After the death of Joshua, Israel fell away from God for the next few hundred years. The younger generation had not seen the works God had done for Israel and many married among the idol worshipping nations and followed their Gods (Judges 2:10-12). God sent enemies to oppress his people to get them to repent and when they did, God delivered his children. God set judges over Israel to settle any difference the people had. There were 15 judges in all. Sometimes the people had no judge and just "did that which was right in their own eyes." (Judges 17:6) Many do that today without regard for what God's word teaches. Deborah was the only woman judge (Judges 4:5) and once helped a man named Barak to win a battle over Israel's enemy Sisera. The Lord discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots. Sisera had 900 chariots but they were no match for God.

God told Gideon to save Israel from the Midianite army. Gideon had excuses and God told him, "I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man." Gideon asked God to show him a sign "that thou talked with me" (Judges 6:16-17) and God did. Gideon asked God for another sign if he wanted him to save Israel. Gideon said:

"I will put a fleece of wool in the floor, and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand" (Judges 6:37).

The next morning Gideon wrung out the fleece. Gideon asked God to send him another sign by letting it "be dry only upon the fleece. "God did so that night, for it was "dry upon the fleece only" (Judges 6:38-40). God used only 300 men of Gideon's army to show it was by God's power that the Midianites were defeated (Judges 7:2.7). When the children of Israel did evil, God delivered them into the hands of the Philistines 40 years. It was during this time that Samson was born. An angel appeared to Samson's mother before his birth and told her she would bare a son and "he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines" (Judges 13:5).

When Samson was older he saw a Philistine woman and desired her for his wife (an unbeliever). His parents tried to get him to marry of his own people and not a Philistine. Samson ignored the wise counsel of his parents about marrying an "unbeliever" who might pull him away from God and said unto his father, "Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well" (Judges 14:2-3).

Samson got his strength from God. A lion once attacked Samson and he killed it with his bare hands as "the spirit of the Lord came upon him" (Judges 14:5-6). He once killed 1,000 men

should have taught him a lesson but Samson again went unto a harlot (Judges 16:1). Another Philistme woman that Samson loved was a woman named Delilah (Judges 16:4). She urged Samson to tell her the secret of his strength and he said:

"I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb. if I be shaven then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man. (Judges 16:17).

Delilah told the Philistines and they cut off his seven locks of hair while he slept and his strength left him. Samson did not know that the "lord had departed from him." The Philistines took him and "put out his eyes" and put him to work grinding in the prison house (Judges 16:19-21). The Philistines came to honor their god, Dagon, and sent for Samson to "make sport of him." Samson was sorry he sinned and God gave him another chance. As time passed, Samson's hair began to grow back. The building was filled with Philistines. He put his hands on the great pillars of the house where they were, then "Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood," and prayed, "O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, 0 God" and "let me die with the Philistines." He bowed himself with "all his might" and the house fell upon all the Philistines therein killing them all (Judges 16:26-30).

During the days when Judges ruled Israel there came a famine in the land of Canaan. Naomi and her husband and two sons went to Moab where they lived 10 years. During this time, Naomi's husband died. Her sons married two Moabite women named Ruth and Orpah and the sons also died. Naomi prepared to return to her homeland and Ruth chose to go with her, but Orpah returned to her people. It was harvest time when the two women returned to Naomi's homeland, Canaan. Ruth secured a job gleaning in the fields, and it was "her hap to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz," a wealthy kinsman of Naomi's. Boaz noticed Ruth, "saw her kindness to Naomi" and her Godly behavior. He told his workers to "treat her kindly" (Ruth 1:22 thru 2:16).

Hannah was the wife of Elkanah and she was very sad for she had no children. Hannah prayed and asked the Lord for a son and vowed she would give him to the Lord all the days of his life. (I Samuel 1: 11). Soon after Hannah had a son named Samuel and when Samuel was old enough, Hannah took him unto the house of the Lord. Samuel grew up m God's house helping Eli in the work of the tabernacle. Eli had not corrected his sons and they became very evil (I Samuel 2:20-25). God punished Eli when his sons committed immoral sins and Eli "restrained them not" and Eli died. Samuel grew up loving God and did not let any of God's words "fall to the ground" (I Samuel 3:13-19).

Samuel was a judge and his sons were judges over Israel. The people did not like them and asked for a king. Samuel tried to tell Israel how badly a king would treat them but they merely said "Nay, but we Wm have a king over us." God told Samuel to go ahead and anoint a king, that the people had not rejected him but God. (I Samuel 8:17-19). God selected a Benjamite, named Saul. Samuel anointed Saul (I Samuel 10:1), who was a good king at first, leading Israel in defeating their enemies. Saul became a popular figure, but pride and envy overcame him and he was no longer humble. He became self-willed; doing things his own way regardless of the will of God. God once told Saul to utterly destroy the Amalakites and all they had but Saul saved King Agag and some of the animals (1 Samuel 15:21-22).

"Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubborness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou has rejected the word of the Lord he hath also rejected thee from being king" 1 Samuel 15:23).

 

God told Samuel to "privately anoint" a young shepherd boy named David to take Saul's place. God saw something in David that he liked and I guess you might say David saw something in God that he liked. David wrote about his devotion to God in the Psalms.

Now the Philistines gathered to battle the Israelites, with Israel on one mountain top and the Philistines on the other and a valley in between (I Samuel 17:1-3). One day David came up to the camp to bring food to his brothers and he heard the words of Goliath as he challenged God's people. "Choose you a man for you," said Goliath, and ."let him come down to me." (I Samuel 17:8). "There went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was 6 cubits (a cubic being 16" - 18") and a span" (I Samuel 17:4). He cried unto the armies of Israel every morning and evening for 40 days.

David was surprised at Israel's fear and said, "who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" David said to Saul "thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine." David told Saul he had once killed a bear and a lion with God's help and the same God would deliver him again (I Samuel 17:16-37). David chose 5 smooth stones from a nearby brook and placed them in his shepherd's bag and called to Goliath: "I come to thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts" (I Samuel 17:45). He put his hand in his bag and took thence a stone, and slung it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth" (I Samuel 17:49).

Goliath was dead, and David's popularity led Saul to be jealous of David and he suspected David of trying to take over his throne. Saul tried to kill David and God was sorry he had ever made Saul king (I Samuel 15:35). David went on to become king of Israel after Saul's death. He served God faithfully and was a good king. He did commit some terrible sins, he committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. When David learned that Bathsheba carried his child, to cover his sin he put Uriah in the heaviest of the battle where he would be killed and took Bathsheba as his wife.

The prophet Nathan was sent by God to tell David, because of his sins, the child would die. David grieved, and was sorry and "besought God for the child; and David fasted and went in, and lay all night upon the earth in prayer to God, but God had to punish David (II Samuel Chapter 11 & 12). When David learned the child was dead, he arose and came into the house of the Lord and worshipped. It was not God's fault that the child died but because of David's sins. Sometimes we can change God's mind. David didn't think it was hopeless for he said "who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live" (II Samuel 12:19-22). When God's answer comes we must accept it as our own good. David said:

"But now he is dead, wherefore shall I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him; but he shall not return to me" (II Samuel 12.23).

Bathsheba bore David another son called Solomon who later became king. David's other sons were sinful and bore the penalties of their sins as did David, their father. Solomon once built the temple of God where the people of Israel worshipped taking over 7 years to build (see I Kings 5:6 thru 9:10); the cost was tremendous. Solomon allowed his self-indulgent life and idolatrous wives (300 wives and 700 concubines) to lead his heart away from God (I Kings11:1-9) and he died an unhappy man.

1. After the death of Joshua, God set judges over Israel to settle their differences: there were 15 in all. Who was the only woman judge?______________ (Judges 4:4-5)

2. Gideon was told by God to save Israel from the Midianite army, Gideon asked for a sign from God, asking God to bring dew on a_____________of_______________ (Judges 6:37).

3. Samson's ungodly Philistine women were his downfall as his wife______________ "enticed him" for the secret of his strength which was gone when his _______________was cut. (Judges 16:17-19)

4. Who prayed for a baby boy and received him of the Lord?____________________ (1 Samuel 1:11-20).

5. Who was Israel's first king?_________________ (I Samuel 9:15-17)

6. Saul once failed to kill King Agag and some of the animalig in battle as God had commanded him and Samuel told Saul his sin of ________________ was as the sin of witchcraft, and __________________is as iniquity and idolatry (I Samuel 15:23).

7. What was the name of the giant that David killed?______________ (I Samuel 17:23-49).

8. The giant David killed was ______________ cubits high (I Samuel 17:4).

9. Who was the woman with whom David committed the terrible sin of adultery? ________________ (11 Samuel 11:2-5).

10. Because of David's sins the Lord said the child born out of the adulterous union of David and the woman would have to die. 1rue or False? _______________ (II Samuel 12:13-18)

NAME__________________________ LESSON RECEIVED____________________

ADDRESS_______________________ LESSON RETURNED____________________

________________________________ GRADED BY____________ GRADE________

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