The Book of Judges

The Book of Judges – April 6, 2025

Judges 3:12-30

In this sermon, Pastor Enoch discusses how ordinary people can tackle extraordinary problems, using the biblical story of Ehud from the book of Judges as a case study.

The narrative begins with the Israelites suffering under the oppression of King Eglon of Moab, who ruled for 18 years. Pastor Enoch emphasizes that while Ehud’s actions—lying and killing—may seem morally ambiguous, they are framed within the larger context of warfare and divine deliverance. Ehud, a left-handed man, utilized his unique physical attributes and extensive preparation to assassinate the king and liberate the Israelites.

The sermon suggests that solving significant problems requires extraordinary reasons, preparation, and perspective. The speaker draws parallels between Ehud’s courage and modern figures like Florence Nightingale, emphasizing the necessity of dedication and service to a greater cause.

The key takeaway is that with extraordinary motives and proper preparation, individuals can achieve remarkable results while recognizing that ultimate success is a partnership with divine intervention.

(The above summary was partially generated by AI, and reviewed by a human)



The Book of Judges – March 30, 2025

Judges 8:22-33

How does “Successful” become “Dreadful”?

Successful becomes Dreadful when there is a disconnect between:

1. The head and the heart
2. The everyday and the eternal

We’ll be using a man named Gideon as our case study! But specifically, we’re looking at his post-success life. So just a quick recap on Gideon’s life. Gideon is one of the judges of Israel, but he isn’t your typical hero. When we first meet him, he’s literally hiding in a winepress trying to keep his food safe from his enemies. And then an angel pops up and calls him to rescue Israel because they have been dominated by the Midianites for 7 years! But Gideon is a coward. Full of doubts.

He asks God for miraculous signs, twice! And God is gracious and gives it to him. When Gideon said yes to God’s calling, God adds a plot twist and says that instead of 30 thousand men that Gideon had, God reduces the army’s number to 300 and they go into battle with torches, jars and trumpets. And the crazy thing is, they win! They win against 135 000 soldiers (Judges 8:10). And the people of his nation, the Israelites, are so so happy! And they try to raise Gideon as their leader and king. And that’s where our Bible passage begins.

The Book of Judges – March 23, 2025

Judges 4:1-27

As Christians we have a God who is invisible by nature, and sometimes it feels like all we have is a bunch of theory that feels dry and not very satisfying. But every one of us is meant to experience God for ourselves. And Jesus told us how we can experience God. Jesus said to his disciples:

“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” (John 14:21)

In other words, if we love Jesus enough to keep his commands, he will show himself to us. But, the hard part is keeping his commands. Because, keeping his commands means really following Jesus with our life, even when it’s difficult. And, that takes courage.

So, our Bible story today is about courage. My big idea today is, if we want to experience God we need courageous faith. And courageous faith means two things. First, we need courageous reasoning, and second, we need courageous action.

The Book of Judges – March 16, 2025

Judges 11:29-40

I think Christianity in its purest form is a relationship with God that brings beauty and hope to the world! But like anything it can go astray. People have used Christianity to justify evil things like wars, terrorism, slavery and sexual abuse.

Many people get our religion wrong. So, my big question today is: How can we have the right kind of religion? We’ll see our answer in the story of Jephthah! It’s a crazy story from the Book of Judges! Our story takes place in one of the darkest times in Israel’s history.

Israel is completely lost spiritually! They have turned away from God and are now being oppressed by other nations. But because of God’s mercy and compassion, God raised up powerful leaders called Judges to help Israel.
He would give these judges supernatural powers that would help Israel fight against their enemies. Today, our main character, Jephthah, is one of those Judges. But the thing is, he is really lost spiritually. He makes terrible decisions that trigger an incredible tragedy.