Sunday School lesson for June 5:
Any special experiences as you were teaching this week? Anything you learned and want to share?
An idea I really like that I wanted to share in case you don’t watch Don’t Miss This. Don’t Miss This is podcast (can find on Youtube) with Dave Butler and Emily Freeman. They are doing a summer of heroes. Each day (5 days a week) they are sharing about a hero in our scripture block. You can spend about 5-10 minutes per day discussing this hero, studying the scriptures about them and/or doing a quick activity and then discussing how to apply their experiences to your life today. It might be a helpful way to approach scripture study in the summer with kids or teens.
*Historical background of Judges:
Joshua has died. The period of Judges lasted for about 200 years, from the death of Joshua until the birth of Samuel. Probably from about 1300 BC to 1100 BC. This was a period when there was not a prophet (at least not a strong, unifying prophet...we do read of an unnamed prophet that comes to preach repentance at one point) and there was also no central leadership for the 12 tribes.
These judges are successful military leaders rather than those who give counsel or arbitrate; though Deborah does seem to have done some judging as we would think of that term. Each tribe seemed to work independently of the others; ocassionally banding together against a common enemy. There are 12 judges mentioned in this book...which is likely symbolic. There may have been more than 12 during this period but the redactors (those who wrote the record) likely emphasized 12 because of its symbolic importance.
The book of Judges clearly demonstrates the pride/apostasy/repentance/humility/prosper cycle that is also found in the Book of Mormon. We see this repeated over and over in this book. Joshua had emphasized that the Israelites needed to drive the Canaanites out of the land and that if they didn’t the evil practices of these people would lead their posterity into sin. They did not heed Joshua’s counsel and we see the results of this failure to hearken to prophetic counsel.
Quote #1 The Come Follow Me manual points out: "We all know what it’s like to make a mistake, feel bad about it, and then repent and resolve to change our ways. But in some cases we forget our earlier resolve, and, when we face temptation, we may find ourselves making the mistake again. This tragic pattern is typical of the Israelites’ experiences described in the book of Judges. Influenced by the beliefs and worship practices of the Canaanites—whom they were supposed to drive out of the land—the Israelites broke their covenants with the Lord and turned away from worshipping Him. As a result, they lost His protection and fell into captivity. And yet each time this happened, the Lord gave them the chance to repent and raised up a deliverer, a military leader called a “judge.” Not all of the judges in the book of Judges were righteous, but some of them exercised great faith in delivering the children of Israel and restoring them to their covenant relationship with the Lord. These stories remind us that no matter what has led us away from Jesus Christ, He is the Redeemer of Israel and is always willing to deliver us and welcome us back to Him."
Finally, a few notes about idol worship. Many experts believe that the Israelites never stopped worshipping Jehovah...but nearly all cultures at that time were polytheistic and so they would continue to worship Jehovah but would add the worship of Baal and Ashtaroth and other gods into their worship. This was more than just praying to stone or metal idols. Much of the idol worship of the Canaanites involved human sacrifice and sexual immorality. Bible experts explain that both male and female prostitutes were found at idol worship sites as a common part of idolatory. Smith’s Bible Dictionary explains that the Israelites were led away because “the greatest attraction seems to have been in licentious revelries and obscene orgies with which the worship of the idols was observed. This worship, appealing to every sensual passion, joined with the attractions of wealth and fashion and luxury, naturally was a great temptation to a simple, restrained, agricultural people, whose worship and laws demanded the greatest purity of heart and of life.”
The Israelites were surrounded by those who lived in this way, and struggled to not allow the forces around them to sneak in and infect them with the worldly philosophies?
Does any of that sound at all like our society today? Immorality connected with wealth, fashion and luxury? (*I think all you have to do is turn on virtually ANY tv show or movie today to see that these things are accepted and often touted as good and right in society today. I don't think I am overstating things to say that very few if any books, tv shows, movies, etc are completely in harmony with the teachings of Christ...and most are in direct contrast to it.)
Judges 2: 1-5
Judges 2: 10 next generation knew not the Lord
read Mosiah 26:1-3
What have you done to help your children to "know the Lord"...what has helped instill faith in the future generation? In a podcast I listened to last week, they talked about a letter that a grandparent had written to their daughter at her baptism bearing testimony. This grandmother died a couple of years later, so that written testimony is a treasure. I know my grandma often told me family history stories and taught me of the faith of my ancestors. Knowing of their faith and sacrifices that allowed me to have the gospel made me want to be diligent in staying close to the Lord so that I followed their example.
These verses about the next generation knowing not the Lord are heart breaking to me. I don't know exactly what happened in this case or in the case of the children of those who had heard King Benjamin's words. It appears that these parents in the book of Judges were not valiant in their testimony--at least that seems to be true in many cases. I would guess that some were very faithful and many were lax. Elder Holland gave some counsel that I think applies to these verses. He gave a talk in April 2003 called "A Prayer for the Children".
Quote #2 Elder Holland said, "In such times as we are in, whether the threats be global or local or in individual lives, I too pray for the children. Some days it seems that a sea of temptation and transgression inundates them, simply washes over them before they can successfully withstand it, before they should have to face it. And often at least some of the forces at work seem beyond our personal control.
Well, some of them may be beyond our control, but I testify with faith in the living God that they are not beyond His. He lives, and priesthood power is at work on both sides of the veil. We are not alone, and we do not tremble as if abandoned. In doing our part, we can live the gospel and defend its principles. We can declare to others the sure Way, the saving Truth, the joyful Life.2 We can personally repent in any way we need to repent, and when we have done all, we can pray. In all these ways we can bless one another and especially those who need our protection the most—the children. As parents we can hold life together the way it is always held together—with love and faith, passed on to the next generation, one child at a time."
Quote #3 Then Elder Holland gave this warning: "In offering such a prayer for the young, may I address a rather specific aspect of their safety? In this I speak carefully and lovingly to any of the adults of the Church, parents or otherwise, who may be given to cynicism or skepticism, who in matters of whole-souled devotion always seem to hang back a little, who at the Church’s doctrinal campsite always like to pitch their tents out on the periphery of religious faith. To all such—whom we do love and wish were more comfortable camping nearer to us—I say, please be aware that the full price to be paid for such a stance does not always come due in your lifetime. No, sadly, some elements of this can be a kind of profligate national debt, with payments coming out of your children’s and grandchildren’s pockets in far more expensive ways than you ever intended it to be.
In this Church there is an enormous amount of room—and scriptural commandment—for studying and learning, for comparing and considering, for discussion and awaiting further revelation. We all learn “line upon line, precept upon precept,”3 with the goal being authentic religious faith informing genuine Christlike living. In this there is no place for coercion or manipulation, no place for intimidation or hypocrisy. But no child in this Church should be left with uncertainty about his or her parents’ devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Restoration of His Church, and the reality of living prophets and apostles who, now as in earlier days, lead that Church according to “the will of the Lord, … the mind of the Lord, … the word of the Lord, … and the power of God unto salvation.”4 In such basic matters of faith, prophets do not apologize for requesting unity, indeed conformity, in the eloquent sense that the Prophet Joseph Smith used that latter word.5 In any case, as Elder Neal Maxwell once said to me in a hallway conversation, “There didn’t seem to be any problem with conformity the day the Red Sea opened.”
Parents simply cannot flirt with skepticism or cynicism, then be surprised when their children expand that flirtation into full-blown romance. If in matters of faith and belief children are at risk of being swept downstream by this intellectual current or that cultural rapid, we as their parents must be more certain than ever to hold to anchored, unmistakable moorings clearly recognizable to those of our own household. It won’t help anyone if we go over the edge with them, explaining through the roar of the falls all the way down that we really did know the Church was true and that the keys of the priesthood really were lodged there but we just didn’t want to stifle anyone’s freedom to think otherwise. No, we can hardly expect the children to get to shore safely if the parents don’t seem to know where to anchor their own boat. Isaiah once used a variation on such imagery when he said of unbelievers, “[Their] tacklings are loosed; they could not … strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail.”
Now as I said earlier it is likely that some of these parents were faithful in keeping their covenants. Certainly those of us gathered here today are striving to be. We are trying to swim against the current of skepticism and immorality and moral relativism. And I know that some of us will do the very best we can to teach our children and to love them and to bear testimony and to be an example and our children may still choose a different way. I know some of us spend time on our knees worrying about our children--whether they be actual children or teens or adults--who are making choices that are leading them away from the Savior and not closer to Him. I don't know all the answers to your heartfelt prayers in these cases. But I love these words from Elder Holland in the same talk: "Even then we know that some children will make choices that break their parents’ hearts. Moms and dads can do everything right and yet have children who stray. Moral agency still obtains. But even in such painful hours it will be comforting for you to know that your children knew of your abiding faith in Christ, in His true Church, in the keys of the priesthood and in those who hold them. It will be comforting then for you to know that if your children choose to leave the straight and narrow way, they leave it very conscious that their parents were firmly in it. Furthermore, they will be much more likely to return to that path when they come to themselves10 and recall the loving example and gentle teachings you offered them there.
Live the gospel as conspicuously as you can. Keep the covenants your children know you have made. Give priesthood blessings. And bear your testimony!"
And these words:
Quote #4: In 1929 Elder Orson F. Whitney of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: “You parents of the wilful and the wayward! Don’t give them up. Don’t cast them off. They are not utterly lost. The Shepherd will find his sheep. They were his before they were yours—long before he entrusted them to your care; and you cannot begin to love them as he loves them. They have but strayed in ignorance from the Path of Right, and God is merciful to ignorance. Only the fulness of knowledge brings the fulness of accountability. Our Heavenly Father is far more merciful, infinitely more charitable, than even the best of his servants, and the Everlasting Gospel is mightier in power to save than our narrow finite minds can comprehend” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1929, 110).
And these:
Quote #5: President Joseph F. Smith offered this advice: “Fathers, if you wish your children to be taught in the principles of the gospel, if you wish them to love the truth and understand it, if you wish them to be obedient to and united with you, love them! … However wayward they might be, … when you speak or talk to them, do it not in anger, do it not harshly, in a condemning spirit. Speak to them kindly. … You can’t drive them; they won’t be driven”
Okay let's move on, but know that while we have a great responsibility to teach our children and to bear testimony to them, they have agency and the Lord continues to reach out to them. The best counsel I have heard for when children stray is to keep them close because you can't have influence without access and to then pray that they will come to a knowledge of the truth. Then trust God.
Judges 2: 14-17
The anger of the Lord is kindled. I like what a Bible scholar said about the anger of the Lord. Because I think today sometimes the world wants to believe that God is loving and merciful and doesn't get angry and loves us no matter what without consequences. And He DOES love us no matter what; but pure, real love requires consequences. Anyway this Bible scholar Daniel Simonson wrote: "A god who is never angry would be a god who has no compassion and no empathy for those who suffer at the hands of others. God's anger is the other side of God's love and concern. To be in a relationship with a god who truly cares about people and what they do means running the risk that god may sometimes be angry. The good news is that the anger is never the last word."
Judges 2: 18-19 I think this goes back to what Elder Holland said about the children taking the skepticism of the parents and taking it to a whole new degree.
In what ways do we sometimes “bow down” to “other gods”? How can the Lord help us change our “stubborn way”?
Elder Oaks says: "What other priorities are being served ahead of God by persons, even religious persons in our day? Consider these possibilities, all common in our world, cultural and family traditions, political correctness, career aspirations, material possessions, recreational pursuits, power, prominence and prestige."
Okay let's talk about some of the heroes of the book of Judges. And as we do that, I think we will see over and over again that the Lord continues to show mercy and to forgive. Despite how quickly the Israelites (and us!) are to do iniquity.
Judges 3: 5-7, 9-11 First hero: Othniel
What do we learn about Othniel from these verses? What makes him a hero? What do we learn about the Savior from these verses?
Second hero (Skip if needed for time): Ehud: Judges 3: 12-16
Judges 3: 17-23 then 28-30
Judges 4:5-14 What do we learn about Deborah from these verses? What makes her a heroine? How does she encourage Barak and her people?
Judges 4: 18-24 Jael = Yael... This name is Yahweh and Elohim combined together and so it symbolically means both God the Father and Jesus Christ, the Son. And Sisera can mean servant of Ra (false God) or some believe it means sin. So symbolically Jael uses a nail to overcome a servant of a false God or the Father and Son use a nail to overcome sin.
Judges 6: 11-13 Story of Gideon... What do we learn about Gideon from this chapter? What do we learn about God?
Judges 6:13...Gideon questions why so many hard things have befallen them if God is with them. Do you ever feel like that? I'm doing the right things so why is life so hard? Why don't I see the blessings for my obedience?
What would you say to a friend if they asked these questions? (Because maybe the answers will help us when WE are the ones asking the question!)
*One of my thoughts: our obedience invites the Holy Ghost to be our constant companion. And that allows us to discern between right and wrong and truth and error. The Holy Ghost comforts and brings peace. The Holy Ghost testifies of truth and of the Savior. The Holy Ghost cleanses and purifies. The Holy Ghost increases understanding and brings fresh insights. One of the greatest blessings of obedience is that gift that can help in so many ways…when life is good and we can clearly see our blessings and when life seems to be falling apart. The blessing of having the Holy Ghost and the Savior with us is the greatest gift while in this life. And all of the other blessings will come!
Judges 6:14-16 Gideon is uncertain why the Lord is calling HIM to lead the Israelites. Like Moses and many others, he feels unprepared for this responsibility.
There was an Ensign article written a few years ago called The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon by an area authority seventy named Elder Manfred H. Schütze. He said this:
Quote # 6 Manfred H. Schütze said: “Many of us feel afraid or insecure when asked to serve in the Lord’s kingdom. But the Lord has said: “I call upon the weak things of the world, those that are unlearned and despised. … And their arm shall be my arm, and I will be their shield and their buckler” (D&C 35:13–14). The story of Gideon can help those of us who feel discouraged or intimidated by a sacred call to lead, whether in the home or in church.”
“...So often the Lord calls inexperienced people to His service and gives them important and decisive assignments. At first, like Gideon, they may be fearful of the task. “If any brother or sister feels unprepared—even incapable—of responding to a call to serve, to sacrifice, to bless the lives of others, remember this truth: ‘Whom God calls, God qualifies.’ He who notes the sparrow’s fall will not abandon the servant’s need.” As we read the stories of those whom the Lord has called out of their weakness, we can have the assurance that we will receive the strength to fulfill callings. “God does not begin by asking us about our ability, but only about our availability, and if we then prove our dependability, he will increase our capability.”
The Lord calls missionaries, Primary teachers, quorum leaders, fathers and mothers out of their weakness to become His powerful servants. He does not ask that they become strong first, then serve; He does not wait until they become fully trained and skillful. Like Gideon, He often calls them from obscurity and weakness. He tells them to “go in the strength you have” and then make them mighty warriors.”
Quote #7: President James E. Faust said, “The Lord has a great work for each of us to do. You may wonder how this can be. You may feel that there is nothing special or superior about you or your ability. … The Lord can do remarkable miracles with a person of ordinary ability who is humble, faithful, and diligent in serving the Lord and seeks to improve himself. This is because God is the ultimate source of power.”
Judges 7...have class read vs 3-22 to self and then have someone retell the story. Why does the Lord only want 300 soldiers in the battle? What do we learn about the Lord from this story? What do we learn about miracles? How can we better "seek and expect miracles" as President Nelson has invited us to do? If the Lord can deliver Gideon and the Israelites from a group of over 130, 000 soldiers with only 300 Israelites, some lamps and trumpets, then can you trust and believe that He can work miracles in your life? What makes it hard for us to sometimes believe that He can/will work miracles for us?
**I doubt there will be time to talk about Samson. But if there is retell what it meant to be a Nazarite (abstain from wine, cutting hair or contact with the dead)...could be a lifelong vow or temporary one.
Judges 14:1-3, 5-9
What are we noticing about Samson?
Judges 15:1-6, 9-13, 14-16...Samson is proud, vengeful, selfish, his concern is for himself. He is strong but he is not concerned about following God or saving his people. What ultimately happens to Samson?
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