Introduction to Judges

Introduction:

The book of Judges is the 7th book in our Bible. It is considered the 2nd of four books that the Hebrew canon calls the former prophets.

The book of Judges paints a sad picture in Israel’s history as we learn that former victories do not necessarily dictate future successes. The theme of the book of judges depicts in a spiritual sense: the defeated Christian life. For the people of Israel it is a book that vividly conveys the results of doing what is right in your own eyes.

The last verse of Judges summarizes this sad book. Judges 21:25 “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”

This theme of doing right in your own eyes is one that Moses strictly warned the Israelites against in Deuteronomy 12:8 “Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.”

However this did not stop Israel from doing what they thought was best for themselves.

In our day and age the book of Judges is a sober reminder to the church and America at large as many have forsaken God’s Word to do what is right in their own eyes or worst twisted and tried make it syncronize it with the worldly philosophies of our day. Colossians 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

King Solomon also warned by word, but not by his deeds this dangerous way of thinking. Proverbs 3:5–6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.”

Tonight I want to offer you a broad sweep of the book of Judges as we introduce its background and then soar over the layout of the book and make some personal applications to our lives.

D. Past victories do not guarantee future victories.

P. We must be careful to continue in obedience to God if we will live victoriously in Christ.

T. How do we live in victory when it seems the masses are enslaved to sin and many do not even care what God’s Word teaches? A brief overview of Judges may be given as outlined by FBI teacher John Yates as: DELAY 3:1-6; DEFEAT 3:7-16:31; DEPRAVITY 17:1-21:25

1. Your Past victories do not guarantee future Victories.

The children of Israel led by their fearless General, Joshua, led the people in conquest of the promised land. While they conquered a significant part of the land there was still a bit of land to be conquered. Joshua 13:1 “Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the Lord said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.”

Delay 1:1-3:6

Good intentions: Simeon and Judah Judges 1

The tribes of Judah and Simeon make good headway. Judges 1:19 “And the Lord was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.”

Quit when it became hard and they should have cried out to the Lord. Joshua 17:18 “But the mountain shall be thine; for it is a wood, and thou shalt cut it down: and the outgoings of it shall be thine: for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though they be strong.”

They had the promise of God of victory from Joshua, but they did not trust God to give it to them. They said we got all the easy parts so we are happy with what we got.

Good excuses: The other tribes don’t do the job. From Judges one verse twenty-one through Judges 2

It is easier to sit at home - Dead beat

I won’t bother them if they don’t bother me.

Joshua 23:11 “Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the Lord your God.”

What will you do if you love God? John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

We really don’t need to get rid of all remnants of the heathen. Deuteronomy 7:1–5 “When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.”

When you take antibiotics it’s not just to make the infection less, but to completely overwhelm it and wipe it out of your body. So in our fight against sin it is not tolerating a little bit of sin. It is all out warfare against it to wipe it out and all traces of it from our lives.

The problem with the children of Israel is they didn’t deal with the enemy they just let them dwell with them. We cannot let sin dwell in our mortal bodies. Romans 6:12 “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.”

Matt Powell - confronting students on university campuses with Gospel truth.

Are you willing to confront people with the truth of God’s Word or is it easier to be a Christian sitting at home in silence?

It is hard to confront wrong - Defeatist

They have better weapons. 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”

They are stronger than we are. With God you have the majority. Look at these glorious verses in Psalms.

Psalm 44:5 “Through thee will we push down our enemies: Through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.”

Psalm 60:12 “Through God we shall do valiantly: For he it is that shall tread down our enemies.”

Psalm 108:13 “Through God we shall do valiantly: For he it is that shall tread down our enemies.”

They have more money and man power.

Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein.”

My friend they don’t have God’s power with them.

Romans 8:37 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

1 John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

An excuse that is used by churches today is God doesn’t work the way he used to work. I think that is true only because there is a lack of faith. Matthew 13:58 “And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”

 7   Unbelief. Instances in which you have virtually charged the God of truth with lying, by your unbelief of his express promises and declarations.

Charles Finney

Lectures of Revivals of Religion (1835)

Charles Grandison Finney (American Evangelist)

It isn’t that big of a deal - Downplayer

They aren’t hurting me.

The frog that was slowly boiled in the pot.

Numbers 33:55 “But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.”

The people aren’t that bad.

Evil communication corrupt good manners. 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”

Jeremiah 10:2 “Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, And be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; For the heathen are dismayed at them.”

You know we really need to know how to do according to the gods of the land if our crops will grow.

Deuteronomy 11:16 “Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;”

Judges 2:11–13 “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim: And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.”

Good night! It’s judgment time.

Defeat 3:7-16:31

Depravity 17:1-21:25

Most commentators will divide the book along these same divisions.

2. Present Victories are won through complete obedience.

Judah and Simeon experienced complete victories until they saw the chariots as to strong for them.

It is amazing to witness God work victory in our life. But beware of disobedience creepy craft. It lurks and lies in wait to distract your from your task through a little excuse, compromise, or seeming logical reason from obeying God completely.

Matthew 22:37 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”

3. Promised victories does not free us from depraved desires.

As Israel fell into idolatry, so the Christian must beware of Idolatry as well. 1 John 5:21 “Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.”

Watch out against those things that will keep you from obedience to Christ.

The book of Judges has some of the darkest insights into human depravity. We

Further, total depravity does not mean that the sinful person is as sinful as possible.

Millard J. Erickson

It is possible to be a confirmed believer in total depravity and still be as proud as Lucifer! It is possible to believe in depravity and still trust in yourself in such a way that the face of God is hidden and you are kept from victory.13

A. W. Tozer

Depravity means that man fails the test of pleasing God.

Charles C. Ryrie

Be alert to be committed to Christ with all your heart. Don’t Delay to obey, Don’t be a defeatist, and don’t dupe yourself to think you are above sin.