The Judges
They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers
walked, in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did
not do so. And when the LORD raised up judges for them, the
LORD was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand
of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD
was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who
oppressed them and harassed them. And it came to pass, when
the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more
corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to
serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from
their own doings nor from their stubborn way.
The message that seems to become evident during the dark
period of the judges is that man is inherently sinful and
will always revert back to his evil ways, and the Lord will
always be there for those who cry out to Him, but
forgetting God can only result in bondage and defeat.
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Before he died, Joshua urged Israel to keep trusting God
and obeying His commands, but they didn`t. After Joshua
died, "every man did what was right in his own eyes". They
would forget God, the enemy would severely oppress them,
they would cry out to God for help, and God would raise up
a deliverer (Judge) to free them of their misery. This was
the sad pattern for the Israelites for almost 400 years.
The main deliverer-judges were: Othniel, Deborah, Gideon,
Jephthah, Samson, Eli, and Samuel. (Ruth also lived during
this period). Probably the most important person in this
era was Samuel.
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udges 2:10-19 When all that generation had been gathered
to their fathers, another generation arose after them who
did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for
Israel. Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight
of the LORD, and served the Baals; and they forsook the
LORD God of their fathers, who had brought them out of
the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from
among the gods of the people who were all around them,
and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD
to anger.
They forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.
And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So He
delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled
them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies
all around, so that they could no longer stand before
their enemies. Wherever they went out, the hand of the
LORD was against them for calamity, as the LORD had said,
and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were greatly
distressed. Nevertheless, the LORD raised up judges who
delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered
them. Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they
played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to
them.
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