What can we learn from Judges?

I'm currently ploughing through the Old Testament 2 module of the Moore course, and I've been reading the book of Judges. It's a very gruesome book and sometimes it's hard to know what we're meant to make of all the goings-on: concubines being cut up into twelve pieces and sent to all the tribes of Israel and heroes like Samson who don't seem to care much what God thinks and do whatever they like.

In many ways the book of Judges says more by negative example than positive. I don't think we're meant to read it and follow Gideon's example of laying fleeces before God: time and again he lacked faith and faffed around instead of getting on with what God had clearly told him to do. And yet this is true of many biblical 'heroes' like Abraham and Jacob- the Bible doesn't shrink from telling us all their mistakes and howlers such as Abraham's failure to tell people that Sarah was his wife repeatedly. But God chose to work through flawed people- and God still does that today. Hooray for that! Otherwise none of us would have any hope.

Judges really emphasises that God chooses the nobodies of this world and gives them grace to do what He has called them to do. Many of the book's judges were called to be brave and courageous (just as Joshua was in a previous generation) in a hostile political environment where Israel was attacked on every side and struggling to establish itself. God did marvellous things, by His mercy. It definitely was not a reward for good behaviour, because Israel broke every rule in the book.

It can make for depressing reading when you see how Israel were stuck in a cycle of turning away from God and doing their own thing. No matter how many times God intervened to rescue them, they still worshipped Baal (the pagan god) and showed little faithfulness to the One who had saved them. Samson epitomises this: he was a Nazarite, set apart to live for God, and throughout his life he struggled with his calling. He spent most of his life making rash decisions, chasing after various Philistine women, and reacting in angry violence whenever he was offended. In the same way, Israel as a whole chased after foreign gods and then blamed God for all the rubbish stuff that happened as a result. God had told them that unfaithfulness would bring destruction and eventually exile. Time and again they refused to listen.

As Christians there is perhaps a strong message here to keep ourselves separate from the corrupting influences of the world around us. As Israel's history proves, tolerating ungodly ideas and practises soon leads to participating in them. We need to take a bold stance and place a filter over our TVs and be careful what influences us.

Ultimately we should rejoice in the fact that God has saved us. In sending Jesus, He sent the perfect One who could deliver us for ever from death, sin and the devil. All these human leaders in Judges point towards the much greater Saviour who would come many years later. If there's one thing that Judges teaches us, it's that we can't save ourselves.

A weakness for women- Samson

Judges 16

Samson continually shows a weakness for women that is
a) sinful
b) leads him into many dangerous situations.

God graciously provides ways for him to escape and triumph in his marriage, the incident with the prostitute in Gaza, but finally God allows the Philistines to overpower him.

Samson allows himself to love a Philistine woman (again), and puts himself in her power by telling her the secret of his strength. He became complacent and arrogant in his 'strength', forgetting that he is dependent on God and his role as a Nazirite was to be set apart for God. His actions repeatedly went against this role.

But through Samson, God works another victory for Israel- at the cost of Samson's life when he pulls down the temple of Dagon. God's purposes came to pass but Samson often obstructed them more than he fulfilled them.

This is perhaps a warning to us as Christians of the damaging effect romantic involvement with non Christians can have. You can definitely still be a Christian and go out with, even marry, a non-Christian, but in doing so you are obstructing God's work through you. You cannot be as effective for God when you are yoked to an unbeliever (see 2 Corinthians 6). You cannot have a marriage that is a gospel partnership. And you have duties and responsibilities towards your spouse which may reduce your involvement in gospel ministry, because they will not be involved with it too.

We need to constantly examine our hearts to see if we value God above every single other thing (including people) in our lives. If we place a person before Him, even if it's a spouse, then we are not living in the way that He wants us to (see Luke 14:25-27).

Judges: worth reading?

Judges has to be one of the most violent, gory and shocking books of the Old Testament. It gives us the famous stories of Gideon and Samson, and yet even these heroic stories are blotted by the flaws of these figures. Gideon is a man who repeatedly doubts God's promises, and his fleece experiments are definitely not an example for us to follow! Samson is meant to be delivering Israel from the Philistines, and yet lets his sexual desires over-rule his calling as he marries a Philistine woman, and later tells Delilah the secret of his strength.

So what is the value of Judges for Christians today? Well, it DOES have value- it is part of the Word of God for starters, and 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking and training in righteousness. Judges probably tells us more what NOT to do than provide positive examples, but it is no less worthy of our attention because of this.

Judges also testifies to the extraordinary faithfulness of God. To put it into context, God has led the Israelites out of slavery to Egypt, and into the promised land. Joshua, their leader after Moses, dies, and not long after this the people begin to do exactly what they were told NOT to do. They do not drive out the other nations completely or break down their pagan altars. God's angel tells them that these nations will be 'thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you' (3). The people weep and offer sacrifices, but it is a sad fact that 'another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel.' (10) Despite the Exodus and establishment of Israel in the promised land, the covenant and the law, they STILL forget God.

As soon as the Israelites worship other gods, they lose their security and are plundered by raiders. But in His mercy, God raises up judges who save them from these raiders (16). The cycle of disobedience and grace, establishing way back in Genesis 3, continues... And yet God is still loving, caring and involved in the lives of His people.

For us as Christians, we perhaps need reminding of why we need the cross of Jesus so much, and why it was such an amazing act of grace for God to send His Son into a world that had rejected Him from its very creation. Judges gives us a horrifying picture of life without God, and motivates us to cling to Jesus, a Saviour who (unlike the flawed judges) brings us perfect relationship with God.