Bible Studies
Who Will Lead God’s People? (Judges 1:1-2)
Series: Studies in the Book of JudgesIntroduction:
1. Leadership is a critical need among God’s people whether we are speaking of today or at some other period of history. 2. The key question in the Book of Judges is, “Who is going to lead Israel?” 3. Previously, Moses had led them. Then the mantle of leadership had passed to Joshua. The Almighty God was the force behind their leadership.a. God had brought the people out of the land of Egypt under Moses.
b. He had brought them into the promised land under the leadership of Joshua.
c. But no single leader presented himself after Joshua.
4. The people had dispersed themselves throughout the land and two major problems presented themselves.a. First and foremost was the problem of the deteriorating religious condition.
b. Second, there was the problem of a lack of unifying leadership.
Discussion:
I. The Book of Judges opens and closes with the issue of leadership. The structure of the book indicates that they are going further away from good leadership rather than coming closer to it.A. As we have read, the book opens with Israel asking God, “Who shall go up first against the Canaanites, to fight against them?” “Who will lead us now that Joshua is dead?”
1. It is a good thing for them to be asking God.
a. He had selected Moses (Ex. 3) and Joshua.
b. Joshua had been beside Moses early on.
c. Before his death Moses had laid his hands on Joshua and thus Joshua was established as the next leader of Israel (Deut. 34; Josh. 1).
d. Two things I would call to your attention here.
1) It is a good thing to inquire of God regarding who your leaders are going to be. Even now as we think of the selection and appointment of overseers in this congregation. But also as you give consideration to family leadership, and governmental leadership, and every area of leadership. Does this person have God’s approval? Do they meet God’s qualifications for leadership?
2) It is a good thing when the mantle of leadership can be transferred from one to another with smooth and unbroken transition.
2. At the end of Judges this same question is raised when Israel executed justice against the Benjaminites (20:18).
B. In both instances God choose the tribe of Judah to lead.
1. We should not be surprised by this.
2. In Gen. 49:9-10 Jacob had prophesied “the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet.”
3. The first judge, Othniel, was from the tribe of Judah (3:9-11). Barry Webb (NICOT, p. 34), identifies him as “a model judge whose career exemplifies what a judge was meant to be and do.”
C. Judges 1 begins with Judah and ends with Dan. Judah and Dan are contrasting tribes in Judges.
1. The tribe of Dan had real trouble gaining a foothold in the promised land (1:34).
2. The book of Joshua does not define the borders of Dan. There is only a list of cities allocated to Dan (Josh. 19:40-48) and some of these had been assigned to Judah (15:33). There is no clear evidence that Dan captured their allotted territory. Judges 1:34 has them migrating northward overpowered by the Amorites.
3. The genealogies of Chronicles overlook them all together.
4. Sarna (JPS, Genesis, p. 340) suggests that Dan intermingled with the neighboring peoples.
5. Later when the kingdom divided Jeroboam set up idols at Dan and Bethel (1 Kings 12:29). This may have been an easy task.
D. Interestingly, our list of judges begins with Othniel from Judah and ends with Samson from Dan.
1. Othniel was described as the model judge.
2. Samson, on the other hand, represents intermarriage (twice) with the Philistines, and violation of his covenant (Nazarite vow) to God.
II. There was a lack of cohesion and unity among the tribes of Israel.A. At the beginning of Judges there is opposition to their enemies, but by the end of the book she has turned on herself in civil war. The civil war is to punish the guilty, but it is nevertheless an internal conflict.
B. At the beginning when God selects Judah to lead there is an alliance made with Simeon, but it might be argued that they fought on their own behalf and not for the whole of Israel.
C. The descriptions of chapter one identify single tribes fighting on their own, not the unified effort characteristic of the days of Moses and Joshua.
1. The lack of cohesion among the tribes may be attributable to a variety of factors—geography, distance, Canaanites separating between tribes, difficulty in movement—lack of roads, mountains to traverse, difficulty in transportation, lack of safety on roads, distractions of getting settled into the land.
2. Deborah castigates some tribes for not fighting with the others (5:14-18). Dan is one of these.
3. Ephraim claims they were not invited to Gideon’s battle, but were then placated by a compliment (8:1-3).
4. In Jephthah’s story Ephraim complains again, but will not be placated so that Jephthah fought against them and defeated them (12:1ff).
5. In the closing chapters they are united in their fight against Benjamin, but one clan did not appear on the battle scene, that of Jabesh-gilead—that clan was destroyed (21:8).
III. What lessons can we take from all of this?A. In the kingdom of God God appoints His leader.
1. Jesus Christ is His appointed one (Matt. 28:19).
2. Under His leadership there is unity and peace in the kingdom (Eph. 2:11-22).
B. The energy of the kingdom is to be turned on the common enemy (Eph. 6:10ff) and not on one another (Gal. 5:13-15).
C. The kingdom is designed to “take possession” of the world (Matt. 28:19), but there are many distractions. Not the least of which are the regular materialistic pursuits of life (cf. Deut. 6:10ff) which thwart the accomplishment of our mission.
D. The kingdom is to “take possession” NOT “be taken” by the world.
1. Israel was to take possession of the promised land. Instead she was taken in by the Canaanites. She allowed the influences of the world to draw her away from the Lord.
2. We are to take possession (Matt. 5:13-16). We must have a clear eye for our purpose (Matt. 6:22-23). We cannot allow materialistic pursuits to distract us from our purpose of seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness (Matt. 6:24-34).
Conclusion:
1. The lesson of Judges is powerfully relevant for us today. 2. Will you submit to God’s leadership? Will you give yourself to the accomplishment of the mission? 3. While Joshua brought them into the promised land he spoke of another rest after that. Let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one fall, by following their example of disobedience (Heb. 4:8-11).
