Wednesday, June 08, 2011

The remedy for sin in Joshua/Judges

“How then is the problem of sin remedied in the Former Prophets? The first solution to the sin of the people of Israel is seen from the very first pericope: The provision of faithful leadership. Joshua is presented as the normative leader, on who experiences the presence of God and successfully possesses the land through close attention to Torah (Joshua 1). Joshua plays a powerful role within the nation, keeping them faithful to Yahweh and challenging them to faithfulness at the close of the book (Joshua 22-24). With Joshua's passing, however, the book of Judges plunges in to chaos (Judges 2). Yahweh's answer is constantly to raise up deliverers who possess the spirit of God, and these are able (at least at the outset) to restrain sin in Israel.”A Severe Mercy, page 186

<idle musing>
Again we see the grace of God, reaching down into the depths and pulling us up. Judges isn't a pretty book, but we see God reaching down again and again to pull Israel back. He still reaches out and pulls us back—praise God for that!
</idle musing>

No comments: