David Pawson - Judges & Ruth Pt2

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Thoughtful Thoughts 22.9.23 by John Dunning. Judges Pt. 2

Prologue…

Jewish tradition holds that Samuel wrote the books of Ruth, Judges and Samuel.

Jews learned the book of Leviticus off by heart because obedience to God was the difference between life and death. That is a good reason for placing discipleship front and center of our lives. Going through the Bible as we are doing, is part of discipleship - learning lessons as we go. Now we don’t follow the law of Moses that relates to how we may access the presence of God now, but rather the law of Christ, but the principle is the same…

Introduction…

What we call “the judges” in the book of Judges were really ‘deliverers’, who kept rescuing Israel from serious trouble at a time when Israel didn’t have a human king. That was because God was their King and so He raised up individuals and empowered them to do miraculous feats. God pointed out to Samuel that He was Israel’s King, when the people wanted a human king. Gideon also pointed out to the people that God was their King, after they asked Gideon to be king and he refused. Whenever Israel had a military need. God Himself had dealt with the situation. God enabled His servants to do far more than even the Guinness Book of World Records feats have recorded!

Lessons for us…

As Hebrews 11:32 says, “Time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson,…” etc. Many of the stories in this book are used to teach the Bible to children because they are exciting. The Book of Judges is an action-packed, fast-moving thriller.

There are so many pieces to the jigsaw puzzle of this book, that you really have to read it to do it justice.

Background…

Almost from the word “go”, one enemy after another kept coming at Israel to push them into the sea, but however hard they tried, they never succeeded, because God was their shield, and it was always their enemies who came to a sticky end. God used “deliverers” (we call “the judges”), who stood on God’s shoulders whilst they were being obedient;- but if they became disobedient, like Samson, they were on their own, and they failed. 

So as Judges is a book about human weakness as well as God’s Divine strength there is much to learn. When the Israelites rebelled against God, He walked away and so they were overcome. 

The Israelites became corrupted by those they had spared in disobedience to God’s instructions, and they became like them. For example, in Judges 19 we read that the tribe of Benjamin murdered a servant girl in an evil manner. One thing led to another and we read in chapter 20 that a civil war resulted, where all the other eleven tribes fought Benjamin, which almost annihilated the tribe of Benjamin. About a tenth of Israel was killed in battle…and all because the people had started copying the behaviour of the pagans around them. They had not obeyed God by carrying out the death sentence imposed on murderers. They had done “what was right in their own eyes” instead. They left the corruption to infect them which festered.

Then when the people prayed to God asking for help, God rescued them, using these so-called ‘judges’. Israel needed rescuing so often because they were corrupted by the murderers who they had allowed to live in the valleys, in spite of being under God’s sentence of death. 

Conclusions

The laws God gave them which had a death sentence attached as a penalty for disobeying, were a fraction of those which pagan nations had. Many people chose to leave their country behind to go and join the much more enlightened Israelite nation, like Egyptians who joined the exodus and much later, Ruth and Rahab. God had reasons for His laws. If we think obedience is demanding, take a look at what disobedience costs!

Epilogue

The New Covenant also has demands for disciples. Acts 2:38 tells us to repent, be immersed, and receive the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus said the Holy Spirit would replace Him on earth after He returned to the Father.

Further, Jesus said they were to do nothing until He came – which He did at Pentecost. 

If any churchman brings another gospel, ignore them. 

God is our King and we take instructions from Him. 

How? 

The disciples were servants who had to serve. Jesus said the Holy Spirit was His replacement on earth. Most of what we need to learn is there for us to read. God’s instructions never contradict His revealed character and revealed will.

As I write this, I heard that my brother died. Life is too short to postpone getting right with God. We only have NOW to do that. 

A lesson we can learn from a quiet time of John Simmis is in his hymn:-

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,

What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

This is John Dunning signing off from “Thoughtful Thoughts” for another week.

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