A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns
A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns
TWENTY-EIGHT JUDGES: Othniel, Ehud, and Deborah (Judges 1:1-5:31) After the death of Joshua, there was no strong leader to provide leadership for Israel in the land. But there did not appear to be a need for a strong leader for some time. The influence of Joshua was felt long after he was dead. “So the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord, which He had done for Israel” (Jud. 2:7). So long as they continued to follow the Lord, the elders of the various tribes and families could and did administer the affairs of state. Israel was not a unified nation with a capital city into which they could rally during a time of invasion (i.e., a city-state). They were a confederation of twelve tribes, comprised mostly of farmers and herdsmen. There was no central leader, only patriarchal family heads to lead their extended families. But though they were the designated people of God in the Old Testament, they were as human as men today. It is always easier to follow the Lord when there is a cause or crisis than to maintain a walk with God after the initial crisis is past. And so in their strength, Israel became weak by failing to complete the task God had assigned them. “But the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem” (1:21). “Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages” (v. 27). “Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer” (v. 29). Nor did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, or the inhabitants of Nahalol” (v. 30). “Nor did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Acco or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob” (v. 31). “Nor did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh or the inhabitants of Beth Anath” (v. 33). Someone has said, “The one thing man learns from history is that man does not learn from history.” Sociologists, those who study trends in society, have noted societies tend to revolve in cycles. Certainly that was true in the history of Israel. In the Book of Judges, there is an obvious repetition of the social cycle which was the experience of Israel. From generation to generation the people demonstrated by repeatedly passing through the cycle of judgment. and restoration that they had failed to learn anything from the experience of the previous generation. So pronounced is this pattern in the Book of Judges that it actually provides the key by which the history of events is recounted. Though there are several minor judges mentioned in the book, the history of Israel from the Conquest to the establishment of the monarchy really revolves around the conditions leading to the rise of seven major judges who were the key to the deliverance of Israel from the hands of her enemies and their subsequent ministry. Six of these judges are described in the Book of Judges. The last of the judges was Samuel the prophet and faithful priest at Shiloh.
But why did Israel need deliverance from an enemy which had been so soundly defeated in the total victory of Joshua? The answer to that question is hinted at very early in the book. “Then the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim” (Jud. 2:1). Israel forgot that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. Gilgal was the battle camp of Israel, the place from which Israel had marched to victory under the leadership of Joshua. The name Bochim means “a place of weeping.” Its very name suggests discouragement and defeat. The Angel of the Lord who was Jesus in the Old Testament had never left the battle camp, but Israel had long since stopped fighting. They formed alliances with the Canaanites who tried to move back into their former territory. At first it seemed like a good idea. They taxed the Canaanites and were able to increase their standard of living to some degree. But now they were beginning to suffer some of the side-effects of their compromise and found themselves in the place of weeping. Within a generation, things would get even worse. “When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.... And they forsook the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtoreths” (vv. 10, 13). Their apostasy led to their being; subject to the wrath of God, and in His wrath, God allowed the very peoples they had preserved to become their enemies and oppress them. “Then the Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them” (v. 16). A judge was not one who decided legal cases, but was usually thought of as a military leader. He was also a spiritual leader who called Israel back to God before leading them into battle. At times he became a political leader by virtue of his reputation of success on the
- Page 92 and 93: Though Isaac left the city, he did
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But why did Israel need deliverance from an enemy which had been so soundly defeated<br />
in the total victory of Joshua? <strong>The</strong> answer to that question is hinted at very early in the book.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>n the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim” (Jud. 2:1). Israel forgot that<br />
eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. Gilgal was the battle camp of Israel, the place from which<br />
Israel had marched to victory under the leadership of Joshua. <strong>The</strong> name Bochim means “a place<br />
of weeping.” Its very name suggests discouragement and defeat.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Angel of the Lord who was Jesus in the <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Testament</strong> had never left the battle<br />
camp, but Israel had long since stopped fighting. <strong>The</strong>y formed alliances with the Canaanites who<br />
tried to move back into their former territory. At first it seemed like a good idea. <strong>The</strong>y taxed the<br />
Canaanites and were able to increase their standard of living to some degree. But now they were<br />
beginning to suffer some of the side-effects of their compromise and found themselves in the<br />
place of weeping. Within a generation, things would get even worse.<br />
“When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose<br />
after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.... And they<br />
forsook the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtoreths” (vv. 10, 13). <strong>The</strong>ir apostasy led to their<br />
being; subject to the wrath of God, and in His wrath, God allowed the very peoples they had<br />
preserved to become their enemies and oppress them. “<strong>The</strong>n the Lord raised up judges who<br />
delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them” (v. 16).<br />
A judge was not one who decided legal cases, but was usually thought of as a military<br />
leader. He was also a spiritual leader who called Israel back to God before leading them into<br />
battle. At times he became a political leader by virtue of his reputation of success on the
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