The Old Testament book of Exodus begins with the death of Joseph. The book of Joshua begins with the death of Moses. The book of Judges begins with the death of Joshua. Who were these people known as Judges? What timeless truths do these amazing historical records of God’s dealings with His people teach us? Is the God of the Old Testament the same God as the God of the New Testament? How does a book like Judges point forward to the coming of Jesus Christ? Join Pastor Jim for an introduction to this action packed book that overflows with the message of God’s amazing grace for repeat sinners!
Sermon Notes
Joshua:
Leaving the Wilderness of Unbelief and Entering the Land of God’s Promises
Comparing & Contrasting Joshua with Judges:
Joshua is a book about conquest. Judges is about compromise.
- In Joshua there was passionate and vocal commitment to serve the Lord and follow His ways.
- In Judges the people forsake God, do what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and begin to worship other gods.
- In Joshua, the laws of God were held in high regard. In Judges the laws of God were neglected and rejected.
- Joshua tells the story of the people of God, united and following God’s leaders.Judges tells the story of a people falling into idolatry, moral relativism and anarchy, as each person “did that which was right in their own eyes”
Repeating cycle of spiritual decline in Judges:
1. Rebellion
2. Retribution
3. Repentance
4. Rescue & Restoration
The repeated themes found in the book of Judges are:
- “The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” occurs 7 times! (2:11; 3:7, 12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; 13:1)
- “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” – Judges 21:25
“The church (in general) has a problem with the Book of Judges. It is so earthy, so puzzling, so primitive, so violent – in a word, so strange, that the church can scarcely stomach it. As with many Old Testament materials, the sentiment seems to be, ‘If we just study the epistles long enough, maybe it will go away.’ The church has her way of dealing with embarrassing Scripture; ignore it. Yet that is difficult to do with Judges. It’s so interesting. Only people who take tranquilizers before sitting down can doze off while they read it.”
Dale Ralph Davis
“There is failure, but there is also faith. Few other books give us such insight into the grace and longsuffering of our God. Side by side with compromise and apostasy runs the story of men and women who knew what it was to live for God by faith in difficult times.”
Gary Inrig
Hearts of Iron, Feet of Clay
Other themes we will explore as we study through this ancient text:
- The people of God living within a permissive society
- The importance of passing on a Gospel heritage
- The consistent inconsistency of human leadership
- The reality of our struggle with cycles of sin and its consequences
- The insidious nature of idolatry and compromise
- The grace & love of God at work in the lives of flawed and sinful people
- Jesus Christ, the ultimate judge, hero and deliverer!
“The problem is not wolves at the door but termites in the floor.”
Os Guinness
“We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.”
C. S. Lewis
Mere Christianity