Right in Their Own Eyes: The Gospel According to Judges (Gospel according to the Old Testament)

by George M. Schwab

Publisher:

P&R

, 2011

Overview

Right in Their Own Eyes explains Judges from three Old Testament and three New Testament perspectives. First, it shows how the Spirit enabled wayward people to fulfill the mission God gave them, promotes David as king of Israel, and illustrates God’s covenant with his people. Schwab then shows how God sovereignly works among his wayward people to forge a community of faith under the New Covenant—realized in Christ—calls modern Christians to faith and obedience, and looks forward to the return of Christ and the final judgment.

George Schwab achieves four goals. First, to be true to the text—to read Judges in its ancient Near Eastern setting, seeing it as a sermon on Deuteronomy and, at times, a possible apologetic for David. Second, to glorify Christ—to read Judges from a biblical-theological perspective, finding that Judges is really all about Christ and his coming kingdom. Third, to lift us up in faith—which happens when we see our sovereign God at work, forging a community of faith from a wayward and idolatrous people. And finally, to call us to change our perspective and take action—why does it matter that faith leads to deliverance? What does a lack of faith in daily life reap in terms of oppression, and how does the message of judges make a difference?

In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Key Features

• Explains Judges from three Old Testament and three New Testament perspectives
• Calls modern Christians to faith and obedience
• Explores how God works among his wayward people

Contents

Top Highlights

“One argument of Judges is that Israel needs leadership of the sort that only Judah has supplied; and the last thing they want is a king from Benjamin.” (Page 23)

“We can now see part of the author’s design: he puts the best face on Judah, but is critical of Benjamin. But why?” (Page 22)

“The answer given by Judges is this: all that is needed is one leader who trusts God. This also is a guide for what we are meant to see in the book. It is messianic. Messiah means ‘anointed’; the Messiah is the leader God raises up, anointed with the Spirit. In a sense, all the judges anticipate the Messiah. This idea dovetails with the agenda of promoting David.” (Page 29)

“Today the church also is subject to an idolatrous culture, albeit largely nonreligious. The idolatries of the West center on autonomy from God and humanistic philosophy. People do what is right in their own eyes without regard for the Word of God. In the context of such a world, the Father forges a church.” (Pages 58–59)

“The Gideon cycle is about the believer’s struggle to believe God when things are bad” (Page 114)

Praise for the Print Edition

In Right in Their Own Eyes, George Schwab takes readers on a journey into an ancient textual world that is at times jarring to modern sensibilities. He is a fascinating tour guide with an accessible style of delivery who does not avoid the difficult texts, making clear their meaning within their original era of redemptive history before tracing their significance for Christian readers today.

—Mark J. Boda, professor of Old Testament, McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Product Details

• Title: Right in Their Own Eyes: The Gospel according to the Book of Judges
• Author: George M. Schwab
• Series: The Gospel according to the Old Testament
• Publisher: P&R
• Print Publication Date: 2011
• Logos Release Date: 2014
• Pages: 240
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Bible. O.T. Judges › Criticism, interpretation, etc; Bible. O.T. Judges › Relation to the New Testament; Bible. N.T. › Relation to Judges; Bible. O.T. Judges › Commentaries
• ISBNs: 9781596382107, 1596382104
• Resource ID: LLS:GSPLOTJUDGES
• Resource Type: Bible Commentary
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-10-05T17:16:41Z

About George M. Schwab

George M. Schwab is associate professor of Old Testament at Erskine Seminary. He is also a teaching elder and a trained biblical counselor. Dr. Schwab has written numerous articles in Old Testament studies and coauthored the Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: The Book of Psalms, the Book of Proverbs.