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.
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.
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.
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.
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