WHERE DO WE PROCEED FROM HERE? REFLECTIONS FROM THE STUDY OF JUDGES 1
By Ezekiel Kimosop
In this section of the opening chapter, we are introduced to Israel's leadership vacuum. Joshua, a celebrated leader, and his generation of godly elders had passed on and the people were left without a direct successor. The leadership transition appeared somewhat disjointed at this point. There was no immediate successor to Joshua. Besides, the conquest was yet to be concluded and its urgency remained uppermost in the people's minds. The people turned to God and sought for directions.
God however remained the ultimate ruler over Israel. He was committed to His covenant obligation that He swore to the patriarchs, beginning with Abraham in Genesis 15. This was affirmed in the covenant at Mt Sinai during the time of Moses.
The decision to seek God's leading is perhaps evidence of the moral prudence that had been bequeathed to Israel by Joshua's fallen generation of godly leaders. The question addressed to God in Judges 1:1 was possibly conveyed by a prophet or godly priest in their midst.
Godly leadership is key to the success of any covenant people. It shapes and inspires their prudence on matters of community interest and allows God's voice to be heard in their midst.
The fact that the Israelites approached God at this critical point is instructive of their desire to follow His directions and to be led by His divine hand. Ask they did: "Who shall be first to go up for us against the Canaanites to fight against them?” (Judges 1:1).
This question is critical to the Bible reader because it will later be of great significance during the dark periods of moral decay and apostasy that Israel would go through.
We are not told how long this prayer took to be answered. God's answer is conveyed in Judges 1:2 where God's direction is specific: Judah shall lead and God will deliver Israel's enemies into his hand. God chooses godly leaders and sets them for His purposes.
The choice of Judah is instructive of its prophetic future as the tribe through which Israel's Messiah will come and by whom the enemies of God's people will ultimately be defeated. God's answer therefore conveys a futuristic trajectory even as it speaks to the immediate circumstances that Israel faced during the period of the judges. One of the challenges facing the world today is the search for godly leaders.
In Judges 1:3-4, the people of Judah sought the support of the tribe of Simeon and they achieved great success, driving away the Canaanites and Perizzites, not on account of their military prowess but on God's power.
The details of the battles are captured in Judges 1:5:26. They also conquered Zephath, Gaza and Ashkelon and later Hebron, among others. There was however one exception that is important to observe at this point. The reports from other territories were disturbing. The Israelites drove out the people living in the mountains but were unable to drive out those dwelling in the lowlands because of their superior weaponry. These tribes had chariots of iron (Judges 1:17-18).
This poor military performance is significant because sections of the Canaanites that were not driven out would later turn out to be a thorn in the flesh for Israel, both militarily and culturally. They would play a significant role in the events that describe the ups and downs of Israel through the reigns of the twelve Judges.
Notice also the unpleasant report conveyed in the passage of Judges 1:27-36. The rest of the tribes of Israel, namely Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali and Dan, failed to drive out the Canaanite inhabitants dwelling in their allotted territories. Some decided to subject the Canaanites to tribute rather than drive them out altogether. Was this situation informed by the military advantage of the Canaanites or was it evidence sheer recalcitrance on the part of the rest of the Israelite tribes? This question is likely to be addressed in considerable detail as we study the Book of Judges. One inescapable fact however stands: their dalliance with enemy people was definitely not what God intended for Israel! We cannot progress in our spiritual journey if we are still entangled with the moral snares of this evil world.
One moral lesson stands out as we conclude our reflection on Judges 1. Our unfinished business with the enemy that we often postpone or procrastinate over in life would return to haunt us later. God desires above all else that we should have no fellowship or entanglement with the heathen. We should not borrow from their detestable and idolatrous practices. Israel's dalliance with the Canaanites did not serve God's purposes for them and this remains the overriding issue as we read through the Book of Judges.
Could there be moral compromises in our lives that we find hard to break from? It pays to consider their progressive impact on the quality of our relationship with God...
Keep this question in mind as we prepare to study Judges 2.
2 Corinthians 6:14-15 says "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?"
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In our next devotional study of Judges 2, we shall examine Israel's disobedience and its impact on their lives.
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2022
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