Derek Thomas

He saves them from their enemies.

gives them the promise of God, a part of the promised land.

What does a Savior wear in 1300 BC?

What does a Savior in 1300 BC actually look like?

Well, the answer is, he looks like Ehud.

He looks like this judge.

A man who takes on the enemy of God's people, who's taxing them to the point of pain and hurt.

And he restores Israel.

He defeats the enemy and restores Israel.

Well, what is the gospel story?

It's about God sending a deliverer to conquer the enemy.

The reason the Son of Man appeared, John says, is to destroy the works of the devil, to conquer all the wickedness of the devil.

Well, he's not Jesus, but he's God's instrument.

He's God's deliverer.

In this case, with a sword in his hand.

It's the unfolding narrative of salvation.

The judges ruled from 1400 BC to 1300 BC, roughly.

And what happens when God takes away everything that Abraham longed for and that Moses pastorally believed in, delivering his people out of the bondage of Egypt and into the wilderness, and though he wouldn't see it himself, into the promised land?

Well, the judges tell you, and it's not, well, it's not pretty.

Israel fails God.