The word ‘amphictyony’ (nice word, isn’t it?) describes a loose association of neighbouring groups for a common religious purpose.
It is the situation in the Judges period from Moses to the beginning of the Monarchy, a period of about five hundred years of a unique revolutionary experiment and depressing failure covered by the books of Joshua, Judges and 1 Samuel 1-8.
A more familiar title for this period is ‘The Judges’ Cycle’, which describes the repeating sequence of events easily recognized once it has been pointed out. Go through the history of this period and collect information under the following headings:
| Scripture Reference | Name of Judges | Tribal relationship | Length of Service Given | Cause of their Activity | Activity Described |
Then make a tracing (grease proof paper will do, sister) of a map showing the divisions of Canaan by the families of Israel after the invasion under Joshua. Making a tracing means you only need to go over the coastline, Jordan, Galilee, Dead Sea and the family boundaries without all the rest of the material on the printed map, and it gives you space to put in the names of the Judges in their family areas where they are recorded.
You will learn three interesting points – one, that Manasseh had territory on both east and west of Jordan, and that Dan appears on the coast plain and in the far north as well. The explanation of this second point may be in the fact that, whilst Israel was invading and occupying from the east over Jordan via Jericho, another invasion was happening on the coast plain in the area now called the Gaza Strip. It is thought that the Philistines, having left their homeland in the Greek islands, first tried to make a landing in Egypt, but,being repelled,were successful on the coast of Canaan. Gradually they pushed Dan out of their original holding on the coast, and these migrated to the far north and settled there.
The third point may be more important. We may have tended to think of the term ‘Judge’ as applying to someone like the important bewigged legal person who today sits in our law courts. Nothing could be further from the truth, except perhaps in a very small measure in the case of Samuel, and even then not sufficiently to be seriously applied. If you do your homework carefully you will have a list beginning with Moses, ending with Samuel, a total of sixteen or seventeen names, associated with a number of different family areas, and dealing with enemies generally adjacent to their home territories. It will also appear that the cause of the Judges’ activity was the apostasy of Israel in serving the gods of their neighbours. In fact a pattern emerges from which the term ‘Judges’ Cycle’ is derived:
Not all the items in this sequence appear in every stage, but often enough to make the sequence credible. The ‘Judges’ emerge from this analysis as local military leaders raised up specifically to harrass the occupying enemy rather than national judges ruling all the country. Hereward the Wake in East Angla, and Robin Hood in the East Midlands might provide some parallels, except that the majority of tales told of these two are probably myth, legend and saga.
Certainly with the exceptions of Moses, Joshua, Samuel and Gideon neither ‘ruling’ nor ‘judging’ activities are recorded of any of the ‘Judges’. Whilst military activity is. In the case of Samson neither organised military nor legal activities are associated with him. He is depicted as running a one-man harrassment of the Philistines, sometimes to the annoyance of his own fellow-countrymen. Were it not that he is included in Hebrews 11 as an example of faith one would certainly never admire him as he appears in Judges. We can only conclude – by our own faith in the righteousness of God – that what commended him to God has not been recorded, to see if we would make the error of criticising God for approving him on the basis of what little has been recorded of his life.
No one can be expected to approve of his foolish liaisons with Philistine women, who had more love for their country than for him, nor for his tying burning brands to foxes’ tails to destroy food which God had caused to grow. One may, perhaps, admit his sense of humour, when having been deceived by his wife even on their honeymoon, he recognises the trap Delilah is setting, and, doubtless laughing to himself, deceives her three times. The third time is particularly interesting. Delilah, having spent all day threading up the warps of her loom, a very tedious, time-consuming job, is persuaded that if she cuts it all off and binds Samson with it he will be helpless. I imagine he was nearly helpless with inward laughter as he told her this with a straight face! But she won next time. Poor, foolish Samson! It will be a Kingdom pleasure (God willing) to learn of the commendable side of his life and faith.
But to return to our amphictyony. Depressing as the history of the Judges period is on the surface, it has many fundamental lessons for us, and points of contact with ourselves today.
Israel had been established in the land to let their light so shine before men that they might see their good works and glorify their Father in heaven. This, of course, was the original design in the creation of man stated in Genesis 1:26,27; but man rebelled and, left to himself, continually rebels against this purpose. Hence nothing but a REVOLUTION can re-establish the purpose and bring man happiness, security, contentment and fulfilment. We may well rebel against the word and idea of revolution because of its popular connotation, but the fact is that this is the case, and unless we have had our world turned upside down, have died to sin and been born again to righteousness, repented and been converted, become new creations, no longer in Adam but now in Christ, then we have no hope.
Now, in the things written aforetime for our learning there is a fascinating absence in the TORAH ( the teaching whereon God instructed Israel concerning their lives, society, and relationship with the world) of any reference to many of the usually accepted features of human government. No, provision was made for a king to be appointed, although Deut.17:14-20 anticipates the later appointment of a king and gives vital instructions relative to the duties of a king (compare 1 Sam.10:25 R.S.V.). No aristocracy, landlords, governors, rulers, form of government, prisons, etc. Men were to be responsible for ruling themselves, being taught by the Levites (Mal.2:7), doing that which was right because they saw what was right themselves; and not simply because some ruler frightened them into obedience.
There was no House of Parliament where representatives of the people met to discuss foreign and home affairs; no unifying force between the twelve groups except their common religious motivations from the worship of Yahweh.
What a privileged position for Israel in comparison with all other nations! Bound together in the common love for God and their fellowmen. No one to oppress and exploit them.
Yet they were too lazy to hold on to their freedom. Three times they tried to get a king so they could be like their contemporaries – slaves to one of their own kind, instead of freemen in the service of God. They became jealous of each other and fought among themselves until God allowed them to have their way and they fell into the hands of human rulers.
There is a parallel in this today. Our ecclesias are loosely knit together in a common bond of worship to God and love for our fellowmen. We have no king but Messiah; we have no representative body directing our affairs; no President, no party line. We are all freemen and women in Christ Jesus, in the liberty of the gospel.
Israel lost their freedom because they wanted someone to dictate policy to save each one learning the truth for themselves and living responsibly before God. Shall we jeopardise our privilege because we each fail to learn for ourselves from God, preferring others to study? Unless we learn from the period of the Judges there seems little point in reading of this tragic period of Israel’s failure. The world says, “The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history.” Is this true for US?
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One