AFTER THE DEATH OF JOSHUA / JUDGES 1:1

(KJV) Judges 1:1

Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?

We all face moments when the ground shifts beneath our feet. A contract ends, a mentor retires, or a season of stability vanishes. For the nation of Israel, that seismic shift happens in the very first sentence of a new chapter: “After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, ‘Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?’” (Judges 1:1).

Joshua was more than a leader; he was their rock. He was the one who led them across the Jordan River, watched the walls of Jericho fall, and securely settled them into the Promised Land. Now, he was gone.

With Joshua’s passing, Israel entered a turbulent period spanning from roughly 1375 B.C. to 1050 B.C., ending only when Saul was anointed king. Without a central leader, the people faced a massive vacuum.

God did not leave them entirely alone. Over the next few centuries, He raised up 13 different judges to serve as regional military leaders and legal decision-makers. From well-known names like Deborah, Gideon, and Samson, to lesser-known heroes like Shamgar and Tola, these leaders stepped into localized gaps. Sometimes their ministries even overlapped to keep the nation from total collapse.

Before any of those judges emerged, Israel had to face the immediate terrifying reality of day one without Joshua.

What do you do when your primary source of earthly direction is gone? Israel’s response in Judges 1:1 gives us a blueprint for handling major life transitions:

• They didn’t panic: They didn’t scatter or immediately surrender to their enemies.
• They didn’t rush ahead: They didn’t rely on their own military strategy or political consensus.
• They asked the Lord: Their very first instinct was to seek divine alignment.

Instead of asking “What do we do now?”, they asked, “Who of us is to go up first?” They recognized that even though their human leader was dead, their true Commander-in-Chief was still on the throne. They needed to know who was supposed to step into the gap next.

When you lose a job, a relationship, or a sense of certainty, the temptation is to force a door open. We want to fix the problem immediately.

Judges 1:1 challenges us to pause in the transition. Before you launch a new project, sign a new contract, or fight the next battle, ask God who or what should go first. Let Him set the priority, choose the strategy, and appoint the leadership. Human leaders are temporary, but the guidance of God is permanent.

Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You that Your leadership outlasts every earthly season and every human leader. When the pillars of my life shift and I find myself in a season of transition, help me not to panic or rush ahead. Teach me to pause and seek Your face first. Give me the clarity to know what steps to take and who to trust. When the future looks uncertain, remind me that You already see the victory ahead. I choose to follow Your direction today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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