Category: Judges-BibleTrekToday
Trek Through Judges
Sampson–lost connections!
Scripture reading for March 13th: Judges 13-16
The story of Samson revealed a mix of the supernatural power, the anointing of God and his carnal nature. Samson was born by supernatural intervention to a couple who was childless. His parents carefully listened to the instructions of an angel and raised this boy as a Nazarite, one set apart to God. (Numbers 6:1-21) God’s Spirit began to stir Samson early in his life. God was going to use him to deliver the Israelites from 40 years of bondage to the Philistines. (Judges 13:1)
As Samson grew, he was attracted to a Philistine woman in the town of Timnah. The Bible states that this was from the Lord, although his parents did not understand and sought to direct him to get a bride from his own people. (Judges 14:3-4) God specifically warned His people not to intermarry with those outside the faith. (2nd Corinthians 6:14) In this instance, God used Samson’s carnal tendencies to accomplish His purposes in attacking the enemies of His people.
Samson’s marriage to this woman never happened. She was given to one of his friends in the bridal company! This filled Samson with the desire for revenge and he lost his connection with God. Samson impulsively ate honey out of a lion’s carcass, a violation of the Nazerite vow. He was attracted to prostitutes and carnal women. How often men of God are distracted by their flesh!
Samson ended up in captivity with both of his eyes gouged out. He was mocked in the presence of Philistine officials. For the first time Samson asked God to help. (Judges 16:28) God answered and he was again given supernatural strength. God used him to destroy more of the Philistines in his death than in his life!
God can use us in spite of our sinfulness and carnal nature. But we can be deceived by it! We must guard against the carnal nature because it has the potential to blind us and take us to our death! How much better to walk in the Spirit and humbly follow Jesus each day!
Samson’s only recorded prayer: “O Sovereign Lord, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” (Judges 16:28)
The “self-appointed” leader!
Scripture reading for March 12th: Judges 9-12
All authority comes from God and the Bible declares that God alone places people in authority. (Psalm 75:6-7) When God places someone in authority, His anointing and counsel guide that person. The person must stay under God’s anointing and follow His directions.
Gideon was such a man! He brought peace to the land for a period of time as he followed God. When Gideon passed away, a leadership crisis arose. The Israelites went back to idol worship and Abimelech, the son of a slave girl, arose to take over his father’s place. He went to his mother’s town and relatives and proposed to take over leadership. They paid him some money from an idol temple and he hired mercenary soldiers. They killed 69 of his seventy brothers. Jotham, the youngest, escaped. (Judges 9:7-21)
The Scriptures state that God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem. God did this to avenge the shedding of innocent blood of the brothers. Abimelech and the citizens of Schechem had conspired to commit murder and now they would fall under judgment! (Judges 9:22-24) This evil spirit was God’s judgment on a self-appointed leader and those who joined with him in rebellion!
God places leaders for our good, protection, and blessing. When a leader follows the Lord, the people are blessed. When someone places themselves in leadership by his own power, craftiness, or manipulation, then both the leader and those who scheme with him come under God’s judgment! We must be vigilant today in our country. Politics and media are always at work trying to manipulate people. Even the church may have these leaders! Beware– God’s judgment will come on those who appoint themselves!
Shechem’s punishment: “So all the men cut branches and followed Abimelech. They piled them against the stronghold and set it on fire over the people inside. So all the people in the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women, also died.” (Judges 9:49)
Abimelech’s punishment: “Abimelech went to the tower and stormed it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull. Abimelech had his armor-bearer kill him so he did not die at the hands of a woman.
Mighty Warrior!
Scripture reading for March 11th: Judges 6-8
Poor self-image and discouraging self-talk are common symptoms of a life out of touch with the Lord. It is so easy to focus on our lack and inabilities. We always seem to magnify our weaknesses, see only the flaws, and are quick to blame them on someone else. Sometimes, we simply rehearse them over and over and stew in the negativity.
For seven years the Israelites had been under attack by the Midianites. They cried out to God for help and He sent them a prophet. The prophet told them about God’s mighty power in delivering them from Egypt and His warning not to worship the gods of the Amorites. They had not listened to the Lord!
God then sent his Angel to Gideon and he found him hiding in a wine press, threshing grain. The Angel’s first words to Gideon: “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!” (Judges 6:12) Gideon’s first response was not one of faith. He believed that the Lord had abandoned them. This messenger sent Gideon on a mission to deliver Israel. (Judges 6:14) Gideon protested that his clan is the weakest in Manasseh and that he is the weakest of all!
The angel had told him to use the strength he had–little or great! God would be with him and that would make all the difference in the world. God sees each person as special and has a job that they can do. He specializes in taking weak people and infusing them with His strength. When they choose to believe His Word, nothing shall be impossible to them! (1st Corinthians 1:25-29)
As Gideon prepared to deliver Israel, he gathered an army together, but God reduced it from 32,000 to 300! He took away their weapons and gave them torches and pitchers! He told them to break the pitchers and wave the torches and shout! (Judges 7:13-20) Gideon won a great victory with 300 men and a healthy trust in God!
With God on your side, there are more for you than against you! “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!”
The lost connection!
Scripture Reading for March 10th: Judges 1-5
When I was younger, we heated our home on the farm with wood. When it was extremely cold, we had a small bin of coal to help with the heat through the long winter nights in Iowa. One of the jobs right before bed was to go down and stoke the fire. More wood would be added and ashes removed so a good flow of air would cause the fire to heat up and blaze. A scoop of coal would be tossed in too. A short time later the damper was shut so all the coals and logs would glow with heat all night. If no one stoked the fire, it would go out and the house would quickly cool down.
Godly leaders stoke spiritual fire with the wood of prayer and pour on coals of God’s Word to keep zeal burning. But when the godly leader is gone the house cools down. After Joshua passed, some elders stoked the fire for a time. They passed without stoking the fire for the next generation!
After the death of Joshua and the elders, Israel drifted into sin and idolatry. God got angry and sold them into slavery to an oppressing nation. The people cried out to the Lord and He raised up another leader who would deliver them. Then there was a time of peace during the life of that leader (Judge). After the leader’s death, the cycle would begin again. (Judges 2:10-19) This was repeated seven times in the Book of Judges!
There is a great need for godly leaders in the church who will stoke the fire again and connect the next generation to God! A godly leader teaches and lives out God’s Word and sparks revival in a home or church. That leader can be a father or mother, pastor or Sunday School teacher, or a janitor who is passionate for the Lord. Will you stoke the fires of the Spirit today by praying and reading God’s Holy Word? May God anoint you afresh with the Holy Spirit and fire from on high and bring new connections for the next generation! (Matthew 3:11)
Contemporary religion and money!
Scripture Reading for March 14th: Judges 17-21
Religion is man’s attempt to do something that makes him feel good about himself and his own relationship with God. The problem is that there is nothing we can do to improve our relationship with God. We are sinners and God is holy. In the time of the judges, the nation of Israel had slipped away from the Word of God and each person was doing what was right in his own eyes. (Judges 17:6; 21:25) The nation had forgotten God and gotten lost in a self-directed religion of idolatry.
Judges 17 records the story of a man, Micah, from the tribe of Ephraim who had stolen money from his own mother. When her son confessed, the mother forgave him and then took some of the silver he returned and had an idol made for her son! Micah built a shrine, made an ephod, and installed one of his sons as a priest. (Judges 17:1-6) This violated everything that God had established for His people in Israel. (Deuteronomy 12:1-9)
The next turn of events comes as a Levite stopped by Micah’s house and shrine. Micah hired him to be his “father and priest”. (Judges 17:10) Everything seemed good until some spies from the tribe of Dan stopped by Micah’s house. They inquired of the Lord through Micah’s personal Levite. He gave them what they wanted to hear. They soon returned and made this Levite a better deal. Why not be a priest for a whole tribe, rather than a household? The Levite accepted happily because the price was right! Climbing the corporate ladder is not new!
What do we get from this bizarre story that can help us in our walk with Jesus today? First, we must be aware that we can easily slip away from a true relationship with the Lord. Micah and his mother were descendants of Ephraim, one of the sons of Joseph. They had a rich heritage of faith and should have known the laws of God. Second, notice how big a part money played in this story: stolen money, money to buy an idol, money given to appease this rebellious son, money to hire the Levite, and more money to hire him away from Micah’s family! Priests were for sale and God’s blessing were bought with money! When you have no King, you may end up in contemporary religion! Watch out today!
Sampson’s carnal nature!
Scripture reading for March 13th: Judges 13-16
The story of Samson shows how the supernatural power and anointing of God can be lost through giving in to the carnal nature. Samson was born by supernatural intervention to a couple who was childless. His parents carefully listened to the instructions of an angel and raised this boy as a Nazarite, one set apart by God. (Numbers 6:1-21) God revealed His plan to use him to deliver the Israelites after 40 years of bondage to the Philistines. (Judges 13:1)
As Samson grew, he was attracted to a Philistine woman in the town of Timnah. He asked his parents to get her for him. The Bible states that this was from the Lord, although his parents did not understand and sought to direct him to get a bride from his own people. (Judges 14:3-4) This is difficult to understand. God specifically warns us not to intermarry with those outside the faith. (2nd Corinthians 6:14) In this instance, God used Samson’s carnal tendencies to accomplish His purposes, but it is not meant to be a pattern at all!
Samson’s marriage to this woman never came about because she was given to one of his friends! This filled Samson with the desire for revenge. He was attracted to prostitutes and carnal women. These proved to be his downfall! How often men of God are distracted by their flesh! How the mighty have fallen!
At the end of his life, Samson was in captivity, both of his eyes gouged out. There, he was mocked at a gathering of Philistine officials. The first recorded prayer where Samson asks for God’s help is recorded here. (Judges 16:28) God faithfully answers the cry of this man and he was once again given supernatural strength. God used him to destroy more of the Philistines in his death than in his life!
God can use us in spite of our sinfulness and carnal nature but there are consequences. What we sow we will reap. (Galatians 6:7) We must guard against the carnal nature. It has the potential to blind us and take us to our death. May God bless you to humbly follow Him today today!
Samson’s only recorded prayer: “O Sovereign Lord, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” (Judges 16:28)
Abimelech: self-appointed leader!
Scripture reading for March 12th: Judges 9-12
All authority comes from God and God places people in authority. (Psalm 75:6-7) Gideon was a man placed by God in a position of leadership. He certainly was not perfect but brought peace to the land for a period of time. He had 71 sons and a large family. When Gideon passed away, a leadership crisis arose. The Israelites went back to idol worship and one of Gideon’s sons sought to take over.
Abimelech, son of a slave girl, arose to take over his father’s place. He went to his slave mother’s relatives and proposed to take over leadership. They paid him some money from an idol temple and he hired mercenary soldiers. They then killed 69 of his seventy brothers. Jotham, the youngest, was the only one who escaped. Jotham pronounced a judgment on Abimelech’s leadership . (Judges 9:7-21)
The Scriptures state that God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem. God did this to avenge the shedding of innocent blood of the seventy brothers. Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem had conspired to commit that murder and now they would become enemies themselves! (Judges 9:22-24) This was God’s judgment on a self-appointed leader and those who joined with him in rebellion!
God does place people in leadership for our good, protection, and blessing. When a leader follows the Lord, the people and leader are blessed. When someone tries to place themselves in leadership by his own power, craftiness, or manipulation, then both the leader and those who scheme with him come under God’s judgment! We must be vigilant today in our country. Politics and media are always at work trying to manipulate people. In the workplace and church, people scheme and plot to get advantage. Beware– God’s judgment will come on those who appoint themselves!
Shechem’s punishment: “So all the men cut branches and followed Abimelech. They piled them against the stronghold and set it on fire over the people inside. So all the people in the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women, also died.” (Judges 9:49)
Abimelech’s punishment: “Abimelech went to the tower and stormed it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull. Abimelech had his armor-bearer kill him so he did not die at the hands of a woman.
Mighty warrior!
Scripture reading for March 10th: Judges 6-8
Poor self-image and discouraging self-talk are common symptoms of a life out of touch with the Lord. We always seem to magnify our weaknesses, see only the flaws, and are quick to blame them on someone else. Sometimes, we simply rehearse them over and over to ourselves and stew in the negativity. Gideon was just such a man during the days of the Judges. The God we serve loves to use the weak and flawed and make them into mighty warriors, even in spite of themselves!
For seven years the Israelites had been under attack by the Midianites. They cried out to God for help and He sent them a prophet. The prophet reminded them of His warning not to worship the gods of the Amorites. They had not listened to the Lord!
An angel of the Lord finds Gideon is hiding in a wine press, threshing grain. His first words to Gideon: “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!” (Judges 6:12) Gideon’s first response is not one of faith. He was not sure why the Midianites were attacking them. He believed that the Lord had abandoned them. This messenger then sent Gideon on a mission to deliver Israel. (Judges 6:14) Gideon again protested that his clan is the weakest in Manasseh and that he was the weakest of all!
The angel had told him to use the strength he had–little or great! God would be with him and that would make all the difference in the world. God sees each person as special and has a job that they can do. He specializes in taking weak people and infusing them with His strength.
As Gideon prepared to deliver Israel, he gathered an army together. God reduced it from 32,000 to 300! He took away their weapons and gave them torches and pitchers! He told them to break the pitchers, wave the torches and shout! God sent him into the enemy camp to hear a prophetic dream about his victory. He obeyed and in the strength he had, delivered Israel from the Midianites! (Judges 7:13-20)
If you are struggling today with a poor self-image or have been engaging in negative self-talk, allow the Word of God touch your heart today! Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world! “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!”
Who will stoke the fire?
Scripture Reading for March 9th: Judges 1-5
When I was younger, we heated our home on the farm with wood. When it was extremely cold, we had a small bin of coal to help with the heat through the long Iowa winter. One of the jobs right before bed was to go down and stoke the fire. More wood would be added and ashes removed so a good flow of air would cause the fire to heat up and blaze. A scoop of coal would be tossed in too. A short time later the damper was shut so all the coals and logs would glow with a steady fire all night. If no one stoked the fire, it would go out.
Godly leaders stoke the fires with the wood of prayer and pour on the coals of God’s Word to keep zeal burning through the long night. But when the leader is gone, complacency sets in. Joshua left some elders who stoked the fire for a time, but hey passed from the nation. The next generation arose without a personal experience of God’s mighty miracles and deliverance. This generation began to drift into idolatry and the bondage of sin.
The cycle is recorded in Judges. God got angry and sold them into slavery to an oppressing nation. The people cried out to the Lord and he heard them and raised up another leader who would deliver them. Then there would be a time of peace during the life of that leader (Judge). After the leader’s death, the cycle would begin again. (Judges 2:10-19) This is repeated seven times in the Book of Judges!
I see this kind of cycle also present in our culture today. A godly leader teaches and preaches and lives out God’s Word and a revival springs up in a home or church or city. (That leader can be a father or mother, pastor or Sunday School teacher, or a janitor who loves the Lord.) The fires of the Spirit are stoked with prayer and faithful, anointed preaching of the whole counsel of God. The land enjoys peace until another generation arises who did not experience God moving. They fall into bondage as they drift away from the Lord. Will you stoke the fires of the Spirit today by praying and reading God’s holy Word? God will anoint you afresh with the Holy Spirit and Fire from on high! (Matthew 3:11)
Preacher for Hire!
Scripture reading for March 15th: Judges 17-21
True preachers called by God are sent by Him to care for and feed the Word of God to His people. God takes care of these preachers and meets their needs through the people they minister to. It is not wrong for a minister of the Gospel to receive financial help from those they serve. But for a minister to hire himself out to a family for pay is perverse. God is the only King and Lord we are to serve!
Our reading today tells the story of a man named Micah from the territory of Ephraim. This man stole some silver from his mother and then decided to return it to her. His mother consecrated it to the Lord! Sounds like a godly mother who was doing a good thing, right? Wrong! The mother was consecrating it to be used to make an idol for her son to place in a shrine in his home! (Judges 17:1-4) Micah then appointed one of his sons as a priest and thought everything was wonderful! They did all this because it was right in their own eyes and they didn’t recognized God as King!
The next thing to happen was the visit of a Levite from Bethlehem looking for a place to stay. When Micah talked with him, he offered him wages and a job of being his personal priest. The whole idea behind this job was that now that Micah had a Levite for his priest, surely God would be happy and bless him! (Judges 17: 9-13) Micah missed the whole point of a relationship with God and personal responsibility to obey God.
This ancient story hits close to home in today’s world. Many times people mistakenly think that if they know the right preacher and have him or her for a friend that God will be pleased and help them. Sometimes people feel that tithing to a certain ministry is a way to gain God’s favor. They reason that giving money is like paying dues to the country club. You pay for the services of the minister and church building whenever you need them! This is a lie of Satan and far from what God is pleased with. Righteous people live by their faith. Preachers are not for hire!