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The Scriptorium

Grace in the Time of Trouble

Judges begins in confusion, and goes downhill from there.

The Heart of God: Judges through 1 Samuel (1)

And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24.27

Read and meditate on Judges 1-3.
The period of the judges, spanning some 320 years of Israel’s history, shows us the consequences of rebelling against God’s covenant. God promised to be faithful to His Word, even when that meant He would have to respond to His people with discipline. Yet whenever they returned to Him, He was ready to forgive and renew.

For reflection
1.  Already, in chapter 1, we find the book of Judges looking back and looking ahead. We see this in the designation of Judah as the tribe to take the lead in continuing the conquest of the land (vv. 1, 2). How does this action on God’s part link the people of this period to the previous eras of His covenant? How does it point forward to further development of God’s covenant?

2.  The people seem to have lacked the strength to lay hold on all the land God had promised them. How does this serve as a warning to us, who are heirs of the promises of God in our day (2 Pet. 1.4)?

3.  How did Israel respond to the pagan influences yet remaining in the land of promise? How did this affect their covenant relationship with God? How should they have protected themselves against these influences?

4.  What was the role of judges during this period? What seem to have been their primary duties? Does the Lord appoint judges to serve among His people in our day?

5.  The early judges delivered Israel by military means. But this was never enough, since the people kept lapsing into sin and disobedience. What’s the lesson here about what God’s people need in order to realize the fullness of His promises?

Summary
Chapters 1-3 of Judges establish a pattern that will continue throughout this book and, indeed, throughout the Old Testament. God’s people are unable to remain faithful to Him, so He brings discipline upon them, in order to recover them for Himself. But they tend to rely mainly on political and military leaders, rather than on the kind of leaders Moses promised them in Deuteronomy. A nation and people need political and military leaders, but why are such leaders always inadequate to bring the people of God into the fullness of His covenant?

Closing Prayer
Many times He delivered them;
But they rebelled in their counsel,
And were brought low for their iniquity.
Nevertheless He regarded their affliction,
When He heard their cry;
And for their sake He remembered His covenant,
And relented according to the multitude of His mercies.
He also made them to be pitied
By all those who carried them away captive.
Save us, O LORD our God,
And gather us from among the Gentiles,
To give thanks to Your holy name,
To triumph in Your praise.
Psalm 106.43-47

T. M. Moore

Two books can help you gain a fuller understanding of the terrain we will be covering in this series. Kingdom Documentsprovides a concise overview of the primary teaching of the Old and New Testaments, and shows, through early Church creeds, how our forebears understand the primary teachings of God’s Word. (click here to order). I Will Be Your Goddevelops more fully the idea of God’s covenant and leads us to consider the practical implications of our covenant relationship with God (click here).

Visit The Ailbe Seminary, where our course,
Introduction to Biblical Theology, offers a parallel study of our theme in this series, using brief video presentations and the workbook God’s Covenant: An Introduction. All courses at The Ailbe Seminary are available without charge.

We are happy to be able to offer each week’s Scriptorium studies in a free weekly PDF, suitable for personal or group use. You can download all the studies in this series by clicking here. Please prayerfully consider sharing with The Fellowship of Ailbe through your giving. You can contribute to The Fellowship by clicking the Contribute button at the website or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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