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SERIES H --- THE JUDGES |
BIBLE STUDY LESSON 03
THE FIRST JUDGES THREE JUDGES FOR ISRAEL Along with the armies of the Ammonites and the Amalekites, Eglon defeated Israel at Jericho, ‘The City of Palm Trees.’ For eighteen years Israel served King Eglon of Moab, paying him a large amount of tribute each year. But when the people of Israel begged the Lord for help, He sent Ehud, the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a left-handed man to rescue them. Each year the people of Israel sent Ehud to deliver their tribute to King Eglon. Secretly, Ehud made an eighteen-inch dagger with double edges and strapped it to his right thigh under his clothing. After Ehud had given the tribute to King Eglon, he started homeward with the Israelites who had carried the tribute. At the quarries of Gilgal he sent them home and went back alone to see the king. King Eglon, I have a secret message for you, he said. Immediately, the king sent all of his attendants away with one word; ‘Silence!’ Then Ehud walked toward this very fat king as he sat in the cool upstairs room that he had made for himself. I have a message from God, said Ehud. As the king stood up to receive the message, Ehud pulled the dagger from its hiding place and thrust it into the king’s belly. The fat of his belly closed over the handle of the dagger as his insides poured forth. Ehud quickly closed the doors and locked them, then escaped another way. When the king’s servants returned, they found the doors locked. ‘He is probably relieving himself in the closet of his room,’ they thought. The servants waited for a long time until they were sure that there was some problem. When they found a key and unlocked the door, they saw their master lying dead on the floor. Meanwhile, Ehud escaped past the quarries to Seirah. When he arrived home, he sounded the alarm, gathering an army with the sound of a trumpet. Follow after me! Ehud shouted. The Lord has given us our enemies, the Moabites. The troops of Israel followed Ehud from the hill country of Ephraim. Having made their way to the Jordan River, they captured the fords of the river so that the Moabites could not cross. Then the Israelites killed about ten thousand of the strong fighting men of Moab. Not one escaped! That day Israel conquered Moab, bringing peace to the land for the eighty years that followed. The next judge of Israel was Shamgar, son of Anath. In one battle he killed six hundred Philistines with an ox goad, sparing Israel from a sure defeat. COMMENTARY TWO-STORY BUILDINGS As an alternative to adding a second floor, many townspeople built small rooms on their flat roofs. Such small upper rooms were popular before full two-story houses became common. They were built at the corners of the roof to take advantage of the strength of the buildings outside walls. These upper rooms served as cool bedrooms in the summer and quiet meeting rooms during the day. People could use them as places to think, to pray or just as restful rooms in which to escape the constant street noise and lower-floor activity. Often a kind of wind scoop on top of the roof caught cooling breezes and funnelled fresh air into the house. Some houses had holes cut through the upper-story floors to allow air and light into the lower rooms. But upper chambers were a luxury; the less rich used blanket awnings and palm-leaf booths to escape the burning sun. As time passed, many people who wanted larger homes built over more space rather than higher. But others, such as King Eglon, added upper rooms to buildings that already had at least two stories. In one ancient city north of Canaan, the king added several stories of government offices in his palace. By the end of the judges’ time it was common for wealthy families to live in two-story dwellings. Servants usually slept on the first floor, next to storage rooms and an indoor kitchen. Family members enjoyed the luxury of private bedrooms and inside staircases that ran from the ground to the rooftop chambers. TEST YOURSELF 1.) Who saved Israel from Cushan-rishathairn, king of Mesopotamia? 2.) What notable trait of Ehud’s allowed him to the fat king? 3.) What nation did king Eglon rule? 4.) What did Shamgar, son of Anath, use to kill six hundred Philistines in one battle? 5.) What was the most common role of a judge, in Israel’s time of chaos? 6.) If one builds a small upper room, where was it generally placed, on the roof?
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