God is faithful and good. God is sovereign. God is our redeemer.
How did this judge rebel?
Act Three: REbellion, Week 10
During week 10's study, my definition of 'judge' has been under refinement. I have discovered there is a difference in the way the word is used as a noun and the way it is used as a verb. As a verb, "to judge" often means to be critical and determine who is right and who is wrong, eventually forming an opinion and giving a "judgy verdict." The word as a noun is a person: a judge. Considering both definitions has helped shape my understanding. God gave the rebellious nation of Israel judges to lead them to repentance and a right relationship with Him. Unlike today's judges, the Biblical judge during Gideon's time didn't wear a black robe, read the moral code, tell you how you broke the law, and hand you the punishment. More like military leaders than judges of today, the judges were leaders in their tribe, chosen (by God) to deliver the people from the consequences of their unfaithfulness to Him. These consequences included oppression from their enemies.
In the time of the judges, the people of God would rebel, be handed over to their enemies for punishment, call out for help, be delivered, and then have a time of peace. Since there was no king at that time and the people did what was right in their own eyes, they needed a deliverer (Judges 21:25). They needed to be saved from their enemies. They needed to be saved from their destructive selves.
Some of the judges did their job well, and others did not. But before we get too "judgy" ourselves, we need to remember what the judges were up against. The nation of Israel's great leaders (Moses, Aaron, and Joshua) were dead and gone and the people were floundering, repeatedly put in the position to cry out to God with a "Help! We've fallen and we can't get up!" Instead of following the Law and the example their old leaders had set, they took the easy but destructive path. "They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, [neighboring nations] and bowed down to them. And they provoked the LORD to anger. They abandoned the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth [idols, 'things', that became more important than God]" (Judges 2:12-13).
There are consequences for sin and rebellion against a holy and just God (Proverbs 3:11-12): "So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them" (Judges 2:14), and the people cried out, "Help! We've fallen, and we can't get up!"
And the Lord replied, "I am your help! I will lift you up. I am your deliverer, I am the Lord your God!" "Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them" (Judges 2:16). "Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them" (Judges 2:18).
Imagine the heart of our good Father, who loved His people and was grieved by their rebellion. He was willing to punish and rescue them at the same time. In love, He had commanded that they, with all their heart and soul, hold fast to Him, serve Him, love Him, and walk in all His ways (for their good, yes, but also for His glory!) (Joshua 22:5). But they did not walk in His ways. They were rebels who needed a Judge, a Deliverer (Jesus!). But the men they got as their judges were not God. Though they were used by God, they also failed—rebelled.
This week we looked at Gideon in Judges 6-8 and the question, "How did this Judge rebel?" Sitting under the oak tree, the angel of the Lord appears to Gideon and charges him to go and deliver the Israelites from the Midianites. In what I believe is a true and honest heart, Gideon turns to the Lord at every step, asking Him to confirm each command. Gideon may appear to have weak faith at times, but he has faith nonetheless. Even a little faith is better than none (Hebrews 11:32). He also has open communication with the Lord and a desire to obey. Gideon's obedience in battle was on point. With each move, when the going got tough, he sought the Lord and confirmed the next move.
We see the beginning of Gideon's fall into rebellion in Judges 7:18 and again in verse 20. As he leads the charge into battle, he speaks to the Israelites, and says, "When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon.’” Wait what? Why did he cry for the Lord AND Gideon? How quickly slippery pride seeps in! How quickly we believe we deserve credit for the victory that the Lord has won! How quickly we want to share the glory with the Lord (Is this part of your story too?). Gideon, along with the entire army of Israelites, should have cried, "For the Lord and the Lord alone!" For it is the Lord who says, "I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols" (Isaiah 42:8). But Gideon did carve an idol. With the remembrance of victory still in sight, "the men of Israel said to Gideon, 'Rule over us...for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian'" (Judges 8:22). Though Gideon responded appropriately, "I will not rule over you...the Lord will rule over you" (8:23), over time, his actions showed differently. A slippery slope of sin was in front of Gideon. In an attempt to build a memorial to remember all that God had done, he collected gold earrings and made an idol that all of Israel whored after. What was meant for good "became a snare to Gideon and his family" (8:27). Eventually, again, Israel forgot the LORD their God, "who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side" (8:34).
Gideon's initial obedience in the battle (trial and hardship) was filled with faith. In the extreme moments, he sought the Lord and asked for confirmation to help him obey. However, in the routine of daily life, the pride of victory, the noisiness of peer pressure, and the glitter of gold and silver, he was worn down. This is the same for us today. What has distracted you from truly worshiping your God and giving Him praise for every victory and every battle that He has overcome? Does the routine of daily life become a noisy distraction that keeps us from seeing how faithful and good our God is?
God gave the rebellious nation of Israel the judges to lead them to repentance and to deliver them from the hands of their enemies. What a picture we see of Jesus—what encouragement we receive in knowing that Jesus is our true and better Judge! He is the verb and the noun. As the only one who is perfect, without sin, he has every right to judge us. He not only knows the law, He fulfilled the law and convicts us of right and wrong. He leads us to repentance and is our cry when "we have fallen and can't get up" (rebelled). Because of the sacrifice He made on the cross, Jesus' blood delivers us from the domain of darkness and the everyday consequences of our rebellious ways. He is our deliverer. We are part of His kingdom and it is through Him alone that we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, and a not-guilty verdict.
♥️ Meghan
