Sometimes there are those books or movies that everybody talks about, quotes from, and references and yet few have actually read or seen them. John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress is like that. Someone could have with you an hour long discussion about that book only to admit they’ve never read it. The reason why, however, is because many of the smaller stories that make up the main story are told often so that many feel they have enough knowledge of the book that they need not read it.

The book of Judges might fall in this same category. There are probably few people in the church who have never heard of the exploits of Samson, Gideon leading an army of a few hundred against an army of thousands, or Ehud stabbing the fat king in his stomach and losing his sword in him. However, I wonder if we might find that there are even fewer who have studied through the book of Judges, asked what God wants to communicate in the book, and tried to apply that which this book teaches to their lives. I suspect we would find that number to be quite low. Yet that is exactly what I want to try to do over this series of nine messages that we begin today.

From now until the middle of July (as there will be two different breaks in this series) we will be looking at this book which few of us may be familiar with because it is not often preached, studied, or even read. However, my prayer is that at the end of our time studying this book we will be able to say that we have clearly seen the message of this book and have responded in obedience, even as the original narrator of this book intended for those who first laid their eyes on its pages.

In the book of Joshua one sees the Israelites coming and conquering and seizing the land of Canaan; in the book of Judges one finds the Israelites truly taking possession of their land and settling therein. This is where the book begins. As for us, we begin this morning looking at 1:1-3:6. This section is the introduction to the book. It is actually two introductions in a sense, for they speak of some of the same things. One author has called these chapters “two sides of one coin, report and interpretation respectively.” ¹ For in chapter one, we get a report of this period through the eyes of the Israelites while in chapter two we get the Lord’s perspective on the events, or as has been mentioned, a report from the earthly perspective and an interpretation from God’s perspective.

Chapter one starts off quite hopeful. After Joshua’s death, the people inquire of the Lord who shall go and fight first, so as to settle in the land. It looks as if things are going to head in a great direction. And, in fact, through verse 20 one sees mainly success on the part of the tribe of Judah. They defeat the Canaanites and the Perizzites (v. 4), capture Jerusalem and set it on fire (v. 8), and conquere many more lands devoting them to destruction (v. 17) in accordance with the Lord’s command. And yet even in verse 19 we see a problem. It says, “And the LORD was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, but he could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of iron.”

At first, it looks like a legitimate statement. They simply could not take the Canaanites with chariots of iron. However, in Joshua 17:16-18, this issue had been addressed. We read in that text: “The people of Joseph said, ‘The hill country is not enough for us. Yet all the Canaanites who dwell in the plain have chariots of iron, both those in Beth-shean and its villages and those in the Valley of Jezreel.’ Then Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, ‘You are a numerous people and have great power. You shall not have one allotment only, but the hill country shall be yours, for though it is a forest, you shall clear it and possess it to its farthest borders. For you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.’” Therefore, one must assume in this statement in Judges 1:19 that this was an excuse for disobedience already among the tribes settling into the land.

But Judah’s failure was only a foretaste of things to come. In verse 21 we read that the tribe of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites but allowed them to settle among them. In verses 22-26 we read of a man spared who did not become identified with the people of Israel (unlike Rahab), who simply rebuilt the conquered city of Luz. And then in verses 27-33, every verse repeats the fact that the Israelites were disobedient to the Lord and did not drive out the inhabitants of the land but allowed them to dwell in their midst – a clear violation of the Lord’s command in Deuteronomy 7:2-4 in which he had told them, “When the LORD your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly. ”

Then we see in 2:1-5 the Angel of the Lord’s interpretation, reminding them that though he redeemed them from Egypt and made a covenant with them, they have broken the covenant, and now he would not drive out the people from before them. This led the people to weep, but the next generation did not know the Lord and walked in unfaithfulness. Thus, in 2:6-23 we read of this cycle that will be continued throughout the book. The people disobey, the Lord’s anger is kindled, the Lord delivers them over to their enemies, the Lord pities his people, the Lord raises up a judge, delivers the people, and when the judge dies everything repeats itself. It is this discouraging cycle that fills the pages of this book.

It is also in this portion that the Lord tells the Israelites that he is leaving the inhabitants in their midst to test them, to see if they will obey the Lord or the false gods. This is not so that the Lord will know, but so that Israel’s answer will be clearly in front of them. And they fail the test, disobeying the Lord in every way, so that their disobedience becomes a clear reality for all to see. Thus, this section ends on a quite discouraging and indicting reality in 3:5-6 as the narrator writes, “So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods.”

But why are these chapters written? What did the author want his original readers to do with this text? I think he writes this because he wanted to wake them up, so that they might turn from their own disobedience. I think there are a few things in this text that he wants his readers to see clearly.

God demands absolute obedience

As this chapter begins with the death of the one who had led them into the Promised Land to conquer it, we quickly see that there is no change of plans. The people are still to take the land and settle in it. Joshua’s death did not change God’s plans. Even though there was no certain leader among them, they were still expected to obey.

So it is with us. Our obedience to the Lord should not alter because of the absence of another in the picture of our lives or even another’s disobedience. God will not excuse our disobedience because of the presence or absence of others.

And yet, disobey they did. We already noted this. They did not drive out the inhabitants. They let them live and settle among them. And there were excuses listed at points. We saw that the tribe of Judah (in their eyes) could not defeat the inhabitants because they were mighty with iron chariots. Yet even when Israel grew clearly stronger than them, they still did not obey. In 1:28, we read, “When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not drive them out completely.” We see this again and again throughout the first chapter. Again and again they subject the Canaanites to forced labor. They make them their slaves. They display their supremacy over them. Just reading it, you want to say, “Now that’s better. That’s the picture we should be getting.” But in fact that was disobedience. It was a compromise. For they were not to make the Canaanites their slaves but annihilate them. What looked like a pragmatic success was a spiritual failure. ²

And is this not something we face today at an individual and corporate level? We attempt to be wiser than God and come up with things that sound good and pragmatically work. We ignore theological teaching because it is unpopular and gain large attendance, membership, and budgets. To the world such might have the appearance of success, and it might indeed be success on a pragmatic level, but because the Bible is a theological book, it would be a spiritual failure.

In our personal lives as well, we make small compromises instead of absolute obedience, thinking it not a big deal and ultimately it shows itself great. At first, the Israelites fail to drive out a group because it’s dangerous, then they think it okay only to make them slaves, and by the end of the book they have intermarried with them and are worshiping their gods. Yet this same thing will show itself in our lives as well. Small compromises with regard to obedience will ultimately show themselves in greater ways. God demands absolute obedience.

God will tolerate no rivals

Another thing the author wanted his readers, no doubt, to see is that God will tolerate no rivals. His whole purpose in having the Canaanites destroyed was not because he did not like their name or the color of their skin. It was because they worshiped other gods, and he knew Israel would worship other gods as well. Thus, when Israel disobeys and worships other gods, the Lord does not respond in saying, “Well, I know that’s difficult.” He turns against them as their enemy. In 2:14-15 we read, “So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. Whenever they marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them for harm, as the LORD had warned, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.”

The Lord demands that he is primary in the lives of his people. And if you are his and he is not first in your life, then he will turn and discipline you, for he is a jealous God over his people. And if he does not discipline you, it should be no comfort to you, for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves.

Our sin is as unfaithfulness to a faithful spouse

The narrator also, it seems, wanted his brothers to see the disgusting nature of sin. Is this not a disgusting picture in this text? It’s as if those whom the Lord had redeemed and made a covenant with (though they had not merited it) were itching to get into the land and cling to these Canaanite gods.³ And listen to the language in which the author describes their sin. He writes, “They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. … They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. … Yet [after he raised up judges for them] they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them” (2:12-13, 17).

One cannot help but look at this description of sin as whoredom in light of God’s love and faithfulness and see how disgusting sin is. They had compromised and were being “Canaanized,” worshiping their gods as their own. The picture is like that of a man who comes to a woman who is wounded, poor, deserted, crying, crushed, and despised on the side of the road who then cleans her and takes her to himself as a faithful, loving husband. Yet, soon, as the woman begins to think of herself more highly, she goes after other men. It is a disgusting sight, and yet such is the biblical picture of sin.

God’s mercy and faithfulness surpasses understanding

There is no doubt that the author wanted his brothers to know the Lord and see his deeds of mercy and faithfulness, for they did not know them according to 2:10. Thus, he shows in light of this disgusting sin, God’s mercy and faithfulness continues. And we should speak of those qualities in that order. For God is only being faithful to a people whom he did not have to choose to love, to redeem. He redeemed them out of his mercy and then remained faithful to them. They had even broken the covenant which he had made in his mercy and whored after other gods. Yet again and again the Lord raised up judges to deliver them. He had pity on them. He loved them. This is the cycle we will find throughout this book.

Thus, no doubt, the author had in mind his own brothers, his own generation, seeing this text, reading the words and waking up from their sin of compromise and outright disobedience and obey the Lord who had brought their fathers out of Egypt.

But what about where we are? How does this book relate to us? How should we respond to it?

Well, first we can see that much is still true where we are (even some things that we have already referenced). Were we not in a similar position as that of the Israelites? Having broken the covenant, they were the rightful enemies of God, and yet having knocked them down, he stooped and picked them up. In the same way, Romans 5:6 says, “For while we were still weak [and according to v. 10, enemies of God], at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Again, Romans 5:8 says, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

We too were in sin, meriting no mercy, and yet God decided to send his Son to die for us and redeem us. And he has called us to himself and remained faithful to us. He is continually faithful. And yet doesn’t he demand absolute obedience from us as well?

Indeed, he does. And could it be said of us, in an age where few are as familiar with the content of Scripture as those generations which have preceded us, that we do not know the Lord nor his gracious acts? We must obey the Lord in all aspects of what he has commanded us. He is faithful, and we are called to obedience.

Yet here we might read this text and think that the Israelites disobedience is just reality. We might say, “Well, look at them. Such are God’s people. We just shouldn’t expect real obedience.” And, in fact, Joshua had told them that they would disobey. We read of an interesting account in Joshua 24:14-20, as the author writes, “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God." But Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good."

So, is that thinking right? Is obedience really something we should just ignore because it is an impossible thought to obey the Lord?

Well, here is where we need to remember what covenant we’re in. We’re not under the old covenant but the new covenant, and one of the promises of the new covenant had been declared through Ezekiel as he wrote, “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (Ezek 36:26-27).

One of the promises of the new covenant was that the Lord’s people would have transformed hearts and have his Spirit dwelling within them so that they might obey. That reality is ours. So, obedience is indeed expected. We are not slaves to sin, and we are called to obey.

And finally, do we not face a position quite similar to that of the Israelites in this book? They were to spread into the land and not conform to the world. Don’t you look at the Israelites here and want to scream, “He said he would give you the land. Go take it. Quit messing around. Drive them out. Victory is yours.” Yet is it not to us that Jesus made clear that he would indeed build his church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it as he said, “And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

So, my prayer throughout this book is that we do not week after week see how foolish the Israelites are, but that we would look to ourselves, see the disgusting nature of our sin and the Lord’s redemption and repent and obey the Lord. Even as we come to the table, may we remember the Lord’s gracious work, his redemption. May we be a generation who is said to know the Lord, remember his gracious works, and obey him. And may coming to the table be one declaration of such a response. Let us now come by his grace. Amen.

¹ Daniel Block, Judges, Ruth: New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 1999), 109.
² Dale Ralph Davis, Judges: Such a Great Salvation (Great Britain: Christian Focus Publicatons, 200), 25.
³ Daniel Block, 129.

DISOBEDIENCE, CONSCEQUENCES, AND GOD'S FAITHFULNESS