Northwest Gospel Church - Camas/Washougal

This week, we continue our journey through the Book of Ruth. We've been introduced to the major characters of this short narrative, and we are starting to see the theme of redemption playing out in the lives of Naomi and Ruth. Here, we see that the rest we long for is only found in a relationship with our Redeemer.

As we continue in our Advent sermon series, we are introduced to a crucial character in the Book of Ruth. Boaz is a "worthy man" who is related to Naomi (v. 1). This worthiness is put on display as Boaz provides for and protects Ruth in a time when Israel is dangerous. Throughout this passage, God's providence is center stage and we are called to see what the Lord does for those seeking refuge in him.

This week, we begin our Advent sermon series: In the Days When the Judges Ruled the Land. It is with Judges barely in the rearview mirror that we are introduced to Naomi. Having lost her husband and sons, she begins the journey back to her home country with his widowed daughters-in-law. Here, we see that even in the bitterest of circumstances, God is working.

The saying goes, “two wrongs do not make a right.” We see this reality playing out every day. After forgetting to do the dishes, lying about it won’t make them suddenly clean. When one sibling steals from another, stealing a toy of theirs won’t ‘right’ anything. This week’s passage not only horrifically confirms this idea, it also shines a brutal light on all of Israel in one of the darkest nights for the people of God. The end of Judges displays wrong after wrong after wrong as the people of Israel move further and further from the holy ways of the LORD that they were taught. And without warning, the book of Judges ends. “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

After the death of Samson, the book of Judges takes a weird turn. The vicious cycle of chapters 3-16 has culminated in Samson, and the narrator seeks to bring home the central thesis of the book by means of a double conclusion. The conclusion of the book takes the form of two longer narratives (chapters 17-18 and chapters 19-21, respectively) that repeat the author’s thesis statement throughout. These two narratives mirror the opening of the book (we will examine more on this next week). By zooming in on the odd saga of “a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah” (Judges 17:1), the author of Judges will drive home the point, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6, 18:1, 19:1, 21:25). These are days of subjective religion. Among the Israelites, a people called by God to worship and serve him as a light to the nations, darkness covers the land. After being saved by God again and again, chapters 17-21 give an intimate picture of just how far they have degenerated. They didn’t drive out the Canaanites, instead they have become like them. They did what was right in their own eyes. Relativism, counterfeit religion, and godlessness abound.

Welcome to part three of the Samson saga. Our first week was filled with angels and animal sacrifice. Week two contained ripping lions apart with bare hands and foxes tied together to be used as weapons. It’s been quite the journey, and the story isn’t over yet. Part three contains sin, seduction, and even more amazing feats of strength. But behind all the theatrics that could fill a Marvel trilogy is the story of a people falling deeper and deeper away from their God, modeled in the character of our book’s last main judge, Samson.

Samson has been called by God, and in this week’s text, we begin to see Samson live out his calling. This is certainly an odd text; filled with riddles, murder, a strong man ripping apart a lion “as one tears a young goat” (as if that were simple), and a bunch of foxes with their tails on fire. While it can be easy to get lost in the wild, superhero-like story of Samson, it’s important to remember the pattern of the book of Judges. Last week’s text (about Samson’s parents) began with the first step in our cycle, and this week’s text continues the cycle. Make sure not to “lose the forest for the trees” this week as you study, remembering the downward spiral of the Israelites, who are beginning to look exactly like their Canaanite (or more specifically to this text, Philistine) enemies.

Chapter 13 starts in a familiar place for the people of Israel. “And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” The Lord has given the people of Israel over to the hands of the Philistines because of their rebellion, and we are about to meet the final judge that God raises up for his people. Even with the weight of sin ever-present throughout the book of Judges, we see glimpses of God’s sovereign hand working to advance his plans when an angel appears to a family from the tribe of the Danites. Throughout the book of Judges we see twelve men and women fill the role of Judge and here in chapter thirteen we are introduced to the last one, Samson. Samson is one of the better known of the judges, often remembered for his incredible physical strength and his infamous downward fall into sinfulness. Chapter 13 is the story of Samson’s parents and their encounter with a messenger from God. Samson’s father, a man named Manoah, and his wife were visited by an angel and told they would have a child. The angel delivers very specific instructions to Manoah’s family and to the future of Samson’s life. The God “who works wonders” is still working even in a dark season of Israel’s rebellion.

In some ways, this story is very similar to the cycle we’ve seen over and over… sin, oppression, deliverance, and peace. In other ways, this story is unique. Jephthah, our next Judge, is a very successful warrior, but he “makes a deal” with the God of Israel: “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” After the Lord delivers the Ammonites into his hand, the first thing to come out of his door is his only child. What does all this mean? That’s what we’ll explore this week, but for now, let’s notice just how far Israel has gotten from knowing the character of their God. With Jephthah’s deal, he’s treating the God of the Bible like all of the gods of the nations around him… and Israel is beginning to look a lot like those nations.

This week’s passage revolves around the tension between Abimelech, son of Gideon, and the corrupt leaders of Shechem who put him in power over Israel. First, we see Abimelech plotting and seizing power with the help of his mom, and hiring a gang of thugs, all with the blessing of these leaders. But the dynamic soon changes as God causes division between these two evil parties. Having fallen out of favor with the leaders of Shechem, Abimelech dodges assassination plots from both the leaders and their new golden boy, Gaal. Abimelech’s life comes to a swift, violent, and, as one can imagine, prideful end. Following the retributive slaughter of Shechem’s leaders and people, Abimelech leads an invasion attempt against a neighboring city and is killed by at the hands of a woman. Following the account of Abimelech violent beginning and ending, the author notes the judges who followed him and reminds the reader of the reality that these Israelite judges would come and go, but there is a greater leader to hope for.