Judges

-Someone has called the book of Judges, the account of the Dark Ages of the children of Israel. It is the account of what happens when people forsake od !Judges "#$%&. Judges co'ers the period after the death of Joshua, to the ascension of Saul to the throne of Israel. (he people were ruled b) *udges, whom od raised up to deli'er +is oppressed people. ,e read, in those da)s there was no king in Israel, and e'er) man did that which was right in his own e)es !Judges $-#./ $0#$/ $1#$/ "$#"2&. Judges co'ers the histor) of !appro3.& the first 425 )ears in the 6and of 7romise.(here are $2 Judges# 8thniel, 9hud, Shamgar, Deborah, :arah, ideon, (ola, Jair, Jephthah, Ib;an, 9lon, Abdon, Samson, 9li, and Samuel. In this book there are - apostasies, - ser'itudes to heathen nations, and - deli'erances. (his book portra)s the sad results of sin. (hree words describe the pattern of this period of histor). Declension, Discipline, and Deli'erance. Israels Failure: !Judges $-%#4& - Joshua had died. <uch of the promised land was )et to be con=uered. (he first act of Israel was to consult od as to how to commence the final con=uest. od appointed Judah, the kingl) tribe !$#"&. (he work began in earnest, but ended in weakness. Israel>s troubles were due directl) to her disobedience to od. (he) did not e3terminate the people as od had charged them to do, but mi3ed with them, in direct 'iolation to the warnings of <oses and Joshua. (he) began to worship their idols and accept their immoral standards and practices. It was a gradual decline, after Joshua>s influence was gone !Judges "#$5&. (he pattern of the book is set forth in chapter "#$$-$1. (his is then de'eloped in detail in the rest of the book.

The First Declension: %#--$$ - ?otice the pattern. @irst the) dwelt among the heathen. (he) had been called to be a distinct people. :ut, the) intermarried. (he) forgot the 6ord. (he) worshipped :aal. od>s anger was aroused, and +e sent the king of <esopotamia to oppress them for eight )ears. ,hen the people cried unto the 6ord, +e sent a deli'erer !8thniel&. (he *udges were each raised up b) od to meet a specific need. od>s people were deli'ered, and for 45 )ears, the) had peace. So, we see the pattern# Declension, discipline, and deli'erance.

The Second Declension: %#$"-%$ - Declension# ...and the children of Israel did e'il... Discipline# od sent the Ammonites and Amalekites. (he) cried to the 6ord, and +e sent 9hud to be their deli'erer. 9ight) )ears of peace followed.

The Third Declension: 4#2 - Declension# and the children of Israel did e'il... when 9hud was dead. Discipline# od deli'ered them to Jabin. And, for "5 )ears, he mightil) oppressed the people. Sin has terrible wages. <oses had warned them. (he) were sla'es in a land that was theirs. (he) were called to be con=uerors, but the) had been con=uered. (heir political woes were the result of spiritual declension. :ut, when the) cried to od, +e sent them Deborah. A period of peace and prosperit) followed.

The Fourth Declension: .-0#%" - (he same pattern is followed. Judges .#$ records the sin of Israel. Judges .#" records their subse=uent discipline. And, Judges .#. records the urgent plea to od. od responded b) raising up ideon, an unlikel) 'essel, anointing him, and using him to bring deli'erance to Israel.

The Fifth Declension: 0#%%-$5#2 - A fifth time, we see the people falling into the sin of Idolatr), b) worshipping :aalim almost immediatel). (he record reads as follows# as soon as ideon was dead... the children of Israel went a whoring after :aalim. (he) did not remember od, nor show an) gratitude to ideon>s household. A terrible time of internal strife and anarch) took o'er. Judgement was meted out upon Abimalech, (ola, and Jair. Aelati'el) unknown *udges, then ruled for 42 )ears of peace.

The Sixth Declension: $5#.-$"#$2 - In the .th apostas), we find the people almost entirel) gi'en o'er to idolatr). od sent *udgement, this time from the 7hilistines, for eighteen )ears. At last, sorel) distressed, the people cried out to od. @or the first time, it is recorded that +e refused to hear them, and reminded them how repeatedl) +e had deli'ered them !$5#$"-$4&. (he) then turned from their gods and ser'ed the 6ord. od>s attitude toward them is re'ealed in $5#$., and +is soul was grie'ed for the miser) of Israel. Deli'erance came through Jephthah, and he *udged for . )ears. +e was followed b) Ib;an, 9lon and Abdon who *udged Israel o'er the following $0 )ears. ?o particular e'ents are recorded during their times.

The Seventh Declension: $%-$. - (he se'enth apostas) opens again with the familiar words# and Israel did e'il again, in the sight of the 6ord. (his time, the) were disciplined b) the 7hilistines under whose awful oppression the) li'ed for 45 )ears. +ere, we read of the stor) of Samson. It is the sad stor) of a man called of od, anointed of the Spirit, but failing miserabl) because of his lack of self-control. (he great deli'erer became a sla'e. +e learned that sin brings bondage. ?othing is more pathetic than seeing Samson blind, bound, and grinding in the prison house of the 'er) people he had been sent to defeat. One night of pleasure is not worth a lifetime of blindness.

The Appendix: $--"$ - (hese last chapters gi'e us a picture of anarch) and confusion. Israel had forsaken od, and now we see the depths to which she sank. @irst, there is the confusion in the spiritual life of the nation !$--$0&. Second, we find confusion in the moral life of the nation !$1&. And, finall), we see confusion in the political life, and ci'il war results !"5-"$&.