The Conclusion for Judges
The book of Judges tells of an era in Israel in which the people of the land had no king. This book follows the incidents of twelve individuals whom were selected by God and shown favor to lead the Israelites out of the hands of the oppressors of their days. A judge is a military official known for his or her bravery in battles or incidents and nothing more than a mere warlord. This individual was given authority over decision-making and political squabbles among the people of Israel since there was no king. A judge would arise in the time of need and lead the tribe or tribes to victory over their enemies. God would show favor unto the judges and they would lead the people of Israel for their lifetime. The book of Judges displays an era of chaos in which the people of Israel did what was right in their opinion. This period is full of utter chaos in which the lack of leadership led to idolatry, rape, murder, the absence of unity among the tribes, and disorder. The last verse in Judges reads, “In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what right in their own eyes” (21:25), this conclusion is perfect for a book whose entire writings describe a time of such turmoil.
The most prevalent form of worship throughout the book of Judges is idolatry. This is one of the sins of the covenant but the people of Israel for some reason cannot abandon this tradition among themselves. Idolatry is the worship of an idol, statue, or some other god or gods. The most popular among the people of Israel were Baal and Astartes. The people of Israel may have been led in a different path if there would have been some sort of leadership or power. Instead, the people of Israel followed a judge by the name of Gideon who created an ephod out of golden earrings for them to worship. There are several incidents throughout the book of Judges that exemplify the worship of idols, which resulted in the anger of God. The people of Israel take up gods from other towns and worship them, also. The presence of a king may have changed this due to the fact he would have been able to shed insight on a specific religion among the people.
A disturbing fact of the book of Judges was the senseless raping of women throughout this wretched era. A Levite man’s concubine was raped in a town of which he should be able to trust the people. The men of the town initiall...
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...bout. Some of the worst battles were fought as a source of revenge of one person being wronged. Entire towns are slaughtered for the deeds of one or two individuals. Husbands are betrayed to the death by wives for the mere price of eleven hundred pieces of silver, entire races of people are nearly wiped out because of the action of several ruthless men. This disorder itself would allow the last verse of Judges to be a great conclusion for the book.
In conclusion, the verse, “In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes” (21:25), is an apt conclusion for a book written of a disorderly era. The era in which Judges is written about needed the presence of a king or some type of monarchy. The people of Israel took the law into their own hands, they handled problems to the best of their abilities but this was not sufficed. They needed some form of true leadership so that all of the tribes would be of one accord. This could not be accomplished with the thoughts of all of the tribes being vaguely different. Everyone doing what they felt was right only caused for more problems, which would only lead to working harder on trying to fix those.
We as people have always searched for a code of morals and conduct. It is what has held empires, nations, and families from falling into chaos. This is what the code of Hammurabi and the law of Moses instituted in maintaining order. Both laws have a strong foundation and way of promoting justice that rivals many systems today in regards to effectiveness. Many of the laws given were later used in future governments. There are many similarities and differences between these documents, and this analysis will share some of the those. These two documents provide rich resources and were made for two specific peoples because of women’s rights found in the code, the consequences of actions when violating code, and the vision of the laws created.
Israelite history from about 1200 to 1000 BC is marked by the leadership of the Twelve Judges. The Book of Judges does not give a chronological account of the time between the settlement of Canaan and the rise of the monarchy, but instead tells a series of short accounts of the Judge’s accomplishments. The Twelve Judges served the Hebrew people as tribal leaders, military leaders, arbiters of disputes, and enliveners of faith. After the death of Joshua, the Israelites fell into a cycle of sin, calamity, repentance, and deliverance. The Judges emerged when the Israelites began to fall away from their core religious beliefs by worshipping false Gods. Each time that happened, God sent a Judge to save the Israelites from destruction.
Once they lost hope and faith they began to become disobedient by creating and serving other gods. They looked to other deities and fail to recall the specific and all around one of the most important rule that was given to them. Because of their disregard of rules they were punished. The simple fact that they were so quick to build not one but many other gods because they were tired of waiting on Moses to come back from talking to God, shows how they really struggled with
Jesus’ bold pronouncement in the New Testament that that he has come to fulfill the law may disagree with the rabbinic understanding of the Old Testament, but a more careful analysis demonstrates his adherence to the law of God and the law’s evolution over time. The initial promise of the Lord to the Israelites came in the form of mortal, tangible rewards. Jesus reveals the existence of something better, the eternal salvation that comes with strict faithfulness to the law. While his opinions caused a stir with the traditionalists of the Old Testament, Jesus truly upholds the same sense of justice that is of paramount importance to everyone who experiences the word of God.
The jury plays a crucial role in the courts of trial. They are an integral part in the Australian justice system. The jury system brings ordinary people into the courts everyday to judge whether a case is guilty or innocent. The role of the jury varies, depending on the different cases. In Australia, the court is ran by an adversary system. In this system “..individual litigants play a central part, initiating court action and largely determining the issues in dispute” (Ellis 2013, p. 133). In this essay I will be discussing the role of the jury system and how some believe the jury is one of the most important institutions in ensuring that Australia has an effective legal system, while others disagree. I will evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of a jury system.
...rinciples of law that were founded outside of his or her own opinion. They are not the source of what is just or unjust, but rather they merely apply the rules already established from years of social progression and political influence. Thus, when Divine Command theorists argue that they have successfully conquered the Euthyphro Argument, they must be reminded that the opposite is true, and the age-old dilemma has actually reduced their deities to magistrates of morality.
After conquering northern Israel in 722 B.C.E., the Assyrians engendered centuries of political intrigue and laid the foundation for future unscrupulous kingdoms and idolatrous people.1 Once the Babylonian empire overthrew Josiah, the King of Judah, Habakkuk began to compose a prophetic book, questioning the ways of God. Above all, Habakkuk could not comprehend why “the evil circumvented the just”2; he thought that the impiety of the world did not correlate with a supposedly just God.3 Throughout his narrative, this biblical prophet came to understand that “the just man, because of his faith, shall live” (Hb 2,4). Eventually discovering that righteousness and faith in God lead to justice, Habakkuk cried out to the people of Judah through his prophetic words, assuring that divine intervention would eradicate the wickedness and oppression.
...f the divine world but the kings were in charge of vocalizing god’s wishes on earth. The most famous of these law codes was Hammurabi’s law code. The Hebrews tried to establish order by using Yahweh’s Ten Commandments and the Torah. Mesopotamian deities were hard to please and easily angered. The Mesopotamians constantly felt they were letting their gods down and usually didn’t even know the reason behind it. Hebrews had a much more forgiving god. Through texts like “The Book of Job”, it is apparent that Yahweh was a tough god but always forgiving and fair in the end. He had few demands of his people and all of them were ethical and easy to adhere to. As long as his devotees followed Yahweh’s laws, they were all capable of receiving his blessings. Through it all, it seemed that God and religion was at the center of every aspect of life in the ancient civilization.
The history of the Hebrew nation is told through the lives of the Israelite and Judean kings as representatives of the nation, because the fortunes of the king and the plight of the people were entwined. Rebellion and disobedience in the form of idolatry and social injustice on the part of the king brought divine retribution on the nation in several forms, including oppression by surrounding hostile powers, overthrow of the royal dynasties, and ultimately exile into foreign lands. Conversely, the blessing of Yahweh’s favor in the form of peace, security, prosperity, and deliverance from foes rested upon the people of God when the king was obedient to the L...
The book of Judges is the sequel to Joshua. It is the seventh book of the Old Testament. It recounts stories and events from the death of the hebrew leader and prophet Joshua to the birth of the hebrew Samuel. That is roughly, from the end of the Israelite conquest of Canan in the 13th Century B.C to the begining of the monarchy in the 11 th century B.C. It tells about the hebrews from Joshua’s Death to the time of Samuel. It was written in about 550 BC, on tablets named the Ras Shamra tablets. The Ras Shamra tablets where later discovered in the early 20th Century, even though the stories and acountings of the judges where already known and written. The book of Judges belongs to a specific historical tradition which is called the Deuteronomic history. The author of the book of Judges, was in exile in Babylonia. While in exile he was deeply concerned with foreign domination. So he wrote many of his stories on the migration of the tribe of Dan to the North and the sins of the Benjamites. The author emphasized that Israel was being influenced by foreign powers and the loss of freedom and prosperity. Recurring throughout the book is the stereotyped formula: "The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the lord." Then after each period or subjection the author introduces another formula: " But when the people of Israel cried the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people. Through-out the book, the book of judges tells about prophets, rulers and influencial people such as: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tilian and Samson. There are also many more minor people.
Samuel, a prophet anointed to speak of God’s word to the nation, represents one way of governing. God works through the prophet’s words to remind the people of Israel to be faithful to the terms of the Covenant. A second ...
Prior to the establishment of the Abrahamic monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) religious justice was a muddled picture. In the polytheistic religions, gods each had their own interests, which often conflicted with the interests of other gods. “The belief in one god allowed the Abrahamic religions setup a fundamentally different dynamic in ethics; the dichotomous distinction between right and wrong.” (Stark, 2001). Human actions no longer served one god or another’s interests, they were now judged by the embodiment of all that was perfect and sacred; God.
Whether a judge should be elected or appointed has been a topic for discussion since the creation of a judicial system. Depending on what side of the decision one may be on, there are some challenges that arise from each side. If a judge is elected, will he be judicious in his decision based on the law or based on his constituents? If the judge is appointed, will he be subject to the authority that appointed him, thereby slanting his decision to keep favor of the executive or legislator that appointed him? Mandatory retirement is also a question that brings about challenges. How old is too old? When does a judge become ineffective based on their age?
The American Court System is an important part of American history and one of the many assets that makes America stand out from other countries. It thrives for justice through its structured and organized court systems. The structures and organizations are widely influenced by both the State and U.S Constitution. The courts have important characters that used their knowledge and roles to aim for equality and justice. These court systems have been influenced since the beginning of the United State of America. Today, these systems and law continue to change and adapt in order to keep and protect the peoples’ rights.
YHWH gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments. These Ten Commandments “set the Israelites apart and enabled them to mold a distinctive culture” as said in the text book The Human Records sources of global history volume 1: to 1500. The Human Records mentioned that “Israelites evolved the idea that they enjoyed the special protection of god (YHWH)”. The Ten Commandments are the exact words of God which were engraved on a stone that was given to Moses by god. As mentioned in the text book The Human Records , in return for protection of the YHWH, the Israelites deity demanded their sole devotion. They were going to success in Canaan, a land the YHWH had promised them and had to maintain religious and cultural distance from all other people.