Man-Made Religion versus God-Given Hope (Judges 17-21)

Key Idea: We must pursue God-given hope over man-made religion.

I. The foolishness and despair of living with a man-made religion

A manmade religion is foolish because it will fail us

  • Because there is no negotiating WITH God, only surrender TO God
  • Because it does not lead us to righteousness, but to moral decline

A manmade religion results in despair because our idols will lead to devastation

  • Our idols will lead us away from the one true God
  • Our idols will devastate our homes
  • Our idols will lead to misery as we try to serve and protect them
  • Ultimately our idols will fail us

II. The wisdom and joy of living with a God-given hope

The point of Judges is to make us look forward to a better Savior

A progression of hope: Judges 17:7; Judges 19:1; Ruth 1:1

Three take away questions from the book of Judges:

  • Are there areas of my life that I am doing what is right in my eyes?
  • What are my false saviors/counterfeit gods/idols? Am I seeing that Jesus is better?
  • If God can bring grace to the sin and suffering of Israel, do I trust he will be faithful to me in my struggles?

 

Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.