Day 7

Judges: Honestly, all I am feeling after reading Judges is that it was like a fever dream. Sure, there’s a regular pattern to the stories. Israel falls from grace, they’re oppressed for their sin, and a “judge” rescues them or leads them to victory every time. But what the @#$%? There’s some great stories here, don’t get me wrong. It just never stopped.

After the haze of this Biblical action film faded away, I was left reflecting on communal sin. My religious tradition isn’t big on sin, but it’s still there. We miss the mark, individually and as a community. Here we have the people of Israel in the promised land and they still commit idolatry. They still build altars to foreign gods and reject the expectations of their nation. There could be some fun commentary here that boils down to: “Yeah, so what?” For me, it’s about the times the several tribes I am a part of have failed and the stories of redemption that emerged or are yet to emerge. The interesting thing is that sometimes the communities we are a part of that fail were once oppressed themselves — just like the story of the Israelites. I could list a lot of examples here that don’t involve me. But no, my communities have failed and have been redeemed (or are yet to be). Show me one that hasn’t. The judges themselves are often off-the-wall characters that you wouldn’t expect. Looking at you, Samson. Who in our midst are the judges (prophets) of 2021? I have a few ideas, but I’m also left taking account of the communities I participate in.

Ruth: Dedication is important. Ruth teaches me that. It’s a short book, quick to read, engaging, simple, and on the nose. It has forced me to ask when was the last time I sacrificed some of myself for someone I am dedicated to? This book teaches us that it can lead to resounding peace…the act of giving and dedicating. Here is a foreign woman taking care of her mother-in-law in any way she can. She sacrifices the possibility of seeing her family again or re-marrying in order to do this. And that self-sacrifice leads to her eventual joy. How can I give to the world? And how do I do so in a way that isn’t expecting reward?

One Word for Judges: Reclamation
One Word for Ruth: Dedication

Parts of the Story That Stayed With Me

1. Judg, The Entire Dang Thing. No, really, this is a wild book. But here’s a couple examples. I still haven’t recovered from reading this. I’m purposefully leaving out Judges 19-21.
2. Judg 6, Good ol’ Gideon. If you ever wanted to know who the Gideons named themselves after, here it is. I’ll always remember Gideon bringing a pot of broth, unleavened cakes, and meat to an angel of the Lord — only for the angel to tell him to pour out the broth and light the cakes and meat on fire. See what I mean?!
3. Judg 11, Sacrificial Daughter. Jephthah made a pact with Jehovah that he would offer as burnt offering anyone or anything that came out of his home if he won the battle against the Ammonites. Well, his daughter was the first person. And she willingly submits! The story ends without the gruesome details.
4. Judg 13-16, Samson. Man, I don’t know what to do with Samson. He tears apart a lion and uses the story of doing that as a riddle (Hey, Delilah!), he murders a thousand people with a donkey jawbone, and he ties fox tails together with burning torches to set fire to the fields.
5. Ruth 1, Dedication. “Where you go, I will go, where you lodge, I will lodge, your people shall be my people…” Classic words and a balm after the madness of Judges.

This post is part of a lager series where I read the entirety of Hebrew & Christian scriptures in 45 days. Take a look a the original post for more info, as well as links to other reflections on this journey.