I just finished a series of daily devotionals on the book of Judges, the seventh in our Bible. It’s a rocky road, with lots of casualties along the way. Here’s a little from my intro:
“I still like picture books. I love sharing the excitement with my little grandchildren, seeing their faces light up at every new page. It seems that God likes picture books as well. Almost half our Bible is composed of them. And Judges is one of those books.
“Remarkable episodes of remarkable people with remarkable weapons doing exploits for God. Imagine two women, one in her tower apartment, the other in her pilgrim tent, neutralizing a horde of soldiers with household utensils! I better not let too much out of the bag, but you get the idea.
“So back to the 21 chapters of Judges. In it are 14 main characters. Our Bible’s translators called them judges, but the Hebrew word yasha‘ could as well be rendered deliverer, avenger, defender, helper, preserver, rescuer, victor, or even savior. What’s remarkable about these characters is not that they have super-powers (although some like Samson seem to), but that the Lord uses them when they have disqualifiers that we might think would have kept them on the shelf. But there they are, with their wobbly faith, funny weapons, and near-fatal flaws.
“Whatever could God do with them? You watch; it’s going to be quite the saga. But against these bright spots is an increasingly dark background.
“Why had God promised to help them to victory? Because He wanted a people VERY different from the demon-worshiping, baby-sacrificing, God-hating Canaanites.
“The covenant He ratified with them was based on His holy words. But as the story progresses, we see a downward spiral of spiritual neglect, growing unbelief, moral wickedness, and idolatry that engulfs Israel until they horrifyingly resemble the inhabitants they were supposed to replace. Yet God remains faithful!”
But the question persists: Why would God want a book like that in the Bible? These are the grisly tales that atheists think give the Lord a bad name.
I’ll tell you why. It’s a solemn warning to any nation, including ours, showing what happens when, as the often repeated refrain of Judges states, “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 17:6; 21:25)
Listen, folks, you can see it’s going to be a rough ride for us ahead, too. The people driving our society—whether in politics, education, the arts, or media—have thrown the Owner’s Manual out the window. “We’re too smart for that,” they giggle, as the vehicle picks up speed.
And there goes the GPS (God’s Plain Statements). “Old fashioned,” they say. “Outdated. We can come up with our own rules, and our own map to the lovely town of Me-me-me.”
The bridge is out ahead, the only link between planet Confusion and heaven’s Certainty.
What else does Judges teach us? That even in a day of moral disarray and empty religion, individuals can still stand for God. I want to be one of those. How about you?
“As for man, his days are like grass…the wind passes over it, and it is gone.” (Psalms 103:15-16) “As for God, His way is perfect.” (2 Samuel 22:31) “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
Article by Jabe Nicholson first published in the Commercial Dispatch, Sunday, December 4, 2022