THE LIFE OF DANIEL

Week 1/3: LIVING BOLDLY WHEN FACING ADVERSITY

JUDGES 01/04: INTRODUCTION: VICIOUS CYCLES

Judges tells the tale of Israel's history of tragedy. Here's the sad thing. It didn't have to go this way. They
could have thrived. They could have succeeded. They could have had hundreds of happy endings. That
didn't happen because they chose their impulses over God's intentions. Turning to the last page of judges,
let's take a look at two traits that trigger tragedy and two traits that lead to triumph.

Preparing for Your Talk:

• Share a stack of dystopian novels and books that are popular in high school curriculums.
• Share a handout or slide of “The Shameful Spiral of Judges.”
• Print the small Group discussion guide (or text it to leaders).
Sources & Suggested Study Materials
• NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible by Zondervan.
• The Expositor’s Bible Commentary by Frank E. Gaebelein, John H. Sailhamer, and Walter C. Kaiser Jr.

BIG IDEA: SMALL GROUP OBJECTIVE: SCRIPTURE USED:

When you live righteously, you This session will be focused on Judges 21:25
are protecting yourself from introducing Judges. We will look at
calamity. their vicious cycle and nd places
in our lives where we see similar
patterns.
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 TEACHING OUTLINE:

TEACHING OUTLINE

ILLUSTRATION:
ILLUSTRATION: Share a stack of dystopian novels that are popular in high school
school curriculums.

Take a look at the required reading list in most American high schools. There is an
unsettling theme in the syllabus. While there are millions of books about love, dogs,
mystery, and victory, the reading lists in high school tend to fall on the dark side of
ction. In the last century, the most popular genre in the high school classroom has
been dystopian.

What does that mean, you ask? Dystopia is a style of literature that unpacks "a ctional
world where people live fearful, wretched, and dehumanized lives." It seems as though
most students aren't looking for happy endings; they're looking for di cult journeys.

Books like 1984, Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, Brave New World,
and Fahrenheit 451 are beloved, while being major downers. Each work is dark and
discouraging from cover to cover—no warm and fuzzies; no reworks; no happy
endings. These novels paint pictures of fake cultures de ned by fear and evil. This
begs a big question: Why are we so obsessed with dystopias?

I think people are drawn to books like The Hunger Games and movies like The Purge
because they seem somewhat believable.

It's not fantasy; it's reality with a dark twist. While the plots are far-fetched, it's all
possible, right? Our culture carries a deep-rooted fear of what we are capable of when
everything goes o the rails.

— SETTING UP THE SERIES —

• The Bible boasts a dystopian book in the middle of the Old Testament. It's called
Judges.
• Here's the scary part, though. It's not ction. The events of Judges actually
happened, and its storyline would make even Shakespeare squirm.

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TEACHING OUTLINE:

• It's largely considered the most unsettling book in the whole Bible. This
distressing book follows the grim history of Israel when God's chosen
people turned to violence instead of worship. In an attempt to regain control,
tragic heroes called "judges" stepped up to make things better.
• Spoiler: they didn't succeed.

• Let's take a look at a broad outline of the book.

• The Shameful Spiral of Judges

• Chapters 1-3: The Prologue: Israel’s Complete Moral Failure
• Chapter 3: Ehud: An Assassin Who Murdered a King in Cold Blood
• Chapter 4-5: Deborah: A Good Leader Who Helps an Untrained Widow to
Save the Nation
• Chapter 6-9: Gideon: A Coward Who Triggers a Civil War
• Chapter 10-12: Jephthah: A Misguided Man Who Thinks Killing His Child Will
Make God Happy
• Chapter 13-16: Samson: A man Obsessed With Vengeance who Experienced
a Tragic Ending
• Chapter 17-18: Israelites Slaughter Innocent People and Build False Idols
• Chapter 19-21: A Tragic Spiral of Murder, Torture, and Abuse

• Do you notice how the story gets progressively worse? From a literary standpoint,
that's on purpose.
• Judges tells the story of Israel's downfall after turning away from God. This
dystopian book paints a picture of twelve judges during Israel's dark ages.
• The nation had no moral compass, weak leadership, and found itself in
constant war.
• That's why various judges stepped up in an attempt to lead. They
didn't lead from a place of righteousness, though.
• Nope, it was often arrogance and violence.
• Don't let the title "judge" confuse you. These are not
courtroom judges with black robes and wooden gavels.
• Rather, they were warriors. Think of them like tribal chiefs.

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 TEACHING OUTLINE:

• Judges tells the tale of Israel's history of tragedy.

• Here's the sad thing. It didn't have to go this way.
• They could have thrived.
• They could have succeeded.
• They could have had hundreds of happy endings.
• That didn't happen because they chose their impulses over God's intentions.
Turning to the last page of judges, let's take a look at two traits that trigger
tragedy and two traits that lead to triumph.

BIBLE STUDY:
READ: Judges 21:25
"In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw t."

APPLICATION
• Tragic Trait #1: Rejecting Righteous Living
• We are starting our study with the very last verse in the book. Judges
concludes, "in those days, everyone did as they saw t."
• The rst domino of their downfall started with a disappearance of
values.
• Their culture was founded on the principles of honoring God and
honoring people, but that seemed to go out the window when things got
tough.
• They became self-centered.
• They became greedy.
• They rejected God and worshipped pagan gods. They lost sight of
their collective calling to live as a community.
• Instead, they just did whatever they wanted without regard for God's
Word or God's people.
• It was the perfect storm of sel shness. Unfortunately, we see where
that strategy leads — sorrow, mourning, and brokenness.
• This is sad, but there is a better way to live. How do we protect
ourselves from tragedy? We decide to live triumphantly.

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TEACHING OUTLINE:

• Triumphant Trait #1: Live Righteously

• Learn a lesson from the ancient Israelites. Strive to live a life that serves
people, honors God, and respects righteousness.
• Seek to see people the same way our Father does — as image-bearers of
God who deserve dignity and respect.
• Unlike Israel in 520 BC, our culture is not usually pushing you towards violence.
Although, it's certainly pushing you towards sel shness.
• Destroy sel shness before it destroys you.
• Embody the lifestyle of Jesus, which was a lifestyle of service and
humility. Don't just do what you want, do what is right.
• Help others.
• Give back to your community.
• Put others before yourself.
• In every part of your life, live lovingly.
• When you live righteously, you protect yourself from calamity.
• When you live righteously, you protect yourself from self-destructive
habits.

• If you're up to it, read the whole book of judges someday.

• I would not recommend it for bedtime as you might have nightmares or pre-
dinner as you might lose your appetite, but it's certainly a poignant book full
of practical warnings.
• In each discouraging discourse, you will see a tragic theme. These people
refused to learn from their mistakes and missteps.
• This brings us to our second set of points.

• Tragic Trait #2: Refusing to Learn from Your Mistakes

• In our study, we will start to see a theme emerge. Israel repeats the vicious
cycle over and over again:
• They reject God
• They experience a tragedy
• They cry out
• God rescues them

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 TEACHING OUTLINE:

• Then the pattern repeats itself like a coo-coo clock playing the same song
every hour on the hour.
• Talk about frustrating. It's di cult to watch people fail due to repeated
patterns. It's even more di cult when that person is you.
• Have you ever noticed yourself repeating the same mistakes over and over?
• We are creatures of habit, and sometimes those habits are bad.
• So how do we set ourselves free from repeating the same cycles? By
learning from our mistakes.

• Triumphant Trait #2: Find the Lessons in Your Mistakes

• Don't behave like ancient Israel.
• Take an honest assessment of your recent mistakes and evaluate what
you can learn from them.
• Failure can be a blessing.
• Seek the lessons in your letdown.
• Whenever you fail, ask yourself these valuable questions.
• What were my mistakes?
• Did any vicious cycles trigger my failure?
• What can I learn from this?
• What is my next move?
• When approached correctly, failure makes a tremendous professor.
• It can teach you, it can stretch you, and it can develop you.
• That is only possible if you actively evaluate your mistakes,
understand why you made them, and take action to ensure they
never happen again.

— CLOSING THE MESSAGE —

• Let's Begin Our Journey Through Judges.
• Prepare yourself for a bizarre trip through one of the Bible's most frightening
books.
• We are going to see some valuable lessons (and warnings) from the tragic
gures that ll the pages of Judges.
• This book will upset you, and that's a good thing.
• Embrace those feelings of discomfort.

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TEACHING OUTLINE:

• The judges are not heroes.

• Their stories are not celebrated.
• The book of Judges examines Israel's dark past to provide hope for
their bright future.

• While Judges feels hopeless, we have a bene t that ancient Israel didn't have.
• We have 65 other books of God-inspired scripture that provide a massive
dose of hope.
• Anytime this study feels discouraging, take a look at the Bible as a
whole. You will be lled with hope. Why?
• Because we can look at how God's story ends.
• A holy judge will rise from the tribes of Israel. He will rule humbly,
lovingly, and mercifully.
• Jesus, the perfect judge, will be handed tragedy and transform it into
triumph.

— Break for Small Groups —

Handout on the next page.

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TALK IT OUT
Go through these questions with your circle. Be honest. Be open. Talk through the tough stu .

Ice Breaker: Go around your circle and share this week’s highs and lows. What was the
best part of your week and what was the lowest part of your week?

Q1: Why do you think people repeat the same mistakes over and over again, even after
they see the harm they cause?

Q2: How does living righteously help protect us from tragedy?

Q3: What happens when you refuse to learn from your mistakes?

Q4: What lessons have you learned from mistakes in the past? How can you assure
you don’t fall into the same error again?

Application: Ask for God to reveal any vicious cycles in your life. If you notice anything,
ask for God’s guidance and your circle’s help to break the cycle.

READ THESE PASSAGES IN ORDER EVERY DAY

Psalm 99:1-5
Revelation 4:8-11
Romans 12:1-2
Psalm 96:1-6
Psalm 96: 7-13
Philippians 2:5
Philippians 2:14-16

Do the following with each passage:

ASK– God to connect with you here. In prayer, start by slowing down and inviting God to be present.
Begin with focus and openness to see what God has for you today.
READ– the selected section of Scripture slowly. Take note of the words and phrases that intrigue you,
reading them a second time if necessary.
REFLECT– on what grabs you. How does this passage personally relate to your own life and
experiences?
RESPOND– to the Scripture. Speak directly to God about what’s on your mind and heart. Look for ways
to live out what you’ve uncovered.

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