jdg 1:32 But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not drive them out.

F.  Failure of Naphtali     1:33

Jdg 1:33 Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Bethshemesh, nor the inhabitants of Bethanath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Bethshemesh and of Bethanath became tributaries unto them.

G. Failure of Dan......................... 1:34-36

Jdg 1:34 And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley:

II. The Judgment of God for Not Completing the Conquest......................... 2:1-3:4

A.  Angel Announces Judgment     2:1-5

Jdg 2:1 And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.

Jdg 2:2 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?

Jdg 2:3 Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.

B.  Godly Generation Dies     2:6-10

Jdg 2:8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.

Jdg 2:10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

C.  Judgment of God Is Described     2:11-19

Jdg 2:11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:

Jdg 2:14 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.

D.  Enemy Is Left as a Test     2:20-3:4

Jdg 2:20 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice;

Jdg 2:21 I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:

Jdg 2:22 That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.

 

Part Two: The Deliverance of Israel During the Seven Cycles (3:5-16:31)

I. The Southern Campaign ............... 3:5-31

A.  The Judge Othniel ................. 3:5-11

Jdg 3:9 And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

B.  The Judge Ehud .................. 3:12-30

Jdg 3:15 But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.

C.  The Judge Shamgar .................. 3:31

Jdg 3:31 And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.

II. The Northern Campaign: The Judges Deborah and Barak ......................... 4:1-5:31

A.  Deborah and Barak Are Called ....... 4:1-11

Jdg 4:6 And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?

B.  Canaanites Are Defeated ........... 4:12-24

Jdg 4:24 And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

C.  Song of Deborah and Barak ......... 5:1-31

Jdg 5:1 Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying,

Jdg 5:2 Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.

III. The Central Campaign .............. 6:1-10:5

A. The Judge Gideon......6:1-8:32

1.       Israel Sins ...................... 6:1-10

Jdg 6:1 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.

2.       Gideon Called .................. 6:11-40

Jdg 6:11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.

Jdg 6:12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

3.       Midianites Defeated ........... 7:1-8:21

Jdg 7:15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.

4.       Gideon Judges .................. 8:22-32

Jdg 8:28 Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.

B. The Judge Abimelech ........... 8:33-9:57

1.       Confusion After Gideon Dies ..... 8:33-35

Jdg 8:33 And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god.

2.       Deception of Abimelech ........... 9:1-6

Jdg 9:1 And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother's brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying,

Jdg 9:2 Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.

3.       Revelation of Jotham ............. 9:7-21

Jdg 9:7 And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.

Jdg 9:19 If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:

Jdg 9:20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.

4.       Destruction of Shechem ......... 9:22-49

Jdg 9:23 Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:

Jdg 9:45 And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.

Jdg 9:49 And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.

5.       Death of Abimelech. .    . . 9:50-57

Jdg 9:53 And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to brake his skull.

Jdg 9:56 Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:

Jdg 9:57 And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

C.  The Judge Tola     10:1, 2

Jdg 10:1 And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim.

D.  The Judge Jair     10:3-5

Jdg 10:3 And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years.

IV. The Eastern Campaign: The Judge Jephthah......................... 10:6-12:7

A.  Israel Sins     10:6-18

Jdg 10:6 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.

Jdg 10:7 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.

B.  Salvation: Jephthah     11:1-12:6

1.   Jephthah Is Called    11:1-11

Jdg 11:5 And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob:

2.   Jephthah Judges    11:12-28

Jdg 11:14 And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon:

Jdg 11:15 And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:

3.   Jephthah Vows    11:29-40

Jdg 11:29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.

Jdg 11:30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,

Jdg 11:31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.

4.   Ephraim Is Conquered    12:1-7

Jdg 12:4 Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.

V. The Second Northern Campaign............................. 12:8-15

A.  The Judge Ibzan     12:8-10

Jdg 12:8 And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.

B.  The Judge Elon     12:11, 12

Jdg 12:11 And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years.

C.  The Judge Abdon     12:13-15

Jdg 12:13 And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel.

VI. The Western Campaign: The Judge Samson........................ 13:1-16:31

A.  Miraculous Birth of Samson     13:1-25

Jdg 13:2 And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.

Jdg 13:3 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.

Jdg 13:24 And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.

Jdg 13:25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

B.  Sinful Marriage of Samson     14:1-20

Jdg 14:1 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.

Jdg 14:2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.

C.  Judgeship of Samson     15:1-20

Jdg 15:20 And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

D.  Failure of Samson. .     . . 16:1-31

Jdg 16:1 Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.

 

Part Three: The Depravity of Israel in Sinning Like the Canaanites (17:1-21:25)


I. The Failure of Israel Through Idolatry.......................... 17:1-18:31

A.  Example of Personal Idolatry     17:1-13

Jdg 17:1 And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah.

Jdg 17:2 And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my son.

Jdg 17:4 Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah.

B.  Example of Tribal Idolatry     18:1-31

Jdg 18:30 And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.

Jdg 18:31 And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

II. The Failure of Israel Through Immorality.......................... 19:1-30

A.  Example of Personal Immorality.......................... 19:1-10

Jdg 19:1 And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehemjudah.

B.   Example of Tribal Immorality........................ 19:11-30

Jdg 19:25 But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.

III. The Failure of Israel Through the War Between the Tribes....... 20:1-21:25

A.  War Between Israel and Dan     20:1-48

Jdg 20:23 (And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until even, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the LORD said, Go up against him.)

Jdg 20:46 So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour.

Jdg 20:47 But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.

Jdg 20:48 And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.

B.  Failure of Israel After the War     21:1-25

1.   Israel's Foolish Vow    21:1-7

Jdg 21:1 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.

2.   Men at Jabesh-gilead Murdered. . . 21:8-15

Jdg 21:10 And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children.

3.   Women of Shiloh Kidnapped    21:16-25

Jdg 21:20 Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;

Jdg 21:21 And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.