The time of the Judges and the 94 Years of Servitude

The time of the Judges and those 94 uncounted years of Servitude

see below for a link to a list of the High Priests at this time

Scripture Length Deliverer
First Servitude 1428BC Judges 3:8 8 years Othniel (Caleb's nephew)
Second Servitude 1380BC Judges 3:14 18 years Ehud (a Benjaminite)
Third Servitude 1282BC Judges 4:3 20 years Deborah
Fourth Servitude 1222BC Judges 6:1 7 years Gideon
*Fifth Servitude 1127BC Judges 10:8-9 1 year Jephthah
Sixth Servitude 1095BC Judges 13:1 40 years Samson
Total 94 years
*Commentaries note that the "18 years" of oppression in verse 8 refers to just the land of Gilead, and then "That year" is the one year the Ammonites oppressed all of Israel.

	Scripture	Length	Deliverer
First Servitude 1428BC	Judges 3:8	8 years	Othniel (Caleb's nephew)
Second Servitude 1380BC	Judges 3:14	18 years	Ehud (a Benjaminite)
Third Servitude 1282BC	Judges 4:3	20 years	Deborah
Fourth Servitude 1222BC	Judges 6:1	7 years	Gideon
*Fifth Servitude 1127BC	Judges 10:8-9	1 year	Jephthah
Sixth Servitude 1095BC	Judges 13:1	40 years	Samson
Total		94 years
*Commentaries note that the "18 years" of oppression in verse 8 refers to just the land of Gilead, and then "That year" is the one year the Ammonites oppressed all of Israel.

with thanks to the bible scholars (including Watchman Nee in "You Search the Scriptures") for opening up these years as being uncounted by the Lord when it came to being "out of Egypt".

Solomon began to build the Lord's house in his 4th year which was the 480th year from the exodus 1 Kings 6:1

In Paul's record in the Book of Acts Acts 13:20-21 from 1465BC there were 450 years of judges until Samuel in 1015BC then 40 years of Samuel/Saul to 975BC = 490 (70*7) years preceded by Wilderness 40yrs back to 1505BC and followed by David 40yrs plus Solomon's 4th yr in 931BC = 574th year.
Subtract 94 uncounted years of servitude, to harmonize with 480th year "from the Exodus".

Now regarding the 450 years, according to the scriptures there were 319 years that the land had rest (or partial rest): under Othniel 1420BC-1380BC=40, Ehud 1362BC-1282BC=80, Deborah 1262BC-1222BC=40, Gideon 1215BC=40, Abimelech 1175BC=3, Tola 1172BC=23, Jair 1149BC-1127BC=22, Jephthah 1126BC=6, Ibzan 1120BC=7, Elon 1113BC=10, Abdon 1103BC=8, and following the Philistine servitude and the death of Samson, Eli 1055BC-1015BC=40. Adding those 94 years of servitude takes the figure to 413, then the 37 balancing years 1465BC-1428BC would have been the time of Joshua (and those elders who outlived him and trusted the Lord).

As a sidenote, Eli was not only the chief judge, expected to meet people's needs with other peoples, he was also the High Priest, expected to meet people's needs with God. A descendant of Aaron via his youngest son Ithamar, and incidentally the only chief judge listed who held both positions. Click here for a list of these High Priests, according to the scriptures (and also with some assistance from Jewish documents) from Aaron's appointment following the exodus in 1505 BC to the death of Phannias ben Samuel, a coarse, rural revolutionary in 70 AD.

Regarding the 40 years of Samuel that occurred after Eli died, it says firstly that 20 years went by with the ark of the covenant in Kirjathjearim a town near Bethlehem in Judah, no longer in the tabernacle at Shiloh (in Ephraim) 1 Samuel 7:2. Samuel himself lives at Ramah (about 24 kilometres south of Shiloh), and he travels regularly, judging Israel. But he grows old and his sons after him are "money-hungry", taking bribes and perverting judgment. The elders rejected these sons, and they now rejected "old man" Samuel, crying out for him to anoint them a king — a melek (similar to Molech) a great handsome ruler like the countries around them, and Samuel anoints Saul, a Benjaminite who lives at Gibeah (close to Kirjathjearim).

In 1 Samuel 13:1 A son of a year [was] Saul in his reigning, yea, two years he reigned over Israel. So two Rosh Hashanah cycles, in September-October, go by. His height is head and shoulders above Israel, but he is too "self"-conscious and insufficiently "Christ"-conscious, see 1 Samuel 15:17, forming wrong alliances, protecting evil-doers (like Agag) from submitting to God's judgment for his own plans. And Samuel said, "When you were little in your own sight (hiding away), were you not made the head (through God's favour and mercy) … why then did you swoop upon the spoil, the prey, and do that which was wicked in the Lord's sight?"

In the next chapter God tells Samuel to anoint David (as Saul's replacement).
In 1 Samuel 16 David is just a young lad, perhaps 12 years old — but his age is not mentioned by Samuel, on purpose — while Saul is still outwardly king, there is now to be a time of hidden preparation where years are not specified. He finally becomes king outwardly, though still not accepted by all, at the age of 30, with Saul and Jonathan's passing — 2 Samuel 5:4

Postscript 18th April 2018

Interestingly, the Bible never specifically uses the word "lost" in relation to Saul's anointing, see the five verses at the bottom, particularly the second one, rather God uses a somewhat heavier word in 1 Samuel 16:1

And the LORD said to Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected (despised) him from reigning over Israel? fill your horn with oil, and go ...............

God's wrath is ever slow to rise, but Saul had despised God more than once, rejected his laws, and reaped the bad fruit. Seen somewhat like a divorce, he thus became "shipwrecked" as Paul later warned about his own carefulness regarding himself regarding his own walk.

Saul had initially been humble, "small in his own eyes", but he just let himself get proud, full of himself also his private fears, insisting on offering the sacrifice himself (if Samuel couldn't get his appointment gig together), insisting on grabbing the best animals and meat for himself, in this life, rather than offering them to the Lord, then later envious of David, finally, finally, visiting the cursed "witch" of Endor to bring up Samuel from the afterlife, when God refused to speak to him at the very end. That final act was perhaps 18 years after David was anointed as a young lad by Samuel. But, as a dog returns to his vomit, yuk, yuk, Peter indicating in his letter it would have been better for him if the knowledge of God's anointing had never happened to him ...

"saul" AND "anoint*" occurs 10 times in 5 verses in the KJV.
1Sa 15:1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.
2Sa 1:21 Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.
2Sa 2:4 And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, That the men of Jabeshgilead were they that buried Saul.
2Sa 2:7 Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant: for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.
2Sa 12:7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;

** End of report

"saul" AND "anoint*" occurs 10 times in 5 verses in the KJV.
1Sa 15:1	Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.
2Sa 1:21	Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.
2Sa 2:4	And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, That the men of Jabeshgilead were they that buried Saul.
2Sa 2:7	Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant: for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.
2Sa 12:7	And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;