May 6, 2014 (Tuesday)
After the settlement of Canaan by the tribes of Israel, came the question of how to govern these new settlements. Judges were the answer. There was no systematic plan, however. It worked in cycles: 1. The people got themselves into a messy predicament, 2. They repented and called on God, 3. God sent them a leader (a “judge”), 4. Everything went well until the judge passed from the scene. Then the whole cycle repeated itself. Time after time.
O.K., here’s the way it happened. Joshua led the people into the land and they settled down, then he died. Whoa, who’s the leader now? No one. God had told them to get rid of all the idols and their worshipers, but they left some, and guess what? They were heavily influenced to worship idols. After Joshua’s generation was gone, the Israelites seemed not to know who they were anymore. They were weak and easy prey for their enemies. God helped them by sending judges to lead them. Some of them were good, and others were bad. It was a mess. At least that’s the way it seems to me–not everyone agrees. The last verse of the book of Judges says, “In those days Israel wasn’t ruled by a king, and everyone did what they thought was right” (Judges 21:25). The result was much sin, many wars, lots of trouble. Not a pretty picture. The period of the judges lasted more than 300 years and during that time the loose federation had 15 judges. You probably know about Sampson, Gideon and Deborah, but there were many others. There was no “Judge Judy.” Each judge had a much bigger job than that. As I read the book, I get the impression of a nation trying to find itself. For a very long period of time. The last Judge was Samuel, and his leadership put the people back on course to serve God. But that’s another story in another Bible book. Later.
The Book of Judges — a devotional thought.
In Judges 2:1-3 we are reminded that God’s covenant has two participants: God and I. God keeps his promises, but if I break my promises, He is free to leave me to my own devices. This should be a scary consideration for all of us who seem to believe we can treat God any old way we want and still claim His blessings. We are thankful for God’s love and watchcare, but we must not take Him for granted. We have a covenant with Him, and He with us, and that Covenant has two sides, His and ours. We marvel at His grace, but we should not crucify Him afresh (Hebrews 6:4).