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    Today we begin our study of the Book of Judges, which details the fascinating time in Israel’s history between the conquest of the Promised Land under Joshua and the coming of Israel’s first kings. Specifically, the Book of Judges tells, aptly, of the Biblical judges, persons ordained by God to be leaders of His people when times of crisis or question arose.
    As with all of our previous studies, it is highly recommended that any Bible study be undertaken with the use of commentaries on the subject. Such commentaries give such study direction and often help elucidate the text in a way that more straightforward reading might not. It is always helpful to choose studies from confessional sources. One such study is the People’s Bible Commentary on Judges available from the Northwest Publishing House of the WELS. I have also linked to the commentary available on BibleGateway.com.
    It is the incomplete conquest of the Promised Land that sets the stage for the events that hallmark the Book of Judges. The Israelites came into the Promised Land with a solemn command: to drive out their enemies and to destroy their way of life. In failing to do so, Israel created the very problems that would plague them for the next centuries.
    In the actions of the Israelites, we can all see an analog of our own lives. Everyday, we are faced with opportunities to drive the world out of our own lives, and how often do we fail to do so. Instead, we often make compromises with the world, accepting ‘a little sin’ thinking we have somehow avoided the big ones. Because of that fact, we inflict on ourselves the same sufferings that the Israelites did by not completely defeating their enemies.
    Yet, in spite of that, God still sent Jesus to die for them and for us. In spite of our frequent accommodation of the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh, Jesus still paid the price for all of our sins and rose again so that those who have faith still receive the promise of eternal life. It is in that state of Grace that we live, in spite of our sin.
DLH
