BEMA Episode Link: 36: The Redemption Cycle
Episode Length: 35:04
Published Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2017 01:00:00 -0700
Session 2
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings look at the book of Judges and the cycle found therein.

Discussion Video for BEMA 36

The Forgiving Flow, Part 2: Drop the Jawbone — The RobCast, Episode 39

Make Your Mark by Brad Gray

Transcript for BEMA 36

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 36: The Redemption Cycle - Study Notes

Title & Source Summary

This episode examines the Book of Judges through a transformative lens, challenging the traditional interpretation of the “sin cycle” and reframing it as the “redemption cycle.” Rather than focusing on Israel’s repeated failures, the hosts argue that Judges reveals God’s endless patience, persistent love, and unwavering commitment to redeem His people as they learn to follow Him without a king or centralized political structure.

Key Takeaways

  • The traditional “sin cycle” interpretation of Judges misses the point by focusing on human failure rather than divine faithfulness
  • God demonstrates endless patience as His people try to figure out how to follow Him in the Promised Land
  • The cycle in Judges is better understood as a “redemption cycle” that highlights God’s persistent pursuit of His people
  • God has limitless patience when people are genuinely trying to follow Him, even when they make mistakes
  • The pattern of Judges reflects God’s character from Genesis 1 (creation is good) rather than Genesis 3 (humanity is fallen)
  • God only acts in judgment when His people become the “anti-story,” actively working against His purposes rather than struggling to follow them
  • The Book of Judges contains a larger narrative arc beyond individual judge stories, with patterns in years of bondage and rest

Main Concepts & Theories

The Redemption Cycle vs. Sin Cycle

The traditional teaching presents the Book of Judges as a “sin cycle” with these components:

  1. Peace in the land / Israel serves the Lord
  2. Israel does evil in the eyes of the Lord
  3. God punishes Israel / Israel enslaved
  4. Israel cries out to the Lord
  5. God raises up a judge
  6. Israel is delivered / peace restored

However, this framing emphasizes human failure over divine character. The hosts argue for reframing this as the “redemption cycle” that highlights:

  • God’s patience and long-suffering
  • God’s continual pursuit of His people
  • God’s unwavering commitment to redemption
  • God’s compassion for those who cry out
The Pattern in Scripture

The cycle appears repeatedly throughout Judges:

Judges 2:10-19 - The foundational description of the pattern in prose form, establishing that:

  • The generation that entered the Promised Land failed to pass on their story
  • They forgot the LORD and what He had done for Israel
  • God raised up judges and “had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them”

Judges 3:7-11 - Othniel’s deliverance (8 years bondage, 40 years rest)

Judges 3:12-30 - Ehud’s deliverance (18 years bondage, 80 years rest)

Judges 4:1-5 - Deborah’s leadership (20 years oppression under Jabin)

Judges 6:1-10 - Gideon’s call (7 years bondage to Midianites)

God’s Endless Patience

A crucial distinction is made between two types of human failure:

God Has Endless Patience For:

  • People genuinely trying to follow Him but making mistakes
  • Those earnestly seeking God while learning what it means to obey
  • Failure that comes from not understanding or lack of knowledge
  • The struggle to live faithfully in new circumstances

God Must Act Against:

  • Intentional rebellion despite knowledge of God’s purposes
  • Becoming the “anti-story” that works against God’s redemptive plan
  • Choosing self-preservation over partnership with God
  • When His people become oppressors rather than crying out as the oppressed
The Narrative Arc of Judges

The Book of Judges shows a progression through its judges with interesting patterns:

Years of Bondage and Rest:

  • Othniel: 8 years bondage → 40 years rest
  • Ehud: 18 years bondage → 80 years rest (double portion)
  • Deborah: 20 years bondage → 40 years rest
  • Gideon: 7 years bondage → 40 years rest
  • Jephthah: 18 years bondage → 6 years rest (notably short)
  • Samson: 40 years bondage → 20 years rest (only half deliverance)

This pattern suggests a decline in effectiveness, particularly with Samson, who failed to fully live up to his calling as a Nazirite and judge.

Story Length Progression: The narrative dedicates varying amounts of space to different judges:

  • Short stories: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar
  • Medium stories: Deborah, Abimelech
  • Long stories: Gideon (multiple chapters), Samson (multiple chapters)

This may indicate a chiastic or parallel structure that scholars are still working to fully identify.

The Failure of Generational Memory

Judges begins with a critical failure: “Another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10). This connects to earlier BEMA teachings about:

  • The importance of remembering (zachor)
  • Passing on stories to the next generation
  • The standing stones as memorials
  • The command to tell children about God’s mighty acts

The entire Book of Judges flows from this failure to remember and transmit the story.

Reading Through Genesis 1 vs. Genesis 3

The hosts argue that traditional interpretation reads Judges through a “Genesis 3 lens” (focusing on the fall and sin), when it should be read through a “Genesis 1 lens” (focusing on God’s commitment to His good creation). This shift in perspective changes:

  • The focus from human failure to divine faithfulness
  • The emphasis from sin to redemption
  • The understanding from judgment to patience
  • The theme from wrath to compassion

Examples & Applications

The Story of Jephthah’s Vow (Judges 11)

Jephthah vowed to sacrifice whatever came out of his gate first if God gave him victory. When his daughter emerged first, he faced a conflict between two commandments:

  • The command to keep vows made to God
  • The command not to murder / to love others

This creates a wrestling match about the “weightier law” - which commandment takes precedence when two conflict? Most would argue that preserving his daughter’s life should supersede the vow, raising questions about whether Jephthah actually carried out the sacrifice or found another way to fulfill his obligation.

The Shibboleth Test (Judges 12)

In Jephthah’s story, guards used pronunciation to identify people’s origins. They would hold up a tare (weed) called “Shibboleth” or “Sibboleth” and ask people to name it. Regional dialects determined whether someone could cross the Jordan safely or face execution - a stark example of how language and identity intersected in the ancient world.

Samson - The Failed Judge

Samson (Shimshon in Hebrew) represents the nadir of the judges:

  • Called to be a Nazirite but failed to keep his vow
  • From the tribe of Dan, who failed to settle their allotted territory
  • Provided only 20 years of rest (half of what earlier judges provided)
  • Only accomplished God’s purposes at the end of his life, after losing his eyes
  • Never lived up to the calling God had for him

The fact that Samson was from Dan connects to Dan’s later relocation far north (Judges 18), suggesting that the tribe’s failure to settle properly stemmed from lack of proper leadership.

The Levite’s Concubine (Judges 19-21)

The Book of Judges concludes with a horrifying story that parallels Sodom and Gomorrah - the rape and murder of a Levite’s concubine in Benjamin. This demonstrates how far Israel had fallen, literally repeating the sins of the cities God destroyed. Yet even after this depth of degradation, God does not abandon His people.

Real-World Application: Mistakes vs. Rebellion

The episode makes a practical distinction for listeners:

  • Making mistakes while genuinely trying to follow God → God has endless patience
  • Deliberately working against God’s known purposes → God must act to redeem the story

This encourages believers to:

  • Take risks in following God without fear of judgment for honest mistakes
  • Earnestly seek God’s will even when uncertain
  • Distinguish between learning struggles and willful rebellion
  • Trust in God’s patience during the process of spiritual growth

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

Chiastic Structure in Judges

The hosts note potential parallel structures between the first and second halves of Judges that haven’t been fully worked out:

  • Short stories (Othniel/Ehud/Shamgar) paralleling short stories
  • Medium stories (Deborah) paralleling medium stories (Abimelech)
  • Long stories (Gideon) paralleling long stories (Samson)

Further study could explore whether this creates a chiasm with a central turning point.

The Role of Women in Judges

Deborah stands out as a prophet, judge, and leader who “held court under the Palm of Deborah” (Judges 4:4-5). Her prominence raises questions about:

  • Women’s leadership roles in ancient Israel
  • The significance of female judges in the narrative
  • How this challenges or confirms cultural assumptions about gender roles
The Transition from Judges to Kingship

How does the “redemption cycle” in Judges set up the request for a king in 1 Samuel? What does it mean that even after the failures documented in Judges, God continues with His people through the monarchy period?

Binding and Loosing in Jewish Thought

The episode mentions this will be covered later in the BEMA series, but Jephthah’s vow provides an early case study in understanding:

  • How to navigate conflicting commandments
  • The concept of weightier laws
  • The rabbinic principle of binding (forbidding) and loosing (permitting)
Other Judges Not Detailed

The text mentions other judges beyond those given detailed narratives:

  • Tola
  • Jair
  • Ibzan
  • Elon
  • Abdon

What role do these minor judges play in the overall structure and theology of the book?

Historical Questions About Conquest vs. Assimilation

The hosts raise the question of whether Joshua (conquest narrative) and Judges (assimilation narrative) represent:

  • Sequential historical periods
  • Different genres telling the same story from different perspectives
  • A combination of both

This touches on broader questions of how to read biblical historiography.

The Cry of the Oppressed

A significant theme emerges: in Judges, Israel cries out because of their own failures, and God responds. Later in Israel’s history, others will cry out because of Israel’s oppression, and God will respond then too. This connects to:

  • God’s consistent response to those who cry out
  • The reversal when God’s people become Pharaoh/Egypt
  • The nature of God’s justice across different scenarios

Comprehension Questions

  1. Analysis Question: How does reframing the pattern in Judges as a “redemption cycle” rather than a “sin cycle” change our understanding of God’s character and His relationship with His people? What theological implications does this shift have?

  2. Comparison Question: The episode distinguishes between God’s response to genuine mistakes versus intentional rebellion. How does this distinction help explain the difference between God’s patience in Judges and His later judgment against Israel? What makes Israel become the “anti-story”?

  3. Pattern Recognition: Examine the years of bondage and rest associated with different judges (Othniel: 40 years, Ehud: 80 years, Jephthah: 6 years, Samson: 20 years). What might these varying periods of rest indicate about the effectiveness or faithfulness of each judge? Why might Samson only provide half the typical deliverance?

  4. Application Question: The hosts argue that God has “endless patience” for those genuinely trying to follow Him, even when they make mistakes. How should this truth shape the way believers approach risk-taking, decision-making, and handling failure in their spiritual lives?

  5. Textual Question: The Book of Judges begins with the statement that a generation “grew up who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10). How does this failure of generational memory explain the entire cycle that follows? What does this teach about the importance of storytelling and remembrance in faith communities?

Summary

BEMA Episode 36 fundamentally reframes the Book of Judges, moving from the traditional “sin cycle” interpretation to what the hosts call the “redemption cycle.” This shift places the emphasis squarely on God’s character - His patience, faithfulness, and persistent pursuit of His people - rather than on Israel’s repeated failures.

The episode reveals that as Israel struggled to establish themselves in the Promised Land without centralized leadership, God demonstrated endless patience for their learning process. The pattern of rebellion, oppression, crying out, and deliverance is not primarily about human sin but about divine redemption. God’s patience is limitless when people are genuinely trying to follow Him, even if they repeatedly fail or make mistakes.

Critical to this understanding is the distinction between honest struggle and willful rebellion. God remains patient with those earnestly seeking to follow Him, but He must act when His people become the “anti-story” - when they transform from the oppressed crying out into the oppressors causing others to cry. This won’t happen until much later in Israel’s history, but Judges shows God’s incredible patience during the learning process.

The narrative arc of Judges also reveals a gradual decline through the judges themselves, from the successful deliverances of Othniel and Ehud to the partial failure of Samson, who never fully embraced his calling. Yet even at Judges’ end, with Israel repeating the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, God does not abandon His people.

This redemption-centered reading calls believers to trust in God’s patience as they navigate their own journeys of faith, to distinguish between mistakes made while seeking God and rebellion against known truth, and to see in Judges not a warning about God’s judgment but an encouragement of God’s unfailing commitment to redeem and restore.

Additional Resources Mentioned

  • “Drop the Jawbone” - RobCast episode by Rob Bell about forgiveness based on Samson’s story
  • “Make Your Mark” by Brad Gray - Book exploring the story of Samson with practical application and historical context
  • Ray Vander Laan - Teacher whose work on Samson influenced the hosts’ understanding
  • BEMA Discussion Groups - Opportunity for deeper exploration of these themes

Generated study notes from BEMA Podcast Episode 36: “The Redemption Cycle” For more information, visit BEMAdiscipleship.com

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