Judges 1:1-26 Study Guide: Flawed Faithfulness
Community Group Study Guide — Flawed Faithfulness
Judges 1:11-15
Sept 20, 2026
Study Information:
A lot of us have a hard time finishing things we start. There’s excitement with starting something like a home project, book or fitness plan but as that energy and excitement fade we struggle to complete what we started. For some it is simply boredom or distraction, but for others it is that once something gets difficult to finish we give up. Jesus told his disciples that they needed to put their hand to the plow and not look back (Luke 9:62). This was a farming illustration that taught the disciples to keep their eyes forward and focus on the call to discipleship because as one plowed a field if they looked back they’d end up with crooked lines. It was a call from Jesus for his followers to have committed faithfulness. We read in the book of Judges that the people of God had some early success conquering the land, but by the end of chapter 1 we see a complete collapse as the tribes of Israel gave up fulfilling God’s commandment. Even in the midst of their success in the early part of chapter 1 we can read of flaws in their faithfulness and halfway obedience that led to cracks in the foundation of their nation. The good news of the gospel though is that God’s gracious enough to work with and even use flawed people in his plan.
Flawed Faithfulness
Judges 1:1-7, 22-26
The book of Judges opens after the death of Joshua and we find out there was no successor chosen to replace him and the conquest of Canaan was still in process. God did not tell Joshua to choose a successor, but we should recognize that this put the Israelites in a unique place. The good news is that they turned towards God to ask what was next and God gave a clear command for Judah to go up first to claim the rest of their allotment of land Canaan, but we learn that their obedience was flawed in three ways.
First, they followed God’s commands on their terms. Judah made a deal with another tribe, Simeon to conquer their land together. This makes a lot of sense on paper because Simeon’s land was within the boundaries of Judah, but this is not what God commanded and that flaw is exposed in their first recorded action. They had success and defeated some of the Canaanites and Perizzites but when they captured the leader, Adoni-Bezek, instead of devoting him to destruction they tortured him, took him captive and we get a simple note that he died in Jerusalem. Adoni-Bezek was a bad guy but he endured the torture of having his thumbs and big toes cut off as divine repayment for his own wickedness of doing that to 70 other rulers. Two thing can be true, it can be true that God did not command the Israelites to torture and it can be true that it was divine judgment for wickedness. But for our purposes we should recognize Israel’s lackluster obedience.
Second, they trusted in their own strength and thus gave up when things became too difficult. Judges 1:16-21 continued with Judah but then the focus shifted to the tribe of Benjamin, and we notice things get progressively worse which is something that will continue with each of the next tribes. Judah had success defeating many of the people they were to conquer, but we’re told they could not drive out the people of the plains because they had chariots of iron. God warned them in Joshua about this advanced technology but also promised that he’d be with them to overcome it. They did not move forward with the conquest because they did not trust in God’s strength to overcome this challenge. Next, Benjamin just gave up and co-mingled with the Jebusites in Jerusalem which was against God’s direct command.
Finally, they looked for shortcuts. The house of Joseph went up against Bethel (Luz) but instead of conquering it they tried a trojan horse strategy. They found a man and his family leaving the city, got info and directions on how to sneak into the city and promised this man safety. The conclusions is that they conquered the city but this man started a new one by the same name (Jud 1:26). This feels a lot like what happened with Rahab and Jericho but with a big exception, Rahab placed faith in the Lord. These tribes looked for a quick and easy solution instead of trusting God and the legacy of Luz was able to continue in a new place.
Flawed faith obeys on its own terms, looks to its own strength and takes shortcuts. In our own flawed faith we can give God a list of things we need to be faithful in our obedience, things like a better paying job, a set of friends that are more present in our lives, a marriage, kids, a bigger home, more emotional stability. None of those things are bad, they only become bad when we make them a condition to being faithful to God. When we do that we put our hand to the plow and look back.
Courageous Faithfulness
Judges 1:11-15
Right in the middle of all these examples of flawed faithfulness is a story of blessing focused on Caleb, his daughter Acsah, and Othniel who becomes the first judge. Caleb was the last remaining person who was part of the Exodus story and was one of the spies who went into the land 40 years before. Unlike the 10 spies who were filled with fear, Caleb had a bold faith and wanted to conquer the land 40 years earlier. That same courageous faith can be seen in him, Othniel and his daughter Acsah. Caleb promised his daughter in marriage to whoever would seize the city of Kiriath-sepher and Othniel boldly went up and conquered it, presumably with a group of soldiers he led. Acsah showed a similar bold faith when she told Othniel that she was worth more than just a marriage, she told Othniel to ask for land and she asked for a blessing. Acsah is the only woman to ask for and to receive a blessing in scripture and that should stand out to us. Her boldness was rewarded with land and springs of water. Caleb was wise in his challenge as well because he was getting up there in age, his best buddy Joshua just died and this ensured that his daughter would have a husband who was willing to fully obey God and be bold in that obedience.
Acsah demonstrates to us a desire to settle into the land and enjoy God’s blessing. She stands out compared to almost everyone else in the narrative in her desire and willingness to receive and enjoy God’s gracious provision and to be at home with God whereas almost everyone else followed God tentatively.
As you think about the book of judges and the flawed faith of Israel, it is likely that you identify more with their flawed faith than with the courageous obedience of Caleb, Acsah and Othniel. What do you do with that? First, we can remember and receive that Gods shows us more grace than we deserve. Ephesians 2:7-8 tells us that God lavished his grace upon us in his plan of salvation. We are not reconciled to Christ by our courageous obedience, we are forgiven and saved by his grace and that is through our often imperfect faith. We can repent of our flawed faithfulness and turn to God in repentance. Second, throughout this series we will be challenged to identify what areas of our life we put ourselves on the throne. Do you look for obeying God on your own terms, or do you doubt God’s strength, do you look for short cuts? We often go through life unaware of these things that are rooted deep in our heart, but join us in praying that the Lord will reveal these areas to us as we hear his word and when we identify them, let’s repent and trust God and put him back on the throne.
At your community group:
Take 15-20 minutes to share about how God has been at work in your life, prayer concerns and pray for one another.
How did God speak to you through the scripture and the sermon this week?
Discussion Questions:
Read Judges 1:11-15
How were the Israelites successful in obeying God and where did they show a lack of trust?
What are some reasons the trusted in their own strength in Judges 1:18-19? How can we be tempted to trust in our own strength today?
Caleb looked for someone with bold and courageous faith to marry his daughter. How did Acsah show her own brand of bold faith?
How have you been showing flawed faith in your life? Are there any areas where you are giving God a “if only you did this” ultimatum? How can you submit to God’s kingship this week in that area?
