Archives for March 2021

OVERVIEW:

The rise of King Saul as he obeys God; the fall of King Saul as he relies upon his own reasoning; Jonathan, Saul’s son, acts in great courage.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

As chapter 10 came to a close at the end of yesterday’s reading, Saul returned to his home town after being anointed the king of Israel. Recognize, that at this point, his leadership had not yet been firmly established, and word was actually still traveling throughout the land that he had even been installed as king. As we move into chapter 11 in today’s reading, however, Saul was going to be given the opportunity to establish his leadership, because Nahash, the leader of the Ammonite army was threatening to come against Israel in Jabesh-Gilead. Saul’s swift response to rally the armies of Israel, and the subsequent demolition of the Ammonite army, rallied the nation of Israel together in unity, and the people became zealous to follow their new king and leader.

In chapter 12, Samuel takes the occasion of Israel’s renewal and rededication to further establish Saul’s leadership. Samuel walks the people back through his own ministry among them, and then walks them back even further through their history as a nation under the leadership of Moses and Aaron, and then, through several of the judges. Samuel’s intent was to show them how God had been faithful to them as a people and a nation, and that they had actually slapped God in the face, as it were, for requesting an earthly king to reign over them, when the Lord their God was their king! (12:12)

Samuel tells them that even though they had done this evil to the Lord, He was still willing to take them from where they were and bless them. He proclaims in 12:14–15 this incredibly gracious promise, and yet this incredibly powerful warning: “If ye will fear the Lord, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the Lord your God: But if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you, as it was against your fathers.”

To prove to the people that he was in fact speaking for God, and that the Lord had been offended by their request for a king, Samuel predicted that the Lord would send thunder and rain on that very day, which was during the time of the wheat harvest, a time of the year when rain seldom, if ever, would fall on that part of the world.

When Samuel prayed, the thunder clouds rolled in and it began to rain upon the land, striking both the fear of the Lord and of Samuel in the hearts of the people. (12:18) The people owned their sin for requesting a king, and Samuel assures them of God’s grace and His pleasure in them continuing to be His people, and yet, still warning them that they needed to follow the Lord without wavering, and to serve Him with all of their heart. (12:21–25)

As we begin chapter 13, God lets us know that the events that take place in this chapter happened two years into Saul’s reign as king. We already begin to get glimpses of things that we will be able to look back on as “the beginning of sorrows” in the reign of Saul.

First, Saul tries to vaunt himself and his leadership by taking credit for the victory his very own son, Jonathan, had achieved in Geba. (13:1–4) Secondly, as the Philistines began to rally themselves together to come against Israel, Saul delayed in leading the attack against them, and the armies of Israel were found cowering in caves, fearful for their very lives. When Samuel didn’t return when Saul expected, he took it upon himself to carry out the role of a priest in sacrificing the burnt offering. Just as he had made an end of offering the sacrifice, Samuel returned, and immediately asked him what in the world had he done! Like a little child, Saul explains to Samuel that he didn’t want to have to offer the sacrifice, but since Samuel wasn’t around to do it, he forced himself to violate his own will and conscience and did it for the sake of the people. Yeah, right!

Samuel explains to Saul that though he had been fully positioned to lead Israel the remainder of his life, that now, because of his failure to obey the Lord, his reign in the kingdom would not continue. (13:14) Samuel continues to explain that the person God wanted to lead to His people was “a man after his own heart”. Recognize that Samuel’s declaration was made to Saul privately, so no one in Israel knew the decision God had made, and it would still be a number of years before the transition to a new king would actually be made.

As we move into chapter 14, rather than Saul seeking to humble himself before the Lord, in an attempt to become “a man after God’s own heart”, he is lifted up with pride. Watching him try to hang onto his position and power becomes almost pitiful, if it weren’t so prideful. He begins to make a lot of foolish decisions in chapter 14 that result in him seeking to take the life of his own son. He would have killed him had he not been rescued by the people. Saul becomes foolish, fleshly, and full of himself and, thereby, begins to bring the nation of Israel down with him.

In the New Testament, Paul, whose original name was Saul, makes only one mention of his name’s sake saying, “And when He had removed him.” (Acts 13:22) How ironic that the first king of Israel is only known for having to be removed, so God could fulfill His plan.

May God help us to recognize today, that He is still seeking men and women after His own heart! Perhaps the question we need to ask ourselves today is this: Is there any area of my life where I, like Saul, am allowing myself to be lifted up with pride, and need to humble myself before the Lord?

Jonathan, King Saul’s son, seems to have the heart of a lion (1^st Samuel 14:6), but his life is caught in the web of his father’s sin. Although he himself remains pure, the effects of his father’s sin will ultimately end his life. We must recognize, there is no private sin or private life. What we do will ultimately affect those around us, and most often and most severely, those we love! (Numbers 32:22–24)

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

Through all that Samuel was intended by God to be — judge, priest, and prophet. (John 5:30; Hebrews 7:26; Acts 7:37)

OVERVIEW:

God wreaks havoc on His enemies through the ark of the covenant; Samuel leads Israel in reformation and worship; Israel demands an earthly king; Saul is installed as the first earthly king of Israel.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

The account of the ark of our God in the house of Dagon (the fish god) in chapter 5 is classic. The image of the idol that the Philistines worshiped and served “fallen upon his face”, having his head and hands lopped off, bowing before the presence of the one true God represented in the ark, is not only awesome it is a preview of coming attractions! Revelation 17 and 18 is the prophecy of a time in the near future when all of the false systems of religion in the world, represented in Babylon, will come crashing down to the earth and be destroyed by the King of kings and Lord of lords!

One would think that the Philistines, beholding the absolute powerlessness and pitifulness of their god as a mere “stump” on the ground before the presence of the God of Israel, would have brought them to their spiritual senses, and in repentance, they would do what the Thessalonians did: “turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God;” (1^st Thessalonians 1:9) That, however, didn’t happen! The Philistines then become one of the greatest biblical examples of how “the god of this world (Satan) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2^nd Corinthians 4:4) It is important for us to recognize, from this verse, that God is revealing to us the reason lost people are unable to “SEE” the truth of God is not because they are unintelligent, but it’s the simple fact that they have been BLINDED by Satan! That’s why some of the most intelligent, and otherwise, rational people on this planet can believe obvious LIES when the TRUTH clearly makes better and more logical sense!

Notice also, however, that 2^nd Corinthians 4:4 goes on to tell us that the power of the glorious gospel of Christ is able to shine past the blinders Satan uses to keep the gospel hid from lost people! (2^nd Corinthians 4:3–4) As God’s redeemed people, we must make certain that we always take full advantage of every opportunity our Lord opens to us to declare the gospel (the message of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection) to the lost people in our sphere of influence. It quite simply, is their only hope! Romans 1:16 tells us that “it (the gospel) is the power of God unto salvation”! Notice, this verse tells us that the power of God is in the message of the gospel! The power is not in our ability to communicate. It is not in our winsome personality, or our ability to wield influence upon others. It is not in our ability to reason and/or debate with people. It is in the simplicity of the message of the gospel! (2^nd Corinthians 11:3–4) Let us, therefore, be diligent to pray, as Paul did, “that God would open unto us a door of utterance” (Colossians 4:3), that we may have the opportunity to declare to the lost people of this world the powerful, life-changing, eternal-destiny-changing message of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection! Again, as God’s redeemed people, we must recognize that unleashing the message of the gospel is THE ONLY POWER(!!!) that can release people from the power of Satan! In Acts 26:18, Paul articulated to King Agrippa the purpose God had for him with regard to the lost people of the world. The purpose he articulates, however, is not only how God intended to use him with the lost, it is the purpose God has for using each one of us who have become a recipient of the glorious gospel of Christ: “To open their eyes (the lost!), and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in [us].” May God help us to faithfully proclaim the gospel (“good news”) of Christ’s redeeming death, burial and resurrection!

Notice also in 5:6-12 that God’s awesome presence manifest through the ark was very devastating to the people to whom it did not belong. God allowed them to be struck with a miserable ailment (hemorrhoids) that affects virtually any and every activity of life. The Philistines quickly came to the conclusion that perhaps they’d be better off without the prized possession of the Israelites in their midst. In chapter 6, they seek the counsel of their own pagan priests and demonic diviners about how to return the ark, and they provide some of the most outlandish advice imaginable. They concoct their own self-styled version of offering a “trespass offering” which included, of all things, making golden images of the hemorrhoids by which God had used to judge them! Wow! Sometimes it is utterly amazing what people will invent to do “in the name of God” totally disregarding what He has clearly revealed in His word!

One of the key things to note in chapter 6, is that when the Philistines returned the ark to the children of Israel, it arrived on a “new cart”. God is here, foreshadowing an event that will come to fruition, in 2^nd Samuel 6, because of this “new cart”. Notice also the devastation God meted out upon the Philistines for the inquisitiveness that caused them to look inside the ark of the Lord: 50,070 men dropped dead!

In chapter 7, the ark is returned to the children of Israel. Once it came into their possession, however, rather than take it to its designated place in Shiloh (4:3), it remains in the house of a man of Israel by the name of Abinadab. Interestingly enough, the ark, which, again, represents the presence and power of God, sits in Abinadab’s house rather than “the house of the Lord” for 20 years!

In 7:3, Samuel calls the house of Israel to repentance. The gods that he calls them to forsake in this passage, Baalim and Ashteroth, is an indication of the deplorable depths of sin to which God’s people had plummeted. Baalim was a male god and Ashtaroth was a female god, and the sinful behavior to which Satan had devised for the worship of these “gods” was nothing short of gross debauchery!

Samuel promises Israel that, in accordance with their genuine repentance, God would deliver them out of the hands of the Philistines. Israel does repent, and Samuel offers a lamb as a burnt offering to the Lord, and cries out to God for Israel, and 7:9 beautifully says, “and the Lord heard him.” The Lord answered with thunder from heaven against the ensuing Philistines, and Israel was able to defeat them speedily and handily. (7:10–12) It has been noted that Samuel accomplished more with one prayer depending on the SPIRIT’S power, than Samson accomplished in 20 years depending upon the power of the FLESH! As chapter 7 closes, it reveals that Samuel served as a faithful prophet and judge in Israel, ministering to the people from city to city, speaking the word of the Lord, and helping to settle their disputes all the days of his life. (7:13–17)

As we move into chapter 8, however, it lets us know that in all of the great things that could be said about the ministry of Samuel, there was one place he failed to minister, and, of all places, it was his own home! Evidently, Samuel had the FALSE IMPRESSION, as many of God’s faithful ministers have had through the centuries, that if he took care of the things of the Lord, the Lord would take care of the things concerning his family. We must understand, however, that though God has called all of us to constantly be a minister in His work, both edifying and expanding His family (1^st Corinthians 15:58; 2^nd Corinthians 5:18-19), our responsibility to the LORD’S FAMILY does not negate or diminish the responsibility we have to minister to our OWN FAMILY! Quite simply, our spouse and our children must be our first place of ministry! It is of such importance in the New Testament church, that God even prescribed in the list of those holding the office of a pastor, that his children be “faithful…not accused of riot or unruly.” (Titus 1:6) The way Paul articulated it in 1^st Timothy 3:4 is: “One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity.” Recognize that these New Testament qualifications, for the family of those holding the office of a pastor, are no different than what He commands and intends for every believer. (Ephesians 6:4) It is simply that the things in these lists, in 1^st Timothy 3 and Titus 1, are a prerequisite for those who hold positions requiring them to provide the spiritual oversight and feeding of the family of God.

But notice, as Samuel came to the end of his ministry, 8:1 says that he “made his sons judges over Israel.” Sadly, however, 8:3 lets us know, “…his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.” This action by Samuel, despite his inability to instill in his sons the godly character he possessed, became one of the justifications and rationalizations the people had for demanding that Samuel install a king to rule them “like all the nations.” (8:5) God reveals the disingenuousness in their request by telling Samuel that their problem wasn’t really with Samuel’s authority but with His! Yes, Samuel certainly should have made ministering to his family a greater priority, but his failure as a father was nothing more than a smokescreen the people used to get what they wanted all along: to be out from God’s direct authority, and to be conformed to this world. (2^nd Samuel 8:5; Romans 12:2)

It is interesting to note that 1^st Samuel 8 records the first of Israel’s three REJECTIONS of the triune God in scripture:

• Israel rejects God the FATHER by choosing Saul. (1^st Samuel 8:7)
• Israel rejects God the SON by choosing Barabbas. (Luke 23:18)
• Israel rejects God the HOLY SPIRIT by refusing Stephen’s message. (Acts 7:51)

Perhaps we should all ask ourselves today, “Is there any area of my life that would be communicating to God that I am rejecting His authority?”

In chapters 9 and 10, God concedes to Israel’s wishes in granting them a king, but clearly communicates to them what it will ultimately cost them. It is another of many times in scripture where God gave the people what they wanted but, in doing so, the people lost what they had. (Psalm 106:15) In this instance, in 1^st Samuel 9 and 10, God gave them a king to rule them just as they had requested but they lost the omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent kingship of the God who so loved and cared for them that they were the very “apple of his eye.” (Deuteronomy 32:10)

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

Through all that Samuel was intended by God to be — judge, priest, and prophet. (John 5:30; Hebrews 7:26; Acts 7:37)

OVERVIEW:

God gives Samuel to Hannah; Hannah gives Samuel to God; Samuel gives himself to God; God gives Samuel to Israel; Eli misappropriates the tabernacle by permitting his sons to disobey; Eli misses God’s message; Eli misuses the ark of the covenant; Samuel lives; Eli dies.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

The book of 1^st Samuel begins at a time when “the word of the Lord was precious.” (3:1) It was precious for the same reason that gold or platinum are such “precious” commodities today; the simple fact that they are incredibly rare! If the Lord were making a declaration concerning our day, He would, no doubt, repeat these very words: “the word of the Lord was precious in those days!” (Amos 8:11–12)

Recognize, as we come into 1^st Samuel today, that at this point in the history of Israel, God’s people were in the place He wanted them, the land that was promised, and yet, they hadn’t actually “possessed their inheritance”, or “possessed their possession”, the way He had intended. God had repeatedly warned them, in Deuteronomy 8 and 9, of the danger of forgetting Him after He had brought them into the land, and yet it becomes more than apparent, in the book of 1^st Samuel, that God’s warning had totally gone unheeded. It resulted in two extremely unfortunate realities:  

1) God’s people didn’t fear Him, and therefore, didn’t bring Him the honor and glory for which He was worthy; and,

2) God’s people weren’t experiencing the life He had designed for them to enjoy in the “land that flowed with milk and honey”. 

Once again, keep in mind, in these chapters, that Israel is an Old Testament picture of New Testament believers who are “in Christ” and therefore, obviously possess ETERNAL life, and yet, are not possessing the ABUNDANT life God intended their ETERNAL life to bring them. Just like in the days of Samuel, many believers today (dare we say, MOST!) simply do not fear the Lord, and therefore, don’t bring Him the glory that is due His name (Psalm 29:2; 96:8), choosing to live beneath the privilege God designed them to possess.

A bright spot in 1^st and 2^nd Samuel, however, is Samuel himself, the one for whom these books were named. He was the first of the prophets, the last of the judges, and the man God would use to usher in Israel’s earthly kings. He would faithfully serve God and His people, and yet, ultimately be rejected by the people. Though Israel rejected Samuel, God tells him not to take it personally, because it was actually Him they were rejecting! (8:7) Because of their rejection of God’s leadership, they sought out earthly kings to lead them, as had the other nations of the world. However, this did not come as a shock to God! Actually, He prophesied they would do this very thing back in Deuteronomy 17!

The book of 1^st Samuel is fast-paced and layered with historical and spiritual significance. Notice in Chapter 1, that it is out of a rather sinful and precarious marital situation that Samuel is born to Hannah and Elkanah. As unfortunate as it is to say, Hannah is actually one of Elkanah’s two wives. Though polygamy had become CULTURALLY acceptable at this time, it certainly wasn’t BIBLICALLY acceptable! God’s intention has always been, and will always be, ONE MAN and ONE WOMAN for ONE LIFETIME! (Genesis 2:24; 1^st Timothy 3:2) Because of this sinful marriage arrangement, some might refer to Samuel as an “illegitimate child”. Recognize, however, that in God’s eyes, there are no “illegitimate children”! There may be “illegitimate PARENTS”, but there is certainly no such thing as an “illegitimate child”! Samuel is a beautiful biblical example of that! Every child is formed by God Himself in His mother’s womb, is “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:13–14), and God has designed a “perfect will” for each of us, regardless of the marital status or immoral behavior of our parents!

In Chapter 2, when Hannah presents back to God His present to her, from a human standpoint, she is handing Samuel over to a priest who has long departed from God’s perfect will. He is a carnal, obese old man (4:18) who had allowed his own sons (who were the “sons of Belial”, or Satan—2:12) to run the tabernacle, and, run it they did! Right into the ground! God, however, would receive the offering of her only begotten son, and use him mightily in fulfilling His purposes in the nation of Israel!

Notice in 3:2–3, that it says of Eli, “his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see.” From this brief description, we can assume that Eli suffered from cataracts or some other condition that had caused him to become blind. In this case, however, it is a PHYSICAL picture of his SPIRITUAL condition. The greatest travesty concerning Eli’s inability to see wasn’t that he couldn’t see PHYSICALLY, but that he couldn’t see SPIRITUALLY!

We would do well to recognize that God tells us, in 2^nd Peter 1:5–9, that if after coming to faith in Christ, we fail to give “ALL DILIGENCE” to add to our faith the seven things listed in 2^nd Peter 1:5–7, the same thing that happened to Eli PHYSICALLY will happen to us SPIRITUALLY! Peter tells us that if we fail to faithfully follow this divinely inspired scope and sequence for our spiritual growth and development, we will become spiritually BLIND, and not be able to see “afar off”, which is another way of saying that we won’t be able to see the things in the eternal realm that can only be seen through the eyes of faith. (2^nd Corinthians 4:18) Peter continues in verse 9 to say that failing to add these things to our faith will ultimately cause us to get to the place spiritually that we will even forget that we have been purged from our “old sins”. In other words, we will get to the place that as born-again, blood-bought, eternally-secure believers in Jesus Christ, we are living like we did when we were lost! Oh my! God forbid! Let us be certain to heed Peter’s warning to give all diligence to add to our faith “virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.”

As we move into chapter 4, because of Israel’s disregard for the word of God, and their subsequent disobedience (note that disregarding the word of God will always result in disobedience to the God of the word!), the nation of Israel is annihilated in battle against the Philistines. Along with losing 4000 soldiers in the first battle, Israel lost 30,000 soldiers in the second battle, along with losing their most prized possession, the ark of the covenant, or the presence of God in their midst! By the end of chapter 4, God gives us a graphic, physical picture of the spiritual principle of Romans 6:23a: “For the wages of sin is death”.

In the battle against the Philistines, Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, both DIED! (4:11) When Eli received word of their death, and that the ark of the covenant had gone into the possession of the Philistines, he fell over backwards, and DIED! When Phinehas’ pregnant wife got word that the ark of God was taken by the Philistines, and that both her father-in-law and her husband had died, the trauma was so great that it thrust her into labor, and in the process of delivering the child, she, too, DIED! Just prior to her death, she gave to her newborn son one of the saddest names she could have possibly given to him: she named him Ichabod, meaning, “the glory has departed”. With her final breath, she uttered these fateful words: “The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.” (4:22)

Sadly, “Ichabod” is a perfect description of many 21^st century churches: the glory of God’s presence, that is designed to be manifested through Christ’s body, has departed. While the people of the church gather on Sundays to celebrate the presence of Christ in their midst inside the four walls of their building, Christ stands OUTSIDE the church knocking on the door, as it were, waiting for someone to recognize that His presence is not there, and go and open the door to let Him in! (Revelation 3:20)

Can you hear Him knocking?

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

Through all that SAMUEL was intended to be – judge, priest, and prophet. (John 5:30; Hebrews 7:26; Acts 7:37)

OVERVIEW:

Elimelech and Naomi and their two sons sojourn into Moab during a time of famine; Elimelech’s death; the marriage of Naomi’s two sons to Orpah and Ruth; the death of Naomi’s sons; Naomi’s decision to return to Bethlehem and Ruth’s decision to go with her; Ruth goes to glean in the field of Boaz in Bethlehem; Boaz’s kindness to Ruth; Naomi informs Ruth that Boaz can fulfill the role of kinsman-redeemer; Ruth approaches Boaz at the threshingfloor; Boaz fulfills the role of Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer, taking her to wife; Ruth gives birth to Obed, King David’s grandfather.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS: The book of Ruth is the record of one of the greatest love stories of all time. For those of us living in the church age, it is one of the most important stories in the entire Old Testament. Pay close attention to the details of her story.

Ruth was born into this world a Gentile, as a member of a cursed race. She was a Moabitess. We learn from Deuteronomy 23:3, the Moabites were a race of people cursed by God due to sin.

As the story unfolds, Ruth finds herself in a time of famine (1:1), and yet, it is in the midst of this famine that one day, someone shared with her good news from a far land: the fact that the Lord had visited His people in Bethlehem, in giving them bread! (1:6) Upon hearing that good news, she left her father and mother, and the gods she served in her homeland, and went to partake of the Lord’s provision of bread in Bethlehem. (1:15–18)

When she arrived in Bethlehem, chapter 2 and verse 3 tells us that she “just happened” to go to work, gleaning in the harvest field of the only man on earth who would carry out for her the Old Testament provision of the kinsman-redeemer. (Leviticus 25:23-28) His name was Boaz, a mighty man of wealth, a Jew, from the city of Bethlehem. (2:1-2) Boaz takes one look at her in his field, falls head-over-heels in love with her (2:5), and takes her out of his harvest field to be his bride (4:9-10). “And,” as the old saying goes, “they lived happily ever after.”

The reason Ruth’s story is, for us, one of the most important in the entire Bible, is because Ruth’s story is actually our story! Like Ruth, we too, were born into a race of people that had been cursed by God due to sin. (Romans 5:12; 6:23a) We call it the “human” race.

But, one day, someone shared with us “good news” from a far land: the fact that God had visited His people in Bethlehem (Luke 2:4,7), as the Bread of Life (John 6:35), and could feed the famine sin had left in our soul. Upon hearing that “good news” (“gospel” – 1^st Corinthians 15:1–4), once again, like Ruth, we, too, left our father and mother (Matthew 10:37) and the “gods” we once served in our homeland (1^st Thessalonians 1:9), and we became a partaker of God’s provision on our behalf. (Ephesians 3:6)

Now, we have gone to work, gleaning in the harvest field (Matthew 13:38) of our Jewish Kinsman-Redeemer, the mighty man of wealth (the “God-man”) from the city of Bethlehem, until He calls us out of His harvest field (1^st Thessalonians 4:16) to make us His bride (Revelation 19:7; 21:9), and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1^st Thessalonians 4:17), living happily ever after (Revelation 21:4)!

Hallelujah! The Bible is indeed a supernatural book!

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

Through BOAZ, the mighty and wealthy Jewish kinsman-redeemer from the city of Bethlehem who took a Gentile bride out of his harvest field – Ruth 2–4 (Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 4:15; Luke 2:4–7: Revelation 19:7; Matthew 13:38)

OVERVIEW:

The corruption of the tribe of Dan; the wickedness of the Gibeonites; the division between the tribe of Benjamin and the rest of Israel; the destruction of the tribe of Benjamin.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

As we finish the book of Judges today, it is vital that we recall where we are at this point of Israel’s history. After several years of complacency, summarized in chapters 1 and 2, Israel entered into a long period of compromise, found in chapters 3 through 16. During that time, God’s people endured seven major cycles of oppression at the hands of those over whom the Lord had previously given victory. The final five chapters of the book of Judges sadly describe for us the corruption that ultimately takes place when they forgot God and His word! Some of the most bizarre and horrific stories in all of scripture appear in this final part of the book of Judges. Remember, the key to understanding this whole book is found in the last verse of the final chapter: “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”

In chapter 18, the tribe of Dan convinces Micah’s own personal priest, whom he called “father” (Judges 17:10) to leave with them to be the priest of the entire tribe. (Judges 18:19) This, of course, was very appealing to the priest because it was a pretty incredible “promotion”, so to speak. He was so excited about this “promotion” that he stole Micah’s ephod (“priestly garment”), his teraphim (“household idol”), and his “graven image” (Judges 18:20) so he could perform his priestly duties for the tribe of Dan. Micah was, of course, devastated because what had actually happened is not only did he lose his priest, but his entire religion had been stolen! (Judges 18:24) The simple but profound lesson here is beware of any “religion” that, because of its external ritualism and idolatry, can be stolen! Notice in this passage, Micah’s “religion” couldn’t resist the weapons of warfare (18:11, 16–17). When push came to shove, his priest would not stand by him (18:18–20), the congregation was powerless to do anything but cry out in despair with him (18:22–23), and its final end was nothing more than heartache and loss. (18:24–26) Note, the beautiful reality is, you can’t steal the “religion” of someone who has been truly born again, because, first of all, it’s not based on EXTERNAL realities but INTERNAL ones (Luke 17:21), and in the final analysis, it’s not actually even a RELIGION! It is an eternal RELATIONSHIP whereby the holy, omnipotent, Creator-God of the universe has become our Father, and we, His sons and daughters! (2^nd Corinthians 6:18) That is something, hallelujah, that can’t be STOLEN! (John 10:28)

In chapter 19, a Levite sets out on a long journey to recover his unfaithful concubine. He discovers, however, that she had been abused all night long until the dawning of the day, and had been divided into pieces by the sword. Although this isn’t a perfect picture by any means, it is still a very sobering reminder of the fact that in the very near future, Jehovah God will come back in the morning (Malachi 4:2) after the biblical “nighttime” of the Church Age (Romans 13:12; 1^st Thessalonians 5:2, 5), to look for His unfaithful wife, the nation of Israel, who has been abused all through this biblical nighttime, and has been spiritually dead to Him. Remember, we just happen to be in the book of Judges and, at this point, there is no king in Israel, and Israel is “dead”, as it were, to God. In the next book of the Bible, the book of Ruth, a Jewish kinsman-redeemer takes a gentile bride to himself, and then the son of David (Solomon) will come back to give Israel life once again. This, too, points us to the glories that await Israel in the future!

Chapters 20 and 21 teach us the story of how Israel decides to deal with this despicable sin that happened within their borders (the abusing of the concubine by the men of Gibeah). There is a division between the men of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin over this issue. Shockingly, Benjamin takes the side of the Gibeonites and decides to fight against Israel. It allows us to, again, see the amazingly disgusting depths to which sin is capable of taking us! The Benjamites actually wanted to defend the unthinkable wickedness of the Gibeonites! What does that tell you about the moral state of this tribe at this time? The tribe of Benjamin was defeated by Israel in the war and it appeared that the sin at Gibeah had been dealt with. The only problem is that history teaches us that they never truly repented, because once again, they returned to their sinful ways. (2^nd Corinthians 7:10) All of chapter 21 is a counterfeit repentance that does nothing more than make them feel good about themselves for “confessing their sin”. They were not, however, actually turning (repenting) from their sin, by “cleansing themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2^nd Corinthians 7:1) Like much of the confession of sin done by Christians in the 21^st century, it is “worldly sorrow” which brings about “worldly repentance” as opposed to “godly sorrow” that brings about “godly repentance”! (2^nd Corinthians 7:8–11) We would do well to consider of what sort is our sorrow over repentance of sin!     

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

Through THE HOUSE OF GOD – Judges 20:18 (God’s dwelling place among His people Israel. Unfortunately, this corrupt time in Israel is much like the Laodicean church period (Revelation 3:14–22), where our Lord Jesus Christ is on the outside looking in, while all the people on the inside think He’s in their midst!)

As the LEVITE – Judges 19:1 (See details in the “Highlights and Insights” above)

OVERVIEW:

The birth of Samson; the life of Samson; the death of Samson; Micah and his mother’s idolatrous religion.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

In today’s reading, we encounter one of the most popular judges in Israel’s history, the infamous Samson. God had an unbelievable plan for how He wanted to use him, and yet, the tragedy is, Samson cashed it all in because he never could overcome the passions of his flesh. On one hand, we could refer to Samson as “The STRONGEST man who ever lived”, and yet, on the other hand, we could refer to him as “The WEAKEST man who ever lived”! From a PHYSICAL standpoint, Samson’s strength was beyond human comprehension. From a SPIRITUAL standpoint, however, he couldn’t even muster the simple strength to tell his flesh “No!” He had the power to conquer every man on earth except one, HIMSELF!

What we learn from Judges 13–16, is that Samson was a man who had everything in the world going for him. God had blessed him beyond measure, and yet he squandered it all, because rather than serve God’s purposes for his life, he chose to serve himself! Rather than becoming the champion God intended for him to become, he became a selfish, self-willed, self-absorbed, self-seeking, self-gratifying, self-loving, self-monger! With that in mind, maybe we should remind ourselves that God tells us, in 2^nd Timothy 3:1–2, that the number one characteristic that makes these “last days” so incredibly “perilous”, is that we, too, are “lovers of our own SELVES”! Perhaps, then, there just might be some things we can learn from Samson’s life that can help us. Notice a few important things:

1. Samson was the product of a SUPERNATURAL BIRTH.

Judges 13:2 lets us know that his mother was barren, and had absolutely no hope of bearing a child apart from the supernatural working of the “angel of the LORD” (an Old Testament appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ), who appears to her in verse 3, and causes her to be able to conceive and bear Samson.

2. Sampson had the privilege of being SET APART for the Lord’s service from his very birth.

Judges 13:5 says, “For the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb.” That is what a Nazarite was, “one who was ‘SANCTIFIED’ or ‘SET APART’ for the Lord’s service.”

3. Samson possessed the very POWER of the Holy Spirit of God upon his life.

Judges 13:25 says that Samson was “moved” by the “Spirit of the LORD.” Judges 14:5–6 says he was empowered “mightily” by the “Spirit of the LORD” upon him to overcome a “roaring lion”! Judges 15:14–16 says he was “mightily” empowered by the “Spirit of the LORD” to overcome his enemies, a thousand of them at one time!

4. Sampson was provided a BEGINNING that was filled with unending promise and potential.

The last part of Judges 13:5 says, “… And he shall BEGIN to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” Notice, that what Sampson did with the “BEGINNING” God gave to him, was limited only by Samson’s own choices, and his willingness to be surrendered to God’s plans and purposes for him.

Yet, with all of these incredible realities and this unending potential in his life, because of pride, self-will, selfish ambition, and allowing himself to be overtaken by sensual lust, he forfeited the real impact God could have used him to have, and he squandered the potential glory his life could have brought to the Lord. He becomes for us, the classic biblical example of a WASTED LIFE!

I’m not sure if you recognized it or not as we were overviewing Samson’s life, but his story is unbelievably similar to ours! Because, for all of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, just like Samson:

1. We, too, were the product of a SUPERNATURAL BIRTH!

No, not a physical one like Samson’s, but a supernatural birth that we call “salvation” or being “born again”! Ephesians 2:12–13 says we were “without hope” until the “angel of the Lord”, the Lord Jesus Christ, supernaturally drew us to Himself. In 1^st Peter 1:23 we know that we were “…born again, not of corruptible seed (physical seed/birth), but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.”

2. We, too, were given the privilege of being SET APART for the Lord’s service from our very birth!

Of course, that would be referring, again, to our spiritual birth! We read in 1^st Corinthians 6:11 that when the Holy Spirit of God “washed” us in Christ’s blood and we received our “justification”, or our “salvation” in Christ, that at that very moment we were “SANCTIFIED”, or “SET APART”, by the Holy Spirit of God for the Lord’s service.

3. We, too, possess the very POWER of the Holy Spirit of God upon our lives!

Acts 17:28 says that, “…in HIM we live and MOVE, and have our being…” From 2^nd Corinthians 6:16 we know that in US, He LIVES and MOVES and has HIS being! We are told in 1^st Peter 5:8 that though our enemy (or adversary) walks about like a “ROARING LION”, 1^st John 4:4 says that we have been given the POWER by the One who lives in us, to OVERCOME him, and not just him, but the enemy of sin that resides in the members of our body. Romans 6:13–14 says that through God’s POWER in us, the enemy of sin no longer has dominion (or power) over us!

4. We, too, have been provided a BEGINNING that is filled with unending promise and potential.

Now that we are “in Christ” 2^nd Corinthians 5:17 says that we are a “new creature” and that “old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” That’s the “BEGINNING” God gave to all of us! Just as in Samson’s case, what we do with the “BEGINNING” God gives to us, is limited only by our own choices, and our willingness to be surrendered to His plan and purposes through us!

Do you see that unbelievable connection we have with Sampson? We, too, are those who have everything in the world going for us! Like Samson, God has blessed us beyond measure! Yet, the absolute tragedy and travesty is, many who have actually experienced a supernatural spiritual birth; many who have been set apart by that spiritual birth for the Lord’s service; many who have been empowered by God’s own Holy Spirit in them; and many who have been granted the unbelievable privilege and promise of a brand-new beginning with unlimited potential to bring God glory, just like Samson, forfeit the real impact God intends for their lives. Just like Samson, they squander their potential to glorify God, and their ultimate accounting at the Judgment Seat of Christ will reveal that, for all intents and purposes, they WASTED THEIR LIFE! For the sake of God’s glory, may that not be true of me, and may it not be true of you! May we learn from the negative example of Samson’s life, to keep ourselves off the path of self-love and self-destruction and fulfill God’s glorious purposes for our lives!

Notice that in the section that records the end of Samson’s life (Judges 16:29–31), he’s buried beneath the rubble of his own self-destruction, and his brothers have come to pull him out of it, to at least give him a decent burial. Again, may it never be that our brothers have to come and pull us out of the rubble of our own self-destruction! Our God is worthy of so much more!

In chapter 17, we have an incredible picture of a false religious system that has:

• Robed priests (17:5–an “ephod” = a priestly garment)
• Called “fathers” (17:10)
• Who use idols (17:4–5—a “graven/molten image”)
• Has aides, in worship, in their “house of gods” (17:5)

Does that sound like any false religious system of which you have ever heard? This happens to be a perfect description of the false religious system that exists today, called the Roman Catholic Church!

Note in 17:10–13, that by taking this man who was younger than Micah to be his personal “priest” that he referred to as “father”, he actually thought he was doing the “right thing” and that the Lord would be pleased. (Compare this, however, with 17:6!) The sad reality is, Satan has always found a way to concoct some false religious system to put GOD’S name on so he can give people a false sense of security as he is in the very process of damning their souls to hell. The whole reason this happened was because Micah neglected to consult God’s word on this matter! It is the same reason the Roman Catholic Church deceives so many into thinking they are right with God; they, very simply, neglect to consult God’s word on the matter! We must pray for the people trapped in this damnable false system of religion! Over a billion of the world’s population are Roman Catholic.

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

Through SAMSON – Judges 13–16 He is the son of promise who was born to be set-apart for God in order to deliver Israel from her enemies.

OVERVIEW:

Abimelech’s rise to power and his subsequent death; the oppression of the Ammonites; Jephthah’s deliverance of Israel and vow to God.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

Although Gideon’s fame as a courageous judge of Israel is secured in biblical history (Hebrews 11:32), the inviolable law of sowing and reaping enters the picture as we move into chapter 9 in today’s reading. (Galatians 6:7–8) The seeds of rebellion and pride that we witnessed Gideon sow at the end of chapter 8 (8:27–31) are already beginning to bear some nasty fruit. As we enter chapter 9, God details for us the consequences of what Proverbs 15:25 calls the “house of the proud”. Abimelech, the son of Gideon by his concubine (8:31), is a proud, egotistical, “self-monger” whose whole motive and purpose in life was to gain power! He is determined to set himself up as the king in the kingdom. (9:1–4)

Because the Bible tells us that one of the chief characteristics of those living in the last days will be a preoccupation with and love for “SELF” (2^nd Timothy 3:2), much like what is being revealed in Abimelech, we would do well to “examine ourselves” (2^nd Corinthians 13:5) to see if there are any areas of our life where, we too, in our pride, might be being driven by the pursuit of prestige, power, and/or position. In other words, are we somehow secretly striving to set ourselves up as a “king” in our own little “kingdom”? We may need to take an honest look at the motive behind our service for Christ to determine whether it is really for Him or for ourselves. Prior to coming to Christ, we were all driven by our pride to the exaltation of SELF. (Mark 8:34) Sadly, many have simply changed the arena from which they seek to exalt self. Whereas it used to be the world, now it is the church. (3^rd John 9) God forbid!

Note also, that Gideon’s sin, at the end of chapter 8, also becomes a warning to all parents. The biblical principle that we witness in scripture is that whatever parents do in moderation, their children will typically do in excess. The “minor” exaltation of SELF manifest in Gideon in 8:27, becomes “major” in and through Abimelech. Abimelech is so enamored with SELF that he actually murdered all of his next-of-kin, 70 of his own brethren! The only one that wasn’t murdered was Jotham, and the only reason he escaped was because he hid himself! Oh, may we learn that sin is not to be trifled with! The remainder of chapter 9 simply chronicles the continuation of Abimelech’s ravenous selfishness and self-centeredness. But notice, God always pays his debts and no sin goes unnoticed! By the end of the chapter, Abimelech is killed by a wise woman (Proverbs 1:20–33), who had taken shelter in a strong tower (Psalm 61:3), using a Rock (1^st Corinthians 10:4) that she dropped on his big head!

In chapters 10-12, once again, we find Israel in one of their repeated cycles of sin. The real issue is that they were willing to serve any god who would make them happy. They wanted their own way, their desires fulfilled, their ego boosted, and that, my friend, is a collision course for disaster! The choice to serve self is sin, and sin always leads to sorrow and death. (James 1:15) It becomes increasingly difficult to understand, much less to tolerate, the blatant foolishness and rebellion of God’s people, Israel. How could they possibly experience all of His blessings, and repeatedly turn their backs on Him? Yet, how can we, who likewise, have been overly blessed by God, and have even seen the consequences of Israel’s choices, do less than make a final end to our own flirting with the world, the flesh, and the devil? We must, once and for all, make the decision that “It is ENOUGH! I am not my own, I have been bought by the blood of God’s dear Son, and by God’s grace and power, sin will no longer control me!”  When we cry out to God, broken by our sin, we can be sure that He will hear us, and deliver us from its dominion. (1^st John 5:14–15; Romans 6:12–14)

In keeping with their pattern, in 10:10, Israel cries out to God again; and in keeping with His pattern, once again, God sends them a deliverer. This time it was Jephthah, another incredible picture of Jesus Christ. Jephthah was a mighty man of valor who was the son of a harlot (Judges 11:1), who was rejected by his brethren (Judges 11:2–3), and went away to live in the land of Tob (which means “blessing, joy, beautiful, and righteous”). While he was in Tob, he gathered vain (or “empty”) men unto himself, and was later called home, by Israel during a time of tribulation, to deliver them from their oppressors. He then came back as the captain of their salvation. (Judges 11:6) 

Just in case you weren’t connecting all of those dots, check this out:

Jesus, too, was a mighty man of valor who was accused of being the Son of a harlot (John 8:41). He, too, was rejected by His brethren (Luke 19:14), and He, too, went away to a place like Tob, a beautiful place of blessing, joy, and righteousness. (Psalm 48:2) While He is there, He continues to gather vain or “empty” men and women to Himself as worshippers. He will come back, at the end of the Great Tribulation, to deliver Israel and to be the captain of their salvation! (Hebrews 2:10; Revelation 19) Again, I say, this book is absolutely amazing!

Though, to this point, Jephthath had been a beautiful type of Christ, the sad reality is, that like many of the Old Testament pictures of Christ, Jephthah found a way to totally get his life jacked up! He made a horrendous mistake by vowing a vow to God that resulted in him foolishly and sinfully burning his own daughter as a sacrifice, supposedly to God! (Judges 11:34–40) Wow! Though Jephthah’s “mistake” was certainly extreme, his mistake is very common throughout the history of God’s people! Jephthah thought there was something he could DO to EARN the blessing and/or favor of God. He thought that by vowing his vow, He could get God on his side. The crazy irony of it all was that God was already on his side! No human work, or any accumulation of them, can ever earn God’s graciously given favor (Ephesians 2:8-9), or make us the recipient of more of His power. (Acts 1:8) He gives it all to us FREELY! (1^st Corinthians 2:12) Oh, may Jephthah’s horrific debacle teach us this invaluable lesson!

Though this is an incredibly sad chapter in Jephthah’s life (not to mention an incredibly sad chapter in the Bible!) it is also a blessing in the fact that God has set His Book apart from every other book in the world because of His honesty regarding its heroes. (Other examples include Noah, Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon, Elijah, et al!) God is a straight shooter, who simply tells it the way it is…or was! He doesn’t sugarcoat or mask anything! The Bible is a real book, about real people; people just like me and you! Hallelujah!

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As THE STRONG TOWER – Judges 9:51 (Psalm 18:2, 61:3)

Through JEPHTHAH – Judges 11–12 (see details in “Highlights and Insights” above)

OVERVIEW:

Deborah’s song to the Lord; Gideon’s call and deliverance of Israel from the oppression of the Midianites.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

Deborah was one of the judges during this incredibly dark time in Israel’s history. Chapter 5 records a song that she was “inspired” to write and to sing on the very day that Jael put Sisera to death, which we read about in yesterday’s reading. Though the song has obvious reference to the things that were happening at that time historically, the song is actually prophetic in nature, because it will also be the song the redeemed will sing when the true King (the Lord Jesus Christ) takes His rightful throne, and the king of evil (Satan) is defeated. (Revelation 5:9; 14:3) Notice as the song comes to an end (Judges 5:31), the Sun goes forth to reign in His might with those He loves, and there is rest in the land. It is the very thing that Malachi 4:2 and Revelation 19:14 say will take place in the very near future!

Chapters 6-8 deal with one of the most well-known heroes in the book of Judges, Gideon.  He is called by God to be the deliverer of Israel from the Midianites. Interestingly, the name Midian means “strife”, or “contention”. Note that Proverbs 13:10 teaches us that “only by pride cometh contention” and 1^st Corinthians 1:10–11 and 3:1–3 lets us know that the root of “strife” and “contention” is “CARNALITY” or FLESHLINESS!

Make sure you notice just what it was that the Midianites did to the children of Israel. They destroyed the fruit in the land, leaving them with nothing to eat. (Judges 6:4) How incredibly ironic! I mean, here is Israel, starving, mind you, in the midst of a land flowing with milk and honey! Does that sound at all familiar to you? Many people who have received ETERNAL LIFE (John 10:10a) are defeated by their FLESH and, therefore, are unable to eat the fruit of the ABUNDANT LIFE God intended their salvation to provide. (John 10:10b) Remember, Midian’s (or “strife’s”) ultimate target is the harvest! Are you starving spiritually? Are you struggling to be fruitful because of the contentious attitude of your heart and the selfish desires of your flesh? If so, pay close attention to what Gideon did to defeat the Midianites so you can employ the same principles to your life!

God chose 300 men armed with nothing more than pitchers, lamps (lanterns), and trumpets to defeat a much larger and better equipped enemy. This was God’s “strategy”, so that when they got the victory, only God would get the glory. (Judges 7:2) It is, of course, the New Testament principle that God teaches us in 1^st Corinthians 1:27–29: “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise…that no flesh should glory in His presence”!

But, notice that battle plan once again. It really was very “simple”. (2^nd Corinthians 11:3) Shatter your pitcher, blow your trumpet, shine your lamp, and stand fast in your place while God defeats the enemy! (Judges 7:19–21) This is the only way “Midian” (pride, strife, contention — FLESH!) can be defeated in our lives as well! We must be BROKEN VESSELS (or, pitchers) for God to use (2^nd Timothy 2:21); we must let our LIGHT SHINE (Matthew 5:16; Philippians 2:15–16); we must use our MOUTHS as a TRUMPET to proclaim the gospel to the world (Ephesians 6:9); and finally, we must STAND FAST and watch God defeat the enemy with the SWORD (Ephesians 6:10–14)!

You may also want to note that Hebrews 11:32 puts Gideon at the head of the list of judges. Though he often wavered in doubt, he was still a “man of faith” who dared to trust the word of God. When you realize that he was a “common man” (a farmer—Judges 6:11), and not a trained warrior, you can see how wonderful his faith actually was!

As “common” men and women (Mark 12:37b), in the midst of all of our doubts, fears, and shortcomings, let us, like Gideon, dare to trust the word of God!

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As The Angel of the Lord – Judges 6:12–21

Through Barak, the son of Abinoam – Judges 5:12. The name Barak means “Glittering Sword”. (John 1:1, 14) The name Abinoam means “beautiful father.” Barak, the glittering sword, was the son of a beautiful father!

Through Gideon – Judges 6–8. The deliverer who leads Israel to a most improbable victory.

OVERVIEW:

Early victories and incomplete possession of the land by Israel; the forsaking of God to serve Baal and Ashtaroth; God raises up Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, and Barak as judges to deliver Israel from the oppression of their enemies four different times.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

To understand the book of Judges we must understand the last sentence in the entire book: “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Mark those words! They are not only the key to this book, they are also the key to human nature. Notice that it says that every man did that which was “RIGHT” in his own eyes, not that which was “WRONG”! The tragedy is that man’s idea of what is right is often the exact opposite of what God says it is. (Proverbs 14:12) This will become evident as we read the book of Judges and find the following recurring expression: “And the children of Israel did EVIL in the sight of the Lord.”  (2:11; 3:7, 12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; 13:1)

The book of Judges gives us incredible insight into how it is that the lives of once “sold out” believers can so spiral downward that they actually become, as Paul talked about in 2^nd Timothy 2:20, “vessels unto DISHONOR”, or as Peter talked about in 2^nd Peter 1:9, how they can actually forget that they were purged from their old sins. How unbelievably tragic! God forbid that it would ever be true of us! But the biblical reality is, we all have that potential. It is vital that we learn the practical spiritual lessons in the book of Judges! (Romans 15:4)

There are four key words that summarize the repeated pattern of God’s people in the book of Judges:

1. Commitment
2. Complacency
3. Compromise
4. Corruption

It went like this…

The very first chapter lets us know that when Israel was strong (COMMITTED), they put their enemies to tribute. In other words, rather than “utterly drive them out” as God had clearly commanded (1:28), they made them subservient to them (as in, they made them pay taxes to them). What had happened to them, is the children of Israel went from being COMMITTED, to COMPLACENT! That COMPLACENCY is what led to their “incomplete obedience,” or their COMPROMISE. (Judges 1–3) COMPROMISE, then led to their “complete disobedience” (Judges 3–16), which, of course, is what led to their CORRUPTION, expressed in their utter rebellion and depraved behavior. (Judges 17–21)

As we try to remind you so often, the nation of Israel is a picture of an individual New Testament believer. The book of Judges details for us that we must constantly be on guard to avoid this deadly downward cycle that spirals God’s people away from HIM and His WORD! It is interesting to note that the previous book in the Bible, the book of Joshua, starts with an exhortation to meditate in God’s word day and night. (Joshua 1:8) By the time we get to the book of Judges, however, the words “book”, “law”, “commandments”, “statutes”, or “judgments”, do not appear even once! This downward spiral of complacency, compromise, and corruption is clearly linked to NEGLECTING GOD’S WORD, and the refusal of His people to OBEY IT. Oh, my brothers and sisters, let us HEAR and HEED this graphic spiritual warning!

But there’s another pretty scary pattern that we see repeated throughout the record of the Old Testament, that is also introduced to us in today’s reading (Judges 2:7–10).

A believer’s life with a “1^st generation” encounter with God (meaning they didn’t grow up in a Christian home and were, therefore, saved out of the clutches of Satan and his world’s system) is typically marked by COMMITMENT. Their children’s lives, however, with a “2^nd generation” encounter with God, tend to be marked by COMPROMISE. Then, the lives of their children, the 3^rd generation, tend to have NO encounter with God, and live lives characterized by CONFLICT.

It happens like this:

The 1^st generation, knows GOD and knows His WORKS. (Joshua 24:14–17, 31) They live lives of COMMITMENT.

The 2^nd generation, knows GOD and knows ABOUT His works. (Judges 2:7) They live lives of COMPROMISE.

The 3^rd generation, DOESN’T know GOD and DOESN’T know about His WORKS. (Judges 2:10) They live lives of CONFLICT.

So much COULD be said about this pattern (and SHOULD be said about it!), but maybe our biggest take-away today is simply this: though our children and grandchildren will never have the dramatic rescue some of us “1^st generation Christians” had from the clutches of Satan and his world’s system, we must be certain that they are continuously witnessing and experiencing the mighty WORKS of GOD in OUR lives and in their OWN lives! Judges 2:7 says it this way: “And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord, that he did for Israel.” Oh, may we lead our children and grandchildren to experience “1^st generation” encounters with our God!

Chapter 3 records somewhat of a bizarre story. It is certainly historically accurate, but like most of the Old Testament, was recorded in such a way so that it pictures New Testament truth, so we can read it and be admonished by it. (1^st Corinthians 10:6, 11) The story is of “a very fat man” (3:17) by the name of Eglon who was the king of Moab. He is a picture of a believer who has allowed their FLESH to overtake them regardless of their actual physical girth. I think you are aware, our flesh has an appetite for a whole lot more than food! Again, Eglon simply pictures a believer that has been overtaken by their flesh.

Notice how God deals with him. He sends a “judge” by the name of Ehud to deliver Israel from King Eglon and the Moabites. As you might could predict, the way Ehud overcame this “very fat man” was with a dagger (“sword”) that he had strategically “hidden” on his right side. A “sword,” by the way, that just happened to have “two edges”! (Judges 3:16–17/Hebrews 4:12) Ehud thrust the sword into Eglon’s belly and the passage says that the “dirt came out,” and killed him. (Judges 3:21–22)

So, did you catch all of that? God, the Master Teacher and Artist is teaching us that the way we are to deal with (“judge”) the self-consumption of our “flesh” that continuously seeks to rule us is by “hiding” a “two-edged sword” on our right side (Psalm 119:8; Hebrews 4:12) and thrusting it right into the “belly” of our flesh to reveal the “dirt” in our life, in the process of “mortifying” it (Colossians 3:5) or putting it to death! What an incredible book the Bible is!

Chapter 4 records another rather “bizarre” story. God uses a woman named Jael to defeat a man by the name Sisera, who was another oppressor of Israel. Jael was initially aligned with Sisera against Israel, but God changed her heart. In short, she got some “milk”, took a “hammer” and a “nail”, and killed Sisera, while he was sleeping, by putting the nail through his temple! Wow! Quite a story! Likewise, if we allow the “milk” (2^nd Peter 2:2) and “hammer” (Jeremiah 23:29) of the word of God to pierce our lives and renew our minds (Romans 12:2), we, too, can “nail” our enemies (the world, the flesh, and the devil), and be free from their oppression! (Isaiah 23:22; Ezra 9:8)      

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

The Angel of the Lord—Judges 2:1–4

Through Othniel – Judges 3:1–11 (His name means “Lion from the Tribe of Judah.” He delivered Israel from an oppressive enemy—Revelation 5:5)

Through Ehud – Judges 3:15–16 (The Judge with a two-edged sword—Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 2:12)

OVERVIEW:

The two and a half tribes who chose their inheritance on the other side of Jordan build an altar and call it Ed; Joshua exhorts Israel’s leaders; Joshua exhorts all the people of Israel and brings them to a point of decision.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

As we came through Numbers 32, you’ll remember that two and a half tribes (the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh) chose to live on “this side” of the Jordan River before they ever even saw what God had in store for them in the land He specifically had chosen for them on the “other side”. They live in infamy to this day as the classic biblical example of a people who willfully chose less than God’s best for their lives. Sadly, many believers through the centuries have failed to learn from their tragic mistake. As the old saying goes, “If we don’t learn from the mistakes of history, we are destined to repeat them!”

In chapter 22 of today’s reading, Joshua allows these two and a half tribes to return to the land of their choosing. God, in His grace, allowed them to go, because He never forces anyone to “live close to Him.” The practical reality was, they were leaving the fertile land of Shiloh (the place of “peace” and “rest”), for their chosen inheritance in Gilead (which means “stony place”). As Jesus taught us in the Parable of the Seed and the Sower, it is impossible to “bear fruit” from stony ground. Let us learn from the example of these two and a half tribes to never settle for anything less than God’s absolute best for our lives! A life of “fruit bearing” requires the land of our inheritance in Canaan!

On their way back to their inheritance, these two and a half tribes built an altar they called “Ed” (meaning “witness”) as a memorial to remind their children and the other tribes in Israel that they, too, were the people of God and worshipped the God of Israel. It was actually an attempt to convince their children, along with the children of Israel, that they were “spiritual” and really loved the Lord, even though they willfully had chosen to live away from the presence of God as it was manifested in the land that was promised via the ark of the covenant.

Kids, however, aren’t stupid. The children in these two and a half tribes, just like our children, were able to see through all of their parent’s rationalizations and justifications while they tried to do things that bore “witness” of their true spirituality. The reality is, that altar didn’t “witness” to anything other than their parent’s disobedience and compromise! It has been my observation, through the years, that children can put up with a whole lot of their parents faults, frailties, and even failures, if they will own them! One thing kids just can’t seem to be able to withstand, however, is hypocrisy. Or, in other words, their parents trying to give the appearance of spirituality when there is no reality. Perhaps we should stop and ask ourselves, are there any “Eds” we have built to try to give “witness” to our kids, and to the other believers in our local church, that we are living closer to God than we actually do? An “Ed”, in our 21^st century world, can be anything from going to church and praying before meals, to reading the Bible and/or acting interested in the things of the Lord, but not truly cultivating an intimate relationship with Him, or longing to have His presence close to us at all times. Are you settling for less than God’s best on “this side” of the Jordan, or are you passionately pursuing the closeness of His holy presence on the “other side”?

In chapters 23 and 24, Joshua knows he’s about to die. He begins to give the children of Israel a history lesson, walking them back through God’s faithfulness to them as a people from their inception as a nation. On one hand, he is passionately PLEADING with them to love God and to continue to follow Him in obedience and faithfulness, and on the other hand, he is passionately WARNING them of the consequences that would inevitably destroy them if they were not obedient and faithful to the Lord. He warns them that any co-mingling or any connection, whatsoever, with these nations they had previously destroyed would cause them to become snares and traps, along with being scourges in their sides, thorns in their eyes, and ultimately, those nations would overtake them!

In 24:14-15, Joshua brings his address to a conclusion. What he’s been moving toward is a time of decision. He draws a line in the sand, as it were, and asks the children of Israel to decide to either go all the way with the God who had delivered them from the gods their forefathers served in Egypt and on the other side of the flood, or to just forget serving the Lord, and go back and serve their false gods. Notice, God wanted His people to choose to go one way or the other. He wanted them to be cold or hot, but not to find a place of “lukewarmness” or compromise, somewhere in the middle. (Revelation 3:15–16)

In Joshua 24:24, “The people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice we will obey.” Is that the decision of your heart today? If so, then tell your “Joshua” about it!

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

Through JOSHUA (the prophet), ELEAZAR (the priest), and JOSEPH (the King) — Joshua 24:29-33

Note: The book of Joshua ends with three funerals: Joshua, Eleazar, and Joseph. A prophet, priest, and king were buried right there in the middle of Israel’s inheritance, picturing that it is only through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Prophet, Priest, and King, that we have access to our inheritance in Him.