The book of Judges is a book that is rather depressing. The book starts out with Israel sinning, having a nation come against them, crying out to the Lord, repenting, and then the cycle repeats. The book spirals down to civil war, and now final

Beyond Sibling Rivalry (3) (Judges 20:18-41)

Mar 14th, 2011

We left off with the tribes of Israel ready to make war. There was a brief court case that was held, and Israel did ask the tribe of Benjamin to turn over the guilty offenders. Will Israel break out into full fledged civil war? Will the Lord be

Beyond Sibling Rivalry (2) Judges 20:1-17

Mar 7th, 2011

The sons of Jacob never fully got along in Jacob’s lifetime. In fact, we can see that Jacob is one who did not get along with his brother Esau. Yes, Jacob was the heir of the promise, but he did not treat his brother all that well. Will Israel

Beyond Sibling Rivalry (Judges 19:1-30)

Feb 28th, 2011

The people of Israel come together as the ones who are supposed to serve the living God. They are called to be faithful to the Lord, and serve the Lord. However we have seen that Israel is one who does not get along well as the brothers have so

Dan's Good Luck Charm (Judges 18:1-31))

Feb 21st, 2011

So, there is no king in Israel, and the people of Israel do what is right in their own eyes. The Lord has promised to build His heavenly city, and so how far can they fall? If they fall too far will the Lord be able to bring them back? Will the

Micah's Good Luck Charm (Judges 17:1-13)

Feb 14th, 2011

I had a rabbits foot novelty key chain, and always thought it was silly. I thought ti was silly because if the rabbit was so lucky he would still have his foot. Yet, as Christians we can look to our religion, and our religiosity as our "rabbit

Samson's Fall and Rise (Conclusion)

Feb 7th, 2011

Samson the mighty warrior is the last official judge that Israel has. Samson is an interesting figure who does not want to do the will of the Lord, but then always finds himself fighting with the Philistines while running from the Lord. What is

Samson's Fall and Rise? (3) (Judges 16:1-30)

Jan 31st, 2011

So, the Lord’s warrior has finally called out to the Lord. Now, we arrive at the final chapter in Samson’s story. This is the man who is supposed to conduct the Lord’s war in the Lord’s wisdom. This man has not been conducting the Lord’s war, a

Samson's Rise and Fall (Judges 14:1-20)

Jan 10th, 2011

When we consider weddings we think that they are nice festive events that families can enjoy. Usually, this is the case, but for some reason Samson’s parents do not approve of his marriage. Why are not pleased with Samson’s choice? How does Sam

A Warrior Child (Judges 13:1-25)

Nov 22nd, 2010

The people of Israel continue to be in rebellion against the Lord, and continue to conform to the Canaanites. They have failed miserably in subduing this land. There has been peace, but we find again that this peace is not lasting as the last n

Is There Finally Peace? (Judges 12:1-15)

Nov 15th, 2010

Jephthah is a man who speaks quickly, and knows how to craft a speech. What will he do when the tribe of Ephraim comes against him in the threat of civil war? What do we do with Israel having these civil wars? Why would the Lord put these thing

Jephthah’s Religiosity (Judges 11:29-40)

Nov 8th, 2010

We will never deny that Christianity is a religion. It is a very distinctive religion with doctrines that are nothing like or even close to other religions. Is there a time when being religious and devout can be a contradiction to our religion?

Jephthah the Rejected (Judges 11:1-28)

Nov 1st, 2010

Israel has asked the question, "Who is the man who will fight against the Ammonites?" This seems to be a good question in light of Israel putting away her gods. However, how does this question show their distance from the Lord? How does this qu

Has Israel Returned (Judges 10:1-18)

Oct 25th, 2010

The people of Israel have sunk to a very deep low. They have forsaken the Lord, and have been ruled by a tyrant. In fact, in the book of Judges they "do what is right in their own eyes." In other words, they decide what is right and wrong for t

Abimelech's Rise and Fall (2) (Judges 9:22-57)

Oct 18th, 2010

So, Abimelech is king who rules over Shechem and he sees himself as part of the pure kingly line. What is he going to do if there is another king who comes into town? Is there another king who has a right to possess Abimelech's throne? Does Abi

Abimelech’s Rise and Fall (Judges 9:1-21)

Oct 11th, 2010

Abimelech’s name means my father is king. Israel is warned about having a king, but eventually she has a king. It is interesting to note that the Lord even covenants to David that David will have an eternal heir on his throne. If this is the ca

Gideon the Procrastinator

Aug 7th, 2010

Imagine an ideal warrior. What does he look like? My guess is that he is a man of action, and a man who is not afraid of conflict. I bet that he is also a man who will eagerly engage in battle and fight until the end faithfully for his king. Th

Gideon's Legacy (Judges 8:29-35)

Jan 25th, 2010

The story of Gideon has had many ups and downs much like the history of Israel. Now, that Israel is in the land, and for all practical purposes has a king you would think that they would remember Gideon. Gideon had many flaws, but at least he h

Gideon A King? (Judges 8:1-28)

Jan 18th, 2010

Gideon has come a long ways in his service to Israel. He has moved from an absolute cynic about the Lord’s deliverance to one who was used to accomplish a great victory with 300 men. The Lord’s deliverance through this man is remarkable. So, wi

Gideon's Victory or Loss? (Judges 7:16-25)

Jan 11th, 2010

Gideon’s name has been changed to, "Let Baal Contend." The change happened after Gideon broke down Baal’s alter. Now, we witness the facing off of Gideon and the Midianites. The Midianites outnumber the Israelites. It seems that all the cards a

Gideon A Warrior? (Judges 7:1-15)

Dec 11th, 2009

Finally, it is time for Gideon to go to war, but now it is the Lord’s turn to stall. Gideon has tried the Lord several times in the previous scenes, and now it is the Lord’s turn to try Gideon. Will Gideon really trust that God is the great kin

Let Baal Defend HImself (Judges 6:25-32)

Nov 23rd, 2009

One of the names of God is El Shaddai. This means "God Almighty." The force of the name is that God is the mightiest of all beings. He is the king of kings and the Lord of lords. The point is that there is no being that can pull God down from H

The Midianite Menace (Judges 6:1-24)

Nov 16th, 2009

Israel seemed to be in such a high point when we left off last time, but we find again the usual statement: and Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. How will they get out of this one? Will the Lord remember His people? How can the

The Song of Deborah (Judges 5:1-30)

Nov 9th, 2009

The people of Israel have seen the mighty hand of the Lord working in covenant history. They have been lead through the Red Sea. Joshua lead the people of Israel into the promised land, but Judges is not progressing in a positive direction. Wha

What Has Happened to God's New Adam? (Judges 3:31-4:24)

Nov 2nd, 2009

The Lord declared that a champion would be raised through the seed of the woman. The Lord made clear in Genesis 3:15 that the Lord would triumph over Satan. As we have been studying the book of judges there is reason to doubt that the Lord will