Introduction To the Book of Judges

Judges 1:1-2:10

The Book of Judges is not the easiest book of the Old Testament either to read or to interpret. Yet it covers an important part of the history of the Old Testament church -- around four centuries, in fact -- and fills out our understanding of what God was doing during that period.

But chapters 1-2:10 do not even mention the word 'judges' and clearly serve as an introduction to the book. There are some important lessons for us in this part of the Book. Let's look, first, at some features of style, and then at some matters of spiritual importance.

Literary Features

First, the Book of Judges is bracketed in the opening verse with reference to the death of Joshua, and in the closing verse (21:25) of the Book with the notice that 'in those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes'.

These statements pretty much sum up this book, chronicling the history from the point of Joshua's death until the establishment of a permanent monarchy. It was a history characterised by rebellion and wilful apostasy, a time of spiritual darkness and wickedness.

And is it not still the case that men do what is right in their own eyes? The sheer blindness of the people and the extent of their rebellion is one of the compelling reasons for studying this Book. Times have not changed all that much.

The death of Joshua is recounted in 24:29 and 2:8 in addition to 1:1. It forms the literary seam between the Book of Joshua and the subsequent events. The departure of Joshua, Moses' successor, who had led the people into the land of Canaan, was significant, since his influence was for good ('the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua' -- 2:7). But after his death things went wrong.

Dale Ralph Davis, in his commentary on Judges (Christian Focus), highlights the other books of the Old Testament which begin with the notice of a death: Exodus, with the death of Joseph, Joshua, with the death of Moses, and 1 Kings, with the death of David. God had raised up men through whom His greatest deeds were done. Yet he is not dependent on any of those through whom He works. They are taken away, but His work continues.

There is a second important literary 'bracket' in this book. In 1:1 the people ask, 'Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?' A similar question is asked in 20:18 -- 'Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?' In both cases the answer is the same: God says 'Judah will go up first'.

In other words, although the fact of sin and rebellion constitute a major theme here, there is an equally important sub-theme: that of the line of God's promised salvation through Judah.

Or is it the other way round? Perhaps it is because of God's continuing, gracious and determined plan to bring a king out of Judah -- first David, and ultimately Christ, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah -- that the message of rebellious apostasy is so prominent. The point is that God is fulfilling his ancient promise to bring a Saviour into the world, descended from Judah. It is hinted at in this book, and is an all-important pointer on which the storyline hinges.

Third, there is the important literary theme of covenant faithfulness and unfaithfulness. The Lord speaks as the Angel of the Covenant in 2:1-10. On God's side, the claim is made 'I said, I will never break my covenant with you' (2:1). But on Israel's side, the charge is laid, 'I said ... you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land ... but you have not obeyed my voice' (2:2).

Here is the contrast that furnishes the key for interpreting the Book of Judges: God's covenant faithfulness over against the reciprocal unfaithfulness of the covenant people. This book tells the story of a people in rebellion against their God, and yet of One who remains their God in spite of it all.

The covenant is the measure of all things. It is because of the standard of God's commitment to his people, and his call to them to be submissive to him, that we read of a cyclical pattern in their history, in which sin leads to oppression, then to lamentation, then to deliverance, then to momentary respite, then to sin again. As that wheel of experience turns, the covenant measures the behaviour both of God and of his people. He remains loyal to them, even when they act in disloyalty to him.

So if we reduce the question of interpretation to ask 'What is the Book of Judges about?' -- it is about the covenant, outworked in history, showing the people in their true light, and showing God in his true light too.

Fourth, there is the importance of the geography of all this. One is tempted to hurry over the place-names of chapter 1, until one realises that they tell their own very important story.

The first part of the chapter, from 1:4-26, tells of the successes of Judah in the southern part of Canaan. Acting in obedience and loyalty to God, their way is made successful. But then, from 1:27, the chapter moves northwards, and the story is one of continuing disloyalty to God.

Instead of expelling the Canaanites from their territories, as God had commanded, the northern tribes subject them to forced service and to servile labour. They try to accommodate the Canaanites by harnessing their resources. But that is no way to win victory in the spiritual battle, and the consequences are there for all to see. By the time we reach Dan in the north, far from pursuing and expelling the Amorites, the Amorites are pursuing him (1:34)!. That is always what happens when we compromise on God's standards.

So the geography has much to say to us, and indeed lays the foundation for the later history in which the kingdom will be divided, and in which the north will apostasise while the southern kingdom carries the line of God's redemptive purpose in history.

Spiritual Lessons

So what are the spiritual lessons of this introduction to the Book of Judges. What is it all teaching us? Several things, I think.

First, the Call To the Church Is the Same In Every Age.

What is the responsibility of God's people? It is to possess the land. It is to bring the whole land of Canaan under the Lordship of the God of the covenant. The inhabitants of the land are to be dispossessed, so that the God of Israel will be honoured and his people will enjoy their promised inheritance.

I realise that this talk of warfare and bloodshed raises many ethical and moral questions. Yet it is important to realise that in the darkness of these Old Testament times, God used the history of his people, even in warfare and conflict, to teach important spiritual lessons. And one of them is precisely this: that there is no enjoyment of our inheritance without conflict, war and battle.

Is that not what Paul labours to teach the Ephesians, to whom he writes exulting in the glory of God's predestinating grace which has made us heirs of his glory and in which we have obtained an inheritance (Eph 1:11). Yet it is in the same letter that Paul tells us we need to 'put on the whole armour of God ... for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (6:10,12). There is a spiritual battle, without which the inheritance of the saints cannot be enjoyed by us.

Coupled with this is the insistence that we must put to death everything that is earthy (Colossians 3:5), making warfare at the level of the spirit, and conquering our whole lives for Christ. Those who are his have crucified the flesh, with all the sinful desires that remain there (Galatians 5:24). There is no possession of inheritance without that conflict.

The church is called to a life of purity and holiness, to wholehearted commitment and consecration. These standards are still the same, and the Book of Judges has much to tell us about our responsibility in this commitment.

Second, the Challenge To the Church Is the Same In Every Age.

This introductory passage of Judges is full of names, both of places and people, who are ready to stand up and oppose the people of God at every turn. There is no respite. There are Canaanites here and Amorites there, Perrizites here and Kenites there. There is a wall of opposition everywhere.

And the church still has to face the challenge of a secular world which does not want to know about God, or about the Bible, or about the claims of absolute truth. There are as many '-isms' in contemporary culture as there were '-ites' in ancient Canaan. And the waves of enmity and hostility still crash down on the people of God.

But there is an internal challenge too. All the people face a common challenge, and have common foes. Yet the tribes seem to be doing their own thing. Dan is not as successful as Judah, for example. Might they not have worked together? Is the record of the tribal advance a telling and sad indictment of just how divided the people of God were, notwithstanding their common aim and purpose?

Satan can attack the church from without, and weaken the church from within. We are not ignorant of his designs (2 Corinthians 2:11). We need to be vigilant against him, and stand firm in the Lord and in his power.

Third, the Need of the Church Is the Same In Every Age.

God does not charge his people with being too few in number, or being too lethargic in effort, or being too confident in strategy, or being too methodical in approach. He does not say to them that they lack armaments, or training, or resources. All of these things are important in their proper place.

But there is one thing that is vital, above everything else. And what God charges against his people is that they have not obeyed him (2:2). OBEDIENCE -- that is what the people lacked, and without it, there is no advance.

An interesting thing happens here, as the angel speaks. The people weep and sacrifice. Good, yes? NO! They have still to learn that 'to obey is better than sacrifice' (1 Samuel 15:22). What good are tears or sacrifices if there is no reformation of life and renewal of covenant obedience?

The modern church is called to the task of recovering ground, of total commitment, of discipleship, of witness. But she can do none of these things without total, heartfelt obedience to the things of God and to the principles of his truth. May we discover that all-important lesson for ourselves!

Fourth, the God of the Church Is the Same In Every Age.

Although God is rarely mentioned in this passage, the references we do have are singularly important.

God's power is mentioned in 1:4. He 'gave' the land to his people. It was not their sword or power that gained it for them (cf. Psalm 44:2), but his. What was impossible in human terms was possible for God.

God's justice is mentioned in 1:7, in connection with Adoni Bezek. The mutilation of the ruler of Bezek was recognised as just punishment for the way in which he had dealt with 70 others. God is not absent. He is looking on, and He sees the wickedness, the sin and the apostasy. He is not silent; He rewards evildoers with fitting penalties.

God's presence is mentioned in 1:22. He was with his people, and it was His nearness that gave them needed strength for important tasks. That presence is the same still. If God is with us and for us, then who will dare be against us?

But above all, our text refers us to God's faithfulness in 2:1. He has kept covenant, and always will. There is nothing lacking of his goodness for his people. He makes promises in order to keep them, and keeps them in order to show his glory. That covenant-keeping grace is the bedrock of His people's confidence and hope.

The tragedy, according to 2:10, is that a generation arose who did not know God, or what he had done for Israel. They were ignorant of his power, his justice, his presence and his faithfulness. It is with the knowledge of God that strength comes: 'the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action' (Daniel 11:32). That is what we need to discover!