"Whenever the LORD raised up a judge over Israel, he was with that judge and rescued the people from their enemies throughout the judge’s lifetime. For the LORD took pity on his people, who were burdened by oppression and suffering. But when the judge died, the people returned to their corrupt ways, behaving worse than those who had lived before them. They went after other gods, serving and worshiping them. And they refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways." – Judges
2:18-19.
The book of Judges, the 7th book in the Bible, is a fascinating look at the life of Israel, now in the land of Canaan. It’s a book of tribes, a book of land, but ultimately it’s a book about God and his people. Moses has died. Joshua dies in the beginning of chapter 2 of this book, and now the people are left to make the choice for themselves of whom they are going to follow. The influence of the Canaanite people is strong and we see quickly that Israel falls into disobeying the Lord. The verse immediately following Joshua’s death says “After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the LORD or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel.” But thank God that he would send judges to remind Israel of who he was and is and is to come.
Judges is a rich, episodic book where we see Deborah and Gideon and Samson and many others wrestle, some better than others, with how to point the people of Israel back to God. To help us navigate the book of Judges is Dr. Kenneth Way. Dr. Way is the Professor and Chair of Old Testament at Talbot School of Theology and has written a commentary on the book of Judges.
Doable Discipleship is a Saddleback Church podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. It premiered in 2017 and now offers more than 400 episodes. Episodes release every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app and on the Saddleback Church YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/saddleback).
Resources Related to This Episode:
Judges-Ruth Teach the Text Commentary - https://www.amazon.com/Judges-Ruth-Teach-Text-Commentary/dp/0801092159
Related Doable Discipleship Episodes:
Navigating the Bible: Joshua - https://youtu.be/hF28aThBtFs
Navigating the Bible: Deuteronomy - https://youtu.be/HzmNgPOM4zU
Navigating the Bible: Numbers - https://youtu.be/H1HO6V9HDxs
Navigating the Bible: Leviticus - https://youtu.be/08RhDCXYex4
Navigating the Bible: Exodus - https://youtu.be/NB9UTpS1F3M
Navigating the Bible: Genesis - https://youtu.be/ddhjMfOoasA
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