Week 16, April 14–April 20: Judges 10–22; John 1–9; Psalm 45–50

• Sun 4/14: Judg 10–12    
• Mon 4/15: Judg 13–14, Psalm 45
• Tue 4/16: Judg 15–17, Psalm 46
• Wed 4/17: Judg 18–22, Psalm 47
• Thu 4/18: John 1–3, Psalm 48
• Fri 4/19: John 4–6, Psalm 49
• Sat 4/20: John 7–9, Psalm 50

Things go from bad to worse to horrific in the book of Judges. It is a difficult book to read. And yet, it is an important part of the canon of Scripture and God’s word to us. It’s most important contribution to the message of the Bible may be in what is lacking in these stories. With each cycle of Israel’s idolatry, oppression from their enemies, then God’s deliverance by the hand of a judge, it becomes clearer and clearer that something is wrong. By the end of the book we are left with a strong perception that something, or someone, is missing. The last verse of Judges summarizes the problem succinctly and poignantly:

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (Jdg. 21:25; cf. 17:6; 18:1; 19:1)

Ultimately, the Lord is king of all, and he is the one Israel is to worship and obey. But since Genesis, we have also seen a thread of expectation for God to establish a king to rule among the people of God. This would be a faithful king who would reign under the Lord’s sovereign rule with the Torah as his guide (Gen 49:10–12; Num 24:7–9, 15–19; Deut. 17:14–20). This hope of a coming king parallels the hope for an offspring, or seed, from Eve’s lineage (Gen. 3:15), one who will come and crush the head of the serpent and reverse the curse of sin.

When we get to the books of Samuel, right after Judges, we’ll see these two strands of hope come together in God’s promise to David. A king would come from his family line, his seed will be the one to reign on God’s throne forever. We know this messianic promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Here in Judges, however, that king has not yet come. The sin and chaos of Judges increases the sense of anticipation for God’s promises to be fulfilled and for his king to reign. The need for God’s messianic king will become increasingly clear as we read through the rest of the OT.

Themes of kingship run through 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)

After finishing Judges, we turn over again to the NT and begin reading through the fourth Gospel, the Gospel of John. Like Matthew, Mark, and Luke, John tells the story of Jesus’ life and ministry. There are many similarities between John and the other Gospels, but there are also quite a few differences. Sometimes the first three Gospels are referred to as the Synoptic Gospels, because they share affinities with each other that differ from John. As we have seen, the Gospels all cover basically the same material, but each of them have their own message. It is important to read them with this in mind. Notice the different emphases and tone of John as you’re reading through it the next couple weeks.

John presents Jesus as the Eternal Son—God made flesh to dwell among us and reveal his glory to us. One of the major themes, and the main purpose, of the book is related to belief. Near the end, John helpfully tells his readers exactly why he has written these things:

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 20:30–31)

As you read through, notice how often you come across “believe” and “faith” (which convey basically the same idea). In the first half of John (chapters 1–12), the acts of Jesus demonstrate who he is as the Son of God. His miracles and might serve as signs to reveal his nature and help the world, and us today, believe in him and have life in his name. And the second half of the book (chapters 13–21) tell of Jesus’ final words to his disciples before his death, and the story culminates in his death and resurrection for the salvation of all who believe in him. The glory of the Father and the glory of the Son are most fully revealed in the cross and the empty tomb.