Guest blogger: Joe Barone - Getting off the Judges cycle

The Old Testament book known as Judges tells the story of Israel’s repeated cycle: serving God during a season of peace, drifting into sin and idolatry, suffering under their enemies, crying out for help, receiving a God‑appointed judge (military hero) who delivers them, and then serving God again during a season of peace. This pattern continues for nearly four hundred years.

Scripture reveals the heart of this behavior:

“In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes” (Judges 17:6, NLT).
 
“In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit” (Judges 21:25, NIV).

Our Thursday Night Men’s Group journeyed through all twenty‑one chapters of Judges, comprised of 11 sessions, which included short teaching videos from Pastor J. D. Greear. I’m grateful for the ten men who began this study with me on May 14th – and for the same ten who finished faithfully on July 23rd – as we reflected on the highs and lows of the book together.

One of the most striking themes in Judges is the kind of people God raises up as judges or deliverers. They are often, as it might seem to us, unconventional people: non-Israelites, outcasts, the flawed, the fearful, the weak. God does not select those who are already courageous; He takes those lacking courage and makes them brave. He equips those who have no ability of their own.

Despite Israel’s repeated drift into idolatry, pagan influence, and the desires of the flesh, God remains faithful. Every time they cry out for relief from oppression, He responds with mercy and grace, forgiving their waywardness again and again. The Book of Judges shines a light on the human condition: we are our own worst enemy, prone to wander, powerless to save ourselves, and in desperate need of God’s intervention.

Pastor Tim Keller captures this truth well: “God relentlessly offers His grace to people who do not deserve it, who do not seek it, and never appreciated it even after they have been saved by it.”

Thanks be to God, our gracious and merciful Father, who has given us a permanent Savior in Jesus Christ. Through Him, God offers grace we do not deserve and often do not seek. May we embrace this undeserved gift of salvation and learn to appreciate it deeply, that we might break the cycle and live in faithful obedience to our Lord.