Week 16, April 12–18: 2 Peter 1–3; Judges 1–15; Psalms 42–47
- Sun Apr 12 2 Pet. 1–3
- Mon Apr 13 Judg. 1–2 Ps. 42
- Tue Apr 14 Judg. 3–5 Ps. 43
- Wed Apr 15 Judg. 6–7 Ps. 44
- Thu Apr 16 Judg. 8–9 Ps. 45
- Fri Apr 17 Judg. 10–12 Ps. 46
- Sat Apr 18 Judg. 13–15 Ps. 47
In the midst of our reading in the OT, we take one day to read a short NT epistle, 2 Peter. We preached through 1 Peter at church last year, and this second of Peter’s letters builds on some of the themes from his first letter.
Peter identifies himself a little differently in 2 Peter, in this case spelling his name in a way matches its Hebrew pronunciation. Maybe this was to identify his Jewish identity more clearly, along with his identity as “a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet. 1:1) The audience he is addressing has a faith and standing that is equal to Peter’s, for it is “by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.” (1:2) Peter is addressing all Christians, including us today, who are saved by God’s grace through faith in the justifying work of Christ.
It appears Peter’s purpose for writing this second letter was to remind them of their identity in Christ in order to protect them against false teachers and to bolster their faith in anticipation of Christ’s return. He was anticipating his own death (1:14), and he wants to do whatever he can to leave them with these important reminders for when he is gone.
Notice the different references to false teaching, and take to heart these warnings and the encouragement to remember what God has graciously given us:
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. (2 Pet. 1:3–4)
And in light of this glorious truth, Peter also urges his readers, including us today, to make every effort to keep growing.
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love (2 Pet. 1:5–7).
By doing this we will confirm our calling and election, and we will be sure of our place in the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1:10–11).
After reading 2 Peter, we resume our time working through the books of the OT. Judges is next. It does not take long for things to change dramatically 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 great downfall.
As is the case in many of the books of the Bible, the early parts of Judges include summary comments that serve as helpful interpretive guides for the rest of the book. One such section is found in Judges 2:11–23. This summarizes the situation after Joshua’s death and sets the stage for what will follow.
Another passage that previews the rest of the book can be found in chapter 3. Throughout Judges, a similar sequence of 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)