Judges Lesson #9 The Judges: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar and Deborah (3: 7– 5: 31) 1 Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar and Deborah
Judges
Lesson#9TheJudges:
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
(3:7–5:31)
1Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
Review
Withtheland(tosomedegree)subduedandallocated,andwithJoshuaandhisgenera:ondead,whowillnowleadIsrael?Thatwasthebigques:onposedinLesson#8.RecallthatIsraelwastobeatheocracy,withGodasking;Israelwasnottohaveapersonasking,aman(orwoman)withabsoluteauthorityrulingoverall.
Butconsidertheresul:ngproblems.Thetriballandalloca:onsfollowednaturalgeographicandtopographicboundaries,withnorth-to-southstratasepara:nglargegroupsofpeople.Whowouldgovernthisdiverseland,controltheinterna:onaltraderoutes,defendcommuni:esagainstinvaders,nego:atetradeagreements,managewaterresources,maintainroads,collecttaxes,andalloftheotherfunc:onsinvolvedinrunningana:on?
AndconsiderthattheIsraelitesdidnot,infact,controlalltheland.Thereweres:llagreatmanyindigenouspeoplelivingamongtheIsraelites,andtheywerecertainlynotwillingtobegovernedbythejohnnie-come-latelyIsraelites!
2Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
Preview
WehaveseenthataPerthedeathofJoshuaandthoseofhisera,thenewgenera:onfallsfarfromGod,intermarryingwiththeindigenouspeopleandservingtheirgods.Consequently,aswemovemoredeeplyintothebookofJudges,Israelbeginsacycleofdecline,andwitheachcycle,thena:onspiralslowerandlower,un:lbytheendofJudges,around1050B.C.:“TherewasnokinginIsrael[includingGod];everyonedidwhatwasrightintheirownsight”(21:25).
WitheachcycleofdeclineGodraisesa“judge.”InthebookofJudgeswemeet13judges,buttheyarenotjudicialfigures,theyaremilitaryorpoli:calleaders(althoughDeborah—theonlywomanjudge—servesbothjudicialandmilitaryfunc:ons).
Theore:cally,judgesaretoemergeata:meofcrisis,addressthecrisis,andthenreturntotheirordinarylivesasfarmersandshepherds.But,ofcourse,whenpeoplearegivenpower(ortakeit),theyareloathetogiveitup,soas:megoesbythejudgesbecomemoreandmorecorrupt.
By1Samuelthepeoplearefedupwithjudges,andtheydemandaking,“likealltheothernaKons,toruleus”(8:5).
Inlesson#9wemeetthefirst4ofIsrael’s13judges:Othhiel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah.
3Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
IfwedatetheExodusat1446B.C.(thetradi:onaldatebasedupon1Kings6:1),thentheIsraelitescrosstheJordanRiver40yearslaterin1406B.C.tobegintheconquest,whichtakes45years(accordingtoJoshua14:10),thusbringingustoaround1361B.C.fortheperiodoftheJudgestobegin.
Aswe’vealreadyseen,aPerJoshua’sdeathandthedeathofallthoseinJoshua’sgenera:on,chaosensued,withtheIsraelitessegling“amongtheCanaanites,HiNtes,Amorites,Perizzites,Hivites,andJebusites,”andwelearnthat“theytooktheirdaughtersinmarriage,andgavetheirowndaughterstotheirsonsinmarriage,andservedtheirgods”(3:5-6).
4Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
Itdoesn’ttakelongfortheconsequencestobegin:
5Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
6Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
“Then the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; they forgot the Lord, their God, and served the Baals and the Asherahs, and the anger of the Lord flared up against them. He sold them into the power of Cushan-rishathaim, king of Aram Naharaim; and the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim for eight years. But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord he raised up a savior for them, to save them. It was Othniel, son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz. The spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel. When he marched out to war, the Lord delivered Cushan-rishathaim, king of Aram, into his power, and his hold on Cushan-rishathaim was firm. So the land was at rest for forty years, until Othniel, son of Kenaz, died.”
(3: 7-11)
No:cethesequenceofevents:
7Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
8Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
“Then 1) the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; they forgot the Lord, their God, and 2) served the Baals and the Asherahs, and 3) the anger of the Lord flared up against them. 4) He sold them into the power of Cushan-rishathaim, king of Aram Naharaim; and 5) the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim for eight years. But when 6) the Israelites cried out to the Lord he 7) raised up a savior [a Judge] for them, to save them. It was Othniel, son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz. The spirit of the Lord came upon him, and 8) he judged Israel. When he marched out to war, 9) the Lord delivered Cushan-rishathaim, king of Aram, into his power, and his hold on Cushan-rishathaim was firm. So 10) the land was at rest for forty years, until Othniel, son of Kenaz, died.”
(3: 7-11)
TheCycleofSininJudges
9Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
Thena:onservesGod
Thena:ondoesevil
Thena:onforsakesGod
Thena:onfollowsitsownway
Depressionandwarresult
Thena:onissoldintoslavery
Thena:onsuffersservitude
Thena:oncriesouttoGod
Thena:onturnstoGod
Thena:onrepents
GodraisesaJudge
Thena:onisdelivered
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 10
Now,let’slookcloselyatourfirstJudge,Othniel.
• We’vemetOthnielbefore.HeisthesonofCaleb’sbrotherKenaz,andhe’stheonewhocapturedDebir(southwestofHebron)andwasgivenCaleb’sdaughter,Achsah,inmarriageasareward(1:11-13).
• NowtheIsraelitesareunderthepowerofCushan-rishathaim,KingofAramNaharaim.Hisnamemaybeaplayonwords,sugges:ng“doubly-wickedCushan,”and“AramNaharaim”means“betweenthetworivers,”thatisbetweentheTigrisandEuphratesRiversinMesopotamia,orIraqoftoday.
• OnceOthnieldefeatsCushan-rishathaimIsraelenjoyspeacefor40years,anen:regenera:on.
• We’vemadeonecycleontheclock.
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 11Tradi:onaltombofJoshua.
mileskm
100100
Jerusalemè
Medite
rranean
çHebronçDebir Tradi:onaltombofOthnielinHebron
12Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
“Again the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so he strengthened Eglon, king of Moab, against Israel because they did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Taking the Ammonites and Amalek as allies, he went and defeated Israel, taking possession of the City of Palms [Jericho]. So the Israelites served Eglon, king of Moab, for eighteen years.”
(3: 12-14)
Notme.
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
I’mbeginningtoseethepagern!
Herewegoagain,aroundtheclock!
13
14Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
“But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord, he raised up for them a savior, Ehud, son of Gera, a Benjaminite who was left-handed. The Israelites would send their tribute to Eglon, king of Moab, by him. Ehud made himself a two-edged dagger a foot long, and strapped it under his clothes on his right thigh. He presented the tribute to Eglon, king of Moab; now Eglon was a very fat man. When he had finished presenting the tribute, he dismissed the troops who had carried the tribute. But he himself turned back at the sculptured stones near Gilgal, and said, ‘I have a secret message for you, O king.’ And the king said, ‘Silence!’ Then when all his attendants had left his presence, Ehud went in to him where he sat alone in his cool upper room. Ehud said, ‘I have a word from God for you.’ So the king rose from his throne. Then Ehud with his left hand drew the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into Eglon’s belly. The hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade because he did not withdraw the dagger from the body.”
(3: 15-22)
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 15
“EhudstabsEglon”SpeculumHumanaeSalvaKonis(illuminatedmanuscript,Hs2505,fol.55r),c.1360.UniversityandStateLibrary,Darmstadt,Germany.
16Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
“Then Ehud went out onto the porch, shutting the doors of the upper room on Eglon and locking them. When Ehud had left and the servants had come, they saw that the doors of the upper room were locked, and thought, ‘He must be easing himself in the cool chamber.’ They waited until they were at a loss when he did not open the doors of the upper room. So they took the key and opened them, and there was their lord lying on the floor, dead.”
(3: 23-25)
Notme.
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
Now,that’sfunny!
Ha,ha,ha!Big,fatEglonwasn’t“easing”himselfinacoolroom.TheHebrewwordiscakak[saw-kak’],thesamewordusedin1Samuel24:3whenkingSaulgoesintoacaveto“relieve”himselfbeforebagle.
Theythoughtbig,fatEglonwastakingadump!
17
18Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
“During their delay Ehud escaped and, passing the sculptured stones, took refuge in Seirah. On his arrival he sounded the horn in the mountain region of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down from the mountains with him as their leader. ‘Follow me,’ he said to them, ‘for the Lord has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your power.’ So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, permitting no one to cross. On that occasion they slew about ten thousand Moabites, all of them strong warriors. Not one escaped. So Moab was brought under the power of Israel at that time; and the land had rest for eighty years.”
(3: 26-30)
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 19.
mileskm
80100
JordanRiverè
Dead
Sea
JerichoèGilgalè
(“CityofPalms”)
MOUN
TAINSOFMOAB
20Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
“After him there was Shamgar, son of Anath, who slew six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He, too, was a savior for Israel.”
(3: 31)
Notme.
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
Buthewasonetoughdude,killing600men
withanoxgoad!
PoorShamgargetsonlyoneversein
Scripture.
21
That’soneversemorethaneither
ofyouget!
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 22
“Shamgarkills600menwithanoxgoad,”SpeculumHumanaeSalvaKonis(illuminatedmanuscript,Hs2505,fol.31r),c.1360.UniversityandStateLibrary,Darmstadt,Germany.
Nowwecometojudge#4,theonlywomanwhoservesasajudge.Andthisisveryodd.Inaprofoundlypatriarchalculture,howisitthatDeborahbecomestheleaderandsaviorofIsrael?
23Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
24Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
“The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; Ehud was dead. So the Lord sold them into the power of the Canaanite king, Jabin, who reigned in Hazor. The general of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. But the Israelites cried out to the Lord; for with his nine hundred iron chariots Jabin harshly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years.”
(4: 1-3)
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 25
RecallthatinLesson#6JoshuafoughtJabin,kingofHazor,andacoali:onofnorthernkingsatthewatersofMerom(theHulaLake).JoshuaandtheIsraelitesdefeatedthecoali:on,puttheirci:esundertheban,killedJabinandburnedHazor.
Now166yearshavepassedandHazorhasbeenrebuiltandrearmedwith900ironchariots,allunderthecommandofanewkingJabin.
GiventhestrategicimportanceofHazorincontrollingthenorthernpor:onoftheViaMaris,JabinhaspushedsouthcontrollingtheJezreelValleyandthesouthernpassatMegiddo.
26Conquest&SeClement
mileskm
3060
çHazor
Nazarethè
çCapernaum
çMt.Carmel çTiberias
Megiddoè
ViaMarisè
çMt.Tabor
JezreelValley
27Conquest&SeClement
AerialviewofTelHazorwiththeViaMaris(asitistoday)beneathit.
28Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
“At that time the prophet Deborah, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. She used to sit under Deborah’s palm tree, between Ramah and Bethel in the mountain region of Ephraim, where the Israelites came up to her for judgment. She had Barak, son of Abinoam, summoned from Kedesh of Naphtali. She said to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, commands: Go, march against Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulun. I will draw Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, out to you at the Wadi Kishon, together with his chariots and troops, and I will deliver them into your power.’ But Barak answered her, ‘If you come with me, I will go; if you do not come with me, I will not go.’ ‘I will certainly go with you,’ she replied, ‘but you will not gain glory for the expedition on which you are setting out, for it is into a woman’s power that the Lord is going to sell Sisera.’ So Deborah arose and went with Barak and journeyed with him to Kedesh.”
(4: 4-9)
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 29
Mt.TaborintheJezreelValley.
PhotographybyAnaMariaVargas
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 30
DeborahisinEphraimbetweenRamahandBethel
BarakisinKadesh,justnorthofHazor
Mt.TaborintheJezreelValley
Barakbrings10,000menfromNaphtaliandZebulun
çKedeshçHazor
31Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
“Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh, and ten thousand men followed him. Deborah also went up with him. Now Heber the Kenite had detached himself from Cain, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ father-in-law, and had pitched his tent by the terebinth of Zaanannim, which was near Kedesh.”
(4: 10-11)
Notme.
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
Thatmakessense.Jabinhad900ironchariots,sotherewasalotofwork
forhimatHazor.
TheKenitesweremetalworkerswholivedinsouthernJudahandtheNegev.HeberlePhisclantosetupcamp
nearHazor.
32
33Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
“It was reported to Sisera that Barak, son of Abinoam, had gone up to Mount Tabor. So Sisera called out all nine hundred of his iron chariots and all his forces from Harosheth-ha-goiim to the Wadi Kishon. Deborah then said to Barak, ‘Up! This is the day on which the Lord has delivered Sisera into your power. The Lord marches before you.’ So Barak went down Mount Tabor, followed by his ten thousand men. And the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots and forces into a panic before Barak. Sisera himself dismounted from his chariot and fled on foot, but Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth-ha-goiim. The entire army of Sisera fell beneath the sword, not even one man surviving.”
(4: 12-16)
34Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
mileskm
2040
SeaofGalilee
çMt.Tabor
çMt.Carmel
çWadiKishon
çMegiddo
çHarosheth-ha-goiim
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 35
LucaGiordano.TheDefeatofSisera(oiloncanvas),c.1692.PradoMuseum,Madrid.
36Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
“Sisera fled on foot to the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin, king of Hazor, and the family of Heber the Kenite. Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, ‘Turn aside, my lord, turn aside with me; do not be afraid.’ So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a rug. He said to her, ‘Please give me a little water to drink. I am thirsty.’ So she opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and then covered him. ‘Stand at the entrance of the tent,’ he said to her. ‘If anyone comes and asks, Is there someone here? say, No! Jael, wife of Heber, got a tent peg and took a mallet in her hand. When Sisera was in a deep sleep from exhaustion, she approached him stealthily and drove the peg through his temple and down into the ground, and he died. Then when Barak came in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said to him, ‘Come, I will show you the man you are looking for.’ So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera dead, with the tent peg through his temple.’
(4: 17-22)
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 37
Holycow!Thattentpegwasthelastthingthatpassedthrough
Sisera’smind!
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 38
GregorioLazzaerini.JaelandSisera(oiloncanvas),c.1650-1700.PrivateCollec:on.
39Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
“Thus on that day God humbled the Canaanite king, Jabin, before the Israelites; their power weighed ever more heavily on him, until at length they finished off the Canaanite king, Jabin. (4: 23-24)
Ata:meofna:onalcrisistwowomen—DeborahandJael—defeatJabin,kingofHebronandhis900ironchariots,commandedbyhisgeneral,Sisera.
Twoques:onscometomindimmediately:
1. Whyaretwowomentheunlikelyheroinesofthestory?
2. Howdidtheypullofftheirvictory?
40Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 41
Therearefivemeninthestory:
1. Jabin,kingofHazor2. Sisera,Jabin’scommandinggeneral3. Barak,Deborah’scommandinggeneral4. Deborah’shusband,Lappidoth5. Jael’shusband,HebertheKenite
Whatdoweknowabouteachofthem?
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 42
JabinAlthoughkingofHazor,armedwith900ironchariots,Jabinisafoilto
DeborahandJael.
SiseraAlthoughcommandinggeneral,Siserafleesfrombagle,begsforprotec:onfromJael,andcurlsuplikeababywrappedinablanket,
aPerdrinkingwarmmilk!
BarakAlthoughcommandinggeneral,
Barak’snamemeans“lightening,”butherefusestofightSiseraunlessDeborah
comeswithhimtoholdhishand!
LappidothAlthoughDeborah’shusband,heismissinginac:on.InHebrew,Lappidothisafemininepluralmeaning“flames,”perhapsnotDeborah’shusbandatall,buta
descrip:onofDeborah’scharacter,juxtaposedtoBarak,
“lightening.”
HeberAKeniteandadescendantofMoses’father-in-law,Jethro,hehaslePhisclan
toworkforIsrael’senemies,exchangingloyaltyformoney.
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 43
Conversely,DeborahandJaelarestrongcharacters:
1. Deborahisbothajudicialjudgeandamilitaryjudge,leadingIsraelduringthe20-yearoccupa:onbyJabin,kingofHazor;
2. JaelfeignsinnocencewhileluringSiseratohisgruesomedeath,atentpegthroughtheskull!
Notme.
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
Thosemenwereabunchofwimps!ButDeborahandJaelwere
toughcookies!
Inthehighlypatriarchal,tribalcultureoftheHebrewScriptures,itseemsthatDeborahandJaelsteppeduptotheplatebecause
themenoftheirdayhadabdicatedtheirresponsibilityas
men.
44
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 45
That’srightbuster,anddon’tyouforgetit!
ThestoryofDeborahandJaelendswiththe“SongofDeborah,”a31-versesongthatcelebratestheirvictory:
46Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 47
The“SongofDeborah”consistsoftwostanzas,eachstanzawithitsownsubsec:ons.Itbegins:
“OnthatdayDeborahsangthissong—andBarak,sonofAbinoam”...
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 48
“TheSongofDeborah”
Stanza1
Frame WhenuprisingbrokeoutinIsrael, whenthepeopleralliedforduty— blesstheLord!
Proclama:on Hear,Okings!Giveear,Oprinces! Iwillsing,IwillsingtotheLord, IwillmakemusictotheLord,theGodofIsrael.
Contrastwith Lord,whenyouwentoutfromSeir,:mespast whenyoumarchedfromtheplainsofEdom, theearthshook,theheavenspoured, Old:mes thecloudspouredrain, themountainsstreamed, beforetheLord,theOneofSinai, beforetheLord,theGodofIsrael.
Now InthedaysofShamgar,sonofAnath, inthedaysofJael,caravansceased:
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 49
InthedaysofShamgar,sonofAnath, inthedaysofJael,caravansceased: thosewhotraveledtheroads nowtraveledbyroundaboutpaths.
Gonewasfreedombeyondthewalls, goneindeedfromIsrael; whenI,Deborah,arose, whenIarose,amotherinIsrael.
Newgodsweretheirchoice, thenwarwasatthegates; noshieldwastobefound,nospear, amongfortythousandinIsrael!
Frame MyheartiswiththeleadersofIsrael, withthededicatedonesofthepeople— blesstheLord.
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 50
Stanza2
Proclama:on Thosewhorideonwhitedonkeys, seatedonsaddlerugs, andthosewhotraveltheroad,singofthem tothesoundsofmusiciansatthewells; theretheyrecountthejustdeedsoftheLord, hisjustdeedsbringingfreedomtoIsrael.
Recoun:ng Awake,awake,Deborah!thestory Awake,awake,strikeupasong! Theplea Arise,Barak! Takecap:veyourcaptors,sonofAbinoam!
ThendownwentIsraelagainstthemighty, thearmyoftheLordwentdownforhimagainstthewarriors. FromEphraim,theirbaseinthevalley; behindyou,Benjamin,amongyourtroops. Theheroes FromMachircamedowncommanders, fromZebulunwieldersofthemarshal’sstaff. TheprincesofIssacharwerewithDeborah, Issachar,faithfultoBarak; inthevalleytheyfollowedathisheels.
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 51
AmongtheclansofReuben greatwerethesearchingsofheart! Whydidyoustaybesideyourhearths listeningtothelowingoftheherds? Thecowards AmongtheclansofReuben greatwerethesearchingsofheart! GileadstayedbeyondtheJordan; WhydidDanspendhis:meinships? Asherremainedalongtheshore, hestayedinhishavens.
Thebagle Zebulunwasapeoplewhodefieddeath, Theheros Naphtali,too,ontheopenheights! Thekingscameandfought; Theenemy thentheyfought,thosekingsofCanaan, atTaanachbythewatersofMegiddo; nospoilofsilverdidtheytake. Fromtheheavensthestarsfought; Theheros fromtheircoursestheyfoughtagainstSisera. TheWadiKishonsweptthemaway; Theenemy thewadioverwhelmedthem,theWadiKishon. Trampledownthestrong! Thenthehoofsofthehorseshammered, thegalloping,gallopingofsteeds.
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 52
Thecowards “CurseMeroz,”saystheangeloftheLord, “curse,curseitsinhabitants! FortheydidnotcomewhentheLordhelped, thehelpoftheLordagainstthewarriors.”
Jael, MostblessedofwomenisJael, Israel’s thewifeofHebertheKenite, heroine blessedamongtent-dwellingwomen! Heaskedforwater,shegavehimmilk, inaprincelybowlshebroughthimcurds. Withherhandshereachedforthepeg, withherrighthand,theworkman’shammer. ShehammeredSisera,crushedhishead; shesmashed,piercedhistemple. Atherfeethesankdown,fell,lays:ll; downatherfeethesankandfell; wherehesankdown,therehefell,slain.
Theenemy’s Fromthewindowshelookeddown, women themotherofSiserapeeredthroughthelasce: “Whyishischariotsolongincoming? whyarethehoofbeatsofhischariotsdelayed?”
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 53
Thewisestofherprincessesanswersher; sheevenrepliestoherself, “Theymustbedividingthespoiltheytook: aslavewomanortwoforeachman, SpoilofdyedclothforSisera, spoilofornatedyedcloth, apairofornatedyedclothsformyneckinthespoil.”
Conclusion Soperishallyourenemies,OLord! Butmaythosewholoveyou belikethesunrisinginitsmight! Andthelandwasatrestforfortyyears.
Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah 54
SalomondeBray.Jael,DeborahandBarak(oilonpanel),1635.MuseumCatharijneconvent,Utrecht.
Ques:onsfordiscussionandthought
1. OthnielisIsrael’sfirstjudge.Whyisthatimportantinourstory’sstructure?
2. Whywasitimportanttomen:onthatEhudwasleP-handed?
3. HowdidDeborahbecomeIsrael’sfourthjudge?4. WhenSiseraasksJaelforwater,shegiveshimwarm
milkandcovershimwithablanket.WhatdoesthistellyouaboutSisera?
5. WhatisthelastthingthatpassedthroughSisera’smind?
55Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah
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56Othniel,Ehud,ShamgarandDeborah