Judges: Whatever Seemed Right
Judges: Whatever Seemed Right
“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him.”
The book of Judges repeats that refrain to summarize the period between Joshua and Saul in the life of God’s people Israel.
But is there a better description of the world we’re living in today? Doing “whatever seems right” is exactly what God warned his people against (e.g. Numbers 15:39), yet it’s openly the sort of life our society most encourages us to live.
Kids’ movies encourage kids to do what’s right in their own eyes, not in the eyes of their parents (much less those of God).
Popular songs and shows major on themes of self-actualization and discovery of one’s own identity.
Mental health counseling (while important!) turns out to be limited: in the end, if God is left out, it can only help people do what’s right in their own eyes.
But what if that way doesn’t lead to life? We’re going to see this summer in Judges what results when a society does whatever seems right in its own eyes.
Judges and Hospitality
Because God loves the people of the North Shore, He scattered homes throughout this area in which a different sort of life is being lived. There is a king in these homes, and the residents of these homes are living under his authority. They’re not doing whatever seems right to them; in fact, they’re often setting aside what seems right to them in favor of what their king says is right. What a strange way to live!
We want to invite our friends into that to see that strange way of life in action. That’s why our summer push (across all our ministries!) is for hospitality. In a sense, hospitality is inviting people into a different existence than any they’ve encountered in the past. It’s almost like a cross-cultural immersion experience that they don’t have to fly across the world for; they can just walk next door.
Sunday Services This Summer
Each Sunday this summer, we’ll look at a passage from Judges (see schedule below). We’ll also spend some time each Sunday considering some aspect of how life today looks a lot like life in the book of Judges, with everyone doing what seems right to them.
We hope you’ll join us on Sunday mornings, that you’ll watch the services online when you’re out of town, and that you’ll join us in practicing hospitality to those around us who need to see what life looks like when lived under the reign of King Jesus.
Further Reading
Several books have formed and informed the content you’ll hear during this sermon series:
You Are Not Your Own by Alan Noble (if you’re going to read one book this summer, read this one!)
Making Faith Magnetic by Daniel Strange
Judges commentaries by Daniel Block, Lawson Younger, and Timothy Keller
The Gospel Comes with a House Key by Rosaria Butterfield
Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition by Christine Pohl
Sermon Schedule
June 19 - Judges 1:1-2:5
June 26 - Judges 2:6-3:6
July 3 - Judges 3:7-31
July 10 - Judges 4:1-5:31
July 17 - Judges 6:1-7:25
July 24 - Judges 8:1-42
July 31 - Judges 8:33-10:5
August 7 - Judges 10:6-12:15
August 14 - Judges 13:1-16:31
August 21 - Judges 17:1-18:31
August 28 - Judges 19:1-21:25