Sometimes in life, we look back from our current location and try to understand how we managed to get ourselves in the place where we are. Usually it’s because where we are is not where we want to be. That’s exactly the place where the Israelites found themselves during the exile in 586 BCE. Living in Babylon, away from all that was familiar to them, the Israelites are trying to understand why God breached the covenant – why they are no longer in the land that God promised them.
The Deuteronomistic History was written during the time of the exile (circa 586 BCE) and includes Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 1st and 2nd Samuel and 1st and 2nd Kings. Its basic purpose is to explain theologically why Judah fell to the Babylonians in 586 BCE and to illustrate the relationship between sin and punishment. Other points of Deuteronomic theology include the understanding that the Covenant can be broken by disobedience to the Law and that God is free to choose the place to worship, (Dtr. 12: 2-7) the primary mediator (prophet) between God and humans (Dtr. 18: 9-22) and the primary political leader (king) (Dtr. 17: 14-20).
Joshua is the story of the quick taking of the land. But, by the time we move to Judges, we find not only a story of the gradual taking of the land, but a slow downward spiral. In Judges, as I am sure you have discovered by now, you clearly see the theological implications of the Deuteronomist theology of “do bad/get bad.”
Here’s a quick review of the book of Judges:
1. Sin (then the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord…)
2. Oppression (so the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over
to plunderers…)
3. Repentance (then the Lord would be moved to pity by their groaning…)
4. Deliverance (finally…the Lord raised up judges for them…)
5. Sin…again!!! (But whenever the judge died, they would relapse and behave worse than
their ancestors)
And finally, the saddest of all statements…we read in Judges 17:6, 18:1, 19:1, 21:25 “in those there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes.”
Get ready…a king is coming!
InJoy,
Suzy
The Deuteronomistic History was written during the time of the exile (circa 586 BCE) and includes Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 1st and 2nd Samuel and 1st and 2nd Kings. Its basic purpose is to explain theologically why Judah fell to the Babylonians in 586 BCE and to illustrate the relationship between sin and punishment. Other points of Deuteronomic theology include the understanding that the Covenant can be broken by disobedience to the Law and that God is free to choose the place to worship, (Dtr. 12: 2-7) the primary mediator (prophet) between God and humans (Dtr. 18: 9-22) and the primary political leader (king) (Dtr. 17: 14-20).
Joshua is the story of the quick taking of the land. But, by the time we move to Judges, we find not only a story of the gradual taking of the land, but a slow downward spiral. In Judges, as I am sure you have discovered by now, you clearly see the theological implications of the Deuteronomist theology of “do bad/get bad.”
Here’s a quick review of the book of Judges:
1. Sin (then the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord…)
2. Oppression (so the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over
to plunderers…)
3. Repentance (then the Lord would be moved to pity by their groaning…)
4. Deliverance (finally…the Lord raised up judges for them…)
5. Sin…again!!! (But whenever the judge died, they would relapse and behave worse than
their ancestors)
And finally, the saddest of all statements…we read in Judges 17:6, 18:1, 19:1, 21:25 “in those there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes.”
Get ready…a king is coming!
InJoy,
Suzy
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