Reading the Bible in 2014 - Day 123: Judges

Have you ever read a positive review of a movie? Then, when you watched it, your own experience didn't live up to the hype? You wondered what you were missing.

I once went to see a movie with a friend. We were already late so we weren't surprised when the movie was already occurring when we entered. The movie was total chaos, a total shambles. My friend and I looked at each other, puzzled. We mouthed, "Do you understand what's going on at all?" Shaking our heads. Then, 40 minutes later, the movie ended. Later, it hit us - there were two screenings playing that movie. We went into the screening that had already been playing for an hour. No wonder it was terrible, we thought.

Later, I saw the whole movie. It was stunningly well-made. The ending was still chaotic. The difference was that the story was well-told. Tragic, yes. But a masterpiece.

Filled with accidents itself, the Book of Judges is no accident. It is tragic. But it is a brilliant book with a strong point.

It is difficult reading though, isn’t it? Reading Judges, I turned to a commentary for some serious guidance. I was worried. "Is there something I'm missing here?" "Is this book supposed to be such a downer?" I was relieved to find that I wasn't missing the point of Judges. I wasn't missing the reason why it wasn't inspiring. It's about the sinfulness of humanity.

 
We must face it head-on: without God's guidance, we are lost. How can these sad stories of Judges serve us? They invite us to repentance. Most of us think that a good religious life will protect us from the terrifying consequences of the book of Judges. But a good religious life can lead us into the same blind self-confidence which kept the Israelites from seeking God's will in the first place. Our lives are sad stories too. They are full of self-confidence. As with Jephthah, our un-checked vanity can have disastrous consequences for our families, for our kids. As with the Levite, in Judges 19, using others without any regard or love can result in tragedies for which we are not strong enough to take any of the blame – blame which we ought to take. As with Samson, our pride in being religious can bring us to greater humiliation than we ever thought possible.

In short, if we listen to these sad stories of Judges with the right heart, we will come away from them humbled, ready to listen to God, to our neighbor, to consider others better than ourselves, and to see the need to live our lives by the light of a true authority. This book can change our lives.

Judges shows us what went on in the days when Israel had no king. There was no king to govern the lusts, ambitions, jealousies of Israel. Not having had the strength to take the land, they have settled into a state of geographical and also spiritual compromise with the powers that be.

But we have a King. He leads us not only with all the protection, governance, and solid instruction of a powerful king. He also loves us. He prays for us. He stoops to save us. He even gave his life as a substitute for our sinful lives. He has borne all of the punishment and wrath for what we have done. Our lives don't have to look like those in the time of Judges who had no king. With our King Jesus on his throne, we will find great strength to live as we ought.

Judges shows us human history growing worse and worse. Only God can intervene.  And He has!  Nowhere is this point made stronger in the entire Bible than in the first three chapters of our next book: Paul's Letter to the Romans. As we read Romans over the next week, look for the three pillars of Paul's letter: guilt, grace, and gratitude.