The Question That Would Not Go Away
What in the world is going on? What do we do? I hear those questions everywhere I turn — at the grocery store, at church, on social media, in living rooms across America. People may not all explain the problem the same way, but they can all sense that something is wrong.
We see confusion increasing, truth being challenged, morality being redefined, and people doing what seems right in their own eyes. That question is one of the reasons I wrote You Be The Judge. I wanted to take readers back to the Word of God—not so I could tell them what to think, but so they could search the Scriptures for themselves and consider what God has already said. “Search the scriptures” (John 5:39). Like the Bereans, every reader must examine whether these things are so (Acts 17:11).
Ancient History, Present Warning
The Book of Judges was written about events that took place long ago, but it was not written merely to satisfy our curiosity about the past. The Scriptures were written for our learning: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning” (Romans 15:4). Paul also said these Old Testament examples “are written for our admonition” (1 Corinthians 10:11). God preserved these accounts so that we might understand His ways, learn from the failures of others, and avoid repeating the same mistakes. Yet when we look honestly at our own nation and our own hearts, it becomes clear that we are still repeating many of the same patterns Israel followed.
Understanding the ARC
To understand what Scripture is showing us, I use what I call the ARC — Authority, Rebellion, Consequences. Like a rainbow stretched across the sky, the ARC rises from one horizon, reaches its highest point, and comes back down on the other side. That is the pattern God’s story follows from Genesis to Revelation, and it is the pattern you will find repeating itself throughout the Book of Judges. Every time Israel rejected God’s Authority, Rebellion followed. And Rebellion always produced Consequences. The ARC never changes. Only the generation does.
The Window Becomes a Mirror
At first, reading Judges can feel like looking through a window into another world. We see Israel’s history, their judges, their enemies, their compromises, and their consequences. But if we keep looking, something happens. The window becomes a mirror.
Paul wrote, “For now we see through a glass, darkly” (1 Corinthians 13:12), reminding us that our present understanding is limited unless God gives light through His Word. Think of tinted glass, like the darkened windows on an automobile or storefront. At first, you may try to look through it to see what is on the other side. But the closer you look, the more you may begin to see your own reflection. James also describes the Word as a mirror, warning that a person can behold “his natural face in a glass” and then forget what he saw (James 1:23-25). That is what Judges does for the honest reader. It does not merely show us Israel’s story; it begins to show us ourselves. We recognize the same tendency to drift, the same desire to define truth for ourselves, and the same habit of crying out to God during trouble while forgetting Him during comfort.
You Be The Judge
That is why the title matters. You Be The Judge is not an invitation to judge everyone else. It is an invitation to let Scripture examine you. I am not the judge; God is. I am not asking readers to take my word as final. I am simply pointing to what I see in the Word of God and asking the reader to weigh it for themselves. The Word of God is the witness. The Holy Spirit is the revealer of truth. God is the Judge. And each one of us must decide how we will respond. “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
Compromises Have Consequences
One of the clearest lessons in Judges is that compromise never stays small. Israel did not collapse overnight. The decline happened step by step. A little disobedience. A little tolerance of what God had forbidden. A little blending with the surrounding culture. What seemed harmless in one generation became bondage in the next. God warned Israel that tolerated compromise would become “thorns” and “snares” (Judges 2:1-3). That is why I want readers to understand that choices matter. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).
God Sees It One Way; We See It Another
Judges reminds us that our perspective is not always God’s perspective. Israel often saw its choices as reasonable, practical, and convenient. But the repeated testimony of Scripture is very different: “the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD” (Judges 2:11; 3:7; 3:12). That contrast is sobering. What seemed right in their own eyes was evil in the sight of the Lord. We may call something preference; God may call it disobedience. We may call something freedom; God may call it bondage. We may call something progress; God may call it drift. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD” (Isaiah 55:8). The question is not simply how something looks in our eyes, but how it looks in the eyes of the Lord.
Doing Right in Our Own Eyes
The repeated refrain of Judges is haunting: “Every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). That statement explains more than ancient Israel’s condition. It explains the human condition. When people reject God’s authority, they do not become free; they become confused. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12). Truth becomes personal opinion. Morality becomes flexible. Worship becomes preference. Families, churches, and nations begin to lose their way because there is no longer a fixed standard above them.
The Same Mistakes in Modern Clothing
America is not Israel, and we must be careful not to confuse the two. But spiritual patterns still matter. The same God who judged rebellion then still sees rebellion now. The same human heart that drifted in Judges is still capable of drifting today. We may have different technology, different politics, and different language, but the heart problem remains the same. This is not about condemning others while excusing ourselves. Jesus warned us to first consider the beam in our own eye before focusing on the mote in our brother’s eye (Matthew 7:3-5). The mirror must begin with me.
The Cycle We Must Break
In You Be The Judge, I trace the five-step cycle that repeats throughout the book like a revolving door: sin, servitude, supplication, salvation, and silence — and then the door swings back around to sin again. The steps never change. Only the faces and the circumstances do. Israel sinned, suffered the consequences, cried out to God, received deliverance, enjoyed peace, and then drifted once more. That cycle is not only national; it can be personal. Many people seek God when they are in trouble, but forget Him when life becomes comfortable. My prayer is that readers will recognize the cycle before it repeats again in their own lives.
More Than Another Judge
The judges God raised up were instruments of mercy, but they were never the final answer. Some were faithful. Some were flawed. Some brought deliverance for a season. None could change the human heart. That is the deeper message of the book. Mankind needs more than temporary rescue. Mankind needs a King. Every judge, every failure, every cycle, and every consequence points us to the One who can do what no human deliverer could ever do: Jesus Christ, the King of kings.
Why I Wrote This Book
I wrote You Be The Judge because I believe the Book of Judges speaks directly to the hour in which we are living. I wrote it because I want readers to understand the times, examine their own hearts, and see that Scripture has already diagnosed the problem. I am not trying to be the final voice in the room. I am only a messenger pointing to the message. Do not shoot the messenger; open the Book. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). In the end, “every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). That is why the verdict is personal.
Points to Ponder
1. You Be The Judge: Have I searched the Scriptures for myself, or have I simply accepted what others have said? (John 5:39; Acts 17:11)
2. The Mirror Is for Me: Am I allowing God’s Word to examine my own heart before I examine the failures of others? (James 1:22-25; Hebrews 4:12)
3. Doing Right in My Own Eyes: Where have I replaced God’s Word with my own judgment? (Judges 21:25; Proverbs 14:12)
4. Compromises Have Consequences: What small compromises may become larger consequences later? (Judges 2:1-3; Galatians 6:7)
5. The Verdict Is Personal: What will my life reveal when I stand before God? (Romans 14:12; 2 Corinthians 5:10)
The Real Hero of the Story
Many of the deliverers God used in the Book of Judges are later mentioned in Hebrews 11, including Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah (Hebrews 11:32). Sadly, many preachers, teachers, and even Bible headings have sometimes presented that chapter as if it were mainly a hall of human heroes. We are told to have faith like Abraham, courage like Gideon, or strength like Samson. There is truth in learning from their faith, but we must not miss the larger point.
These men and women were not perfect heroes to be admired without qualification. They were flawed people, just like we are. Abraham stumbled (Genesis 12:10-13). Gideon feared (Judges 6:13-15). Jephthah made a rash vow (Judges 11:30-31). Samson was strong in body but often weak in surrender (Judges 16:20). Their inclusion in Hebrews 11 does not prove their perfection; it magnifies the grace of the God who used them.
That is why the real hero of Judges is not Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, or Samson. The real Hero is God. God heard the cry (Judges 3:9, 15). God raised the deliverer (Judges 2:16). God gave the victory (Judges 4:14-15; 7:22). God showed mercy when Israel deserved judgment (Judges 2:18). Even when His people were faithless, He remained faithful: “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). Hebrews 11 is not primarily a monument to human greatness; it is a testimony to what God can do through imperfect people who trust Him. Their faith mattered, but their faith pointed beyond themselves to the faithfulness of God.
This is also why self-examination matters. Like the Levite in the later chapters of Judges, we are often tempted to tell the story in a way that highlights the sins of others while leaving out our own missteps (Judges 20:4-7). We can point to what is wrong in the nation, the culture, the church, or our neighbor, while failing to ask what God is showing us about ourselves. Jesus warned us to first consider the beam in our own eye before focusing on the mote in another’s (Matthew 7:3-5). Paul wrote, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). Scripture will not let us remain spectators. The window becomes a mirror (James 1:23-25). The big picture is not that we are heroes. The big picture is that God is merciful, patient, loving, and full of grace.
Yes, His love is sometimes tough love. The consequences in Judges were real. The discipline was painful. But Scripture reminds us that the Lord chastens those He loves (Hebrews 12:6). Beneath the warnings, beneath the judgment, beneath the repeated cycles of failure, we see a God who did not give up on His people. He is “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). Please see the big picture. Do not merely look for human examples to imitate. Look for the God who keeps showing mercy. Look for the King who alone can break the cycle. Look through the window of Scripture until you see the reflection of your own heart—and then look beyond yourself to the God who is love (1 John 4:8-10).
An Invitation to Read
That is why I invite you to read You Be The Judge. Do not read it merely as a study of ancient Israel. Read it as a warning, a mirror, and a call to return to the authority of God’s Word. I am not asking you to believe something because I said it. I am asking you to open the Scriptures and judge for yourself what God is saying. The Book of Judges shows us where self-rule leads. But it also points us to the only King who can break the cycle. My prayer is that as you read, you will see the times more clearly, examine your own heart more honestly, and trust Jesus Christ more completely. When you look honestly at the world around you — and then at your own heart — the same question God put before Israel is still before us today: Who is your King? I’d love to hear where you are on that journey. Leave a comment below.