The Judges and the Mission of God

By Henry Nawl Thang Bik

For our better understanding, let us have a short looking into the background of the period of Judges.

A. Brief Background of the Period of Judges

1.  The Period of Judges:  - The approximate date for this period is 1220-1040 B.C.E. This period is known as the Dark Ages in the history of Israel. The book of Judges is a commentary on the nature and characteristics of spiritual apostasy. One of the factors leading to national apostasy was the wide-spread intermarriage between the Israelites and the Canaanites in the land. As a result, the people were led to abandon their worship of Yahweh and serve Baalism.[1] Therefore, Donald K.C. affirms, “The Judges has been called ‘one of the saddest books in the Bible.’”[2] The reason for calling the period of Judges as ‘the failure’ or ‘the saddest period,’ according to Larry Richards is ‘Disobedience’[3] (Judg. 21: 25). This period includes the book of Judges, Ruth and I Samuel. At the end of Joshua the tribes of Israel were in the land Yahweh had promised to the Patriarchs. They had subdued some of the enemies, but not all. The story is resumed where it ended in Joshua.[4]

2. Political Background: -The political situation in Israel during this period is presented in (Judg. 1: 1-2:5). During this period, there was a problem of disunity, internal fights and conflicts and external pressure also. Because of the fights within, they were not able to help one another. Therefore, most of its towns suffered destruction, some of them repeatedly, during this period.[5]

 

3. The Socio-Economic Condition: - The period of Judges was for Israel one of adaptation, adjustment and consolidation. This period also witnessed a gradual but marked improvement in Israel economy. Skills were learned, material culture advanced. The introduction of Camel caravans for desert transport at about this time, and the expansion of the sea-borne commerce, in which members of Israelites tribes seem to have participated (Judg. 5:17), undoubtedly contributed to the general prosperity. Numerous towns were built where none had been before. Additional land was secured for cultivation by clearing the forests that had covered much of the high lands both East and West of the Jordan (Josh. 17: 14-18).[6]

B. The Meaning of Judges

The Hebrew title of the book is “sopetim” in English, is “Judges.” John J. Davis and John C. Whitcomb affirm that this title is based on the type of leadership Israel experienced between the days of the elders who ruled after Joshua and the rise of King Saul.[7] But the original word is derived from Hebrew verb form, “ Shaphat” or “Shophet,”  connotes “one whose role was to ‘bring into right relationship with,’”[8] and according to Leon Wood, “It is simply to make a decision between two or more alternative possibilities,” and he added, “It is service as leader.”[9]

C. The Judges

The story of Judges is the story of the deliverance on the part of God. God used various Judges as delivers. Altogether there were, according to Dean L. Gossett, fifteen Judges[10] raised up by God to lead Israel during this troubled period. They were, Othniel, Elud, Shamgar, Deborah, Barak, Gideon, Tola, Jair, jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, Samson, Eli and Samuel. These judges were warriors, priests or prophets. And chief among the Judges were Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson and Samuel,[11] who was the last prophet-judge and undoubtedly the greatest spiritual leader of Israel since the time of Moses.[12]

D. The Judges and Their Specialties in God’s Mission

During this period, according to Anthony R. Ceresko, “The religious dimension was crucial and pervasive. Common rites were observed in the public assembly’s worship of Yahweh, and the local priests and Levites expounded and explained Yahweh’s covenant Law.”[13] Even though there was disunity in some occasions there was some religious unity. The unity is that they are all Israelites and called upon Yahweh. Because of this unity, they came together for mutual understanding. According to this understanding, they choose one place as the central Shrine. They also agreed upon the covenant of Yahweh (or the Law). They brought the control of the Law and order under the Judges. In this reason, one can say that there was some unity in the religious life of the community of Israel. But it does not end the story with this. Though as members of Israel, all became worshipers of Yahweh, yet many of them remained pagans at heart. Moreover, since Canaan was immeasurably ahead of Israel in material culture, cultural borrowing naturally took place in all areas. It was inevitable that some Israelites should view the agrarian religion as a necessary part of the agrarian life and begin to propitiate the gods of the fertility. Others accommodated to worship of Yahweh to that of Ba’al and even began to confuse the two.[14] (Paraphrase by me).

1.   Sin against God: - All the days that Joshua was alive, the people served and obeyed God. But one Joshua and the other godly leaders were dead, they turned their backs upon God again and again and did what was ‘right in their own eyes’ (Jud. 21: 25). Here Israel dwells among the other peoples of the land, intermarries and serve the pagan gods (Judg. 3:5f). This intermingling is evil in Yahweh’s eyes, and his kindled against them. “Doing their own thing,” they turned from the true God to false gods, and God allowed them to be defeated by their enemies. According to Dean L. Gossett, “Seven times the people forsook God, and Seven times God delivered them. This happened over and over again for about 350 year.”[15]

2.   The Mission of God through the Judges: - God plan for His chosen people is not to be rejected and oppressed permanently but the rejection and oppression are just for the punishment of their sin against Yahweh—He allowed other nations to defeat them. But whenever the people repent and cry for help to

God, He raises the delivers. In the period of Judges, the people suffered terribly and oppressed by their enemies. Then the Israelites cried to Yahweh, who rises up for them ‘delivers’ known as the “Judges.” And the oppressors were defeated (Judg. 3:7f). Then the land ‘had rest’ (Judg. 3:11). Rogen E. Hedlund rightly points out that this is “a Correction.”[16] God corrects his covenant people that they may fulfill his missionary purpose. Whenever the people cried out, God heard and raised up Judges (Spiritual Leaders) to deliver the people from the enemies. If it is so, we can say here that the role and the mission of Judges were primarily based on liberation and freedom for the real physical world than spiritual life of the oppressed people. Whenever the Lord raised up a judge, He would be with the Judge to help him deliver the people from their enemies and then use him as judge for the rest of his/her life. But God wants a judge to be truthful and to trust in His plan. Because God desires truth,[17] and his plan is perfect. K.P. Yohannan rightly says, “But as is always the case, God’s plan is perfect,” and he added when he spoke on Gideon, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but Gideon trust in the name of the Lord our God.”[18]When Gideon trust the Lord, according to Anderson, “The Spirit of Yahweh took possession of Gideon” or “Clothed itself with Gideon,” empowering hi m with an authority.[19]

 

Deborah, too, was a charismatic leader who summoned the tribes of Israel to military action against the Canaanites in the name of Yahweh (Judg. 4:4-5). Spurred into action by Deborah and under the command of Barak, the Israelites forces met general Sisera’s Canaanite army near Megiddo. Werner H. Schmidt affirms that, “The Song of Deborah (Judg. 5) celebrates how a coalition of cities in the plain of Jezreel.”[20][B.W. Anderson rightly affirms, “By general agreement, the Song of Deborah is a first-hand, authentic historical witness. It is one of the oldest passages of poetry in the Old Testament …”[21]] In the same way, Yahweh used other Judges for His mission by conquering the enemies and delivering the chosen Israelites from their oppression. Otheniel is said to have delivered Israel from Cushan—rishthaim, king of Mesopotamia (Judg. 3). Ehud conquered Eglon, the Moabite king and delivered the Israelites (Judg. 3:12-30). Also we read about Jephthah, who established his authority and power over Gilead and Samson, delivers the Israelites from the hand of the philistines.[22] The judges were ordinary men or woman/men but Donald Senior and Carroll Stuhlmueller boldly affirm, “The judges were remembered for their extraordinary work for the mission of God”[23] because God used them mightily in order to fulfill His mission and his promised to the Patriarch. But when a judge has to obey the Word of God and trust in His plan. When a judge was not obedient to God, it led the nation into ruin and destruction. The main role of the judges was to liberate the community from their enemies. Physical liberation was very crucial in the mission of Judges.

 

E. The Mission of God through the Judges in Old Testament and Its Implication to Mission Context Today

Simply speaking, the mission of Judges was a more physical freedom and liberation than spiritual. The goal of liberation was to make possible the wholeness of life but this wholeness was dependent on the Israelites being free from the reality of oppression they endured under the dominion and occupation of their enemies. As, today, we are living in a country where above one third of populations are under poverty line (no economically poor people can be high rank in political realm and socially respected in the society), their enemies would certainly be nothing more than physical such as poverty, castes, sickness, oppression,… so on. To encounter with those people, what must be our theology and mission? Do we need to confuse them by our theology and mission since they have already been broken and weak? No, our mission and theology must be based on the Bible and the people experienced and as a result it must lead them into the real experience of liberation in physical as well as spiritual life as Yangkahoa Vashum rightly says, “Where there is liberation, there is reconciliation and freedom. And freedom must be experienced in the real physical world as well as in the spiritual life of the people. Jesus’ declaration that he came into the world so that people might have life in fullness speaks of a liberated life, a life also reconciled in Christ.”[24]Such must be our theology and mission. It must be much more than merely baptizing people and planting the church as Kuncheria Pathil and Dominic Veliahth affirm saying, “Evangelization must be understood as proclaiming God’s love manifested in Christ calling for communion and humanization.”[25] The God of Old Testament is the God of indigenous and oppressed people and the same God incarnates in the New Testament as Jesus who never claims Himself to be upper caste but always considers Himself to be friend of sinners and lives, eats, talks with low caste people. That God is the same today. God never changes. This God must be presented to the people who are under the enemies of sickness, oppression, exploitation, poverty, caste….etc, so that it may give them hope. 

In Indian context, women do not get equal justice. According to Kuncheria and Dominic, “Women, in India, are subjected to unimaginable forms of violence and discrimination: female foeticide, infanticide, gender discrimination in education, food and health care, restriction of freedom in movement, forced marriages, wife battering, bride burning and dowry death, sexual abuse, rape, prostitution and denial of equal democratic right.”[26] But we read about Deborah, who was appointed by God to be a judge and prophetess, and to bring freedom and liberation for the Israelites. Through out the Bible, God mightily used many women in His mission—Ruth, Rahab the harlot, Esther, Mary,…..so on. Regarding the women in mission, Fredrisk Franson makes a very profound statement saying, “It is amazing how one can get such a false idea as that not all God’s children should use all their powers in all ways to save the lost world.  There are, so to speak, many people in the water about to drown. A few men are trying to save them, and that is considered well and good. But look, over there a few women have untied a boat also to be of help in the recue, and immediately a few men cry out; standing there idly looking on and therefore having plenty of time to cry out: “No, no, women must not help, rather let the people drown. What stupidity!” and he added, “People are drowning, and the efforts of both men and women are needed. All of God’s children should use all their powers in all ways to save a lost world.”[27] Therefore, the women must be given equal right and justice. They must be given an importance in the mission of God.

After studying and reading the book of Judges, one can come to a conclusion that the Judges in the Old Testament has a great and crucial implication and relevance to the mission of today context.

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[1] John J. Davis and John C, Whitcomb, “Failure and Its Causes,” A History of Israel From Conquest to Exile (Winona Lake:  BMH Books, 1971), 94, 105-106

[2] Donald K. Campbell, “Diagnosis of A National Disaster,” Judges: Leaders in Crisis Times (Wheaton: Victors Books, 1984), 11.

[3] Larry Richards, “Introduction,” Years of Darkness, Days of Glory (Lahabra, California: David C. Cook Publishing co., 1970), 40.

[4] People of God in Old Testament, Class note prepared by Along Jamir, 2008), 22.

[5] John Bright, “The History of the Amphictory: The Period of the Judges,” The History of Israel (Philadelphia: The West minister Press, 1952), 153-154.

[6] John Bright., 157-158.

[7] John J. Davis and John C. Whitcomb, “Failure and Its Causes,” A History of Israel From Conquest to Exile., 93.

[8] L. Thomas Holdcroft, “The Book of Judges,” The Historical Books (Oakland: Western Book Company, 1970), 13.

[9] Leon Wood, “The Idea of a “Period of the Judges” is Biblical,” Distressing Days of the Judges (Grand Rapid: Zondervan Publishing, 1976), 4.

[10] But Leon Wood mentioned only fourteen Judges. He said, “There are the eight major and the six minor judges, see Leon Wood, Distressing Days of the Judges (Grand Rapid: Zondervan Publishing, 1976), 7. See also G.W. Anderson, The History and Israel Religion (Ely House, London: Oxford University, 1966), 49, there he mentioned only six major and six minor Judges of Israel.

[11]Dean L. Gossett, “God’s Plan for a Nation—From the Judges to the Kings,” A Journey Through the Bible (USA: Emmaus Correspondence School, 1973), 34.

[12] Bernhard W. Anderson, “The Struggle Between Faith and Culture,” Understanding the Old Testament (Engle-Woor Cliffs: Prentice—Hall, 1957), 116.

[13] Anthony R. Ceresko, “Israel in the Period of the Judges,” The Old Testament Liberative Perspective (Bangalore: St. Paul Press Training School, reprint, 2001), 133.

[14] John Bright, A History of Israel.,162-164.

[15]Dean L. Gossett, “God’s Plan for a Nation—From the Judges to the Kings,” A Journey Through the Bible ., 33.

[16]Rogen H. Hedlund, “The God of the Nations,” God and the Nations (Delhi: ISPCK, 2002), 70.

[17] Rogen H. Hedlund., 282.

[18] K.P. Yohannan, “Total Dependence on the Lord,” Against the Wind (Manjadi, Tiruvalla: GFA Books, 2004), 99.

[19] Bernhard W. Anderson, Understanding the Old Testament. 100.

[20] Werner H. Schmidt, “The Stages of Israel’s History,” Old Testament Introduction (Bangalore: St Paul Press Training School, 1997), 19.

[21] Bernhard W. Anderson, Understanding the Old Testament., 112.

[22] G.W. Anderson, “From the Settlement to Solomon,” The History and Israel Religion (Ely House, London: Oxford University, 1966), 46-47.

[23] Donald Senior and Carroll Stuhlmueller, C.P, “Humanization Prophetically Challenged,” The Biblical Foundations For Mission (Mary Knoll: Orbis Books, 2004), 55.

[24] Yangkahao Vashum, “Religions’s Ambiance for Peace in Contemporary Tribal and Adivasi Communities,” Journal of Tribal Studies, Vol. XV, No. 1, January—June, 2010, 13-14.

[25] Kuncheria Pathil and Dominic Veliahth, “Theologizing in the Context of the Socio-economic and Political Realities of India,” An Introduction to Theology (Bangalore: Theological Publication in India, 2007), 216.

[26] Kuncheria Pathil and Dominic Veliahth, An Introduction to Theology., 213.

[27] Tom Steffen and Lois Mckinney Douglas, “Women Mission,” Encountering Missionary Life and Work: Preparing for Intercultural Ministry (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 2008), 253, 275.