Last time in Chapter 13, we looked at Samson and the circumstances of his unusual birth. He was to be a Nazarite from birth. Usually, someone took a Nazarite vow for a specific amount of time and did so voluntarily, whereas Samson had no say in the matter. It is…
Chapter 12 left off with a long list of judges, but now we come to the story of perhaps the most famous one of all: Samson. The story of Samson covers four chapters in the Book of Judges, making it the longest story in the book. It has also been…
Continuing on from Chapter 11 of the Book of Judges, we now come to Chapter 12. There are some rough parallels between Gideon and Jepthah. We saw a major one in that both had their hopes of a dynasty crushed before they even started. Gideon’s son would not kill Zebah…
In Judges 10, we saw again how Israel fell into idolatry soon after the death of one of the judges. Going on into chapter 11, we were introduced to Jepthah the Gileadite, who was born out of wedlock. Gilead’s legitimate sons ran him off in order to keep him from…
In Chapter 9, we saw how the lust for power of Abimelech and Gaal came to a violent ending. Things have not changed much today, as people grab for power, but unfortunately it isn’t limited to the world. Paul and Jesus both warned of such things coming from within the…
We ended Chapter 8 noting that as soon as Gideon was dead, the people fell into syncretism (the act of blending paganism with their religion). They forgot about Gideon and his family, and they forgot about God. We also noted that Gideon may have brought some of this trouble down…
Two items from Chapter 7 carry over into this one. Of course, the background is that Gideon, aka Jerubbaal, had just routed the enemy, the Midianites and the Amalekites, and was now pursuing them towards the Jordan. Remember that Gideon called for help from the surrounding tribes, including Ephraim (7:24). …
We left off Chapter 6 right before discussing the laying out of the fleece. Gideon, who now has the nickname Jerubbaal after destroying the altar of Baal and the surrounding grove, blew a trumpet to marshal the Israelites in the surrounding region. All along, we see God gently guiding Gideon…
We left off Chapter 5 with forty years of peace after the triumph of Deborah and Barak over Sisera. 1 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. ~ Jdg 6:1 This time, they…
Chapter 5 continues what we read in Chapter 4. It is a celebration over the victory of Barak and Deborah over Jabin. Having beaten the enemy, Deborah and Barak now sing a song of praise to God. They praise Him for avenging His people. 2 “Israel’s leaders took charge, and…