CrossGroups Connection Guide

Today’s Scripture Focus: Judges 21:15-25

The last five chapters of Judges are some of the saddest and most gruesome in all scripture. They can best be summed up in the following phrase, repeated throughout: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.” Chapters 17 and 18 tell the story of the settlement of the tribe of Dan. It starts with a man named Micah. The editors of Judges would lead us to conclude that Micah is the son of Samson and Delilah. Micah secures his own household idols, and hires a Levite to be his personal priest. As scouts from the tribe of Dan explore the territory, they encounter this priest. Finding the territory inhabited by peaceful and defenseless people, the Danites steal Micah’s idols and priest, using them to set up their own center of worship.

In chapter 19, a young girl, probably in her mid teens, had been given to a Levite as a concubine. She fled the relationship and returned to her father’s home. The Levite waited four months to ensure she wasn’t pregnant, and then traveled to retrieve her. The girl’s father welcomed him with extravagant hospitality and returned the girl. On the journey home, the Levite stopped to spend the night in a Benjamite town, where the men of the village attempted to rape him. He threw the young girl out to them in order to appease them, and they abused her all night, killing her. The Levite cut her body into twelve parts, and sent them throughout Israel in order to inflame the horrified tribes to seek retribution on his behalf.

Chapter 20 details the inter-tribal war that results. This horrific act by the men of Gibeah rallies eleven tribes of Israel against their brothers in the tribe of Benjamin. Since they currently have no judge, king, or any other type of leader, they gather at Mizpah and hear the Levite’s tale. It so stirs their passions that they vow not to return home until justice is done. First, they ask the Benjamites to hand over the offending men, which they refuse to do. Then, the tribe of Judah leads the remaining tribes into three battles. They are soundly defeated during the first two. Finally, during the third battle they kill 25,000 Benjamites. Only 600 men, who fled into the desert, remain alive. All towns, women, and livestock in the territory of Benjamin were destroyed.

The final chapter of Judges shows the results of all this mess. In their anger, the tribes of Israel had vowed to never give their daughters to any man from the tribe of Benjamin as a wife. It was believed that breaking this vow would bring a curse down upon them. Once passions cooled, however, the Israelites realized this meant the extinction of one of their tribes, which had huge implications for their covenant relationship with God. Again, having no spiritual leadership, they attempt to resolve the problem through further war and trickery. They allow the 600 remaining Benjamites to kidnap their wives. Thus, it can’t be said any man “gave” them a wife! The last words of Judges once again sum up the situation: “Everyone did as he saw fit.”

In today’s sermon, we’ll seek the solution to leaderless faith.

• Go around the table and share prayer requests. Have someone lead in prayer.

• Let everyone who would like to share anything exciting from their week.

• Did anyone do last week’s assignment? What was the result?

• Ask these three questions. Let as many answer each one as they would like.

1. When you are in a tough situation, how do you determine what God wants you to do?

2. Is there anything in today’s scripture that especially speaks to you?

3. What questions would you like to ask about today’s scripture?

• Go over this week’s assignment (below). Commit to work on it together.

Today’s Sermon

Key Truths –

• Israel got into trouble with no spiritual leadership.

• We get in a mess without Spirit-directed leadership.

• God had a plan to provide Israel with direction.

• God sent us the Holy Spirit to direct us.

This Week’s Assignment –

When you encounter a difficulty this week and need wisdom, follow God’s leading. Pray. Talk to another Christian. Search God’s word. Follow the Spirit.

CrossGroups Connection Guide

Today’s Scripture Focus: Judges 16:23-31

We continue today the story of Samson, the last judge of Israel. Remember, a judge was a special person appointed by God, and somehow supernaturally filled with God’s Spirit for the purpose of delivering Israel from her enemies. Israel was in the midst of a 40 year period of oppression by the Philistines, a rival group competing with Israel for control of Canaan. Last week we learned how an angel came to the wife of Manoah and informed her that, though she was sterile, she would soon give birth to a boy. He was to be a Nazirite, meaning he couldn’t cut his hair, have anything to do with grapes or any products of the vine, and couldn’t come in contact with corpses, human or animal.

In chapter 14, the story fast forwards several years to the time when Samson decided to marry. He chose a wife from the Philistines. On the road to the marriage negotiations, Samson violates his Nazirite vow by 1) entering a vineyard and 2) touching the corpse of a dead lion he killed. 30 Philistine men attend his week-long wedding celebration. Samson attempts to trick them with a riddle, but he ends up being tricked. In his anger, he killed 30 Philistine men in a neighboring village and abandoned his wife, who was given to his “best man” instead! This episode let to a series of revenge killings in chapter 15, in which Samson miraculously triumphed. He led Israel for 20 years, though there was never peace during that time.

At the beginning of chapter 16, Samson went to a prostitute in Gaza. The Philistines believed they had him trapped within the city, but he simply lifted the gates out of their hinges and carried them off! Next, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, perhaps a Canaanite. The Philistine rulers offered an unheard of fortune to Delilah to find out the secret of Samson’s supernatural strength. Delilah, in her greed, took advantage of Samson’s lust, and finally wore him down until he revealed that he was a Nazirite. Once his head was shaved, he had broken the third and final Nazirite vow, and God’s Spirit left him. Samson was overpowered by the Philistines, blinded, and taken back to Gaza (the city from which he removed the gates).

Samson was chained up and made a slave in Gaza. He was humiliated by being forced to mill grain – a job normally reserved for women. Soon, the ruling class of the Philistines traveled to Gaza to celebrate Dagon, their chief god. Dagon was probably associated with grain/harvest. The implication of the festival was that Dagon was stronger than the God of Israel, since Samson had been delivered into their hands. The Philistines forced Samson to dance for them, possibly laughing as he stumbled about. The point of this was to further effeminize him. Samson, pleading with God to empower him one more time, brought down the temple of Dagon by pushing against its main supporting pillars. The story ends with him being given a hero’s burial.

In today’s sermon, we’ll see how even broken people are used to accomplish God’s work.

• Go around the table and share prayer requests. Have someone lead in prayer.

• Let everyone who would like to share anything exciting from their week.

• Did anyone do last week’s assignment? What was the result?

• Ask these three questions. Let as many answer each one as they would like.

1. We all wish we could go back and make different choices sometimes. If you could change one thing about your high school years, what would it be?

2. Is there anything in today’s scripture that especially speaks to you?

3. What questions would you like to ask about today’s scripture?

• Go over this week’s assignment (below). Commit to work on it together.

Today’s Sermon

Key Truths –

• Samson made bad decisions.

• We all have a little Samson in us.

• God used Samson’s bad decisions to get the job done.

• God can use even our mistakes to get the mission accomplished!

This Week’s Assignment –

This week, when you struggle with regret over past mistakes, thank God for using them to bring you where you are right now, and offer them as a sacrifice to be used by God in helping others.