The Gospel According to Judges

The setting of the book of Judges is all too familiar. It was a world marked by religious apostasy and pluralism, civil unrest and chaos, lewdness and licentiousness, lawlessness and violence, and selfish pursuits. Evil was the norm of the day, and good was rare. Truth was relative, since everyone did whatever he wanted, whatever was right in his own eyes. In many ways, the era of the judges was the dark age of Israel’s history. The book of Judges pointedly portrays the desperate human condition, which has not changed over the many centuries between then and now. If there is any book of the Bible whose ancient message touches modern life, it is Judges. Truth has fallen in the streets (Isa. 59:14) and is being trampled by academic processions, political machinery, and popular protests and parades. Today is a day of religious pluralism when every imaginable religion is off limits to mockery except for Christianity. Today’s darkness can be distressing and even debilitating. It appears that Christ’s promise to build His church is in jeopardy and that progress is stagnant. Survey polls show that religion in general and Christianity in particular are professed by ever-shrinking minorities. Christianity’s influence seems to be less than its numbers would indicate. Christianity is viewed as the enemy of progressive agendas and is blamed for all the ills of society. For certain, we are living in a dark age.

Yet as dark as the days of the judges were, the book is filled with glimmers of hope and bursts of light. Because of Israel’s unfaithfulness and gross sins of every sort, God chastised the people by giving them over to pagan powers who oppressed them both militarily and economically. It appeared in every way that Israel’s place in the progress of redemptive revelation was in jeopardy. But not even the sins of His covenant people or the power of pagan potentates could frustrate God’s unfailing purpose of redemption that had chosen Israel to be the physical channel through which the Savior would come (Rom. 9:4–5). This truth has been stated more than once, but it is a crucial truth of redemptive history that is foundational to understanding the whole Old Testament and certainly the book of Judges: There had to be an Israel if there was going to be the Christ, and nothing would or could prevent the coming Jesus. As much as Judges exposes the unfaithfulness of Israel, it highlights the faithfulness of God. Malachi 3:6 is the banner over the entire era of the judges: “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” For every period of sin and subjugation mentioned, there was a corresponding deliverance from that oppression. God’s faithfulness to His covenant and His people countered their faithlessness by raising up judges to deliver them from their troubles. Each of these pre-Jesus deliverances was a step toward the fullness of time when Jesus would come.

These judges were ordinary men, imperfect and flawed, whom God enabled to accomplish extraordinary things. The common adage that God can use only clean vessels doesn’t hold true in view of the judges whom He used to do His work. That in no way justifies or excuses their flaws, but it does point out that the success of God’s work does not depend on any human. God chooses those who are foolish, weak, low, and despised so that no human can take credit (1 Cor. 1:27–29). None of the judges were able to effect a peace that lasted; it was not long after their respective judgeships that sin and its consequences surfaced again. This is a sober warning against elevating personalities. In the good providence of God, He raises up individuals with exceptional charisma to serve the church. For them we should be thankful. But personalities come and go just like the judges, and far too often, the influence of their ministry goes with them. It is imperative to keep our eyes on the Lord Himself and not just on the instruments He uses.

Notwithstanding their personal flaws, each of the judges, by virtue of his or her calling and office, was a type or picture prophecy of Christ as the ideal Judge/Deliverer who was coming. Each of the judges, by virtue of his or her temporary accomplishments, intensified the anticipation for the ideal Judge/Deliverer whose judgeship would fatally and irreversibly crush the head of the enemy (Gen. 3:15).

The application of the message of Judges to the church is manifold. As we come to the end of our survey of the book, here are some takeaways that are timelessly relevant:

1. God uses and manipulates nations as the agents of His providence to accomplish His will.

In Judges, God used pagan nations as His instruments to chastise Israel and then turned the tables by using Israel to defeat them. Although the globe is the same, nations and borders are different today than they were then. Just like individuals, kingdoms come and kingdoms go. It certainly is not the case that the United States of America is the modern equivalent to the ancient covenant nation. Nonetheless, it is still true that all nations are under God’s sovereign administration. That should be a source of encouragement to every believer that regardless of how out of control the world seems to be, it is not. God is on His throne. It is imperative as we live in this seemingly out-of-control world that “in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation” we “shine as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:15). As we shine in the world, we must replicate John’s mission “to bear witness about the light” (John 1:8)—the true Light, Jesus Christ.

2. God uses weak and flawed people in the service of His kingdom.

This truth has two implications. On the one hand, it gives hope to all believers whose introspection tends to discourage them into passivity because they recognize their insufficiency. On the contrary, insufficiency is a qualification for service. On the other hand, it is a preventive against pride. If we are being used in service, it should remind us of what God thinks of us; He regards us as the foolish, weak, low, and despised. Our boast must be in the Lord and not in ourselves.

3. God is ready and willing to forgive.

The psalmist said, “For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you” (Ps. 86:5). The book of Judges repeatedly illustrates this truth. Israel sinned again and again, but every time the oppressed people cried to the Lord, He heard and restored them. This gives hope to every backslider that God is willing and able to forgive even when the person falls into the same sin over and over again. Hosea’s admonition is on point:

Come, let us return to the Lord;
for he has torn us, that he may heal us;
he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. (Hos. 6:1)

4. God cooperates with active faith.

Faith is not passive. Faith rests on the sure Word of God and acts based on that certain Word. God gave assurances that He would be with the judge and guaranteed victory over the oppressors. Based on that word, the judge actively fought against the oppressors. The enemies did not voluntarily surrender. Israel’s conquest of the land and efforts to retain it picture the believer’s progress in sanctification. God has promised the believer victory over sin through Christ, but the believer must actively resist temptations (see Rom. 6) and put on the God-given armor for the conflict (see Eph. 6). Every Christian must be enlisted in the spiritual battle against self, Satan, and the world.

5. God’s redemptive plan cannot be altered or frustrated.

Genesis 3:15 predicted that there would be an agelong conflict between the serpent ( the devil) and his seed and the woman and her Seed, the Christ. The whole history of the world before the fullness of time when Christ would come (Gal. 4:4) was shaped by hostility between the two seeds. Satan did everything within his power to thwart the gospel work that God had decreed. The book of Judges records a chapter of that hostility. The redemptive plan appeared to be in jeopardy, but nothing can or could block God’s plan. Even though Christ did come in the fullness of time, the hostility persists. But thankfully, God’s redemptive plan is still on course. There is a second fullness of time yet to come when Christ “will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Heb. 9:28).

There is a sense that the message of Judges is the gospel. It would not be much of a stretch to refer to the book as the “Gospel According to Judges.” Judges tells an ancient story with a modern message. There was light in the darkness. If this survey of the book has helped readers see something of that relevant message and that light, I give my humble thanks to the Lord.