Advent Day 10 :: The Supreme Judge
"Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the LORD, and they did not do so. Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways." (Judges 2:16-19)
You may have noticed a trend so far as we study through the Scriptures this Advent season. We are slowly working our way through the Old Testament and looking for Christ throughout the different books. Whether it be Christ typified through a singular passage or as today we’ll see by an entire book. We may not hit every book but rest assured Christ can be seen one way or another in all the writings of Scripture.
We saw Christ as our sacrifice, our refuge, and commander of God’s armies. He has been personified as the ultimate priest in Leviticus, and the final prophet in Deuteronomy. Today we see Christ as our Judge.
In fact, the entire book of Judges (no big shock there) sets the stage to point towards Christ as the supreme Judge of the world. In today’s passage of Judges 2:16-19 we see that early on in Judges the writer sets up what’s going on in Israel and the need for a Savior (v. 17). We see a relentless cycle of sin, domination, and petition is met with the Lord’s unfailing provision and rescue. Even with the continued failure of God’s people we see Him extend an arm of mercy over and over again.
The ultimate form or grace is then given to us in the Judge and Savior, Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:21) who has come to interrupt the relentless cycle of sin in our lives. There is no sin, no failure, and no act of unfaithfulness that is beyond the reach of Christ’s redeeming love. Because we have received Christ’s love and His sacrifice we are called to respond with obedience and become an extension of His grace to everyone around us (2 Corinthians 5:18–21).
Judgement does not always come as condemnation, but also comes in the form of commendation. We know that Christ came to give life and life in abundance. In placing our faith and trust in Him, surrendering our lives and allowing Him to reign in us, we are given the verdict of commendation when we face God the Father. But for those who are unbelievers, they face the verdict of condemnation and an eternal life in separation from God. As we see, Jesus is the dividing line between the two verdicts, for only if we trust in Him alone for salvation will we be saved. It is therefore urgent that we believe in Jesus and exhort others to do the same.
As we spend time reflecting on the coming of our Savior Jesus, who can you share the good news of the gospel with today?
Further Reading: John 12:44-50; Romans 8
Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash
