God’s Glory Through Chaos

Judges 2-3, Jeremiah 17:1-4, Hebrews 8 

The book of Judges is the only book of the Bible that has made me audibly gasp while reading. The story of Judges is after Moses is prevented from entering the promised land and Joshua his successor dies, but this is also before the Kings of Israel. So in the intermietary we have the Judges. Those who are appointed by God to save and restore Israel by ensuring they follow the covenant and the Law we read about in Leviticus. 

However, the Judges are kind of a mess, and Israel is a mess, and all the stories in progressively get more horrific and messy. And that’s why I love the book of Judges - not because I am one who finds joy in cruel stories, but because the book of Judges is the epitome of humanity and God’s holiness. Israel too easily falls into idol worship (not new, but still really angers God), and we see that God doesn’t select anyone perfect. In all honesty the majority of Judges all kind of makes us doubt God. “You picked that guy??!!” Yep. He did and some of the judges do horrible things, like Gideon goes on to kill some of his own people for not helping him and then makes an idol out of his treasure. Jepthah leads to false worship because he doesn’t know God and therefore worships him wrongly. Then Samson with no regard or knowledge of God is promiscuous, violent and arrogant and his life ends in mass murder. Pretty bad right?

But what I want us to really learn from this is that our humanity no matter how horrible it can get is never too much for our God. God hates the deeds of our sin. HATES them. Yet, it is his hesed (חֶסֶד) - in his loving kindness he empowers these Judges by his Spirit to bring back Israel to himself. It is his loving kindness that compels him to fulfill what we read in Hebrews 8, which fully reconciles his people. In Christmas we see the fulfillment of prophecy when in all truthfulness God could have let his anger burn and devour us way back in the time of Judges. Yet, what we remember this Christmas season is a fulfillment of a better convent, a better king, a better judge and a God who never gave up on us. 

Isn’t that beautiful? So, when we read the book of Judges let us feel the weight of humanity but don’t let it lead us to existential dread and back to bed where we can sleep away our days. Don’t let it lead us to giving up on pursuing reconciliation and holiness. Instead let us lead back to the barn, the cross, the empty tomb, where Jesus came to make a better covenant and offer redemption for our brokenness and help heal, restore and love us in the messiness of our humanity. God has never and will never forsake us - even in our worst moments. Let us approach with humility and faith in our ever-loving and ever-kind God. 

Wonder:

What dread do you need to lay at the feet of the Throne of Grace?

What messy humanity about yourself do you try to hide? 

Where do you need to seek freedom in confession to God and people about your brokenness? Not necessarily sin, but feel freedom to say I am broken, but I am being redeemed. 

This broken world is not forever, but we can experience true freedom in our Saviour, who is already healing us now.