Showing results for "Judges 1" in Ministry & Evangelism

At the end of Judges (c. 1000-1050 B.C.) we read: “In those days Israel had no king, and everyone did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21: 25). It was a time of moral, political and economic chaos. As we move into 1 Samuel, things get worse. Although Samuel strives mightily to bring the Israelites back to God, the priesthood and the people continue their downward spiral.

It is one thing to conquer a land; it is quite another to settle it and live in it. At this point in our story, Israel is not a nation; it is at best a loose confederation of tribes, each living in its own territory, isolated by rivers, mountains, valleys and other natural terrain. When an outside threat intrudes, the tribes coalesce, a leader (called a “judge”) emerges, and he (or she, in the case of Deborah) deals with the threat. There are 13 such leaders in Judges, and as our story progresses, they become more and more corrupt.

The book of Judges is the seventh book of the Christian Old Testament and the Hebrew Bible. It contains several stories that are cyclical in nature. The stories give various examples of where the Israelites have shown a lack of faith and as a result suffer from great oppression. In turn the Israelites repent and are sent a 'judge' by God, to deliver them from oppression. Includes the story of Deborah, Gideon and Samson, to name a few.