Should the Key Figures of the Book of Judges Be Considered Heroes?

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“Well, in some ways, sure. I mean, there are stories in the Book of Judges that show men and women doing great things of faith and trusting God in various ways. But I don't think the Book of Judges is holding out people like Gideon and Samson as comprehensive examples for us. Or even, full on heroes of the faith. Those guys are playing a role in a story of the descent of Israel into sin.

“Well, in some ways, sure. I mean, there are stories in the Book of Judges that show men and women doing great things of faith and trusting God in various ways. But I don't think the Book of Judges is holding out people like Gideon and Samson as comprehensive examples for us. Or even, full on heroes of the faith. Those guys are playing a role in a story of the descent of Israel into sin.

And though you see acts of faith from them. You see great acts of faith in Samson. You see great acts of faith in Gideon. They're also marked by incredible failures that actually wind the nation of Israel up, in a lot of ways, in worse situations than when they came on the scene.

And what God is trying to do in the Book of Judges is not so much give us leadership examples or heroes of the faith examples. What He's doing is showing us that no human being of whatever strength, of whatever military prowess, is ever going to be enough to save us. What we need, as the Book of Judges says at the very end of it, is a king. We need Jesus to save us.”