The book of Judges is of great importance to us today, for it shows the early departure that came in among the people of God after the death of Joshua, similar to what has taken place in the Church’s history. Israel wandered farther and farther away from the Lord, and yet He was ever faithful and raised up judges to deliver them from their enemies, when they cried to Him. Just as the book of Joshua brings before us in type our spiritual conflict in connection with our heavenly blessings, so the book of Judges shows us figuratively the sad loss of power in the Church of God when the enemy gets in through unfaithfulness. Yet “God is faithful” (1 Cor. 10:1313There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)), and has granted many revivals in the Church’s history, as He did with Israel. Those of Israel are recorded in Judges. But still, after these remarkable deliverances wherein God manifested His goodness on behalf of His people of old, they soon slipped back into carelessness again, and drifted still farther away. And surely the Church’s history has been the same, as we have remarked. May we profit by our meditations on this deeply interesting book, so that we may be delivered from the enemy who lies in wait by the way. Deliverance is only by “looking unto Jesus,” yet these warnings have been written for our learning that we may be on guard, always wearing the whole armor of God, without which we cannot stand in the Christian conflict.
The book of Judges begins, however, with an energy on the part of Judah and Simeon to go up and possess more of the promised land. This reminds us of how, after the death of some servant whom God has mightily used, there is often a fresh stirring up, but unless the eye is upon the Lord this energy soon passes away. If all the people had joined together in these conflicts they might have continued for a longer time, but there seemed to be a leaning upon one another instead of the Lord. Judah asked Simeon to fight with him and so they made a mutual agreement together, but when the other tribes, with the exception of the sons of Joseph, were content to settle down and become lax in their efforts, this fresh energy soon passed away and they all followed the easy path of “peace at any price.”
One feels this is a very serious lesson for us in the day in which we live. What is so much needed today is personal communion with the Lord. There is a great desire to agree together instead of quietly seeking the Lord’s approval for what we do. If each one of us desired to please the Lord individually, our hearts would soon go out to our brethren in the true unity of the Spirit — otherwise any attempt at unity is only man’s unity which is not of God. In man’s unity the eye is not upon the Lord but upon one another; yet as long as all work together, everything seems fine, but as soon as the majority drops out, then everything goes. If, on the other hand, the eye is upon the Lord, we go on steadily whether we have the majority with us or not. This is seen so nicely in the life of Joshua, who went on, content to have the Lord’s approval for himself — that was enough. Others were stirred up by his zeal and much blessing resulted, while he went on steadily all the days of his life. The Word of the Lord to Abram is a needed exhortation for us all: “Walk before Me, and be thou perfect.” Genesis 17:11And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. (Genesis 17:1).
ML 07/19/1953