November 2
Judges 1
Today's Reading
Judges 1
Reflection
Pray: "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law."
Intro to Judges:
The book of Judges covers around 300 years of Israel's history, from the end of Joshua's life until the anointing of Saul, the first king of Israel. The title of "Judges" can be a little misleading if we are thinking of our modern-day definition of a judge. While there were times a judge would decide on a civil case, most of the time the judges in the book of Judges are acting in a political and military capacity. Dr. Constable says, "The heroic judges of this book were like a mixture of a mayor, a marshal, a prophet, and a general" (https://soniclight.com/tcon/notes/pdf/judges.pdf, page 2). These were men and women whom the Lord uniquely filled with His Spirit to lead His people during times of physical, moral, and spiritual danger. The book of Judges continues where the book of Joshua left off. Joshua had been called by God to lead the Jewish people into the land of Promise, which was occupied by the Canaanites, among others. Before conquering the land, God had commanded that when they entered the land, they were to destroy all the inhabitants of the land. The reason, the Canaanites were very wicked and corrupt people who practiced incest, child sacrifices, and all kinds of immoral acts. God had given the Canaanites over 400 years to repent and turn from this sin, but they would not, and now was the time of reckoning. Another reason for their destruction of the inhabitants was to protect Israel from being corrupted by the wicked influence of the Canaanites and thereby being led away from the Lord. At the end of the book of Joshua, we saw that Joshua led the Israelites in the battle to conquer the major cities in Canaan, but there is still more land to conquer. Each tribe had been given a portion of the land from the Lord as their possession. However, they still needed to go in and take possession of the land. Before Joshua dies, he gives a charge to the people (Joshua 23). In this charge, he states they are not to mix with the nations around them and especially do not marry with them. Joshua warned that if they disobeyed, the Lord would no longer drive out the remaining nations, but they would become a snare, a trap, a thorn in the Israelites' eyes, and ultimately the Israelites would be driven from their land. In the book of Judges, we will see that the Israelites began to disobey and tolerate the things God had condemned and prohibited. The more they tolerated the things God had forbidden, the more they fell into ruin, both politically, morally, and spiritually. The downward spiral of apostasy (rebellion against God) had the direct result of sending a nation into chaos. Sadly, our world today is not much different.
- 1
What do you learn about God (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) from this chapter? His thoughts, ways, or actions toward us, as His creation? How can you respond to God in prayer and praise?
- 2
According to verses 1-10, when is this scene taking place? What did the Israelites ask of the Lord? How did Judah conquer the Canaanites and the Perizzites? What did they do to King Adoni-bezek? How did the king respond?
- 3
In verses 11-15, Caleb declares that he will give his daughter, Achsah, as a wife to whoever conquers Kiriath-sepher. Who won the city and, as a result, married Achsah? Note: Caleb's daughter made a bold request of her father. This is one of several women in the book of Judges who will be highlighted as bold and powerful. However, sadly, the book will also reveal the downward spiral of the mistreatment of women as the nation rebels against the Lord.
- 4
In verses 16-21, the Lord continues to be with the tribes as they conquer the land. What happens in verse 19? What did Caleb do in verse 20? What did Benjamin do in verse 21?
- 5
In the remainder of the chapter (verses 22-36), what is the key phrase that is repeated at least 9 times? There is a second key phrase repeated 4 times. What is the second phrase?
- 6
Ponder: Did God tell the Israelites to enslave the people of the land? Not only did they not obey the command to destroy the people of the land, but they put some of them into forced labor. The phrase "did not drive them out" is repeated to emphasize the incomplete obedience of the Israelites. Partial obedience is not obedience. Israel would suffer the consequences of their choice to allow some of the evil of the Canaanite culture to remain in their land. Read Proverbs 13:20, 1 Corinthians 15:33-34, 2 Corinthians 6:14, and Colossians 3:5. As followers of Christ, we are to "put to death" the things of the flesh and not participate in anything God condemns. When our closest friends, business partners, or even family members do not pursue the things of God, it can make following God wholeheartedly more difficult. Who we have in our inner circle and who we seek advice from matters. God wanted to protect the Israelites from being led astray, and He wants to protect us too. Pray and ask God to help you evaluate who you allow to influence your life. Are there some you need to take a step back from because their influence is too strong in the wrong direction? Pray for them and show them the love of God, so that God will draw them to Himself; but at the same time, be careful of the influence over your own life. How does this lead you to pray?