God Speaks - JUDGES STARTS

Judges 1:1–3 (ESV) After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel inquired of the Lord, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?” 2 The Lord said, “Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.” 3 And Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me into the territory allotted to me, that we may fight against the Canaanites. And I likewise will go with you into the territory allotted to you.” So Simeon went with him.

Consider the magnitude of Joshua's death. Joshua has been with the narrative of Biblical history since Exodus 17. He followed God's greatest leader to this point. He was there when God spoke to Moses in the Tent of meeting. Joshua believed God when all others (save Caleb) did not. Joshua warred and fought and led and preached God's purposes to God's people for 110 years. And yet the eulogy on his life is short and the redemption narrative moves right on with those left after Joshua. 

The lesson as we start studying the book of Judges is this: God is still going to speak no matter who dies. This is the hope of serving a living God. He is ready to speak to any who would listen.

I also thought about this: The people of Israel inquire of God as soon as Joshua is dead. They draw nearer, they do not drift away! It is a good sign there is life in Israel after Joshua although the lion's share of Judges will be dark and depressing. But my thought was simple: perhaps there's good in Joshua's death. It produced an eagerness to listen to God in the people left behind.

Doesn't this happen to us? We could inadvertently maintain a third-party relationship with God because there exists some reliable middleman/woman of faith. But see them taken out of the picture and we are suddenly inspired to lean in closer to Him ourselves. Perhaps these are the moments we should be most thankful for. It's as if God takes the training wheels off our faith so that we could learn to ride on our own. The loss of one generation is a huge opportunity for those who followed them to enjoy a sweeter and perhaps a clearer relationship with God.

The best part of the text is not that they inquired but that God readily spoke and gave them the key to victory. "Send Judah first", God says. This is a harbinger of a theme to come in redemption history. Judah is going to be the scepter bearing tribe that gives David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Josiah, and ultimately Jesus. Judah is the prince we should all follow.

Now notice something else. The first thing Judah does is invite Simeon into the battle:
"Come up with me into the territory allotted to me, that we may fight against the Canaanites. And I likewise will go with you into the territory allotted to you."

I think it a Biblical principle that when we are with the Lord in His concerns He joins us in ours.
2 Chronicles 15:2 (ESV) The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

Jesus is the prince of Judah the Father sent to initiate the cosmic battle with the enemy and win. He now calls to those who dwell in Him (remember Simeon shared part of their territory with Judah) to follow Him into His victory. When we do, we find He is then with us in our further battles through life. The only way to experience the power of Jesus Christ is to join Him, get involved in what He's doing, let Him be the leader. He is the Lord who not only won His victory over death, hell and the grave, He wins our victories too.