CU4-12


 * 4:12 **  **The Deuteronomistic History (The Judges) **
 * Goal ** Students will study an illustrative story from the Book of Judges and learn how the stories of the Judges served the reform aims of Josiah’s regime.
 *  1. **** Gain attention of the learner ** Ask the students to imagine that the government disappeared and that the different households have to work together to solve problems like getting water protecting one another from criminals, putting out fires, etc. Which situation do the students find more attractive?
 *  2. **** Relevant past learning ** Recall what was learned about life in Canaan during the period covered by the biblical stories of the Judges.
 *  3. **** Present new material ** Relate the story of the division of Canaan among the twelve tribes following the conquest of Canaan, connecting this back to the stories about the children of Jacob, and about the sporadic leadership of the confederation of tribes by charismatic individuals.
 *  4. **** Provide for guided practice ** Return to the situation in which there is no central government. Take the role of the representative of the family of a person who has stolen a bicycle from one of the students. With each student representing his or her own family negotiate how the alleged thief should be dealt with.
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial"> 5. ****<span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> Provide for independent practice **<span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> If each student had the power to invent the government, what would it look like?
 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"> 6. Close the lesson **<span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"> Come together and share ideas about the ideal government. Finish with a reading of the passage from Judges (2:11-19) describing the cycle of wrongdoing, punishment, and rescue by a judge, the passage longing for a king (21:25), and the passage from I Samuel warning of the dangers of a monarchy (8:10-18). Relate this to Josiah’s political aims (uniting Canaan under his kingship) and theological aims (worship of YHWH).