Bible Summary Judges 1-3
Judges 1: During this period of the judges, there was no leadership. Israel had no king, only God in heaven. Yet at the necessary and appropriate times God brought forth a leader for the nation. For the most part these leaders would rise up, do his job. This required that the people of Israel maintain a real, abiding trust in God. Here they did the right thing – the thing Joshua would have wanted them to do. With Joshua gone, they were not left without a leader; they were simply called to a renewed trust in God. The leaders of the tribe of Judah acted wisely here. By partnering with another tribe, the work was much easier. Here, the tribes functioned; the tribe of Benjamin simply had to enter into what was already theirs. It would certainly take effort, but the critical battle was over. Jerusalem belonged to them.
Lesson learnt: God never failed to deliver and help His people when they sought Him.
Judges 2: In this Chapter the Angel of God appeared to the people of Israel warning them about worshipping idols and also reminded them that he brought them out of the land of Egypt. The Angel also reminded them of God's convenant with Israel that the Lord will bless those that obey Him and curse those that disobey Him.
Lesson learnt: God always keep his promise in our lives.
Judges 3: In this Chapter God left these Canaanite nations behind because Israel was not faithful in driving them out, the reason that God didn’t just eliminate these nations is again stated. It was to prove Israel’s commitment to God and His word. If they were obedient to the word of God the other nations would not hinder them and they would grow strong enough to drive them out completely. Part of the accommodation of Israel to the pagan peoples surrounding them was their sin of intermarriage with the pagan nations in their midst. Their ungodly romances led them to the worship of the pagan deities Baal and Ashtoreth. God gave Israel just what they wanted. They didn’t want to serve God, so He allowed them to be in bondage to a pagan king. Israel reaped exactly what they sowed. After the eight years of bondage Israel finally cried out in dependence on God. The LORD raised up a deliverer…Othniel: Othniel was the son-in-law of the great hero Caleb, After God brought deliverance through the work of Othniel, Israel eventually drifted away from their dependence and obedience towards God. Their victory did not automatically last forever; it had to be maintained. When the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer: Ehud asked the Israelites to follow him, because he was their leader. Yet he also encouraged them to look with faith to the LORD.
Lesson learnt: It often takes many years of bondage and calamity before man looks away from self and looks unto God.
