Today’s passage: Judges 1:1-26
Helpful thoughts:
- The period of the Judges in Israel happens in between the death of Joshua (Moses’ successor) and the first king of Israel (Saul).
- After Joshua’s death, the people ask God for another leader.
- The book starts and ends with the reminder that there was no king in Israel.
- God had already told the nation what they were to do in the book of Joshua.
- God graciously told Judah (The whole tribe) to go possess their land, just as they had already been commanded.
- There is some interesting foreshadowing going on in this first passage to set the stage for the book as a whole. For example:
- Asking God for information He has already given
- Incomplete victory
- An impetuous vow
- A woman speaking up when a man wouldn’t
Questions to consider:
- Was Israel left without direction and leadership during this period? Who was their commander and what was their law? What direction and guidance has God already given you?
- Were the chariots of iron really the reason Judah could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain? Was that above God’s ability and promise? Or, were those chariots of iron the reason Judah chose not to continue their conquest?
- What kinds of patterns do we already see forming in this first chapter of Judges? What should we expect to see as we continue to read through this book?