Sermons

Expository Sermon on Judges 1 and 2
by Maylan Schurch
Bellevue Seventh-day Adventist Church 4/5/2025
©2025 by Maylan Schurch

(To watch this entire worship service, click the link just below:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F75RLugQEnU&t=5290s

Please open your Bibles to Judges chapter 1.

As most of you know, I’ve been suggesting that we follow a Bible reading plan this year. During this plan, if you follow it, you will read through the entire Bible by December 31. And the plan I’ve chosen this year is a chronological Bible plan. In a number of cases, chapters or sometimes even whole books are carefully rearranged to follow what most Bible students think is a chronological order.

As I’ve mentioned before, it can be kind of intimidating when you see the number of chapters you need to read during a week – an average of 24 usually. But what I do, and not only because I’ve assigned myself to prepare a sermon on these passages for the end of the week, I will settle down on Sunday and using my phone or my laptop or maybe even a paper Bible, I will read through all the chapters at once.

Some people like to listen to the Bible on audiobook. This is perfectly fine, and that’s actually the way most of the New Testament, especially, was experienced by its first hearers. And Bible people seemed to be very good at memorizing the Bible. It was probably pretty rare to have your own copy of all of the Bible’s scrolls, right there in your house. So you heard it read on Sabbath in the synagogue.

Anyway, as you go along through the Bible, you do come across books that are pretty challenging. And we are right in the middle of one of those books right now – the book of Judges.

And to people who don’t have a pretty good grasp of the rest of the Bible already, the book of Judges comes as a great shock. There are positive stories – like Gideon and his 300-man army, and Deborah and how she inspired the nation – but there are some very brutal and baffling stories too.

The question I was asking myself this week – and which I’ll try to partly answer this morning – is “Where is Jesus in Judges?” Because if 2 Timothy 3:16 is right when it says that “All Scripture is God-breathed,” then the book of Judges is inspired just like all the other books.

Where is Jesus in Judges? Let’s do our best to find out. Because I think knowing some answers to this question enhances Judges tremendously, and while this book may never exactly end up as your first choice for bedside reading, Jesus’ presence in Judges teaches us several powerful truths.

So let’s look for what Jesus can teach us as we catch glimpses of Him in this book.

Judges 1:1 – 2 [NKJV]: Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, “Who shall be first to go up for us against the Canaanites to fight against them?” And the LORD said, “Judah shall go up. Indeed I have delivered the land into his hand.”

Did you happen to catch sight of Jesus in those verses? If you answer “where it says ‘the Lord,’” you’re correct. That’s one answer. There’s lots of Bible evidence that any time you see the word “LORD” in the Old Testament, with all capital letters, that was Jesus. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, in Deuteronomy 32:3 and 4, Moses says, “For I proclaim the name of the LORD: Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice.”

And Paul picks up on this in 1 Corinthians 10:4, where he talks about the Israelite people during their wilderness time drinking from a spiritual “rock,” and Paul says “And that Rock was Christ.”
So, sure enough, Jesus was the One who led the Israelites through the desert and into the promised land. But notice something else, in the first few words of Judges.

Verse 1: Now after the death of Joshua . . .

Do you see that word “Joshua”? That happens to be the exact same name as “Jesus.” The Hebrew way to say “Joshua” is Yehoshua, and Jesus’ name is a shortened version of it, Yeshua. It’s like shortening “Michael” to “Mike,” or “Daniel” to “Dan.”

So let’s make that our first sermon point. What can Jesus teach us as we catch glimpses of Him in Judges? Here’s the first point:

Jesus was given Joshua’s exact name.

Okay, but is that really a big deal? Well, the name itself means “God saves,” or “The Lord saves.” And that was Jesus’ mission when He came to earth. Keep in mind that in Matthew 1:21, a heavenly angel gave Jesus’ earthly father Joseph some specific instructions: “And she [Mary] will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”

If the angel had been speaking in Hebrew, or Aramaic, he was saying “You shall call His name Joshua.” So here’s the first time there is an echo of Jesus himself in the book of Judges. Both the Old Testament Joshua and the New Testament Joshua would guide their people out of captivity and closer to God.

Okay, what should I do now that I know this?

I need to remember that no matter what kind of chaos and turmoil swirls around us these days – and there is a whole lot – God still saves. Just as He led Joshua to guide the people to the Promised Land, He will guide us to where He knows we need to be. Jesus proves to us that “God saves,” and Jesus is the one doing the saving! He is the King of Kings and Lord of lords.

The Old Testament Joshua stayed faithful to his leadership until the Lord allowed him to rest in death. And the New Testament “Joshua” is forever faithful to us as well. He is still serving us in Heaven, interceding for us.

Now let’s look for another way in which Jesus shows up in Judges. And we don’t have to look far. You see, the rest of Chapter 1 gives a good summary of the Israelites’ attempt to take possession of the Promised Land.

But suddenly we get some ominous news. Let’s start down in verse 27.

Verses 27 – 29: However, Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land. And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites under tribute, but did not completely drive them out. Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; so the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.

And on and on through the rest of the chapter, this same kind of gloomy news is repeated. God wanted the entire Promised Land clean of idol-worship, and this mostly did not happen. And idolatry would end up being the root cause of most of the trouble in Judges and for the rest of Old Testament history.

But suddenly, someone who is very probably Jesus Himself shows up.

Joshua 2:1: Then the Angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: . . .

Now, we have to be very thoughtful as we study this Angel of the Lord. Who is he? All it says is that he is “the Angel of the Lord.” Back in the last few verses of Joshua chapter 5, a heavenly being shows up with a sword in his hand and calls Himself “the Commander of the Army of the Lord.”

And in the last verse of Joshua five, this Commander tells Joshua to take off his sandals, because where he is standing is holy. This is a clear indication that the Commander was divine. When regular angels showed up, they never told people to take off their sandals – only God did that, such as when He visited Moses and spoke out of the flames of the burning bush.

But over here in Judges 2, listen carefully to what this angel says. Notice how He is speaking in the first person – using “I.”

Judges 2:1 – 3: Then the Angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: “I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you. And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’ ”

There is still a whole lot we do not know about this Angel. And if He was God – in the form of Jesus the Son of God – did He appear visibly to all these people? Or was He speaking through a human prophet?

The Bible simply does not say. And we always have to allow the Bible to be silent on what it wants to be silent about. If the Bible doesn’t tie together certain loose ends, let’s not be obsessive about this either. Let’s take the parts of the Bible that we understand, and let’s live by them.

I happen to believe, looking at what we’ve just read, that this was Jesus in some form. This angel is saying “I did this” and “I did that,” as though this is God speaking, and He gets His point across very crisply.

So let’s lay down what I would call Sermon Point Two. What else can Jesus teach us as we catch glimpses of Him in Judges? We do know that this is a divine message. So if this was Jesus, here’s another truth I’ve learned about Him:

Not only was Jesus was given Joshua’s exact name, but Jesus personally enters the Judges story.

Again, were not exactly sure how He did this – whether through appearing as an actual Angel to speak directly to the people, or through a powerful prophet. However this was done, this was God’s message being delivered directly to the people.

And notice how they respond. This message got through to them.

Verses 4 – 7: So it was, when the Angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept. Then they called the name of that place Bochim; and they sacrificed there to the LORD. And when Joshua had dismissed the people, the children of Israel went each to his own inheritance to possess the land. So the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD which He had done for Israel.

And wouldn’t it have been so nice to have this be the end of the book of Judges, with the happy ending bringing joy to everyone? But that is sadly what did not happen.

The next verse or two talk about the death of Joshua, and where he was buried, and then come these fateful words:

Verses 10 – 12: When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel. Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals; and they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger.

A chill ran down my spine as I read these verses this week. As long as Joshua was alive, and as long as the elders who served under him were alive, the people were faithful. But verse 10 says: “Another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel.”

What’s so frustrating to me – and it must’ve been frustrating to the Lord – is, WHY didn’t they know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel? The answer seems to have been that the news wasn’t earnestly passed down to them as they grew to adulthood.

And who are supposed to be the transmitters of this knowledge? The parents and the spiritual leaders of the nation. God had earnestly commanded, in Deuteronomy chapter 6 and 11, to make the religious education of the children the highest priority.

If you were here during announcement time this morning, you know that we have begun our nominating committee process. This morning we chose (by your vote) the names of people we should put on our committee to select the nominating committee.

I don’t know what those names are yet, but at the end of the service I will ask those individuals to stay for just a few brief minutes immediately after the service so we can go ahead and choose the nominating committee. Then those committee members’ names will be brought before you so you can vote on them over the next couple of weeks.

Some of the people chosen by our nominating committee will be the teachers and educators in our Sabbath school classes. A week or so ago I was downstairs in the beginners room, where the youngest children are taught, and where there is an ancient but excellent piano which I wanted to use to practice some songs.

As I sat at the piano, I glanced along a counter and I saw what seemed to be about a dozen pizza boxes. White pizza boxes. But then I looked at what was written on those boxes’ edges. Phrases like “Small world faces,” “overlays,” “backgrounds,” “creation circles,” “Jesus,” “devices and steeples for church.”

And suddenly I realized that I was looking at boxes of felts. These are “felt sets,” and down through the decades the Sabbath School teachers have used them to tell Bible stories to little kids. The programs are prepared so that the teacher can select what’s needed – whether the Sea of Galilee, crowd scenes, animal scenes, Jesus speaking, and so on – and display them on a felt background.

It’s unimaginable how many children of many denominations all over the world have had the Bible story scenes imprinted on their minds in this way, accompanied by the gentle voices of dedicated, saintly teachers. The figures themselves are made of felt, and are often painstakingly hand-colored by the very teachers who will use them. When presented, each lesson is a true “living Bible” event.

The Bible has a lot to say about children and their importance to Jesus. The Savior’s most brutal and bloodcurdling threats are reserved for those who abuse children (see Matthew 18:6). Let’s pray for our youngsters, protect them, and point them toward their loving Creator.

This past Tuesday I was working on this sermon at our local library. For two or three days a week, a couple of large tables are set aside for tutors to help young children with their schoolwork. Each of those days, parents can bring their kids to get help.

Normally those two big tables are packed with kids, and normally there are about three tutors to help them. But this past Tuesday, for some reason, no kids were present. The three tutors were there – all three of them on their own laptops doing their own thing. But there were no kids. It could be that the day was nice and the kids didn’t want to come and be tutored.

But I thought to myself, “Here are these tutors, and they have nobody to teach. I myself could have used a lot of tutoring, especially in math, at that age. But there are no kids.”

It’s so very important to put our kids in position where they can learn about God and His Son and His Holy Spirit, who are so powerful and so ready to carry us through the desperate times we’re experiencing. Bring the children to Sabbath School where they will experience those stories of the goodness and power of God.

Now let’s look for one more way in which I believe Jesus shows up in the book of Judges. It turns out that He doesn’t simply adopt Joshua’s name, or show up and speak, either by a prophet or more personally.

No, if you had a chance to read through Judges, or when you do take that opportunity, you’ll discover a sad pattern. It goes like this:

First, the people serve the Lord faithfully during the life of a faithful leader, or judge.

Then, when that leader dies, they immediately drift into idolatry.

Then, the Lord allows a foreign nation to come and harass them. This harassment gets worse and worse, until finally the people cry out to the Lord.

He then raises up another judge or leader, who helps the nation to victory, and they serve the Lord for a bit. And then the sad cycle repeats itself.

As I was reading through those experiences, I came up with something you could call Sermon Point Three.

Not only was Jesus was given Joshua’s exact name, and not only did He personally enter the Judges story, but Jesus makes it clear that He gives people both true freedom and true love.
True freedom, and true love.

What is the truest freedom? It’s where you yourself get to make your choices – and you therefore must experience the consequences.

What is the truest love? That’s when someone sees you suffering those consequences, and eventually takes your final consequences upon Himself.

And that’s of course what Jesus did. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but even though the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
I saw a sweet little example of true freedom and true love in the library this week. I think it was a different day from the one where I saw the children-less tutors.

But what I saw was a young mother who brought her little daughter – who must’ve been two or three years old, into the center of the library. Mom let the little girl run around and play a little bit, and I noticed that Mom never got out a phone and let her attention be distracted from the girl.

The little girl was having a great time, toddling around and looking at things. Suddenly, she discovered something that I’ve seen other kids and adults discover. It’s a soft kind of armchair, which has a flat writing surface, a tray of wood mounted on one arm, which swivels so that you can pull it right up to your chest, or swing it out of the way if you need to get up.

The little girl discovered this. And she also discovered something interesting about it. I myself have sat in that chair, and swiveled that writing surface,, and I have found that as you swivel it, the swivel mechanism lets out a low mournful moaning.

The first time that happened to me, I glanced sheepishly around, and got up and chose another chair to sit in. But the little girl was delighted. Standing beside the chair, she started swiveling that writing surface, and soon moans began to echo through the library.

Well, Mom quickly decided that something needed to be done. So she got up, walked over to her daughter, and picked her up and carried her away. Mom had given the little girl true freedom – but she’d given her (and the rest of the library patrons) true love.

What do I do, now that I know that the universe was created and is maintained by someone who gives true freedom and true love?

I need to thank Him for it. I need to revel in that love. And I need to carefully consider the will of God.

I need to discover in the pages of my Bible – and in the kindly companionship of fellow church members (including Sabbath school teachers), just how to treat each other with the truest love.