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Introducing the Downward Spiral of Judges -- a study of Judges 2:11-23

  • Writer: mww
    mww
  • Jul 23
  • 13 min read

Updated: Jul 24

Going from Joshua to a civil war of genocide doesn't happen overnight.


Bible Study Ideas and Commentary for Judges 2:11-23

We have four lessons in Judges, the book that explains how we got from the firm foundation left by Joshua to the anarchy and oppression that we see in 1 Samuel. In a series of downward cycles, the people slowly abandoned their covenant with God to take up a yoke of slavery to the false gods of the Canaanites they never really conquered.

The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. (2:11)


When We Studied This Passage in 2017

I forgot to include the equivalent link in last week's post. So, look at the top of each post -- you'll see a list of categories. You can always click on the "More" and find "Joshua/Judges/Ruth" to see any posts I've made on these books in the past.


I definitely had the same challenge in 2017 -- so much to say about the book itself leaves less room for other topics. Here's what you'll find in that post:


Getting Started: Things to Think About

"Gradually, Then All at Once"

The book of Judges is an extremely powerful, carefully written book, and it's also really depressing. Set the stage for the book with a broad question like, "Where have you experienced 'change for the worst'?" I would fully expect a bunch of back-in-my-day stories, but this is not a topic to let groups "remember the good ol' days". Don't let them do that! It's not helpful!


Instead, this topic is about how the change happened. If the past was so great, why did things change? What happened? And why did things get worse and not better?


What I hope you can accomplish is help your group realize that "change for the worst" is everyone's culpability and responsibility. We don't get to blame someone else. That's certainly the point demonstrated in this book.


Big Picture: If you go with this topic, you should point people to the current big picture. In Israel's day, they all cried out for someone else to fix their problem. And someone else did! Hence, the "judges". But the judges were just pointing ahead to someone else who would offer a "realer" fix -- Jesus. And Jesus has already come. We no longer get to wait around for someone to come and fix our problems -- He already came! We now have the Holy Spirit, which means we have everything we need to "be the change" (sorry, that's so corny, but also true).


Addition Right Before Posting: I just saw this post from our upcoming SPARK speaker Thom Rainer. It's a challenge, but he brings up a valuable intersection of "gradual" and "building renovation" that I needed to read:

Make sure to read the article before you assume what he is and isn't saying. Here's his money line: "When leaders spend more time talking about protecting the room than preparing for the people in the room, something has drifted. The building, which should serve the mission, begins to compete with it." "Drift" is another great word to describe what I'm getting at in this topic idea.


Getting Someone's Attention

I used to think of this topic entirely in terms of "young people", but as I've gotten older, I've realized that "old people" can need just as much of a drastic intervention.


We've all known people on a "bad path" (and sometimes that person was us). What can it take to get a person off of that path? Sometimes it can take a lot. But what?


Many of you have said about this topic that you hope the person "learns their lesson" before irreparable damage is caused. And amen to that! But sadly, that's not always what happens. And that's the situation with the Israelites in the book of Judges -- they don't learn their lesson until catastrophic damage is done.


Because Christians have the Holy Spirit, we really have no excuse for requiring God to go to that kind of extreme to learn our lesson. So let's not be so hardheaded as the Israelites.


The Problem with Celebrity Pastors

There's a great little book (from 2022) called Celebrities for Jesus: How Personas, Platforms, and Profits Are Hurting the Church by Katelyn Beaty. It basically calls out the celebrity culture in the church. I highly recommend it. Your question would be something like "have you ever seen a negative impact from a celebrity pastor or celebrity Christian?"


One of the obvious ones is when that celebrity has a moral failure. We've talked about that before. It has an outsized negative impact.


Another one would be what happens to that church or ministry when the celebrity pastor/leader dies or leaves. Too often, we discover that a lot of the ministry was based on the power of their celebrity and not the internal convictions of the people. (Or as God puts it in this week's passage, the people failed the test of whether they would continue to "walk in the way of the Lord".)


The book of Judges presents both circumstances. We find out what happens to a people when their leader is morally flawed. And we find out what happens to a people when the only thing holding them together was a single leader. It's all bad.

This Week's Big Idea: The Book of Judges!

As uncomfortable as the book is, it's a masterpiece of theological education. The author of the book isn't trying to give a thorough history lesson of this era; he's trying to teach a lesson. "This is what happens when God's people turn away from God."


I'll always reference this excellent graphic by Stuart Houghton here. Judges covers that scary-looking spiral:


Who Were "Judges"?

The English title (which we get from the Latin translation of the Bible) gives us a specific idea of a person who "gives judgements". The Hebrew word is sopetim, which actually means something like "savior" or "deliverer". In other words, the "judges" were actually raised up to be spiritual, moral, and/or military leaders. Yes, this would include adjudicating disagreements, but that would only be a part of their responsibilities.


Author and Date

Unknown. Sorry. Anything else is speculation. The earliest references to this book happen during the monarchy, leading some to believe that Solomon compiled this book. That would work; he was more than smart enough to write such a compelling work.


The Content of the Book

Judges covers events from Joshua's death (~1375 BC) to the coronation of Saul (~1050 BC; we'll talk more about that in a few weeks). But the spans in the book don't add up, which means that there is some overlap in the stories told. That actually makes sense -- many of the judges were regional. But it means there is not a "clean" timeline for the book.


If you really want more about the timeline and chronology, here's a website that goes into glorious detail:

I'll quibble with their conclusions by a few years, but I won't quibble with their effort. That page illustrates just how complicated the chronology of the Judges is.


And if you want a lot of information about the judges themselves, Bible Gateway has a handy explainer:

I'm really disappointed by the amount of ads they now have on their site, but the information is really useful. Here's their summary chart:


That chart both illustrates the "date" challenge and also highlights a common observation by scholars: the numbers 20/40 appear a lot. Are those exact, or are those representative?


The Introduction and Conclusion

The clearest evidence of the genius of the author/editor is a zoomed-out look at the introduction and conclusion. This simplified version comes from my NIV Study Bible (everybody needs a good study Bible) --


a. Foreign wars and a failure to apply the law of Deut 7 (1:1-2:5)

b. Difficulties with foreign idols (2:6-3:6)

c. The cycles (see below)

b'. Difficulties with domestic idols (17:1-18:31)

a'. Domestic wars with misapplication of the law of Deut 7 (19:1-21:25)


Try to read the book with that framework in mind. The people never properly dealt with their enemies or the threats of false gods, so their downward spiral brough all of those outside threats "into their home" so to speak.


The Cycles

This is the part you'll see shared about this book the most often. There are lots of graphical depictions of these "cycles", and they are all very similar:

I'll admit that I like that last one (it's from Mt. Vale United Methodist Church(!)) because it specifically includes "the judge dies" (see 2:19). One of the things the author of the book tries to communicate is that the people took no responsibility for their own choices and actions -- they stray and hope someone else will fix their problems; and when that person is no longer there, they stray again.


Here's a plain-Jane look at the cycles:

  1. Israel does evil in the eyes of the Lord.

  2. The Lord gives then into the hands of their oppressors.

  3. Israel serves the oppressor for x years.

  4. Israel cries out to the Lord.

  5. The Lord raises up a deliverer ("judge").

  6. The Spirit of the Lord is upon the deliverer.

  7. The oppressor is subdued.

  8. The land has peace for x years.


Here's how that fits into the wider outline:


  1. Introduction (1:1-3:6)

    1. Foreign wars and a failure to apply Deut 7 (i.e. the Incomplete Conquest) (1:1-2:5)

    2. Difficulties with foreign idols (i.e. the Incomplete Faith) (2:6-3:6)

  2. Cycles of the Judges (3:7-16:31)

    1. Othniel (3:7-11)

    2. Ehud (3:12-30)

    3. Shamgar (3:31)

    4. Deborah and Barak (5:1-31)

    5. Gideon and Abimelek (6:1-9:57)

    6. Tola (10:1-2)

    7. Jair (10:3-5)

    8. Jephthah (10:6-12:7)

    9. Izban (12:8-10)

    10. Elon (12:11-12)

    11. Abdon (12:13-15)

    12. Samson (13:1-16:31)

  3. Conclusion (17:1-21:25)

    1. Difficulties with domestic idols (foreshadowing trouble in the north) (17:1-18:31)

    2. Domestic wars and a failure to apply Deut 7 (the Benjamite atrocity) (20:1-48)


This simpler chart that I put together for my 2017 post spells a few things out. Namely -- the first five judges were fine; Gideon and his successors were not good; Samson was a disaster. The book of Judges walks us from the "firm foundation" of Joshua to the moral anarchy that led to the condition of things during the time of Saul.


Important note: for whatever reason, some people try to teach Gideon and Samson as some kinds of heroes. They are not. They are moral failures God used to teach a lesson (and bring relief to His people).


With all of that said, let me wrap up with the excellent Bible Project video:


It's a brilliant, carefully written book. Everything is in service to the main point:

The downward spiral of the Judges was brought about by the people's disloyalty to their covenant with God. And yet God faithfully and graciously continued to forgive and the save.


And one final note: we also see repeated attempts by the people (even the judges) to treat God like an idol -- as something that can be manipulated or controlled. These little tidbits the author drops in help us see how far toward the Canaanites the Israelites had drifted.

Part 1: Introducing the Problem (Judges 2:11-15)

11 The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. They worshiped the Baals 12 and abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed other gods from the surrounding peoples and bowed down to them. They angered the Lord, 13 for they abandoned him and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths.
14 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he handed them over to marauders who raided them. He sold them to the enemies around them, and they could no longer resist their enemies. 15 Whenever the Israelites went out, the Lord was against them and brought disaster on them, just as he had promised and sworn to them. So they suffered greatly.

I recommend backing up a few verses for this helpful tidbit:

8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110. ... 10 That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works he had done for Israel.

We've talked about the challenges of generations many times. Your children and grandchildren don't experience life the same way you do. They don't live in the same society and culture that you did. ("You can't step into the same river twice.") If they don't have similar experiences with God as you have, they won't have similar commitment to God that you (I hope) do.


That's what happened to Israel. However well the Wilderness generation did or did not teach their children becomes immaterial -- the children did not have experiences that led them to take the covenant seriously. I mentioned the "celebrity pastor" topic above; in this case, Joshua was that first celebrity (so to speak). With his death, things began to unravel. God would raise up a leader, and that leader would hold things together for a while but then die. (The point: human leaders will always fail -- that's why the only solution to our problem is the perfect, eternal Son of God.)


"Baal" -- the word means "lord" and referred to the Canaanite storm god, associated with fertility. "Ashtoreth" referred to a fertility goddess named Astarte, also associated with war. This does not mean that the Israelites only worshipped "Baal and Ashtoreth" -- the plural form of the words suggests that those names represent many more gods the Israelites had fallen for.


Verses 14-15 summarize what we will read in the book -- raiders, slavers, military defeat -- all of the things God will use to get the people's attention.


But go ahead and jump right into the next section.

Part 2: Introducing the Judges (Judges 2:16-19)

16 The Lord raised up judges, who saved them from the power of their marauders, 17 but they did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods, bowing down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their ancestors, who had walked in obedience to the Lord’s commands. They did not do as their ancestors did. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for the Israelites, the Lord was with him and saved the people from the power of their enemies while the judge was still alive. The Lord was moved to pity whenever they groaned because of those who were oppressing and afflicting them. 19 Whenever the judge died, the Israelites would act even more corruptly than their ancestors, following other gods to serve them and bow in worship to them. They did not turn from their evil practices or their obstinate ways.

The previous verses summarize the setting; these verses summarize the cycle. This is your opportunity to explain the entire book of the Judges.


I highlighted "while the judge was still alive" to point out the people's failure -- they weren't learning their own lessons; they were depending on someone else to save them. The judge held them together by the power of his/her personality.


Also note the downward spiral -- things got worse with each cycle.


Finally, also note God's love and grace. You and I would eventually say "enough is enough". God always had mercy when His people cried out for forgiveness.


[Note about family: remember that God did allow the Israelites to experience the full consequences for their sin and failure. He did not swoop in to protect them from the danger like a helicopter parent. He wanted them to learn their lesson. But He always had mercy when they were ready to repent.]


Did the people "truly" repent? That's a worthwhile question to ponder. But we can't know their hearts, so let's talk about your group. When your group repents of a sin, do they mean it? Do they even commit that sin again? How do we reconcile those two things?


But let me ask an even harder question: Can a Christian find himself in the kind of spiral those Israelites did? How, if he has the Holy Spirit? This will take you into a thorny topic of "backsliding" -- which if you study will learn that is only ever used on Old Testament Israelites. Can a Christian truly "backslide"? If not, how do we describe a Christian who has gone off the rails, so to speak?


That's a tough discussion, and you only want to launch into it if you're studied up. The point must be that just because Israelites did it in the Old Testament doesn't mean it should be acceptable (or expected) for Christians.

Part 3: Introducing the Consequences (Judges 2:20-23)

20 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he declared, “Because this nation has violated my covenant that I made with their ancestors and disobeyed me, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 I did this to test Israel and to see whether or not they would keep the Lord’s way by walking in it, as their ancestors had.” 23 The Lord left these nations and did not drive them out immediately. He did not hand them over to Joshua.

This should be the least surprising part of the lesson.


"Because" ("Therefore"). Everything that happens in this book is a consequence of the actions of the people. No one can claim an unfair shake.


"Test". All of this is according to God's design. He knew that the people would fail the test. But the failure itself would help future generations understand their need for an eternal Savior.


The Incomplete Conquest. This helps us put two and two together -- the work that Joshua gave to the people was never completed. There were still Canaanites in the land, and that failure by the people would lead to much of this sorrow.


We know what the Israelites did. We know what happens as a result. (I say that -- make sure your group understands the downward spiral summarized in Judges. If you need to spin a quick history of Israel through the Exile, go ahead. My topic below presumes that your group is familiar with that broad sweep of history.)


But for our part, I think an interesting discussion would be what "this nation has violated my covenant" and "whether or not they would keep the Lord's way by walking in it" might look like in the life of a Christian today.


I've already tried to be clear that we should not map our experiences as Christians onto the lives of Old Testament Jews during the lowest point of Israel's history. But I've also suggested a "change for the worst" topic, which implies that we have all noticed a downward ebb or a gradual erosion of some things that are important to us.


So, understanding that Christians are not on the same trajectory as those Jews (because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives), in what way can we be concerned about "walking in the way of Jesus"? And let me repeat: this cannot be a "blame somebody else" discussion -- we are personally responsible for our lives and the culture around us. So, what about us? In what way can we stray from the path, and what kinds of consequences can that have in our lives?


In the larger biblical story, Judges show us the world's dire need for a Savior. In our personal story, Judges is a warning to take our covenant relationship with God very seriously.

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