Judges

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INTRODUCTION

If I had to sum up the Book of Judges in one sentence, I would say that it is a book about a people that can’t seem to learn from the past. And a people that can’t learn from the past are doomed to make the same mistakes over and over and over again. And that’s what you’ll see if you read the book from end to end. This message of Judges is particularly important for both parents and youth since the spiritual problems the Israelites face usually arise with each succeeding “rising generation.” It’s very reminiscent of the Book of Helaman in the Book of Mormon where you may have heard of something called the Pride Cycle where the people seem to just go round and round in a never-ending circle of prosperity, pride, wickedness, captivity, repentance and back to prosperity again. A very similar thing is happening here, but this is how I would diagram the process in Judges. A righteous generation dies out. The new generation knows not the Lord. Without the Lord, the people fall into bondage. Suffering and humility bring them to the Lord. The Lord hears their cries and sends them a “Judge” to deliver them. And judge here means “prophet” or “deliverer”. They become righteous and follow their judge. That generation dies off, the next generation fails to know the Lord and round and round we go. Perhaps the greatest value of the Book of Judges is in how it teaches us the way to get off the merry-go-round.

DRIVE THE CANAANITES OUT!

ICEBREAKER

So for an icebreaker, I’d like to start this week out with a story. There was a little saying that my Dad used to repeat to us growing up. He’d say, “Now kids, don’t lick grass.” And that’s usually a great attention getter for people. It’s some really great advice. And allow me to explain what I mean by that. When my Dad was a young man, he worked on a cattle ranch in Nevada. One of the least desirable jobs to do on the ranch was fixing fence. Frequently, he would have to walk the fence lines of the grazing land to re-tighten the barbed wire stretched across each of the fence posts. The reason they would have to do this is because of what the cattle would do. Many of the cows would see the grass on the other side of the fence and assume that it must be better than what they had on their side of the fence—even though they had plenty and to spare. For some reason, in their little cow brains, the good stuff was on the other side. So what they would do is go right up to the fence line, push their heads through the wires and eat all the grass right next to the fence. Well, that would only last so long and all that grass would eventually be gone. So they’d push their heads even further through the fence to try to get at the grass that was further away. Then, after all that grass was gone, they would stick out their long tongues and try to lick the grass into their mouths. Well, from all that pushing and reaching over time, the barbed wire would loosen and need to be fixed. Now what does that have to do with the Book of Judges? I believe that sometimes, we’re a lot like those cows when it comes to the things of the world. We too have protective fences placed around us to keep us safe from the predators and dangers of the world. There’s plenty to sustain and nourish us on the inside of our commandment fences. But sometimes we foolishly think that “the good stuff” lies on the other side. That’s what my Dad meant when he cautioned us not to lick grass. Don’t push the boundaries of the commandments. Don’t reach out to lick the things of the world. And we’re going to see this attitude over and over again in the Book of Judges as the Children of Israel fluctuate through this cycle of pushing through the fences and licking the grass of the world around them.

SEARCH

To start us out in the scriptures here then, I’ve got some good news, and some bad news. The good news comes from a very promising set of verses that we find right at the end of the Book of Joshua. You may recall that some of Joshua’s last words were, “Choose ye this day whom ye will serve!” And all the people covenanted that they would serve Jehovah. Now do you think they’re going to keep that promise? Lo and behold, they do! Look at Joshua 24:31

31 And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the Lord, that he had done for Israel.

Isn’t that amazing! That generation actually does it. And kudos to them.

But now for the bad news: Read Judges 2:10-13

10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim:

12 And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger.

13 And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

Now that begs the question. What happened there between generations? What could be the cause of the next generation falling away so quickly? I think Judges chapter 1 holds the key to that.

Before the Children of Israel ever entered the promised land, the Lord gave a specific commandment and instruction to the armies as they entered. What was it?

• Deuteronomy 20:16-18.

16 But of the cities of these people, which the Lord thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:

17 But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee:

18 That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the Lord your God.

Now I know that sounds terrible. How do we justify what appears to be a genocide here? That’s a deep and complicated question with a complicated answer. So I’m not going to go into that one. There’s just too much to cover this week to get bogged down in the weeds on that one. But there are many other places you could go to get some help with that question.

The more important question to me is “Do they follow that counsel” Yes or No. If you skim through Judges 1:17-33, you can see how a number of the tribes did at following it.

• Did Judah and Simeon—Judges 1:17-18 YES

• Benjamin—Judges 1:21 NO

• Manassah—Judges 1:27-28 NO

• Ephraim—Judges 1:29 NO

• Zebulun—Judges 1:30 NO

• Asher—Judges 1:31-32 NO

• Naphtali—Judges 1:33 NO

And why do think they don’t do it?

I’m not sure. Were they too lazy to follow the commandment completely? Did it seem unnecessary to them because they already had the upper hand? Maybe Judges 1:28 and 33 hold the key to that answer. It says they put those people to tribute or had them pay for the privilege of remaining in the land. So greed may have played a part. Regardless of the reasons, we know how the Lord felt about this failure to follow through with his command. He sends an angel with a message to the people in Judges 2:1-3.

And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.

2 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? (I wonder if that’s how the Lord often responds to our disobedience. And incredulous, uhh, Why have ye done this)

3 Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.

I think that may help to explain why the Lord asked them to do this difficult command. To completely destroy those cities. The angel explains that because they’ve left this influence among them, they will be much more likely to fall as a people. Those cultures and their gods would act as a snare, or trap to them. And that’s exactly what happens. That new generation is now going to grow up right in the midst of this Pagan and wicked environment. And we know from descriptions in the Bible that sexual immorality and child sacrifice are a big part of this Canaanite culture. This is what their children would be seeing and coming in contact with daily. And they are going to be influenced by it. We’ll see it again and again here in Judges. The people begin to turn to other God’s and to wickedness, which means the Lord is no longer among them, which means they are weak and vulnerable to attack and conquest. And they are conquered by a number of different cultures throughout the book. This usually induces remorse and repentance. And when they do, because he’s merciful, the Lord steps in to help his people. So, verse 16:

16 Nevertheless the Lord raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.

God sends them a deliverer to rescue them and bring them back to a state of righteousness. Sadly, that righteousness was often short-lived as they began once again to be negatively influenced by the people around them. With the lure of the world so prominently displayed right on the other side of their fences in such close contact, they begin to lick grass again.

Well, we too live in a Canaanite world. We are also surrounded by the influences and the gods and the idols of the world. Now it’s not realistic or even recommended to completely isolate ourselves from the world around us. There has to be a balance between being different from the world and helping those in it to come to a knowledge of the Savior. How could we do missionary work or be an influence for good on others if we decide to just “go off-grid” and live like hermits. It is possible to live righteous in a wicked world. But, the cautionary tale here is in asking ourselves how much we allow the influence of the world to affect us—how much we tolerate and associate with the things of the world. I think the major tragedy of the Children of Israel’s decision not to drive the Canaanites out, was the impact that decision would have on their children and future generations. It’s an example of a failure to control the environment. The parents were strong enough to not fall for the lure of the Canaanite world around them, but their kids weren’t. If I could return to my father’s story about fixing fence out on the ranch. The cows were almost never able to get through those fences. They were just too big to ever really push all the way through the barbed wire. However, a more common occurrence was that calves would sometimes escape through those holes that were made by their parents. And sometimes they would find these calves frantically pacing up and down the fence line, calling out and trying to get back to their mothers for nourishment. And sadly, in some cases, those calves would die before they could be found and helped. They were able to find their way out easily enough, but were not able to get back in. So as parents, it’s vital that we do all that we can to help protect our children from the influence of the world around them. Parents would do well to be vigilant and careful about the influences they allow their children to come in contact with and how often. And for ourselves as well! For our own spirituality’s sake, do we do all that we can to limit the amount of airtime we give to Canaan. Are we mindful of what we watch, what we listen to, where we go, and who we spend the majority of our time with? Again, we don’t want to isolate ourselves from the world. But are we sure that influence is traveling in the right direction. That we are influencing it, and not vice versa. If we ever feel that that outside influence is pulling us down, or changing us, or we’re finding ourselves more and more comfortable with it, then maybe we should pull away from it as much as possible. Instead, we can take the concluding section of the 13th article of faith as our guide.

“If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.”

TRUTH

If we surround ourselves and fill our lives with worldly influences, we will be much more likely to become like the world and lose our covenant blessings.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

Where would you place yourself on this scale of worldly influence? Are you more on the influencer side? Or the influencee side?

What could you do to move yourself as far to the right as possible? Is there any worldly influence you need to rid yourself of? Any movies or shows you need to stop watching? Any music you need to delete from your library? Any language you need to eliminate from your vocabulary? Clothing you need to get rid of? And perhaps most drastically, any friendships you need to abandon for the sake of your own soul and salvation? If you know or can sense that they are influencing you for evil, then perhaps the wisest thing for you to do is to say goodbye.

CONCLUSION

So, don’t lick grass. Drive the Canaanites out! Seek to limit and control what you see, hear, and do from the Canaanite world. If we can do this, that may help us to get off the merry-go-round and successfully pass our faith and righteousness on to the calves, the rising generation without leaving gaping holes in the fences of obedience.

THE WOMEN OF JUDGES-CHECKMATE!

ICEBREAKER

Next. I'm a big fan of the game of chess and I believe that there are great life lessons taught by the game. As an icebreaker, it may be kind of fun to give your class a couple of chess problems to figure out. For example this one. Or here’s an even tougher one. Well, one interesting aspect of chess is that each piece has a relative value and power in the game. Pawns are not very powerful and don't carry a huge value. They're often sacrificed for position or used to create a structure from which to protect the more important pieces behind them. The King, of course, is a very critical piece in the game, because, if your king is captured, you lose. But I often like to remind people, especially females, of the most powerful piece in the game of chess. Do you know which it is? It's the queen. She has the most versatility, she can move the fastest and the farthest in all directions. Most games are won by using the unique abilities of the queen in conjunction with other supporting pieces. Usually, it's the queen that's at the center of the action. She's putting pressure on the enemy king, rescuing pieces under attack, making captures, and forcing retreats. She is THE piece on the board. Many players will resign the game if they inadvertently lose their queen. It's usually just not even worth trying after that. And though the king is the overall focus of your opponent’s attack, he spends most of his time cowering in the corner and fleeing from attacking pieces like a scared rabbit. It's typically the queen that's making things happen and winning the game. Women should love the game of chess. It communicates their power. And you know, it makes me wonder if God is a fan of chess, because the same principles seem to be true of life. God knows the power and influence that righteous woman can have in his battle against evil. God's queens are absolutely vital to his victory strategy. That message is beautifully taught here in the Book of Judges.

SEARCH

There are three women in particular I would like to draw your attention to here. Deborah, Jael, and the Woman in the Tower. What do these women teach us about the power of righteous women? To help lead your students through these stories, you could use this “Women of Judges” crossword puzzle and have a discussion about them as you correct it. In order to maintain the continuity of the story though, the clues will alternate between across and down. As they work on this, invite them to ponder what lessons these stories are teaching them. If you choose not to use the crossword puzzle, you could always just have them read the stories themselves or as a class and answer the same question. So here we go:

Deborah-Judges 4:1-16,

Jael-Judges 4:18-22

The Woman in the Tower-Judges 9:50-55

8 ACROSS Israel at this time is being oppressed by Jabin, the King of Canaan. The captain of his armies is a man named _________ (Judges 4:1) Sisera

7 ACROSS Who is judging Israel at this time? (Judges 4:4) A woman by the name of Deborah. Judges 4:5 tells us that “the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.” And here, “to judge” can mean to minister, to serve, or to deliver.

8 DOWN She calls on a man named Barak to go and fight with the Canaanites, but he is feeling unsure of his ability to win this battle. In Judges 4:8 he says, “If thou wilt go with me, then I will go; but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.” Deborah’s response: “I will __________ go with thee” (Judges 4:9) Surely

I love her response. I will most certainly go with you. I’m here for you. I will support you and be right by your side.

11 ACROSS Deborah continues to encourage him by saying: “Is not the _______ gone out before thee?” The answer is Lord. Is not the Lord gone out before thee? Deborah has such faith. She’s the female counterpart to Caleb and Joshua from the Book of Numbers. The Lord is with us, so how can we lose?

6 DOWN Who wins the battle that day? (Judges 4:15-16) Barak wins. It says in verse 15 that the Lord discomfited Sisera and his chariots, which means he put them to flight. Josephus, a Jewish historian tells us that the river floods the valley they are attacking Israel in, which renders Sisera’s chariots useless in the mud, making them an easy prey for the Israelite army. Just like Deborah promised, the Lord was with them.

2 DOWN Sisera gets away though and meets a woman named _____ who invites him to hide in her tent. (Judges 4:18) Her name is Jael.

5 ACROSS She feeds him, and he eventually falls asleep. She then sneaks in and kills him with a _______. (Judges 4:21) Nail. It says that she drives a tent nail through his temples and fastens his head to the ground. Ewww. But they win!

10 ACROSS After the great victory, Deborah and Barak sing a song of praise in Judges 5. In verse 7, Deborah refers to herself with one of the greatest titles a person can have. A __________ in Israel. (Judges 5:7) A Mother in Israel.

4 ACROSS In a future battle, Israel is being attacked by a man named ___________________. (Judges 9:50) Abimelech

9 DOWN All the people fled and find shelter in a ___________. (Judges 9:51) Tower

1 DOWN A certain woman threw down a _____________ at Abimelech. (Judges 9:53) millstone. So the scriptures say that as Abimelech is attempting to set fire to the doors of the tower, this woman throws a millstone down at him and hits him in the head and it breaks his skull.

3 DOWN As Abimelech is lying there, he asks his armorbearer to _______ him. (Judges 9:54) Slay. Now, the reason for this is that not only was his head wounded but his manly pride as well. And so he calls to his armorbearer to slay him so that nobody could say that he was killed by a woman. And so his armorbearer, understanding, obliges him. But we all know the truth of the matter. Abimelech really was killed by a woman.

So those are the three stories. Deborah, Jael, and the woman in the tower. Now what lessons do these stories teach you about righteous women?

With Deborah, we learn about the power righteous women have in leading and inspiring people around them. Deborah uses her unique spiritual gifts to bless and assist her people. Deborah was a leader. All sisters in this church are given specific spiritual gifts through the Holy Ghost which allow them to bless others and edify the Church. The line I love most from this story is Deborah’s encouragement to Barak’s who is feeling uncertain and apprehensive about the battle. I can only do this if you go with me. And she says, “I will surely go with thee.” Latter-day Deborah’s do the same thing! Their support and courage and faith in God lends strength and assurance to help others face their life’s battles. Mothers can inspire and encourage their children to choose the right, study their scriptures, and have faith in God. Wives can inspire their husbands to preside in righteousness and love as they seek to lead their families as equal partners. Women can faithfully serve in any number of administrative and ministering callings within the church to bless and serve their local ward, branch, or community. A valiant young woman can encourage and inspire a young man to serve a mission and invite others herself to come unto Christ in her own full-time or member missionary labors. With Deborah by his side, Barak and his army are inspired to go out to face their enemies and secure the victory. How could they fail, with Deborah and the Lord at their side?

Another lesson: the sanctity and dignity of motherhood. “Mother in Israel” is one of the most sacred and honored titles a woman can bear in time or eternity. Though motherhood is often dismissed, belittled, or even openly mocked in our modern society, our latter-day Deborah’s know what an honor and privilege it is to bear the title of mother.

Now what about Jael and her nail? I know it’s a bit of a gruesome tale, but after all, she was just doing her “temple” work, right?! Oh, that’s a bad one, I know. But the story is instructive. Of all the mighty and courageous warriors of Barak’s army who fought that day, who was it that struck the final death blow? A lone woman in her tent. It was the queens on the chessboard that really won the battle that day. Deborah and Jael are the ones that made things happen here, not the knights, the bishops, the castles, or the kings. But the queens that finish the job. Jael was able to defeat the mightiest warrior of the enemy, the captain of the army. Her story teaches that one need not be physically mighty or in a position of great authority to accomplish the Lord’s work to save her people. Her action is reminiscent of Nephi’s killing of Laban. Who knows how difficult that act might have been for her. Yet, she recognized that the Lord had delivered him into her hands, and she did not falter at the moment of action. Now, for most women, the service they render will not be through violence, but through compassion, kindness, and love. BUT those Christlike qualities serve as some of the greatest weapons we have as a Church to strike a blow against evil, oppression, and iniquity.

The story of the woman in the Tower, reiterates the same idea. A righteous woman can strike evil right in the head and defeat it. That day it wasn’t some great warrior with bulging muscles and six pack abs who wins the battle. It was a housewife with a kitchen utensil that carried the day.

TRUTH

Righteous women inspire faith and courage in all around them and lead the Church to victory against evil.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

And for the final question on the handout: Who is a woman whose leadership and example has profoundly affected you? And this is a great opportunity to just allow your class to honor and recognize amazing and influential women in their lives.

I personally am grateful for the leadership and example of the women in my life. I’m grateful for the leadership of my mother who helped to raise and influence me with her righteous example and testimony. Just like the stripling warriors, “I do not doubt my Mother knew it”. I’m grateful for my wife whose righteous example has not only blessed and encouraged my children to choose the right, but myself as well. I want to be a better man and priesthood bearer because of her. I’m grateful for the righteous and hard-working women in my ward, who have sat on ward councils with me and offered their insight and wisdom in the leadership of the ward. Honestly, do you want to know who played a major role in training me when I was first called as Bishop? The Relief Society President. I often went to her to ask about families and individuals that I didn’t know much about. She also helped me to know what many of my responsibilities were as a bishop and I’m forever grateful for her help and guidance. I could go on and on with examples of righteous women of courage who have blessed and influenced my life. The women of the scriptures, women from history, former teachers, students, women I taught on my mission, and on and on.

CONCLUSION

The fact of the matter is that the women of this Church wield great power and influence. I know that many critics condemn the fact that women don’t have a chance to lead in the Church. And I think, “That’s ludicrous.” Now yes, it’s true that we don’t ordain women to priesthood office. But women lead all the time within our Church. It shouldn’t take long for the perceptive to think of all the ways how. Mothers lead and raise their families. Women lead through callings and administrative positions within the Church. Women lead others to conversion through missionary work all over the world. Women lead through ministering, temple and family history work, teaching, speaking in sacrament meeting and general conference as well as serving in many other countless positions and callings within the Church. They are the queens, and our victory as a Church and individuals truly hinges upon their faith and leadership.

GUIDANCE FROM GIDEON

ICEBREAKER

There are three truths that I’d like to cover with you from the story of Gideon. And Gideon has to be one of my favorite prophets in the entire Old Testament. He’s so human, I love it. Sometimes it’s harder for me to relate to prophets like Nephi, or Joseph of Egypt, or David—these people who just seemed to have this innate strength and faith in God without question or hesitation. But me, I often need a little more help and encouragement to move forward. Gideon was that kind of disciple too. As an icebreaker, I do a little object lesson. I purchased one of those fun house carnival mirrors off of Amazon for about 25 bucks. And all it is just a rolled-up flexible mirror that you can bend and manipulate. But it does the trick. And you just allow the students to look at themselves and laugh at the distortions it causes in their appearance. And I’ll put a link in the video description below if you’re interested in getting one. (https://amzn.to/3MQZiS9) But then, I invite the students to imagine how they would feel about themselves if they looked in this mirror every morning but didn’t realize that it was a fun house mirror. How might that change the way they thought about themselves? You’d probably get pretty discouraged, apprehensive, or unconfident. That’s what I look like?

TRANSITION

Well, I’m afraid that that’s exactly what we do sometimes. The way we see ourselves can often become distorted or warped by the words and perceptions of the world and people around us or even the adversary himself. I’m afraid that we don’t always see ourselves the way God sees us or things as they really are. It’s like looking at ourselves with a carnival mirror. The story of Gideon in Judges 6 and 7 illustrates this truth. At this time in Bible history the children of Israel are being oppressed by the Midianites. Verse 5-6 tells us that:

5 For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it.

6 And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord.

That’s the situation that Gideon finds himself in.

TRUTH #1 Look in the Right Mirror

To introduce you to him I want you to take two colored pencils and as you read Judges 6:11-16, mark in one color all the phrases and things that indicate how God (through the message of an angel) sees Gideon. In the other color, I want you to mark all the phrases and things that indicate how Gideon sees himself.

And how does Gideon see himself? He’s not your typical Bible hero. When we first meet him, he’s threshing wheat behind the winepress, trying to hide it from the Midianites. That doesn’t really speak to his boldness or courage does it. And what are the first words out of his mouth? “Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? And where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, Did not the Lord bring up from Egypt? But now the Lord hath forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. Does that sound like someone filled with faith and confidence? Not really. He’s wondering why God has forsaken them. And then you could have marked almost all of verse 15. He asks wherewith shall I save Israel? My family is poor, I am the least in my father’s house (or the youngest). He’s basically giving all the reasons for why he doesn’t thinks he can do this great thing the angel is asking of him. I’m poor, why not choose one of my older brothers, why me? You sense he’s not super confident in himself or his ability, but God works with him and through him anyway. And I like that. It gives me hope. We don’t all have to be Nephi’s, or Joseph’s, or David’s. Some of us may be more like Gideon. We may need a little encouragement and assurance to get going.

But how does God see Gideon? What did you mark in the other color?

The angel introduces himself by saying “The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor!” and you can almost picture Gideon looking around and saying, “Wait, who? You talking to me? Mighty man of valor? I’m a nobody. I’m hiding right now.” But the Lord is patient with him and in verse 14 says “Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?” Then after Gideon’s list of “why me’s” the Lord says, “Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.”

TRUTH #1 from the life of Gideon.

Learn to see yourself as God sees you. God can do extraordinary things with ordinary people.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

What extraordinary things has God asked of you? Read your patriarchal blessing. I’m sure it’s filled with amazing promises and praises of your abilities. Listen to what Russell M. Nelson has to say about you. He said: “You are among the best the Lord has ever sent to this world. You have the capacity to be smarter and wiser and have more impact on the world than any previous generation.”” President Russell M. Nelson (Worldwide Youth Devotional, 2018) Remember you are a child of God with divine potential and worth. So, you can serve in that calling. You can live righteous in a wicked world. You can serve a full-time mission. You can repent. You can overcome an addiction. You can forgive that individual. You can have a profound positive impact on the world around you. You can do anything that the Lord asks you to do. Have not I sent thee? Go in this thy might, thou mighty men and women of valor!

TRUTH #2 Fleeces

The extraordinary thing the Lord is asking of Gideon is to free his people from oppression. From an enemy that was “without number”. And you can imagine that he’s probably a bit intimidated by that prospect. So he’s going to ask for some things in the following verses. I’d like you to read them with the following question in mind. Is this right or wrong? And why do you think so?

Judges 6:17-21

Judges 6:36-40

So in the first set of verses, Gideon asks the angel that visits him to show him a sign that he really was an angel from God and that he really is being asked to do this great thing. And the angel causes fire to rise up out of rock and consume an offering that Gideon has prepared.

In the second set of verses, as Gideon is preparing to gather an army together to face the Midianites, he again asks for a sign. And it’s a curious one. He puts a piece of fleece out onto the ground and asks for the Lord to cause dew to appear on the fleece but for the ground all around it to be dry. And it happens. But then he asks for another sign and says, OK Lord, this time let the ground be wet with dew, but the fleece dry. And that miracle also comes to pass.

In both instances Gideon is asking for a sign from God. Is this right or wrong? Well, the Lord complies with these requests, doesn’t he? The signs do come to pass. So I guess this can’t be that bad. But you might say, “Wait! I thought we’ve been told not to be sign-seekers. Jesus condemns sign-seekers in the New Testament. Korihor get struck dumb for asking for a sign in the Book of Mormon. What gives?

Well, I think what we have here is a bit of different kind of situation. When is it OK to ask for signs? And actually, I like to differentiate these Gideon-like requests with a different word. I don’t think this is sign-seeking really. I like to call this, “seeking for reassurances” or “fleeces”. It’s not good to ask for signs, but it’s ok to ask for fleeces. For reassurances from God when you are asked to do difficult things. And what makes a fleece different from a sign? A couple or things.

1. When you intend to do what God is asking you regardless of whether he gives you the fleece or not. There is nothing to indicate that Gideon will not go if God doesn’t perform his request. Sign-seeking says, “I’m not going to do this unless you show me something Lord.” Fleece-seeking says, “I’m willing and ready to obey Lord, but I’m not really confident about and is there some kind of an assurance you could give me that to help me know that you’re really with me”.

2. Also, Gideon isn’t demanding the sign. He’s humbly and prayerfully requesting the reassurance. Look at how he says it in Judges 6:39, “Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once:” That’s humility, not an ultimatum.

3. Also, these reassurances he is requesting are not grand public signs intended to draw attention to himself or to feed his ego. They’re personal, private, and small. A small burnt offering and a wet piece of fleece on the ground. These are things that nobody else but Gideon and the Lord are going to see or know about. He’s not requesting them so that he can go out and show everyone how spiritual and important he is.

And get this, in Judges 7:9-15 the Lord gives Gideon a fleece without him even asking. I think he can sense that Gideon is still feeling nervous about this whole thing. And so just before Gideon is set to go attack the Midianite camp, the Lord tells him to go down to the Midianite camp and listen to some of the men talking at one of the campfires. Gideon does this and he overhears one of the Midianite soldiers telling the other of a dream he had where a little barley cake comes rolling down the hill, hits a Midianite tent and the tent collapses and falls over. And his partner says, “Oh, I know what that dream means. The little barley cake is Gideon and God has delivered us into his hand.” Well that’s enough confirmation for Gideon, and he prepares to attack.

TRUTH #2

God will grant us “fleeces” (or reassurances) to help us accomplish his work.

And It's nice to know that our Heavenly Father is the kind of being that does offer fleeces. And we all need these kinds of experiences every now and then, and I do believe that it’s OK to ask for them at times, as long as we follow those three things I mentioned earlier. I received a fleece in my childhood that helped me to know that God was real and cared about me. I experienced a fleece just before I served my mission that helped to give me confidence in bearing my testimony. I received a fleece while I was dating my wife Allesha that helped me to know that the Lord approved of me marrying her. And I can think of many others.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

Have you ever experienced a “fleece” in your life?

TRUTH #3, 300 Men

Our third principle from the life of Gideon. And this, is the funnest part of the story. I love it. With that reassurance from the fleeces, Gideon gathers together an army to go attack the Midianite camp. Now remember, there are so many Midianites, that Gideon can’t even number them. And how many men does Gideon have? We know from Judges 7:3 that Gideon has about 32,000 men. So, and innumerable army vs 32,000. The odds aren’t looking very good. So Gideon has a problem here. He goes to the Lord and the Lord agrees basically and says, “Yep, Gideon, you have a problem.” What’s the problem according to 7:2? Gideon, you have too many men.” And I’m sure Gideon did a bit of a double take and said, “No wait, you mean we don’t have enough men.” And the Lord “No, no, too many. You’ve got way too many men to go and take the Midianites.”

Now why do you think he’d say that? Check out Judges 7:2

2 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.

Ahhh. That’s the reason. I don’t want there to be any question in your mind or the people’s minds as to who wins this battle. This isn’t just about protecting my people, but about promoting their faith. I want them to know that this was a miracle accomplished by the hand of God. So Gideon, you’ve got too many men. 32,000 might start to think pretty highly of themselves if they win this battle. So let’s get rid of a few. How does he pare them down here? Judges 7:3

3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead.

So that’s what he does. So basically, he says, “If any of you are afraid to fight in this battle, go home. We’ll fight the battle without you.” And how many men decide to take him up on that offer?

“And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.”

So just like that, 22,000 men turn around and go home.

So now he only has 10,000 men and the Lord comes back to Gideon and says, “Uh, Gideon, you’ve got a problem.” And again, I’m sure Gideon was like, “Yeah, I’ve got a problem. How are we going to do this?” And the Lord says: “You’ve still got too many men to fight the Midianites, Gideon.” What???!!! Yep, the people are yet too many. We’ve got to make the message of this battle so clear that it is unmistakable. They’ve got to know, without a doubt, that you won because God was with you. So . . .

Judges 7:4

4 . . . bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.

So the Lord is going to devise a little test for them to whittle down their number even more. Continuing in verse 5:

5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, Everyone that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise everyone that boweth down upon his knees to drink.

6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.

So, interesting. Gideon just sits there and watches them drink. And some put their faces right down in the water and sip it up. While others dip their hands down into the water and bring the water to their mouths and lap it up from their hand. So you have sippers and lappers. And the Lord tells Gideon to divide them into two groups. And when all is said and done you have 300 men on one side and 9700 on the other. And which do you think the Lord is going to use to fight the Midianites? And you can almost see Gideon sitting there saying, “Please be the 9700, please let it be the 9700”. And the Lord says:

Judges 7:7

7 And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.

So there you have it: 300 men verses and innumerable host. I mean, he was nervous with 32,000, he was even more nervous with 10,000, how’s he going to feel with 300? He’s got 1% of what he started with. How in the world is this going to work?

And I want you to read how it works. Judges 7:16-23 that tells the story of the battle. And it’s really fun. Go ahead and read it, especially if you’ve never heard it before.

And how does he do it? Gideon has his men surround the camp of the Midianites at night. He gives each of his men a trumpet, or a chofar, a ram’s horn, and a pitcher with a lamp down inside the pitcher. And on his signal, all 300 trumpets sound at once, then they break the pitchers, and shout “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon”. Now you just imagine what it would have been like to be a Midianite at that moment. It’s the middle of the night, and then all of a sudden you hear 300 trumpets at once! From every direction. You grab your sword and jump out of your tent, it’s dark, but you look around you and you see 300 lights on all the hills around you and their shouting. You’d think the world was coming down on you. And you just woke up and you’re disoriented, and there’s commotion all around, you don’t who’s who, and so you just start fighting for your life. And what happens?

21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.

22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host:

So panic ensues in the camp, and they just start fighting with each other and killing each other off. And all Gideon and his men have to do is sit back, pass around the popcorn, and watch the mayhem. And they win. The Midianites run off in disarray and defeat.

TRUTH #3 from the story of Gideon: One with God is always in the majority. We don’t have to be mighty warriors. We don’t have to have the power, the popularity, the wealth, or the position to do great things for God. Even a small group of people who are willing to show faith, “stand in their place” against the enemy, and heed the counsel of their prophet-leader can have the victory. They can stand against the whole hoard of those who are going to make fun of them and fight them and try to enslave them to the things of the world. We can stand against the many. This message is particularly relevant to those who live in areas where there are not many members of the Church. You may be one of the only members in your school, your neighborhood, your community, or your nation even. But if you are willing to stand up for righteousness, you can make a difference. You can even influence others for good and lead many of your brethren out of bondage. I love the fact that God chose such an ordinary man as Gideon and such a small group of men to do such an extraordinary thing.

TRUTH

So to review, here is our Guidance from Gideon

God can do extraordinary things with ordinary people. See yourself as God sees you.

God will grant you “fleeces” (reassurances) to help you accomplish his work.

A Righteous person with God on their side will always have the victory!

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

Which truth from the Gideon story do you find most helpful to you right now? Why?

SAMSON-THE WEAKEST MAN IN THE BIBLE?

ICEBREAKER

One more story and probably the most well known in Judges. Samson-the strongest man in the Bible, right? As an icebreaker to the Samson story, I like to show my students the following pictures. And then I like to take a straw poll. I ask my students if they agree with the people who made these toys. Was Samson a Bible hero? Or was he Bible zero? Is he a good example or a bad example? And just count everyone’s votes and put the results up on the board. As we study, we’re going to see which is correct.

SEARCH

Now based on Samson’s birth, what would you expect his life to be like? Study Judges 13:2-5, 8 and mark everything we learn about Samson from his birth.

And there we learn that:

1. Angels heralded his birth.

2. His birth was a miracle. His mother was barren.

3. Samson would be a Nazarite from birth and was not to cut his hair. We’ll talk more about what that means in just a minute.

4. He would be called to deliver Israel.

5. And, he had very righteous, good parents who were concerned about how to raise their child in righteousness.

Well, let’s return to this idea of what it meant to be a Nazarite. Sometimes, to show their dedication and commitment to God, Israelites could choose to take the vow of a Nazarite for a specified period of time. During that time, there were certain rules and obligations above and beyond what your average Israelite would live. Serving as a full-time missionary would be the closest modern-day counterpart to being a Nazarite. There are standards missionaries keep that are above and beyond your average member of the church. They are expected, for that time, not to watch movies, go swimming, date, and other things. And, there are differences in their appearance too. They cut their hair a certain way, dress a certain way, and dedicate all their time to the preaching of the gospel. A Nazarite did something similar and Samson was meant to be a Nazarite from birth, for his whole life. So let’s discover what those covenants were. To see those we’ve got to back to the Book of Numbers. You could use the following handout to help your students discover those covenants and how Samson did on living them. They’re found in Numbers 6:2-9.

• But before we go to numbers, we’re going to add one more covenant that was not unique to the Nazarites, but was expected of all Israelites. What was that covenant according to Deuteronomy 7:3 They were not to marry outside the covenant.

• Numbers 6:3 No grapes, wine, or strong drink

• Numbers 6:6 Don’t touch anything dead

• Numbers 6:7 Don’t make your family unclean

• Numbers 6:9 Don’t kill any man suddenly. Nazarites were to be peaceful

• Numbers 6:2, 4, 5, 6, 8 The big difference between the Nazarites and your average Israelite is seen in the word that is repea1ted over and over again in these verses. Did you figure out what it was? Separate. They were to be separate from not only the world, but even amongst the Israelites. They were to hold themselves to a higher standard.

• Numbers 6:5 No cutting your hair (The idea behind this was to have an outward way of distinguishing yourself as a Nazarite. It would be a way of showing the length of your vow. The longer the hair, the longer the time of the vow. And at the end of your Nazarite vow you would cut your hair and offer it as burnt offering to the priest as a way of showing that during that time of growing your hair, you had dedicated that time to God)

How does Samson do on keeping his covenants? Let’s see. Fill in the other column using the provided references.

• 14:1-3, 16:1, 16:4 Who does he marry? A Philistine girl. Marries outside the covenant. And his parents are dismayed by this and they’re like “Samson, isn’t there a nice Israelite girl that you could marry?” And he’s like, “Mom, Dad, have you seen the girls in our ward? Get her for me, for she pleaseth me well.” He doesn’t care. He just wants what he wants no matter discouraging it is for his family. And later you see him going into a harlot, and then he falls in love with Delilah, another Philistine woman. Samson is definitely a man led by his lusts.

• 14:5/14:10 Now the next covenant is a little more difficult to really definitively say anything, but where do we find Samson in 14:5. In the vineyards of Timnath. What’s he doing there? We don’t know. But Nazarites were not to drink strong drink or even grapes. Also, as he parties and feasts with Philistines all throughout the story, it’s more than likely that those gatherings would have included strong drink. Plus, half the stupid things Samson does certainly lead one to wonder if alcohol was involved.

• 14:8-9 Touching dead things. At one point Samson is attacked by a lion, and with his superhuman strength he just tears it in half and leaves it there. But later, he comes upon the carcass of the lion and finds that bees have created a beehive inside it. So what does he do? He reaches his hands inside and takes the honey. That would not be considered kosher for any Israelite, let alone a Nazarite. Even we wouldn’t do that. Remember the book of Leviticus and its emphasis on being clean. And not only that, look what he does in verse 9. He takes of the honey and gives it to his family, his mom and dad, not telling them where he got it. So . . .

• 14:9 There goes another covenant. He has now made his family unclean as well.

• 14:19, 15:8, 15:15 The book of Numbers told us that a Nazarite was not to kill any man suddenly or that would mark the end of his vow. Well Samson is killing people left and right, in anger, in vengefulness, without remorse. In 14:19 he kills 30 men just because some of his wedding guests figured out a riddle he had formulated. In 15:8, he’s killing people with a great slaughter, in 15:15 he kills 1,000 men with the jawbone of an ass. So, Samson is no peaceful Nazarite. His life is filled with senseless violence, vengeance, and killing.

• Then you fill in that last category there. From what you know about Samson, how did he do at living a separate life from the world? Was he different from the world around him? Not at all. Samson is more Philistine than Israelite. Rather than being separate from the world, he reflects the world around him. He embraced the lifestyle and values of the world around him.

So there you have it, you can see so far that as Samson goes throughout his life, that he breaks one by one each and every one of his covenants. But there is one covenant that he has not broken up to that point and what is it? He hasn’t cut his hair. Samson has this long flowing hair. Now let’s be clear about something here, Samson did not have magic hair. The strength didn’t come from his hair. But his covenants. And as long as he hasn’t broken all of his covenants, the Lord does allow Samson to maintain his strength. Well, that’s all going to change after he meets Delilah. And Delilah is being prodded and bribed by the Philistines to ask Samson what the secret of his great strength is. The tactics and words that Delilah and the Philistine lords use correspond perfectly with what the adversary seeks to do to us. They entice him, seek to bind him, afflict him, they lie in wait, she vexes him, these are all things the adversary does to us. Now Samson toys with her a bit and tells her a number of things that aren’t true, like if they bind him with green reeds, or with new ropes, or by weaving his hair, he’ll lose his strength. But Samson utters a very aptly descriptive phrase about what will happen to him if these things were done.

What is the phrase he uses in verses 7, 11, and 17? He says he will become like any other man. Then verse 17 adds that he will become weak and be like any other man.

Can you see the principle of covenants that this is teaching us? What does keeping our covenants do for us? They give us strength and they keep us separate from the world. When we break our covenants, we lose our strength and we become as any other man. We become like the world. Which is not what our Father in Heaven intends for us. We are not meant to be like any other person. Samson is all but indistinguishable from the Philistines. And in this episode with Delilah, what does he finally allow to happen to him?

16:19 He allows his hair to be cut. And just as you would predict, what happens to his strength? He loses his strength. All of his covenants are down and now he is as Philistine as the Philistines. There is nothing to distinguish him from them. And what do they do to him? They take and throw him into prison. The world and the adversary have no love for those that fall prey to its lures. And I know, this story really makes you wonder about Samson’s intelligence, right? I mean, couldn’t he see through the subterfuge here? Wasn’t it obvious to him over and over again that Delilah was no good for him? That she was using him? It kind of reminds me of something I heard Sheri Dew once say, “Sin makes you stupid” and Samson definitely proves that point here, doesn’t he?

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

Let’s pause for a moment and liken the scriptures here. What are some of the covenants and standards that we commit to as members of Christ’s restored Church that make us separate from the world?

We live the Word of Wisdom

We dress modestly and try to avoid extremes in appearance

We follow a standard of chastity

We covenant to stand as witnesses of Christ at all times, in all things, and in all places

We keep the Sabbath day holy

We avoid certain kinds of media

We covenant to take upon ourselves the name of Christ

If we have received our endowments, we keep in mind the sacred covenants we’ve made in the temple

And we could mention many, many more. Keep those covenants in mind as we read what happens to Samson next.

BLIND AND BIND

The rest of the story stands as a warning and admonition to any who feel drawn to disregard covenants and reflect the standards and image of the world. What ends up happening to Samson? Read Judges 16:21-31

And what do the Philistines do to him? They gouge out his eyes and bind him between two pillars as they mock him. And can you picture Samson there tied between the pillars? His strength and eyesight gone, and his freedom lost. This is the perfect image for what Satan desires to do with us. Satan seeks to blind and bind. Blind us to God’s love. Blind us to our potential. Blind us of where we are going. Blind us to gospel truth. And he wishes to bind us. Bind us with addictions. Bind us with the consequences of sin. Bind us with the loss of our agency. Bind us with despair. Samson in that state, is the embodiment of what happens when we break or disdain our covenants. Blind and bind.

And in that state, Samson finally prays. It’s the only time in the entire story where you see him reaching out to God. And what does he ask for? Does he ask for forgiveness for breaking his covenants? Does he ask for victory for the benefit of his brethren, to free them from the Philistines? Here’s his prayer:

“ . . . O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.”

So has Samson learned his lesson? Nope. All he cares about is revenge. The most worthless of causes. He can still only think of himself, like he has his entire life. But God honors this request, and he does give Samson his strength back, one last time. And the entire building collapses, and all the Philistines inside, 3000 of them, are killed. And maybe we stop and ask, “Wait, he was a complete delinquent. He broke all his covenants. Why would God give him his strength back? Two thoughts:

One. A quote from C.S. Lewis who said: “Those who will not be God’s sons, become his tools”.

C.S. Lewis

“Preface to Paradise Lost”.

God does end up delivering Israel from the Philistines through Samson in this episode, which was his destiny from birth. Samson is a tool in God’s hands to destroy them. In my years of studying the scriptures, I’ve found that oftentimes it is the wicked that destroy the wicked and that certainly applies here.

Another thought. We cannot forget something: Who else’s body is lying crushed in the rubble of that collapsed building? Samson’s. Samson dies with them. He doesn’t escape. It’s almost as if the Lord is saying, “Samson. All right. I’ll answer your prayer. You’ve spent your whole life with the Philistines. You hang out with Philistines, you marry Philistines, you act like a Philistine, you’ve always wanted to be a Philistine. So Samson, OK I guess you’ll die with the Philistines.”

And what’s the great epitaph to Samson’s life in verse 30?

“So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.” Ohhh, isn’t that inspiring. What a fitting way to describe Samson’s less-than-faith promoting contribution to the Bible narrative.

TRUTH

Covenants keep us separate from the world and make us strong. When we break our covenants, we become like any other man and the world can blind and bind us. There is no influence on earth that can blind or bind us if we stay true to our covenants.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

How have your covenants given you strength?

I believe they give us strength by helping to set us apart. Members of the Church today vow to be separate from the things of the world. It’s the difference that gives us strength. But when we start despising that difference. When we seek to mimic or follow the trends and the images and the standards of the world, we lose that strength. We become like any other person. In my personal experience, I have witnessed the palpable power of covenants. I believe that there is a big difference between a baptized child and an unbaptized child. A young man who has been ordained to priesthood office and a young man who has not. An endowed man or woman and an unendowed. With each covenant step there is a spiritual increase of maturity and fortitude. Covenants keep us separate from the world and give us strength.

CONCLUSION

So you tell me. Back to our initial question. Is Samson a Bible hero? I don’t think so. There is nothing worthy of emulation in him that I can see in this story. Still, it is a great and powerful story in its warning. Samson is one of the greatest examples of failed potential. He failed to keep his covenants and maintain his separateness; therefore, he became weak like any other man. It almost makes me wonder if the maker of those toys ever really read the story of Samson. I mean, he had so much going for him. He could have been such a great hero, but his desire to be like the world ruins him and eventually leads to his demise. I hope we can learn from his bad example. Don’t be a Samson, be a Gideon! Gideon was a man who didn’t realize his strength, and doubted himself, and was humble, and God was able to do great things with him. Samson was full of himself, and knew his strength, and was apathetic towards God, and lost everything. It really makes one stop to wonder, was Samson the strongest man in the Bible? Or the weakest? I’ll let you decide