Tales of the Wild West?

Some of the stories in the book of Judges sound to me like tales of the Wild West. It’s a lawless, anarchic time, when the vulnerable are easily preyed upon by armed thugs (the Midianites, etc.). When God sends a judge to sort things out it is like a new sheriff riding into town to restore order and protect the weak. But once the judge has gone, things soon return to how they were before. The cycle described in 2:10-19 is repeated again and again.

So, what is the root cause of this state of affairs? 2:10 sets the scene: ‘After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel.’ The result? They turn to other gods, the pagan gods of the nations they had failed to drive out earlier on. And this is a clear violation of God’s covenant with them - see 2:20. Disobedience and disloyalty lead to disaster. But oh, how easy it is to forget God and follow the idols of our world! And how patient God is with the Judges generation and with us.

So why did this new generation not know God as their predecessors had done? Is it because the previous generation had failed to put Deuteronomy 4:9 into practice? ‘Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.’ Passing on what we have known of God to the next generation is a vital task.