Foundations: The Book of Judges
The book of
Judges describes the moral bankruptcy of Israel as they abandon their
commitment to God and seek to do whatever seems right in their own eyes. It is
a sad book, full of stories of Israel’s unfaithfulness, showing clearly that
Israel is desperately in need of godly leadership. Yet, amid all of the sin and
idolatry, God remains faithful to His covenant. We see His steadfast mercy as
He continues to offer salvation to His people, undeserved as they are.
Judges 21:25 (ESV)
“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
READ an
Introduction to the book of Judges if your Bible has one
Note: There is a map of Israel included below for you
to reference as you read through Judges.
Before launching into Judges, it is important to
realize that not everything in the Bible is prescriptive
– telling us exactly how we should
live. Much of the Bible, like the book of Judges, is descriptive – it describes the events of a particular time in
history. Judges just happens to be describing a very dark time in Israel’s
history when they were walking further and further away from God. By no means
are we to read Judges and think that, because it is in the Bible, every
character and every action is good and was approved by God! If you have never
read Judges before, you may be surprised that the characters you met in Sunday school,
like Gideon and Samson, aren’t quite the upstanding citizens that you remember
them to be! The book of Judges tells some of the most ruthless stories in the
Bible.
Yet, God purposefully chose to have this book
included in Scripture. It gives us a picture of life without God, of what
happens when people try to live by their own rules: the result is total chaos. A
few times we read the line “In those days
there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
This is an accurate summary of the book of Judges, and also hints to another
purpose of the book: to show the need for a good, godly king in Israel. There
is much evidence to believe that Judges was written after David was already
king, perhaps written by Samuel; therefore, the horrors of the book are setting
the reader up for the necessary establishment of a godly king. Finally, God’s
character is revealed throughout the book, both by silence and action. Next to
Israel’s debased morality, we see the holiness of Yahweh. Next to Israel’s
continual apostasy, we see God’s mercy and faithfulness as He repeatedly
inclines His ear to a people who habitually break their covenant with Him.
READ: Judges
1
After Moses died, Joshua led the people into the
Promised Land. As He had done when they left Egypt, God performed mighty
miracles for this new generation, parting the waters of the Jordan and
crumbling the walls of Jericho! They saw God’s power firsthand. They entered
the “land flowing with milk and honey”, and each tribe was given their
allotment of land; much land was taken and the book of Joshua ended with a
nationwide recommitment to Yahweh: “Choose this day whom you will serve!”
exhorted Joshua, and the people responded unanimously, “The Lord our God we
will serve, and His voice we will obey!” (Jos 24:15, 24) The whole thing leaves
the reader feeling satisfied, seeing that Israel is settling united and
peacefully into the Promised Land. The peace and unity, however, is
short-lived…
The book of Judges begins shortly after the death
of Joshua. Right away we are informed of Israel’s disobedience back during
Joshua’s time. God had told them to go and take the land He had given them, to
destroy peoples and capture cities. God was giving them a homeland, but He was
also using His people to execute judgement on the nations. The peoples living
in the land – the Amorites, Philistines, Canaanites, etc. – were extremely
wicked; their worship rituals were disgusting and demonic, nothing close to the
purity God intended for His creation. The Israelites were to destroy these
nations, who were now finally being judged for their immorality. But Israel had
not fully complied. The beginning of Judges finds the people inquiring of the
Lord about an attack they had long put off. The first chapter already shows us
both victory and much defeat as seven of the tribes are unable to drive out the
people of the land.
JOURNALING
AND PRAYER
1. Ask God to open your heart to whatever He wants
to teach you through the book of Judges. Ask Him to give you a word, picture or
thought about what He wants to do in you as you go through this devotional.
2. Throughout the book of Judges, we will encounter
rampant immorality. Israel is far from the uniquely, set-apart nation God
intended her to be. Similarly, the Church in Canada is far from the spotless
Bride God has called her to be. Ask God to give you a greater desire for
holiness, and a greater heart for Canada, as you read through Judges.
3. We cannot let our thinking go astray when we
read Judges; we must remember that God does not approve of much of what
happens. However, He remains a faithful Father to His people, whether redeeming
or rebuking them. Ask God to remind you how He has been a faithful Father to
you. Thank Him for this, and keep this truth about God in mind as you read
through Judges.
