“Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?” (Judges 1:1)
The book of Judges is a two sided story of apostasy of Israel and the deliverance of Israel by the Judges appointed by God. The promises made to Israel’s ancestors had been fulfilled. The entire land of Canaan laid before them, all they had to do was take it. But they didn’t.
Instead Israel began to absorb the pagan rituals and gods of the Canaanites. You would expect the people of Israel to be, every one of them, righteous and close to God. But they didn’t.
The warnings and predictions from Moses went unheeded. Joshua had warned them to remain loyal to one another and to God. But they didn’t.
Using their own self-interest, cowardice, and slovenly respect to each other and to God they will reap what they sow. Israel was expected to take Canaan, not just wait for it to fall.
The book is broken into sections that depict the age between Joshua (the leader) and David (the King). From my perspective it is the “Dark Ages” of Israel, punctuated by the Salvation of Israel by God.
Stay Tuned…
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