Introduction to the Judges

The Books of the Law presented the story of Israel from creation to redemption, from the Paradise of Eden to the Plains of Moab, overlooking the Promised Land. Through his five books Moses presented all the background the second generation of Israel coming out of Egypt would need to understand who God was, where they came from, and what was their life mission in the new land they were about to enter. Then, in Joshua we saw the unfolding of the promises of God through conquest and distribution of this land.

In Eden God gave Adam, the representative of the human race, one command, which if he followed, would mean peace and prosperity in Paradise for him and for generations after him forever. In the Promised Land Israel was given the Law of Moses and the instruction to completely destroy the Canaanites. If they obeyed God,it would mean peace and prosperity in a land "flowing with milk and honey" for them and for generations after them forever. Genesis 3 revaeled that paradise would be short-lived because man would sin, be punished, be shown mercy, and sin again, and except for the grace of God, would set in motion his own ultimate destruction (cf. Genesis 6, the Flood). The natural character of man was revealed - sinful.

Judges is like Genesis 3. Israel would sin, be punished, be shown mercy, and sin again. Again, except for the grace of God, Israel would spiral downward to its own destruction. If "conquest" is an appropriate single-word description for Joshua. "Failure" would be an appropriate single-word description for Judges. Judges is the story of Israel's repeated failure to obey God. Thus, the natural caharacter of even a chosen people of God was revealed - sinful.

The primary catalyst for Israel's cycle of sin, punishment, deliverance, and sin (Judges 2:11-19) was their failure to obey God in completely destroying the Canaanites from the land. In keeping with God's prediction, these remaining Canaanites would be a thorn in the side of Israel and cause Israel to turn away from God. When Israel disobeyed, God punished them by these very same Canaanites that Israel let live. Yet, as often as they cried out to God, God delivered them. He raised up leaders, called "judges," to save them by defeating and destroying their Canaanite oppressors. Yet, the people only obeyed during the lifetime of the judges. And the book tells us that, with each deliverance, instead of getting better, the people fell even deeper into sin. When we come to the end of the book, the prognosis for the people is not good: "Everyone did as they saw fit" (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 21:25), and the stories reveal that the people became so "messed up" that they thought that by their idolatry and sin they were honoring God.

In the story of Israel, the book of Judges provides an important connection between Joshua ("conquest") and the books of Samuel ("monarchy"), particularly through the repeated expression, "In those days Israel had no king" (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). Repeatedly, one is led to understand that without godly leadership Israel would self-destruct in its sin. The judges were not kings and their deliverance often involved one or a few tribes within the nation. They were spiritually fragmented and falling deeper into apostasy, each in their own way, but the book looks forward to a unifying spiritual leader, a righteous king, over the whole nation.

Judges also provides a background for the book of Ruth, which immediately follows it. The story of Ruth and Boaz presents a kind of literary foil, a story of faithfulness, in the sea of faithlessness, which is the book of Judges. And if Judges depicts Israel's sinful character, Ruth would reveal God's sovereign grace. For through Ruth and Boaz would come the godly king David, and from the godly king would come the King of Kings, Jesus, through whom the cycle of sin would finally be broken forever.