Judges: The Story of Self-Counsel

Judges: Overview

The Ten Signposts of the Bible
CAMDE—400—CALY
Creation. Abraham. Moses. DAVID. Elijah. 400. Christ. Apostles. Letters. Yet-to Come.

Let’s be honest—too often, we trust our own ability to choose what’s best. And speaking for myself, when I decide based on my desires rather than on what God wants me to do, my own judgment usually puts me in a risky position. Here’s why. Scripture tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? (Jer. 17:9). Turns out, we are our own worst counselors. There is an entire book of the Bible that clearly confirms this. 

Listed above are the “Ten Signposts of the Bible." So far, we have explored God’s Story in God’s People through creation, including the flood and the Tower of Babel. Then, we examined the time of the patriarchs, starting with Abraham, and looked at how God worked to accomplish his purposes through the lives of Moses and Joshua. Today, we move on to the fourth signpost—DAVID—which covers the period of the judges and the kings. 

We will begin with the book of Judges, which is a sequel to Joshua. This book highlights Israel’s tendency to rely on their own judgment and do what was right in their own eyes (Judg. 17:6; et al.). 

Let’s review and set the context.

Judges: Historical Context
After 400 years in Egypt, the Israelites cried out to God, and he delivered them. First through Moses and then through Joshua’s leadership, God led his people into the land he had promised to Abraham (Gen. 12:1-7; 15:18-21).

The book of Joshua describes Israel’s conquests. God’s power was clearly demonstrated in defeating their enemies; however, as the tribes took control of their assigned land, they didn’t completely drive out those living there as God had commanded. As a result, the Canaanites continued to live among the people of Israel (Judg. 1:27-36). 

So, God confronted his people.

God’s Confrontation
The angel of the LORD (the pre-incarnate Christ) appeared to Israel and said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done?” (Judg. 2:1-2).

Because of their disobedience, God said, “I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you” (Judg. 2:3). The people wept and repented, but…they proved to be slow learners.

The Israelites worshiped God during the time of Joshua. They had experienced the parting of the Jordan River and the fall of the walls of Jericho. But after that generation died, “there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel” (Judg. 2:10). When a godly leader from one generation died, the next generation “turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways” (Judg. 2:19). 

So, God made a divine decision.

God’s Decision
God became furious with Israel’s ongoing rebellion and said, “Because this people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did, or not” (Judg. 2:20-23).

I find this very instructive and relevant to us today. The temptation to worship other gods was prevalent in Israel because pagan cultures still existed in the land. There was always the lure of intermarriage, which caused entire families to be divided in their devotion to Yahweh because of pagan gods. God allowed this to test Israel. Would they follow him or turn to other gods?

We encounter the same choices living in a culture influenced by Satan, who seeks to derail and destroy us. The world system is full of temptations—some subtle, some in-your-face—that try to pull us away from God and lead us to do what feels right in our own eyes. Will we be like the people of Israel, who continually strayed, or will we stand with Joshua, who said, “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15)?

The Repeated Cycle
Over the next 300-350 years (roughly 1350 BC to 1050 BC), Israel experienced a recurring cycle that is clearly shown throughout the book of Judges.[1] The cycle unfolds like this:

• Rebellion 
• Oppression
• Crying out to God
• Deliverance 
• Period of Peace 
• Relapse 
• Repeat the cycle

God’s Mercy
Edmund Clowney sums up the book of Judges by describing God’s sovereignty and mercy:

The record of the book of Judges clearly describes the history of God’s rule over His wayward people . . . Again and again they forget the Lord and lapse into idolatry and immorality, imitating the very sins for which God judged the Canaanites . . . Driven by desperation, they cry to the Lord, and He raises up judges to deliver them and to provide periods of order and areas of peace….[2]

Although separated by 3,000 years, our study of Judges shows that we are very similar to the people of Israel, constantly needing God’s deliverance and mercy. We should learn an important lesson from those in the time of the Judges—we must reject self-counsel and do what is right in the eyes of God (Deut. 12:28). 

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Read and reflect on the overview of Judges. Where in your life are you most tempted to rely on your own judgment instead of seeking God’s direction?

Talking to God: Ask God to reveal the areas of self-counsel in your life. 

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