In this second study in our series, we are moving on from the books of Moses to looking at the next set of books — Judges and Kings.
Why are these books important? We’ll list out at least 3 reasons to study:
The OT is essential to understanding the NT.
The God of the NT is the same as the God of the OT. There is no change in His nature or character.
Jesus is the God of the OT. Reading the OT leads and shows us Jesus.
These historical books tell us the history of Israel especially 40 years after they left Egypt. Israel’s history shows failure of leaders to rule as God intended, and also tracks Israel’s disobedience. Why is this important for us? The history in these books are our history! You and I are the people of God through faith in Christ. Paul tells us that these things are recorded for our instruction (c.f. Rom 15:4).
(A) Theocracy by design: God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule
What makes a nation? There are 3 fundamental elements that we can associate with the concept and definition of a nation — people, land (place) and government. These 3 categories are helpful for us today as we seek to understand these books.
To start of with the people, we need to understand the covenant relationship that God desires with His people. From the beginning in Gen 17:7-8, God covenanted with his people and promised that He would be their God and they would be His people. His people would come to know Him (as their Deliverer and Provider). When God gives His people the law later on, He also wants His people to walk in obedience to His commands (c.f. Jer 7:23).
Becoming a people of God under God’s rule was established in the books of Moses, but God’s people still did not have their own land. The book of Joshua follows from Exo 6:6-8, and provides the context for entering the Promised Land.
The book of Joshua brought us to the point where God’s people were in God’s place under God’ rule. But lest we think that it’s a return to a good life in Gen 1, in a striking parallel to Gen 3, things also went south, and we see that in the book of Judges.
(B) Anarchy by default: God’s people in God’s place under self-rule
The book of Judges records for us various events, and there is a pattern of behaviour, as shown in the image on the right.
A more detailed survey of the book of Judges is provided in the table below:
The point of this table is to highlight the series of pattern in the book of Judges. What does this period show us? It shows us deterioration and depravity. God’s people were unable to govern themselves, sinking into depravity. The book of Judges ends by highlighting the depravity of man, or what happens when we are left to govern ourselves.
The book of Judges also shows us deliverance. God’s mercy and patience is evident throughout the cycles of repeated disobedience. He continued to deliver them when they cried out to Him!
Judges also points towards the need for a righteous King. God’s people needed a King to rule over them in obedience, righteousness and justice. Things almost eventually implode when we live without God. This applies not only to ourselves, but also to the leaders. They are fallible and each judge precedes or follows their victory with sin. This repeated failure to obey highlights the need for someone greater to rule in righteousness.
This sets us up for the next section, the introduction of kings to Israel.
(C) Monarchy by demand: God’s people in God’s place under God’s anointed
In 1 Sam 8:4-7, we read of Israel’s desire for a king. They rejected God as king over them and desired to be like the nations even though they were set apart as God’s covenant people. This is effectively a rejection of God’s rule, but God is merciful enough to grant it.
We also begin to see the idea of an anointed king (chosen by God) ruling in righteousness, obedience and might. But the people didn’t want that. They just wanted a king.
So God gave them Saul. Though Saul was anointed by God, he also had his kingship taken away from him. He was not God’s one true king. Israel’s continued anticipation leads us next to David. We see a bit more of these traits in David and he is the primary portrait or pre-figure of the Messiah. This David, born in Bethlehem, was once a shepherd boy. He ruled over a unified Israel, and we are told that he sought after God’s heart (unlike Saul). He was also the recipient of the 4th covenant with God, the promise that one after David will sit on the throne. But in David’s life we also see triumph (1 Sam 1-10), transgression (1 Sam 11) and troubles (1 Sam 12-24).
When reading through 1 and 2 Samuel, we see how the Bible shows us the good, the bad and the ugly of the characters. This is unlike most historical narratives, which seem to portray only the good. History is written by the victors, the cynical or wise will say. But the Bible show us also how the great men of the Bible are cowards, idolaters, murderers. Interestingly, when the women of the Bible are included, they are often affirmed (e.g. Rahab).
But how are we to read the details about the other kings in 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles? From the 19 kings of Judah and Israel, we realise that only a handful were affirmed for their obedience to God.
These books help us see kingship regulated by covenant. It is not a survival of the fittest kind of kingship. Israel’s history plays out relative to its covenant relationship with God. This fleshes and unpacks the previous covenants that God has formed with His people in the books of Moses. The God of the Bible is unique in that He chooses to make promises with His people. As we move from left to right of the Bible, we also see how God’s promises are more specific. This is a God that also uses words to reveal Himself. From covenant to covenant, we are meant to see the specific promises, but also how God’s people cannot keep it up.
The people wanted a king, so God gave them one, but the principle is: the welfare of the nation depended on the faithfulness of its leaders to their covenant with God. If the king obeyed the covenant, the nation would be blessed and flourished and were given rest. In 2 Chron 14:2-6, we see how when the king did what was right in the eyes of God, there was peace and rest. God also granted the king victory in the battle. Again in 2 Chrom 31:20-21, Hezekiah did what was good and right, and Israel prospered. But more often, the kings were unable to obey perfectly and uphold the covenant perfectly. Therefore, this also sets us a need for a Saviour.
This introduces the idea that one representative represents the people. This might be a contrast to our individualism. Prior to the French and American Revolutions, the individuals in a democracy are part of a larger social contract. People didn’t think of themselves as lone individuals. We also see that when we choose to live alone, as individuals without God, things collapse (c.f. Judges). For us today, who is your representative before God? Either you stand in your father Adam, or your Saviour Jesus Christ?
Israel didn’t always flourish because the kings were not always obedient. From 1 and 2 Kings, we can see the underlying symptoms behind Israel’s decline? (c.f. 1 Kgs 12:28-33, 2 Kgs 12:3, 22:8-13):
Failure of its kings to walk in obedience to God
Failure to remove sin and idolatry from the land, loss and neglect of the Law
This part of Israel’s history gives us many valuable lessons. It shows us the severity of sin. As John Owen puts it, be killing sin or it will be killing you. Israel’s decline wasn’t overnight, but was a gradual process of disobedience and tolerating sin and idolatry. Disobedience led to disruption of peace, division of the kingdom and dispersion into exile and this will be picked up in the next study on the period of the exile and prophets.
It also shows us clearly how earthly kings and leaders of God’s people are fallible and often falter – human capacity is neither righteous nor obedient enough to save God’s people and rule over them perfectly. We need a perfect Saviour-King.
Our lives are in the same condition of disobedience. In good times we may praise God with our mouths but our lives may not show. In bad times, we backslide and even abandon God altogether. We share more similarities with the Israelites than we think. Our hearts are sinful and we do what is right in our own eyes at school, work, church. If we are left to run our own lives, we always end up saving. When we look at earthly authorities, we also know that they fall short so easily. We are all in need of saving.
Israel’s history is a lesson for us to learn from. We see God at work saving His people, but also His great and immense patient to offer them time to turn and repent. His grace also points us to one greater We need a judge, ruler and King who seeks to do what is right in the eyes of God. We need one who delivers us from the oppression of sin, deliver us into righteousness when His righteousness becomes ours. Only then can we stand before God, fully righteous. Jesus is the perfect Judge and King. He is the greater Moses, Joshua, better David and true King of Israel that invites us to turn away from and destroy our idols, and come back in repentance to God.
What is God revealing to you about His character from this period of Israel’s history? How does this lead you to worship Him more? Are there areas in your life where you have allowed altars and idols to remain? What is God saying to you through Israel’s example? As we read the section on judges and kings today, let us come to God in repentance and faith not through our own goodness, but through the obedience of our one true King.