"I made haste, and did not delay to keep Your commandments." - PSALM 119:60
Live for God!
"I made haste, and did not delay to keep Your commandments." - PSALM 119:60
Live for God!
Jdg 1:27 However, Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, … for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land.
This verse reminds me of Hebrews 12:1, where we are told to lay aside the sins that so easily “beset” us. The Greek word “beset” has the idea of a runner being surrounded by competitors who thwart him in every direction so that he cannot break free to win the race. And so we find sins in our lives that are as determined to remain in our hearts as the Canaanites were to remain in Canaan. We try this and we try that, but we just seem to be thwarted in our efforts to conquer. Perhaps we are not putting them to death, but just trying to control them – “put them under tribute.” Or perhaps we are making excuses for ourselves – those “iron chariots!”
Awesome God, help us today to keep in mind how great, how powerful, and how jealous You are. Then help us to look within to see the root of the heart disease that causes our action, or lack of action, that is displeasing to You, stop making excuses, and put our own desires to death so that we can overcome the sins which beset us.
Jdg 2:10 When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel.
This verse is the key to the downward spiral of the nation. But what does it mean to know God? 1 Samuel 2:12 says that “the sons of Eli were corrupt (literally “sons of Belial”); they did not know the Lord.” Eli’s sons knew about God, they knew the correct way to worship Him, they knew the commandments, but they did not know God. Paul said that he counted all his worldly achievements as dung “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,” Phil.3:8-10. Knowing God means being willing to put self to death – to sacrifice and suffer in order to do His will. Only then will I come to realize the wisdom of God’s commands and appreciate the way God helps me face the challenges of life. Only after having put His way above my way will I know what God is like. And if I want my children to know God, it surely means that there are going to be times in their lives when we don’t allow them to miss Bible study or wear certain clothes or go on certain outings or have certain friends.
O Lord, worthy of all honor, worship and obedience, even though I am so unworthy, You have invited me to “seek Your face,” and “my heart said to You, ‘Your face, Lord, I will seek.’” I want to truly know you, Lord! “Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me…” I desire to behold Your beauty, seen in Your ways. Help me, Lord, to keep these thoughts of Psalm 27 in mind as I face the challenges of each day so that I will be willing to stand for Your ways and abide in them, no matter who or what pressures me to do otherwise – so that I will come to know You more and more.
In this chapter we have the first two of six cycles in the book, each of which begins with, “the children of Israel (again) did evil in the sight of the Lord.” This was followed by an enemy oppression which motivated Israel to return to the Lord. Then the Lord took compassion on them and delivered them, after which followed a time of peace … and then the cycle would start all over again. (For a time line of how all these cycles fit into the book, as well as where the appendices and the life of Ruth fit into this time period, see http://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-exodus-route-date-chronology-of-judges.htm.) Sad to say, I have noticed these cycles in my own life. There are times when things are going well and I become spiritually complacent. Then comes a wake-up call, a time when I realize how much I really need the Lord. The Lord helps me and I feel so grateful, but as days go by, life gets busy and my relationship with the Lord begins to ebb. Complacency is something I have to continually fight against – and it is one reason why I started these daily Bible readings – to help keep myself aware of my dependence on God.
Lord, without you we are nothing and can achieve nothing. Without Your mercy we would have nothing good in this life nor in the life to come. Keep us, Father, close to You, even if need be, by a time of suffering.
Jdg 5:24 "Most blessed among women is Jael,…”
Jael is the wife of a man (Heber) who has betrayed the Lord and made friends with the enemy. It seems that Heber is one of the “they,” v.12, who let Sisera know that the Israelites were mustering an army. Unwittingly he was God’s instrument to bring Sisera to the place where God wanted to deploy him, v.7. It was probably Heber’s friendship that caused Sisera to seek out his dwelling place when he was fleeing the Israelites. Jael did not know what the final outcome of the battle was going to be; she did know what repercussions she might bring on herself. All she knew was that she was on the Lord’s side and that He had delivered the enemy of His people into her hands.
O mighty God, there are so many things in life that we fear. Let us remember whose side we are on and face the world with confidence that, “we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” [Heb.13:6]
Jdg 5:7 Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel, Until I, Deborah, arose, Arose a mother in Israel. 8 They chose new gods; Then there was war in the gates; Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel. 9 My heart is with the rulers of Israel Who offered themselves willingly with the people. Bless the LORD!
Deborah is only one of five prophetesses mentioned in the OT, and the only woman judge. Yet she rightly sees her role, not as someone who should be put in charge, or who should become an activist, but as a mother, a nurturer, an encourager, the fruitful tree pictured in Psalm 1 whose roots have been nourished by the waters of God’s word so that people are drawn to come and enjoy her fruit, her wisdom. No one knows how many years she simply sat under a tree, encouraging people to leave the “new gods” they had chosen, but it was long enough for everyone to believe that the words which came from her mouth came from the true God; otherwise they would never have had the courage to fight the enemy when the Lord spoke through her, commanding them to do so. Note that when some men, including the rulers and Balak, were weak in faith, she did not undermine their authority, but simply encouraged them to do what was right. “Has not the Lord commanded…?” “I will surely go with you…” “My heart is with the rulers…” And because she was simply a “mother in Israel,” look how mightily the Lord used her!
Lord, I pray that You will bless each of us women who read this, whether or not we have borne physical children, to develop ourselves to become mothers in Israel, women who open our mouths with Your wisdom, who speak only words such as are good for necessary edification to impart grace to the hearers -- women You can use in ways both small and great for Your glory.
Heb 11:32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon [and others]… 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms… 34 … out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
Jdg 6:12 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!"
So far as we know, Gideon had not yet done anything worthy to be called a mighty man of valor, but God recognized his potential. God also knows our potential. He opens many doors of opportunity for us to exercise our faith. Notice how God used the command He gave to Gideon, not just to strengthen Gideon’s faith, but to open a door for his father and neighbours, and eventually even the nation to turn to the Lord.
O mighty God, you are the One who can turn my weakness to strength. You are the One who can open doors of opportunity for me to serve You and others. Give me the insight to see those open doors and walk through them, knowing that Your strength is made perfect in weakness.
Jdg 7:2 And the LORD said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.'
When you are in a small congregation, you sometimes feel discouraged because you are so few in number. God says that sometimes large numbers are a disadvantage! Whatever size the congregation is with whom we worship, we must just know that it’s not about numbers, it’s about allowing the power of God’s word to work in our hearts. As Hebrews says, it was Gideon’s faith that enabled him to be victorious. If we step out in faith, God will bless our congregations to grow, no matter what their size.
We praise and thank You today, Father, for the gift of Your faith-building word. We true Christians are small in number compared to those in the world, but through faith, we will use the sword of Your Spirit to defeat Satan’s hold on the hearts of those with whom we come in contact as You give us opportunity.
Jdg 8:23 But Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you."
There are very few Bible heroes that don’t make serious mistakes. God saw fit that we should know their weaknesses as well as their strengths – and learn from both. One major thing that Gideon did right was to refuse to rule over his fellow Israelites, and instead point the people to God as their ruler. However, perhaps due to the fact that God had spoken to him, he seemed to set himself up as a sort of priest. (An ephod is what the high priest wore. In it were the Urim and Thummin, the means through which the high priest could communicate directly with God. See Daily Bible Reading for Exodus 28.) This sin of Gideon drew the people away from the true worship of God at Shiloh, and caused them to start to use the ephod as a type of idol – a false way of worshipping the true God. This great man’s one weakness paved the way for the whole nation to return to Baal worship.
O righteous God, help us to never stray from Your ways in ANY way, as it is not only detrimental to ourselves, but it can open a door to a slippery slope that can cause many, especially our precious children, to be lost to You.
Jdg 8:30 Gideon had seventy sons who were his own offspring, for he had many wives. 31 And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.
Because God says, “the TWO shall become one flesh,” (Gen.2:24), we know that God disapproves of polygamy. Even men who believed in God practiced it at times, but over and over again, including here in Judges 9, God demonstrates to us the terrible by-products of that sin. I once heard an African man say, “White people also practice polygamy; they just have their wives one at a time instead of all at once!” There’s a lot of truth in that saying; divorce is certainly just as destructive to the family, and, except for the reason given in Matthew 19:9, just as sinful.
Today Lord, I just want to praise You for the way You designed the family – a way designed to satisfy our deepest emotional needs and a way to pass on Your ways and Your love to following generations. We bring hurting families before Your throne. We pray that our actions and the words of wisdom which we have gleaned from Your word will help both us and those who are hurting, encouraging us all by being able to use Your wisdom to solve our family problems so that we will enjoy the blessings that You designed us to have.
Jdg 10:13 Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more. 14 Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress."
When I first read this chapter I missed the jewel that is here: the way to touch the heart of God. In the verses above we see that God had had enough of their fickle behavior; “I will deliver You no more.” Then we read that Israel confessed their sin, put away their idols, and served the Lord. THEN the Bible says, “And His [God’s] soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.” They were in just as much misery before their repentance as afterwards, but only once they truly repented and changed their actions, was God’s heart open to respond to their misery. Peter tells us, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers,” 1 Pet.3:12.
O God of compassion and mercy, all of us waver at times – turning to the world and then back to You. Thank You for being willing to have a relationship with such us, unworthy and unstable as we sometimes are, and thank You for saving us from our sins, no matter how terrible they are, as we repent and turn again to You.
Jdg 11:36 And she said to him, "My father, you have opened your mouth to the LORD; do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, now that the LORD has avenged you on your enemies, on the Ammonites."
In Leviticus 27:2, God speaks about “consecrating by a vow,” or as the margin reads, “make a difficult or extraordinary vow.” I believe Jephthah’s vow was such a vow. By “burnt-offering,” Jephthah was indicating that he would not redeem what he had vowed, but that it would be given irrevocably to the Lord as mentioned in Lev.27:28. Jephthah is listed in the “spiritual hall of fame” in Hebrews 11 as a man of great faith. I do not believe he murdered his daughter, but rather that his vow was to consecrate a person/animal in his household as “holy to the Lord” – an animal that would be sacrificed as a burnt offering, or a person who would be sacrificed to do service at the tabernacle all their days. (Samuel was such a person, as were the women mentioned in Ex.38:8.) I am not sure this was so much a foolish vow as an extraordinary vow for asking God’s help in an extraordinarily dire situation. Jephthah’s daughter was an extraordinarily unselfish young woman: she was freely willing to accept her father’s vow because it brought good to the nation as a whole.
Today, Lord, I bring before you the children of godly men and women, children who, because their parents make sacrifices to serve You – they also must make sacrifices. Bless them, Lord, to know the joy of giving. Bless their parents to strike a balance between teaching them the joy of serving without putting a burden on them that they are not mature enough to handle. And thank You, Lord, for all such as these, Your servants, and the ways that they bless us.
Jdg 12:1 Then the men of Ephraim gathered together, crossed over toward Zaphon, and said to Jephthah, "Why did you cross over to fight against the people of Ammon, and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house down on you with fire!"
This is the second time Ephraim has picked a fight with a leader of another tribe, Judges 8:1. Jephthah’s reminder that it was the LORD who had delivered the Ammonites into his hand did not even give the Ephraimites pause, but rather caused them to insult the men of that entire area, v.4. Sadly, their arrogance and/or their willingness to follow arrogant leaders cost these Ephraimites their lives – 42,000 men!
Dear Father, we thank You that Your Son was a leader who humbled Himself to serve mankind, even to the point of dying for us. Please help us to have that same mind of humility that Jesus displayed, as pride blinds us to so many truths and destroys so many relationships. When I am at odds with anyone, help me to seek reconciliation with a humble spirit.
Jdg 13:8 Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, and said, "O my Lord, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born."
“Man of God” is one of the terms for prophet in the Old Testament, Dt.33:1, 1 Sam.2:27, 9:6, etc. There were prophets in those days, (Judges 6:8), so it was quite logical for Manoah and his wife to first assume that the Angel was a prophet. (For more about the Angel of the Lord, see Daily Bible reading, Exodus 23.) God answered Manoah’s prayer by sending the Angel again, and simply repeating the words previously given to his wife, along with an extra injunction that his wife must also be a Nazirite during her pregnancy. Manoah and his wife saw to it that Samson strictly observed the outward form of the Nazarite vow, but as we shall see, they were not successful in instilling within Samson the inner qualities of a person dedicated to God.
We thank You Lord that You have given to all parents all the words that are needed to know what to do for their children. Today, Lord, we pray for all parents of young children, specifically the ones we know, that they will work to instil the character of godliness within their children, and not be satisfied simply with outward conformity to Your laws.
Jdg 14:4 But his father and mother did not know that it was of the LORD—that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.
This verse sets the time of Samson’s 20 years of work as sometime between Eli’s death, when the Philistines captured the Ark, and Samuel’s victory over the Philistines in 1 Samuel 7. (I believe Samson lived a few years later than pictured in Steve Rudd’s chart, http://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-exodus-route-date-chronology-of-judges.htm.) I read four commentators, all of whom believe the “it” in Jdg14:4 that was “of the Lord,” was Samson’s marriage to a Philistine woman. I do not believe that God would ever put it into the heart of a man to disobey one of His commands. The “it” that was “of the Lord” was “an occasion to move against the Philistines.” Had Samson gone down to Gaza and been upset by the idolatry he witnessed, or some other sin the Philistines were doing, God would have used that to move Samson to act against them. However, because Samson’s heart was not tuned to righteousness, but rather to fulfilling his own lusts, God used that as a springboard to motivate Samson to move against the Philistines. Samson’s parents protested, but eventually “caved.” If this was their typical way of dealing with Samson’s wilfulness, we can see that it was not an effective tool to teach Samson to curb his fleshly lusts.
O Lord, I know it is Your desire to use me as a vessel of honor, but yet, I know that if I do not cleanse myself, You will use me as a vessel of dishonor. Help me to deny all fleshly lusts, for it is my earnest desire to be used in a way that honors You. [2 Tim.2:20]
Jdg 15:7 Samson said to them, "Since you would do a thing like this, I will surely take revenge on you, and after that I will cease."
Was it God’s will that Samson subdue the Philistines? Definitely! Was it God’s will that he do it from a heart full of revenge? Definitely not! So, when I serve the Lord, what is my motive? When I am beset by anxieties and trials, do my flawed motives become evident? If so, then I need to thank God for those trials and use them to purify my inner man.
My prayer today: Psa 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
Jdg 16:5 And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, "Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."
Those lords of the Philistines were pretty smart. They knew the strength of the lust of the flesh, and how to use it to their own advantage. Do we know that strength? If someone should observe the daughters of Christians: what their parents allow them to wear and the actions their parents allow them to engage in, would they think that those parents knew that strength? When speaking of the sin of adultery, God warns men to guard their eyes, Mt.5:27-29. Have you ever thought of the irony between Judges 14:1 and 16:1 – and Judges 16:21? What if we helped our daughters understand, not only the power of enticement, but the power of purity? What if we taught our sons and daughters how to avoid the enslaving addiction of pornography? What if our daughters helped our sons guard their thoughts by dressing in ways that do not tempt their eyes? What if our sons and daughters used the power of sexual desire only at the right time and in the right place as a divine glue to keep their marriages strong?
O Lord, You have richly blessed many of us with beautiful marriages based on purity and true love. Help parents teach their children the actions and the self-control necessary to attain such a marriage.
The death of Samson brought us very near to the end of the time-period of the Judges. Judges 17-18 is something that likely happened very shortly after the death of Joshua. It is an explanation of how part of Dan is living so far from its allotted territory and how idol worship began among them.
.Jdg 17:13 Then Micah said, "Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, since I have a Levite as priest!"
But Micah was wrong. His entire worship to God was built upon what his neighbors thought (idol worship) and vague things he had heard about true worship: that it involved a priesthood which has something to do with ephods and Levites. (We will see in the next chapter that the Levite had no right to the priesthood.) Micah made no effort to find out how God wanted to be worshipped, but since he was worshipping Him according to what he thought was right, he felt assured of God’s blessings. The Levite, who should have known better, and quite probably did know better, was willing to go along with the flow in order to reap the blessings of sustenance and acceptance.
O righteous God, how difficult it is sometimes to search out and stand for Your truth instead of just going with the flow. Help me to remember all that You have done for me so that I will be strengthened in heart to serve You – not so that You will be good to me, but because You have been good to me
Jdg 18:6 And the priest said to them, "Go in peace. The presence of the LORD be with you on your way."
These Danites were seeking an inheritance for themselves because their inheritance had not “fallen” to them, v.1. In other words, the Danites had not conquered all their territory, so some of them never received any land by lot. (See Judges 1:34.) These Danites looked for a “better” way of doing things than what God commanded. When they received an affirmation of their unauthorized journey by the mouth of a fake “priest;” and, moreover, when they were successful in their undertaking, they decided that Micah’s religion was the way to go. The “go-with-the-flow” “priest” had no loyalty to the man who treated him like a son, and no conscience about stealing, since his heart was obviously long ago hardened to the word of God. Notice also that God did not intervene to prevent the Danites from being successful in their ungodly mission – and so the “priest’s” fake ability to consult the Lord was not exposed. The “surprise ending” to this story is that this “priest” turns out to be the grandson (or descendant) of Moses, (according to ASV, ESV and footnote of NKJV). And so, because of the apostasy of two men, an entire region fell into idolatry.
Lord, Your Spirit has taught us so many lessons in this account! Help me to not look to men for anything I believe, no matter who they are. Help me to put no confidence in the loyalty of any person. And help me to never think that, simply because I have succeeded in something, it means that You approve of what I have done. Thank You for preserving Your word through all these generations so that we can know what pleases You and serve You with confidence
Jdg 19:25 But the men would not heed him. So the man took his concubine and brought her out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until morning; and when the day began to break, they let her go.
This Levite did not know the love that God wants a husband to have for his wife. He sacrificed his concubine to save himself. Perhaps his judgment was colored by the fact that she had been unfaithful to him, but “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us,” Rom.5:8.
Dear loving Father, we humans are so selfish and self-willed, yet Your love has touched our lives. May Your love dwell in our hearts so that we will have a sacrificial love towards others, not just to those who are good to us, but also to those who have hurt us.
Jdg 20:25 And Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah on the second day, and cut down to the ground eighteen thousand more of the children of Israel; all these drew the sword. 26 Then all the children of Israel, that is, all the people, went up and came to the house of God and wept. They sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
Why did the first two engagements against the Benjaminites result in the loss of so many of the men of Israel? After all, they had enquired of God! It was only the third time that they came to enquire humbly before the Lord with fasting and offerings.
Dear Father, how many times have I come before You to ask Your blessing on my endeavors, when I have arrogantly based my decision solely upon my own wisdom, without first consulting Your word as to whether my endeavor is what You would have me do? And how many times do I fail to come humbly before You, willing to offer the sacrifice of myself to Your will? Give us wisdom, we pray, to ask of You the right things and to ask with humility and pure motives.
Lev 18:26 You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you … 28 lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. 29 For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be cut off [put to death, NKJV footnote] from among their people.
Jdg 21:13 Then the whole congregation sent word to the children of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon, and announced peace to them.
As drastic as the actions taken against Benjamin were, they were authorized by God, (Lev.18:24-30, Jud.20:28,35); and they seem to have been effective. In later history, when the prophets condemned Israel for their sins, I do not recall sodomy being one of the sins they were guilty of. The descendants of these 600 men seem to have turned out to be God-fearing, and they were blessed by God. A man of Benjamin was chosen to be the first king of Israel, 1 Sam.9:21. The Benjaminites did not follow the other 10 tribes into apostasy during the time of Rehoboam, 2 Chr.11:12. By the time of Asa, approximately 400 years after the events of Judges 21, the army of Benjamin (280,000) was almost equal to the army of Judah (300,000). Benjaminites returned from the captivity, Ezr.1:5. Last but not least, it was through Benjamin that the gospel was proclaimed to us Gentiles, Php.3:5. The disaster that happened to Benjamin actually turned out to be the salvation of the tribe.
O righteous Lord, when Your commands and judgments seem harsh to us, help us to remember that they are for our good!