Judges

Overview – July/August 2014 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Judges

“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” —Judges 21:25 NKJV

Judges is a sad contrast to Joshua. It deals with the time during which a succession of judges followed Joshua as governors of Israel in their land. Its main theme is Israel's failure to take possession of all their land. Instead, through indifference or weakness (or both), they did not drive out the enemies of God. Thus those enemies often brought Israel into subjection to them. Again and again through disobedience to God they were overcome by enemies – yet on every such occasion God in wonderful mercy raised up a deliverer for them.

This reminds us of those books in the New Testament, such as Galatians and 1 Corinthians, written because of the need of serious reproof and correction. Though we may in some degree be enjoying the pure truth of the living Word of God, our inheritance – that great land of the heavenly places with its innumerable blessings – remains largely unpossessed by the saints of God. Lack of faith, spiritual energy and genuine love for Christ has left us too indifferent to the precious fullness of the possessions that are properly ours.

The last verse of the book of Judges, quoted at the beginning of this section, emphasizes Israel's unthankful independence in those days – each man doing what was right in his own eyes. A spirit of insubjection to proper authority will leave any of us just as barren of spiritual prosperity.

By Leslie M. Grant

This column is taken from the book: The Bible, Its 66 Books In Brief.
It is available from the publisher:Believer’s Bookshelf USA.