The Need for Righteous Leadership
The Global Message of Judges for Today
Introduction to Judges
Timeline
Author and Date
Nowhere in Scripture is an author of this book named. The events in Judges 1:1 took place in the period between Joshua’s death and the rise of Samuel and Saul. Most of the book was likely written by David’s time (1010–970 B.C.).
Theme
The theme of Judges 1:1 is the downward spiral of Israel’s national and spiritual life into chaos and rebellion against God, showing the need for a godly king (Judges 17:6; Judges 21:25).
Purpose and Pattern
The book of Judges 1:1 was written to show the consequences of religious unfaithfulness and to point the way to a king who, if righteous, would lead the people to God. In the book of Joshua 1:1, the people of Israel seemed to want to follow the Lord and obey his commands. The book of Judges 1:1 reveals, however, that the people had been rebelling even in Joshua’s time. This disobedience continued and grew more serious throughout the period of the judges. As summarized in Judges 2:16, time and again Israel turned its back on God and embraced the gods and ways of the Canaanites. Israel’s history unfolds in a repetitive way, with each cycle taking Israel further away from God. By the end of the book, Israel had violated its covenant with God in almost every way imaginable.
Key Themes
- Israel’s existence in the land, which had been promised by God, was threatened by its continuing rebellion. Israel had not conquered the land completely (ch. Judges 1:1), because of its unfaithfulness (Judges 2:1, Judges 2:20). Therefore, the day would come when the nation would be taken captive, away from the land (Judges 18:30).
- The oppressions, chaos, and generally negative picture in the book are due to Israel’s repeated sin. Time and again the Israelites broke the covenant, turning to the Canaanite gods and “doing evil” (Judges 2:3, Judges 2:11, Judges 2:17, Judges 2:19; Judges 3:6, Judges 3:7, Judges 3:12; Judges 4:1; Judges 6:1, Judges 6:10; Judges 8:24, Judges 8:33; Judges 10:6; Judges 13:1; Judges 17:6; Judges 21:25), and they repeatedly suffered the consequences.
- Despite Israel’s repeated falling away, God in his faithfulness continually delivered them. This was not due to Israel’s merits or its repentance. Instead it was because of God’s compassion and pity (Judges 2:16, Judges 2:18) and his faithfulness to his promises to Abraham (Deuteronomy 6:10; compare Genesis 12:7; Genesis 15:7, Genesis 15:18; Genesis 26:2; Genesis 35:12).
- The judges were not able to stop the peoples’ unfaithfulness. If anything, they made it worse. Major judges such as Gideon (Judges 8:24), Jephthah (Judges 11:30, Judges 11:34), and Samson (chs. Judges 14:1) were guilty of significant sin. The shining exception was Deborah (chs. Judges 4:1).
- Israel needed a godly king to lead it in doing right in the Lord’s eyes rather than a leader who “did what was right in his own eyes” (compare Judges 17:6; Judges 21:25). God had promised from the beginning that there would be kings (Genesis 17:6, Genesis 17:16; Genesis 35:11; Genesis 49:10), and had explained what a godly king would look like (Deuteronomy 17:14). The book of Judges 1:1 shows the depths to which the people of Israel descended in the absence of a godly king.
Outline
- The Roots of Israel’s Unfaithfulness (Judges 1:1)
- The Downward Spiral of Israel’s Unfaithfulness (Judges 3:7)
- The Depths of Israel’s Unfaithfulness (Judges 17:1)
The Setting of Judges
c. 1375 B.C.
The book of Joshua 1:1 told the story of Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land. But the conquest was not complete. The book of Judges 1:1 tells of the various leaders raised up to deliver Israel from the enemies remaining in the land.
The Global Message of Judges
Who Will Lead Israel?
The book of Judges 1:1 continues the redemptive history narrated in the book of Joshua 1:1. Judges 1:1 begins with, “After the death of Joshua...,” just as the book of Joshua 1:1 began with, “After the death of Moses...” (Joshua 1:1). The reader therefore might expect that God will appoint a Moses-like leader for Israel upon Joshua’s death, just as he had appointed Joshua as a second Moses (see Joshua 1:1, Joshua 1:16; Joshua 3:7; Joshua 4:14). While the tribe of Judah is confirmed in its role of leading the twelve tribes in battle, nevertheless no “Moses figure” emerges for Israel after Joshua (Judges 1:1; Judges 2:8). Still, the mention of Judah is perhaps significant, for the ancient prophecy had foretold that from Judah a messianic world-king would arise. Perhaps God was now setting the tribe in its leadership role to keep this promise in view before all Israel (Genesis 49:9; see Numbers 2:9; Judges 1:1; Judges 20:18).
This expectation of an ultimate king from Judah, and the presentation of evidence of Israel’s acute need for such a king, quietly shapes the rest of the book of Judges 1:1.
The Need for Righteous Leadership
In Judges 1:1, the second generation passes away and a leaderless third generation, “who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel,” takes over (Judges 2:10). This generation quickly abandons the Lord and serves other gods (Judges 2:11). Under the leadership of Joshua, Israel had remained faithful to the Lord (see Joshua 24:31). Likewise in Judges 1:1, after a judge delivers Israel, the people return to the Lord and remain faithful all the days of that judge’s rule. It becomes clear that Israel must have divinely chosen and righteous leadership in place in order to flourish, for such leadership restrains her inclination to idolatry and keeps her faithful to her covenant Lord.
Crisis
“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6; Judges 21:25; compare Judges 18:1; Judges 19:1). This ominous statement frames the final section of the book—noteworthy for its lack of any divinely-appointed leader—and provides the reason for Israel’s meltdown in the final chapters. There was no king in Israel. God raises the judges up in response to Israel’s cries for help, after Israel has already fallen into distress. The judges therefore are thrown into a crisis already in progress. A king would offer leadership of a more permanent nature and could prevent such crisis situations.
The original purpose of the book of Judges 1:1 was therefore to demonstrate that Israel needed a divinely chosen and righteous king. The king must implement the Lord’s rule over Israel and restrain her inclination toward idolatry lest she forfeit her life in the Promised Land. Israel’s wayward heart also jeopardizes the global mission of God, for if Israel does not faithfully trust God in the Promised Land, she will not be able to fulfill her calling to be a light to the nations of the world (Gen Judges 12:1; note also Isaiah 49:6).
Judges 1:1 shows that death poses a serious dilemma for leadership continuity. For in the gap left by the death of a leader, Israel is left without a restraint against her inclination toward idolatry. Whether it was Joshua or one of the judges who died, Israel always strayed (Judges 2:6; compare Deuteronomy 31:27). Israel’s deepest need is for a divinely chosen and righteous king from Judah who would live forever to rule over the people of God. Sensing this, a later psalmist asked the Lord for just this kind of king (Psalms 72:1). In Christ, this need is finally met.
Universal Themes in Judges
The true global Judge and King. Global Christians learn from the book of Judges 1:1 that the Lord—and none other—is Judge and King of all the world. God’s purpose in his mission of redemption is to fulfill his original intentions for creation. The Creator-King’s goal is the restoration of righteous human rule over the world, under God as ultimate King. The book of Judges 1:1 supports this goal by reaffirming two realities. First, the people of God need a divinely chosen and righteous human king if they are to flourish. This human king would not rule apart from God but would implement the rule of God over the people of God. Second and more fundamentally, however, God is the true Judge and King (Judges 8:22; Judges 11:27). While God rules through human leaders, he will always remain his people’s ultimate King. He alone is worthy of their exclusive allegiance, devotion, and worship (Psalms 96:9). The foundation of his throne is justice and righteousness, and his kingdom is everlasting (Psalms 89:14; Psalms 145:13).
Longing for the righteous ruler of all creation. When we turn to the New Testament, the global mission takes a climactic step forward in Jesus of Nazareth. The Creator-King’s mission to restore human rule over the world finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the ultimate human judge, for whom Samson and the other judges provided a prophetic pattern. Barak, for example, delivered Israel from Jabin, king of Canaan, but Christ delivers the people of God from Satan (Colossians 1:13). Gideon secured rest in the land for forty years; Christ secures the ultimate rest of a new and everlasting creation (Hebrews 4:8). The longing for an ultimate, divinely chosen, and righteous king from Judah is fulfilled in Christ (Revelation 5:5). He embodies perfect human ruling as the crucified, resurrected, and enthroned Lord of the world, and he brings many sons and daughters to glory in order that they might share in his rule (Hebrews 1:1; Hebrews 2:5).
Jesus is Lord. All Christians around the world, whatever their cultural or ethnic background, bow to God, the Lord of heaven and earth, and to his Son, Jesus Christ. And one day, every tongue and every people will confess that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:10).
The Global Message of Judges for Today
Urgent need for godly leadership. A primary lesson from Judges 1:1 for Christians around the world concerns the need for consistent, godly leadership. The story of the church in the twentieth century was its unprecedented growth in the non-Western world. The church is no longer merely a faith of the West but has emerged as a global reality, with some 2.2 billion people affiliated and with adherents in virtually every nation. Although this global growth is cause for celebration, it has also created new issues. One urgent concern is that the explosive growth has outstripped the global church’s ability to provide trained leadership for its churches. In Ethiopia, for example, one single pastor may be called upon to provide oversight to five or six rural churches.
Not a leadership manual. However, in its urgent quest to develop healthy leaders, the global church must not turn to the book of Judges 1:1 as if it were a leadership manual. It wasn’t written merely to offer practical advice. Instead, the book of Judges 1:1—together with all the other narrative books of the Old Testament—functions primarily to tell its part of redemptive history and to document the unstoppable progress of God’s global program of new creation. In and through and despite sinful people, God’s mission advances to heal the wounds caused by rebellious humanity and their destructive “leadership” decisions. The Bible does, however, provide much wisdom and guidance concerning what church leaders should be and what they should do. The reader is encouraged to turn to the letters of the apostle Paul—especially his letters to Timothy and Titus—for help in this regard.