Week 11 Tutorial: From Joshua to the Judges (Joshua 20–24; Judges 1–16)

Week 11 Readings of our 2025 Chronological Bible-in-a-Year Reading Challenge see us witness the transition of Israel’s leadership from Joshua to the Judges.

After spending approximately 25–30 years settling in their new tribal territories, Joshua calls together the nation of Israel for his final words. His departure speech has much in common with that of Moses, but there is a distinct difference with the way Joshua ends his time as leader—Joshua does not appoint a national leader in his place, but, instead, encourages each tribe, clan and family to devote themselves to following the Lord.

As it turns out, this new model of governance does not work particularly well for the Ancient Israelites who quickly fall into a downward spiral of compromise to the Lord’s commands and disloyalty to His covenant. The predictable consequences follow, and as God’s people call out to Him for help, He sends judges—military leaders, for the most part—to deliver them from their enemies and usher in a period of peace.

There are 12 such leaders in the Book of Judges, spanning a period of some 300 years. In this tutorial, Chad encourages us to pay attention to some of the common qualities of these legendary figures, the cycle of sin that necessitated them, and the sense of brutal honesty with which they are portrayed and remembered.

For a suggested reading plan this week, consider the following 6 sittings:
i. Joshua 20–22: final distributions
ii. Joshua 23–24; Judges 1–2: Joshua departs
iii. Judges 3–5: Deborah
iv. Judges 6–9: Gideon
v. Judges 10–12: Jephthah
vi. Judges 13–16: Samson

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Participation in this Challenge is free and open to all!
1. Download & Print the PDF Reading Schedule here: https://bit.ly/2025BiblePlanPDF
2. Watch Chad's Weekly Videos at our Playlist: https://rumble.com/playlists/NLkJpY1qMHI
3. Set aside 90-120 mins every week (approx.) to work through the readings. This format has you walking through the Bible in a chronological manner: with psalms, prophets and epistles being inserted into the narrative at appropriate points.

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Enjoy this tutorial, get stuck into your readings... another one coming next weekend!