Introduction to Judges

After the exhilarating victories conquering the Promised Land comes the record of Israel's apostasy and God's deliverance in the book of Judges. Judges has been called the "Dark Ages" of the Israelites: they forsook God (Judges 2:13) and God forsook them (Judges 2:23).

Judges covers the period beginning with the death of Israel's great leader Joshua to the ascension of it's first king, Saul. It begins around 1380 BC and covers the next 350 years. Israel had now gone from being nomads to settlers in their own land; but they often failed to conduct themselves as God had commanded them to in their special land, and so suffered judgments in the land because of their sin. But thankfully, God did not forsake them forever. He would ultimately rescue the people from the dire consequences and bondage of their rebellion through leaders called "judges". These were not the cloak-wearing, gavel-pounding courtroom decisionmakers we think of when we hear that word, but rather rulers, deliverers, and often warriors that would lead the nation out of bondage.

There were fourteen judges in all - Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, Samson, Eli and Samuel. They were of three types:

1. The warrior-judges such as Gideon and Samson
2. Priest judges such as Eli
3. Prophet judges such as Deborah and Samuel

These judges were needed because "everyone did as he saw fit" (Judges 17:6), and the people began to follow the idolatrous and adulterous ways of the nations around them. In punishment God would deliver them into the hand of their enemies; the people would cry out in their misery, and God mercifully would raise up a judge to deliver them - then the cycle would start all over again! Judges consists of "seven apostasies, seven servitudes to seven idolatrous and cruel nations, and seven deliverances".

What lessons can we as Christians learn from Judges? Many!

1. The wickedness of the human heart (Judges 2:11-13, 17, 19; 8:33-35; 10:6; 13:1). Contrary to the assumptions of evolutionary thought, things do not automatically get better with the passing of time. In fact, apart from the renewing and reviving work of God, things will get worse and worse when "everyone does as he sees fit". We see the decay in our own society when this kind of philosophy is adopted. We need revival!

2. God's delight in using the weak things (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). Judges provides a gallery of unlikely heros: Edud and his home-made dagger; a woman, Deborah, in a time that women were often thought not capable of leadership; Gibeon, a timid man from an obscure family in Israel's smallest tribe; Shamgar, a rural fellow with an ox goad; and a jaw-bone wielding wildman named Samson. Do you think it unlikely that God would ever use you to do something mighty? Then you qualify!

3. The power of the Holy Spirit. Othniel, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson were all spoken of as being empowered by the Holy Spirit. When that happens, anything can happen! Miraculous deliverances against overwhelming odds can and will occur with God's Spirit upon us!

One of the prime causes of Israel's downfall in Judges was its willingness to compromise with the world - with its religions, with its morals, with its people. But compromise with the world always lead to conquest by the world. As Paul said, "A little leaven leavens the whole lump". Once you start allowing little sins in your life, it's only a matter of time before your standards erode in other areas. Don't let the camel get his nose in the tent - because soon he'll be completely in the tent and you'll be outside!

Are there areas where you are compromising with the world? Don't wait until you are groaning under your bondage - turn away from it, ask forgiveness and receive God's mercy, and, like the Israelites in Judges, you too will be delivered!

Introduction to Joshua

The time has come!

After centuries of promise, the children of Israel are about to take hold of their inheritance that God has sworn to them, the land of Israel. "Take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own. (Joshua 1:11). It is God's to give - it is ours to possess.

This is the first of the History books of the Old Testament, having now finished the Pentateuch, the first five books of Moses. It was named after its main character, Joshua, whose name means "The Lord saves" - the Hebrew version of the name "Jesus". He is the primary if not the sole author of the book that bears his name. Its events take place around 1405 BC.

We see God faithfully fulfilling His promises when His people obey Him in obedience. God makes sure we are keeping our part of our covenant with Him. When we don't, embarassing defeats can happen to us, such as those that happened at Ai. On the other hand, otherwise impossible situations can be overcome, as in Jericho.

Conquering the land meant entering into God's rests, as the people did when they conquered Canaan. May God grant you His rest as, with His help and leadership, you faithfully obey Him!

Introduction to Deuteronomy

The title of Deuteronomy is derived from the Septuagint – the translation of the Old Testament made some two hundred years before Christ. The Greek word used means “the second law”. This is somewhat of a misnomer, for it is not a second law, but the same covenantal instructions revealed at Sinai to a second generation of Israelites. According to the claims of both the Old and New Testament, it was written by Moses himself, with the probably exception of the section describing Moses’ death.

Deuteronomy contains three addresses by Moses to the Israelites poised to enter the Promised Land of Canaan after 40 years tin the desert. Since Moses would not be going in with them, he wanted them to be prepared to live in their inheritance. The orations and songs found in Deuteronomy constitute his farewell to the children of Israel; the entire book of Deuteronomy covers only about two months, including the thirty days of mourning after Moses’ death.

Moses himself stood on the divide between his earthly and heavenly life as he gave what amounts to his last will and testimony, urging the Israelites to reflect upon their past history with God: his deliverance from Egypt, his faithfulness to bless them and his holiness to judge their disobedience.

Throughout his messages, Moses emphasizes the covenant that the Israelites have with God. Obeying the covenant would bring great blessing; rebelling against it would bring certain cursing. In fact, Deuteronomy as a whole reflects the pattern of an ancient Middle Eastern covenant treaty made between a powerful Lord (sometimes called a “Suzerain”) and a lesser servant (sometimes called a “vassal”). The typical pattern of a Suzerain-Vassal Treaty with its corresponding sections in Deuteronomy is as follows:

1. A Preamble or Introduction (1:1-5)

2. A review of the past relationship between the parties (1:6-4:49)

3. Basic stipulations that ensured fidelity to the treaty (5:1-26:19)

4. Sanctions in the form of blessings and curses (27:1-30:20)

5. Witness to the treaty (32:1)

6. A provision for the storage and reading of the treaty (31:1-34:12)

Incidentally, this is evidence for Deuteronomy being of a very early date, as this form of covenant treaty fits with the form of treaties used during Moses' era, but not of later eras.

Just as the Israelites desperately needed God to deliver them from the bondage of Egypt, and to preserve them in the desert, they would likewise never be able to take their inheritance without the power of their covenant-keeping God. They would have to cross the Jordan River and conquer walled cities and hostile inhabitants. Without God’s direction and power, their task would be impossible.

In Moses’ first address (Deut. 1-4), he looks back over the history of Israel: their unbelief as well as the victories God wrought on their behalf, with a concluding appeal for them to walk in obedience. The sober fact was that only Joshua and Caleb remained of the generation that came out of Egypt: all the rest were dead because of their unbelief.

In his second address (Deut. 5-26), Moses looks up to God and lays out the Israelites responsibility as God’s special covenantal people – they were to represent Him and His ways in the earth. They are to obey Him in things great and small.

In his third address (Deut. 27-33), Moses looks out to warn the Israelites of the consequences of disobedience:

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessings and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendents may live, that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days” (Deut. 30:19, 20).

Moses exhorted the Israelites to be faithful to the covenant and receive God’s intended blessings and instructed the Israelites to renew their covenant once they entered the Promised Land in a special ceremony upon two mountains. The Levites were to recite on the barren peak of Mount Ebal the curses awaiting disobedience to God’s law, and on the lush slopes of Mount Gerizim the wonderful blessings ensured to those obeying God’s law.

Finally, this grand old man of God, now one hundred and twenty years old, departed from the stage of history. He sang a song for Israel (Deut. 32), climbed Mount Nebo, viewed the Promised Land, and died on the edge of the land he had labored to bring the Israelites to. There God buried him; where, no one knows.

Yet hundreds of years later, Moses’ feet finally did rest on Israel’s soil.

Deuteronomy was one of Jesus’ favorite Bible books; Jesus often quoted from it and used it to fend off the temptations of the devil in the wilderness (Matthew 4). And He appeared in glory with its author on the slopes of Mount Hermon north of the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 17:1-3).

By God’s grace, Moses had finally entered the Promised Land.