Northwest Gospel Church - Camas/Washougal

In one of the oddest battle scenes in history, Israel defeats Midian by blowing trumpets and breaking jars. We’re told that the Lord set the swords of the Midianites against each other, and Israel won. In chapter 8, we see Gideon win another battle, but the narrative is quite different. The author took great care to remind us of God’s presence at every turn in chapter 7, but that language is oddly silent in chapter 8. After the battles, we see the continual downward spiral of both Gideon and the Israelites. He leads the Israelites in improper worship practices, where Israel “whored after” the ephod that Gideon made after his victories in battle. Years later, Gideon dies, and the cycle of the book of Judges continues.

We’re now with our next judge: Gideon. What immediately sticks out (compared to the judges of chapters 3-5) is the length of this narrative, which spans three chapters of the book. More time is spent on Gideon than Ehud, Othniel, Shamgar, and Deborah... combined. While the flannel graph Sunday school lessons of our youth may have us believe that Gideon is the hero of this three-chapter story, what we actually find is a man who is a coward, questioning God at every turn. What hope is there for Israel when even the judges exemplify the weakness of the people?

Once again, the people of Israel do what is evil in the sight of the Lord. Already, we’ve seen the same story twice. Remember the pattern that was laid out for us in chapter 2: God’s people do what is evil, they are oppressed, they repent, God sends a judge to deliver them, and then there is a time of peace. And this week is no different. There’s evil (4:1), the Israelites cry out to God for rescue (4:3), God sends Deborah (4:4-24), and there’s a time of peace (chapter 5). There is one way that this week’s text differs from what we’ve explored so far in the book of Judges: we get a glimpse into the mind of the judge through a song (chapter 5). Here we see Deborah recount the events of chapter 4 in song, giving glory to God and reminding the Israelites of God’s goodness.

This week, we’re introduced to our first three judges: Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar. It’s also here that we see the first two examples of the pattern we were introduced to in chapter 2, a pattern that we’ll see throughout the book: God’s people do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, they are oppressed, they repent, God sends a judge to deliver them, and then there is a time of peace.

The first two chapters of Judges grab the reader’s attention immediately, as it opens in the middle of a war. This is a Holy War. God’s people have been commanded by Him to enter the Promised Land and execute God’s judgment on the wicked nations therein by “devoting them to destruction” (Judges 1:17). From the outset, the reader gets a taste of this dark and exceedingly odd book. A king named Adoni-bezek faces God’s judgment, as his weird fetish of cutting off thumbs and big toes of the kings he defeats gets visited on him. The reader is also confronted by a foreshadowing of what is to come. The tribes of Israel fail to follow the Lord. They “did not drive out” the inhabitants of the land, instead intermarrying with them and falling into idolatry, worshiping their pagan gods. But though Israel is in the process of abandoning the Lord, the book of Judges exists, because the Lord refuses to abandon His people. In chapters 1 and 2, we meet a fickle people and a faithful God.

We don't need to look far to find evidence of the distress in our world. Even in our own lives, stress and suffering too often seem to be present. What does God's word have to say about that? In Psalm 4, King David calls out to God for relief, and in calling out he is reminded of the goodness and love of God for his people. Here, we see that the goodness of God means peaceful rest for the believer.

"Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!" It's in Psalm 95 where we see Israel glorifying the Lord and testifying to his amazing deeds. This incredible psalm points us to God as the object of our worship and reminds us that he alone is worthy of our worship.

To kick off our Summer Psalms sermon series, we turn to Psalm 3. This psalm, written by King David, is all about dealing with our sin and facing the consequences of our rebellion against God. Sin and death stand as enemies that can only be defeated by the work of Jesus Christ.

Who is the true King? While our modern American minds may have trouble with the language of royalty, this was a big question in Daniel's day. Many of us are familiar with the story of King Nebuchadnezzar, of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, but what is the purpose of this story? How does its message affect us today? Join us today as we see that even in difficult circumstances, we're called to worship and trust the King who can rescue us.

Nathan Noorlun • This week, we come to the end of our series in Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians. The final words of this letter encourage and exhort us to live in line with the ways of God's kingdom. Here, we see that gospel-centered reminders equip a gospel-centered church.