This quarter, we will be studying Judges. There will be homework assignments, which are fairly optional, but would help towards understanding the material better when presented in class. Each class will involve reading aloud, questions on the material, and some sort of craft pertinent to the material.
4/5/09:
Gideon had 70 sons, from multiple wives. One of these sons was Abimelech, son of a concubine. Abimelech went to his mother's relatives in Shechem and convinced them to give him money to hire thugs so that he could become king by force. With these bad men, he killed all but one of his brothers, Joash. Joash escaped and told his fable of the trees. Since Abimelech had done wrong to the people of God, God eventually repaid Abimelech by having a woman kill him by dropping a millstone on his head.
3/29/09:
With only 300 men, Gideon defeated a numerically superior group of Midianites, using only torches and trumpets. God caused a confusion to come over the Midianite camp, and the Midianites began killing each other.
3/15/09:
Israel once again did wrong in the eyes of the Lord, so God let Midian conquer Israel and oppress them for 7 years. The Midianites were so cruel that the Israelites had to hide in caves - they also barely had anything to eat. The Israelites prayed for deliverance and God began to prepare Gideon for the task. While Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress, an angel appeared to him and said "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!" Gideon eventually started his stint as a judge by tearing down his father's altar of Baal and the Asherah pole beside it. Here is a picture of what our Sunday school scholars destroyed:
3/8/09:
After 80 years of peace started by Ehud, the Israelites displeased God again. God allowed the Canaanites to conquer the Israelites. After 20 years of oppression, God's people cried out, and in response, God spoke to the judge Deborah. Barak was to lead the army of the Lord and kill the enemy commander, Sisera, but his lack of faith prompted God to give the honor to a woman. While in battle, God confused the Canaanites, which led to their defeat. Sisera ran away from the battlefield to a tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite. Jael would be the one to kill Sisera the Canaanite commander. Israel once again had peace, for 40 years.
3/1/09:
The Israelites, under the oppression of the Moabites for 18 years, cried out to God for deliverance. In response, God raised up Ehud, a left-handed man. The Israelites sent Ehud to pay tribute to the king, but while he was there, he killed Eglon with a concealed double edged sword. After overthrowing Moabite rule, Israel had peace for 80 years. (also, Othniel preceded Moabite rule and during this time, Israel had peace for 40 years)