Old Testament Survey

Lesson 6 w/AnswersJoshua (Chaps. 10-24) & Judges (Chaps. 1-16)

Bible

We continue our Old Testament Survey as we conclude our quick look at Joshua and begin looking at the book of Judges. In the previous lesson, we looked at the realities of siege warfare and what Joshua and his untrained army were facing as they began to capture the Promised Land. In this lesson, we will conclude our study of the book of Joshua and being looking at the book of Judges and the "sin cycle".

Below are your assignments for this lesson:

  1. Read Chapter 10 of Joshua. After studying the "all night march", describe what it teaches us spiritually.
    1. ANSWER: Verse nine, Chapter 10 of the book tells us of Joshua’s all night march to defend the Gibeonites. This all night march demonstrated the perfect blending of physical activity and spiritual promise. It gives us that assurance from God that when something is spiritually correct, according to His Holy Word, we should charge ahead and not wait for God to do it for us. It also demonstrates that we should not go about doing anything without first seeking God’s counsel.
  2. Research and list below man’s explanations for Joshua’s "longest day"—see Joshua Chapter 10.
    1. ANSWER 1: Light refracted differently making the day "seem" longer.
    2. ANSWER 2: Poetic day–it literally did not happen.
    3. ANSWER 3: Hyperactivity—they got more than a full day’s work done in the one day.
  3. Joshua’s victories resulted in the taking of a large amount of land. Read Joshua 11:16 and list below the lands that Joshua took.
    1. ANSWER 1: All of the South country, including the hills
    2. ANSWER 2: All the land of Goshen and the valley
    3. ANSWER 3: Plains, mountains and valleys of Israel
  4. What is listed in chapter 12 of Joshua?
    1. ANSWER: All the kings defeated by both Moses and Joshua
  5. How old was Joshua when he died?
    1. ANSWER: 110 years old
  6. As we begin to look at the book of Judges, we need to be familiar with "the sin cycle" that we will see as a recurring theme through the book. Read the following verses and list the four stages of this cycle:
    1. Stage 1, Judges 2:13
      1. ANSWER: The Sin Stage, God is forsaken and idols are worshipped
    2. Stage 2, Judges 2:14
      1. ANSWER: The Oppression Stage, The anger of the Lord is hot and turns them over to their enemies
    3. Stage 3, Judges 2:18a
      1. ANSWER: The Repentance Stage, they groan, cry out to the Lord and repent
    4. Stage 4, God’s response
      1. ANSWER: The Deliverance Stage
  7. Look up the following six Judges and provide a brief description below:
    1. Othniel
      1. ANSWER: The first Judge, he led Israel to war against Mesopotamia; and through that victory, the Lord gave Israel 40 years of peace.
    2. Ehud
      1. ANSWER: Left–handed Judge who slew the Moabite’s leader and the army of Moab. God gave Israel peace for 80 years.
    3. Shamgar
      1. ANSWER: Uses an ox goad and slays six hundred men to deliver Israel.
    4. Debra
      1. ANSWER: A woman Judge, also a prophetess and, in alliance with Barak who led the army and Jael who was the wife of Heber the Kenite, they defeated Sisera, who commanded the army of Jabin, the king of Canaan.
    5. Gideon
      1. ANSWER: Led the people of Israel out of bondage and into freedom by defeating the Midianites. He did this, defeating an army of thousands, with God’s small chosen army of 300 people.
    6. Samson
      1. ANSWER: The last judge. Morally decadent, even though he is the one Judge who looks like what the people expected a judge to look like. He shows us that looks can be very deceiving. Also, regardless of individual moral character, we see that when God uses someone, His will prevails.
  8. The books of Judges and Samuel overlap in chronology by fifty years. Compare Chapter 13 of Judges, which occurred in approximately 1095 B.C., with Chapter 7 of 1 Samuel which occurred at approximately the same time. What can we learn from this comparison?
    1. ANSWER: We can see that for a period of time Samson and Samuel were both active. For example, the birth of Samuel occurred approximately the same year, 1095 B.C., as the birth of Samson. Samuel and Samson operated at the same time; Samuel from Bethel, while Samson was simultaneously carrying out a personal vendetta against the Philistines which God used as a form of judgment.

We now find ourselves several hundred years following the original Passover when God led His chosen people out of Egypt to be set apart, to be a Holy witness for Him. As we are observing in Judges, the faith of the Israelites’ is weak, and the desire to follow their own lusts and their own will easily leads them to sin against God. However, God’s love is so great that, in spite of their stubbornness and lack of faith, He continues to lead them through these Judges. In doing so, He brings them closer to becoming a kingdom, first under Saul, then David, and then Solomon.

Thanks for being faithful in studying with us!

In Christ,

Wes

[2020]

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