Judges 1-3

After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. (‭‭Judges‬ ‭2:10‬)

Ah, the younger generation! The excuse for them here is that they didn’t know the LORD. And the consequence of their disobeying the LORD is...

Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the LORD relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways. (Judges‬ ‭2:18-19‬)

This, in a nutshell, is the story line of the Bible’s book of Judges. It is repeated again and again, as the judges (temporary leaders) of Israel are named and their exploits documented.

I believe there is bias displayed here, a bias that favors the “good old days” of Israel’s ancestors. The people are blamed for not being obedient, as the ancestors were obedient, but (1) the story of the patriarchs is littered with many instances of their disobeying the LORD, and (2) in particular the ancestors failed to obey the LORD’s command to teach their sons and daughters.

This generation does not know the LORD. Why? I see it as the ancestors’ primary responsibility. Maybe they did teach their children. Perhaps their children refused to listen or rejected their teaching.   In that case the responsibility lies with the younger generation. Maybe both the ancestors and their progeny are partly responsible, the likeliest possibility, in my opinion.

In any case the stage is set to recount the deeds of Israel’s great leaders, those who came after Moses and Joshua, yet before Saul and David, the first kings in Israel’s history...