Sun 3 Nov

When it comes to Judges we often have in our mind a court of law with a Judge sitting up the front with a wig on, and barristers and lawyers arguing the trial case before the Judge and a jury.

That might be the picture we have in our mind, but it is not the picture that the writer of the book of Judges presents for us. In the Book of Judges we have a period of some 350 years from the time of Joshua’s death to the period of the first of Israel’s kings.

In the Book we are introduced to a series of judges who were raised up by God to lead Israel in the right direction. Israel had developed a viscous cycle which if left to their own devices would see the destruction of God’s people.

It was a simple and dangerous cycle. Israel would sin and commit evil in the eyes of the Lord. They would find themselves enslaved and oppressed. At this point they would cry out to God for relief and help. And amazingly God in His grace would respond to their cries for help and raise up for them a Judge, a leader for them.

No two were ever the same, and they would fight different enemies. We are introduced to three Judges in this chapter. There is Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar. They are each prepared for battle. God has raised each one of them up and equipped them with the necessary gifts.

You might feel ill-equipped for battle. God is not going to throw you into a battle without equipping you!