Introduction To The Book OF Judges: A Picture Of A Faithful Congregation and One Of A Faithless Congregation

Let me begin this morning with an illustration. Illustration: We have a gentleman in our church whose hobby is taking pictures. If I were to ask him to come up here and take a few congregational photos there might be a few different reactions from the crowd that is here today. Some possible reactions might be…

• I’m not happy with this because I do not like surprises. I like to be prepared for things.

• If I would have known this I would have sat farther back behind a bigger person.

• If I would have known about this I would have worn something different.

• If I would have known about this I would not have come because I don’t want my picture taken.

• Then there may be some who are missing today who would have wanted to be in this group photo. Now they are very disappointed.

Because of these reactions I might tell Don that we should plan to take these photos over the next two Sunday mornings. We will take some pictures today and then we will do it again next week. And when all of this is done we will pick the best photo and put it out for everyone to see!

Question: Wouldn’t we assume that the picture taken next week will be the best picture? We would think this because now we know that it is going to happen and there is time to prepare for it. Next week no one will be surprised and caught off guard by what we are doing.

This morning as we “Transition Into The Book Of Judges” I would like to begin to show you two different pictures to compare and contrast. Both of these pictures will be of the congregation of God’s people. The first picture that we will look at today will be of the congregation who lived under the leadership of Joshua. The second picture will be of the congregation(s) that came after them that we will be looking at in the Book of Judges.

Surprisingly, the first picture that we will consider today will end up being the better picture of a faithful congregation. This is surprising because the generations that will follow appear to have had so many more advantages. For example,

• They had an example of the faithless generation that Moses lead and who all died in the wilderness because of their disobedience and failure to trust and obey the LORD.

• They had the faithful example to follow of the generation who had come before them who did trust and obey the LORD.

• They had time to prepare their hearts for the task that was put before them.

And yet, despite all of these advantages the picture of these future generations which are recorded in the Book of Judges will end up looking pretty bad. When we look at the picture of them as we study the Book of Judges the congregation of God will be almost unrecognizable with each passing generation as they are worshiping foreign idols and standing next to their foreign spouses who are leading their hearts away from the LORD. And when they speak it is not full of God’s wisdom.

We will see the contrast between these two pictures when we look at Judges 2.

• In Judges 2:6-10 we will be given a picture of that first faithful generation under Joshua’s leadership.

• Then in Judges 2:10-3:6 we will be shown a picture of the generations who will come after them. The Book of Judges takes place over three and a half centuries and with the passage of time the picture of the congregation of God’s people will become progressively worse. In the end, the pictures of those generations will all receive the inspired caption, “In those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25)

As we consider these things we will be reminded that…

• Someone greater, of whom Moses spoke about in Deuteronomy 18:15-18, will need to come if we are to be saved and receive our full eternal inheritance. (Hebrews 3:1-6)

• Someone greater than Joshua will have to come if we are to be saved, delivered from our enemies, and enter into our rest. (Hebrews 4:8-10)

• Someone greater than any of the judges that God will raise up to deliver His people will have to come if God’s people are to be saved from our enemies: indwelling sin, sin in the world, and Satan.

To take a look at the portrait of a faithful congregation I would like to consider Joshua 23:1-2. This text is at the end of the Book of Joshua and the congregation of God has entered into the Promised Land and they have received from the LORD the first portions of their inheritance. (Joshua 13-21) I say that they have received the ‘first portions of their inheritance’ because in Joshua 13:1 we read, “Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the LORD said to him, ‘You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess.’” The generation coming up after Joshua will still have a lot to accomplish in the Promised Land through faith and obedience to God.

In Joshua 13 we were told that Joshua was ‘old and advanced in years’. In Joshua 23 he is described as ‘old and well advanced in years’. The meaning of the words ‘well advanced in years’ means that Joshua will soon die. Joshua confirms this when he says in Joshua 23:14, “And now I am about to go the way of all the earth”. Therefore Israel is in a time of transition and the words that Joshua is about to speak in Joshua 23&24 are very important for this next generation to hear and to obey.

In Joshua 23:1-2 we read these words, “A long time afterward, when the LORD had given rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years, Joshua summoned all Israel, its elders and heads, its judges and officers, and said to them, ‘I am now old and well advanced in years...’”.

Consider those opening four words, “A long time afterward”. Question: What do those words mean?

• I wonder, “What happened a long time ago?”

• I’m curious, “How long ago is a long time ago?”

Question #1: “What happened a long time ago?”

There are two ways to answer this question. In one sense these words refer to what Joshua will succinctly speak about in Joshua 23:3 when he says, “And you have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the LORD your God who has fought for you.” Therefore, the answer to the question, “What happened a long time ago?”, is that the LORD had been faithful to fulfill His promises to deliver His people from bondage and bring them into the Promised Land. They have houses they did not build, crops they did not plant, and fortified cities that they did not construct.

• Joshua 21:43-45 makes it clear that all of this has been given to them by the LORD. “Thus the LORD gave (grace) to Israel all the land that He swore to give (grace) to their fathers. And they took possession of it (possessed the gift by faith), and they settled there. And the LORD gave them rest (grace) on every side just as He had sworn to their fathers (through their obedient faith). Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies (grace) into their hands (through obedient faith). Not one word of all the good promises (faith in the promises) that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.”

The other way we can answer the question, “What happened a long time ago?”, is to look back at the immediate context in Joshua 22. If we do this we get to look at an amazing portrait of what a faithful people looks like. We will only have time to summarize this part of the story.

In Joshua 22:1-9 Joshua addresses the three remaining tribes who have not yet gone to enter into their inheritance: Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh. These are the three tribes whose inheritance is on the eastern side of the Jordan river. Joshua testifies of their faithfulness in vv.2-3, “You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you and have obeyed my voice in all that I have commanded you. You have not forsaken your brothers these many days, down to this day, but have been careful to keep the charge of the LORD your God.” Joshua commends them for three things.

• First, they obeyed the word of Moses.

• Second, they obeyed the commands of Joshua.

• Third, they had been careful to keep the charge of the LORD their God.

The scriptures never assume that past obedience ensures future obedience. Like we observed at the end of the Book of James, we are prone to wander from the LORD and His truth and are often in need of rescue. (James 5:19-20)

After speaking these words Joshua blesses them and sends them away with a warning, “Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and to cling to Him and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (v.5) Then they left with great spoils, riches, wealth, and property.

Shortly after they crossed the Jordan they began to build an altar by the Jordan of imposing size. (10) At his point in the narrative we are not given the reason why they are doing this.

• Question: Were their intentions Good or evil?

• Question: Did these three tribes so quickly forsaken the true worship of God? 

• Question: If so, what will be the reaction of the other tribes?

As we continue to read we begin to see the answer to these questions. In verse 12 we see how the other tribes of Israel respond. They do not ignore what is going on; they quickly react in a decisive way. We read, “And when the people of Israel heard of it, the whole assembly of the people of Israel gathered at Shiloh to make war against them.”

• Notice that the text stresses that the people of Israel heard what was going on and responded. Their consciences were so sensitive that they just had to hear of this, and not see it, to provoke a quick and decisive response against the perceived sin. This will not be the case in the Book of Judges.

• Notice that at this time in Israel’s history the whole congregation is unified against sin and is determined to live righteously and holy before the LORD. We are told that the ‘whole assembly’ gathered at Shiloh to make war against their brothers who seemed to have sinned in this way. This is not how it will often be in the Book of Judges.

• Notice also that this quick and decisive response was also guided by truth and love and not by mere emotion and zeal. The people gather first at Shiloh to seek the LORD. Before they send out all the people to make war they gather the leaders of the people and go to Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh to investigate this situation. (13-15) Again, we don’t always see this desire to respond in truth and love in the Book of Judges.

• Notice that they are ready to go to war over sin. They do not ignore sin, excuse sin, or seek to justify sin. We will not see this in the Book of Judgtes.

These leaders ask Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh a question in v.16, “What is this breach of faith that you have committed against the God of Israel in turning away this day from following the LORD by building yourselves an altar this day in rebellion against the LORD?”

Then they speak to them about the past sins of Israel against the LORD and recall for their brothers the swift judgment that came upon the whole congregation for those sins. {Note: A faithful congregation will remember the danger and consequences of past sins to help them avoid those sins.}

• In verses 17-18 they speak of the sin of Peor and the consequences that came upon the whole congregation. (Numbers 25)

• In verse 20 they remind them of the sin of Achan and the consequences that came upon the whole congregation. (Joshua 7)

The leaders of Israel give their brothers an opportunity to repent if they are really committing this breach of faith against the LORD. They say in v. 19, “But now, if the land of your possession is unclean, pass over into the LORD’s land where the LORD’s tabernacle stands, and take for yourselves a possession among us. Only do not rebel against the LORD or make us as rebels by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the LORD our God.”

• Every congregation should strive to be a place of prayer and worship where sinners can come and take refuge among God’s people. (This is not often the case in the Book of Judges where the people neglect God’s tabernacle and the priests are often wicked and faithless.)

After these things the people of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh respond to these accusations in v. 22. We read, “The Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows; and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion or in breach of faith against the LORD, do not spare us today for building an altar to turn away from following the LORD…”. Clearly, these tribes were not intending to sin and if they had they are ready to suffer death for it. (What a contrast from the weak expressions of repentance we will see in the Book of Judges.)

In v. 24 they tell their brothers why they did this, “No, but we did it from fear that in time to come your children might say to our children, ‘What have you to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? For the Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you people of Reuben and people of Gad. You have no portion in the Lord.’ So your children might make our children cease to worship the Lord.” They continue to explain their actions in vv. 25-29.

• Notice that even among a faithful congregation fears can get the best of us.

• Notice that even among a faithful congregation we can do things because we are not trusting fully in what God has already provided. God had already made a monument for the 12 tribes when they initially crossed over the Jordan in Joshua 4. Question: Was there a need for this memorial?

• Notice that even a faithful generation knows that their faith does not ensure the faithfulness and unity of the generations to come.

• Notice that even small barriers can become obstacles that separate the bond of unity among brothers and sisters in Christ. Every barrier and obstacle is overcome in Christ between us and God and other believers. Christ is the Head of the church and made the two one. (Colossians 2:10)

• All of the fears of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh would come true all to quickly as we will see in the Book of Judges.

After hearing these things Phineahas the priest says to these three tribes, “Today we know that the LORD is in our midst, because you have not committed this breach of faith against the LORD. Now you have delivered the people of Israel from the hand of the LORD.” (31)

In Joshua 22 we have seen a good portrait of what it looks like for a congregation to serve the LORD faithfully. The tribes on the West side of the Jordan took quick and decisive action against this perceived breach of faith that had occurred. And yet, when everything was explained the three tribes on the Eastern side of the Jordan were vindicated.

However, this story also shows us that we all know how quickly things can change for the worse.

• As Joshua sent the tribes away to their inheritance he warned them to stay faithful to the LORD.

• The tribes on the West side of the Jordan did not hesitate to think that the tribes on the East had committed a terrible breach of faith.

• It did not take long for the three tribes on the West to fear that they could soon be forgotten by the other tribes and then kept from worshiping the LORD in His Tabernacle.

We had asked a second question regarding the first four words of Joshua 23:1. We asked, “How long ago is a long time ago?”

The events in Joshua 22 are not all that far removed from the events that are recorded in the Book of Judges. No, there is just 25 years between these events. Therefore, the definition of ‘a long time ago’ in Joshua 23:1 is really not that long after all. It is a period of time that is less than the age of this church!

Therefore, it will only take 25 years for Israel to begin to fall away from the LORD. It will only take the death of that last person from that faithful generation to send the next generation into a tail spin from which they will not recover. (Judges 2:10- And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that He had done for Israel.) Already in the introductory chapters of Judges the people are forgetting that the LORD is their King and they are forgetting all He has done for them. The Book of Judges begins where it will end when we read these words,“In those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25)

As we begin our study of the Book of Judges next week we will see one ugly picture after another of God’s congregation with only little glimpses of beauty. We will see the danger of sin and faithlessness on every page. This may depress some of us and make us ask why we should study this book.

One reason is because when you read the testimony of other authors of scripture speak about the beauty of this book it is most often in relation to what we will see of God Himself. Even though we will see the depravity of man’s fallen condition on full display in this book we will get to see God in a most glorious way. We will see His grace, mercy, faithfulness, steadfast love, righteousness and holiness on full display.

Consider some examples of what other scripture said about this book.

• In Psalm 106:34-46 the psalmist speaks of the sins of the people in the Book of Judges and then he speaks of God’s mercy and faithfulness towards them time and time again as he prays, “Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.” (47)

• In Psalm 83, when the psalmist is surrounded by enemies who want to destroy Israel he remembers what the LORD did for His people during the time of the Judges and he prays, “Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon, who were destroyed at En-dor, who became dung for the ground. Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zamunna, who said, ‘Let us take possession for ourselves of the pastures of God.’” (9-12)

• Psalm 135:8-12 the psalmist magnifies the steadfast love of God when he says, “He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both man and of beast; who in your midst, O Egypt, sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants; who struck down many nations and killed mighty kings, Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan, and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to His people Israel.”