Here come the Judge

- The book of Judges opens with a question and in my mind just leads to a whole bunch of other questions.

- After Joshua died, Israel asked the LORD who was going to fight the Canaanites for them? (Lead them)

- Totally disregarding the fact that it was GOD’s military leading through Joshua and, in some cases, even providing supernatural victories.

- Let’s revisit Moses’ leading for a minute, Moses took a young man called Joshua son of Nun and made him his assistant as a youth.

- Moses spoke into his life, mentoring and teaching him.

- GOD oversees this transfer in leadership in Deut. 1:38 and reminds Moses to encourage Joshua.

- Upon Moses’ death even though the priesthood had already been established, Israel as a nation looked to Joshua for leadership and direction in entering and subduing the promised land.

- No where in the book (scroll) of Joshua are we ever told that Joshua did for someone else what Moses had done for him. No mentoring, teaching or spiritual guidance is ever mentioned about Joshua passing on the torch.

- The High priest held a substantial role in mediating between GOD and the people in all aspects including military as we see the times Moses and Joshua along with the Elders inquired about direction from the LORD regarding battles.

- I challenge you to look through Judges and find anywhere that the High priest stepped into his authority given by GOD and provided leadership and direction for his people.

- Do some mining of the text, who was the High priest at the time Joshua started the conquest? It was also said of him that he judged Israel for forty years. Does he ever make an appearance in the book of Judges?

- Going back to the original question, “Who will fight for us?”

- Notice GOD’s answer to the people’s inquiry of who shall lead them, “Judah shall go up”, GOD gave the land into his hand.

- Judah, the man, is long since dead at this point so we can only assume that GOD is referring to the Tribe and leaders of Judah.

- The tribe of Judah then directs the rest of tribes in helping each of the tribes in the task of claiming their inheritance. Nope, that’s not what happens, Judah asks the tribe of Simeon (“his brother”, wait... are they not all brothers?) to help them get their inheritance first, then they will help Simeon to gain their allotment of land.

- The Lion of the Tribe of Judah will eventually appear on the scene and put others before himself, but Judea the tribe (the people) are thinking only of themselves first and foremost.

- I find it interesting that the battle of Bezek includes the capture of a Lord Bezek who had in the past vanquished 70 kings and cut off all their thumbs and big toes and they were left alive to eat scraps under the table of Lord Bezek as further humiliation. Bezek then recognizes that when Judah and Simeon dealt with him like he did with the 70 previous kings, he concluded it was GOD repaying him for what he had done to the others, and later he eventually died in Jerusalem.

- Caleb’s story is mentioned here along with his daughter and Son-in-law.

- The descendants of Moses’ father in-law are mentioned as being amongst the people of Judah. 

- Verse 19 it is written that the LORD was with Judah, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of Iron.

- Nowhere are we ever told that Judah ever asked for guidance, direction, help from the other tribes (other than Simeon). Did they inquire a solution to their chariot problem by the hand of the High priest?

- Then the list continues with Benjamin not able to drive out the Jebusites.

- Manasseh is not able to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean or Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, or the inhabitants of Megiddo.

- Ephraim was not able to drive out the Canaanites in Gezer.

- Zebulun could not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or Nahalol, eventually they would make them slave laborer’s, which is not what GOD had directed them to do.

- The list and the tribes continue and eventually in Chapter 2, the angel of the LORD is angry with Israel, they were not doing what they were tasked to do, and the angel of the LORD says, “I will not drive out the people of the land, they will become thorns in your sides, and their gods will become snares to you.” It is written that people wept there, they wept but they didn’t do anything about it.

- It goes on to talk about the LORD raising up judges, repeatedly.

- My final question cycles back to the High Priest and his silence in and through all of this. Where was the mediation? Where was the spiritual leader of Israel in teaching covenant reminders, not serve other gods? Where was the reminders to the Elders, Tribes, and parents to teach the next generation, all of GOD’s past mighty works and faithfulness?

- Jesus was not a silent high priest, Jesus did the hard work for you and me, and now he’s waiting to see if we will step up and join him in his work to spread the GOoD news and reclaim the nations. If you are Christ’s, don’t be like the silent High Priest, do the work.

Next – Eleven Men and a Lady.

(Originally I said 10, apparently I can't count)