Judges. That is the next text in our continuing look of going through each book of the Bible through our newsletter series. The book of Judges covers a time between the death of Joshua to the emergence of the prophet Samuel and King Saul and later, David. Although the book calls them “Judges”, these leaders not only solved legal disputes, but more often than not, led different tribes of Israel as the struggled in the Promised Land.
Interestingly enough there are some parallels between this book and the celebration of Easter that we can see, most of all in the overarching pattern of the book of Judges because it is similar to our journey of faith: God rescues us from sin, sets us to right, then we wander away being drawn and enticed by temptation, we then reach a point of being ensnared, then we cry out to the Lord in repentance, and he mercifully rescues us because He is faithful. It reminds me of a question that I still am challenged with today: Is your faith in your circumstances or is it in God who is more powerful?
Although starting on a positive note and displaying the actions of faithful men and women of God as they led His people, the deeper into Judges you read, often this a book about what not to do. Many of the Judges had human failings just like us. They were arrogant, prideful, angry, and so much more. Yet, even in this, God is showing us something beautiful: He uses us, even in our shortcomings, to accomplish His purposes. Although the book of Judges does not shy away from the times that they were not “at their finest hour”, both Judges and the book of Hebrews lists many of them as heroes of faith in chapter 11. The lesson is simple: Often we only see where we fall short, and sometimes that realization can discourage us from ever thinking God could use us to accomplish His purposes. Yet, where we only see our flaws, He sees so much deeper: to our potential that He gave to us because He made us. With that in mind, He gives a simple message: Follow me and I will sharpen and draw forth that potential so that you will do works the likes of which you could not even imagine before!
There is one final parallel that I can see with this Easter season that emerges from the book of Judges: God is the only true King of Kings. So many times throughout Judges, the people put their trust in their human leader as a type of a king, but it is God who is always the hero of the narrative. Ironically enough, the true King of Kings never led a military campaign, never drove the enemy out of Israel, and never celebrated an earthly victory. Yet, this King fought a spiritual war that was waged with weapons of love, peace, grace, truth, faith, and hope, drove out the bigger enemy of sin from the hearts of men, and is now celebrated constantly throughout heaven and earth for what His heavenly (and one day, completed earthly) victory. The lesson in the book of Judges is really the lesson of the whole Bible: God is the one King who will never fail because He is faithful, and our ultimate proof is that this King entered His kingdom by becoming like one of us, the servants who had wronged Him, and He puts to right all things, changing corruption to incorruption, and death to life.
Hallelujah and Happy Easter!!! He Is Risen INDEED!!
Your Brother,
Craig