Week 22 (May 25–31): “The Lord Raised Up a Deliverer” (Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16)

Orientation and Doctrinal Architecture (Three Lenses)

1) Ancient Context (Judges as covenant history)

The Come, Follow Me lesson frames Judges as a repeated covenant pattern: Israel “broke their covenants with the Lord and turned away from worshipping Him,” lost divine protection, entered captivity, and then “the Lord gave His covenant people the chance to repent and raised up a deliverer” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “May 25–31. ‘The Lord Raised Up a Deliverer’”). The “judge” functions as a divinely authorized rescuer within Israel’s covenant life, even when the judge is morally mixed.

2) Modern Application (discipleship under recurring temptation)

The lesson directly connects Judges to familiar spiritual recurrence: “We all know what it’s like to sin, feel bad about it, and then repent and resolve to change our ways. But too often we forget our earlier resolve, and, when temptation comes, we find ourselves committing the same sin” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “May 25–31. ‘The Lord Raised Up a Deliverer’”). The doctrinal point is not resignation but return: “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 as we return to Him” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “May 25–31. ‘The Lord Raised Up a Deliverer’”).

3) Eternal Principle (the Lord’s deliverance within covenant mercy)

Judges portrays covenant mercy as persistent and structured: sin fractures protection; repentance reopens access to deliverance; the Lord raises help; covenant life is restored. This pattern grounds the week’s themes:

Repentance and repeated forgiveness (Judges 2–3; lesson heading: “The Lord forgives as often as I repent.”).
Faith that strengthens a community (Deborah, Judges 4; lesson heading: “I can inspire others to have faith in the Lord.”).
Divine power through unlikely means (Gideon, Judges 6–7; lesson heading: “The Lord can work miracles when I trust in His ways.”).
Covenant strength and covenant loss (Samson, Judges 13–16; lesson heading: “God strengthens me as I am faithful to my covenants.”).

Historical and Cultural Matrix (Ancient World Background from the Bundle)

Judges is set amid Israel’s exposure to Canaanite religion and social power. The lesson attributes Israel’s covenant instability to cultural assimilation: “Influenced by the beliefs and worship practices of the Canaanites … the Israelites broke their covenants with the Lord and turned away from worshipping Him” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “May 25–31. ‘The Lord Raised Up a Deliverer’”). Captivity in Judges is therefore theological and political: losing the Lord’s protection produces vulnerability to surrounding powers.

Within that matrix, the Lord’s deliverers are not merely military heroes. They become covenant instruments who temporarily restore Israel’s fidelity and safety. The lesson also signals a sober realism: “Not all of the judges in the book of Judges were righteous, but some of them exercised great faith” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “May 25–31. ‘The Lord Raised Up a Deliverer’”). This keeps the focus on the Lord’s covenant governance rather than hero-worship.

Exegetical Analysis (8–10 Key Passages, with doctrinal connections from the bundle)

1) Judges 2:1–19, the covenant cycle as warning and encouragement

The lesson assigns Judges 2:1–19 and asks readers to find both “warning and encouragement” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “The Lord forgives as often as I repent.”). The warning is covenant forgetfulness and repeated relapse; the encouragement is the Lord’s repeated willingness to receive repentant Israel and send deliverance.

2) Judges 3:5–12, recurring compromise under pressure

The lesson pairs Judges 3:5–12 with Judges 2 to show how quickly covenant identity can erode when surrounded by alternative worship and norms (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “The Lord forgives as often as I repent.”). The doctrinal emphasis remains the Lord’s readiness to respond when His people turn back.

3) Judges 3:7–9, the deliverer pattern as a Christ-centered teaching tool

The children’s section identifies a three-part pattern in Judges 3:7–9: “did evil,” “cried unto the Lord,” and “raised up a deliverer” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Teaching Children: Jesus Christ is my Deliverer.”). The pattern becomes an interpretive key: Israel’s “cry” is covenant petition; the Lord’s “raising” is covenant rescue. The lesson explicitly frames this as teaching “about the Savior’s power to deliver us from sin” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Teaching Children: Jesus Christ is my Deliverer.”).

4) Judges 3:12–15, repeated need and repeated rescue

Judges 3:12–15 repeats the same cycle (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Teaching Children: Jesus Christ is my Deliverer.”). The doctrinal point is endurance in repentance, grounded in the Lord’s enduring willingness to save.

5) Judges 4:1–3, covenant consequences in communal conditions

The lesson asks readers to describe Israel’s conditions from Judges 4:1–3 and compare them to “conditions today, in individuals and society” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “I can inspire others to have faith in the Lord.”). The text functions as a diagnostic: covenant infidelity affects public life, not only private devotion.

6) Judges 4:1–15, Deborah’s faith as catalytic leadership

Deborah becomes the lesson’s model of faith that strengthens others: “Sometimes the faith of one person can inspire faith in many others. In Judges 4, that one person was Deborah” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “I can inspire others to have faith in the Lord.”). The assigned questions focus on observable faith in words and actions, and on the way faith moves a community toward obedience and courage.

7) Judges 4:14 with Doctrine and Covenants 84:87–88, the Lord “go[ing] out before”

The lesson highlights Deborah’s question in Judges 4:14: “Is not the Lord gone out before thee?” and directly links it to Doctrine and Covenants 84:87–88 (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “I can inspire others to have faith in the Lord.”). The doctrinal claim is that divine accompaniment is not abstract. The Lord precedes, accompanies, and sustains covenant action in real time.

8) Judges 6–8, miracles when the disciple trusts the Lord’s ways

The lesson directs readers to “make note of instances where the Lord asked Gideon to believe something that might have seemed unlikely” and then asks: “Has He ever asked something similar of you?” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “The Lord can work miracles when I trust in His ways.”). The interpretive frame is pedagogical: “What do you feel the Lord is trying to teach you with this account?” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “The Lord can work miracles when I trust in His ways.”).

9) Judges 7:2 and Judges 7:4–7, divine strategy that removes boasting

The children’s section points to Judges 7:2 as the reason for reducing Gideon’s army: “Why did the Lord want Gideon’s army to be so small? (see Judges 7:2)” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Teaching Children: The Lord can use small things to do great work.”). This frames the episode as a lesson in dependence on the Lord’s power rather than human strength.

10) Judges 13–16 with Numbers 6:1–6 and Judges 13:7, Samson and Nazarite covenant obligations

The lesson situates Samson within covenant law: Samson “violated his covenants with God, including those that applied specifically to Nazarites (for information about the Nazarites, see Numbers 6:1–6; Judges 13:7)” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “God strengthens me as I am faithful to my covenants.”). Readers are asked to identify textual evidence for when “the Lord was with Samson” and when Samson “was not fully committed to the Lord” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “God strengthens me as I am faithful to my covenants.”).

Living Prophets and Modern Witness (Bundle-quoted excerpts only)

Sister Ann M. Dibb interprets Samson as a covenant warning about desire, direction, and spiritual descent:

“Samson was born with great potential. His mother was promised, ‘He shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines’ [Judges 13:5]. But as Samson grew, he looked more to the world’s temptations than to God’s direction. He made choices because they ‘pleaseth [him] well’ [Judges 14:3] rather than because those choices were right. Repeatedly, the scriptures use the phrase ‘and he went down’ [Judges 14:7] as they tell of Samson’s journeys, actions, and choices. Instead of arising and shining forth to fulfill his great potential, Samson was overcome by the world, lost his God-given power, and died a tragic, early death” (May 2012, Dibb, “Arise and Shine Forth”).

For further modern prophetic study connected to this week (citations provided in the bundle, text not provided there), see also:

Dallin H. Oaks, “Covenants and Responsibilities,” Liahona, May 2024, 93–96 (see also Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “God strengthens me as I am faithful to my covenants.”).
Ulisses Soares, “Covenant Confidence through Jesus Christ,” Liahona, May 2024, 17–21 (see also Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “God strengthens me as I am faithful to my covenants.”).
Neil L. Andersen, “We Talk of Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 88–91 (see also Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “I can inspire others to have faith in the Lord.”).

Scholarly Cross-Reference Web Matrix (Doctrinal Threads Across Dispensations)

Primary Pattern: The Lord raises deliverers as covenant mercy when His people repent.

├─ Ancient Foundations (Genesis through Malachi) │ ├─ Judges 3:7–9: (pattern identified in the lesson) “did evil,” “cried unto the Lord,” “raised up a deliverer” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Teaching Children: Jesus Christ is my Deliverer.”) │ ├─ Judges 3:12–15: same deliverance cycle repeated (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Teaching Children: Jesus Christ is my Deliverer.”) │ └─ Judges 7:2: the Lord reduces human strength to teach dependence (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Teaching Children: The Lord can use small things to do great work.”)

├─ Meridian Fulfillment (New Testament parallels) │ ├─ Matthew 5:14–16: see also (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “I can inspire others to have faith in the Lord.”) │ ├─ 1 Peter 3:15: see also (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “I can inspire others to have faith in the Lord.”) │ └─ Gospel fulfillment: the lesson’s Christ focus, “Jesus Christ … is the Redeemer of Israel and is always willing to deliver us and welcome us back as we return to Him” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “May 25–31. ‘The Lord Raised Up a Deliverer’”).

├─ Restoration Revelation (D&C/Pearl of Great Price) │ ├─ Doctrine and Covenants 84:87–88: linked to Judges 4:14, “Is not the Lord gone out before thee?” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “I can inspire others to have faith in the Lord.”) │ ├─ Doctrine and Covenants 20:77, 79: covenant worship as strength (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Teaching Children: Keeping covenants gives me strength.”) │ └─ Latter-day application: covenant strength framed as spiritual power, “Samson’s covenants … gave him physical strength, just as our covenants give us spiritual strength” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Teaching Children: Keeping covenants gives me strength.”)

└─ Living Prophets (From bundle sources only) ├─ May 2012, Dibb, “Arise and Shine Forth”: “He made choices because they ‘pleaseth [him] well’ … rather than because those choices were right” (May 2012, Dibb, “Arise and Shine Forth”). ├─ See also: Oaks (May 2024) and Soares (May 2024) for covenant doctrine (citations listed in the bundle; text not included there). └─ Modern application: covenant keeping as the condition for enduring strength, contrasted with Samson’s covenant loss (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “God strengthens me as I am faithful to my covenants.”).

Theological Discussion Points (Advanced, 10–12)

Judges presents repeated relapse after repentance (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “May 25–31. ‘The Lord Raised Up a Deliverer’”). What does this imply about covenant memory and the need for sustained worship practices?
The lesson calls Judges both “a warning and an encouragement” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “The Lord forgives as often as I repent.”). How can a text function as both without softening either side?
Using the lesson’s pattern language (“did evil,” “cried unto the Lord,” “raised up a deliverer”), what changes when the pattern is read as a template for personal repentance rather than national history (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Teaching Children: Jesus Christ is my Deliverer.”)?
Deborah’s leadership is presented as faith that “inspire[s] faith in many others” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “I can inspire others to have faith in the Lord.”). What specific forms of speech and action best transmit faith across a community?
Judges 4:14 is paired with Doctrine and Covenants 84:87–88 (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “I can inspire others to have faith in the Lord.”). How does that pairing shape a doctrine of divine accompaniment in covenant service?
Gideon is asked to accept unlikely divine instructions (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “The Lord can work miracles when I trust in His ways.”). What constitutes “trust” when outcomes remain uncertain?
The Lord’s reduction of Gideon’s army (Judges 7:2; 7:4–7) becomes a lesson about small means (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Teaching Children: The Lord can use small things to do great work.”). How does this critique spiritual boasting in religious communities?
Samson’s story is read through covenant lenses, including Nazarite obligations (Numbers 6:1–6; Judges 13:7) (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “God strengthens me as I am faithful to my covenants.”). How does covenant framing change the moral evaluation of Samson’s strength?
Sister Dibb highlights Samson choosing what “pleaseth [him] well” (Judges 14:3) (May 2012, Dibb, “Arise and Shine Forth”). How does desire function as a theological category in covenant decline?
The lesson asks readers to note verses where “the Lord was with Samson” and where Samson lacked commitment (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “God strengthens me as I am faithful to my covenants.”). What criteria should be used to distinguish divine enabling from mere talent or force?
The children’s section links covenant strength to sacramental and baptismal covenant texts (Mosiah 18:8–10; Doctrine and Covenants 20:77, 79) (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Teaching Children: Keeping covenants gives me strength.”). How does weekly covenant renewal address the relapse cycle highlighted in Judges?
The lesson urges more open Christ-centered speech, pointing readers to “We Talk of Christ” (Nov. 2020, Andersen) (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “I can inspire others to have faith in the Lord.”). What are disciplined, reverent ways to “share … what [is] learn[ed] about the Savior” in a covenant community (Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 26, as quoted in the bundle)?

Seminary and Institute Integration (From bundle directions)

Text-to-self exegetical exercise: The lesson proposes rewriting Judges 2:19 and Judges 3:9 as personal diagnostics and deliverance narratives (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “The Lord forgives as often as I repent.”). This is an institute-level skill: translating covenant history into covenant discipleship without losing the text’s original meaning.
Covenant theology lab: Pair Samson’s Nazarite covenant references (Numbers 6:1–6; Judges 13:7) with the lesson’s question, “How have these covenants brought His power into your life?” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “God strengthens me as I am faithful to my covenants.”).
Christ-centered discourse practice: The lesson recommends studying Elder Andersen’s “We Talk of Christ” for reasons and methods (Nov. 2020, Andersen) (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “I can inspire others to have faith in the Lord.”). Use it as a training text for classroom testimony language that remains doctrinal and scriptural.

Teaching Applications (Home, class, and youth settings)

Pattern tracing: Write the three phrases “did evil,” “cried unto the Lord,” “raised up a deliverer,” then locate them in Judges 3:7–9 and 3:12–15 (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Teaching Children: Jesus Christ is my Deliverer.”). Discuss what each phrase means in covenant terms.
Deborah as faith catalyst: Assign learners to find in Judges 4:1–15 the words or actions that show Deborah’s faith and the effects on others (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “I can inspire others to have faith in the Lord.”). Connect Judges 4:14 to Doctrine and Covenants 84:87–88 as the lesson directs.
Gideon and small means: Use Judges 7:2 and Judges 7:4–7 to discuss why the Lord sometimes reduces visible resources (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “Teaching Children: The Lord can use small things to do great work.”).
Samson and covenant integrity: Read Sister Dibb’s excerpt aloud and let the scriptural phrases do the interpretive work (May 2012, Dibb, “Arise and Shine Forth”; see also Judges 13:5; Judges 14:3; Judges 14:7 as cited there).

Personal Study Pathways (Structured, week-long)

Cycle mapping (Judges 2–3): Read Judges 2:1–19 and 3:5–12, then record the “warning and encouragement” the lesson asks for (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “The Lord forgives as often as I repent.”).
Faith transfer (Judges 4): Read Judges 4:1–15, answer the lesson’s questions, and then study the linked Doctrine and Covenants 84:87–88 (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “I can inspire others to have faith in the Lord.”).
Trust and unlikely means (Judges 6–7): Mark every place the Lord asks Gideon to accept an unlikely instruction, then write what the lesson asks: “What do you feel the Lord is trying to teach you with this account?” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “The Lord can work miracles when I trust in His ways.”).
Covenant strength (Judges 13–16): Track textual indicators of the Lord being with Samson and moments of covenant disloyalty, then read Sister Dibb’s interpretive frame (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “God strengthens me as I am faithful to my covenants.”; May 2012, Dibb, “Arise and Shine Forth”).

Research Extensions (Church-approved sources named in the bundle)

Bible Dictionary: “Judges, book of” (listed in the bundle for overview).
For the Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices, question and answer on page 9 (referenced in the lesson; use as a modern ethical companion to Judges’ relapse cycle).
“Deborah the Prophetess” in Old Testament Stories, 92–95 (bundle).
“The Army of Gideon” in Old Testament Stories, 96–99 (bundle).
Teaching method reference: Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 26 (quoted in the bundle under “Invite sharing.”).

These covenant cycles in Judges support careful study of how repentance, inspired leadership, and covenant faithfulness relate to divine deliverance across dispensations.

Scholarly Study Guide: Judges 2–4;6–8;13–16