Jesus is going to look people in the eye on the Day of Judgement and tell them that He never knew them. Those people will spend eternity in hell. What is so distressing about this is that those same people thought they were good with God! They were not atheists or agnostics… they were people who claimed to be in a relationship with the real God. The last chapters of Judges paint us a vivid picture of how easy it is to be spiritually self-deceived. Don’t fall prey to this horrible mistake!

We have learned so much from the life of this enigmatic saviour, Samson. Now we hit the one story for which he seems most famous. Why is that? Why are we so intrigued by the love and manipulation of this mighty man? And is this just a bit of a forbidden titillation that snuck into our Bibles, or does it have something to teach us about Jesus Christ? After all, didn’t Jesus Himself say that all the Scriptures were pointing to Him (Luke 24:27)?

Sometimes things are not as they seem. In fact, this is often the case when God is at work. What can appear as a dismal failure might actually be a roaring success. This is nowhere more evident than at the crucifixion of Jesus. An event captured well by the interesting words of Joseph, centuries earlier: “What some meant for evil, God meant for good.” Perhaps Samson’s exploits were not as sad as we tend to think. Or perhaps they were, but were pointing to Another?

Samson is the only Judge whose birth is described. Remarkably it takes up an entire chapter of his story. What is most unique to his nativity is the plan of God to make him a Nazirite (not, Nazarene) from the womb. In an age of spiritual darkness and Philistine oppression, everyone is confused by the remarkable birth and ministry of this new saviour.

The six minor Judges scattered throughout the Book of Judges have a major role to play. While we do not know as much about them as we do the others, their stories help us to understand the dire straits of idolatry and the desperate need for a full-scale and eternal rescue. From Shamgar to Abdon, the same problem remains… we need a Saviour.

The story of Jephthah can basically be understood in one of two very different ways. One option is to see him as a rash and arrogant warlord. The other is to view him as a God-fearing saviour. Either way, the Lord felt it was important for us to both read and ponder this event in Israel’s history. Doing so should help us to understand even more clearly why it is we so desperately need a Saviour. Plus, the current preacher thinks Jephthah was one of the good guys.