Judges

The end part of Joshua is concerned with the allocation of the land to the 12 tribes of Israel, which is apportioned as follows:


The book of Joshua then ends with Joshua urging the people to keep the covenant God made with them at Sinai and assuring them that if they do, God will continue to push back their enemies. Joshua warns them specifically against turning away from God to worship the idols of the Canaanites still left in the land. The people then formally renew the covenant – following a quick recap of God’s favour towards Israel to date (note again the importance of remembering what God has already done!). Joshua then dies and, highly symbolically, the bones of Joseph are buried.

Then we get to the Judges where we see that, “the real struggle to bring Israel continued long after Joshua.”[1] During the period of the Judges, Israel maintains its national identity but “the different tribes of Israel were primarily concerned with their own affairs.”[2] Within this period there was no king over the nation as a whole, rather the different tribes had judges. These judges weren’t so much appointed by the people but rather by God and so naturally arose as leaders due to their gifts, strength and wisdom. Judges lists 12 different judges but talks in length about only 6[3] – Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jepthah and Samson (NB, if you want to listen to a brilliant sermon on Jepthah, check out Haddon Robinson, “The Danger of a Strong Faith and Weak Theology.”)

Within the book of Judges there is an oft-repeated cycle, in that when Israel are faithful to God, they prosper. However, when they turn aside from God to other idols they find themselves oppressed by their enemies, so they repent and cry out to God; God raises up a judge to bring deliverance; they are rescued, turn aside from God and the cycle begins again! [4] 

Towards the end of Judges there is the repeated refrain: “In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes.” – see 17:6, 25:1 and – for slightly different versions - 18:1, 19:1. This refrain resonates with God’s promises of a king in:

Gen. 17:6 – “I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.”

Gen. 49:10 – “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and the obedience of the peoples is his.”

Num. 24:17-19 – “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near – a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the borderlands of Moab, and the territory of all the Shethites. Edom will become a possession, Seir a possession of its enemies, while Israel does valiantly. One out of Jacob shall rule, and destroy the survivors of Ir.”

And Deut. 17:14-20.

All of these positive references to kingship have to be born in mind when we come to look at the story of Saul...

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[1] John Drane, “Introducing the Old Testament,” 75.

[2] John Drane, “Introducing the Old Testament,” 76.

[3] John Drane, “Introducing the Old Testament,” 77.

[4] John Drane, “Introducing the Old Testament,” 78.