From Beginning to Forever: A Study of the Grand Narrative of ScriptureSample

Before he died, Moses reminded the Israelites of their commitment to live in covenantal relationship with God. Through Israel, God was working to rebuild His kingdom and bring blessing to the entire world.

Read Joshua 1:1-9.

Like Moses, Joshua led Israel to live in obedience to the Lord. For this reason, we see God grant continual favor to Israel.

After Joshua’s death and the death of his contemporaries, the author of Judges wrote these chilling words:

And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel. And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.

Judges 2:10-11 (ESV)

The people of Israel abandoned the Lord, and He responded to their disobedience by handing them over to their enemies. The people fell into a devastating cycle of behavior.

Read Judges 2:16-23.

Rather than stay faithful to the covenant they made with God, the Israelites started to worship the gods of the nations they failed to drive out of Canaan.

The story of Judges is the story of the Israelites’ unfaithfulness to God. Instead of worshiping Him as their Lord and King, they worshiped the gods of the nations around them. But even though they were unfaithful to the covenant, God was not. In response to their sin, God faithfully used Israel’s enemies to punish Israel. But after years of oppression, the Israelites cried out to God for deliverance. He then raised up a judge to help save them. They would live peaceably for a while until their cycle of unfaithfulness started over again. While there are a few bright moments during this part of Israel’s history, most of the time Israel continued to spiral down into chaos.

The judges that God raised up were a sign of His love and faithfulness to Israel. But the nation needed a better solution; they needed a leader who would help Israel bring blessing to the entire world. Israel needed a leader that would point the Israelites in the way of righteousness, away from their path of sin. Israel needed a king, the one Moses spoke about in Deuteronomy. This king would help Israel live out her divine identity and purpose as a sub-ruler in God’s kingdom. He would rule the Israelites in such a way that they flourished and were able to help everyone and everything around them do the same. This king would be the means through which God mediates His kingdom on earth!