Judges 1

The annals of history are rife with empires or nations that flourished under a charismatic leader only to collapse upon that leader's death. Alexander the Great provides perhaps the most potent example. At its peak, Alexander's empire stretched from Macedonia and Egypt in the west all the way to the border of India in the east. But after his death, pffft--it all went out the window. (I'm simplifying, of course, but suffice to say that Greece, Egypt, Turkey, and Pakistan are obviously not under one empire today.)

Spoiler alert--Israel does survive from Joshua's death until the formation of the monarchy under Saul, but it's quite a tumultuous road. But even though Israel doesn't have one strong leader, that doesn't matter as much as their propensity to turn away from God--their heavenly leader.

Intriguingly, God still speaks to the Israelites, even without a mediator like Joshua or Moses. After they ask who should first fight the Canaanites, God says to them, "Judah shall go up; I have given the land into their hands" (verse 2). Did God, in fact, speak directly and audibly to all the people? Or did He speak through the priest? In any event, the Simeonites soon realize the consequences of living in a territory completely surrounded by Judah, as Judah strong-arms them into joining their campaign. OK, maybe "strong-arm" is too severe a term, as Judah does agree to help Simeon in turn, but I can't imagine the Simeonites were exactly in a position to refuse.

The people of Judah find the fantastically named King Adoni-Bezek and cut off his thumbs and big toes (verse 6). Just four little digits, but that basically means that he can't grasp anything or run very fast.  As the Israelites haven't really subjected anyone to this punishment before, it seems to have come out of nowhere art first. But then, we learn that old Adoni-Bezek had inflicted that punishment on 70 kings himself. A taste of his own medicine, as it were--a fact he resignedly acknowledges (verse 7). The king lives long enough to be brought back to Jerusalem, where he dies. The Bible is rather ominously mum about just how he died.

After a repeat of a story we already read in Joshua 15, the author rattles off a litany of failures for the Israelites--Canaanites they couldn't manage to conquer. This noncompliance with God's will, though seemingly innocuous, will soon manifest its insidious tentacles.