Selected Readings from the Bible

Lecture Eight

Fall 2013By: SU, Xiaoxiang

The Sun Stands Still

• Five kings of Amorites attacked Gibeon.• The Gibeonites asked for Joshua’s help. Joshua led

the Israelite army against the Amorites. • Joshua’s army caught their enemies entirely

unprepared in the beginning, and the Amorites rendered desperate resistance.

• The God ordered the sun to stand still upon Gibeon and Jewish troops were able to continue their attack and finally won their victory.

Book of Judges

• Judges: divinely inspired leaders• Their knowledge of the God allows them to

act as champions for the Israelites from oppression by foreign rulers.

Disobedience and Defeat

• After the death of Joshua, the Israelites forsook the Lord and began to worship other gods. This aroused the God’s anger and he gave them into the hands of raiders and sold them into the hands of their enemies. The Israelites suffered. After a time of suffering, the Israelites would turn away from the gods and call upon God.

• God raised up judges, and the Israelites were delivered.

Judge 13-16

• Stories of Samson– Samson was born to barren Jewish woman. And

his mom dedicated him to God. The angel told that the boy should not drink any wine or other fermented drink, and that no razor should be used to cut his hair.

– Samson was granted supernatural strength by God (wresting a lion, slaying an entire army with the jawbone of an ass)

– He married a Philistine woman. At the wedding, Samson bet 30 pieces of garments on a riddle with the Philistines, who later forced his new wife to get the answer. Samson flew into a rage and killed 30 Philistines for the garments. When he returned, Samson found that his wife had been given to another man. Samson burned the Philistines’ crop and killed many more Philistines.

Samson and Delilah

• Samson fell into love with Delilah.• The Philistines approached Delilah and induced her

to try to find the secret of Samson’s strength.• After several attempt, Samson eventually told her

that he would lose his strength with the loss of his hair. Delilah called for someone to shave off his hair. Samson was seized by the Philistines. They gouged out his eyes and bound him with shackles.

Death of Samson

• One day the Philistine leaders assembled in a temple for a religious sacrifice to Dagon for having delivered Samson into their hands. They summon Samson so that people can gather on the roof to watch.

• Once inside the temple, Samson, his hair having grown long again, asks the servant who is leading him to the temple's central pillars if he may lean against them.

• Samson prayed to God and asked him to strengthen him one more time and to let him take revenge on the Philistines.

• With all his strength, Samson pushed the pillars and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it.

Stories Pattern of Judges

• The people are unfaithful to the God and he therefore delivers them into the hands of their enemies; the people repent and entreat the God for mercy, which he sends in the form of a leader of champion; the judge delivers the Israelites from oppression and they prosper, but soon they fall again into unfaithfulness and the cycle is repeated.

Enemy Years of Bondage

Judge Deliverance and Rest

Scripture

Mesopotamia 8 Othniel 40 3:7-11

Moab 18 Ehud 80 3:12-31

Canaan 20 Deborah 40 4:1-5:31

Midian 7 Gideon 40 6:1-8:28

Ammon 18 Jephthah 6 10:6-12:7

Philistia 40 Samson 20 13:1-16:31