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.
