Judges

“Civil War” (Judges 20-21)

Civil War (Judges 20-21) Conclusion: Israel’s religious decline > moral decline > political decline. Upon receiving their portion of the Levite’s concubine, Israel gathered for battle. Read Judges 20-21. The near elimination, and subsequent restoration, of the Benjamites portray Israel’s need for a king. I. Vengeance Upon Benjamin (20:1-48) 1. A Devastating Unity (1-18) 400,000 Israelites gather for a divine mission. Upon hearing the Levite’s story, minus any self-incriminating details, Israel unanimously decide to attack Gibeah, demanding Benjamin hand over…

“It Was the Worst of Times” (Judges 19)

It Was the Worst of Times (Judges 19) Judges ends with a description of the political and religious decline of Israel (reverse of introduction). Last week we noted the corruption of worship as idolatry in the household of Micah escalated to idolatry in the tribe of Dan. The decline magnifies in the following section where Benjamin looks like Sodom. You won’t find illustrations of this chapter in your Children’s Storybook Bible. Why is this so dark? (19:1; cf. 17:6). Judges…

“The Corruption of Worship” (Judges 17-18)

The Corruption of Worship (Judges 17-18) Jack Arnold writes: There can be no appreciation for the Reformation until one sees the great spiritual need of the western world in the 16th century. No Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant or Independent can gloss over the period of history from 590 to 1517. This period is a “black spot” to all who name the name of Christ, but it is Christian history. The Medieval Church had repeated the failure of Israel during the…

“The Death of Samson” Judges 16:1-31

The Death of Samson (Judges 16) Introduction I’m going to try to be somewhat discreet as I preach this text, but we will need to address a topic that was a significant problem for Samson. It’s a significant problem for many more people today. In his book, Hide or Seek, John Freeman writes: At times I’m still amazed at the pushback I get from men who are reluctant to install a filter or accountability software on their computer. For men,…

“Samson Defeats the Philistines” (Judges 15:1-20)

Samson Defeats the Philistines Brad Mills / General Judges: So Great A Salvation / Judges 15:1–20   As Americans, many of us have grown a little battle weary. We cringe whenever we hear about wars and rumors of wars. We struggle to understand why there is so much violence in our world today. But maybe it is even more troubling to read of such violence in the pages of Scripture. God’s grand design may not make sense of all the…

“A Match Made In Heaven” (Judges 14:1-20)

How do you respond when life doesn’t make sense? What do you do when loved ones make decisions that contradict everything you taught them? Wrestle with that question for a moment. Do you throw your hands up? Do you take their decision personally, as if you were directly responsible for their actions? Do you grow angry with God? Do you doubt his power or presence? All of these are understandable reactions, but none of them reveal a heart that is…

“So Great A Salvation” (Judges 12:1-7; Judges 13:1-25)

So Great A Salvation Brad Mills / General Judges: So Great A Salvation / Judges 12:1–7; Judges 13:1–25   We need to wrap up our look at the end of the Jephthah narrative, before going to another controversial figure in the book of Judges. The Samson narrative provides another good opportunity to remind us that the book of Judges is ultimately about how God operates through Israel to bring about redemptive history. Colorful characters should not become central. Yes, they…

Jephthah’s (Not So) Tragic Vow – Pt.2 (Judges 11:29-12:7)

1. Jephthath’s  Character  (10:17-11:28) Allow me to briefly remind you what we covered last week. We noted the way Jephthah was despised and rejected by his half-brothers as they drove him out of Gilead, ensuring he would not receive any portion of their father’s inheritance. Yet, when no one was willing to lead their military against the Ammonites, they went back to Jephthah offering to make him their head. Their self-serving ambitions were evident, but we can often relate struggling with our…

Jephthah’s (Not So) Tragic Vow – Pt. 1 (Judges 10:17-12:7)

Introduction In an article for marthastewartwedding.com, Taysha Murtaugh, provides several examples of modern wedding vows that couples can make in order change things up from the boring religious and traditional vows we’re so used to hearing. Murtaugh writes, We’d expect nothing less than super-cool vows from this California couple, who threw a chic picnic-party wedding. The groom’s self-penned script included the funny phrase, “I love putting the toothpaste on your toothbrush, I’m yours for eternity.” Honestly, after reading all ten…