W. Robert Godfrey

God saves the needy.

Deborah's not a good example of that.

It's true of Deborah, but she's not a good example of it.

So we have Deborah, and I would argue that Barak is not a judge.

He's a prominent figure in the book, but he's not a judge.

He's in a supporting role.

Deborah is the leader, and Deborah is raised up as a mother in Israel because the fathers in Israel have failed, and God is testifying to his saving purpose through her.

And then after Deborah, Gideon.

who's sort of at the center of the book.

And Gideon is a very interesting judge.

We probably think we know a lot about Gideon too.

But Gideon starts out really well and then fades.

And Gideon is a sort of transition point in the book of Judges then.

We have the very positive judges, Othniel, Ehud, and Deborah.

And now we have Gideon who starts out well,

but slips late in his life.

That should be a warning to all of us.

It doesn't get easier to be a Christian as you get older.

We think we ought to be able to coast a little bit when we get older.

Not true.