Judges 1

Judges 1
Intro to Judges

Just like that we are through the book of Joshua and into Judges! I feel as if we just started Joshua yesterday. Remember the good times in Joshua, because from here on we are going to watch Israel stumble.

The word Judges in Hebrew means “Savior” of “deliverer” as well as one who judges. We get the sense then that Israel was going to come to a place where they needed a savior. Think about Israel. They are the ones obeying God’s voice and the ones conquering the other nations. Typically the conqueror is not the one who needs a savior. What does this tell us? It tells us that Israel stopped conquering. In fact, they stopped obeying the voice of the Lord. Remember how I told you that Israel had really only conquered about half of what they needed to. They still needed to go North and East all the way to the Euphrates River. Let us read through chapter 1 to get an idea of what happened.

“And it happened, when Israel became strong, they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not completely drive them out,” (Judges 1:28).

We see the problem riddles all over chapter one. The Israelites start to compromise and stop driving out the other inhabitants of Canaan. Now when Israel was strong this was okay, because they were strong. Later, Israel will start to have weak spots, and these nations would prove to be a great menace in their lives. For instance, there is a little strip of land right along the Mediterranean Sea which Israel did not bother conquering. The land is no greater than a couple miles. This is where the Philistines live. The Philistines would fight against Israel for many years to come.

I cannot help but see this as a picture of sin in our lives. Here we are, given the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible calls us, “More than conquerors…” The challenge is, are we still living with sin unchecked in our lives? Sure we can control it, when we are strong. However, what about when those moments of weakness come? Is there sin left unconquered in my life?

Remember, we were already given a Savior or Judge, His name is Jesus Christ. We walk in His power. We follow His commandment. We have been made complete through Him. Therefore, if there is still something which can defeat you, you have a serious problem on hand which must be dealt with! I understand that we are all going to sin. We are all going to stumble. Jesus died that we might be saved from these sins. However, too often Christians give up and stop conquering the land God has given them. Too often Christians walk away from their title, “More than Conquerors,” and become more than lazy. Understand, God is not asking for perfection. Grace covers a multitude of sins. He is just asking for you to pursue perfection, even when you mess up. I have to wake up everyday and ask Jesus to be Lord over me, today, and to forgive me for my sins, however, I know I am drawing closer to Him. Draw closer. You are more than a conqueror through the power of Jesus.