God’s Wake-up Call | Judges 1-21

Summary

The book of Judges is a tragic story of Israel’s failure following the conquest of the Promised Land. But it’s also a display of God’s never-ending faithfulness to keep his promises. Judges exists to cultivate a need in us for a greater deliverer, found in the person of Jesus Christ. So what do we do with the book of Judges? We allow it to be a phone call to make sure we are awake.

Key Takeaways

• Wake up and disciple the next generation – The Israelites who left the wilderness and conquered the Promised Land failed to raise up a generation behind them that feared the Lord. (Judges 2:6-10). We must be people who not only teach the next generation about the Lord but also demonstrate that we have a faith worth following.
• Wake up and call out compromise – The Israelites failed to drive out the inhabitants of the land and were constantly drawn into their idolatrous and evil practices (Judges 1:27, 29, 30, 31, 33). We must relentlessly drive out compromise in our lives, seeking after Jesus the ultimate treasure and deliverer. We don’t bend God’s Word. We bend to God’s Word.
• Wake up to the full extent of God’s faithfulness – God is faithful to keep his promises when he punishes Israel for idolatry and when He hears their cry for mercy and sends a deliverer (Judges 2:14-15, 16-18). Seven times in Judges, the cycle of Israel’s faithlessness plays out, and yet seven times the Lord demonstrates his faithfulness by mercifully delivering them.

Discussion questions

Sit silently with the Lord and consider these questions. Listen for his prompting and discuss with your community group.

• What is one way you want me to disciple the next generation?
• Where is there compromise in my life?
• How do you want me to respond to your faithfulness today?