Week #3: September 26-30
Professor: Pastor Jeff Eastwood
Assignments:
Read Judges 3x -Once in a single reading before class, and twice during the week of Judges classes. At least one of these readings must be done in a translation other than the one you normally use.
Read Judges - Such a Great Salvation by Dale Ralph Davis prior to, or during, the week of classes.
Memorize Judges 21:25
Pastor Eastwood is currently the interim lead pastor at Northside Baptist Church in Waterloo, Ontario. He is a graduate of Northland International University with Bachelor of Arts in Theology and is now working on a Master of Divinity Degree from Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary. This will be his first year teaching at WOLBI in Owen Sound. What's interesting is many of the students this year are coming from Waterloo and Kitchener and call Northside their home church. They were thrilled to have their pastor come up for a week as was he.
Judges is an interesting book and many times it is hidden away as if it is some deep, dark secret of the Bible. Filled with murder, deceit and heinous crimes, this seventh book of the Bible is the attic of the Bible. Yet, here it is, containing this record of Israel's rebellion against God and subsequent disregard for God's commands. Blatant disobedience would be at the core and the theme of Judges is clearly stated in the memory verse for the class.
"In those days, there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes."
-Judges 21:25
When one of the students stated what he learned from the class, unknowingly, he explained how this verse is relevant to the book as a whole.
"I have been learning that Israel is just like our day now. I'm seeing the history... they keep falling into sin and they don't pass the faith onto the [next] generation. They weren't following God's Word. It was a very sinful time"
- Derek, Waterloo
It was a very sinful time. The statement alone sums it up. What can be learned from a book that has this reputation? Since Timothy says in the New Testament, "All scripture is profitable...", Judges has been placed in the Bible for a purpose.
This purpose is hinted at in the following from one of the students:
"I learned how loving God is, in that, no matter how much sin I am in, God is always there when I repent and turn back to Him."
-Brandon, Waterloo
Judges shows us the grace of God. Every time Israel rebelled, God called them back to Himself. The Lord would raise up a judge, hence the name of the book, and that judge would bring the people back to the Lord by leading them in repentance. Then when the judge died, the people would fall into sin again. This cycle of sin, judging and repentance occurred seven times in Judges. Even the judges themselves were not the best example of godliness and fell into sin soon after Israel repented. But God's grace continually prevails and still brings people to repentance today. When asked what he was learning from Judges, Pastor Eastwood replied with the following:
"I am learning that sin is deceitful and subtle and we need the grace of God."
God's grace is a beacon of light in the darkness of Judges. This world desperately needs God's grace just as Israel did over three thousand years ago. This grace comes in the form of God's Son dying on the cross, taking the punishment of sin for every person. The message of Judges and the gospel is one and the same: repentance. The message of repentance has always been the same: turn from your sin and turn to God's grace for redemption from the punishment of sin. Let us not forget this incredible gift of salvation.
BW
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