Judge Dread

It was a Sylvester Stallone movie in the mid-90's which I (characteristically) did not see until some time later ... I think it was during a vacation that I watched a rerun of that flick. I do not remember anything particularly redeeming about the movie and it is not the subject of this post. I just thought the title sounded cool.

(In fact, when I checked Wikipedia to see when the movie aired, I learned that it was inspired by the Judge Dredd British comic book hero. I didn't know there was one.)


Anyway, this post has more to do with the book of Judges - you know, in the Bible, and the fact that since my reading journey has led me to that point, I was sort of dreading it.

Judges used to be one of my favorite Old Testament books. I really liked the stories of amazing exploits by the likes of Gideon, Shamgar and Samson. These judges were akin to the marshals of the old west. They would suddenly perform some heroic deed and come into fame. They would acknowledge that it was God that had empowered them and the nation of Israel would do a temporary turn-a-round.


They would straighten up and fly right until the judge died. Then they would lapse back into idolatry.


In recent years, I have come to look at the period of the Judges in its entirety rather than just a compilation of some thrilling stories. I heard a sermon from Mark Rutland awhile back in which he pointed out that the book of Judges is a picture of a society in a downward spiral into moral confusion. Judges doesn't end well.

There are some really exciting peaks in the book but the nation of Israel has no consistency. I am that way sometimes.

The latter chapters are just ugly and confusing. It is evident that the nation has lost its way - no one seems to be carrying the torch for truth and godliness.

"...and every man did that which was right in his own eyes..."

That's how the book closes.

It wasn't that way in the first chapter. No, in the first chapter Joshua was still alive, and Caleb and a bunch of folks that had grown up in the desert and had seen God move them to triumphant victory over insurmountable foes. They could trust God.

But little by little as those fellows faded from the scene, the people settled for less than total victory. It seemed that completely wiping out the enemy (as God had commanded) was just too hard. Some of the foes dwelled in highly defensive territories and some had superior technology like iron chariots. So tribe after tribe of Israelis left a few enemy fortresses standing, some settlements in the valleys, they skipped over a few cities.

And they lapsed into confusion.

Many will disagree with me: but I see a very close comparison between the book of Judges and our nation today.

Last Sunday I heard a sermon that was pretty much about a completely different subject but it set the wheels in my mind to turning.

I heard someone preach from the book of Ruth. He pointed out that the real hero of that book was Naomi; He told how Naomi had returned from Moab devoid of her husband and two sons and had only a loyal daughter-in-law, Ruth. Naomi said, "I'm bitter!"

But God had a plan and a romance would be sparked between Ruth and the old bachelor, Boaz. Boaz would become a kinsman redeemer. He and Ruth would have a son, and then a grandson that would become the great king, David, a direct predecessor to the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

That was a neat story and the people talked about how God had redeemed Naomi.

But here is the thing that really caught my ear right at the beginning of the sermon.

Do you know when all this happened?

During the when "the judges ruled". That's right, it's right there in Ruth 1:1.

In the middle of all that lapsing into confusion and moral decay, God was birthing a plan that would bring Messiah to the world.

Who knows what plans for greatness and redemption God is hatching today in our time of moral confusion!

I will leave you with one last thing pointed out in that sermon.... during the time that it seemed God was silent (like when Naomi said "I'm bitter!") ... He was working.