Whole Life, Whole Bible: Journey through ScriptureSample

14: Spiralling out of control

Towards the end of his life, Joshua gathers the people together and recites the story of all that God has done for them. As he affirms that he and his household will serve the Lord, the people respond by saying that they too will stay faithful (Joshua 24:1–28).

Knowing our own capacity for self-delusion, however, we are perhaps not surprised to learn that, after Joshua’s death, the people stray from the Lord. This leads into an era when there is no national leader or central government, with little unity between the tribes. Early military successes give way to failure, and moral apathy takes hold. Then, as now, neglect of the covenant relationship with God spills over into society.

Still, God doesn’t abandon his people. They disobey him and he allows them to be defeated by enemies, but he responds to their cries for help by raising up a ‘judge’ through whom he brings deliverance — only for the people to turn away from him again. This pattern can be seen in the account of the first of these deliverers in Judges 3:7–12, but the cycle is repeated throughout the book.

If anything, the cycle becomes a downward spiral. Judges 17-21 portrays the inevitable social breakdown in episodes of idolatry, lawlessness and civil war. The horrific story of the gang rape and dismemberment of a nameless woman (19:1–30) shocks us into realising how far the people of God have failed in their calling to be a holy nation, with everyone doing what is right in their own eyes (17:6). Alas, no judge arises to meet this progressive anarchy, and a recurring refrain — ‘Israel had no king’ (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25) — strongly hints that something different is needed.

There is brutality, but there is also blessing. The first verse of the book of Ruth invites us to read the story that follows in the light of what we know of the period of judges. As we do so, the shameful, violent treatment of a woman gives way to tender, honourable conduct towards women. Through it all, the sovereign God works out his purpose with the inclusion of a Moabite ‘outsider’ into the fold of the covenant people — one who is not only, herself, a sign of the fulfilment of his promise to bless the nations, but from whom King David (Ruth 4:17–22) and Jesus himself (Matthew 1:1–5) are eventually born.

For further reflection and action

1. The judges were a mixed bunch of characters, themselves frequently flawed and fallible. What does this say about the kind of person God might use? How does the period of the judges help us long for a greater ‘deliverer’ who will bring a lasting solution to the problem of human rebellion?
2. Think about the resonances of the book of Judges with our contemporary situation in the West, where morality has arguably become largely a ‘private’ matter.
3. The book of Ruth shows how God works behind the scenes through ordinary events in everyday life. How far are you able to discern God’s ‘fingerprints’ in the routine of your own life?