The Theme of Judges Part 2
The book of Judges starts out with several stories of sowing and reaping, giving you an indication of what the book is about. And then at the end of the book it says:
Jdg 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
The book of Judges also shows what things can get like when every man does that which is right in his own eyes.
What you see in Judges is man sowing wrong on a national level and you see them reap horrible things on a national level. And you see man sowing wrong on an individual level and you see them reaping wrong on an individual level.
And one of the themes of Judges is to show you just how bad things can get when the majority of the people in a nation sow wrong.
The book of Judges shows over and over again the failure of Israel to be faithful to the Lord, and it also shows God’s faithfulness to deliver them when they turned back to Him in repentance.
When they turned from their sin and turned to God things changed. When they sowed good then we see them reaping good. When they turned away from God and sowed bad then we see them reaping bad consequences from that.
What a contrast between Judges and the book before it. Joshua is a picture of walking in the spirit and living the victorious life, and immediately after it Judges pictures walking in the flesh and living a confused sinful defeated life.
But there are some bright spots in Judges. Not everyone all the time sowed wrong. Not everyone all the time did what was right in their own eyes. And in those times God was there. Working in the life of someone who had an open heart.
Jdg 6:1 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.
Jdg 6:2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.
Jdg 6:3 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;
Jdg 6:4 And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.
Jdg 6:5 For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it.
Jdg 6:6 And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD.
Things were bad. Really bad. It did not have to get this bad. They could have cried out to God earlier. The Lord was ready to hear them but they chose not to.
When they finally cried unto the Lord God moved.
Jdg 6:11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
Jdg 6:12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
Jdg 6:13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.
Jdg 6:14 And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?
Jdg 6:15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.
Jdg 6:16 And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
The Lord calls Gideon and promises to be with him. Gideon is doubting and no doubt surprised by all of this. So he wants a sign.
Jdg 6:17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.
Jdg 6:18 Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.
Jdg 6:19 And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.
Jdg 6:20 And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.
Jdg 6:21 Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.
I mean wow. Can you imagine it? It would have been something to see. Gideon asked for a sign and the Lord gave him a big one. The meat and the cakes just gone. Burned up and consumed. And by fire that came up out of the rock.
Jdg 6:22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.
Jdg 6:23 And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.
Jdg 6:24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Gideon then worshipped the true God.
Jdg 6:25 And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father’s young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:
Jdg 6:26 And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.
God then told Gideon to do something that He wanted done. Something that is right in God’s eyes.
Jdg 6:27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father’s household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.
Yes in the book of Judges overall every man did that which was right in his own eyes. But sometimes someone would put what God wanted first and would do what was right according to God. Sometimes someone would put God first and do what God wanted and not what man wanted.
This pleases God and God keeps His promise and is with Gideon.
Jdg 6:28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.
Jdg 6:29 And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.
Jdg 6:30 Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it.
These evil men wanted to kill Gideon. And come to his father who is also a Baal worshiper. And his father stands up for Gideon. But who is it really that is a work here. It is God working in hearts and in circumstances to protect Gideon.
Jdg 6:31 And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar.
Jdg 6:32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.
Jdg 6:33 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.
Jdg 6:34 But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.
Jdg 6:35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.
The sound of the trumpet is a call for action. Sometimes to move out, sometimes to gather, and sometimes a call to war. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon and wanted the trumpet sounded. Gideon obeyed.
Jdg 6:36 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,
Jdg 6:37 Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.
Jdg 6:38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.
Jdg 6:39 And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.
Jdg 6:40 And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.
Gideon knew what the blowing of the trumpet meant. And afterward he is a little doubtful and wanted some reassurance. And God gives it to him. This is a wonderful thing. The love and patience and understanding of God is amazing.
Next men answer the call of the trumpet and they arrive by the thousands. God says that is too many and tells Gideon to send some away. And once again Gideon does what is right in God’s eyes and not man’s eyes. There were a couple rounds of this until there are only 300 men. Having only 300 men is not something man would see as right. Gideon puts what God says first and obeys.
This is an incredible thing. Going after this huge army with only 300 men and with pitchers and torches. God knows Gideon’s heart without Gideon having to say a word. Gideon is leading, he is going to follow thru. He is walking by faith, but this is a huge one.
This time Gideon does not ask for a sign. This time God gives a sign and reassurance without being asked. God knew what Gideon needed.
Jdg 7:9 And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.
Jdg 7:10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:
Jdg 7:11 And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host.
Jdg 7:12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.
Jdg 7:13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.
Jdg 7:14 And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.
Jdg 7:15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.
What an amazing display of faith and thankfulness. Right there Gideon worshipped. At the edge of that camp. He did not even wait until he returned.
Jdg 7:16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.
Jdg 7:17 And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do.
Jdg 7:18 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
Gideon tells them to use the same words that was in that man’s dream.
They do this and God moves and gives a great victory. Israel is delivered from the Midianites. Freedom and prosperity once again return to the land. The nation is once again in fellowship with God and enjoying the blessings of God.
No matter how bad it got in Judges with men doing what is right in their own eyes, God was always still willing to work in a life.
God was always willing to show Himself mighty. He is willing to do a mighty work and to provide deliverance. He only needed some repentant hearts and a man who would do what God wanted done.
He is still the same today. Our nation has grown far away from the Lord and we are now starting to see the reaping of years and years of bad sowing on a national level.
But God is listening; He is always ready to work with any individual who will listen to Him.
He only needs some repentant hearts and someone who will do what He said to do.
No matter how dark society is, God can still work.
A man will reap what he sows. A group will reap what they sow. A nation will reap what they sow.
Both good and bad. You see both in Judges. The main theme of Judges is reaping and sowing.
See more lessons on Themes of Old Testament Books