- Topic in Providential Figures. By Charles Kamins.
The Old Testament Judges were leaders of the 12 Israeli tribes during the 400 year period of settlement after the Exodus from Egypt and conquest of Canaan. The Judges were seen as divinely inspired leaders whose rectitude was a model of wise and faithful behavior. The Book of Judges contains their history. The era of the Judges began after the death of Joshua and lasted to the time of Samuel who was the last Judge and who inaugurated Saul as the first king of Israel.
Origins
The first judges were elders of the 12 tribes of Israel at the start of the Exodus and through the wilderness period. Tradition holds that Jethro, Moses father-in-law encouraged Moses to delegate authority to the judges so that as a people they would be better organized.
Exodus 18:13-26 (NIV)
13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”
15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”
17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. 20 Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. 21 But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”
24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 26 They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.
Seven Evil Tribes
Before the Israelites could enter Canaan, there stood seven evil tribes who occupied the land. According to bible history, all the peoples of the world were descended from Noah and while the Flood Judgement was meant to separate humanity from sin, evil had crept back in. The seven tribes of the land were the descendants of Noah's grandson Canaan who himself was the son of Ham, the second son whom Noah cursed after the flood.
When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said,
“Cursed be Canaan!
The lowest of slaves
will he be to his brothers.” (Genesis 9:24-25)
The descendants of Noah’s grandson Canaan took possession of this land. Canaan himself had 11 sons and each bore a tribe. 6 of them dwelt in Syria and Phoenicia, and the remaining 5 in Canaan. The Lord mentioned 7 nations by name who inhabited the land of Canaan in the time of Abraham unto the time of Joshua.
The Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Jebusites, Hivites, Perizzites, and Girgashites.
