Immerse: Kingdoms Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 54
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IMMERSE
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KINGDOMS
The individual stories of Israel’s judges are interesting in their own
right. In the accounts of leaders like Gideon, Deborah, Samson, and
others, we read stories of doubt, military cunning, decisive action, and
God’s sovereignty—as he works for his people in spite of their compromises and moral failures. But it has become clear that Israel needs
a new kind of leader to unify the tribes in faithful covenant obedience
to God.
The third and final section of Judges focuses on two stories of unimaginable moral failure and disaster, demonstrating the desperate
need for change in Israel. It is noted at both the beginning and end of
these stories that “In those days Israel had no king; all the people did
whatever seemed right in their own eyes.”
Thus the overall argument of the book of Judges proposes that the
nation needs not merely individuals but an institution—the kingship—
to protect it and help it to remain faithful to the Lord. Specifically, the
book has David’s royal line in mind.
At both the beginning and the end of Judges, the Israelites ask God
which tribe should lead them into battle. God answers, “Judah is to
go first.” The placement of these episodes is designed to confirm
that God’s choice to rule over Israel is the line of David from the tribe
of Judah. In contrast, the tribe of Israel’s first king, S
aul—the tribe of
Benjamin—is frequently shown in a negative light.
Israel is to have a king, but not just any king. Since Israel has rejected
the Lord as King, an adequate human king will have to lead the people
to faithfully worship and honor God. This brings the story of Israel to
the point where God is ready to make his fourth covenant, establishing
David as king of Israel and founder of a royal dynasty.