Today’s Reading: Judges 1 – 3:30; Psalm 7
I love a good superhero story! Perhaps it is because I grew up watching cartoons every Saturday morning that I enjoy the plot of a superhero coming in and saving the day. Therefore, when I read the book of Judges, it reminds me of a comic book full of superhero stories. Over and over again, the people get themselves into a mess and God sends a superhero (or judge) to come in and save the day! Let’s spend the next two weeks going through the book of Judges and studying how God gave some pretty ordinary people some pretty extraordinary moments!
The superheroes in the Bible were not perfect, but superheroes rarely are. After all, even though Superman was “faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound,” he did have an aversion to green Kryptonite. He went from strong and powerful to pained and nauseous in the presence of this substance. In the same way, the superheroes in the Bible are imperfect.
THE HEROES IN THE BOOK OF JUDGES WERE REGULAR PEOPLE WILLING TO LET GOD DO SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY WITH THEIR LIVES.
They were flawed, imperfect people with a desire to see God do something heroic. God called them into leadership and filled them with His Spirit so that He could rescue His people through them. The true Superhero in this book is God Himself, and this book reminds us that God is looking for regular people who are willing to let Him do something amazing and heroic with their lives.
When the tribes of Israel went to conquer the land and defeat the Canaanites, they did not fully obey the Lord’s command. Most of the tribes failed to drive out the people living in the land, even though God’s command was to completely destroy them. Because of their disobedience, God declared He would no longer drive out the people living there but would allow them to stay and be thorns in the sides of the Israelites — a constant temptation with their false gods (Judges 2:2-3). Their presence would test whether His people loved God enough to obey His commands and to serve only Him.
This first generation wept at their sin but the next generation forgot about the Lord their God and did evil in the Lord’s sight and served the images of Baal. In His anger, the Lord allowed raiders to come in and steal their possessions. He turned them over to their enemies (2:10-14). After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, God’s plan was to give them a peaceful and beautiful land but, because of their disobedience, they needed to be rescued over and over again from the villains in their life.
GOD RAISED UP A SUPERHERO!
When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, the Lord raised up a rescuer [superhero] to save them…The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge. – Judges 3:9-10
First there was Caleb’s nephew, Othniel through whom God gave the Israelites victory after 8 years of suffering. Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight and King Eglon of Moab controlled Israel for 18 years (a generation). When they cried out to the Lord, He gave them their second hero or judge — Ehud.
Ehud was left-handed, which came in useful when he stood before the king with the Israelites’ tribute. He kept his double-edged dagger hidden under his clothing, strapped to his right thigh. The king cleared the room after Ehud said he had a secret message for him. He approached the king as he reached with his left hand for the dagger and plunged it into the king’ belly. The king was so fat that the dagger disappeared. Ehud locked the doors and escaped down the latrine (3:15-23).
PERHAPS TODAY YOU WILL HAVE A SUPERHERO MOMENT.
Perhaps God is calling us to do SUPER things with His help. The trick is to remember who the real Superhero truly is. The moment I see myself as capable as Wonder Woman, I forget about the Wonderful Counselor. When I believe myself to be as strong as Mighty Mouse, I forget who is the Almighty God! When I start believing I am a modern day Marvel Hero, I take my focus off my Marvelous Lord! There is only one Savior in this world and His name is Jesus Christ! To God be the glory, great things He has done!
God is my shield, saving those whose hearts are true and right. – Psalm 7:10
Lord, we desire for you to do great things through us. Please help us overcome issues of pride and perfectionism, reminding us that we are nothing without you. Give us a fresh infilling of your Spirit today and prepare our hearts for whatever you would have us to do. Please give us a heart of obedience like Moses and daily reminders to be strong and courageous like Joshua. We don’t want to miss any potential superhero moments today! To you be the glory, great things you have done! Amen.