Prepare to be Judged

In January at St James we will commence a new morning sermon series, looking at the Old Testament book of Judges. Interestingly, the premise of the 1995 Stallone film, “Judge Dredd” (based on a comic book character), is very similar to that book. In the movie, a lawless future has led to the rise of all-in-one law enforcement – “the Judges” – who both decree and dispense justice. In an unhospitable world known as “the Cursed Earth”, they bring a harsh and often temporary measure of order. In the book of Judges, arrival in the Promised Land has not solved all Israel’s problems. As a result of their disobedience and idolatry, God has left various hostile nations to cohabit the land with them as a “thorn and a snare”. Moreover, the death of Joshua has left a leadership-vacuum where everyone does “as he sees fit”, in contrast to the kings of the nations around them. Nonetheless, when Israel find themselves oppressed, and they cry out to the Lord, he raises up “judges” – both military and civil leaders who rescue and lead his people. Yet it is the strange and often flawed character of these judges that points beyond them to a better class of leader needed for God’s people.

If you read through the book in advance, be prepared for a number of graphic and troubling events which will challenge our understanding of the Bible’s purpose and morality:

• A woman lures a general into her tent, drugs him to sleep, and proceeds to nail his head to the ground with a tent-peg
• A bandit cum general makes a rash promise that results in him burning his own daughter as a sacrifice to God
• One judge visits prostitutes and questions God, carrying out various extravagant acts of revenge including his own suicide
• A priest hands over his mistress to be raped and killed in his own place, and then incites Israel to genocide

Yet via these low-lights, the book of Judges powerfully illustrates the “dark-ages” of Israelite history in order to highlight the need for a king. This need is met initially by the establishment of the Davidic kingship in Israel, but that itself proves to have many of the same human failings as the judges themselves. The need will ultimately be met only in the coming of Jesus, who is both the Son of David and the Son of God. As one of the judges prophetically observes, “I will not rule over you… the LORD will rule over you.” (Judges 8:23)

Click the icon above for a sneak preview of this sermon (Bible reading: Judges 1:28-2:5).