Class 12 covers Judges – 1 Samuel 9: The Period of the Judges
This era spans roughly 300–350 years and includes 14–15 judges, but more importantly, it answers a major question that still matters today:
What happens when people follow their own hearts instead of God?
We’ll explore the repeated cycle of the judges, a pattern of sin, oppression, repentance, and deliverance that continues because: “There arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10–12, ESV)
And the theme that defines the entire period: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6; 21:25, ESV)
Big Picture Insight: This is what life looks like when God’s people have no king—spiritual instability.
The judges themselves are temporary saviors. They deliver Israel physically, but they cannot fix the deeper problem: the human heart. Their repeated failures build anticipation for something greater:
A better Deliverer
A perfect King
One who doesn’t just rescue for a moment, but forever
We’ll also see how Ruth fits into this period. While Judges shows widespread unfaithfulness, Ruth reminds us not everyone turned away.
Why does God zoom in on this one family during such a dark time? Because this is the family that will eventually produce King David, and more importantly, King Jesus.
Next week: 1 Samuel 10 – 1 Kings 11 – The United Kingdom
Notes and PowerPoint from each week will updated here every Wednesday.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folder…
