Ⅰ
In their degradation Israel became chaotic in government, worship, and morality—Judg. 3:7-15; 8:33-35; 13:1; 17:5-6; 18:30-31:
A
After the children of Israel possessed the land as their inheritance, they did not obey God’s command to utterly drive out and destroy the seven tribes inhabiting Canaan—1:27-36.
B
As a result, the children of Israel served their gods, thus doing evil in the sight of the Lord—2:10-18.
C
The children of Israel forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed the gods of the people that were around them; they bowed themselves down to them and provoked Jehovah to anger—10:6-7.
D
God delivered them into the hands of spoilers, and He sold them into the hands of their enemies so that they could no longer stand; whenever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil—2:11-15.
E
The age of the judges may be considered the darkest period in the history of Israel; it was also a period of tragedy.
F
At that time, among the children of Israel there were rebellions against God, idolatry (chs. 17—18), infighting (ch. 9), hostility and controversy among the tribes (chs. 20—21), fornication (ch. 19), filthiness, brutal killings, and all manner of evil doing.
Ⅱ
“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes”—21:25:
A
When the people of Israel said that there was no king among them, this meant that they had annulled God and His status and did not recognize God’s kingship—17:6; 18:1; 19:1.
B
Although God’s tabernacle was at Shiloh and the high priest had the Urim and Thummim, there was no government, no administration, in Israel because Israel had annulled God and His status as their King, and thus, there was no expression of God in Judges—18:31; Exo. 28:30, footnote 1.
Morning Nourishment
Judg. 2:11-12 And the children of Israel did what was evil in the sight of Jehovah…. And they forsook Jehovah, the God of their fathers,…and they followed after other gods from among the gods of the peoples who surrounded them; and they worshipped them and provoked Jehovah to anger.21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
The children of Israel entered into the good land, but the good land was filled with enemies…. However, God’s purpose for His people was not merely to defeat the enemies and take full possession of the land but for them to set up a kingdom. Because this purpose had not been fulfilled, the conclusion of Judges says…[that] the children of Israel did whatever was right in their own eyes because there was no king or kingdom.
God needs a kingdom so that He may have an expression. The children of Israel were brought out of Egypt and through the wilderness, where they built the tabernacle for God. Then they entered into the good land, and every tribe was allotted a portion of the land. In Judges the enemies were defeated to some extent so that the children of Israel could enjoy the good land. Nevertheless, there was no expression of God in Judges because there was no king. Everyone acted according to what was right in his own eyes. (CWWL, 1983, vol. 3, “The Divine Trinity as Revealed in the Holy Word,” p. 290)
Today’s Reading
From the time the children of Israel left Egypt to the time of the prophet Samuel when David was king of the whole nation of Israel (2 Sam. 5:3-4), it was about 450 years (Acts 13:17-20; Judg. 11:26; 1 Kings 6:1). A major section of this period may be called the age of the judges. During this age, the children of Israel could not utterly drive out and destroy the seven tribes in Canaan. Consequently, they gradually forsook God, followed the customs of the nations, had mixed marriages with the nations, and worshipped other gods. Therefore, God delivered them into the hands of the nations according to His warnings. But whenever they repented, God would listen to their prayers and would deliver them through the hand of a judge….This cycle was repeated, as many as seven times.The children of Israel forsook the Lord God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed the gods of the people that were around them. They bowed themselves down to them, and provoked Jehovah to anger. So God delivered them into the hands of spoilers, and He sold them into the hands of their enemies so that they could no longer stand. Whenever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil (Judg. 2:11-15).
Even though God raised up judges to deliver them out of the hands of those who spoiled them, they would not hearken…; they turned quickly out of the way in which their fathers walked. They corrupted themselves more than their fathers and did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way (2:16-19).
The age of the judges may be considered the darkest period in the history of Israel. At that time, among the children of Israel there were rebellions against God, idolatry (Judg. 17—18), infighting (ch. 9), hostility and controversy among the tribes (chs. 20—21), fornication (ch. 19), filthiness, brutal killings, and all manner of evil doing. Every man did that which was right in his own eyes (17:6; 21:25). It was also a period of tragedy. The unbelief of the children of Israel caused them to wander for forty years so that even their carcasses fell in the wilderness (Heb. 3:7, 19). But their forsaking God and their idolatry after they entered the land issued in a situation of defeat and tragedy that lasted not merely forty years, but ten times forty years. (Truth Lessons—Level One, vol. 1, pp. 119-120)
Further Reading: Truth Lessons—Level One, vol. 1, lsn. 10; Life-study of Judges, msgs. 1, 3-4, 6-7, 9-10; CWWL, 1983, vol. 3, “The Divine Trinity as Revealed in the Holy Word,” ch. 10