Judges Chapter 1 Part One (Verses 1-7)

Introduction
In the last few weeks, we set the stage for the Book of Judges. Now, as we move into the first chapter, we are going to see a rapid slide of Israel from a pinnacle of success, accomplishment and harmony with God into an attitude of every man for himself. It takes only about 10-15 years after the death of Joshua before the Israelites begin losing their way.

One small thing we need to keep in mind during this time in Israel's history is that very few copies of the Torah were created especially between the times of Joshua and King Josiah, who ruled from 640-609 B.C. The few copies which were in existence did not find themselves in the hands of ordinary citizens. In fact, it appears that by the time King David was on the throne (about 300-400 years after the death of Joshua), the Torah was all but lost and well on its way to being completely forgotten.

Once the tribes dispersed around the land of Canaan and started taking a firm hold in their allotted territories, the priesthood struggled to exist. The roles of the priests and the Levite tabernacle workers blurred. Only a few of the 48 cities that the Levites were promised within the tribal territories were ever actually handed over. The funding the Israelites were supposed give to the Levites rarely sufficed to maintain the Levites and their families.

The Tabernacle at the time of Judges Chapter one resided in Shiloh. It would steadily go into disrepair over the decades. By King David's time, it was moved to Gibeon. Tents by definition are temporary and wear out rather quickly when compared to stone structures. While we might ask ourselves how much could it possibly cost to maintain a tent, we must remember the elaborate nature of the Tabernacle. It was made of the finest materials and required a number of exceptionally gifted craftsmen to originally make it. All one has to do to get an understanding of this sad progression is to go to Europe and witness the disheveled condition of many grand churches and cathedrals. Once the treasure of many towns, these massive structures are now rotting as a result of a dying Christianity that first lost interest and then lost their faith.

When King David asked God if he could build a Temple to the LORD, it was not that he actually wanted to replace the Wilderness Tabernacle. The ancient Tabernacle had long since been abandoned due to its wearing out and apparently no desire by the Israelites to repair it. Rather, King David wanted to properly built a sanctuary under the Mount Sinai specifications. David built some type of tent to house the Ark of the Covenant. Moreover, King David also took it upon himself to appoint Levites and priests to certain duties. We can also assume that the order of service and careful attention to detail was not kept anymore. Very likely, there were probably but a few among a remnant of priests who even remembered how to properly observe the rituals and procedures set forth by God.

We get some idea of how inconsequential and uninformed the priesthood had become when we look at the story of the Ark of the Covenant being brought from Kiriath-jearim to King David at his request (1 Chronicles 13). The Ark was placed unceremoniously on an ox cart for transport. Then, Uzza touched the Ark and died. When David hears about Uzza's death, he changes his mind about having the Ark near him. David asks a Levite (and NOT a priest) named Obed-edom to keep the Ark in his home, which is a major infraction against storing the Ark of the Covenant. We are told that God greatly blesses Obed-edom and his household as a result of the Ark residing there. So then it was decided not only safe (but also highly advantageous to David) to possess the Ark. He calls for it to be brought to Jerusalem. There, he prepared a tent for it to be housed.

We see from this incident, the priesthood simply took orders. It was barely functioning (if at all). Even the most basic rules such as no one could look upon the Ark of the Covenant (and to touch it meant instant death) had been lost to history.

Thus, we find a phrase repeated a number of times in the Book of Judges: "In those days, there was no king in Israel, and every man did what was right in his own eyes." This all but sums up the entire Book of Judges.


Israel's need for a king
There is an important purpose to the Book of Judges which is almost universally missed. God demonstrates in the Book of Judges Israel's need for a king. Many, including myself not so long ago, have reflexively said that with Samuel's anointing of King Saul, the Lord gave Israel something He did not want to give them, a king. However, an honest reading of the Book of Judges shows us something different.

In reality, the Lord was showing Israel that they could not function without a king. They could not follow God's laws and commands without a king. Joshua was not officially a king, but in many ways that was his role. Joshua was God's definition of king which is directly opposed to man's definition of a king. Joshua was the example of ideal leadership for the nation of Israel, one they failed to follow.

Man's definition of a king is a man of privileged royalty who is served by his subjects, who usually have no choice in the matter. God's definition of a king is a shepherd who is a kind of servant to those who have chosen to follow him by their own free will. Man's kings use human shields consisting of thousands of men who would lay down their lives for the benefit of a king. God's king would lay down his own life for the benefit of the people. The problem with Israel is that they wanted their definition of a king to rule over them. So, the Lord gave them their desire. It was the TYPE of king and not the idea of being lead by a king which would be the issue between God and His people.



VICTORY AND DEFEAT IN THE PROMISED LAND
A. Continuing victory in Israel

1. (Judges 1:1a) After the death of Joshua
Now it came about after the death of Joshua

After the death of Joshua: In this period of the Judges, Israel lost the critical link in its godly leadership. Moses was the great leader used by God to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. Joshua was Moses's assistant and amazing leader God used to bring the Israelites into the land of promise. However, Joshua appointed no leader after him to guide the Israelites. They were in a critical place where they had to trust God more intensely than they ever had to before.

During this period, there was no standing office of national leadership. Israel had no king, no president, no prime minister, etc. They only had God in heaven. Yet, at the necessary and appropriate time, God would bring forth a leader for the nation. For the most part, these leaders would rise up, do his/her job and then return back into obscurity. This required the people Israel to maintain a real, abiding trust in God.

These national deliverers are not elected. They did not come into leadership through royal succession. They were specially gifted by God for their leadership position.

The people of Israel had many great obstacles. They were surrounded by people who lived in the most terrible idolatry and immorality. The Canaanites were a constant temptation to the Israelites to sin. The idolatrous lives of the Canaanites who lived around Israel focused mainly on three things--money, sex and having a relationship with their gods on their own terms.


2. (Judges 1:1b-2) After Joshua's death, Israel seeks the LORD
The sons of Israel inquired of the LORD, saying, "Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?" The LORD said, "Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand."

The sons of Israel inquired of the LORD: Here the Israelites do the right thing. The do the very thing Joshua would have probably wanted them to do.

Who shall go up first against the Canaanites, to fight them: This was no rhetorical question. During Joshua's day and for a brief period at the beginning of the period of the Judges, asking (or inquiring) of the LORD meant that the Urim and Thummin were used to seek God's will. Of course, this could have only happened when the High Priest was still performing his official role and when the tribal leaders still recognized the High Priest's God-ordained purpose and position.

The LORD said: When Israel sought the LORD, He guided them. This is a consistent pattern throughout the Book of Judges. God never failed to deliver and help His people when they sought Him.

Jesus expresses the same idea in Luke 11:9: "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." When we ask God and seek Him with all our heart, we should expect that He will answer us. His response may come in unexpected ways, but we should expect that it should come.

Judah shall go up: The answer the LORD gave through the Urim and Thummin was that Judah would be the tribe to resume battle to finish the conquest of Canaan. (Reminder, at the beginning of Judges, all of Canaan was not conquered. It was the duty of each tribe to drive the Canaanites out of their territories. This caused Joshua much anguish and frustration. Seven of the tribes refused to accept their territories because it meant the hard and dangerous job of battling the Canaanites fell to them.)

This does not mean that the leaders of the tribe of Judah were appointed to take over for Joshua. However, we will see that Judah would play a special and self-sacrificing role among his brother tribes.


3. (Judges 1:3-7) Judah (with the tribe of Simeon) defeats Bezek and their king
Then Judah said to Simeon his brother, "Come up with me into the territory allotted me, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and in turn we go with you into the territory allotted to you." So Simeon went with him. Judah went up, and the LORD gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands, and they defeated ten thousand men at Bezek. They found Adoni-bezek in Bezek and fought against him, and they defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites. But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes. Adoni-bezek said, "Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to gather up scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has repaid me." So they brought him to Jerusalem and he died there.

Judah said to Simeon his brother: The first thing Judah did was to go to the tribe of Simeon and ask him to fight alongside them. There was a good logical reason for this--Judah and Simeon were brothers. "Then she [Leah] conceived again and bore a son and said, 'Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.' So she named him Simeon. She conceived again and bore a son and said, 'Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have born him three sons.' Therefore he was named Levi. And she conceived again and bore a son and said, 'This time I will praise the LORD.' Therefore she name him Judah. Then she stopped bearing" (Genesis 29:33-35).

Leah was Judah and Simeon's mother; they were full brothers. It was usual for a man to have multiple wives and concubines. So, many times brothers and sisters in the Bible were often half-brothers and half-sisters.

Judah and Simeon essentially volunteered to mutually assist one another. Simeon's territory would more or less be carved out of the center of Judah's territory. In a few more generations, the tribe of Judah would largely absorb the tribe of Simeon. By the time King Solomon sat on the throne, Simeon no longer had its own territory.

The LORD gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands: Judah and Simeon wage war against the Canaanites and Perizzites. At this point in history, the term Canaanites referred in a non-specific way to all the various tribes and peoples who lived in the land of Canaan, even if they were not technically from the genealogical lineage of Canaan. The Perizzites are thought to be a non-specific tribe. It refers to a conglomerate of villages that inhabited the hill country.

They found Adoni-bezek in Bezek: This battle was against Adoni-bezek. Adoni-bezek is not a person's name. Rather, it is a title which means "Lord of Bezek". Bezek was probably the family name of a long established dynasty. When authority was passed from one ruler to the next, each successive ruler would have been called Adoni-bezek. The title would be similar to the "King of England". We do not know the actual name of this individual, and the location of Bezek has been lost to history.

But Adoni-bezek fled: As the battle ensued, Judah and Simeon were winning. The Lord of Bezek fled, as was usual for a king. Judah and Simeon found him, caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes. However, they spared his life. Lord Bezek is rather philosophical about his unpleasant turn of events. He says he treated 70 enemy kings in exactly the same way; God is just returning the favor. Really this is just a statement that was generally understood in the Middle Eastern cultures--an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

Cut off his thumbs and big toes: Why cut off the thumbs and big toes? By doing so, a man became useless in battle. Without thumbs, he could not hold a sword, he could not shoot a bow, he could not be effective in hand to hand combat and he could not even drive a chariot. Without big toes, he lost his mobility. He would walk with a cane; however, he could not run. Therefore, he could not flee from danger. Even if this captured king eventually escaped, his lack of thumbs and big toes meant his days as a leader were over.

Seventy kings: Seventy is not a number that we are to take literally. Seventy means a great but unspecific number.

God has repaid me: The use of the term "God" is the Hebrew word elohim, which is just a generic term used for any god. Adoni-bezek was merely saying that his god, or some god, was repaying him for his lack of mercy with retribution.

They brought him to Jerusalem and he died there: This simply means Adoni-bezek was taken to Jerusalem and died from natural causes. The Israelites did not execute him.

The Book of Judges: An introduction (Part Three)

Israel's leadership
During the time of the Judges, the godly leadership of Joshua and his immediate successors all but disappeared. The Torah-based standards were soon set aside for the self-serving and pragmatic behaviors we are all familiar with in our modern politics.

This condition was not only reserved for the godless, back-slidden leaders of Israel. It was prevalent in every shophet the LORD called upon. Every shophet had significant moral and ethical character flaws. Scripture makes no attempt at hiding them. None of the shophetim of the Book of Judges could compare to the leadership skills and ethics of Joshua and Moses. Samson, in particular, is problematic. This grown man, born under a Nazarite vow, showed no interest in spiritual matters whatsoever. Yet, he was chosen by God to smite the Philistine enemy. Samson was a party animal. He married a foreign wife and loved to show off. His final undoing was a beautiful prostitute who seduced him with little effort.

Earlier in the period of the Judges, Jephthah, whose mother was a harlot, had a reputation so bad, he was chased out of his own tribal territory. However, he was such a good fighter and military leader that he was asked to return to fight his tribe's enemy. When he at least showed some humility, he ruined it by declaring he would sacrifice the first things which came through his home's doorway when he returned from a presumed victory. Upon arriving home, Jephthah's daughter rushed out to meet him.

As we go through each of the seven stories of deliverance, each by a different judge, we will find a dark side and equally preferred sense of morality inherent in each of them. Nothing in Scripture is whitewashed; it shows its heroes to be simply what they are--flawed humans.

While this dark and pessimistic summation of Israel's condition is quite bleak, to be balanced, it must be said that on the positive side, they did well to maintain their tribal structure. When left alone, the tribes were generally harmonious. It was when outside forces were exerted that one tribe would buckle under the pressure. This would sometimes lead to inter-tribal warfare. However, even then, there was no serious attempt to erase the existence of a tribe by means of full and complete genocide.

Israel's Government
During the time of the Judges, Israel had no central leadership as they did under Joshua. The Israelites were supposed to have looked to God to be their king. His will was to be ascertained by the means of the priesthood, the Torah and the use of the Urim and Thummin stones. The priesthood was to have serviced as the central government for the 12 tribes. However, a better characterization of their intended purpose was to be Israel's central conscience and moral compass. It serviced that function, but it rapidly lost its hold as each tribe decided to do things their own way.

Amphictony
The best way to describe Israel's government is amphictony. This is an Ancient Greek political/governmental structure that existed for hundreds of years. Among the Greeks, it was a loose confederation of city-states that attempted to help one another. They had a common defense, economy and had a common set of laws and ethics. This was NOT a centralized government with a visible leader. It was similar in form and function to an extensive trade and security treaty. Currently, one could think about the United Nations where participation is voluntary, and there is no actual central authority.

Israel operated much like an amphictony. While like the Greeks, they too were a loose confederation without a centralized government. However, unlike the Greeks whose binding elements were security and economy, Israel's unity came through family and religion. The tribes of Israel were descended from Jacob. They were all loyal to the Covenant of Moses. They tribes of Israel could be viciously fighting one another for a time. Then they would turn around, recognize they were brothers, and they let bygones be bygones.

Currently, we see this same political situation all over the Middle East, and most notably in Iraq. This is one of the interesting characteristics inherent in tribal societies, which leaves most Westerners confounded and frustrated. One tribe (that we perhaps back politically) is on the verge of soundly defeating another tribe. Then everything inexplicably stops, and they make a peace treaty. Why does this happen? In the end, they recognize their common ancestors and their blood relationship. They do not wish to eliminate their "brothers" from the earth. So, the one tribe spares the other tribe. Keep this in mind when studying the Book of Judges because it will help you understand why the Israelites made some strange and befuddling decisions.

Christian-Israel parallelism
The church and Israel have run nearly parallel historical paths. Using the analogy of two rails on a railroad track, the picture is that of the rails being separate and distinct, never touching. However, they are connected in purpose and origin. They begin at the same place, follow the same path and arrive at the same destination. They are made of the same material and behave in the same way. History is doomed to repeat itself in never-ending cycles until Messiah comes.

Thus, just as the Israelites detoured nearly overnight from their golden era of obedience and faith to God as they conquered Canaan and celebrated victory after victory, in the Book of Judges we see them taking a devastating turn down a path of darkness all the while calling it light and progress. It was only a matter of a couple decades after Joshua's death that we find Israel immersed in idol worship and oppression, all of it at their own hand.

The church is following the same pattern. After centuries of victory when almost every corner of our planet has been penetrated with the Gospel of Jesus, today a loud and growing voice within the church says that sin must be redefined because it does not fit modern societal needs. A Christian no longer even needs to believe in Jesus. The same voice says that love means peace at any price, mercy means protecting the lives of the guilty at the expense of the innocent and unity means compromising principles to the lowest common denominator to achieve consensus. More and more denominations have made it their creed that God by any name is still God. Therefore, we should honor and respect all other religions and see them as the same as Judeo-Christianity because all paths to the divine are equal and good.

Oh Christian, the Book of Judges is an accurate account of the current path of the church...with everyone doing what is right in his own eyes.

The Book of Judges: An Introduction (Part Two)

Themes
There are three main themes in the Book of Judges.

1. The first theme is Israel's military and spiritual struggles. They find themselves wrestling among their own countrymen. Additionally, they continue to have many fights and battles with the remaining Canaanites--the very people Joshua failed to completely drive out of the land--in order to settle the land and create a more lasting and durable society of farmers, shepherds and craftsmen.

2. The second major theme is the grace and long suffering patience of God's faithfulness to the covenant He made with Israel. This is in juxtaposition to Israel's lack of faithfulness and schizophrenic behavior toward God in return.

3.The third theme is what some call the Canaanization of Israel. In other words, it is how the people of God became more and more like the world around them. Instead of separating themselves from the world (as God commands), they conform to the world around them. 

The world surrounding Israel during this time was the various Canaanite tribes. Israel becomes oppressed in many ways by a number of their enemies. However, they were never forcibly dragged into idolatry, and the customs and practices of the Canaanites. Rather, Israel preferred worshipping the pagan gods of the surrounding lands rather than worshipping the one true God. It was not only more tolerant to conform to the gods of the surrounding nations, it was also more economically and socially expedient.

I hope this last theme grabbed your attention because it certainly did mine. I love my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. However, I am tremendously grieved at the place were today's church has arrived. We are in the same place the Israelites were during the time of the Judges. The church is confused and embraces many forms of idolatry. We are told to be tolerant of the paganism which surrounds us. We are to embrace Eastern customs and practices which involve praying to foreign gods and giving alms (in the form of buying books and other materials produced by these groups). We are to allow atheism in our streets and are told there is no proof for the existence of God. We are led deeper and deeper into the dark world of paganism while our church leaders tell us we need to be united with the world and be more opened minded to the world around us. We are headed down the wrong path. We are just like the Israelites.


Background
In the days of the Judges, there was a remnant of Israelite leaders who warned and begged the people to wake up and recognize how their faith had been corrupted by the Israelite leaders who sought to blend in with their neighbors. There was much opposition to the remnant who wished to remain faithful to God. The opponents, who continued to gain more and more power and leadership in Israel, said that the current situation demanded that the definition of sin be altered. Moreover, peace with Israel's neighbors was more important and a greater good than their obedience to God and His laws.


The transition from Moses and Joshua to the time of the Judges
During the time of Joshua and Moses, there was a strong central leadership, and a common government which had God as their king, and the priesthood as His earthly messengers. However, after the death of Joshua and his immediate successors, this system broke down. The high standards and ideals demanded by God and demonstrated by Moses and Joshua were not emulated or admired by most Israelites. In general, they had more important practical matters to contend with such as raising families, growing crops, tending their vineyards and shepherding flocks. Additionally, one of Joshua's last acts was to have a covenant renewal ceremony during which he pleaded with the people to get rid of their false gods and idols. None of this settled well with the people.

Next, Joshua failed to lead Israel to a total and complete conquest of Israel. Joshua's proclivity to make treaties with the various Canaanite tribes instead of driving them out of the land or destroying them (as God had commanded) was going to be Israel's Achille's heel. In short, Israel quickly adapted to the idea of having Canaanites as their neighbors, and they tried to find ways to live among them in peace. This lead to compromise and tolerance of Canaanite ways. Israel lost any enthusiasm they had to finish what they started and complete the conquest of Canaan. The result of that decision is the root of the troubles we witness in the Middle East today.

As a result of this lax attitude, mixed marriages between the Israelites and Canaanites became a normal and accepted practice in a very short time. As with any mixing of cultures, there must be a compromise over whose god would be the preeminent in the blended family. Would it be God or one of the Baal gods? The result lead to syncretism.

Syncretism
Syncretism comes from the word synchronize. We generally understand that to synchronize something means to make two or more things operate simultaneously or in a coordinated way. So syncretism is an attempt to reconcile two different moral or religious systems and mold them into something new. The new system created retains elements of both former ways and is thus accepted by both parties.

When it came to religion in those ancient times, this meant that somebody's god had to take an inferior position to the other person's god. Rarely is this process of blending and harmonizing two religious systems made at a bargaining table. Rather, it usually happens quietly and naturally over time. One moment God is your only god to whom you give your full devotion. Then you marry a Canaanite who worships the Baal gods. A few years later, you suddenly look up and realize that not only is God no longer your only god, He holds an inferior position to another god. What was foreign now is no longer strange. A little more time passes, and now syncretism becomes prevalent. A whole new system has been created, and any questioning of any righteous or wrongness of it disappears. Any memory of how it happened becomes lost to history.

Syncretism and the Church
The church has been engaged in syncretism for centuries. The earliest church syncretism was when it blended pagan religions of the gentiles with the Messianic religion of the Jews. The result was the Roman Church in the West and the Orthodox Church in the East. The progression of Christian syncretism with the world's cultures long ago passed the tipping point. Now, practically every demographic which can be applied to the world is the same for the church--marriage, divorce, abortion, criminal activity and sexual orientation is now nearly indistinguishable between Believers and non-Believers. The culture and behavior which has won out in this constant blending of Christianity and the world is that of the majority, the unbelieving world.

The interfaith movement is currently advancing religious syncretism like an aggressive cancer. It is being touted and admired by many of the top Christian and Jewish leaders all over the world. What was originally intended to harmonize Christian doctrines among the thousands of Christian denominations (to foster unity) is now attempting to harmonize Islam with Christianity and those faiths of the Orient.

For those of you who are undecided as to whether or not the interfaith movement is a good or bad idea, let me remind you that the God-principle which under girds the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation is dividing, electing and separating. The LORD created distinctions between His people and those who are not His people. He demands that those distinctions be maintained. Syncretism is the dissolution of distinctions. Syncretism is what Nimrod strived for with the Tower of Babel.

The Book of Judges: An Introduction (Part One)

Introduction
Most Christians tend to know the Book of Judges mostly from the story of Samson and Deliah. This is a favorite tale among children's Sunday school classes. Who could ever forget the handsome and incredibly strong Samson who had long locks of hair which were the secret to his superhuman strength? Then there is the beautiful woman, Deliah, who seduces Samson and betrays him to his enemies.

The story is usually told in such a way in which we have the unbelievably strong Samson (portrayed as the Hebrew form of the fictional character the Incredible Hulk) who took on the wicked Philistines--one of Israel's main enemies that harassed and controlled a large portion of the 12 Israeli tribes. The climax to the story has Samson sacrificing his own life as a courageous martyr in order to destroy the pagan temple to Dagon while killing many Philistine leaders in the process.

Unfortunately, the way in which the story is commonly told usually misses the point of the story and miscasts the roles of the characters (especially Samson) much the same way King Solomon is often miscast as an extraordinarily wise and regal man just going about doing God's work in the way the Lord approves. Nothing could be farther from the truth in either case.


Authorship
There is no evidence of who wrote the Book of Judges. Jewish tradition says that Samuel did, but otherwise, the author is unknown. The only controversy about the Book of Judges is when it was written, and how many times it may have been edited.


Timeline
There are two basic timelines set forth for the era of the shophetim: the 400-year version and the 200-year version. There are excellent scholars on both sides of this argument, each having a solid foundation for their conclusions.

Within each of these two basic timeline versions, there are differences depending upon whether or not one adds Samuel and Eli as Judges. Their addition automatically extends the period.

Note, one timeline is almost twice as long as the other. The 400-year version sees the Exodus as happening in the 1400's BC while the 200-year version views the Exodus as happening around 1200's BC. The end point of the period of the Judges is around 1040-1020 BC. This endpoint is fairly well established because we have records from a number of sources to show that this is when Saul became the first king of Israel. By definition, when Israel has a king, the era of the Judges ends.


When was the Book of Judges written
The Book of Judges had to be written after all the events of the Book of Judges occurred. Additionally, it had to be penned after the time of Saul because the last words of the Book of Judges says: "In those days there was no king in Israel" (Judges 21:25). So, the writer knew that they would be a king in Israel. Saul was anointed king around 1025 BC or later. 

We can probably narrow down the authorship date a little farther because the writer of the Book of Judges tells us that the city of Gezer was still under control by the Canaanites at the time it was written. We know that by the time of King Solomon, Israel had gained control over Gezer from the Philistines.

The Book of Judges was probably written during the early days of King David, perhaps around 990-995 BC. The important thing to note it that it as written soon after the period of the Judges. The information presented in the book was penned a very short time after the events took place.


The book's title Shophetim

Shophetim--A definition
The title of this book (Judges) easily conjures up a false image of its meaning and, in the 21st century minds, just what their function was in the centuries between Joshua and the first king of Israel. The English title "Book of Judges" come from the Latin Liber Judicum, which comes from the Greek Kritai, which indeed means judge just as we think of it today. In all these languages, the words used are an attempt to translate the Hebrew word Shophetim.

We must not think of the judge portrayed in the Book of Judges as a person who sits behind a bench in dark robes and determines the guilt or innocence of the accused. While some of the several shophetim may have performed this function, it was a minor action they performed which occurred during their roles as leaders. These people did not act in the legal sphere. Rather, they were more like saviors and rescuers raised up for the season and usually limited in purpose among a select group of Israeli tribes. Said another way, these judges were only for certain tribes, not for all of Israel. These leaders had a regional and not national focus.

It is difficult to find words to translate the role of a shophet, the singular form of shophetim which is plural. This is partly because shophetim did not do all the same things. They did not all have the same skill sets and attributes. If we use the word savior in a general sense to at least partially define their purpose, it does help a lot to imagine their roles.

Think about Jesus' role, and it helps us to grasp the office of shophet. Jesus explains He did not come to judge but to save. In other words, during Jesus' first coming He did not come to judge mankind, but He came to save us from our sins. At Jesus' second coming, He will come in an entirely different role as a warrior king. He will not come as a savior but as one who carries out the Father's justice. Thus, He will come as one who judges from a bench and orders sentences to be carried out.

So like the Messiah, these shophetim in the Book of Judges were sent by God to save certain segments of Israel from their predicament as opposed to rendering judicial judgments against Israel.


Shophetim--It's origin
The use of the word shophetim did not first appear in the Book of Judges. We find Moses uses it in Deuteronomy chapters 16, 17 and 19 to describe an appointed leader who was to stand side-by-side with the High Priest. This kind of early shophet had civil judicial responsibilities that extended to the military and to a lesser extent to religious matters. The duties of a shophet changed significantly over time because Israel's circumstances changed. Israel moved from living in the wilderness to the conquest of Canaan to this time here in the Book of Judges. In fact, the shophetim of the Book of Judges would not be recognizable to Moses and vice versa.


Shophetim--12 or 13
There were a number of shophetim raised up by God for Israel. The Book of Judges identifies 12 (or 13 if you include Deborah). There is some disagreement among Jewish and Christian scholars as to who counted as a judge. So, the number of judges can cary by one or two depending whose commentary you read. There are a few names that are often called judges, but it is questionable depending on how you define the office. For instance, Samuel is often included as a judge, but he is not mentioned in the Book of Judges, and the same goes for Eli the High Priest. We do find Abimelech mentioned in the Book of Judges. He is more or less a judge but is often rejected as a legitimate shophet by most biblical scholars because he was self-appointed and not called by God.

Going with the idea that there were 12 judges, they are in chronological order:
Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Barak, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Samson and Abdon. If we add the 13th, it would be Deborah who is concurrent with Barak.

Of these divinely authorized shophetim, there are seven accounts given in the Book of Judges of their actual deliverance of Israel from an oppressor. The seven stories are Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Barak (and Deborah), Gideon, Jephthah and Samson. Five other stories are said in the Book of Judges to have happened; however, there is no account of these which has survived.


Shophetim--Prime Characteristics
The common denominator among all the shophetim in the Book of Judges was their being specifically called by God for this purpose. Theirs is not unlike the office of a true biblical prophet who was also called by God for their divinely appointed office.

Over the centuries, many ancient Hebrews claimed to be prophets. This theme has continued in the early church era through today. We have thousands of believers who declare themselves to be prophets of God. However, from a biblical perspective, a prophet is only a prophet when there is a tangible appointing of that person by God to be a prophet.

So, at least from the time of Joshua's death until the emergence of Saul as Israel's first king, a judge by definition was:
1. Appointed by God.
2. Sent by God as a savior to rescue a group of Israelites from oppression.