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Ron visited a new church last Sunday. He was new to the area, and the Anytown Community Church was nearby. He found that the church was a beehive of activity. It seemed to have something for everyone. His first impressions were confirmed the next day, when he received an electronic version of the church’s newsletter in his “Inbox.” On the very first screen there appeared a list of educational courses to be held that month at the church: They included:
- “Touched by a Gargoyle: Experiencing God through ‘spiritual encounters.’ ”
“Intimate Evangelism: Leading your boyfriend to Christ.”
“True Prayer: How to pray like Jesus and the other Avatars.”
“Palms Up: Finding God’s will for your life by interpreting your hand contours.”
Surely the evangelical church couldn’t come to this, could it? This is too bizarre. These methods are obviously out of line with the Christian faith.
That’s exactly the kind of reaction one ought not to have after reading the book of Judges.
I realize that we haven’t made it to the end of the book; if we had, the main point of the book’s author would be even more clear. In our recent focus on the judgeship of Jephthah, however, things have gotten weird enough that it might be just the right time to step back and recall the overarching message of the book and its implications.
The book of Judges is troubling. It was meant to be. The author intended to paint this period of Israel’s history in a less-than-desirable light. Not only is there defeat and tragedy throughout, but even what victories come have a hollow, pathetic quality about them. They are regional, not national, in scope. They provide only temporary reprieve. The leader of the movement is often a moral and theological dimwit. And, in case you haven’t noticed, the pattern gets worse and worse as we go along.
Jephthah had a horrendous family life. He was the son of a prostitute. He was hated by his half-siblings to the point of being driven from his home. He began to hang out with other delinquent youth and became the leader of a gang. Interestingly, he became very good at what he did, and his gangster exploits led to some measure of notoriety. But he was not a total scoundrel. He seems to have had some desire to belong to the community of God’s people, and he seems to have been interested in doing good. Furthermore, he had some allegiance to God and understood His power to save.
What makes the story of Jephthah so interesting is that Israel’s leaders thought he represented their best chance to defeat the enemy. The leaders of Israel were so desperate to win that they were willing to overlook his character deficit and his tainted past in order to gain a measure of success.
Surely the evangelical church wouldn’t seek out this kind of leader? Surely we are not so concerned with winning that we are willing to bend the character requirements for our leaders?
The sad truth, of course, is that we are, indeed, so inclined. That’s why Christian ministers preach to hundreds while their children stray from the faith. That’s why contemporary Christian musicians sing about God’s love while, at the same time, divorcing their spouses.
Admit it: We love to win! We like to think that we’re making an impact, attracting more people. We’re selling more records. We’re building bigger churches. But we seem to have few pangs of conscience about distorting the character of God and the message of the Gospel as we do it.
It is remarkable that God uses leaders like this at all. He has every reason to withhold all blessing from us, and yet in His grace He comes to us and visits us with His delivering power.
What solution is there for a church and a nation in such deplorable condition? It is the same solution offered by the book of Judges—namely, covenant obedience to God under the rule of His appointed king.
Four times in the book of Judges the writer remarks that Israel’s chaotic condition is tied to its lack of a godly king (Judg. 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). The judges, as powerfully as God used them, were not the ultimate solution. Israel needed a king, and not just any king—a king from the tribe of Judah (again, see the end of the book), a king with moral character. It seems that the writer was defending the Davidic monarchy in particular.
We should thank God for His mercy in not to punishing us for our sins. When we disregard His law and treat casually the things of God, He has every right to deal with us just as He did with Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10:1–7). Thankfully, He often chooses to graciously manifest His power in the midst of a less-than-perfect people.
However, the fact that God blesses us in our spiritual disorder is no excuse for us to presume that He must do so. While we should thank Him for those blessings, we should always seek to rid our lives and our churches of that which is of the flesh. We should learn from the long-term lessons of the book of Judges that we cannot continue to play fast and loose with righteousness. We must not be content with our pathetic victories. We must ask Him to cleanse our hearts and empower us to follow our Davidic King, Jesus Christ, in covenantal obedience.