A pastor who sells his services to the highest bidder; a callous businessman who chops up his dead mistress into pieces to incite tribal reaction; a society that applies pragmatic solutions to problems but instead spins off even more problems: the last 5 chapters of Judges gives us a graphic picture of what will happen to faith, morality and society when relativism reigns, and people do what is right in their own eyes, disregarding God’s absolutes. The world is in this downward spiral.

Our pulpit exploration into Judges has been interesting and probing. We were stunned by colorful characters and disgusting happenings. We felt the corruption and violence of a society that chose to go their own way instead of God’s ways, preferred idols to the true God, and stamped the Israeli judge-leaders with traces of its own degenerate culture.

The book of Judges prepares its readers for the next book: 1 and 2 Kings which show why and how Israel came to have kings, imitating the other godless nations. Even more, it points us away from disappointing flawed judge-leaders to the perfect Judge-Leader Jesus Christ who would one day deliver humans from the penalty of sins. And this is the message of Christmas: “She (Mary) will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Mat 1:21)

Pastor Kenny Chee