Today's text from the ESV Study Bible: Judges 6-7.
The bronze bull, depicted to the right, was found on an Israelite "high place" dating back to the time of the Judges.
Today, in the narrative of Gideon, we see that once again Israel "has done evil in the site of the Lord", and the people have taken to a polytheism which includes the worship of Baal.
As I was reading my study materials this morning, once again The New Dictionary of Biblical Theology brought forth a very good point as we study this book of Judges:
"The first [common mistake in the reading of Judges] is that of viewing each of the major stories of the judges as nothing more than a morality tale, illustrating bad behavior to be avoided."
Post-Modern Christianity tends to view God as a large candy machine in the sky, and our ability to be in his good graces, and even the ability to secure our entrance into heaven, depends on our ability to be good.
But, the serious student of the Bible understands that being good has nothing to do with God's acceptance of us. God's elect belong to a covenant relationship, and in the book of Judges we find Israel in constant disobedience to God's Law, and thereby jeopardizing their covenant relationship.
This from The New Dictionary of Biblical Theology:
"A second theme of the story, is that of covenant. This theme is highlighted in Deuteronomy and much of Joshua, but recedes into the background in Judges, thus leading many scholars to overlook its role in both the larger story and the individual stories. The first of the two prologues is in fact all about covenant faithfulness, or more properly, the absence of it. Beginning as it does with the death of Joshua, the initial prologue refers only obliquely to charismatic heroes, instead focusing on the tribes of Israel and their covenant duty. The narrative of Joshua concludes with the covenant renewal at Shechem, during which the people are challenged to take the land which Yahweh, in covenant faithfulness, has given them (Josh. 23–24). Now it is their responsibility, having been sent away to their own inheritance (Josh. 24:28) to prove the Lord’s faithfulness.
At first sight, then, Judges appears to be concerned only with charismatic leaders, but the first prologue reveals that it also continues the covenant theme. Only Judah, and possibly Simeon, truly fulfill the covenant, most notably in the conquest of Jerusalem (Judg. 1:8). Judah even foreshadows the charismatic heroes, both male and female (Caleb, Achsah and Othniel), because Yahweh is with them. Others fare less well. First Benjamin, then the house of Joseph and the smaller tribes (Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali, Dan), all fail fully to dislodge the Canaanites. Other tribes are not even mentioned in the narrative. The conclusion of the first prologue condemns the weeping people to continued Canaanite occupation of the land, as divine covenant curses are activated to thwart their progress.
The second prologue (2:6–3:6) also begins with the death of Joshua. Although it focuses on the raising up of the charismatic deliverers, it makes absolutely clear that behind the story of each hero is a nation that has violated the covenant and has not listened to Yahweh (Judg. 2:20). In the cycles of the individual heroes, this covenant disobedience is corrected only during those short periods when the power of a deliverer’s charisma is so evident that the people follow Yahweh in spite of themselves. Even then, some tribes do not support the leader and others are lukewarm (5:15–17; 12:1–6; 15:11–13). Finally, in the second epilogue (chs. 19–21), the tribal coalition is said to be threatened with dissolution, from which no ordinary charismatic leader can rescue it. The danger demands some new institution, which will guarantee both charismatic leadership and covenant-keeping. That institution, as the editorial commentary makes clear (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25), is kingship."
Today, God's elect live under a New Covenant. Therefore, we must fight our culture's tendency to worship morality, and diligently seek God's free gift of salvation, and work to enter into a real relationship with Yahweh who has opened the door to this new relationship.
