Daily Devotional – Judges 10
“Prone to Wander, Precious to Redeem”
Quiet Years That Still Matter (10:1-5)
Tola of Issachar and Jair of Gilead rule a combined forty-five years
after the bloody reign of Abimelech we studied yesterday. Scripture
gives them only a handful of verses, yet they keep Israel from
collapsing.
• Tola (“scarlet worm,” the insect used for crimson dye) reminds us that
unnoticed service can color a whole generation.
• Jair (“he shines”) governs thirty towns, each son riding a donkey—an
animal of royal dignity in the Early Iron Age, confirmed by donkey
burials found at Tel el-Farah and other sites.
Cross-reference: 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12; Zechariah 9:9.
Takeaway: Never despise seasons of routine faithfulness; hidden
obedience prepares the ground for public deliverance.
The Crowded Pantheon of the Heart (10:6)
Israel “again did evil,” piling up seven foreign deities—Baal,
Ashtoreth, Aram, Sidon, Moab, Ammon, Philistia. The list spans every
point of the compass, showing how thoroughly God’s people have imported
surrounding cultures.
Cultural note: Baal and Ashtoreth images often stood together as carved
poles and stone pillars. Excavations at Tel Rehov reveal two-chamber
shrines matching these descriptions.
Application: Idolatry today rarely has statues; it looks like the
anxious need for status, security, or pleasure.
When God Sells His People (10:7-9)
Hebrew mākar, “to sell,” is a business term. Israel wanted other lords;
God lets them serve those lords—Philistines on the west, Ammonites on
the east—eighteen grinding years.
Theological theme: Divine judgment is often letting us taste the bitter
fruit of our choices (Romans 1:24-25).
Regret or Repentance? (10:10-15)
Israel cries, “We have sinned,” but the Lord answers, “Go and cry out to
the gods you have chosen.” This is not cruelty; it is surgery, cutting
away shallow remorse. The people finally “put away the foreign gods and
served the LORD” (New International Version).
Key phrase: “His soul could no longer bear the misery of Israel”
(10:16). The Hebrew verb qāṣar means “to be shortened, impatient.” God’s
holy heart contracts at their suffering—echoing Hosea 11:8-9, where His
compassion overrides fierce anger.
Patristic lens: Augustine saw here a picture of prevenient grace—God
moves toward us even when we cannot move toward Him. Calvin stressed the
same text to warn against presuming on grace while neglecting genuine
repentance.
New-Testament echo: 2 Corinthians 7:10, “Godly sorrow brings repentance
that leads to salvation and leaves no regret.”
The Tension of “Who Will Lead?” (10:17-18)
Ammon encamps in Gilead; Israel gathers at Mizpah, asking for a
deliverer. The stage is set for Jephthah, yet the gap between need and
savior lingers.
Literary device: an unfinished scene. Judges loves cliff-hangers; it
forces the reader to feel the weight of waiting.
Devotional moment: Where in your life are you stuck between confession
and deliverance? The unanswered question of verse 18 invites us to watch
for God’s unexpected choice.
Threads in the Tapestry of Biblical Theology
• Covenant Faithfulness: God’s steadfast love persists through the cycle
we have traced all month (see Judges 2).
• Human Waywardness: The list of seven gods parallels the seven
Canaanite nations (Deuteronomy 7:1). Sin is comprehensive; grace must
be, too.
• Foreshadowing Christ: Like Israel, humanity sat under multiple masters
until God’s compassion moved Him to send the true Judge-Redeemer (Romans
5:8).
Hymn for Meditation
“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” Sing the line “Prone to wander,
Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love,” then add verse 4 from
Robert Robinson’s original text, which pleads for grace to finish
well.
Prayer
Faithful God,
You have watched our wanderings longer than we admit and loved us deeper
than we understand. Cut away shallow sorrow; birth in us true
repentance. In the quiet years, teach us Tola’s steadiness and Jair’s
humble light. And when we wait on the edge of battle, remind us that
Your compassion is quicker than our fear. Send the Deliverer we
need—ultimately Jesus, always Jesus.
Amen.