Romans 14-15
Freedom
The word “freedom” is one of the key words of the Book of Romans. Freedom from law, from sin and from death.
How will we use that freedom? Does that mean we are free to do whatever we want, in any way possible (Antinomianism) (see Romans 3:6 and 6:1 and 15). Responsible use of our freedom is to glorify God and build up the body of Christ. The Central Thought of Romans 14 and 15: “Accept one another just as Christ accepted you in order to bring praise to God.” (Romans 15:7)
There are “gray” areas, things upon which Christians disagree. Paul instructs on how to approach this issue. Two disputed areas in Paul's day: a) The eating of meat (meat sold in market could have been offered to idols) b) The observance of Jewish feast days. Paul's instruction is valuable.
Practice the virtue of charity. Voluntary abstention even when you have freedom of conscience to do something. Obey your own convictions about a behavior without passing judgment on others who feel differently. Regarding alcohol: bible says don't get drunk. But it does not ban the consumption of alcohol. In fact, Paul tells Timothy, it is good to drink some wine for the stomach ailment. Therefore, I am free to drink wine as long as it does not cause my brother to stumble. But it is something that could be voluntarily abstained from. It may cause one of your brothers to stumble. There could be another brother in Christ who has a propensity to addiction and you are providing a space for him to fall. Therefore, these are areas where great wisdom has to be used.
There are “Cultural” versus “Biblical” standards. Honest Christian people in an attempt to establish Christian virtues did what Pharisees of Jesus' days did. They banned things from a cultural perspective - eg; dancing (old testament mentions it as a God honoring form of worship), watching movies, playing cards etc. Cultural standards will shift. But biblical standards won't.
This passage envisions four different mindsets with regards to “gray” areas.
1) Participating Mature Brother
2) Non-participating Mature Brother
3) Susceptible Weaker Brother
4) Professional Weaker Brother
-------------------------------------------------------
Joe Aldrich, in his terrific book Lifestyle Evangelism, writes: When it comes to controversial issues — watching R-rated movies, smoking, drinking alcoholic beverages, getting tattoos, gambling, certain styles of dress — Aldrich describes four main types of Christian:
1. Professional Weaker Brother
2. Susceptible Weaker Brother
3. Nonparticipating Mature Brother
4. Participating Mature Brother
2. Susceptible Weaker Brother
3. Nonparticipating Mature Brother
4. Participating Mature Brother
A Professional Weaker Brother is a Christian who has a strong objection to something and believes others should share that objection. In other words, since drinking is wrong for him, it is wrong for everyone. He tends to be critical of those who disagree, legalistic and manipulative, and eventually will separate himself from his “sinful” bretheren. A Susceptible Weaker Brother is sensitive to a particular sin, but understands that it may not be a sin for every Christian. However, due to naivety or lack of discipline, he often vacillates, succumbs to his weakness and struggles with a guilt-free conscience. A Nonparticipating Mature Brother knows what’s sin for him and does not participate in it. Furthermore, he does not project his convictions upon others but respects individual parameters of freedom and demonstrates grace to those who differ. Finally, a Participating Mature Brother believes he has the freedom to indulge in a particular area that could be considered sin to another. Nevertheless, he is cautious to not cast a stumbling block before his weaker brothers, nor to abuse his liberty. However, in the end, his participating freedom has the potential to hinder or harm the genuine weaker saint.
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Romans 16 and Psalm 133
A life-transforming book.
Let's summarize the book. But first, few observations about the final chapter of Paul's greatest Epistle.
The first thing that becomes quite apparent here is that Paul is not an abstract theoretician who writes ivory tower works of theology but who does not have any real contact with the everyday lives of people. Anyone who stops to think for even one minute about what we know of Paul's life would immediately dismiss that thought, but the last chapter of Romans makes it crystal clear that, in spite of Paul's commitment to theology proper, he never loses sight of the fact that Christianity is all about people. Remember, Paul has never been to Rome. This is not one of the churches that he personally founded. While it is clear that some of the people he greets in chapter 16 – many of them in fact – were either his friends or perhaps even relatives, it is equally certain that a number of the people mentioned here were people that he had never met – but he “knows” them because he has been praying for them, and because he has educated himself as to the work of God among the people in Rome. Some of the people that he greets here he has never even seen, but regularly he prays for them, and often he thinks of them, and he makes it his business to find out how it is going for them. The ones that he personally knows are:
First of all, Aquila and Priscilla – they were his main helpers in establishing the church in Corinth. Do you remember meeting them in Acts 18? They had gone to Corinth because all of the Jews had been expelled from Rome, possibly because of sharp disagreements regarding the Jewish Christian claims that Jesus was the Christ. Evidently that expulsion had been lifted after a time, and Aquila and Priscilla, who God had used so mightily in Corinth, (and who had literally risked their necks for Paul), had returned to Rome. In them Paul had some very powerful advocates.
Next there was Epaenetus – apparently the first convert in the Province of Asia. At the very end of I Corinthians, Paul mentions the household of Stephanas as the first fruit of Asia. Apparently Epaenetus was a member of that family who were the very first to believe in Christ in that place. We know nothing beyond this about them. This makes us realize how very little we really know about Paul's life and ministry. We are deeply indebted to Dr. Luke for what we do know, but there was so much more to his life as the pioneer missionary to the Gentiles that we will not know about until we get to glory. He greets Mary, who had labored somehow, somewhere, on Paul's behalf. There is no evidence to connect this Mary with any of the other women of that name in Scripture. It was certainly not Jesus' mother and probably not any of the others we know by that name. Andronicus, Junias and Herodion are identified as Paul's relatives (though he might only mean by that word that they were Jews). Apparently the apostle worked his own web of influence as well and that of others. These, at least, including Phoebe mentioned in verse 1, are the individuals personally known to Paul. One thing that clearly shows from this is that Paul, who had never been to Rome, had a lot of personal friends and relatives there. That fact underscores the importance of Rome, the capital of the empire. These people all knew Paul from other places, then traveled to Rome – the great magnet. If the church in that city could be strengthened, it would have an impact on the whole empire. That's why Paul wanted to go to Rome so much.
The reference to Andronicus and Junias is interesting because Paul identifies them as “apostles” who were in Christ before Paul himself. We have previously noted that while the word “apostle” is a very special one with a restricted meaning – a word that as far as we can tell was not applied to any after the first generation of believers because of the requirements (you had to have personally been with Jesus and personally been appointed by Him). The authority (apostles, like Old Testament prophets, spoke for God), also set them apart from others. There were more apostles than the 13 (the 12 plus Paul) that we commonly identify. Andronicus and Junias were apostles among that select group.
Another interesting thing to note about Romans 16 is that the chapter seems to strongly suggest that the church in Rome was really a group of small house churches meeting in different homes throughout the city and surrounding area. Many of the workers noted and greeted were in all probability the individuals responsible for caring for and nurturing the believers in these small groups. The picture that emerges here is one of health and strength, as the believers in Rome grew together in Christ. (That is why I asked you to read the few verses of Psalm 133 here. These were believers who were dwelling together in unity, and the church prospered greatly in their city.)
I can't pass over these verses without also noting the number of women who were working in very responsible and effective ministry positions in this church. Phoebe, the servant of the church at Cenchrea – (could she have been the leader? She did carry the letter from Corinth to Rome!) Priscilla, (who we know was a leader), Mary, Tryphena, and Tryphosa, the mother of Rufus (who may have been the same man who had labored with Paul at Antioch – again we don't know) – and there were other women as well. Don't ever let anyone tell you that women cannot have significant ministry roles. They did in the New Testament, and none less than the apostle Paul approved and appreciated them!
Let's summarize some of the important things we learned from this Book:
In chapter 1, the main argument of the book began in verse 18 with those chilling words, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven...” We learned that all men began with a knowledge of God, but that sin corrupts and tends inevitably toward idolatry. Sin quickly spirals downward, until finally God gives human beings up to the depravity they have chosen for themselves.
In chapter 2 we learned that just having the great privilege of special revelation is not sufficient to save. In fact, everyone relying on keeping the law for salvation will fail in their goal.
Chapter 3 contains the turning point of the epistle in verse 21, “But now a righteousness from God has been revealed, a righteousness apart from the law.” The paragraph that follows contains these three great words, justification, redemption and propitiation, and answers the question of what happened on the cross as well as it is answered anywhere in Scripture.
Chapter 4 talks about “justification by faith” illustrated in the life of Abraham.
Chapter 5 compares the two Adams who represented mankind, one in failure and sin, and one in obedience and righteousness.
Chapter 6 describes our freedom from sin.
Chapter 7 – our freedom from law.
Chapter 8 – our freedom from death through the life and ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Chapter 9 stated in such clear and unambiguous terms the doctrine of election that it is impossible for us to evade.
Chapter 10 – the rationale or apology for missionary work.
Chapter 11 answers the question about what will happen to the Jewish people.
Chapter 12 brings us that wonderful “body analogy”, explaining that, in the body of Christ, the church, we are related to “one another.”
Chapter 13 deals with the Christian and his relationship to civil authorities.
Chapters 14 and 15 – the principles governing the stronger and weaker brothers telling how to live in an attitude of acceptance.
Then chapter 16 contains Paul's personal greetings.
Many of you may be already familiar with the “Romans Road.” It is a simple progression of Bible verses found in this great letter which, when taken together, provide a remarkably clear and effective way of explaining the Gospel for one who is ready to believe: Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It is critically important that everyone understand that they are personally guilty of sin – it is a universal problem. Romans 5:8 – “But God commended his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” God took the initiative. He sent Christ to die as our substitute. Romans 6:23 – “The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” As a result of His voluntary death on the cross, Christ offers us eternal life as a free gift. Finally, in Romans 10:9 – “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
The “Romans Road” is a very valuable tool to the life of the witnessing Christian.
A life-transforming book.
Let's summarize the book. But first, few observations about the final chapter of Paul's greatest Epistle.
The first thing that becomes quite apparent here is that Paul is not an abstract theoretician who writes ivory tower works of theology but who does not have any real contact with the everyday lives of people. Anyone who stops to think for even one minute about what we know of Paul's life would immediately dismiss that thought, but the last chapter of Romans makes it crystal clear that, in spite of Paul's commitment to theology proper, he never loses sight of the fact that Christianity is all about people. Remember, Paul has never been to Rome. This is not one of the churches that he personally founded. While it is clear that some of the people he greets in chapter 16 – many of them in fact – were either his friends or perhaps even relatives, it is equally certain that a number of the people mentioned here were people that he had never met – but he “knows” them because he has been praying for them, and because he has educated himself as to the work of God among the people in Rome. Some of the people that he greets here he has never even seen, but regularly he prays for them, and often he thinks of them, and he makes it his business to find out how it is going for them. The ones that he personally knows are:
First of all, Aquila and Priscilla – they were his main helpers in establishing the church in Corinth. Do you remember meeting them in Acts 18? They had gone to Corinth because all of the Jews had been expelled from Rome, possibly because of sharp disagreements regarding the Jewish Christian claims that Jesus was the Christ. Evidently that expulsion had been lifted after a time, and Aquila and Priscilla, who God had used so mightily in Corinth, (and who had literally risked their necks for Paul), had returned to Rome. In them Paul had some very powerful advocates.
Next there was Epaenetus – apparently the first convert in the Province of Asia. At the very end of I Corinthians, Paul mentions the household of Stephanas as the first fruit of Asia. Apparently Epaenetus was a member of that family who were the very first to believe in Christ in that place. We know nothing beyond this about them. This makes us realize how very little we really know about Paul's life and ministry. We are deeply indebted to Dr. Luke for what we do know, but there was so much more to his life as the pioneer missionary to the Gentiles that we will not know about until we get to glory. He greets Mary, who had labored somehow, somewhere, on Paul's behalf. There is no evidence to connect this Mary with any of the other women of that name in Scripture. It was certainly not Jesus' mother and probably not any of the others we know by that name. Andronicus, Junias and Herodion are identified as Paul's relatives (though he might only mean by that word that they were Jews). Apparently the apostle worked his own web of influence as well and that of others. These, at least, including Phoebe mentioned in verse 1, are the individuals personally known to Paul. One thing that clearly shows from this is that Paul, who had never been to Rome, had a lot of personal friends and relatives there. That fact underscores the importance of Rome, the capital of the empire. These people all knew Paul from other places, then traveled to Rome – the great magnet. If the church in that city could be strengthened, it would have an impact on the whole empire. That's why Paul wanted to go to Rome so much.
The reference to Andronicus and Junias is interesting because Paul identifies them as “apostles” who were in Christ before Paul himself. We have previously noted that while the word “apostle” is a very special one with a restricted meaning – a word that as far as we can tell was not applied to any after the first generation of believers because of the requirements (you had to have personally been with Jesus and personally been appointed by Him). The authority (apostles, like Old Testament prophets, spoke for God), also set them apart from others. There were more apostles than the 13 (the 12 plus Paul) that we commonly identify. Andronicus and Junias were apostles among that select group.
Another interesting thing to note about Romans 16 is that the chapter seems to strongly suggest that the church in Rome was really a group of small house churches meeting in different homes throughout the city and surrounding area. Many of the workers noted and greeted were in all probability the individuals responsible for caring for and nurturing the believers in these small groups. The picture that emerges here is one of health and strength, as the believers in Rome grew together in Christ. (That is why I asked you to read the few verses of Psalm 133 here. These were believers who were dwelling together in unity, and the church prospered greatly in their city.)
I can't pass over these verses without also noting the number of women who were working in very responsible and effective ministry positions in this church. Phoebe, the servant of the church at Cenchrea – (could she have been the leader? She did carry the letter from Corinth to Rome!) Priscilla, (who we know was a leader), Mary, Tryphena, and Tryphosa, the mother of Rufus (who may have been the same man who had labored with Paul at Antioch – again we don't know) – and there were other women as well. Don't ever let anyone tell you that women cannot have significant ministry roles. They did in the New Testament, and none less than the apostle Paul approved and appreciated them!
Let's summarize some of the important things we learned from this Book:
In chapter 1, the main argument of the book began in verse 18 with those chilling words, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven...” We learned that all men began with a knowledge of God, but that sin corrupts and tends inevitably toward idolatry. Sin quickly spirals downward, until finally God gives human beings up to the depravity they have chosen for themselves.
In chapter 2 we learned that just having the great privilege of special revelation is not sufficient to save. In fact, everyone relying on keeping the law for salvation will fail in their goal.
Chapter 3 contains the turning point of the epistle in verse 21, “But now a righteousness from God has been revealed, a righteousness apart from the law.” The paragraph that follows contains these three great words, justification, redemption and propitiation, and answers the question of what happened on the cross as well as it is answered anywhere in Scripture.
Chapter 4 talks about “justification by faith” illustrated in the life of Abraham.
Chapter 5 compares the two Adams who represented mankind, one in failure and sin, and one in obedience and righteousness.
Chapter 6 describes our freedom from sin.
Chapter 7 – our freedom from law.
Chapter 8 – our freedom from death through the life and ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Chapter 9 stated in such clear and unambiguous terms the doctrine of election that it is impossible for us to evade.
Chapter 10 – the rationale or apology for missionary work.
Chapter 11 answers the question about what will happen to the Jewish people.
Chapter 12 brings us that wonderful “body analogy”, explaining that, in the body of Christ, the church, we are related to “one another.”
Chapter 13 deals with the Christian and his relationship to civil authorities.
Chapters 14 and 15 – the principles governing the stronger and weaker brothers telling how to live in an attitude of acceptance.
Then chapter 16 contains Paul's personal greetings.
Many of you may be already familiar with the “Romans Road.” It is a simple progression of Bible verses found in this great letter which, when taken together, provide a remarkably clear and effective way of explaining the Gospel for one who is ready to believe: Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It is critically important that everyone understand that they are personally guilty of sin – it is a universal problem. Romans 5:8 – “But God commended his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” God took the initiative. He sent Christ to die as our substitute. Romans 6:23 – “The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” As a result of His voluntary death on the cross, Christ offers us eternal life as a free gift. Finally, in Romans 10:9 – “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
The “Romans Road” is a very valuable tool to the life of the witnessing Christian.
Psalms 5, 14, 15, 36, 53 and 58
For All have sinned
I dare say that the general tenor of these Psalms was not terribly uplifting or tending toward praise. Although there were some glimpses of ultimate victory and some hints that God will rise up and defend the righteous, thus provoking from them a response of praise, the main thrust of what you read is that mankind is bad, corrupt, evil and completely deserving of whatever judgment and penalty God might choose to bring upon them.
I guess you have long since learned that not every passage of Scripture will lift you up in glorious celebration – that is generally true because not all passages of Scripture focus on telling us about the attributes and actions of God. Some, like the Psalms we read today, tell us about more about the attributes and actions of men. Because the Scripture always tells the truth, these parts can be pretty depressing. The third chapter of Romans, in which Paul brings to a conclusion his first major point, that is, that all men are guilty and without excuse before God, makes use of a whole string of Old Testament quotations. Many of those quotations originate in the Psalms of David that we read today. Psalm 5, 14, 36 and 53 are all directly quoted in Romans 3. I had you read Psalm 15 because in the Psalter it stands as a contrast to Psalm 14. Psalm 58 was included because, even though Paul does not quote from it in Romans 3, it contains a seed thought that will help us to understand more clearly what Paul (and David) taught about the nature of man.
Let's start by reminding ourselves of how Paul uses these passages and what it is that, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, He is attempting to teach us. “Jews and Gentiles alike,” Paul writes, “are all under sin. As it is written (in Psalm 14 and Psalm 53) there is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God, all have turned away. They have together become worthless. There is no one who does good not even one…no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That, as we have observed before, is crystal clear. Paul says there is among men only one class of being. It is the class of sinners, and every human being is a member of that class. All human beings are sinners.
Now let's go back to the Psalms and wrestle with King David for a few minutes. Let's start with Psalm 5. “You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil. With you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong.” (Did you notice he doesn't say you “hate the sin but love the sinner”? That is a fine distinction that I have heard many Christians make, but the Bible doesn't make it!) David goes on – “declare them guilty O God...banish them for their many sins...but let all who take refuge in you be glad...for surely you bless the righteous.”
In Psalm 36, there is an equally grim description of the class of men that David calls “the wicked.” They have ‘no fear of God, they flatter themselves so much that they can neither see nor hate their own sin. They are deceitful, foolish and irrevocably committed to doing evil.’ What a marked contrast David offers in that Psalm between corrupt men and a faithful God whose ‘love reaches to the heaven, whose faithfulness reaches to the skies, whose righteousness is like the mighty mountains, and whose justice is like the ocean deeps.’ From these Psalms it is clear enough that evildoers are not only corrupt, but are thoroughly corrupt – totally depraved – if we care to use the language of theology that we previously encountered. What is not clear from these Psalms alone is whether or not David, like Paul, would insist upon placing all of humanity in that class.
Psalm 58, which, like Psalm 5, contains an “imprecatory” passage (that is, a portion of the Psalm in which the Psalmist cries out for God to physically punish the evildoers who rail against their Creator and persecute His people), expands our notion of the thoroughness with which sin has corrupted our natures. It tells us that the wicked are ‘born’ with a corrupt nature. “The wicked are estranged for the womb; they go astray as soon as they are born speaking lies.” Corrupt from birth – that is what David says about the sin nature. Sin thoroughly corrupts because we are born with the chain of it wrapped around our necks. In Psalm 58 then, there is a hint that sin might well be a universal problem.
It is the 14th and the 53rd Psalms that make it very clear that David believed exactly the same thing that Paul did. I am sure you noticed the strong parallel between those two Psalms. Psalm 53appears to be a re-write of Psalm 14. “There is no one who does good,” David writes, “The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside. They have together become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one!” That is David's verdict – speaking in the power of the Holy Spirit – and it agrees entirely with that of the Apostle Paul.
Here is a summary, then, of what the Psalmist and the Apostle say about sin:
A) It is totally pervasive, that is, it affects every part of the life of man.
B) It is completely extensive, in that every single human being is subject to its power.
C) It is degenerative, that is, sin always leads to more sin, and more destructive sin.
D) It is innate, that is, we are born with sin natures. (I want to come back to this thought in just a moment.)
E) It is terminal, like some diseases, in that there is no known human cure (that is precisely why Christ had to come).
How serious is the problem of sin in human society? The unanimous answer of both the Old Testament and the New Testament is that it could not be more serious! How serious do most people in our society believe sin is? Not very serious at all, I'm afraid. The contrast between Psalm 14, which describes the man in sin, and Psalm 15, which describes the righteous man, could not be more glaring.
“Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?” The answer is, “He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous and who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue...” But whose walk is blameless? Who always does what is righteous? The answer of King David, already given, is no one – “no, not one.”
You see, there is perfect agreement here between David and Paul. They agree that anyone who completely keeps the law of God would be justified in the eyes of God by his own good works. But they also agree that no one, not in their day and not in our day, can ever keep the law.
That puts them in agreement about a third thing. If anyone is ever to be justified before God it will be by virtue of His mercy and His mercy alone, and on the basis of a righteousness outside man's own efforts – an “imputed” righteousness. It is interesting that Psalm 32, a great, great Psalm of David which we will read later, begins with these words, “How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity.” Now, I would like to go back for a little while to that verse I quoted from Psalm 58. “The wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as they be born speaking lies!” You and I may not like this, but it is quite clear that you and I are sinners by birth. Babies are born with sin natures. If you have ever had children, I doubt very much that I will have to do anything at all to convince you of the truth of that fact. Three-week-old babies have no trouble expressing selfish desires or staging temper tantrums. It's natural. No one has to teach them. They are sinners – they were sinners from birth. Several weeks ago, we spent a little bit of time talking together about what happens when young children die. We know now that they have sin natures, and the Bible does not indulge us ever with a clear-cut answer to the question of “what about the death of infants?” I will, for the sake of comfort, however, remind you of a few things that are to be found in Scripture with reference to this subject.
The first is found in the story of David and Bathsheba, and the baby that was born out of their adulterous liaison. That baby died. But David expresses full confidence with regard to its destiny. The baby, he believed, was with the Lord. Further, there is the little word at the end of John chapter 9 which I previously told you about. Jesus there is dealing with Pharisees who are spiritually blind, but will not admit it and He says to them, “If you really were blind (that is, without the ability to consciously choose between good and evil) you would not be guilty, but because you say you can see – you are accountable.” Then there is a little comment in I Corinthians 7 that says the children of a believing parent are “sanctified” through the believing parent. Paul does not tell us exactly what he means by that, but he gives us grounds for great confidence regarding the eternal destiny of the young children of believers who die in infancy. The Bible, however, nowhere (as we have previously noted) speaks of an “age of accountability.” We have grounds for great confidence with regard to our children, and we have great incentives to bring them early to acknowledge personal faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
For All have sinned
I dare say that the general tenor of these Psalms was not terribly uplifting or tending toward praise. Although there were some glimpses of ultimate victory and some hints that God will rise up and defend the righteous, thus provoking from them a response of praise, the main thrust of what you read is that mankind is bad, corrupt, evil and completely deserving of whatever judgment and penalty God might choose to bring upon them.
I guess you have long since learned that not every passage of Scripture will lift you up in glorious celebration – that is generally true because not all passages of Scripture focus on telling us about the attributes and actions of God. Some, like the Psalms we read today, tell us about more about the attributes and actions of men. Because the Scripture always tells the truth, these parts can be pretty depressing. The third chapter of Romans, in which Paul brings to a conclusion his first major point, that is, that all men are guilty and without excuse before God, makes use of a whole string of Old Testament quotations. Many of those quotations originate in the Psalms of David that we read today. Psalm 5, 14, 36 and 53 are all directly quoted in Romans 3. I had you read Psalm 15 because in the Psalter it stands as a contrast to Psalm 14. Psalm 58 was included because, even though Paul does not quote from it in Romans 3, it contains a seed thought that will help us to understand more clearly what Paul (and David) taught about the nature of man.
Let's start by reminding ourselves of how Paul uses these passages and what it is that, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, He is attempting to teach us. “Jews and Gentiles alike,” Paul writes, “are all under sin. As it is written (in Psalm 14 and Psalm 53) there is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God, all have turned away. They have together become worthless. There is no one who does good not even one…no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That, as we have observed before, is crystal clear. Paul says there is among men only one class of being. It is the class of sinners, and every human being is a member of that class. All human beings are sinners.
Now let's go back to the Psalms and wrestle with King David for a few minutes. Let's start with Psalm 5. “You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil. With you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong.” (Did you notice he doesn't say you “hate the sin but love the sinner”? That is a fine distinction that I have heard many Christians make, but the Bible doesn't make it!) David goes on – “declare them guilty O God...banish them for their many sins...but let all who take refuge in you be glad...for surely you bless the righteous.”
In Psalm 36, there is an equally grim description of the class of men that David calls “the wicked.” They have ‘no fear of God, they flatter themselves so much that they can neither see nor hate their own sin. They are deceitful, foolish and irrevocably committed to doing evil.’ What a marked contrast David offers in that Psalm between corrupt men and a faithful God whose ‘love reaches to the heaven, whose faithfulness reaches to the skies, whose righteousness is like the mighty mountains, and whose justice is like the ocean deeps.’ From these Psalms it is clear enough that evildoers are not only corrupt, but are thoroughly corrupt – totally depraved – if we care to use the language of theology that we previously encountered. What is not clear from these Psalms alone is whether or not David, like Paul, would insist upon placing all of humanity in that class.
Psalm 58, which, like Psalm 5, contains an “imprecatory” passage (that is, a portion of the Psalm in which the Psalmist cries out for God to physically punish the evildoers who rail against their Creator and persecute His people), expands our notion of the thoroughness with which sin has corrupted our natures. It tells us that the wicked are ‘born’ with a corrupt nature. “The wicked are estranged for the womb; they go astray as soon as they are born speaking lies.” Corrupt from birth – that is what David says about the sin nature. Sin thoroughly corrupts because we are born with the chain of it wrapped around our necks. In Psalm 58 then, there is a hint that sin might well be a universal problem.
It is the 14th and the 53rd Psalms that make it very clear that David believed exactly the same thing that Paul did. I am sure you noticed the strong parallel between those two Psalms. Psalm 53appears to be a re-write of Psalm 14. “There is no one who does good,” David writes, “The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside. They have together become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one!” That is David's verdict – speaking in the power of the Holy Spirit – and it agrees entirely with that of the Apostle Paul.
Here is a summary, then, of what the Psalmist and the Apostle say about sin:
A) It is totally pervasive, that is, it affects every part of the life of man.
B) It is completely extensive, in that every single human being is subject to its power.
C) It is degenerative, that is, sin always leads to more sin, and more destructive sin.
D) It is innate, that is, we are born with sin natures. (I want to come back to this thought in just a moment.)
E) It is terminal, like some diseases, in that there is no known human cure (that is precisely why Christ had to come).
How serious is the problem of sin in human society? The unanimous answer of both the Old Testament and the New Testament is that it could not be more serious! How serious do most people in our society believe sin is? Not very serious at all, I'm afraid. The contrast between Psalm 14, which describes the man in sin, and Psalm 15, which describes the righteous man, could not be more glaring.
“Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?” The answer is, “He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous and who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue...” But whose walk is blameless? Who always does what is righteous? The answer of King David, already given, is no one – “no, not one.”
You see, there is perfect agreement here between David and Paul. They agree that anyone who completely keeps the law of God would be justified in the eyes of God by his own good works. But they also agree that no one, not in their day and not in our day, can ever keep the law.
That puts them in agreement about a third thing. If anyone is ever to be justified before God it will be by virtue of His mercy and His mercy alone, and on the basis of a righteousness outside man's own efforts – an “imputed” righteousness. It is interesting that Psalm 32, a great, great Psalm of David which we will read later, begins with these words, “How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity.” Now, I would like to go back for a little while to that verse I quoted from Psalm 58. “The wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as they be born speaking lies!” You and I may not like this, but it is quite clear that you and I are sinners by birth. Babies are born with sin natures. If you have ever had children, I doubt very much that I will have to do anything at all to convince you of the truth of that fact. Three-week-old babies have no trouble expressing selfish desires or staging temper tantrums. It's natural. No one has to teach them. They are sinners – they were sinners from birth. Several weeks ago, we spent a little bit of time talking together about what happens when young children die. We know now that they have sin natures, and the Bible does not indulge us ever with a clear-cut answer to the question of “what about the death of infants?” I will, for the sake of comfort, however, remind you of a few things that are to be found in Scripture with reference to this subject.
The first is found in the story of David and Bathsheba, and the baby that was born out of their adulterous liaison. That baby died. But David expresses full confidence with regard to its destiny. The baby, he believed, was with the Lord. Further, there is the little word at the end of John chapter 9 which I previously told you about. Jesus there is dealing with Pharisees who are spiritually blind, but will not admit it and He says to them, “If you really were blind (that is, without the ability to consciously choose between good and evil) you would not be guilty, but because you say you can see – you are accountable.” Then there is a little comment in I Corinthians 7 that says the children of a believing parent are “sanctified” through the believing parent. Paul does not tell us exactly what he means by that, but he gives us grounds for great confidence regarding the eternal destiny of the young children of believers who die in infancy. The Bible, however, nowhere (as we have previously noted) speaks of an “age of accountability.” We have grounds for great confidence with regard to our children, and we have great incentives to bring them early to acknowledge personal faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
Judges 1:1-3:6
The book of Judges describes Israel's occupation of the Promised Land in the days following Joshua's death, and gives us a basic perspective on the recurring cycles of apostasy, oppression, entreaties to God and deliverance.
We will soon read about the work of six major judges: Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah and Samson. If you are thinking that the main characters were probably legal judges who settled land and property disputes, you have gotten the wrong idea. Predominately, the “judges” were deliverers – or saviors – raised up by the Spirit of God to accomplish the redemption needed by His covenant people. As we read about these different human judges (nearly every one of which had some outstanding defect almost as striking as his strength) we need to keep in mind that the real judge of Israel is always God. He is the one who gives them over into the hands of their oppressors; He is the one who raises up deliverers; it is His spirit that comes upon the judges and equips them to do their jobs.
By way of introduction there is one more thing that I want to share with you that you will not get from your English Bibles – that is, that in the Hebrew Bible, this book is not found with the books of Moses, (neither for that matter was Joshua), but is in the second section of the Hebrew Bible, which is called “The Prophets.” The Hebrew Bible has three sections: The Law, The Prophets and The Writings. It seems funny to us that Joshua and Judges would be “prophetic” books in the Hebrew Canon; after all, they only recount history. But that does help us to once again realize that delivering God's message to His people – explaining the meaning behind the current events of their lives – is just as much the job of a prophet as telling the future and predicting things that are not going to happen for hundreds of years yet.
In your reading this morning of the introduction to the Book of Judges, here are some of the things I hope that you noticed. First of all, I am certain you noticed that over and over again, seven times in chapter 1 alone, we are told that the tribes of Israel failed to completely drive out the inhabitants of Canaan before them. Caleb and his family succeeded, but the tribal groups failed. Judah took the hill country, but did not fully conquer the plain. Benjamin failed to dislodge the Jebusites, who lived around Jerusalem. (By the way, even though Jerusalem was burned and sacked by the armies of Judah, it was not settled by the Jews. The native Jebusites resettled it, or re-took it, and remained in that city until the days of King David. He conquered it and made it the capital of Israel.) Ephraim and Manasseh, Zebulun and Asher, Naphtali and Dan – tribe after tribe failed to accomplish what God had told them to do, and what they themselves had faithfully pledged they would do.
Now I have a very important question. Was the failure due to inability (these people were just so much stronger than expected) or disobedience? I think the account itself makes the answer pretty obvious. It was disobedience not inability. I know that for two reasons. First, I know it, because in the case of Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun and Naphtali, we are told explicitly that the native inhabitants were subjugated and put to forced labor. If you can enslave a nation, you can drive it out – if you want to. When Judah burned and sacked Jerusalem the Jebusites could have been driven out – but they weren't. Interesting… more than that, I also know that it was “disobedience not inability” because from Genesis to Revelation I cannot find one single instance of God requiring anything of anyone that He was unwilling to give them the ability to do. If God requires, God enables. You may take that to be a settled rule!!
“A lack of adequate strength was not Israel's problem. Divine resources were readily available...The choice was made to disregard God's command and seek constructive roles for their servants to fill. They reasoned that their adversaries could carry wood, draw water, build houses and tend children. They could keep them busy enough. Their reply to Jehovah was in effect, “Isn't this a better arrangement? We have not been so cruel as to drive them away from hearth and home. Instead we have created legitimate reasons for them to remain in our midst. What they were actually saying was that God's plan had been improved upon. We need to be very clear about the fact that every single problem or catastrophe that Israel faced during this very long period was directly traceable to the incomplete obedience of the first generation of Israelites after Joshua!!
If we fail to completely obey all that God gives us to do, then I wonder what life will be like for the next generations who arrive in our churches and in our land. The second great thing that I want for us to notice about this passage is that behind every chapter, every paragraph, virtually every sentence in the Book of Judges, is the cardinal truth that the Lord is the Sovereign Lord of history. He is definitely controlling what is happening here. Israel, we are told, forsook the Lord and provoked the Lord to anger – so the Lord handed them over to raiders who plundered them – He sold them to enemies all around.
The political and military reversals suffered by Israel during the long period of the Judges, and right up until the time of David, had nothing to do with the relative strength of the Philistines living in the prosperous cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath (don't forget the name Gath – we'll hear later from its most famous citizen, Goliath of Gath ,who never would have been around to trouble Israel if they had only done what God told them to do in the first place!) Israel's problems were all divine judgments. When a nation stops acknowledging God, He allows them to get into all kinds of hot water, primarily so that He can once again get their attention. That is the story of Israel and of us!
Third, notice with me the encounter with the angel of the Lord at Bokim. The angel of the Lord (that mysterious messenger who, you will remember, is often taken to be none other than the Son of God Himself, in a preincarnate appearance), met them at Bokim, (which means “weeping”), and confronted them with their sinfulness. You need to know that God always confronts sin. My prayer, however, is that we will respond more appropriately when He confronts us than Israel did. They wept and they sacrificed, but they didn't change – not even a little. Later in their history, a disobedient king was going to hear a very important little sentence. Maybe we can learn it now – it says, “To obey is better than sacrifice!” Israel hadn't learned that as we read the Book of Judges.
I also want you to notice the progression noted in chapter 2. First it says, “A generation grew up who neither knew the Lord nor what He had done for Israel.” No wonder Moses and Joshua both had so much to say about remembering. A generation without personal dealings came along and they forgot what God had done! I wonder if it was the fault of the parents who were too busy to teach them or of the children who were too busy to listen. In all probability it was both. But when you forget what God has done, you stop giving Him glory. Then they did evil and then they involved themselves in idolatry. Chapter 3 hints that the idolatry could very well have come as the result of mixed marriages with the peoples of the land. There is a cycle portrayed in this introduction that we will see played out over and over again: Israel forgets God – Israel forsakes God – Israel worships other gods – God sends judgment upon Israel – Israel cries out to God – God raises up a deliverer- God saves Israel – Israel pledges to serve God. Then it starts all over again! These folks were on a terrible, terrible treadmill. It is my great prayer that if we are on that same treadmill, our study of the Book of Judges will help to get us off.
The book of Judges describes Israel's occupation of the Promised Land in the days following Joshua's death, and gives us a basic perspective on the recurring cycles of apostasy, oppression, entreaties to God and deliverance.
We will soon read about the work of six major judges: Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah and Samson. If you are thinking that the main characters were probably legal judges who settled land and property disputes, you have gotten the wrong idea. Predominately, the “judges” were deliverers – or saviors – raised up by the Spirit of God to accomplish the redemption needed by His covenant people. As we read about these different human judges (nearly every one of which had some outstanding defect almost as striking as his strength) we need to keep in mind that the real judge of Israel is always God. He is the one who gives them over into the hands of their oppressors; He is the one who raises up deliverers; it is His spirit that comes upon the judges and equips them to do their jobs.
By way of introduction there is one more thing that I want to share with you that you will not get from your English Bibles – that is, that in the Hebrew Bible, this book is not found with the books of Moses, (neither for that matter was Joshua), but is in the second section of the Hebrew Bible, which is called “The Prophets.” The Hebrew Bible has three sections: The Law, The Prophets and The Writings. It seems funny to us that Joshua and Judges would be “prophetic” books in the Hebrew Canon; after all, they only recount history. But that does help us to once again realize that delivering God's message to His people – explaining the meaning behind the current events of their lives – is just as much the job of a prophet as telling the future and predicting things that are not going to happen for hundreds of years yet.
In your reading this morning of the introduction to the Book of Judges, here are some of the things I hope that you noticed. First of all, I am certain you noticed that over and over again, seven times in chapter 1 alone, we are told that the tribes of Israel failed to completely drive out the inhabitants of Canaan before them. Caleb and his family succeeded, but the tribal groups failed. Judah took the hill country, but did not fully conquer the plain. Benjamin failed to dislodge the Jebusites, who lived around Jerusalem. (By the way, even though Jerusalem was burned and sacked by the armies of Judah, it was not settled by the Jews. The native Jebusites resettled it, or re-took it, and remained in that city until the days of King David. He conquered it and made it the capital of Israel.) Ephraim and Manasseh, Zebulun and Asher, Naphtali and Dan – tribe after tribe failed to accomplish what God had told them to do, and what they themselves had faithfully pledged they would do.
Now I have a very important question. Was the failure due to inability (these people were just so much stronger than expected) or disobedience? I think the account itself makes the answer pretty obvious. It was disobedience not inability. I know that for two reasons. First, I know it, because in the case of Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun and Naphtali, we are told explicitly that the native inhabitants were subjugated and put to forced labor. If you can enslave a nation, you can drive it out – if you want to. When Judah burned and sacked Jerusalem the Jebusites could have been driven out – but they weren't. Interesting… more than that, I also know that it was “disobedience not inability” because from Genesis to Revelation I cannot find one single instance of God requiring anything of anyone that He was unwilling to give them the ability to do. If God requires, God enables. You may take that to be a settled rule!!
“A lack of adequate strength was not Israel's problem. Divine resources were readily available...The choice was made to disregard God's command and seek constructive roles for their servants to fill. They reasoned that their adversaries could carry wood, draw water, build houses and tend children. They could keep them busy enough. Their reply to Jehovah was in effect, “Isn't this a better arrangement? We have not been so cruel as to drive them away from hearth and home. Instead we have created legitimate reasons for them to remain in our midst. What they were actually saying was that God's plan had been improved upon. We need to be very clear about the fact that every single problem or catastrophe that Israel faced during this very long period was directly traceable to the incomplete obedience of the first generation of Israelites after Joshua!!
If we fail to completely obey all that God gives us to do, then I wonder what life will be like for the next generations who arrive in our churches and in our land. The second great thing that I want for us to notice about this passage is that behind every chapter, every paragraph, virtually every sentence in the Book of Judges, is the cardinal truth that the Lord is the Sovereign Lord of history. He is definitely controlling what is happening here. Israel, we are told, forsook the Lord and provoked the Lord to anger – so the Lord handed them over to raiders who plundered them – He sold them to enemies all around.
The political and military reversals suffered by Israel during the long period of the Judges, and right up until the time of David, had nothing to do with the relative strength of the Philistines living in the prosperous cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath (don't forget the name Gath – we'll hear later from its most famous citizen, Goliath of Gath ,who never would have been around to trouble Israel if they had only done what God told them to do in the first place!) Israel's problems were all divine judgments. When a nation stops acknowledging God, He allows them to get into all kinds of hot water, primarily so that He can once again get their attention. That is the story of Israel and of us!
Third, notice with me the encounter with the angel of the Lord at Bokim. The angel of the Lord (that mysterious messenger who, you will remember, is often taken to be none other than the Son of God Himself, in a preincarnate appearance), met them at Bokim, (which means “weeping”), and confronted them with their sinfulness. You need to know that God always confronts sin. My prayer, however, is that we will respond more appropriately when He confronts us than Israel did. They wept and they sacrificed, but they didn't change – not even a little. Later in their history, a disobedient king was going to hear a very important little sentence. Maybe we can learn it now – it says, “To obey is better than sacrifice!” Israel hadn't learned that as we read the Book of Judges.
I also want you to notice the progression noted in chapter 2. First it says, “A generation grew up who neither knew the Lord nor what He had done for Israel.” No wonder Moses and Joshua both had so much to say about remembering. A generation without personal dealings came along and they forgot what God had done! I wonder if it was the fault of the parents who were too busy to teach them or of the children who were too busy to listen. In all probability it was both. But when you forget what God has done, you stop giving Him glory. Then they did evil and then they involved themselves in idolatry. Chapter 3 hints that the idolatry could very well have come as the result of mixed marriages with the peoples of the land. There is a cycle portrayed in this introduction that we will see played out over and over again: Israel forgets God – Israel forsakes God – Israel worships other gods – God sends judgment upon Israel – Israel cries out to God – God raises up a deliverer- God saves Israel – Israel pledges to serve God. Then it starts all over again! These folks were on a terrible, terrible treadmill. It is my great prayer that if we are on that same treadmill, our study of the Book of Judges will help to get us off.
JUDGES 3, 4 and 5
Othniel, Ehud and Deborah
Very quickly, the writer of the Book (traditionally it has been attributed to Samuel), settles into a pattern. Each section starts with this statement, “The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord...” Judgment in the form of domination by some foreign oppressor followed, and after a long period of domination the Israelites cried out to God and He raised up a deliverer and the land had peace for a period of years, until once again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord. The first, and perhaps the most important thing we need to understand today, is that this is not a pattern that applies only to Israel in the years before 1000 BC. It was true before that time and long after – and the principles which govern that pattern are still just as operative today. For many years – generations – Israel languished in exactly the same vicious cycle.
There are thousands of Christians who unfortunately have locked themselves into the same repetitive cycle. Be careful that you do not become like them. It's a terrible way to live. I will leave you to note the rather sparse details regarding the lives of Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar and Barak.
One detail only needs explanation. Ehud's left-handedness is noted because the story is otherwise inexplicable. It was a sign of cursedness in that culture to be left-handed, so no one was. If you were lefthanded by nature, you learned to be right-handed. Since a left-handed person would strap a sword to the opposite thigh than a right-handed warrior, Ehud was able to slip his weapon past Eglon's guards without being detected. The most important thing for us to realize today is that God's first priority in times of spiritual decline is to raise up godly leaders. Every time Israel cried out, God raised up a leader.
In the song of Deborah in chapter 5, the theme of leadership keeps recurring. “When the princes of Israel take the lead… praise the Lord... village life ceased until I Deborah arose, a mother in Israel… later my heart is with Israel's leaders.” I can't tell you how significant this is, because when I look around the world and compare places where the church is thriving – places like South Korea, Brazil, and even China – I find strong godly leadership. That is what makes the difference. No church is ever more godly, faith-filled, committed or spiritually alive than its leaders. A church may have less faith, less vision, less commitment, or less holiness than its leaders, but it will never have more!
And where do these leaders come from? Did you notice the explanation given for Othniel's success? It says, “The spirit of the Lord came upon him.” God chose the one who would be the leader – He always does. None of these judges chose himself. No leader ever does. Spiritual leaders are always chosen by God.
I have been trying to understand why God chose Deborah. Maybe there were no men available, maybe she was the most godly person around. Maybe it was God's way of underscoring the origin of the victory. It is entirely possible that Israel gave too much credit to Othniel, Ehud and Shamgar because they were mighty warriors, and too little credit to God. Maybe choosing a woman was God's way of totally humiliating the armies of Jabin and Sisera – the heroes of the battle were two women, Deborah and Jael. Maybe it was to demonstrate the positive role that women can play in the Kingdom of God. I don't know why God chose Deborah, but the bottom line is this: God chose her. God chose her; God chooses the leaders.
God makes leaders, but I don't want to simply leave it there, because it is possible from that fifth chapter and the song that Deborah sings, to identify several characteristics of her leadership that are always present in the men and women who make a difference for Him.
The first thing that I see there is that godly leaders are people who want to influence others by the power of the lives they live. Someone has once defined leadership in just one word, “influence.” Dwight Eisenhower defined a leader as ‘a person who can get other people to do what he wants done is such a way that they think they are doing what they want done.’ I'm not sure that is a totally Biblical definition, but it does underscore the concept of leaders influencing people. Leaders want to influence people. They want to make a difference in other people's lives and Deborah was like that. God had put it in her heart to influence people, to make a difference. That is why she made herself available to all the people who came for advice. It seems to me today that I see a lot of Christians who don't want to make a difference, who don't want to influence others, who say things like, “Well, they have their religion, who am I to change them?” They want to be followers instead of leaders.
God's leaders always influence people, and they always do it by the power of their own lives – they lead by example. Barak came to Deborah and he said, “I'm not going to lead the troops into battle unless you come.” That request was no problem for her – she led them into battle. As a father, I am supposed to lead my family – not tell them what to do, but to show them – show them how to do it by the power of my example. That is what real leaders do. There is a very frightening verse in one of Paul's letters, I Corinthians 11:1 – frightening to me at least sometimes. It says, “Follow me while I follow Christ.” Leaders lead by the power of the example of their lives. Deborah didn't just say, ‘Go do this.’ She said, ‘Come, follow me.’ That is what Ehud said, and I guess that is what Shamgar said as well, in his story so brief we really don't know.
Another thing about godly leaders, is that they have a passion for the glory of God. Over and over again it comes through in the Song of Deborah, there in chapter 5, “Give the glory to God.” ‘We didn't win this battle, God won it. We didn't defeat 900 iron chariots and tens of thousands of men. We only had 10,000 soldiers and they weren't properly equipped. But God sent the rain, God won the battle.’ Deborah is very careful in her song to make sure that God gets the credit for the victory. The victory is the victory of the Lord, His triumph as the Champion of Israel. Spiritual leaders are always identifiable by their concern that ‘God gets the glory.’
We see a lot of television preachers, and one very quick criterion that we could use to sort the good ones from the bad ones, is to ask a real simple question, “Who is getting the glory here – who gets the glory?” Spiritual leaders want to give the glory to God.
Another characteristic I see in this song of Deborah of spiritual leaders, is that they are willing to take great risks, because first of all they have understood the mind of God, and because, secondly, they know that God will act on behalf of His people. Remember Joshua standing there in the Valley of Aijalon saying, “O Lord, make the sun stand still.’ What a risk! Ehud took a risk. Shamgar took risks. Deborah was willing to take a tremendous risk; they were vastly undermanned. With a woman at the lead, would Israel follow? They didn't have any adequate weapons, not compared to the army of Sisera, but you see Deborah knew the mind of God. She knew what God wanted to do and she believed that God would act to meet the needs of His people. That is what leadership is all about.
If God ever chooses you to be a leader, and I know that already He has chosen many of you, you need to do three things:
- You need to get to know what God's plan for you and your church is.
- You need to believe that God will do it.
- Then you need to risk whatever you have to in order to act on the promise of God.
I am sure that as we continue to look at the Book of Judges, we are going to find some other characteristics as well of 14 spiritual leaders. Maybe you will want to keep a list of them. But I am sure about these characteristics – and I am very sure that the key to changing our community for Christ is in the development of God-chosen leaders – men and women who don't care what it costs, but are ready to risk everything to give God the glory and trust Him for the victory they know He will bring.
Othniel, Ehud and Deborah
Very quickly, the writer of the Book (traditionally it has been attributed to Samuel), settles into a pattern. Each section starts with this statement, “The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord...” Judgment in the form of domination by some foreign oppressor followed, and after a long period of domination the Israelites cried out to God and He raised up a deliverer and the land had peace for a period of years, until once again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord. The first, and perhaps the most important thing we need to understand today, is that this is not a pattern that applies only to Israel in the years before 1000 BC. It was true before that time and long after – and the principles which govern that pattern are still just as operative today. For many years – generations – Israel languished in exactly the same vicious cycle.
There are thousands of Christians who unfortunately have locked themselves into the same repetitive cycle. Be careful that you do not become like them. It's a terrible way to live. I will leave you to note the rather sparse details regarding the lives of Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar and Barak.
One detail only needs explanation. Ehud's left-handedness is noted because the story is otherwise inexplicable. It was a sign of cursedness in that culture to be left-handed, so no one was. If you were lefthanded by nature, you learned to be right-handed. Since a left-handed person would strap a sword to the opposite thigh than a right-handed warrior, Ehud was able to slip his weapon past Eglon's guards without being detected. The most important thing for us to realize today is that God's first priority in times of spiritual decline is to raise up godly leaders. Every time Israel cried out, God raised up a leader.
In the song of Deborah in chapter 5, the theme of leadership keeps recurring. “When the princes of Israel take the lead… praise the Lord... village life ceased until I Deborah arose, a mother in Israel… later my heart is with Israel's leaders.” I can't tell you how significant this is, because when I look around the world and compare places where the church is thriving – places like South Korea, Brazil, and even China – I find strong godly leadership. That is what makes the difference. No church is ever more godly, faith-filled, committed or spiritually alive than its leaders. A church may have less faith, less vision, less commitment, or less holiness than its leaders, but it will never have more!
And where do these leaders come from? Did you notice the explanation given for Othniel's success? It says, “The spirit of the Lord came upon him.” God chose the one who would be the leader – He always does. None of these judges chose himself. No leader ever does. Spiritual leaders are always chosen by God.
I have been trying to understand why God chose Deborah. Maybe there were no men available, maybe she was the most godly person around. Maybe it was God's way of underscoring the origin of the victory. It is entirely possible that Israel gave too much credit to Othniel, Ehud and Shamgar because they were mighty warriors, and too little credit to God. Maybe choosing a woman was God's way of totally humiliating the armies of Jabin and Sisera – the heroes of the battle were two women, Deborah and Jael. Maybe it was to demonstrate the positive role that women can play in the Kingdom of God. I don't know why God chose Deborah, but the bottom line is this: God chose her. God chose her; God chooses the leaders.
God makes leaders, but I don't want to simply leave it there, because it is possible from that fifth chapter and the song that Deborah sings, to identify several characteristics of her leadership that are always present in the men and women who make a difference for Him.
The first thing that I see there is that godly leaders are people who want to influence others by the power of the lives they live. Someone has once defined leadership in just one word, “influence.” Dwight Eisenhower defined a leader as ‘a person who can get other people to do what he wants done is such a way that they think they are doing what they want done.’ I'm not sure that is a totally Biblical definition, but it does underscore the concept of leaders influencing people. Leaders want to influence people. They want to make a difference in other people's lives and Deborah was like that. God had put it in her heart to influence people, to make a difference. That is why she made herself available to all the people who came for advice. It seems to me today that I see a lot of Christians who don't want to make a difference, who don't want to influence others, who say things like, “Well, they have their religion, who am I to change them?” They want to be followers instead of leaders.
God's leaders always influence people, and they always do it by the power of their own lives – they lead by example. Barak came to Deborah and he said, “I'm not going to lead the troops into battle unless you come.” That request was no problem for her – she led them into battle. As a father, I am supposed to lead my family – not tell them what to do, but to show them – show them how to do it by the power of my example. That is what real leaders do. There is a very frightening verse in one of Paul's letters, I Corinthians 11:1 – frightening to me at least sometimes. It says, “Follow me while I follow Christ.” Leaders lead by the power of the example of their lives. Deborah didn't just say, ‘Go do this.’ She said, ‘Come, follow me.’ That is what Ehud said, and I guess that is what Shamgar said as well, in his story so brief we really don't know.
Another thing about godly leaders, is that they have a passion for the glory of God. Over and over again it comes through in the Song of Deborah, there in chapter 5, “Give the glory to God.” ‘We didn't win this battle, God won it. We didn't defeat 900 iron chariots and tens of thousands of men. We only had 10,000 soldiers and they weren't properly equipped. But God sent the rain, God won the battle.’ Deborah is very careful in her song to make sure that God gets the credit for the victory. The victory is the victory of the Lord, His triumph as the Champion of Israel. Spiritual leaders are always identifiable by their concern that ‘God gets the glory.’
We see a lot of television preachers, and one very quick criterion that we could use to sort the good ones from the bad ones, is to ask a real simple question, “Who is getting the glory here – who gets the glory?” Spiritual leaders want to give the glory to God.
Another characteristic I see in this song of Deborah of spiritual leaders, is that they are willing to take great risks, because first of all they have understood the mind of God, and because, secondly, they know that God will act on behalf of His people. Remember Joshua standing there in the Valley of Aijalon saying, “O Lord, make the sun stand still.’ What a risk! Ehud took a risk. Shamgar took risks. Deborah was willing to take a tremendous risk; they were vastly undermanned. With a woman at the lead, would Israel follow? They didn't have any adequate weapons, not compared to the army of Sisera, but you see Deborah knew the mind of God. She knew what God wanted to do and she believed that God would act to meet the needs of His people. That is what leadership is all about.
If God ever chooses you to be a leader, and I know that already He has chosen many of you, you need to do three things:
- You need to get to know what God's plan for you and your church is.
- You need to believe that God will do it.
- Then you need to risk whatever you have to in order to act on the promise of God.
I am sure that as we continue to look at the Book of Judges, we are going to find some other characteristics as well of 14 spiritual leaders. Maybe you will want to keep a list of them. But I am sure about these characteristics – and I am very sure that the key to changing our community for Christ is in the development of God-chosen leaders – men and women who don't care what it costs, but are ready to risk everything to give God the glory and trust Him for the victory they know He will bring.
