Stop here and read Deuteronomy 34:7-12 in your own Bible.
This text begins at the death of Moses at 120 years of age and the thirty-day period of grieving for him. At the end of this period, Joshua takes up the leadership role he was chosen to have about five weeks earlier. Briefly, the text notes that Joshua takes up the reins and the people obey him, as the Lord commanded Moses. Yet note that Joshua is also described as having God’s Spirit, who is characterized by wisdom. The ways Joshua lives under the influence of the Spirit of wisdom will be demonstrated throughout the Book of Joshua. It is worth noting the epilogue to this notification about Joshua’s leadership:
And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, and for all the mighty power and all the great and terrible deeds which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel. (Deut 34:10-12).
As filled with the Spirit of wisdom that Joshua might be, he still does not equal Moses for two key reasons: Moses knew the Lord “face to face,” thereby making him the greatest of all prophets; and no one did miracles as Moses did, with mighty power and great wonder. Christians might consider this from the perspective that Jesus (in Hebrew Jehoshua or Jeshua, a form of Joshua) will exceed Moses both in his knowledge of God (from all eternity as God’s only begotten Son) as well as the many miracles he performed, most especially his resurrection from the dead — Moses still remains dead. An interesting comparison indeed.
Judges
Modern readers understand the term “judge” primarily through the lens of the law court and the respect due to those addressed as “Your Honor” because they adjudicate cases. However, the Hebrew term shafat and its Ugaritic equivalent th-ph-t include the sense of ruling people as well as adjudicating cases in court. The Book of Judges relates the stories of such leaders in Israel, roughly from 1200 B.C. to 1050 B.C., a period of political insecurity throughout the Middle East that affected the tribes of Israel as they settled into the land of Canaan, the land promised to their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The World of the Judges
Egypt had reached the pinnacle of its power under Rameses II, considered by a majority of scholars as the pharaoh of the Exodus period. After many wars in Canaan and elsewhere, Rameses died in 1212 B.C., after a sixty-seven-year reign, and was succeeded by a son, Merneptah, who mentioned defeating Israel in a battle in 1207 B.C. His first successors were not strong until Rameses III, who defeated a Philistine invasion of Egypt and forced them to settle in Canaan as agents of the Egyptian Empire in 1178 B.C. These iron-smelting tribes from the Mediterranean islands caused Israel much trouble during the period of the Judges and the time of King David. Other tribes were very active, particularly the Moabites and Edomites, who were Bedouin tribes settling in the territory of modern Jordan, east of Israel. They fought the Egyptians and Israelites alike in an attempt to gain control over the land of Canaan. Such is the background of the chaotic world of the judges.
In addition to the political turmoil caused by the increasing weakness of Egypt, the Hittite Empire, and the Assyrian Empire, the Israelites brought chaos upon themselves by worshiping the pagan deities Baal and Anath, despite the first commandment to have “no other gods before me” (Ex 20:3). Israel’s spiritual weakness typically led to attacks and invasions by the Philistines, Moabites, Edomites, and others, which the Israelites understood as the Lord’s punishment for their sins. At those points, they cried out for help, and the Lord sent them judges.
The chronology of the judges adds up to 400 years, which is longer than most scholars would grant to the period of the judges. The best explanation is that the judges ruled in different tribes of Israel, as the text says. It is fairly likely that they overlapped one another in time, though in different parts of the country, making possible the occurrence of their deeds and rule within the 150 years or so between Joshua and King Saul.
Investigate
The Spirit of the Lord
Look up the following passages and make notes on who is involved and how the Spirit of the Lord came upon them before reading the explanations below.
| PASSAGE | NOTES |
| Judges 3:8-10 | |
| Judges 6:33-35 | |
| Judges 11:29-40 |
Study
Othniel
The Israelites worshiped Baal and the female Asheroth deities of Canaan, so the Lord allowed them to be invaded by Cushan-rishathaim from Aram of the two rivers — that is, northern Mesopotamia. Othniel was from Judah, and therefore far to the south of Aram (modern-day Syria). When Israel repented of worshiping Canaanite gods, the Lord raised up Othniel by pouring his Spirit upon him. The Spirit made Othniel into a military leader able to defeat Cushan-rishathaim and deliver Israel. After that, Israel was at peace for forty years until Othniel died.
Gideon
Again Israel sinned, so the Lord allowed the Midianites — a Bedouin tribe that had conquered the area of modern Jordan south of Amman, along the east side of the Dead Sea — to attack. Before the Israelites met the Midianites in battle, the Spirit of the Lord “clothed” (literal translation of the Hebrew) Gideon, strengthening him to sound a trumpet call to all the tribes to help attack the Midianites and Amalekites.
This empowerment stands in stark contrast to Gideon’s self-description at his call by an angel, “Pray, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family” (Judg 6:15). Manasseh was the youngest tribe, Gideon’s Abiezrite clan was the least clan in Manasseh, and he was the least member of his clan. This means that Gideon was at the very bottom of the Israelite totem pole, the man with the least status in the whole nation. Yet the Lord’s Spirit was powerful enough to transform even Gideon into a warrior capable of driving out the oppressive raiders.
Jephthah
Like Gideon, Jephthah was extremely low in the social order of Israel. His father was called Gilead, the name of the Jordanian plateau north of Amman, and his mother was an unnamed prostitute. His father’s legitimate sons drove him away from the family to the arid region northeast of Gilead, where he gathered a group of fellow outsiders and bandits. However, the Ammonites attacked the Israelite tribes living east of the Jordan River. At that point, the Israelites living on the Gilead plateau begged Jephthah to lead them, to which, after some negotiations, he agreed. Next, he tried negotiation with the Ammonites, but these negotiations failed, so war became inevitable.
Before Jephthah began his march to battle, the “Spirit of the LORD” came upon him (Judg 11:29), enabling him to lead the eastern Israelite tribes to victory. However, he did not receive the gift of wisdom, since he made an open-ended vow to sacrifice the first one who came out to meet him — probably assuming it would be one of the domestic animals. Tragically, his only daughter came out first, so he sacrificed her, much to his and her lament (Judg 11:32-40).
Samson
Samson is regarded as the last of the major judges.
Investigate
The Story of Samson
Look up the