In our previous study, we saw the shape of Judges. Judges will show us a covenant-keeping God who relentlessly saved a people who repeatedly break his covenant.
In Judges 1, we read of the tribes of Israel resuming the conquest of Canaan after the death of their leader, Joshua. We saw things seeming to work out well on the surface, with Israel taking possession of some of the lands. But as we looked closer, we saw Israel’s disobedience and failure to trust in God’s promise to deliver, resulting in their failed conquest and God’s curse that they will not drive out the inhabitants of the land.
The narrative restarts, and we have a second introduction to Judges. The focus shifts from Israel’s military campaign, to the state of their relationship with God and the cyclical pattern that recurs throughout the book of Judges. The text ends just before the introduction of the first three judges.
(A) Fading of the Faith: Israel abandoned God and served idols (Jdg 2:6-15)
After detailing Israel’s failed conquest after Joshua’s death, the author of Judges restarts the narrative from Joshua’s dismissal of the people. In this second introduction, we had a faithful leader — Joshua — and his generation die (2:6-10). The next generation abandons the Lord, serves other gods, and provoke Him to anger. (2:11-13).
There are two generations -- one that knew the great work of the Lord, and another that did not know the Lord or the work He had done. Does this mean that only those who had personally witnessed the work of the Lord can serve and obey faithfully? Let us read on to find out more.
The writer of Judges also describes the new generation of Israelites. The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals (Jdg 2:11). They indulged in idolatry and what does that idolatry look like? They turned away from the true God who had brought them out of Egypt and delivered them from slavery and oppression (Jdg 2:12), and serving other Baals i.e. ‘lords’ from the people among us, going after them, bowing down to them, whoring after (debasing yourself) them (Jdg 2:12-13, 17). The people were wholeheartedly devoted to these idols and pursued them. They put in the time and energy to go after these idols and even whored after these gods. The irony was that they were supposed to drive out the people of the land and they failed to do so. They ended up adopting their lifestyle and worship.
As a consequence of their idolatry, God judged Israel and opposed them, in keeping with His covenant holiness (Jdg 2:14-15). God had warned them of the consequences of disobedience and they persisted in it. And God acted in accordance to what He had said He will do.
As we read on in the book of Judges, when the people of Israel are in trouble or are oppressed by their enemies, the temptation may be to think that God is not in control, or is unable to protect the Israelites. That is not the case -- God is sovereign and responsible for all that occurs: He “gave them over to plunderers”, “sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies”, and “was against them for harm”. All of this is a consequence of covenant-breaking, “as the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them”. Yet God shows pity and grace to the people who are “in terrible distress”, by raising up judges to save and deliver them (Jdg 2:16).
We get a picture here of a faith that fades with the passing of a generation. Do you know the Lord and His works for you? This section of Judges tells us that there is no such thing as second-hand faith. We need to hear the warning in these verses.
What little ‘lords’ do you serve? What do you serve, go after, bow down to, and whore after? These are your idols. Have you abandoned God and turned to these things for your satisfaction?
(B) Idolatry’s Snare: Judges saved Israel from human oppressors but not spiritual slavery (Jdg 2:16-19)
The Lord raises up judges in response to Israel’s distress. What can we learn about the judges, their work, are we told about the judges and their work, Israel’s response to them and the effectiveness of their work?
The judges were raised up by God in response to their groaning (Jdg 2:16a, 18a, 18e). They were empowered by God and were successors of Moses and Joshua in leading the people. Their spiritual leadership was meant to symbolise God’s rule over His people. God was with them (Jdg 2:18b).
The judges were to save Israel from raiders or their enemies (Jdg 2:16b,18c). They also served to call the people to worship the Lord (v17).
Israel would not listen to their judges (Jdg 2:17a) and prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them (Jdg 2:17b,19c). They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors (Jdg 2:17c) and even returned to their ways even more corrupt (Jdg 2:19b).
The judges’ work were temporary (Jdg 2:18d, 19a) — “as long as the judge lived” (Jdg 2:18d), “whenever the judge died…” (19a) — and ineffectual. The people were saved from their enemies, but not from their sinful idolatry and stubborn ways. Their hearts remained unchanged. The judges could not deliver them from idolatry’s snare
God raises up judges to save the Israelites from their enemies (Jdg 2:16), to turn Israel back to the Lord though they would not listen to and obey God (Jdg 2:17). Just as Joshua succeeded Moses, the judges were in a sense successors of Joshua -- military and spiritual leaders of the people of God.
God’s presence and peace in the land persisted so long as the judge was alive (Jdg 2:18). As soon as the judge dies, the Israelites turn back and became even more corrupt in their idolatry, and did not drop their practices or stubborn ways (Jdg 2:19). And so the holy and just God enforces His covenant consequences.
This pattern echoes what happens in the start of this passage, where the people immediately rebel after their spiritual leader, Joshua dies.
Israel’s stubbornness and instant abandonment of God (Jdg 2:17, 19) speak to the state of their hearts, ensnared by idolatry. Despite God’s works, outwardly there is peace, but inwardly they do not listen to God or His judges. It also points to the flawed nature of the judges and their deliverance -- though they may deliver the people from their enemies, it is only temporary relief and does not address the deeper issue of their wayward and idolatrous hearts. Witnessing the work of the Lord does not result in a changed heart.
For the non-Christians, how do you see Christians, who call themselves the people of God? Do you see them as holier than thou? Is what the bible says about the people of God surprising to you? The Bible itself sees the people of God as fallen, imperfect, and rebellious. Yet, God calls and saves and pursues such a people, to be His treasured possession. Talk to a friend and hopefully you will come to know Him, not just about Him.
For the Christians who are discouraged and frustrated, we have a God who hears our groaning, takes pity on us, and saves us despite our whoring after idols. Do you feel too far from Him, or despair that God cannot possibly save you? Take heart.
For those who call yourselves Christians: How much of your holiness and obedience is done in the presence of others, and how do you behave when no one is watching or you think no one knows what is going on? Is your worship of God the same in public and in private? Or is it a case of “do what you want, and don’t get caught”? God sees, and this behaviour gets found out.
(C) Testing and Teaching: Our wise God works his purposes for His people (Jdg 2:20-3:6)
The Lord judges Israel by not driving out the nations from the land and we see two reasons in Judges 2:20-3:4. The first reason is to test them and the second is to teach. Even in God’s covenant judgment of His people, God works His greater purposes -- He uses the nations to test Israel, whether they will walk in the way of the Lord (Jdg 2:22) and obey the commandments of the Lord (Jdg 3:4); He also uses the nations to teach war to the next generation, who did not know the despair of war (Jdg 3:1-2). All this is to drive God’s people to rely on Him, not on themselves.
God uses tough times to test His people and drive them to reliance on Him, to see whether they will obey Him and trust Him even when times are hard. When you are faced with difficulties, what is your first reaction? Who or what do you turn to as your first port of call? Is it a trusted family member or friend? Google, or now CLAUDE, Gemini, or ChatGPT? Do you turn to hard work and grit? Cunning and scheming? Insurance policies? Sometimes, God chooses to strip away all that we rely on so that we have nowhere to go to but Him. And that — is a mercy to us.
Sadly, the ending statement here hints to us that Israel fails the test and falls deeper -- they not only live among the nations whom they were supposed to drive out, but they intermarried with the people of the land and served their gods. Having intermarried, it is harder for them to extricate themselves from the sinful influence and idolatrous practices of the land (Jdg 3:5-6).
Today, we do not just have a human judge who brings about temporary, ineffective deliverance. We have Jesus, the true deliverer, who replaces our hearts of stone with hearts of flesh (Eze 36:26-27).