There is a new commentary series on the market that has me very intrigued. It’s from The Good Book Company, and I have two of them on my shelf already.
My newest addition is Judges For You, by Timothy Keller. And I have to tell you, I am once again impressed.
Most of the time, I use commentaries only as reference materials for a sermon, an article, a lesson, or a blog post. But this new series turns a simple commentary into a Bible study devotional tool. I’ve learned more about the book of Judges than I ever have before through reading Keller’s material.
Judges has long been one of the Old Testament books I’ve found most interesting. The story of the Hebrew people on their conquest of the Promised Land, and before God gave them a king to rule over them, has always captured my attention. There are dozens of interesting stories in the book of Judges.
- Ehud, the left-handed leader of Israel, who killed the oppressing king Eglon.
- Deborah, who led the nation into freedom from the Canaanites with the help of Barak.
- Gideon, and his fleece, and his wine press, and his 300 warriors who defeated the Midianites.
- Samson, a man of great physical strength, but not of great moral strength.
There are more, but these are just a few of the stories that grace the pages of Judges.
Timothy Keller does a great job of digging into these stories and showing them for what they are, a cycle of rebellion, leading to God’s anger and a foreign nation’s oppression. The people cry out, God hears and sends salvation through a chosen judge. There is peace, which leads to complacency, and after the judge dies, the people slip back into rebellion.
Keller opens up these stories, and pulls details into view that a cursory reading doesn’t catch. He shows how these stories continually spiral down into greater depths of despair for the nation of Israel, and how God shows time and time again how a savior is needed. But not just any savior, the people need one who can save them permanently.
Really, the stories found in the book of Judges show our need for Christ.
I read through Judges For You from cover to cover, just as I did with Keller’s Galatians For You a few months ago. I highly recommend that grab a copy and read it. It will put a lot of the history of the Old Testament into greater perspective for you.
Out of all the stories in the book of Judges, which is your favorite? Why? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of Judges For You, by Timothy Keller. You can purchase it at Amazon.com in print or for Kindle. You can also purchase the additional study guide to go along with it.
Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Cross Focused Media as part of their Cross Focused Reviews blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“