Message Theme & Verses: Judges
Memory Verse: Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
From the time of Joshua until the time of Samuel, twelve judges ruled Israel. They were military deliverer in international affairs, the administrators of justice in national affairs, and the model covenant keeper in religious matters. Sadly, we see increasing depravity through the stories of the judges as they spiral down into idolatry. The purpose of Judges is to give an honest contrast of God’s faithfulness versus the people’s sin and to show their need for a godly king to lead them.
The book of Joshua ended with the people committing to follow God and keep His commandments. They were successful in beginning the conquest of the Promised Land but had not yet driven out all of the people. God appoints the tribe of Judah to finish the mission, but the people are quickly disobedient to their covenant responsibilities. Still, God is faithful and raises us the judges to free the people from their oppressors and restore rest.
God’s plan had always been to give His people a king, not a warrior like those of other nations, but a leader who would keep the law. Without a king to lead them, “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” The people forgot about holiness and were seduced by Canaanite culture, committing adultery against God by whoring after false gods like Baal and Asherah.
The judges are far from perfect, yet God uses them to bring deliverance to His people. Judges is a collection of “hero stories” depicting a repeating cycle in a downward spiral. The people do what is evil in the sight of God. God then allows the people to be conquered and oppressed by outsiders. The people finally call out to God for help. This plea brings salvation as God, in His mercy, sends a judge to deliver His people. After each judge dies, the cycle repeats.
Judges gives us a realistic portrayal of real life including violence, sexual abuse, idolatry, misuse of power, mutilation, and dismemberment. Through our reading, we get insight into life and human nature apart from God.
We can see several themes in Judges.
Land and rest can be taken from the people for their continued disobedience.
When Israel breaks the covenant and does evil, they suffer consequences.
God is faithful even when Israel breaks the covenant. This is based on God’s compassion and faithfulness and not the goodness or repentance of the people.
Most of the judges are bad sinners themselves.
Israel needs a godly king.
Read Judges 3
God’s people were supposed to keep the covenant and follow faithful leaders like Joshua. In Joshua, we saw God judging the Canaanites through Israel and now we see God judging the sin of Israel using evil nations. God used the judges to both correct and preserve His people, and to teach them their need for a righteous king. Because Israel had not obeyed and lived together with the Canaanites, religious syncretism crept in. This means that instead of worshiping God alone, they started to mix in aspects of worshiping Baal and other demonic idols. Israel was constantly under threat during this time, both from other nations and from their own sin. It is through the stories of Judges we see chaos reign while we wait for God’s promised King.
Jesus in Judges
As we read through the judges our hearts start to long for a godly leader. The judges are increasingly sinful and though God uses them to deliver His people, we know that if they had a strong and godly king, he could teach them to follow the law. God promised in Deuteronomy to send a king who would be selfless and who would love God’s law. We are moving into the time of the monarchy and will learn next in Ruth the background of David, a king who would follow God’s heart. Though David is God’s chosen leader, it is One from His line who is the promised Messiah. Jesus, son of David, Son of God, will come and redeem His people forever, ruling and reigning with all of His enemies under His footstool.
Questions
Have you ever had to go before a Judge? How did it make you feel?
Are the leaders we have today godly law keepers?
Why do you think God uses language like adultery and whoring when He talks about the people worshiping false gods? (This strong language is not simply to get people’s attention. The marriage relationship is very intimate. It is the closest relationship we have. The Bible compares Jesus’ relationship with the church to a marriage relationship. God uses this language to show the importance of the relationship and the severity of the sin involved. God should be our first love and to replace Him with a false god is like a wife leaving her husband to become a prostitute.)
Do you think it is good or bad for people to do what is right in their own eyes?
What did you learn about God and the people through the story of Ehud?
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