A Brief Survey of Judges: The problem with, pattern in, and point of Judges
Before we begin this study in the book of Judges, it is helpful for us to take a step back and take a brief survey of the book to understand the problem, pattern and point of Judges.
The pattern of the book of Judges can be found in Judges 2:16-23. In this book, the people repeatedly rebelled, turn away from God, God is angered and allows the enemies to oppress them; the people cry out; God raises a judge to deliver them; there is peace and the pattern repeats itself.
And it gets worse each time. It is a dark book about how the people of God repeatedly turn away from Him and sin.
We also see repeatedly how this God is a holy God who loves His people. He graciously and repeatedly raises a judge each time to save His people. This is a tension that is repeated raised and not resolved in the judges, not when they get a king and is only resolved when Christ comes.
(A) Obedience that is complete: Faithful people fully reliant on the Lord (Jdg 1:1-18)
Judges opens after the death of Joshua (Jdg 1:1). Who is Joshua? He was among the twelve spies that entered Canaan, and together with Caleb, were the only two who remained confident that God will be able to give them the land despite how intimidating its inhabitants look. In Joshua 1, he took over after the death of Moses and God commissions him before the people.
However, upon his death, the people of God seem to have no leader and the people of Israel “inquired of the LORD” about who shall go up first for them against the Canaanites (Jdg 1:1). The people sought the Lord for His guidance. In the last days of Joshua, we read of Israel’s faithful service to God and is a testament to God’ faithfulness to His people (Josh 24:31).
Their greatest leader was not Moses, not Joshua but the Lord. What will it look like for us to seek the Lord? What will it look like for us to hear the Lord?
God’s people sought the Lord and also expected God to speak to them. When we seek God, do we do it arbitrarily? Do we expect Him to speak? He has given us His word and we should expect Him to speak clearly.
God told Judah to go up (Jdg 1:2). In Judges 1:3, we read of Judah also asking Simeon to go up with him. Some read it as Judah and Simeon acting in unity. Others read it as disobedience, where Judah sought extra reinforcements. What we can say for certain is that God’s people obeyed to an extent and marks the start of a nagging self-reliance that slowly kicks in and snowballs later.
God granted Judah victory (Jdg 1:4). He also found Adoni-bezek at Bezek whose name literally means “the god of Bezek” (Jdg 1:5). The people of the land desired to be gods of the land and God was dealing with idolatry when He commanded Israel to drive out the people of the land.
Adoni-bezek’s defeat is also exhaustive and just. We are told that he was caught and had his big thumbs and toes cut off (Jdg 1:6). He accepted this punishment as he himself inflicted this on seventy kings before and now God was repaying Him (Jdg 1:7).
Now, how are we supposed to understand these verses? We may be uncomfortable with what we read here. Is this merely the God of the Old Testament and not relevant for us today? Not really. We are meant to see that God is using His people to judge the Canaanites who are living in disobedience to Him.
Judges 1:11-15 is a picture of domestic life in the midst of conquest. They show a people who is confident to live in the land God has promised them. Achsah asked for springs (Jdg 1:15), a reminder that God’s people believe that they can live a blessed, flourishing life. They trusted God to give them the land He promised.
How do we think of our Christian lives? Do we just think of it as all suffering? See how God has given clear promises to His people and desires for them to flourish and enjoy His good gifts!
How do we approach God? Do we trust that God loves us and is for us? Do we trust His promises? Do we trust that He has conquered sin today? Today, trust that God is good and loves us.
(B) Sin that creeps in: Flawed people with half-obedience and self-reliance (Jdg 1:19-36)
We have a preview of future conquests here in Judges 1:19-21. Judah took possession of the hill country but could not drive out the inhabitants of the plan as they had chariots of iron (Jdg 1:19). This inability to drive out the inhabitants is not a real reason — more of an excuse — because the LORD was with them.
Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem and coexisted with them (Jdg 1:21). There was no real excuse for their action here.
On the other hand, Caleb continues be faithful and drove out the three songs of Anak from the land of Hebron (Jdg 1:20).
Things got worse. We see in greater detail how Bethel was conquered. The house of Joseph went up against Bethel and though the Lord promised to be with then, they depended on their own tactics and strategy (Jdg 1:23-26). They did strike the city but the man that they allowed to survive merely set up a city next door (Jdg 1:26). This made their conquest futile.
What about us? What happens when we cling on tightly to control? We often find that things may get worse and our half-hearted obedience of God is essentially futile. How are we relying on ourselves like God’s people here?
In these verses, we read of the conquests of the rest of the tribes. Repeatedly (six times), we read of how they did not drive out the inhabitants (Jdg 1:27-36). God had already commanded them in Deuteronomy 7:1-6 to completely destroy the nations and not make an agreement with them, not should they give their children to them in marriage. The people had no excuse to say that they did not know, for God had already given such clear instructions. In Judges, we see how a partial obedience quickly leads to complete disobedience. And in reality, partial disobedience is not obedience at all.
They quickly turned away from God’s instructions and turn to pragmatic actions. Why not convert these Canaanites to forced labour? This is more effective for their rebuilding.
Can we see this in our own lives? Do we ignore God’s clear instructions? Do we try to rationalise and say that our half-obedience is better than none?
(C) Judgement Comes: Repentant people with a covenantal God (Jdg 2:1-5)
The angel of the LORD went up from Gill to Bochum (Jdg 2:1). Gilgal was the place that God had last covenanted with the people (Josh 4-5). This angel brings up the charge of the covenant before them (Jdg 2:1-3). Because they have not obeyed God’s voice, God will not drive them out before them and they shall become thorns in their sides (Jdg 2:3). Their gods will be a snare to them.
Though God desired to save them, He no longer can act on their behalf because of their disobedience. Thus, in the rest of the book we see the tension of how a holy God can continue to dwell with an unholy people. Will He be unfaithful to the covenant? But yet, how can a holy God tolerate sin?
Here, the people cry out to God and wept (Jdg 2:4). They also sacrificed there to the Lord and called the place, Bochim, which means weepers.
The tension of Judges is only fully and perfectly resolved in Christ. (c.f. Rom 3:21-26) Only in Christ is God’s judgment of sin and mercy and love for His people shown. Christ alone solves this problem in Judges.
Judges holds for us the problem of sin but also shows us the God who loves His people despite their sin. He will provide a way for His people to dwell with Him fully, such that He is just and justifier. In Christ, we are saved.
How should we response? Turn to Jesus, who is God’s Son. In Him, we are saved. We never outgrow our need for Jesus! Today, if your heart has grown cold, pause, meditate on this truth and take stock.