From Rest to Chaos Judges How Israel almost Lost Its Inheritance

The Setting Israel has possessed the land of promise But there remain pockets of non-Israelite identity and culture Joshua, the last direct link with Moses and the Sinai Covenant, has died The Elders who worked with Joshua to shape the nation according to the Covenant have all died

The Book of Judges Introduction (promises of success, failure & judgment) (1:1-3:6) The Cycles of the Judges (3:7-16:31) 6 “Major” Judges: Othniel (paradigm) Ehud (loner, folk hero, from Benjamin, eastern enemy) Deborah (the woman) Gideon (Baal vs. Yahweh is the critical issue) Jephthah (the social outcast) Samson (loner, folk hero, from Dan, western enemy) 6 “Minor” Judges: Shamgar, Tolah, Jair, Ibzan, Elon, Abdan 1 “Anti-” Judge: Abimelech Appendices (a nation fallen from Covenant faithfulness) (17-21) Religious Confusion and Removal of Dan (600 warriors) (17-18) Moral Decay and Removal of Benjamin (600 warriors) 19-21)

Note These Things: There is a subtle symmetry pervasive in this book: In the first story the Israelites ask Yahweh which tribe should go up first to fight the Canaanites (1:1-2); in the last story the Israelites ask Yahweh which tribe should go up first to fight the Benjamites (20:18); each time the answer is “Judah” There are 12 judges; half of the stories are told, half are only listed There is social and geographical symmetry between Ehud and Samson There is social symmetry between Deborah and Jephthah There is religious symmetry between Gideon and his anti-judge son Abimelek There is symmetry between the two major stories of the appendix: A Levite passes between Judah & Ephraim across the Dan- Benjamin corridor, is violated, incites tribal unrest Dan and Benjamin essentially lose their inheritance in the covenant community

Note These Things: The troubles during the time of the Judges are related to the curses of the Covenant (2:1-5) The “Judges” are religious/political clan leaders, not attached to any “legal” profession The story of Othniel (3:7-11) sets the literary paradigm for all the stories of the book: Israel breaks covenant with Yahweh Yahweh allows an adversary to trouble the people The people cry out to Yahweh for deliverance Yahweh raises up a leader to defeat the enemy and rule There is peace for “X” years until that “judge” dies

Note These Things: All the “Judges” deliver the people from fairly close neighbors except for Gideon who typologically focuses the issue of legitimate authority in Israel Because most of the stories of the Judges are local conflicts, the stories may overlap and are not likely to be strictly consecutive The story of Ehud (3:12-30) is told chiastically, with the message of the dagger as its central element!

Note These Things: Deborah (woman) and Jephthah (social outcast) are symbolic of the leaderless condition of the nation (so the recurring refrain in the appendices: “in those days there was no king in Israel…”) Gideon attacks Baal worship while his son Abimelek (“My Father is King”) reasserts it Samson mirrors the life and character of Israel as a nation

Samson & Israel: A Look in the Mirror Both are miraculously born Both are dedicated to God from birth Both are unusually strong Both are nourished by way of water from a rock Both are constantly lured by the enticements of surrounding nations Both call out to God only when in distress Both are willing to compromise their commitments and defile their religious purity Both continue to be agents of divine deliverance Both experience times under the control of others

Joshua & Judges In Joshua the clearly appointed and prepared leader brings Israel into its “Rest” in the promised land as a community of witness to the nations of the world In Judges Israel loses her “Rest” through covenant breaking and nearly loses her place in the land (cf. Dan & Benjamin) through failure to possess and remain true to Yahweh and live as the community of witness