Sermon Tone Analysis

Reality Check

How should we view these heroes?

Samson; who was a child of promise, and devoted to the Lord; he was famous for his great strength; he had his infirmities, but was, without doubt, a good man: the last act of his life seems to be a great instance of faith; he did it with calling upon the Lord; he was strengthened for it by the Lord; he acted, not as a private person, but as the judge of Israel; nor did he act from private revenge, but from zeal for God, and love to his country; and his intention was not to destroy himself, but his enemies; in which he acted as a type of Christ:

Samson was an impulsive man-child who loved to go against the instruction of God, was given to fits of rage and jealousy, and frequented prostitutes, and who by the sovereign and gracious hand of God was used to deliver God’s people from a powerful and wicked enemy.

says that Jesus came not to condemn the world, but that the world though Him might be saved; Samson came to kill.

The period of the Judges was a dark time for God’s people societally, religiously, and morally

The book of Judges ought to show us clearly that the men and women were not the heroes of the stories; rather God was using not merely imperfect, but sometimes desperately flawed and otherwise vile people to bring about His eternal purposes in rescuing His people

The Downward Spiral

1:1-4 shows seemingly a good start

v19 - the inhabitants of the plain had iron chariots

v21 - the Jebusites were not driven out

v27 - Manasseh did not frove out the inhabitants of Bethshean, o rTaanach, or the inhabitants of Dor, or the inhabitants of Megiddo “for the Canaanites persisted”

v29 - Ephraim did not drive out the inhabitants of Gezer

v30 - Zebulon did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron

v31 - Asher did not

v33 - Naphtali

judges

All their excuses in failure make total sense unless they were the people whose God destroyed the mighty army of Egypt in the same red sea He had parted for them to cross

2:1-4 is God’s response; a removal of a measure of His protection

2:16-18 presents the cyclical pattern we should expect

2:19 shows that it was not merely a cycle, but a downward spiral until there was no noticeable difference between the people of God and the pagans among whom they lived

This phrase is given 4 times in the book of , , )

Longing for a Savior

If nothing else, the book of Judges SHOUTS the message that we are longing for a savior!

(CHORUS)

How can I be so prone to wander

So prone to leave You

So prone to die

And how can You be so full of mercy

You race to meet me and bring be back to life

(CHORUS)

How can I be so prone to wander

So prone to leave You

So prone to die

And how can You be so full of mercy

You race to meet me and bring be back to life

Curse-reversing Day of Jesus

When You finally seize my soul

Freedom from myself will be

The sweetest rest I've ever known

There was no king in Israel.

There is no monarch or elected official today who is leading the People of God into righteousness, but there is a King who is seated on His eternal throne.

His name is Jesus, and He is ready today to lead, to teach, to provide for, and rescue forever all who bow to Him.

Thanks be to God.