Take a Ping Pong ball and place it in a funnel. Have someone try and blow the ball out of the funnel. The ball will spin, but not be blown out of the funnel. When we stand steadfast and immoveable, knowing exactly where we want to go with our lives and determined to live our lives by the teachings of the Savior, we will not be taken of our course when the winds off the world blow.
President Gordon B. Hinckley told of a time when he planted a young tree in his yard but neglected to use supporting stakes to help it grow straight. In time, the wind caused the tree to lean badly to one side. President Hinckley realized that if he had tied the tree to stakes, it would have been supported until it was strong enough to resist the wind on its own
We may sometimes be like that young tree, unable to withstand the wind (the temptations of Satan) on our own. In the book of Judges we learn about some of the "stakes" that can support us.
Background
When
Joshua and the leaders of Israel who served under him died, the
national spirit of Israel also died. Tribal loyalty replaced national
unity. Each tribe began to look to its own resources without giving help
or asking aid from their fellow Israelites. Joshua’s generation
remained faithful to the Lord,
but spiritual apostasy soon occurred in the following generation.
None
of this apostasy needed to happen. The Lord had directed Israel into
the promised land and had provided them with a political covenant. He
was to be their divine sovereign. Their temporal leaders were to be
ruling judges, under whom the people retained religious and political
liberties. (Such a form of government was advocated in the Book of Mormon by King Mosiah in Mosiah 29)
Israel’s
political covenant showed the mercy and long-suffering of the Lord and
would have been the best possible government in Israel. As can be seen
in both the Bible
and the Book of Mormon, however, under the rule of the judges the
people must demonstrate loyalty to the Lord and His commandments for
this ideal form of government to function properly. Since Israel usually
broke their covenant during the reign of the judges, the governmental
system did not function properly, and Israel fell out of favor with the
Lord.
The
reign of the judges is similar in many ways to the history of the
Nephites prior to the coming of Christ. It is a story of one continuous
cycle of apostasy and repentance. When the Israelites turned from the
Lord, their enemies began to prevail (see Judges 2:14–15).
Suffering under oppression and war, the people would cry unto God and
He would raise up a Deborah or a Gideon to deliver them. But once peace
and security were reestablished, the people turned again to their former
ways (see Judges 2:16–19).
In the book of Judges, the children of Israel experienced several cycles of righteousness and apostasy.
Cycle of Apostasy: Apostasy > Bondage > Humility and Repentance > Deliverance > Freedom
Judges 2
How Did the Canaanite Culture Affect the Lifestyle of the Israelites?
“Perhaps
inevitably, the Israelites, who had no distinct culture or knowledge of
settled life, gradually absorbed many aspects of Canaan’s sophisticated
culture. The architectural style, pottery, furniture and literature of
later Israel were all borrowed from those of Canaan. In many ways this
borrowing was beneficial. The Israelites were able to profit from the
techniques of construction, farming and craftsmanship which had taken
the Canaanites centuries to develop.
“But
in the eyes of Israel’s religious leaders, the pagan ways of the
Canaanites posed a continual threat to the integrity of the nation. The
Israelites’ only strength lay in their common covenant. Any weakening of
this basic loyalty left the individual tribes without the strength that
comes from unity. When misfortune came, it was [because of] the
faithlessness of the people, who again and again turned away from the
Lord.” (Great People of the Bible and How They Lived, p. 114.)
“The
Book of Judges makes clear that Israel did not conquer all of Canaan
when first she entered it. … For a long time during the days of the
Judges many of the Israelites were essentially ‘hillbillies’ [see Judges 6:2],
hemmed in by their enemies on every side. After the generations of
Israelites who had been acquainted with Joshua passed away, the effects
of Canaanite morals and religion began to be apparent upon the younger
generation. For long periods of time the Canaanites conquered Israel and
this fact alone would tend to disrupt her settled religious life and
practice. Times were rough and banditry was rampant. As the record
itself states: ‘In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did
that which was right in his own eyes’ [Judges 17:6].
All of this seems to have taken place because Israel did not drive the
Canaanites completely out. The Lord said to the Israelites: ‘Ye have not
hearkened to My voice; what is this ye have done? Wherefore I also
said: I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be unto you
as snares, and their gods shall be a trap unto you.’ [Judges 2:2–3.]
… Israel’s conduct during this period had a lasting effect upon her
religion and morals. For centuries Israel’s prophets and wise men
referred to it and denounced her allegiance to old Canaanite practices.
It is plain that Israel, during the period of the Judges, compromised
her relatively high religious ideals with Canaanite practices and
certain elements in her population must have apostatized completely.”
The so-called judges, according to the record, appear to be more military heroes rather than officers of the judiciary. “The
English word ‘judge’ doesn’t well describe these leaders. Though the
root of the Hebrew word used means primarily ‘to judge,’ it is used
secondarily also in the extended meaning ‘to govern.’ Most of the
‘judging’ done in this period was a matter of giving advice and
rendering decisions. Regular court procedures are nowhere described for
the times of the Judges in Israel. In fact, the most common function
they are seen to perform is that of military leadership.” (Rasmussen,
Introduction to the Old Testament, 1:149.)
The
judges did not reign over all of unified Israel during their period of
leadership. The chronicler of these stories likely took the choicest of
the heroes from each of the tribes during this generally apostate period
and combined into one book their righteous achievements and their moral
lessons for Israel.
How did the cycle of Apostasy begin? (v.10, 12, 17, 20, 22)
The children of Israel left God and left the ways and the covenants of their parents.***Why do children sometimes forsake the righteous teachings and ways of their parents?
***How have your parents or other family members strengthened you in righteous living?
***How can we recognize the early signs of apostasy?
***How might we appropriately help a family member or friend who seems to be falling away?
Judges 4
What did the Lord command Barak to do? (v.6-7)
On what condition was Barak willing to go to battle against Sisera and his 900 chariots? (v.8)
Israel was sorely lacking in leadership at this time. The regular priesthood leadership was not in effect because the covenant had been broken. Deborah did not direct Israel in any official sense; she was a prophetess who possessed the spirit of prophecy, one of the gifts of the Spirit. She was blessed with spiritual insight and leadership qualities that were not being put to use by any man.
What can we learn from Deborah about being a true friend?
One thing we can learn is that true friends inspire us to obey the Lord and give us the strength to do what is right.
***How have your friends helped you face difficult challenges or obey the Lord’s commandments? ***How can we be better friends to others?
Judges 6-7
Why Was the Presence of the Midianites and the Amalekites such a Terrible Scourge to Israel?
“The
Midianites and the Amalekites were the children of the desert who,
through their roving habits which begot naturally a desire for plunder,
led them into a systematic practice of robbing the Israelites. During
the seasons of harvest they came from the deserts on the south and the
east like great swarms of locusts and carried away the corn [grain] and
the live-stock upon which the Israelites subsisted.
“For
seven years Israel was thus impoverished, and adopted every means at
their command to conceal their property and to hide themselves from the
dangers of slaughter by the Midianites. In that period, through southern
Palestine, they made caverns in the earth that may still be seen. In
time, however, they came to feel so deeply their suffering and
humiliation that they appealed to Jehovah, the God they had forsaken in
their worship. He was their last refuge, their last means of escape from
the awful bondage of those times What was the Israelites situation at this point in time? (6:1 - Israelites did evil. Same as in 4:1, 13:1)
What resulted of this apostasy? The Israelites were in bondage to the Midianites
What did the Lord command Gideon to do? (6:14) Deliver Israel
When Gideon believed that the Lord had truly commanded him to deliver Israel, he went forward with faith. Gideon had an army of 32,000 and the Lord had him reduce it down to 300.
Why did the Lord want the army reduced? (v7:2) The Lord wanted the Israelites to trust him and recognize his power, not their power.)
***How does the Lord teach us to trust him and recognize his power today?
***How has the Lord helped you do something that he asked you to do that was difficult
Judges 13-16
Nazarites made covenants with the Lord to separate themselves from the things of the world and become holy unto him. Samson could have been one of the greatest leaders in Israel since Joshua if he had been true to his Nazarite vows and to his Lord. An angel announced his birth and said he would begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines. The Lord blessed Samson with many gifts, including great physical strength. He was foreordained and chosen by the Lord, if he had been able to master himself, he could have set an example of spiritual and physical courage that would rank with the finest in history. But we can learn from Samson’s failure to avoid self-justification and uncontrolled passion so that we might join modern Israel in becoming a mighty and pure people before the second coming of the Lord.
Some of the covenants Samson broke are:
- He married outside the covenant house of Israel (v.14:1-3)
- He was immoral with a harlot (v.16:1)
- He had his hair cut (v.16:4-20)
Samson’s life is truly one of the great tragedies of history.
The covenants we make with the Lord should be a source of strength, guidance, and commitment. What covenants do we make with the Lord?
***How have these covenants strengthened you?
