The Post-Modernist Judges of Israel

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Judges 4:1

When Ehud was dead, the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD.

NKJV

Ehud was one of the judges of Israel mentioned in the Book of Judges.  He came to power after Israel had sinned against God and were living under the rule of Eglon the king of Moab (Judges 3:12).  As is the pattern throughout the Book of Judges, the Israelites call out to the Lord and the Lord provides a deliverer (Judges 3:15). 

Our modern secular society is governed by the philosophy of post-modernism, especially in the academic disciplines.  (1)  This philosophy basically denies any clear definition of truth and allows each individual to develop his or her own definition that suits his or her own individual needs.  (2)  This is in direct opposition to Christian values, which define truth as what is contained in the Bible, the Word of God.  It is therefore not surprising that we see our modern culture in a state of decline as truth is placed in the eye of the beholder, a flawed sinful individual, instead of based on the high standard of the Word of God. 

Israel in the time of the judges was living under a post-modernist philosophy and only turned to God when they found themselves in trouble.  In similar fashion, the United States and many other countries of the world find themselves in a modern day time of judges as society vacillates from one definition of truth to another while ignoring the one who said He was the way, truth, and life (John 14:6).  To escape this endless loop of cultural decline we as a society must adopt the clear definition of truth as outlined in the Word of God in order to return to the greatness societies such as the United States once enjoyed.  The challenge we face is how to bring about this adoption of biblical truth.  To accomplish this we must,

1)      Make Jesus our own personal savior – Jesus came to earth 2000 years ago not as a conquering king but as a savior.  All of humanity has sinned (Romans 3:23) and due to this sin find themselves under a death sentence (Romans 6:23).  However, the good news is that God, out of His love for humanity, sent His son Jesus to die for us (Romans 5:8) and if we believe in Him, we can escape the death sentence and receive eternal life (John 3:16).  If you have not already done so, I now invite you to pray with me,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned and know that the penalty for my sin is death.  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

2)      Develop a closer personal relationship with Jesus your savior by daily prayer, daily study of the Bible, and regular fellowship with other likeminded believers through regular church attendance. 

3)      Living lives based on the truth contained in the Bible and not vacillating between ever changing post-modernistic definitions of truth.   This is our greatest witness as Christians for this demonstrates how one can have stability in their lives and as people continue to see societal definitions of truth fail, they will be drawn to the stability in our lives giving us an opportunity to share the Gospel with them. 

4)      By not cowering when an opportunity to share the Gospel presents itself.  Instead Christians must courageously share Christ even though they may face societal ridicule or even death as do some in many parts of the world. 

A lost and dying world is hungry for truth.  Much of the reason for society’s adoption of the philosophy of post-modernism is a search for truth.  We as Christians possess the truth and must courageously live it and share it when the opportunity presents itself.  We are in a spiritual battle for the souls of lost men and women in our world.  The challenge is will we be spectators or soldiers in the battle to bring the Gospel to those seeking truth. 

1. Post Modern Psychology. Postmodernism and the Academic Disciplines. www.postmodernpsychology.com. [Online] [Cited: December 12, 2014.] http://www.postmodernpsychology.com/main_topics/PM_and_academic_disciplines.htm.

2. PhD., Louis Hoffman. Premodernism, Modernism, & Postmodernism:. www.postmodernpsychology.com. [Online] [Cited: September 7, 2013.] http://www.postmodernpsychology.com/Philosophical_Systems/Overview.htm.