The Judges of Israel

From: Messages of God's Love: 1938

God had said that the men of Israel should drive out the wicked nations in Canaan, and destroy their images (Deut. 7:22-26²²And the Lord thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. ²³But the Lord thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed. ²⁴And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them. ²⁵The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the Lord thy God. ²⁶Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing. (Deuteronomy 7:22‑26).)

But some of Israel did not obey Him, and, instead, worshiped the images too, and made friends with their heathen neighbors, following their evil ways.

They had no leader like Joshua or Moses. But they had God’s words written down, if they had only obeyed them.

At last the people of Israel became so wrong that God allowed a heathen king to come from another country and force them under his rule. This was very sad, and they served him eight years, before they prayed to God for help. Then God gave a brave man, named Othniel, the wisdom to deliver them; from the king ( Judges 3:5-11⁵And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites: ⁶And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods. ⁷And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgat the Lord their God, and served Baalim and the groves. ⁸Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim eight years. ⁹And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. ¹⁰And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the Lord delivered Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushan-rishathaim. ¹¹And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died. (Judges 3:5‑11)).

And Othniel was the first Judge of Israel and they had peace while he lived.

Afterward God gave other judges. One Judge, named Shamgar, saved Israel from the enemy by using a queer weapon, a stick with a sharp, prong in it, made for driving oxen (Judges 3:31³¹And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel. (Judges 3:31)).

One Judge was a woman, Deborah, who believed God would save Israel, and went with the army to a great battle. After that there was no trouble for forty years.

But the people of Israel again worshiped idols and did many evil ways, so God let nations front different parts come to trouble them. Those people camped in great numbers in the land, and took the herds and grain of Israel for themselves.

They destroyed so much that there was not enough food left for Israel, and some even had to hide in dens and caves in the mountains for fear of being hurt.