The book of Judges is filled with a cycle of the failures of the Israelites and God’s deliverance for the people. The people were straying from obeying and keeping God’s commands given through Moses. Life became easy for the Israelites within the promised land and they forgot that God had brought them out of Egypt and given them the promised land. There are glimpses of strong leadership at the beginning of Judges with Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, and Gideon but as time passes the judges that are raised by God to deliver Israel are also marked by their faults such as Jephthah and Samson. Continue Reading…
Tag Archive - Judges
The Deliverer still lives, find hope for tomorrow: Judges Summary
A wrong doesn’t make another wrong right: Judges 21
What is the aftermath from the civil war that occurred between the sons of Benjamin and the rest of the sons of Israel? In Judges 21 we see that the men of Israel swore to not give any of their daughters to the surviving men of the tribe of Benjamin. Has the true source of the problem within the Israelites finally detected? They cried out, “Why, O Lord, God of Israel, has this come about in Israel, so that one tribe should be missing today in Israel?” Judges 21:3 Did the men not see that they were straying from God and falling under the curse of which Moses spoke in Deuteronomy? Continue Reading…
Leave lethargy by loving God and loving people: Judges 19 and 20
My reading of Judges 19 and 20 today filled me with a sense of sadness and fear. I initially started reading looking for the positive side of the story presented, looking for the judge that will come and deliver the people of Israel. I was filled with sadness when I read about the action and inaction of the sons of Israel and seeing how far they strayed from the desires of God. I was also filled with fear because I realize how much I am like the Israelites because our common inherent sinful nature. What was lacking that made the Israelites wander so far astray from God? Do I display their same faults that are leading me down a path of destruction and chaos just like the Israelites? Continue Reading…
Lack of diligence perverts the truth of God: Judges 17 and 18
Have you ever read a book where the characters are in the midst of a traumatic situation only to see it go from bad to worse? The Israelites have fallen away from God and they are have turned their hand to whatever is good in their own eyes. Have you ever found that your life progressed from a vibrant relationship with God to a lackluster existence far from the rich fellowship of God? There were times in my past where I rested on my laurels thinking I didn’t need to read my Bible daily, I went to church a few weeks ago so missing this week is okay, or why do I need to be around other believers these friends of mine are not that bad. These ideas I have held at various times in my walk with God are from the pit of hell. Hope and security in life can only be found in God and you can only find God through the Scriptures within the body of Christ. In Judges 17 and 18 the Israelites have rested on their laurels and started doing whatever they chose with no consideration of what God would want. It is a sad moment to see a nation who was mightily delivered by God time after time totally disregarding His commandments. I never want to dwell in this state with God, to move from tasting the wonderful refreshment that is a living relationship with Him to the desert of my own desires. Continue Reading…
Strength is nothing if not melded with faith in God: Judges 15 and 16
What is the most valuable thing that you possess? Does this possession draw your attention away from God? In Judges 15 and 16 we are given glimpses into the life of Samson continuing from what is described in chapters 13 and 14. He was set apart as a Nazirite from before his birth and it was evident that the Spirit of the Lord was with him. Samson was blessed with an amazing strength from God. He was used by God to begin freeing the Israelites from the Philistines. Samson used the strength which God blessed him with to judge Israel for twenty years. Continue Reading…
Samson born in weakness, blessed with strength: Judges 13 and 14
“Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, so that the Lord gave them into the hands of the Philistines forty years.” Judges 13:1 The Israelites have again strayed from the statutes of God and brought down a curse of oppression from God. The weight of mans inherit sinfulness stands out as I read through the book of Judges. We are unable to follow God without His intervention and deliverance. The implicit need for a perfect deliverer is woven among the verses of Judges filling my heart with joy as God raises up someone up to deliver the people of Israel only to feel the painful loss when the Israelites consistently turn away again. My own faith can be described by this sporadic cycle of joy and painful loss exhibited by the sons of Israel. Continue Reading…
Trust in God not in who you are: Judges 11 and 12
Do you ever feel like outcast who isn’t welcomed or doesn’t belong? In Judges 11 we are introduced to Jephthah, the son of Gilead and a harlot, who is ostracized by his brothers because of his mother. How would you feel if you were to have people ridicule your mother and infer your value based on prejudice. Jephthah is driven out of the land of his father and family by his brothers. This sets the stage for the next deliverer. Continue Reading…
Repentance in the midst of misery lead to deliverance: Judges 9 and 10
“The Lord will bring you and your king, whom you set over you, to a nation which neither you not your father have known, and there you shall serve other gods, wood, and stone. You shall become a horror, a proverb, and a taunt among all the people where the Lord drives you… but if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it” Deuteronomy 28:36,37; 30:17,18 These were parting words that were spoken by Moses to the people of Israel as he was seeking to encourage the Israelites to obey God. The years and generations have passed from the strong leadership of Moses and Joshua, and in Judges chapters 9 and 10 we are seeing the word of warning and the promised removal of blessing from God come to fruition. Continue Reading…
Weakened weakness made strong to glorify God: Judges 7 and 8
Gideon is leading the men of Israel to attack the of the Midianites and Amalekites. How many men would you want in your army as you go into battle? Doesn’t the whole battle become a game of numbers game where the army with the the greatest numerical advantage wins? In Judges chapter 7 we see that Gideon has approximately 32,000 men and the men of the Midianites and Amalekites numbered 120,000. There was a 4:1 ratio against the sons of Israel. The coming battle was going to rout the Israelites by all human standards and logic. How did Gideon feel about his odds of victory. He was still unsure if God was truly calling him to deliver Israel. This is a weak moment for Gideon and he needs to depend on God alone for the the deliverance of Israel. Continue Reading…
Gideon’s perfect weakness made strong by God alone: Judges 5 and 6
What response would you expect from a person delivered? What does the repressed person feel when they are exonerated from oppression, pain, and bondage? I think joy and thankfulness would overflow from these freed people. After Deborah and Barak freed Israel from their oppression by the king of Canaan they sang a song. This song is starts in Judges 5:2,3 saying, “That the leaders led in israel, That the people volunteered, Bless the Lord! Hear, O kings; give ear, O rulers! I–to the Lord, I will sing, I will sing, I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of Israel.” This song sung, by Deborah and Barak, gives thanks to God for all that He did in helping the people of Israel. Why was a song used to retell what happened? Continue Reading…
