Week 15, April 6–12: Luke 22–24; Judges; Psalms 42–48
- Sun Apr 6 Luke 22–24
- Mon Apr 7 Judg. 1–3 Pss. 42–43
- Tue Apr 8 Judg. 4–6 Ps. 44
- Wed Apr 9 Judg. 7–9 Ps. 45
- Thu Apr 10 Judg. 10–12 Ps. 46
- Fri Apr 11 Judg. 13–15 Ps. 47
- Sat Apr 12 Judg. 16–18 Ps. 48
Luke’s Gospel account culminates in the death and resurrection of Jesus. It concludes with his appearances to his disciples and finally his ascension. In the last chapter of Luke, we see something that comes up all through the Gospels, and really all through the NT. In Jesus’ interactions with his disciples between his resurrection and ascension, and as we read along in the rest of the NT, it is abundantly clear that Jesus and the apostles—those who wrote the books of the NT—all had a strong conviction that the OT Scriptures all point to Christ.
Jesus rebukes the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, telling them they should have seen from the Scriptures that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer, die, and rise again (Luke 24:25–27). Before their eyes are opened to see it is Jesus talking with them, he opens their eyes to the OT Scriptures to see how they are all about the Christ. Then he appears to the eleven disciples and shows them too that the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms—the whole Hebrew Bible, or what we call the Old Testament—all finds its fulfillment in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah (24:44–47). Jesus believes the whole OT points to him, so does Luke, and so do the rest of the writers of the NT. If this was their perspective, it seems it should be ours too. Let’s keep this in mind as we go back and pick up where we left off in our reading in the OT.
We resume our OT reading in Judges. It does not take long for things to change after the book of Joshua ends and we turn the page to Judges. Following Joshua’s death, the pockets of Canaanites that remained in the Land become a major problem, and soon the people fall into idolatry and start to experience defeat and oppression as a result. Judges is a book of sin and chaos. The situation deteriorates rapidly as the narrative unfolds. If Joshua was a story of victory, Judges is a story of defeat.
As is the case with many of the books of the Bible, the early parts of Judges include summary comments that can serve as helpful interpretive guides for the rest of the book. One such section is found in Judg. 2:11–23. This summarizes the situation after Joshua’s death and sets the stage for what will follow in Judges. Another passage that previews the rest of the book can be found in chapter 3. Throughout Judges, a sequence of similar events repeats several times. This narrative pattern of sin, defeat, and deliverance continues through the book as the situation in Israel declines in a downward spiral. This cyclical pattern occurs for the first time in Judges 3:7–11, and the elements of the pattern can be summarized as follows:
- Israel does evil in the eyes of Yahweh. (2:11; 3:7, 12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; 13:1)
- Sin results in God’s anger and oppression by a foreign nation. (2:14; 3:8; 4:2; 10:9)
- During oppression, Israel cries out to Yahweh. (3:9, 15; 6:6-7; 10:10)
- Yahweh hears their cry and raises up a judge to deliver them. (2:16; 3:9, 15; 10:1, 12)
- Deliverance is often followed by peace, then death of the judge (3:10-11; 8:28-32; 10:2-5; 12:9-15)
There are variations to the pattern each time it occurs, but the repetition is evident and it meaningfully informs the book’s overall message. Notice this as you read and observe how the situation in Israel goes from bad to worse to horrific by the end of the book. And all of this serves a purpose. As we read, it makes us long for God’s justice and righteousness, and it leaves us looking for a king to bring this about.
Judges stirs up a longing for a good king and for the Lord’s kingdom to come, and this anticipatory theme of kingship will become more prominent as we continue through the OT. We see these themes of a king and kingship as we resume our reading in the Psalms as well. Some psalms, like Psalm 2, highlight the anointed, messianic king the Lord will establish. Other psalms highlight the reign of the Lord, Yahweh, as king. In our reading this week, Psalm 47 extolls the Lord Most High as the great king over all the earth (Ps. 47:2).
God has gone up with a shout,
the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
For God is the King of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm!
God reigns over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne.
The princes of the peoples gather
as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
he is highly exalted! (Ps. 47:5–9)