BiblicalMastery Buddy's bible blog

Lesson 7

Not Called by God

Judges 8:31-35; 9:1-12:6

As you may have concluded that one of the people I admire is George Washington.  From everything that I have read he was a man of integrity.  When he was a very young man he wrote a code of ethics he called “Rules for Civility and Decent Behavior.” By the time of the Revolutionary War he was a well-respected statesman. The Continental Congress had only one candidate for the general to be in charge of the Revolutionary Army.  That man was George Washington.  In the minds of most Americans he was the best man for the job.  Like the positions he would hold from those early days until he retired from public service it was the call of his nation that he heeded.  Reluctantly, he allowed his name to be placed in nomination as the first president of the United States.  He has been called with great affection, “The Father of our nation.”  Personally, the greatest attribute of a man or woman is to be chosen by their peers for any type of position.  All too often those who decide to become a leader on their own do it for all the wrong reasons.  They are ambitious and self-centered who have only regard for themselves and not others.

 

From the beginning of Judges we have seen that God has called certain people to be leaders and judges of the people.  A person should never enter into any leadership role of the church unless he or she truly senses that they are being led in that direction.  Alexander Whyte, a Scottish minister, once said something like, unless you are totally miserable doing something else you should not enter into the ministry.  Ministry does not call for special people, but it does require those who are totally committed to Christ with their whole lives.  One cannot truly serve the Father in a difficult way of life without that commitment to Him.

 

The two men about whom we are studying today were opposite their predecessors.  Even Gideon, the father of Abimelech had been selected to lead Israel into battle.  Gideon had succeeded then failed miserably by the end of his life.  We will not cover all of the next four chapters but selected verses that fit the title of this lesson.

 

Judges 8:31-35

The writer sets the stage for the next period of time in the history of Israel.    Abimelech, the illegitimate son of Gideon was born. Gideon died. Not only did the Israelites then forget God but did not remember what Gideon had done for them.  They also did not show kindness to his family.

 

1. What does it say about the Israelites that they once again turned to idol worship after the death of Gideon? (He was the stabilizing force in Israel.)
2. Why did they once again forget God? (There was no one to lead them in that direction.)
3. What does it say about the attitude of all men when they did not treat his family with fairness? (They were like us in that our attitude is what can you do for me today.)
4. Why did the writer mention Abimelech specifically?  (He was going to lead part of Israel.)

 

Judges 9:1-6

Rather than being called by God to lead the people, Abimelech seized the position by convincing the people of Schechem that he was the man to guide their future because his mother had come from that city.  They agreed to follow him and gave him seventy pieces of silver.  With it he hired ruthless men who proceeded to kill all of Gideon’s children except one whose name was Jotham.  Abimelech was then crowned king by the men of Schechem and Beth-millo.

 

1. What was the problem with Abimelech’s plan? (He was a man of extreme and ungodly ambition.)
2. Why did the people of Schechem buy into his scheme? (He promoted himself as one of them.)
3. What actions did he take that showed his true character?

 

Judges 9:22-49

After three years the people discovered who Abimelech was and wanted to sever ties with them.  The intrigued that followed showed that Abimelech did not even care about his own people.  When they rejected him, he had the leadership killed by burning down the tower in which they had taken refuge.  Then he went to the city of Thebez and was going to do the same to them.  A woman threw a millstone and ended the plans of Abimeleh.

 

1. What did it mean that God put an evil spirit between the people of Schechem and Abimelech? (They discovered that he was a cruel and ambitious man and did not want him to lead them any longer.)
2. What was his purpose in killing the leadership?
3. Why did he go to the city of Thebez that had not made him king? (He wanted to extend his conquest.)
4. How did God bring humiliation on him? (He was fatally injured by a millstone, thrown down by a woman.)
5. What does this narrative tell about the future of those who set themselves as kings and leaders apart from God?

 

Judges 10:1-9

Two other judges followed Abimeleh.  There is no indication that neither Tola nor Jair were chosen by God to lead the people.  Although the Israelites enjoyed a period of peace from their enemies those men had very little spiritual impact on the people was they drifted further from God.  God seemed to be totally absent from the life of the nation of Israel for those forty five-years. Because they forgot God He became angry with them and allowed them to fall into the hands of the Ammonites and Philistines.  The more those two nations oppressed them the more they began to worship their gods.  It was a natural progression for the people to worship the gods of the countries that enslaved them.

1. What was missing in the rise of Tola and Jair to leadership? (God did not have a hand in their selection.)
2. Where was God during the forty-five years that Tola and Jair judged the people?
3. In what ways were the people impacted spiritually?
4. What happens to a nation that does not have godly leaders?
5. Why did the Isralites  increasingly worship the gods of the nations that conquered them?

 

Judges 10:10-14

The Israelites had suffered enough so it was time to call on God for deliverance.  The answer they received was not the one they expected.  God told them that He had saved them for the last time.  He recounted the times that He had delivered them only to have them fall back into the same pattern of worshipping false gods.  His command to them was to go to the gods they had chosen to worship for answers and relief from their enemies.  He was totally fed up with their actions.

 

1. Why did the Israelites once again call out to God?
2. What did they expect from Him?
3. How did He answer them differently that time?
4. At what point does God say to us that He has had enough of our godless lifestyle?
5. Why was His answer not the solution they needed? (Other things are never the answer for our life.)

 

Judges 10:15-16

God’s message was very clear.  The people realized that they had stepped too far over the line and the way back was not going to be business as usual.  They realized that they had sinned against God.  Unlike other times when they just expected Him to act on their behalf they understood and were willing to accept the consequences for their disobedience.   It is unsure if they were talking about deliverance from their sin or from their oppressors.  Evidently, God understood it as asking for forgiveness.  As proof that they were serious they put away the foreign gods they had been worshipping and began to serve the Lord.  At that point God forgave them.

 

1. What did the people need to understand was to be the consequences of their actions?
2. What would it mean to you if you thought that God had completely taken His hand off of your life?
3. What does it take to have a relationship with the Father? (Confess your sin and seek forgiveness.)
4. How did the people show they were sincere?
5. What is God’s response to true repentance?

 

Judges 10:17-18

As the Ammonites approached the people in Gilead, which was east of the Jordan River, the Israelites began to seek a new deliverer and leader for them.

 

1. What do you think of the question the people asked?
2. What is missing?
3. What could they expect from such an inquiry?

 

Judges 11:1-3

On to the stage of history stepped the next judge of the Israelites east of the Jordan River, which would have included the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh.  The writer provided a short biography of Zephthah.  He was described as:

• A valiant warrior
• The son of a harlot
• The son of Gilead
• An outcast from his father’s house.  His half-brothers did not allow him to remain in his father’s house.
• Leader of unscrupulous men.  At least one commentator indicated he probably became a highwayman.

 

1. How did the writer of the book of Judges describe Jephthah?
2. In what ways do you picture this person as a potential leader?
3. What does it say about each of us that God can use us in His service?
4. What are the qualities that you want in a leader?
5. What are some things that would disqualify a person in your mind?

 

Judges 11:4-11

Interestingly, the Israelites turned to Jephthah to be their leader.  He was pretty skeptical at first because they had rejected him and now were coming to him to get them out of the problem they faced.  They promised that he would be appointed as their head if he stopped the Ammonites.  They promised before God that they would follow through and make him their head.  Only after questioning them about the truthfulness of their statement and hearing them make a vow before God that they would make him their chief did he agree to go with them.  Jephthah believed that what he said was in the presence of God.

 

1. Why did the Israelites turn to Jephthah to lead them? (No one else had the ability to win against the Ammonites.)
2. Why was Jephthah so hesitant?
3. Why did he need the assurance that they were telling the truth? (Because they had rejected him before.)
4. What sealed the deal? (They made a vow before God.)
5. What did the last statement in verse 11 mean? (He knew all that was said was heard by God.)

 

Judges 11:12-26

Before going into battle Jephthah attempted to negotiate with the Ammonites.  He gave them a history lesson concerning how God had been instrumental in giving the territory east of the Jordan to the Israelites.  His main point was to make it clear that the Ammonites had no legitimate claim to any of the land that God had given to His people.

 

1. What do you think of Zephthah’s approach to dealing with the Ammonites?
2. How do you usually handle conflict?
3. What was his powerful argument? (God had given the Israelites the land as an inheritance.)
4. Why is it important that you know what you believe and what God has done in your life?
5. How do you witness to those who might question your faith?

 

Judges 11:27-28

Jephthah concluded his words with appeal to reason.  He made the actions of the Ammonites more personal.  Based on what he had said he and the people were innocent of taking action against them but they were wrong to come against Israel for no valid reason.  God would therefore be the judge between the actions of the two nations.  Sadly, the king of the Ammonites did not listen to what Zephthah had said.

 

1. Why could Jephthah claim innocence before the Ammonites? (He had painted a comprehensive picture of what had taken place almost four hundred years earlier.)
2. In whose hands are we to leave the resolution of conflict?
3. In what ways does God judge between two parties?

 

Judges 11:29-33

Jephthah in the power of the Holy Spirit went about gathering his army.  He then made a fatal mistake. Rather than trusting God for the victory over the Ammonites he found it necessary to make a foolish vow.  He promised to offer whatever came out from his home to greet him when he returned, he would sacrifice to God.  God gave the victory without the need of making the vow.

 

1. What should have been enough for Jephthah to enter into battle?
2. Why did he make the vow?
3. Why was he testing God?
4. What could he not know when he made the vow?
5. What kind of foolish promises have you made to God in your lifetime?
6. What is to be our response when God gives us a task to do?

 

Judges 11:34-40

His daughter met him when he returned.  She agreed to allow him to carry out his vow.

1. Who held Jephthah to his vow?
2. Why did he follow through with the sacrifice? (His misunderstanding of God’s grace and forgiveness of our foolishness?
3. What would God have preferred in Jephthah’s life?
4. What does He want us to do when what we promise affects others?

 

Judges 12:1-6

If it was not enough for him to lose his daughters he was now confronted with representatives from other tribes who felt left out of the war.  They even tried to kill Zephthah which brought about a minor civil war. The result of having their feelings hurt caused the death of forty-two thousand Ephraimites.

 

1. What would you see as a continuing characteristic of the Ephraimites based on what happened during the days of Gideon? (They appeared to have an anger problem.)
2. What results from getting our feelings hurt?
3. Who loses in a conflict?
4. What is the best way to handle a conflict?

 

Judges 12:7

Jephthah judged Israel for six years and then he died.

 

• Honestly evaluate yourself before taking a leadership role to see if God has called you and equipped you to do so.
• Evaluate a person who is being presented as a possible leader.
• Never select a leader solely based on popularity, prominence or visibility.
• Pray before deciding whether a person should become a leader in the church.
• Never make a vow that is either against God’s standards or will cause great harm.
• Do not let a leader be the determining factor in the way you serve God.  They are only human like you.

 

Throughout the book of Judges we have seen all kinds of people become judges in Israel.  Some were provided great leadership and provided Israel with the stability.  During their tenure the people at least gave lip service to God.  There were others that were weak and self-centered. Their legacy was to leave in a spiritual condition that was worse when the passed from the scene than we they began.

 

Churches have all too often made poor decisions in the selection of leaders.  Many times leaders have been chosen because of business acumen or they have charismatic personalities.  When we listen to God He will help us to select those men and women who will guide the church in fulfilling the mandate God has given in His word.  1Timothy 3 gives a very clear picture of the type of man who qualifies to lead others in the body.  Acts 6 called for men to be of good reputation, filled with the Spirit and having great wisdom.  If Israel had just heeded the concept of the words found in these two books they would have saved themselves a great deal of heartache.  Fortunately, we do not have to guess at what God wants to do through those kinds of leaders because we have His word.  We have many opportunities to help people take part in ministry.  Let’s be careful that the person matches the position.