Today we begin Judges Chapter 3.
For the King James version, click here.
For the Complete Jewish Bible, click here.
After a mighty loooooooooooooooooooong slog through Judges Chapter 2, today we finally, finally dive into Chapter 3.
I’m telling you, since this little known book of the Scriptures is so jam-packed with powerful God principles, it just wouldn’t be right not to take our good ‘ole sweet time here.
So that’s what we’re gonna do.
We’re gonna go nice and slow.
We’re gonna savor each and every bite of the theological morsels embedded in this holy text.
So let’s get started.
In chapter 3, the first 3 of the Shofetim or judges are introduced.
And there’s one interesting commonality that binds them all together.
What might that be you ask?
It’s that every one of the God-sent judges were filled with flaws.
They were imperfect saviors but saviors nonetheless.
In addition, there’s an interesting parallel between how God sends Judges to Israel and the prodigal son parable that Yeshua told.
You know the story of the prodigal son, right?
How the son of a rich farmer took his inheritance and squandered it on whores and loose living.
Yet after he repented, he was welcomed back with open arms by the Father.
Well, that’s the very pattern we see here in Judges.
And it should fill us with joy and hope.
Because it means no matter how far down the road to destruction we’ve traveled, the path back to the Father remains open.
Having said that, there is a HUGE and KEY difference between the prodigal son story and the cycle of sin and repentance laid out before us in Judges.
Notice how in the prodigal son story the Father did NOT pursue after his son.
Had the son decided NOT to repent, he would have ended up dying in his sins alone.
In contrast, the pattern in Judges is different.
Not only does God leave the door open for Israel’s return, He vigorously pursues after His children.
Which reminds me of yet another one of Yeshua’s parables when he said…
“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?”
Such is the extent of the pity and love God has for His people.
He will pursue after His own even when they’re in deep rebellion against Him.
How amazing is this God we worship!!!
If that doesn’t fill you up to the brim with hope, heck man, I dunno what will.
Yet, we should never take this for granted.
We still need to be on guard, lest we fall.
Don’t get me wrong.
We should rest in the knowledge that God loves us.
But at the same time we need to be sober.
Because as Paul said, our adversary is out there prowling like a lion seeking to devour whoever it can get its claws into.
In this sense, the Book of Judges is particularly useful.
Because it warns us of the many ways we can fall flat on our faces.
Shalom.