1. Judges 1.1-2.5

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There are certain questions which, after nearly 19 years of marriage we don’t ask each other any more.

For example, Morag and I have largely stopped asking each other ‘what are you reading?’ On those rare occasions we’ve gotten some time together, perhaps to be away, perhaps sitting on the deck chairs, SLIDE both reading a book… we’ve largely stopped asking ‘what are you reading?’ Of course these days you can’t always tell we’ve each got a Kindle - so you could be reading anything.

But we don’t ask generally…. because we have both pigeonholed each others reading habits and we have (shall we say) quite different reading habits.

She thinks I only ever read books about war, history, or theology (and to be fair, she’s pretty much right).

On the other hand I accuse her of just reading books which are all about ‘FEELINGS’.

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There is a place isn’t there for different types of literature - different styles of books.

I really hated Shakespeare at school… but even I know sometimes he write comedies… and sometimes he wrote histories…. and sometimes he wrote poetry… and SOMETIMES… SOMETIMES he also wrote TRAGEDIES.

What’s the point of a TRAGEDY (you might ask?) Who wants to read a book about things just going wrong and ending badly…?

And YET tragedies are so important aren’t they?

Tragedies teach us so much, don’t they?

Tragedies teach us something about ourselves - about the human condition, about the world we live in. About wise living. About our need for God.

And THIS BOOK we’re beginning to study tonight… this book we’re going to work our way through between now and mid November (in these evening services) this book called Judges can be best described as a TRAGEDY.

It is the tragic story of the disobedience of Israel and the repeated descent of the nation into Godless chaos. It’s also the story of God’s Grace - of God sending a saviour - in fact, several saviours (although we’ll want to put that word saviour in inverted commas…. becuase these saviours - called Judges - are often very far from perfect themselves).

By the way when you hear that word ‘Judge’ don’t think of a court-room judge… these are more like tribal leaders who are warrior saviours.

And speaing of warriors… if this book were a movie it would certainly come with an 18 rating.

I need to warn you at the outset it is bloody, brutal, dark and disturbing. And it will leave you in no doubt that we people need the saving grace of God (as our series title suggests).

We better get going on today’s passage which acts a both as an introduction to the book… and a kind of summary of the whole… here’s our first heading tonight - and it’s a surprising heading given what I’ve just told you…

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1. The Power of God to bless His People

The book of Judges opens in a striking way. See there, v1…

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Judges 1:1 NIV

1 After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?”

That phrase “After the death of Joshua…” gives us our historical bearings… God has rescued his people out of slavery in Egypt… they have wnadered in disobedience int eh desert… eventually he has brought them to the promised land under the leadership of Moses…

Then they are led INTO the land under the leadership of Joshua… the Canaanites BEGIN to be driven out… God’s people now occupy SOME of the land he has promised them… but the job is not yet complete.

The task now is to finish the job…

BUT JOSHUA (THE LEADER) is DEAD. DEAD AND GONE.

So can the work go on? It’s striking this is not the only Bible book to open this way…

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Exodus begins with the death of Joseph.

Joshua begins with the death of Moses.

Judges begins with the death of Joshua.

1 Kings begins with the death of David.

But throughout it all… the work goes on. What’s the point? God uses us for his purposes, but he doesn’t NEED us.

God raises up and brings along LEADERS who (by his grace) to significant work… but they are NOT irreplaceable.

The same is true for you and for me. We are NOT irreplaceable. Someday I won’t be here in Burghead any more. That day might be near it might be far, I don’t know the future… but that’s ok. God may use us but he doesn’t NEED us.

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Having said that… you may be reading this and the question nagging away at you ISN’T ‘can the work go on without Joshua?’ maybe your question is ‘SHOULD the work go on at all?!’ after all… the work in question is defeating and destroying and driving out the Canaanite people - out of the lands they occupied.

Maybe that makes us feel uncomfortable. “Why should these innocent people be attacked and/or killed and/or have their land removed from them?” (we may ask).

But that, of course, assumes that they are “innocent people”.

God himself has told us that is NOT the case. IN fact he has told Israel that they are NOT getting the land because they are especially righteous… but because the Canaanites are especially wicked. Just listen to Deut 9.4 SLIDE

Deuteronomy 9:4 NIV

4 After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, “The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is going to drive them out before you.

Canaan is a hotbed of pagan worship… sexual immorality… occult practices… including widespread child-sacrifice.

God brings his judgement on these people by allowing Israel to invade and succeed. And in case you’re worried that God shows undue favouratism… remember that, later, when Israel continually disobeys he will bringing in the Assyrians then the Babylonians to deal THEM the same treatment.

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Listen to one commentator ‘Dale Raph Davis’ speaking on this subject… he words are wise and helpful.

Judges: Such a Great Salvation Preliminary Matters

And the conquest was frightful. But people who bemoan the fate of the poor Canaanites don’t view the conquest from the Bible’s own perspective. They forget one vital fact: the Canaanites were not innocent. Moses was emphatic about that; he humbled the Israelites by insisting that Yahweh was not giving them Canaan because they were such godly folks but because the Canaanites were so grossly wicked (

Anyway back to the point… Joshua is DEAD but the Lord is WITH his people to give them success… to bless them in power and enable them to take and possess the land he promised. them.

And the chapter opens with exactly that beginning to happen… read agin from v1

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Judges 1:1–4 NIV

1 After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?” 2 The Lord answered, “Judah shall go up; I have given the land into their hands.” 3 The men of Judah then said to the Simeonites their fellow Israelites, “Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours.” So the Simeonites went with them. 4 When Judah attacked, the Lord gave the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek.

This is the first of a number of victories… we also hear of victories in erusalem (v. 8), Hebron (v. 10), Debir (v11 and fff), Zephath and Hormah (v. 17), and the towns on the coastal plain (vv. 18–19).

In this opening section we see that God’s people…

SLIDE ONLY - divine direction, assurance, power, presence

receive divine DIRECTION (God tells them who should fight - v2)

They receive divine ASSURANCE (I HAVE given them into your hands says the Lord - again v2).

The experience divine POWER (we see that phrase repeated “The LORD gave the Canaanites into their hands). The LORD did it…

They also experience divine PRESENCE - God is with them (v19 - “the LORD was with them”

God is with them as they walk with him…. as they obey him… as they are responsive to his commands.

The commands we have from God are different… the war we wage is not fought with traditional weapons…. when we sing ‘onward Christian soldiers marching as to war’ - it is a different war we’re in… our task… our mission… our struggle is to take the gospel to the nations, enduring whatever hardship comes in the course of that task.

But God does not change… there is NOT (as some people are so keen on saying) one God of the OT and a different in the New - people who say that (by the way are almost always ignoranct of the grace of God we see in the OT and the Judgement and justice of God we see in the new… so no, God does not change and so likewise for us… God is with US as we walk with him… as we obey him… as we are responsive to him, living in relationship with him.

In CHRIST we know the direction and assurance and power and the presence of God.

We also see great unity amongst the people when things are going well. See there chapter 1 - Judah are told to go up and fight… but the tribe of Simeon give their help and support. Later on, v22 you see other tribes working together. It isn’t stretching things too much (I don’t think) to observe the same today. Where there is unity in the church - God brings his blessing. That’s Psalm 133 right?

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v1 and v3…

Psalm 133:1–3 NIV

1 How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!… 3 It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

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You see God at work here in all the details… and there are some (shall we say) colourful stories.

Like Adoni-Bezek (v6) who has spend his life subjugating others by making them crawl before him as he cuts of their thumbs… you get the sense (v7) that even he appreciates the irony when this same fate is visited on him, as an Act of God’s judgement. (I told you it was gory).

Then there’s the mini love-story we get about Othniel and Aksah… he thinks she’s a bit of alright - so much so he risks his life to win her hand. God is at work in all of ths.

I love how Dale Ralph Davis sums this all up… he says… in all this SLIDE “Yahweh was with them’ (v. 22). And that is typical of the God of the Bible. When he shows how adequate he is, he usually gives us some stories to tell. God seldom gives his people up to monotony but leaves them vivid episodes to remember”

In all my years - 18 years so far in Christian ministry… I can safely say it has been MANY things but it has not been DULL… there are stories to tell, including stories of God’s provision and faithfulnes.

So these people experience (as we do today) the Power of God to Bless his People.

But here in Judges we also see… time and time and time again…

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2. The Pattern of People - to disobeying God

Things are looking good… but then the wheels begin to come off around v27…

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Judges 1:27 NIV

27 But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land.

Similarly v29… SLIDE

Judges 1:29 NIV

29 Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, but the Canaanites continued to live there among them.

Likewise the very next verse v30 SLIDE

Judges 1:30 NIV

30 Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, so these Canaanites lived among them…

Time and again - particularly the NORTHERN tribes fail to do what God has commanded. God has commanded the Canaanites be utterly defeated - dead or driven out. The command is clear. But the people don’t do it.

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ASIDE - as an aside… why is it that God commands his people not jsut to defeat the Canaanites… or even just to occupy the land… but to DRIVE THEM COMPLETELY out.

ILL - surgeon who operates but only removes SOME of the cancer. Impact upon their own Godliness - ultimately intermarriage and spreading paganism

But the people disobey… they keep somem Canaanties around… they don’t drive them out… And please don’t get the wrong idea… they don’t disobey because they have moral quarms about defeating their enemies… it’s not because they’re squeamish…

No their motivations are clear when we are told (on a number of occasions) - for example in v28...

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Judges 1:28 NIV

28 When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely.

Here is further disobedience… they enact slavery (which they are absolutely NOT told to do)… they want cheap (for which read, ‘free’) labour. It’s a double disobedience.

Don’t misunderstand… things are not DREADFUL at this point in the book of Judges… (believe me they’re going to get MUCH worse as the dark tragedies of this book unfold).

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In fact…. if you asked a passing Israelite - how are things going? Are you obeying God? Are you being blessed? Are you looking successful? How are things going…? I reckon he might have been pretty positive - pretty pleased with himself.

A bunch of victories won…. quite a few Canaanites (though of course, not all) driven out… some of then taken on as slaves - ‘a pragmatic solution’ he might have said… God is with us! Just look at out victories… the future is bright…. haven’t we don’e well.

But some ‘surface success’ masked the depper truth… that in their hearts they were disobedient.

And there in lies a dangerous truth we need to learn.

It’s possible for our church, our ministry, our lives to LOOK GOOD on the surface… to APPEAR ‘successful’… and yet for that to mask Godlessness…. or compromise…. or worldly pragmatism underneath.

We must be aware of that - there is no substitute for obedience int he small things… the hidden things…

We could be a church with a shiney new building… that has a rotten spiritual core - I pray we are not.

I could be a leader who is a polished accomplished publci spaer… that has a rotten spiritual core of compromise - I pray I am not.

We’ve seen the power of God to bless….

Sadly also the pattern of people to disobey…

Now God responds - third heading…

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3. The Pronouncement of God and the Penitence of His People

And so we reach chapter 2… how does God respond?

With God there is FAITHFULNESS….. but also FALLOUT (consequences).

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Judges 2:1 NIV

1 The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you,

The word of God comes through his messenger to the people… he begins with a histroy lesson? I brought you up out of Egypt… in other words I graciously rescued you - not becuase of your goodness but becuase of mine. AND I led you into the land I swore to your ancestors - so there is faithfulness to promises. You could say God has delivered them (out of Egypt) and delivered for them (the promised lang).

And you see the summary there - I will NEVER break my covenant with you. God is entirely faithful, absolutely consistent, unfailing in keeping his covenant.

And what a contrast with the people… who break covenant by disobeying him. Read on (middle of v2…

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Judges 2:2 NIV

2 … Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this?

And so now there will be fallout - consequences.

You have not driven out the canaanites? - well then. says God, neither will I. You have decided it’s ok to live with them and mix with them… very well says you will continue to live with them and mix with them… you will have what you have chosen and that will do you no good at all. Look at v3…

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Judges 2:3 NIV

3 And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will become snares to you.’ ”

Thisis often the way with our sin isn’t it? Part of God’s judgement (not the whole, but part) of his judgement on our sin, is often to let us experience the consequences we have chosen… so that ultimately we might come to our senses in repentance.

Speaking of which… point 4…

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4. The Pattern of Judges

Point 4 and read from v4

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Judges 2:4–5 NIV

4 When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud, 5 and they called that place Bokim. There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.

The people sin… their sin leads them into dire consequences…. they cry out to God in repentance… and then the Lord sends a judge (a saviour - of sorts) to rescue them and bring peace…. but then again the people sin and the cycle starts again. This, as we’ll see is the downward spiral that is the book of judges… that is the tragic pattern of this book - which leaves us crying out for a true Saviour King to redeem.

But all of that is for future weeks and future talks… for now lets draw the message of this passage together and ask what’s…

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5. The Point for us Today

We’ve seen some of these things as we’ve gone alone but let’s draw them together. There are, it seems to me, at least 6 things - 3 positives to do… 3 negatives to beware.

Firstly and most obviously…

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Be obedient to God’s word

God’s people have clear commands - they clearly disobey.

It’s not about earnign favour… God has made his gracious covenant with his people (saved them) just as he has for us.

But to know Jesus is Saviour is to follow him as Lord.

The people don’t think much of the consequences of disobedience… a pragmatic compromise here and there… but it adds up to a new slavery to the idols of Canaan.

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Be United in God’s Family

Blessing flows when the tribes of Israel take their lead from God and share the burden with each other in fellowship and unity- the same is true for us.

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Be Repentant in God’s Church

It’s hard to know what to make of Israels repeated repentance in Judges - is it real genuine and true?

Either way the lesson is their for us to see, keep short accounts with God.

THAT’S THE GOSPEL

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Beware ‘success-syndrome’

Things look pretty good at this stage - plenty of visual ‘success’ to point to.. but the rot is beginning to set in.

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Beware Society’s idols

Remember the reason for seperation from the Caanaanites - they would go after theri idols. We are surrounded by our culture’s idols - are we taken in by them?

We can’t seperate ourselves out of the world - we are to be a witness to the world.. but as we share the gospel we are meant to be agents who change society… not passengers who are changed by society and it’s idols.

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Beware ‘saviour-complex’

Moses died… the work went on

Joshua died… the work went on

later David died.. the promises of God still endured.

I am not the saviour and neither are you - that’s one lesson the book of Jduges teaches us loud and clear.

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And finally, be ready for the rest of this series in Judges.

For now, let’s pray.