The document provides an overview of the biblical book of Judges. It describes the book's structure as a series of cycles where the Israelites would rebel against God, face retribution for their sins, repent, and then be restored by judges who delivered them. Each cycle demonstrates how the people failed to learn from history and kept repeating the same pattern of rebelling, suffering consequences, and seeking help from judges. The purpose of the book is to teach readers to avoid rebellion and maintain a relationship with God.

1. Doomed to
Repeat It
Judges 1:1-3:6

3. Judges, the people
• A “judge” is a man or woman used by God to
deliver people from sin by leading them to
right living
– leader
– deliverer, savior
– endowed with supernatural power
– not always perfect, or heroic

4. Judges, the people
• OTHNIEL (3:7-11)
• EHUD (3:12-30)
– Shamgar (3:31)
• DEBORAH/BARAK (4:1-5:31)
• GIDEON/ABIMELECH (6:1-8:35)
– Tola (10:1-2)
– Jair (10:3-5)
• JEPTHAH (10:6-12:7)
– Ibzan (12:8-10)
– Elon (12:11-12)
– Abdon (12:13-15)
• SAMSON (13:1-16:31)

5. Judges, the book
• The book of Judges is a history of Israel
written as an “EPIC”.
– Not a complete history
– Not necessarily chronological
– Theological purpose

6. Judges, the book
• Introduction A (1:1-2:5) –political/military
• Introduction B (2:6-3:6) –spiritual
• The Cycles (3:7-16:31)
– Climax on a geographic axis
– Nadir on a theological axis
• Conclusion B’ (17:1-18:31) –spiritual
• Conclusion A’ (19:1-21:25) –political/military

7. The Layers of Judges

8. Purpose of Judges
“Those who fail to learn from history are
doomed to REPEAT IT.”
-- Winston Churchill

9. RELATIONSHIP

10. RELATIONSHIP
REBELLION

11. RELATIONSHIP
REBELLION
RETRIBUTION

12. RELATIONSHIP
REBELLION
RETRIBUTIONREPENTANCE

13. RELATIONSHIP
REBELLION
RETRIBUTIONREPENTANCE
RESTORATION

14. The Center
• 2:11-13 forms a core of the instruction in the
religious-spiritual introduction:
– A  and they served the Baals
– B  they forsook the LORD, the God of their
fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt
– C  they followed various gods of the peoples
around them; they provoked the LORD to anger
– B’  because they forsook him
– A’  and served Baal and the Ashtoreths

15. Conclusion
• LEARN from history.
– Develop a taste for RELATIONSHIP and an
aversion to REBELLION.
– Pay attention to warnings, challenges, and
RETRIBUTION.
– CRY OUT to God for help and rescue!
– Break cycles of sin by grooving new patterns of
RIGHTEOUSNESS.
• Write a good EPIC!