Judges: The Series May 11The roots of Israel’s unfaithfulness – 1:1-3:11 May 18 Unusual and unexpected deliverance – 3:12-5:31 May 25 The reluctant leader who eventually trusts God – June 15 Success and failure often go together – June 22 God is both Saviour and Judge – 8:29-9:56 June 29 Failing to see what God is really like – July 13 The God who does the impossible – July 20How can womanising Samson be God’s saviour? – July 27 The depths of Israel’s unfaithfulness –

What’s it all about? 1.Mess – messy people, messy lives. 2.Not an example to follow, like King David, or Acts. 3.God is the hero. What does this tell me about God? 4.Pictures God’s salvation (entry into promised land, incomplete, looking forward to something better). Summary: broken people, but faithful God.

The Judges’ cycle 1. The people rebel 3. Oppression by enemies 2. God is angry 4. The people cry out (repentance ) 5. Salvation through chosen judge 6. A Period of peace 7. The judge dies

1350 BC 1050 BC 1300 BC 1250 BC 1200 BC 1150 BC 1100 BC Othniel Ehud & Shamgar Deborah Barak Gideon Tola Jair Jephthah Ibzan Elon Abdon Jephthah Ibzan Elon Abdon Samson Period 1 Period 2 Period 3 Period 4 Period 5 Period 6 The Judges’ Timeline

Where does that fit into the broader scheme of things in the OT? The Judges happened after Joshua, who followed Moses, who led the people out of Egypt. And immediately after the Judges, the darkest hour before the dawn, came the kings, most notably the brightest hour of David’s kingship.

The Roots of Israel’s Unfaithfulness Today we’re considering the introduction to the book and the first Judge, Othniel, from Judges 1:1 to 3:11. Israel was unfaithful to her lovely God. They went after other gods. Again and again and again. And it grieved God’s heart. What were the roots of all this distasteful unfaithfulness? Would we have been any different if it was us? Are we any different today?

Other gods It was the local god of the time for the Israelites. They were seduced by the Canaanite gods like Baal and Ashtoreth. It won’t be Baal and Ashtoreth tempting us to be half hearted followers of the Lord today, but some modern day equivalent competing gods that wrestle away our first loves.

Context If I write in a love letter, ‘I don’t love you anymore’, without any context, you’d get the impression that the relationship is over. But if you notice that the words are part of a lover’s poem then you’ll understand the words in the way they were intended. Without context, reading the Bible can be a hazard.

Where Joshua left off Joshua led the people after Moses The Lord used Moses to bring the people out of Egypt into the desert The Lord used Joshua to bring them into the promised land He led the Israelites in their conquest of Canaan

Joshua kicks off … Joshua starts with the Lord encouraging Joshua and the people to show bold faith. There’s a clear promise that the conquest will happen in the context of the Lord’s presence, wherever they go in the promised land. Joshua 1:9 New International Version (NIV) 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the L ORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua winds up … And at the end of the book, with much of the land taken, Joshua looks back over God’s faithfulness and demands that the people make a choice about how they are going to live after he dies. Joshua asks them to decide whether they are going to follow the one true God or follow the gods of the land. …But as for me and my household, we will serve the L ORD.” Joshua 24:15 NIV And the covenant is renewed at Shechem. That’s the last action before the book of Judges begins. And now faithful Joshua, is dead. His death is the hinge between the books; told at the end of the book of Joshua and again at the beginning of Judges

Judges refrain

Judges 1 starts by sounding quite positive. Like the Israelite PR secretary putting his own positive spin on things. But in the first verses of Judges 2 we get the Lord’s take on the situation. A Gloomy picture

Judges 2:1-5 (God’s verdict) Five indications that all was not well (Ch. 1):  1:19 – iron chariots  1:25-26 – deals were struck  1:27 – the Canaanites were determined  1:28,30,33,35 – forced labour (pragmatism)  1:34-35 – ‘wouldn’t let them’ ….

Can’t or Won’t? It’s as though the people were saying that they couldn’t drive out the Canaanites. But God says it’s more a case that they won’t. It’s faithlessness. It’s a lack of trust in the promises of God, promises like Joshua 1:9. The Lord had told them to fight fearlessly, without compromise, because he was with them, but at the end of the day, they hadn’t taken the land.

A Glimmer of Hope Caleb’s family, though Kenites, showed the kind of faith and devotion, that God expected. Caleb, one of the two faithful spies from 40 years before, wanted his girl to marry a man like himself, someone who trusted and followed the Lord wholeheartedly. That man was none other than Othniel, who became Israel’s first Judge (Judges 3:7-11). And the girl herself, Achsah, showed her own metal in being a lot keener about entering into the full blessings God had promised that the other Israelites. That’s why this little glimmer of hope interrupts the narrative here; this is the kind of sold out faith that God was looking for.

Caleb was careful about the next generation in his family. But overall, the wonderful things that the Lord had done for Israel, the miraculous escape from Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, Manna and Quails and water from the rock etc, DID NOT get transmitted faithfully to the next generation. Key lessons for us today … The Next Generation Judges 2:8-11

Key lessons for us today … It’s wonderful when the Lord really blesses a generation.. But that’s really no guarantee for the next generation. Are we teaching the next generation, by word and example, the wonders of the Lord? Are we demonstrating to them and modelling for them, as Caleb did, 100% devotion to the Lord. The Next Generation Judges 2:8-11

Key lessons for us today … Half Hearted Discipleship The key lesson is that the Lord is not pleased with our half hearted discipleship. The only kind of surrender that God accepts is total surrender. Total surrender to his will and his plans. Total faith and total devotion. The Lord will not accept half hearted discipleship. Let’s examine our hearts in a minute of quiet.