Judges
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION
Last week we learned about the book of Joshua.
God had a vision for His people: To bring them to their own land… the Promised Land… Canaan.
God had a plan for His people: To follow and obey His Word…
Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’
His law was for their own benefit, and to point to God’s wisdom, greatness, and love for His own people.
God had future for His people: They would be prosperous/blessed… they would be blessed and have success.
At the end of Joshua’s life, he has faithfully brought the Israelites into the Promised Land, just as God had promised.
Then he calls on the people to remain faithful and committed to God and His Word.
“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”
Then Joshua dies, and the people begin to take over the remaining land, but fail to drive out the inhabitants as God had commanded them, and we read in…
And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger.
Outline of the Book of Judges
Israel failed to drive out the Canaanites. (Judges 1:27—36)
God confronts their sin, and promises to not drive them out. (Judges 2:1—3)
This initiates a pattern for the book of Judges:
The people sin/disobey God’s Word…
God gives them over to their enemies (they plunder them, oppress them, defeat them, etc)…
Then the people repent of their sin and call out to God…
God has compassion, and raises up a judge who saves them…
This ushers in a time of peace for the Israelites…
But soon they sin again, repeating the whole cycle.
The first 4 judges:
Othniel
Ehud
Shamgar
Deborah
Gideon
Coward… but trusts God
Defeats Midianites with 300 people.
Then murders those who didn’t help...
Makes idol that Israelites worship.
Jephthah
Elders of Israel ask for his help.
Defeats Ammonites.
In thanks to God, vows to kill first thing that comes out of his house…
Israel does not know its God anymore…
Samson
He wins brutal and strategic victories over the Philistines…
But he was promiscuous, violent, and arrogant.
THE POINT OF JUDGES:
Israel has become like the nations around them.
Rather than shining the light of God’s wisdom and goodness, they have become like the wicked, evil nations around them.
Civil War (17-21)
We see two tragic stories resulting in Israel’s first civil war.
The phrase that is repeated 4 different times is that…
“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
This is the exact opposite of what God wanted for His people.
He wanted them to obey His Word.
Sets us up for Ruth
God is going to raise up a king after His own heart through a simple family who is obedient and righteous.
Ultimately, Jesus will be a descendant from this family line… the King of kings, who will save His people from sin and death!
Key Points in Judges
Key Points in Judges
Despite all the tragedy we see in this book brought about by Israel’s unfaithfulness, there are encouragements we can take from the book.
God Uses Sinful, Broken People
God Uses Sinful, Broken People
God does not need
the best,
the brightest,
the wealthiest,
the most famous,
the most charismatic,
the most holy/righteous...
He uses normal, everyday, average people to help His people.
Do you struggle sometimes to feel like God can’t use you?
You feel like God has blessed others with gifts, talents, and abilities… but left you with nothing.
You feel like you have nothing to offer.
God doesn’t look at the external… He looks on the heart. Pursue God with your heart and soul, and He will use you for His kingdom.
Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
God Tests His People
God Tests His People
After Israel failed to obey God’s command to drive out the nations in the land, God does not drive the people out, but leaves them there as a test to Israel.
So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did, or not.” So the Lord left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.
What do you think God is hoping to accomplish with this testing?
God is not trying to trap His people. He’s not trying to lead them astray.
He’s trying to get them to see they need Him and His Word!
Left to themselves, they will go astray.
It’s a matter of the heart… we are sinful, and when we do what’s right in our own eyes, we sin and go against God’s ways.
When God tests us, He gives us what we need to overcome…
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
The Israelites had everything they needed to follow God.
They had His presence, and His Word.
We have the presence of the Holy Spirit, as well as God’s Word as well.
God wants us to be victorious… He wants us to overcome… but He won’t do it for us.
We have to choose to walk in His ways… trust in His Word… depend on Him!
God is Committed to His People
God is Committed to His People
God is faithful to the promise that He made to His people.
No matter how many times they fail… when they cry out to God and realize their need for Him, He answers their prayer and delivers them.
Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them.
I’m sure that we all struggle at times with feeling like God is frustrated with us… like He has had enough of our disobedience or lack of faith.
But He is committed to His people, because He is committed to His promise.
He made a promise… a covenant to His people, and He is going to be faithful to it.
He knew how messed up we were before He saved us, and so our failures do not deter Him.
He doesn’t want to catch us doing the wrong things… He wants what’s best for you.
He wants you to succeed… to realize you need Him… to depend on His Word.
Ultimately… We Need a Better Saviour
Ultimately… We Need a Better Saviour
God raised up these judges to save Israel, but we see that each of them had their flaws. None of them was the promised deliverer who would ultimately crush the head of the serpent from back in Genesis 3:15.
That’s where Jesus comes in.
He is the perfect Prophet…
who speaks to us the truth of God’s Word.
He is the perfect Priest…
who pays the penalty for our sin and brings us near to God.
He is the perfect King…
who rules us with truth and justice, and leads us to victory.
