Book Of Judges

Judges Essay

The narrative of the book of Judges describes the apostasy of the Israelites during the period after entering the Promised Land. It takes place after the time of Joshua’s conquest and tells of the different problems that the Israelites experienced as a new nation, no longer living as nomads. The story is full of violence as God’s people must deal with the conflicts of surrounding tribes such as the Canaanites. Because of the relationships with other ungodly tribes, the Israelites began their continuous abandonment of righteous worship; instead, adopting pagan rituals such as the worshipping of idols. Of course, these acts anger God and lead to punishment. Punishments that make God seem like a harsh God, but every time the Israelites

They began marrying outside of their tribes, which led to idolatry and other paganist behavior. This, in turn, led to God’s disapproval, anger, and punishment. For example, the Israelite conquest of the people of Canaan had disastrous results because the Canaanites began to influence the tribes of Israel. The book of Judges describes these horrific battles and Israel’s break from the God who delivered them from slavery in Egypt. Every bloody battle against enemies and also their own intertribal wars was a result of their unfaithfulness to God. However, God once again sent military leaders and judges to deliver his people from hardships. Judges 2: 16-17 states, “Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. And yet they would not hearken unto their judges…” The book describes the vicious cycle of the sinful nature of the twelve tribes of Israel, which resulted in war and captivity, and then their need for forgiveness and return to

Judges, such as Othniel, Deborah, and Gideon, seemed to send the same principal message that was a warning to the twelve tribes of Israel. As long as the tribes remained faithful to God, they would continue to prosper and thrive in the Promised Land. However, when they broke from God’s convenient, the Israelites suffered oppression by their enemies. To gain an understanding of why the twelve tribes of Israel continued to turn away from God, today’s Christians need to look at the political and social aspects of that time. It is written in Judges 21:25, “In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.” This verse explains why events were so bad; during that time everyone was determining what was right and wrong on an individual basis. Obviously, truth and what was considered right was determined by what each individual wanted or desired. The people had stopped listening to God and His teachings and focused on their own wants and needs. Thus, the society during the Book of Judges had lost its moral directions. God sent the judges, who often acted as military leaders, to help the people return to God and become once again victorious over their enemies. These actions are actually what is now happening in our society; therefore, the Book of Judges reveals messages that remain helpful