Country Road Faith

O. T. #501  "Pulling up the Weeds"
April 16, 2015
Introduction to Judges
Now after the death of Joshua...   Judges 1:1a

LET IT GLOW
Introduction to Judges:

The title of this book refers to unique leaders God gave to His people for preservation against their enemies (2:16-19). The Hebrew title means deliverers or saviors, as well as judges. Twelve such judges arose before Samuel; then Eli and Samuel increased the count to fourteen. God Himself is the higher Judge (11:27). (The MacArthur Bible Commentary)



Background:
The books of  Judges and Ruth originally formed one document in the Hebrew Bible. They deal with events following Joshua's death (1380 B.C.). While the author is not indicated by the text, Jewish tradition has always ascribed it to Samuel the prophet, and rightly so, since he was the major spiritual figure of the time of the judges. (Liberty Bible Commentary)

Falwell says the total number of years mentioned in Judges is four hundred ten.
MacArthur says Judges spans about 350 years from Joshua's successful conquest until Eli and Samuel judged prior to the establishment of the monarch.
Paul estimated about 450 years of the judges until Samuel, according to Acts 13:20.

LET IT GROW

Welcome Friends as we start another study on the book of Judges. I am so grateful for so many who are faithfully following along.
Last week, my granddaughter and I planted some flower seeds in my flower bed, sunflowers being our favorite. Now that it has rained several times, I noticed something green popping up in that place. Experience taught me that it is not our flowers, though. It is green weeds. Being too early for the seeds to have germinated and plants popping their heads above the ground,  I am sure of it. Short green weeds surround the place we dug up. So I pulled them up and discarded the weeds. Left untreated, the weeds could crowd out the small plants of  our flowers. So it is with sin-left untreated, sin grows and soon poisons the whole body and/or families or churches. This is what happened to Israel. Although their sins were identified by the judges, they did not get rid of it. Perhaps there are some lessons for our life as we study about Israel's mistakes.

After settling in Canaan, the Israelites lost their spiritual commitment and motivation. Moses and Joshua, time and time again, warned Israel of this.

Judges is a book about 12 men and women who helped rescue Israel from its oppressors. Although they were not perfect, they were submissive to God and He used them. It is also a book about sin and its consequences.

Wiersbe notes that the summary of the entire book in 2:10-19 is blessing, disobedience, chastening, repentance, deliverance. He describes it as a book of failure on the part of God's people to trust His Word and claim His power. The book of defeat and disgrace, as we see in the key verse (17:6): Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Israel entered their Promised Land, conquered and divided it among its 12 tribes. However, she failed to possess it totally. Israel tolerated their enemy, then collected taxes from them, mixed with them and eventually surrendered to them. It was only through God's deliverers, judges, that the Israelites found victory.

Isn't it too easy for Christians to settle down in sin and miss the blessings of total surrender and complete victory?

Although these judges were ordinary men, the Spirit of God came upon them for a particular work. but, since they were ordinary men, some of the judges followed their own sinful impulses (Gideon, Eli, Jephthah, Samson).

Whether it is called 7 periods or cycles of the judges, they were used by God to give Israel the opportunity to repent of their sins, idolatry. God gives us opportunities to repent, also.

Will you and I take this opportunity today?


LET IT GO

Ask God to reveal my sins to me so I can repent and stay in fellowship with Him.

Learn from the mistakes of others and my own.