Sermons on Judges
Messy Ends
The book of Judges ends (Judges 17-21) with an odd assortment of stories that take a different direction than the previous stories, leaving us with the sad state of affairs of a group of people with no leader where “everyone did as they saw fit” (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). SERMON OUTLINE “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” (Judges 21:25) Five Things We Can Accomplish without a Leader’s Help (Judges 17-18; 19-21) Mixed-up Worship…
Samson, Nazarite of YHWH, Get in Touch with the Spirit!
Samson gets entangled with sexual sin and his own pride in a way that is both humiliating and difficult for God’s people (Judges 16:1-31). What happens when we see believers lose their standing through sin? In the end Samson achieves some level of redemption as he gives his own life to deliver God’s people from the Philistines. SERMON OUTLINE The Changeless Scene The Sorry Story The Burning Question The Sovereign Answer The Historic Sequels David Empowered to Defeat and Recruit…
Miracle Man and Revenge: Samson, Part 1
Samson (Judges 13:1-15:20) is the miraculous child given by God to bring hope to the Israelites. He is set apart and strengthened with power. Still, he operates as much on revenge as he does on God’s prompting. What happens when a deliverer does God’s work in wrong ways or mixes God’s work and wrong aims together? SERMON OUTLINE “Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the Lord, “You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now…
The Outcast: Jephthah
Jephthah (Judges 10:6-12:7) was a gritty deliverer from a gritty background. The son of a prostitute, Jephthah was called by God and the people as deliverer almost reluctantly. Empowered by the Spirit, however, Jephthah brings a mighty victory over the Ammonites, but inflicts a terrible justice afterwards. SERMON OUTLINE What are the Israelites continuing to do? What is evil in the sight of the Lord Worshiping the gods of the people they had conquered Forsaking what God has done for them…
The Bramble King: Abimelek
Abimelek (Judges 9:1-57) follows the way in which his father, Gideon, lived the latter part of his life, setting himself up as king by murdering his brothers and oppressing the people. Abimelek’s story is in one sense the conclusion of Gideon’s story, but it also shows us what happens when a ruler walks away from God. SERMON OUTLINE “Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’” (Judges 9:14 ESV) The Beginnings of the Bramble…
All’s Well that Ends Well?: Gideon, Part 2
Gideon starts well (last week), but ends his life with bloodshed and idolatry, losing sight of the most important matters of serving God. It is easy as men and women of God to start well, but it is much harder to end well. What can we learn from Gideon (Judges 8:1-35) about beginning and ending well with God? SERMON OUTLINE “Now there was no king in the land, and everyone did what was right in his own opinion.” (Judges 21:25)…
Strength in Weakness: Gideon, Part 1
Gideon’s story in Judges 6:1-7:25 tracks an unexpected leader with plenty of doubts who moves to surprising victory. God tells Gideon to cut his army down from thousands to a hundred to remove the opportunity of boasting “my own strength has saved me” (7:2). What happens from there is the lore of great stories that show the power of God bringing strength in weakness. SERMON OUTLINE “Follow me Gideon and I will make you a kinsman redeemer of your people.”…
The Right Woman for the Job: Deborah
Deborah (Judges 4:1-5:31) is a prophet who receives the word from God and calls on Barak to rise up as the deliverer. Barak is unwilling to do the task unless Deborah is with him. What does this tell us about how God uses women and men for His purposes, even when we falter? SERMON OUTLINE “Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.” (Judges 4:4) Unlikely Deborah Prophet (Judges 4:4) Leader (Judges 4:5, 6,…
Lead with the Left: Ehud
The story of Ehud in Judges 3:12-30, “a left-handed man,” captures our imagination, but is striking culturally because left-handedness was a sign of weakness, possibly even physical defect. He does what is unexpected to win the day for God’s people under their oppression by Eglon, king of Moab. What does it look like to lead out of what is seen as weakness for unexpected victory? SERMON OUTLINE “Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a…
Where Are We?
The result was that the people turned from the covenant and worshiped idols. This is the natural consequence of the beginning of the book, yet it is the decision of the generation to turn from God. What can we learn from the generation hooked on idols for our own day from Judges 2:6-3:6? SERMON OUTLINE But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9) The place of meeting with God…a garden of gracious trees e.g. the…
Incomplete
Judges begins in Judges 1:1-2:5 with Joshua’s death and the sense of incomplete conquest of the Promised Land. It is a picture of incomplete obedience and response to God, but also the sense of incompleteness we all have in life in terms of our accomplishment, abilities, and more. How do we recognize our incompleteness—sin, brokenness, disobedience—and what do we do about it? SERMON OUTLINE “The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, ‘I brought you…