Judges is a book of beginnings… the beginning of a new nation… a nation appointed by God to fulfill His purpose. Israel did not just happen… they did not burst onto the map as a well-oiled of theocratic system. Furthermore, Israel were not a converted people filled with the Holy Spirit… setting the nation up was messy… sometimes violent… conflicted… contradictory… our approach to reading the record of their exploits can only make sense through a mindset of faith.

Faith: I believe and am convicted that God is true and just. I weigh and assess all knowledge and information through this simple looking glass.

Judges is a selective record of stuff that happened at Israel’s beginning… events, reports, records. Sometimes we are allowed insight into the motivations of the persons involved but most often we are left to figure that out for ourselves. We often look at the scriptures through 21-century eyes and exclaim “how can this be of God”… “how is this just”, “how is this fair”.

We learn from scripture through faith: a presupposition that God is true and just. Or, put another way, we believe Him… and we trust Him... then we seek to understand.

Judges begins with WAR

Israel sets off to wage war apparently at the command of God… Where is the mercy of God? How can God take ownership of this outrageous mess? How does this square up with the millennial goal that humanity beat their plowshares into pruning hooks and learn the ways of war no more? How does Israel become a blessing to all nations by crushing and destroying them? How can I “worship” a god who advocates genocide?

Faith does not say: God commands war, therefore, war is good and acceptable. Faith says: God is true and just so there must be a true and just reason for His command to drive out the Canaanites with warfare.

Why Does God Declare War on Canaan?

God did not pick sides in a pre-existing conflict between Israel and the Canaanites. The war was God’s idea.

So let’s ask… why Canaan?

Genesis 15:16 Judges begins 400+ years after Abraham had lived in Canaan when God had promised to give it to him… Canaan had changed, it was more populated, more cities, more petty kings, more people… a developed civilization and culture. It had also deteriorated morally and spiritually. At the time of Abraham, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were around so there was gross sin even then… but also Melchizedek was active in Canaan and must have provided some sort of witness to godly truth. [perhaps that made the Canaanites more accountable]

Note: read verse 19 to define Canaan

From what little we can glean from scripture Canaan’s sins were gross sexual perversion [Lev 20], coupled with horrific idolatry directed toward Molech and Ishtar with child sacrifice, other human sacrifice, and of course even more weird pseudo-spiritual sexual fertility rites. Whatever righteous influence Melchizedek might have offered was gone. In short, the sins of the Canaanites were filled to the brim and God was ready to punish. The instrument of His just punishment would be Israel.

The punishment of Canaan would accomplish multiple ends:

Fulfill God’s promise to Abraham [to possess the land]

Position Israel for influence and impact [center of nations]

Fulfill God’s righteous justice through retribution for sin [Canaanite sin]

In the same way, God would use other nations like Assyria and Babylon to exact righteous judgment on Israel when they fell into sin and would not give it up. Israel too would be driven from the land.

Judges 1:1-18

Judges begins with wars of retribution with Israel serving as the justice of God.

Judah goes first… we are introduced to Adonai-Bezek, a Canaanite king who lorded it over 70 lesser kings using physical mutilation to keep them under control. The men of Judah dish out the same humiliation to him.

Two perspectives:

Justice is being served in that Adonai-Bezek is being treated as he treated other and punished for his crimes

The men of Judah while acting as God’s duly appointed sword of justice… begin to adopt the patterns of behavior they see among the Canaanites. In other words, they go beyond the straightforward execution of divine justice. Ungodly behavior committed by someone tasked with executing God’s orders does not condone the ungodly behavior. Remember this key principle when you read the history of Israel… it is also a key principle in dealing with bad behavior among God’s appointed ministers, elders, other church leaders.

Caleb and his family

Caleb and his people are Kenites. Which means… they are Canaanites! Some like to characterize the war to drive out the Canaanites as a form of genocide, ethnic cleansing, or racial war… how could a righteous God be behind such a program?

Caleb was a man who identified strongly with what the nation of Israel was all about. He understood God was setting up a model society… based on universal principles of righteousness [the commandments] then applied to operating an actual nation [laws, statues, judgments etc.]… Caleb is perfect example of a man who caught the vision and wanted to be a part of it. Note: He was so into it that he was selected as the representative of the birthright tribe [Judah] on more than one occasion.

Israel was always intended to be a standard for all peoples and races… it was not ever meant to be confined to a single race of people. Even Canaanites could be part of the solution if they wanted to.

But Canaanite culture was to be eliminated completely… as divine punishment for their past deeds… and so they would not corrupt the perfect vision of a new society under God the creator A King and ruler.

Judges 1:19-36

Now we get to what I consider the real message of Judges… failure and compromise… a record of people overcome by the world around them rather than overcoming that world. I hope the parallel lesson for you and me is loud and clear.

Grabbing the Easy Victories

Militarily Israel had stormed into the territory and quickly claimed the high ground [hill country]. They quickly established strong points in the hill country all over the territory. For the time being, they were not able to take all the territory… namely the flat spots which gave the Canaanites technological advantage [iron chariots]. Exodus 23:28 this was the plan. It would not all be accomplished in a day, rather the Canaanites would be pushed out inch by inch, day by day.

This mopping up operation would require Israel to be strong in their conviction. They could not sit back and simply enjoy the good stuff they had gained. They would need to keep the end game of victory in mind.

Personal conversion is often of the same nature. We can quickly claim the high ground of Sabbath observance, holy day keeping, tithing, stop fornicating, lying, etc. But then we must get around to the mop-up operations… spiritual self-examination to find areas we have not properly applied the Godly principles we profess [honesty, purity, neighborliness, respect]… eradicating stubborn problems like sensual desire, greed, and envy.

Finally, there is the challenge to persevere in the face of trial… stick with the game plan in face of temptation… to pass through the testing of our faith. Keeping the goal, the vision in mind… convicted of its necessity, its righteousness, knowing we want to be a part of it.

Israel Fails

Scripture doesn’t tell us their thoughts, all we have is a record of what they did. When Israel became strong enough they did not push the remaining Canaanites out… when they were stronger they enslaved Canaanites… when they were not strong they assimilated. NOT GOD’S PLAN.

Perhaps Israel lost the vision of who they were… seeing themselves as just another nation among many trying to get along… instead of the standard bearer of human dignity, and God revealed law and religion.

Perhaps they just wanted to avoid conflict and enjoy the fine cities and fertile land they had won.

You are Israel in Canaan… blending into the prevailing culture is not God’s plan for you either.

Judges 2:1-5

Israel Cuts Deals With the Canaanites

They made peace… they made slaves… either was a settlement with the people of Canaan. Instead of pushing them out and removing all traces of their debased culture and religion Israel made deals allowing the Canaanites to live side by side with them. Israel sought to take advantage of them but began a process where they would be culturally and religiously overwhelmed by the sensual pleasures of Canaan.

When confronted, they wept, they sacrificed… but they didn’t really change. Were they upset because of how they had fallen short of the vision? Or, because of fear they had put the physical blessings at risk? We don’t know.

God didn’t give up on them. Nor does He give up on us when we fail. But God doesn’t whitewash the failure… and doesn’t over-ride the consequences. God would still work with Israel… there would be successes and failures. God would be gracious and help them BUT Israel was making their lives harder by the choices they were making. They would suffer.

And so it is with us. God gives us His favor, His grace, but we often choose paths that make our lives harder. We are forgiven, but still, grind our way through the consequences. Your problematic habits of thought and behavior do not disappear when you rise up out of the water of baptism… but you receive the power to face them and endure.

God Provides Guidance Through Leaders

Judges 2:6-19 The original design of Israel did not provide for elected officials, or hereditary offices, each person was equally and directly subject to God through His express will codified in the commandments, laws, statues. The priests taught this law, the administered the sacrifices of atonement but they did not run the country.

However, Israel never achieves much except when there is a stern, capable, religious leader... a Judge [one who administers justice]. Scripture fills us in on the failings of judges like Barak, Samson, Gideon, Jephthah… such that you might find yourself asking… how can these people be agents of God’s plan? How can they be considered faithful men of God?

The instruments God uses may be flawed but the purpose they are set to is not. We are frivolous people if we make light of the idea that any person can be an instrument of God by zooming in on their personal weaknesses. To say that is to say no one can stand for a purpose greater than themselves.

It is a perspective we must remember especially when considering leadership within the church.

God’s Work Moves Forward Because He is Gracious & Forgiving

Whatever good comes out of the period of the Judges begins with God’s compassion and desire for their good. But God had to move Israel forward… by letting them suffer and feel pain. We see the same process at work in our lives.

We can look with eyes that see only the suffering and pain and ask “where is God”. Or we can move forward keeping the goal in mind, convicted of its necessity, it necessity and determined that we want to be a part of it.