Journey Of The Seed - Catch The Bible's Big Picture In 60 DaysSample

FORTY YEARS

[Scheduled Reading: Judges 9-16]

For a football coach, the objective of the game is to score touchdowns on a 100-yard field. But you don’t have to score in a single play. 

Ten yards at a time will work just fine. Then the referees “move the chains.” Then ten more yards, then move the chains again.

Eventually the team will be in the end zone (Score!).  

In God’s view, forward progress for The Seed seems to be about 40 years at a time. 

The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years before entry into the Promised Land. Joshua ruled them for 45 years. 

After Joshua died, the fickle faith journey repeats – Israel does evil in the sight of the Lord (Judges 3:7).

What do God’s people do when they encounter disaster? They call out to God (3:9).

So God raises up a deliverer named Othniel, the first of the era of judges. Under Othniel, the land of Israel receives rest for 40 years (3:11). 

But evil returns, followed by more affliction – Israel calls out to God again. 

God gives then the next judge, Ehud. This time the land receives rest for 80 years (3:30).

As fickle faith would have it, the people turn to evil again. Judgment follows and then so does repentance. 

Under the next judge, Deborah, the land of Israel has rest for another 40 years! (5:31).

The cycle repeats, this time under a famous judge named Gideon. Then another 40 years of rest (8:28).

Sometimes the rest was 40 years. And sometimes the punishment was 40 years. 

Just before the famous judge Samson, God put Israel into the hands of the Philistines for 40 years (13:1).

Even within Israel’s fickle faith cycle – Samson is having his own fickle faith journey. 

-  God gives him strength and Samson gives God glory. 

-  Then Samson becomes lazy, loses his strength, becomes captured.

-  Now desperate, Samson turns back to God. God gives Samson a final victory moment just before his death. 

Not every cycle is 40 years. Some are longer, some are shorter. But in the book of Judges, these 40-year clips are strikingly common. 

Just over 1,100 years remain until The SEED (Jesus) appears from heaven. 

But God is not in a hurry. 40 years at a time will get The Seed in the end zone just fine.