148th Week, Judges Intro - Chapter 4 (Click on Title for Video Intro)

 

Click on Title for Video Introduction

List of Judges with their chapter read

OTHNIEL         40 years        Judges 3:7-11

EHUD               80 years        Judges 3:12-30

SHAMGAR      unrecorded    Judges 3:31

DEBORAH       40 years        Judges 4 & 5

(w/Barak) 

GIDEON           40 years        Judges 6-8

TOLA                23 years        Judges 10:1,2

JAIR                  22 years        Judges 10:3-5

JEPHTHAH       6 years        Judges 10:6-12:7

IBZAN                7 years        Judges 12:8-10

ELON               10 years        Judges 12:11,12

ABDON             8 years        Judges  12:13-15

SAMSON         20 years         Judges 13-16

         

Monday, Judges Introduction

Judges Intro

Book of Heroes

Jane Jones

THOUGHT

Judges is a book about heroes -- 12 men and women who delivered Israel from its oppressors. These judges were not perfect; in fact, they included an assassin, a sexually promiscuous man, and a person who broke all the laws of hospitality. But they were submissive to God, and God used them.

I know if I were asked to name a hero in my life, I would have to pick my mother. If there is anyone I would love to emulate, it would be her. And I do try hard to have her legacy live on in my life. There are times when I go to make decisions or look back on my life, I stop and think, Mom did it this way. I can see why now.

I can still remember at the supper table one night when Gary, Jeanie, and I were bickering, Mom asked us to stop. Naturally, we did not stop at first request. Finally, she just got up and went outside and sat on the back porch step. WOW!! What a statement! We were so bad we eliminated Mom from her own supper table. Her ‘no words’ spoke volumes just by her actions. I want to be like her. She is my hero!

Judges span a period of 325 years where God’s mercy delivers his people over and over again.

PRAYER

Lord, may we choose to emulate good heroes in our lives. May our lives be driven by picking heroes that are Christ led, being Salt and Light to the world, and being the hands and feet of Jesus. AMEN

Tuesday, Judges Chapter 1

Judges 1

Verse 1

Jane Jones

April 7, 2010

Verse 1:  After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?

THOUGHT

And the beat goes on...I can’t help but think about the rise and fall of all the kings in the Old Testament.

In today’s realism, if a testament was written on the rise and fall of all the US Presidents, it would be identical...only different. We have good presidents...we have bad presidents. We have ones that win humanitarian awards; we have some that are corrupt; we have some that are adulterous; we have some that win wars; and we have some that have to fight terrorism.  So have things changed much? No. All countries are still trying to rule over all. 

TJ and I attended a Boy Scout Pancake breakfast several weeks ago and sat across from a reservist that had just gotten back from Iraq. It was his third trip over. He shared with us that there would never be an end to the war.  He said that there would always be troops in the Middle East. You can’t win a war fighting terrorism. He said that too many political and religious beliefs enter into the equation. He did say one big difference between the Middle East and the US was that the US military enlisted for money, benefits, and security with a risk of death. He said in the Middle East, where the religions of the World started, men enlist to fight for a cause, for a belief, for a purpose. They believe in their cause so deeply, religiously, and spiritually, that they will give their lives at a drop of a hat to fight for their cause. That is terrorism. That you can’t win! He remarked how that was so very difficult to fight against. 

The US has no one cause, no one religion, no one true belief; they just want to win and be in control. He shared that we are such a young country with so many beliefs it is hard to come up with one cause and purpose. He said that to be there and see how very much these people believed in their cause, it was truly scary. He was so interesting and truly believed what he said. He told us to serve three one-year terms in Iraq and prove an argument against him. He wants to be proven wrong.  What are we fighting for today?

PRAYER

Lord, we pray that we will recognize You and acknowledge You as our commander in chief, as the one in command, and avoid the temptation for relying too heavily on human leaders. We pray for the

leaders in charge and ask that all pride, greed, personal power, and human control be stricken from them and may they look to You for Your sovereignty and leadership. AMEN

Wednesday, Judges Chapter 2

Judges 2

Verse 20

Jane Jones

Verse 20:  Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant that I laid down for their forefathers and has not listened to me, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died.”

THOUGHT

Why would the people of Israel turn away so quickly from their faith in God?

Simply put, everything appeared more attractive to the sensual nature and offered more short-range benefits.

Faith in the one true God, however, does not offer short-range benefits that appeal to our sinful human nature. The essence of sin is selfishness; the essence of God’s way of life is selflessness. We must seek Christ’s help to live God’s way. When self stands in the way of God, we are in BIG TROUBLE.

PRAYER

Lord, You have commanded us two things...to love you with all our heart, soul, mind, and spirit, and love our neighbor. When doing this, we keep our eyes off of ourselves. May we work hard at walking into this light daily. AMEN

Thursday, Judges Chapter 3

Judges 3

Verse 15

Jane Jones

Verse 15:  Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer-Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite.

THOUGHT

Of the twelve Judges, three came out in this chapter.

1) Othnel 40 years as Judge - He captured a powerful Canaanite City

2) Ehud 80 years as Judge - He killed Eglon and defeated the Moabites

3) Shamgar unrecorded on years as Judge - He killed 600 Philistines with an oxgoad

Have you ever noticed that God sometimes uses our weaknesses to do a great work for Him? Moses stuttered, but yet He chose Moses to lead the Israelites. He chose Saul in the midst of his disbelief and stealing, to become Paul, one of the greatest apostles of all times.

In this chapter, God chose Ehud who was left-handed. Being left-handed was perceived as a weakness. At first glance, Ehud’s career as a judge may not have seemed relevant to us.  Ehud strapped a knife to his right leg; and when he approached the man he was directed to kill, he surprised the bad king by reaching with his left hand to retrieve the knife and not the right thus surprising the king.

1)When was the last time God showed me something wrong in my life, and I took immediate and painful action to correct the error?  2)When was the last time I asked God to show me how He could use something unique about me (as He used Ehud’s left-handedness)?  3)When was the last time my life was an example to others of obedience to God?

PRAYER

Father above, please engineer situations and circumstances in our lives where we can be instrumental in witnessing for You. Please use whatever You have given us...even our weaknesses. We Love You. AMEN

Friday, Judges Chapter 4

Judges 4

Verse 9

Bart Strayer

Verse 9:  She said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.”

THOUGHT

We are introduced to Deborah in Chapter 4. She was Israel’s only woman Judge. It is evident that God’s favor is with Deborah. She seems to have favor in her pursuits. She was the anointed leader of Israel.

Do you ever have times in your life that you feel God’s favor is right there with you? How about times you feel you have abandoned God and are trying to do it all on your own? We all experience this. This verse helped me pause and reflect on all the things in my life that I have felt led by God and have His favor. Not to say that all the time is effortless, but it seems the Lord is going before me to help facilitate His Will. Praise His Name.

PRAYER

Lord, we acknowledge Your workings in our life. Help us to see You in even the most mundane areas of our lives. We ask for Your favor and continued blessings. We love You today. AMEN