On its surface, Judges is a series of hero stories. Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson all seem to tower over the other Israelites, calling down the power of God and leading them to military victory.
But read through a Book of Mormon lens, we see these stories against the backdrop of societal trends. “There arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord,” the authors write near the beginning (Judges 2:10), which is similar to Mormon’s explanation for widespread de-churching in Alma’s day: “There were many of the rising generation that could not understand the words of king Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did not believe the tradition of their fathers” (Mosiah 26:1).
The book of Judges would benefit from the editorial commentary Mormon incorporates into his book, often beginning with the words “and thus we see.” Many of Mormon’s observations explain what Judges leaves unsaid.
Repeatedly in the book, the people do “evil in the sight of the Lord,” the Lord delivers them into the hands of their enemies, they cry unto the Lord, and he sends deliverance. This is the pattern often called “the Nephite pride cycle,” which is articulated most clearly by Mormon in Helaman 12:1-5: prosperity ⇒ hardened hearts ⇒ afflictions ⇒ remembrance and repentance. Judges illustrates the same pattern; Mormon explores why this pattern keeps recurring and how we can break it.
Like the Book of Mormon, Judges shows the naturally downward trajectory of this cycle. The progression toward anarchy which becomes evident by the end of the book recurs twice among the Nephites (3 Nephi 7, Mormon 6) and once among the Jaredites (Ether 14; 15). But the political implications of this societal entropy are quite different in the two books. Whereas Judges repeatedly laments, “In those days there was no king in Israel,” the Book of Mormon sharply warns of the dangers of monarchy. In fact, when King Mosiah abolishes the monarchy, he calls the new government officials “judges,” perhaps a nod to the pre-monarchical Israelite tradition (although with more checks and balances).
Like Judges, the Book of Mormon has heroes, some of them deeply flawed. One of them — Gideon — even has the same name as a Judges hero. Alma and Amulek’s deliverance from the prison in Ammonihah echoes Samson’s final act in the Philistine temple. Both books also help us see the contributions of these individuals as blessings from God. In response to the prayers of His children, He sends deliverers (Judges 3:9-10, 15, 28, 31).
This week, as we study Judges, let’s look for examples of the pride cycle and consider how God sends “deliverers” to help us when we cry unto Him.
Leave a Reply