Following two dynamic leaders, Moses and Joshua, there was no longer a central leader in the newly settled land of Canaan. The tribes looked to family elders and the Levites that served in the tabernacle for leadership. The Levites brought news of other parts of the nation when they returned from their time of service.
Without spiritual leadership and with the influence of pagan nations around them they adopted idol worship and practices forbidden in the Law of God delivered to their fathers by Moses. As a result of their failure to keep the covenant, God brought correction through conflicts with other nations in the land and caused them to be defeated in battle and brought into servitude.
In these times of oppression they again called out to the Lord God who raised up Judges in the land to lead them in battle against their oppressors. When they prevailed there was a renewal of spiritual interest and rest from conflict in the land. After some time passed they repeated the cycle of apostasy again. They would again be brought under the oppression of judgment and again would cry out to God for deliverance and renewal.
High points of the book are great victories over their enemies under the leadership of Gideon, Samson, and Deborah (a female Judge in Israel). Though God continued to call Judges to lead the people, the spiritual condition of Israel suffered further deterioration until there was no rest from enemies that surrounded them. Spiritual depravity is evidenced in their failure to follow the covenant.
The value of spiritual leadership, faithfulness to the Word of God, and the consequences of disobedience are lessons to be learned from this difficult time of Israel’s history.
Without spiritual leadership and with the influence of pagan nations around them they adopted idol worship and practices forbidden in the Law of God delivered to their fathers by Moses. As a result of their failure to keep the covenant, God brought correction through conflicts with other nations in the land and caused them to be defeated in battle and brought into servitude.
In these times of oppression they again called out to the Lord God who raised up Judges in the land to lead them in battle against their oppressors. When they prevailed there was a renewal of spiritual interest and rest from conflict in the land. After some time passed they repeated the cycle of apostasy again. They would again be brought under the oppression of judgment and again would cry out to God for deliverance and renewal.
High points of the book are great victories over their enemies under the leadership of Gideon, Samson, and Deborah (a female Judge in Israel). Though God continued to call Judges to lead the people, the spiritual condition of Israel suffered further deterioration until there was no rest from enemies that surrounded them. Spiritual depravity is evidenced in their failure to follow the covenant.
The value of spiritual leadership, faithfulness to the Word of God, and the consequences of disobedience are lessons to be learned from this difficult time of Israel’s history.
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