Page 15 - Divinity_F5

Divinity for Advanced Secondary Schools

They were a new generation (Judg. In anger, the Levite cut his dead wife
2:10) into twelve pieces and sent them to
This new generation did not experience the twelve tribes of Israel. When the
the sufferings that the nation had endured Israelites saw it, they said, “Nothing like
in Egypt and on the way to the Promised this has been done or seen from the day
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Land and God’s revelation through his the Israelites came up from the Land of
mighty deeds in Egypt and on the way Egypt to this day” (Judges 19:30). The
to the Promised Land. It seems the tribes assembled to discuss the matter
people of the generation had no strong since the Benjaminites could not bring
knowledge of the covenant of Sinai the man who did it; fighting was the
and its conditions. In short, the people only solution to the problem. The war
lacked strong knowledge of God’s Laws between the Benjaminities and other
and, therefore, sinned. tribes depicts disunity among the tribes
of Israel.
Presence of other nations with them
(Judg. 1:27; 3:1-6) Biblical Judges and their roles –
The people of Israel lived beside other Governance
nations; these nations easily tempted Biblical Judges were political patrons.
Israelites to follow their cultures, The political or military status of the
including their religions. judges is revealed when the messenger
of God hailed Gideon; he said to him,
Disunity “The Lord is with you, you mighty
The book of Judges presents a sense of man of valour” (Judges 6:12). With
disunity among the tribes of Israel; the these words, the messenger identified
reason for disunity is the violation of the Gideon as a member of an elite class
Covenant. Disunity among the Israelites exercising extensive military, political
is seen in the wars among the tribes; it and economic powers. The messenger
is also seen in the lack of cooperation did not address Gideon as a religious
among the tribes in fighting against their leader or magistrate. If he were a modern
enemies, such as the Benjaminites’ wars political scientist, the messenger would
(Judg. 19:22- 20:48; 9:1-6; 7-37; 12:1- have addressed Gideon ‘as a patrimonial
6 & 15:9-15). This was caused by the leader or patron’. Gideon was one of the
crime of the Benjaminite (Judg. 19:1- commanding figures, most of whom
30). It involved the story of a Levite were warriors or heads of prominent
whose concubine was seduced to death houses who exercised authority in
by the Benjaminite. ancient Palestine, as Figure 2.1 shows.

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