Category: Judges

More Sin and Straying

Judges 20-21

Judges 20-21 picks up where Judges 17-19 left off (and not in a good way). The Israelites assembled to discuss what had happened to the dismembered woman, and the Levite tells them his “truth.” He leaves out a few vital parts that may have drastically shifted how the Israelites handled the situation. He states that the men of Gibeah wanted to kill him and leaves out the part that his concubine was given to them (even though we see with hindsight the truth recorded earlier in 19:22-25). This false witness leads the Israelites down a dark path with lots of stumbling (as sin does to those who commit it and those around them). 

Instead of verifying the account of the Levite with even one or two more witnesses, they decide to confront and accuse the Benjamites. Unfortunately, the responses from the Israelites and the Benjamites reflected just how far they had strayed from God and the truth. The Israelites went to God, but not with a question about whether or not they should fight the Benjamites (or believe the Levite’s story), but with a question about who they should send first (20:18). The Benjamites, instead of searching for a way to settle things peacefully and purge the sin from among them, decide to go to battle as well (v.14). This doesn’t end well for the Benjamites. The Israelites (though experiencing their fair share of casualties) wiped out over twenty-five thousand Benjamites (v.35) and burned up their towns (v.48). However, it also doesn’t go well for the Israelites either. 

After realizing that they may have been a little harsh (or extremely harsh), they decide to find a way to help restore the tribe of Benjamin. Sadly, this only resulted in more death and suffering. People of Jabesh Gilead were killed (21:12), the Israelites grieved with and for the Benjamites (v.15), and the young women of Shiloh were caught in the crossfire (v.23). Israel had no king, no ruler, and they did as they saw fit. God was certainly in the picture for the Israelites but He wasn’t in the foreground (or close to their hearts and minds).

The consequences for sin aren’t anything to scoff at. In James 1:15 we read, “Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” Desire is where sin and death start, but it’s also where a Godly and Christ-centered life can begin. As a child, whenever I went to a Zoo or an Aquarium, I desired to be close enough to reach out and touch the animals God had created. However, as an adult, I understand why they took many precautions (such as very thick glass or bars) and certain animals were/are exempt from the petting zoo. Though I long for the day when “The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest,” (Isaiah 11:8 ESV) I’d like to keep my head, shoulders, knees, and toes intact in between now and then. God has given us desires, which, when handled appropriately, result in life to the fullest (both in this one and the next). However, when we place ourselves as a god, king, or ruler in our hearts and minds, we begin to live like the Israelites and lose God-given opportunities to live the way God intended for us.

-Jeffrey Seiders

REFLECTION Q’s

  1. The Levite told the Israelites his version of the truth and many people suffered. When you tell your version of the truth, is it aligned with God and His truth, purpose, and plan? If not, who can hold you accountable and help realign your truth with God’s?
  2. The Israelites eventually realized they had “gone too far” with the Benjamites. In what ways have you “gone too far” and realized you needed to do something about it? What did you do and could you have done more to prevent further pain and heartache?
  3. In James 1:15, we read about desire giving birth to sin, and sin bringing death. What desires do you have that have led you down a dangerous path? How can those desires, with God and His son in mind, be handled healthily for God’s truth, purpose, and plan in your life?

**Optional question: Some people look forward to seeing certain kinds of animals in God’s kingdom. What are you most looking forward to in God’s kingdom? Why?**

SGL.2025.MarchFullPageDownload
SGL.2025.CalendarBookletDownload

A Wake-Up Call

Judges 17-19

Judges 17-19 begins to paint the picture of how bad things had become amongst the Israelites. Each chapter contains many actions that break God’s commands to His chosen people. Chapter 17 begins with Micah and his mother. He steals from his mother, tells her that he stole from her (only after finding out that his mother had cursed it), his mother blesses him for returning it, and she makes him an idol with it!? What an outlandish way to handle the situation. If Micah was my brother and had stolen from my parents or someone and my parents would’ve found out, things would’ve been very different for Micah. 

As a child, my parents and I thrifted numerous times. We would find lots of fun, cool, odd, and quirky things to look at, touch, or buy (if we had the money). One day, we went shopping and I went to the toy section while my parents shopped elsewhere. I found a Yu-Gi-Oh card lying on a shelf with no price tag and thought it looked awesome. So, I showed it to my parents and brother and they told me something like, “Go and ask the people at the register if you can have it or see what they would charge you for it.” I, being scared to do something so profound (or at least it felt that way to little ol’ me), decided to just slip it in my pocket and take it with us (hoping my parents and brother would forget about it). Unfortunately for me (or fortunately for me now looking back at it), my parents saw me holding and looking at the card and boy did they discipline me for it. Not only did they not “spare the rod” but I was also told I had to take it back to the store, apologize to the staff there, and I was informed about the various biblical methods they could’ve used instead. I learned that day that stealing was not worth the pain it caused me or my family.

Micah, his mother, and the nation of Israel had strayed so far away from God that this kind of behavior (stealing, lying, and idolatry) was deemed to be acceptable behavior in their eyes. Micah would later continue in this foolishness as he had a shrine, made an ephod, household gods, and made one of his sons a priest. The Danites in chapter 18 weren’t doing any better. They burned down a peaceful city, attacked the people of Laish, and decided to set up Micah’s idol they took from him. Yet, if you thought these things were bad, reading chapter 19 we find more repulsive, vile, and cruel actions. A Levite who took for himself a concubine (v.1), a stop in a not-so-god-like place named Gibeah in Benjamin that wouldn’t take them in (v.15, 22), a horrible decision to give the Levite’s concubine over to be raped (v.25), a rude/cold response from the Levite the next morning (v.27, 28), and a brutal yet seemingly necessary decision to send 12 parts of the concubine to all the areas of Israel (v.29). My parents gave me a wake-up call when I needed one, and fortunately for me it didn’t result in death of any kind (though maybe a departure from or “death” to bad habits). All of the Israelites needed a wake-up call to return to God and they received one that spoke volumes (v.30).

-Jeffrey Seiders

REFLECTION Q’s

  1. Micah stole, lied, and practiced idolatry. In what ways have you stolen, lied, and departed from God’s law? How can you use what has happened to glorify God now?
  2. Too often we see the people of this world “doing what they think is right in their own eyes.” How can we speak into their lives without “preaching at them” and bring them into a relationship with God and His son Jesus Christ? Is there anyone in your life you could discuss this with?
  3. Though the Levite did some horrific things, he elicited a response or call to action from the people of Israel. How can we, without acting like the Levite, bring the people around us into a place where they can “imagine” and feel the need to “do something” about their spiritual life?
SGL.2025.MarchFullPageDownload
SGL.2025.CalendarBookletDownload

Samson

Judges 13-16

Judges 13-16 contains the story of Samson, who led Israel for twenty years. I was raised knowing of Samson and his story, but little me didn’t know all the “extra” information these chapters contained. In fact, we had a black lab german shepherd mixed dog that we named Samson (which suited him the more he destroyed the things he “played with” and the stronger he became). Since I was younger, I don’t remember my parents ever needing to trim/cut his hair, but now I wonder if they ever did. Regardless of my lack of memory, Samson taught my brother and me a good lesson about being responsible and caring for something that might run away (though it took awhile to actually learn these things because we were both hard-headed or “strong-willed”). And here’s a fun fact: he did run away. To me, it felt like I had been betrayed by the dog I loved, and although in Samson’s case Delilah betrayed him (16:18), God worked through his betrayal. 

Samson, my dog, eventually returned home after our neighbors found him playing with their animals. But, in the time between not knowing what happened to him and reappearing, I learned how it felt to miss the dog I once had. I’m sure Samson missed the God-given strength he once had when he tried to break free from his bondage and had his eyes gouged out. The phrase, “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone,” certainly comes to my mind for both scenarios (and I’m more grateful that I can still see). In Job 1:21 we find a very similar concept, “And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”

God filled Samson with His spirit many times in these chapters, and even though it led to the deaths of many people, God used him to lead, judge, and preserve the nation of Israel. Philippians 2:13 states, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.” The Spirit of the LORD in Samson (and in us as Christians) is an extension of YAHWEH’s power and authority. Hill & Walton’s A Survey of the Old Testament states, “the Spirit gave people the ability or authority to do what they normally could not have done.”  And in Matthew 19:26 we read about Jesus telling his disciples that with man some things aren’t possible (in proper context he was discussing being born again), but with God all things are possible (and we, with God, can be an extension of Him and born again too). Our story, like Samson’s, will likely conclude with death (though I pray that ours doesn’t end by bringing down a building over top of us). However, God, through His son Jesus Christ, has made a way for us to be saved by grace through faith, not of ourselves or our works, but through Him and His son to soon be in His presence for eternity. Samson prayed to the LORD and the LORD answered. And we too should pray to the LORD and await His instructions and directions.

-Jeffrey Seiders

REFLECTION Q’s

  1. In times when you felt betrayed, how did you react? How did God eventually work it out for your good? If God hasn’t worked it out yet, reflect on ways God can use your betrayal for your good.
  2. What are some things in your life that make life easier for you? Is there something that you use daily and overlook that you could be grateful to God for?
  3. In what ways are you letting God and His spirit enter your life? Are there places in your life that you don’t let God and His spirit work in your life? How can you work on these areas?
  4. How often do you take time to pray for the LORD’s instruction and direction?
SGL.2025.MarchFullPageDownload
SGL.2025.CalendarBookletDownload

Power of Words

Judges 9-12

Key verse: Judges 11:36 

In the chapters for today’s devotion, we read about many stories of men who led Israel and those who opposed Israel. Nobody was perfect, some did notable things, and others did very little. One of the themes of the book of Judges according to Hill & Walton’s A Survey of the Old Testament is “The nature of charismatic leadership.” 

Recently, a few people who knew my dad had mentioned how charismatic he was. I, as his son, didn’t know whether or not they were pulling my leg. But as I talked with some of my friends and looked back on my life, I realized that my dad had a gift in charismatic leadership. Though there were times I knew he simply didn’t want to be in a position of leadership, he always found a healthy way to speak into other people’s lives without being pushy or bossy. I had always thought that every father/parent had a similar ability to do so, but I’m pretty sure I was wrong to believe that. Some people are not very good, or to be quite frank, terrible at positively influencing others. And I think we find that to be the case with Abimelek.

Abimelek, though outnumbered by a ratio of 1 to 70, secured a position of leadership by posing a simple question that “inclined” the leaders of Shechem to follow him. However, though he was charismatic, he was corrupt. He hired men to follow him and he killed almost all of his brothers (a classic example of another theme of Judges that “every man did what he thought was right in his own eyes”). Jotham, though not in a direct leadership role, spoke out against this corruption wonderfully through a parable, and God eventually dealt with Abimelek. However, before Abimelek is killed, we see Gaal son of Ebed speaking against Abimelek. 1 Peter 3:10 states, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.” Gaal either didn’t consider someone might be listening to him or maybe he didn’t care. Regardless, his words led to a battle (which might have scared some sense into him) that God used in order to repay the people for their wickedness.

Our words and actions can have powerful and large consequences! Later in Chapter 11 of our readings we find that this is most certainly the case with Jephthah and his daughter. Jephthah, a man heavily committed to the LORD, left the LORD to decide and judge the dispute between the Israelites and the Ammonites. However, the King of Ammon didn’t care much for that idea. Soon after, Jephthah was blessed with the Spirit of the LORD to go and fight the Ammonites. Yet, Jephthah vows to give whatever comes out of the door of his house when he returns home in exchange for triumph over the Ammonites. Unfortunately, this resulted in the dedication/sacrifice of his daughter in exchange for a mere victory (if you are interested in the different views of what happened to Jephthah’s daughter, I recommend looking at a few commentaries). In chapter 12, the Gileadites struck down the Ephraimites simply because of what they said and killed forty-two thousand. Be careful of what you say and how you say it. Proverbs 13:3 says, “Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.” 

-Jeffrey Seiders

REFLECTION Q’s

  1. When someone tells you to do something that doesn’t align with God, what do you do? Do you address them with grace and truth (as Jotham did)?
  2. When you speak, have you considered whether your words align with what God wants? How can you align the words you speak with God’s word?
  3. When you make a vow to the LORD, do you keep it? In what ways can you dedicate a part of your life to the LORD?
SGL.2025.MarchFullPageDownload
SGL.2025.CalendarBookletDownload

Fear-O

Judges 6-8

Can anyone guess what Piglet from Winnie the Pooh, the Lion from The Wizard of Oz, and Gideon from the Bible all have in common? Think as you scroll for the answer…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

They are all famous for being fearful. What a fantastic claim to fame.

(…But honestly, that trio of cowards reminds me a lot of myself. How about you?)

In Judges 6, we find that the Israelites turned away from God again (no surprise there!) and were being severely oppressed by the Midianites. Their behavior kind of reminds me of school bullies times a thousand – school bullies steal your lunch; Midianites crushed their crops. School bullies force you to hide in lockers; Midianites drove the Israelites off their land to hide in caves. Starving, homeless, and desperate, the Israelites again cried out to God for someone to save them. So, God sent his angel to the most unlikely warrior: Gideon, the self-proclaimed least member of the weakest family in his clan.

The chapter opens to the scene of Gideon hiding in a winepress while threshing the wheat (to keep it away from the Midianite bullies, of course). Ironically, the first words the angel of the LORD said to Gideon were, “The LORD is with you, Mighty Warrior!” 

I’m sure Gideon looked around to see if the angel was talking to someone else. Gideon, a mighty warrior? Gideon was full of questions, concerns, and doubts, asking for verification that he understood correctly that God had called him to defeat the Midianites. His first assignment was to tear down the idols (which Gideon did under the cover of night, of course, because he was afraid). Through sign after sign after tiring sign, God reassured Gideon that He really had called him to conquer Midian. Finally Gideon gained the courage to attack when he overheard a conversation among Midianites about their premonition that Gideon was going to conquer them. So Gideon’s miniscule militia, armed with (oddly enough) trumpets, jars, and torches, conquered the Midianites. There is a bit more conflict and idolatry in chapter 8, but overall, God’s people experienced 40 years of peace. 

Gideon was not afraid to question God and ask for reassurance. God knows what we are feeling, and He wants us to bring our questions before Him. God was faithful and patient with his servant, encouraging Gideon with inexplicable reminders of His plan. “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Psalm 86:15

I doubt that anyone would have labeled Gideon a warrior at the beginning of this story; he was a most unlikely hero. But that’s one of the beautiful things about our God: He has a way of ordaining the underdogs to do His most important work and calling them for it even before they look the part. God saw Gideon not for the milksop he was, but for the mighty warrior he would be with God’s power. God sees the potential in us, too, and he loves to use us through our weaknesses to demonstrate his power (I Corinthians 1:26-31). As the angel in this story advised, just “go in the strength that you have” (Judges 6:14). 

-Rachel Cain

Reflections:

What are some ways that God has worked through your weaknesses for His glory?

Bring your doubts and questions before God, and ask Him to reveal Himself to you. He wants you to seek Him! 

Be encouraged to seek God even in your doubts by listening to this song. 

SGL.2025.MarchFullPageDownload
SGL.2025.CalendarBookletDownload

Mustering Up Moxie

Judges 4-5 – Deborah and Jael 


Whenever I think of girl power, I envision caricatures of Deborah and Jael posing Rosie-the-Riveter-style in front of a tent, bloody peg in fist. Though this Bible story is a bit morbid, it is also bold and counter-cultural evidence of the power of God and his desire to use everyone for His glory. 

After Ehud died, the Israelites turned away from God, and they were oppressed by Jabin, the king of Canaan, for 20 years. Deborah became the Israelite leader during a time period in which not many women held high positions; she was not only a female judge in the same way other men in this book, like Othniel and Ehud, were judges/leaders, but she was also a prophetess and a judicial expert. God gave Deborah a message for military general Barak, guaranteeing him a victory against Sisera, the Canaanite army commander. Barak refused to go without Deborah, which could be a tribute to his faith in Deborah, a testimony to his lack of faith in God, and/or a confirmation of his general cowardice. Whichever it may be, Deborah agreed to go with the army, warning Barak that the victory for this battle in the historical record would forever be credited to a woman. 

Barak’s army managed to fatally defeat every one of Sisera’s troops – except Sisera himself, who fled on foot to the home of Heber and Jael of the Kenite tribe (which was supposedly a neutral party, friendly to both Israelites and Canaanites). Jael greeted Sisera with exceptionally devious hospitality: when Sisera asked for water, she instead gave him a skin of comforting milk to help him rest well. Once Sisera was fast asleep, she sneaked in as stealthily as a prowling cat and drove a tent peg through his head into the ground, thus practically emancipating the Israelite people from King Jabin. 

But really though, shouldn’t Jael have just stayed in her lane? Why would she rock the boat when her tribe was at peace with both sides? I mean, it was probably common knowledge that the Canaanites were oppressing the Israelites, but since she was neither, it didn’t really affect her, right? Why should she do anything to help one side or hurt the other? 

Perhaps Jael had heard rumors of the power of the Israelites’ God and didn’t want to be on their bad side. Or maybe she just had a sense that the Israelite/Canaanite relationship wasn’t right, and if she were in the position of the Israelites, she would hope that someone would come to the rescue, too. 

We aren’t privy to Jael’s thoughts, but when Sisera sought refuge in her abode, Jael was thrust into a rather precarious position that forced her to choose sides. She was granted a unique opportunity to impact great change, an opportunity that literally fell into her tent. The stakes were high (pun intended)! So Jael chose to be brave, even though it could have repercussions for her family and tribe once Jabin got wind of her actions. She had witnessed injustice and chose not to turn a blind eye when it was within her power to do something. Jael deceptively entertained the tyrannical army leader in order to gain an advantage and help the Israelites. 

Would I be like Jael, always ready to stand for what’s right even if I’m standing alone, even if it would cost me something? Or would I just mind my own beeswax and not get involved in things that don’t directly concern me, even though others are being hurt? As Christians in a first-world country, often we would rather spend energy complaining about minor inconveniences like Starbucks messing up our overpriced coffee than about serious issues that are going on in the world. Did you know that there are still people in the world suffering from starvation, lack of clean water or medical care, poverty further worsened by illiteracy, and political unrest that makes even simple daily living dangerous? Did you know that today there are more slaves than ever before? We envision all of that as happening across the ocean, but so much of it is right here under our noses. I live about 20 minutes from the intersection of two significant US highways, rendering it a major drug- and sex-trafficking hub. So much of this slavery and injustice is happening in our own backyards, and we all have a duty to do something about it. (I’m speaking to myself here too; I’ve been considering how I can get involved in the local movement to help this trafficking injustice.) We as collective Christians have neglected this duty to be involved in the world around us and contribute to change. It is so easy for us to stay in our comfy little church bubbles. But think back to the gospels for a minute… who did Jesus criticize the most – the biggest sinners or the religious leaders? Pharisees. Sadducees. The “most religious” people who ultimately cared more about their image than the One in Whose image they were created. Being Christians doesn’t give us permission to “look up at God” and away from the needs; it gives us all the more reason to see the world through “Jesus goggles” and intervene in practical ways (which James calls us to do). We can’t do everything, but we can do something. 

In Deborah’s song of praise after this victory that led to 40 years of peace for her people, she sang a line that I have adopted as a personal mantra: “March on, my soul, with courage!” (Judges 5:21). Another term for courage and determination is moxie. Deborah and Jael were definitely women of moxie! I long to become a person of righteous moxie who fights the battles God calls me to fight, always depending on His strength. 

“Deborah, the mother of Israel, and Jael, most blessed of tent-dwelling women. Did they ever even meet? Would they have been friends? This is beside the point, but still, I wonder. Living in a world where it seems like no one with any differences can get along, I wonder how two women, from such different worlds, ever came together to accomplish the same goal…. God uses the unlikely, the unexpected, and sometimes even the unsavory to deliver us and to crush the heads of his enemies. While his means of rescue may change, his promises remain permanent. So whether it’s by means of tent pegs through the head of an oppressor or nails through the hands of his son, we see yet again that we serve a God who never ceases to defeat his enemies so that his people, just like the sun, may rise in his might (Judg. 5:31).” (source)

-Rachel Cain

Reflections:

Listen to this song about being brave for God and consider how He might be calling you to be brave for Him. 


Would you, like Jael, have risked everything to stand up to an oppressor? What are some situations today in which God might be calling you to be brave and stand up for someone else?

Look for opportunities to get involved with local organizations to help with needs in your area and with the work of our international missions organization, Lord’s Harvest International, at lhicog.com. 

Pray for God to help you muster up moxie to initiate change with the injustices in the world. 

SGL.2025.MarchFullPageDownload
SGL.2025.CalendarBookletDownload

Genetic Edge

Judges 1-3

The study of genetics is fascinating. I remember being rather annoyed by punnett square assignments in my sophomore Biology class, but as an expectant parent it was fun to guess the likelihood of our children bearing unique characteristics of my husband and myself (…and it is ironic that four children from the same DNA can be so drastically different!). One of our four children looks like my mini-me, while the other three possess more of my husband’s physical traits. Though two children seem to be a mix of our personalities, one child definitely inherited my introverted and cautious personality while another one is every bit as ornery as I hear his father was at that age. Unfortunately, I did not provide our children with the recessive gene needed to match my husband’s red hair, and I don’t think he’ll ever forgive me for it. Ha! 

While some traits can be considered rare, one with which we are all probably familiar is the concept of dominant hand usage. Today, about 90% of the population demonstrates right-hand dominance, while 9% prefer to use their left hand and 1% are ambidextrous. This likely-inherited recessive trait of left handedness allowed our protagonist in today’s Bible reading to execute a most epic assassination to free the Israelites from oppression. 

Yesterday, we read Joshua’s monologue in which he recited a battle cry for his people to remember the Lord and continually choose to follow Him; today, we read about how, after Joshua died, the next generation didn’t know about God and started worshipping the gods of their neighbors. Even after all the miracles that God had performed for his people, the collective generation dropped the ball big time and failed to teach their children about God. So… God got their attention by turning them over to their enemies. 

The Lord selected leaders (“judges”) to help guide the people in His ways, but the Israelites ignored the judges and continued worshipping gods, doing evil even more so after each judge died. So, the Lord gave the people over to their enemies. In Judges 3:14, we find the Israelites being ruled by Eglon, the Moabite king, for almost two decades. The people finally called out to the Lord to save them, and He sent them Ehud as their leader/judge. 

The following verse specifically notes that Ehud was left-handed; God had a unique purpose for Ehud’s special trait. Ehud hand-delivered the Israelites’ tribute to the king, which was more or less a tax that the people had to pay as subjugates. In the days before metal detectors, the king’s security would check a visitor’s left side for weapons, since right handed people would sheathe a sword on their left side for ease of draw. Because Ehud was left handed, he would have hidden his sword on his right side, allowing him to pass inspection as an assumedly unarmed visitor. As he delivered the tribute to King Eglon, Ehud told the king that he had a secret message to share. The king, falling right into his trap, dismissed all the guards. Ehud seized his opportunity. Leaning in with a “secret message from God,” Ehud drew his clandestine sword and plunged it, hilt and all, into the belly of the obese ruler. (You can read all the gory details in the text.) Then Ehud locked the doors and escaped through the porch. The king’s attendants assumed that the king was “relieving himself,” so they “waited to the point of embarrassment” (a very long time!) before they finally unlocked the room to discover their gullible king dead on the floor. Their polite delay provided Ehud a nice buffer of time in which to abscond. Then the tables turned as the Israelites conquered Moab and enjoyed eighty years of peace. 

The left handed trait might have been viewed as a peculiar weakness, but God used Ehud’s uniqueness to accomplish something great for His people!

-Rachel Cain

Reflections:

Do you have any traits that you thought were a flaw, but that God used for His glory? 

SGL.2025.MarchFullPageDownload

SGL.2025.CalendarBookletDownload

Why the Old Testament?

* Old Testament – Judges 11 & 12

Poetry – Psalm 112

New Testament – Luke 12

The last week of readings for Seek, Grow, Love has quickly taken us through the first half of the book of Judges, introducing new rulers of Israel, highlighting their good and bad actions, and then moving on to the next. The ultimate point and purpose of Judges is not always obvious; God clearly called up leaders of Israel and empowered those leaders through His holy spirit, but their track records may leave us asking, “Why did God want us to remember this person?” or, “How does this part of the O.T. relate to me as a Christian, 2000 years after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension?” We could ask the same questions about many parts of the Old Testament.

God has many purposes for the Old Testament, for both its original audience and for us as Christians today. Judges, in particular, is part of the narrative that establishes a cultural and national identity for Israel. Think back just a few weeks, when today’s Jews celebrated Passover: before its exodus from Egypt, Israel probably did not view itself as a nation on par with the surrounding tribes and kingdoms. The first Passover and subsequent Exodus firmly established Israel as separate from its neighbors, with a special relationship with God. It is both a spiritual and national ethnogenesis. The Book of Judges continues the historical and spiritual narrative that reinforces Israel’s identity. Every character and every judge adds another element to that identity.

Today’s reading in Judges takes us to Jephthah. Overall, Jephthah is completely consistent with the pattern established earlier: in a period of danger and spiritual decline, God calls an Israelite, of ordinary stock for the most part, to lead Israel through the present struggle. Through this, God demonstrates His continual love for Israel and preserves the nation. The narrative purpose of Judges is also captured in Jephthah’s letter to the Ammonites in 11:12-28; this is essentially a short-form summary of God’s actions in preserving Israel and bringing it into the promised land. Jephthah’s message to the Ammonite king is recorded for Israel to remember. Then, there is the record of the victory over the Ammonites – with the specific attribution, ‘the LORD handed them over to him’ (11:32). Yet again, God leaves a record of His care over Israel.

Another purpose of the Old Testament is to establish the context for the coming of Jesus and the patterns that prefigure him as God’s Messiah. One part of today’s reading from Judges 11 that stands out is the specific circumstances of Jephthah’s life. Jephthah was “the son of a harlot” (11:1) and later in life his half-brothers drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You shall not have an inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.”’ (Judges 11:2b NASB). Despite this, Jephthah must have had a charismatic personality, with some natural leadership ability, because ‘worthless men gathered around Jephthah, and they went wherever he did.’ (11:3b NASB). Jephthah, due to the circumstances of his birth, was not naturally destined for leadership or respect. Yet, God uses this man to lead Israel in its struggle with and later victory over the Ammonites. In this manner, Jephthah is another pattern for who Jesus would be: of “questionable” birth (perspective matters, of course), with leadership abilities and purpose that did not fit the typical expectations of a man from an unimpressive town. God’s calling Jephthah to be leader over Israel is another instance of God selecting the unexpected, the cast-off, as the instrument of His purpose. It is entirely in congruence with the description of Jesus as

‘A stone which the builders rejected,

This has become the chief cornerstone;

This came about from the Lord,

And it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

(Mark 12:10b-11 NASB; cf. Psalm 118)

Jephthah, rejected by his half brothers, and yet the leader that Israel needed, is an example that points us to Jesus as the one chosen by God to be king over His kingdom.

Whenever you read a portion of the Old Testament, consider the two purposes discussed here: remembrance and prefiguring. Look for the examples, the records, of God’s ongoing care for Israel as He promised; those examples give us confidence that his promises of the Age to Come, the Kingdom of God, will be fulfilled. Then, examine the text to see if you can find characters that prefigure Jesus, shadows of the Messiah (then) to come. You will find him in surprising places!

~Dan Siderius

Reflection Questions

  1. Judges can be a hard book to read. Why?
  2. How are you at remembering how God has cared for His people through all of history and also during your lifetime? What is the danger when we don’t remember? For what do you give God credit, thanks and praise?
  3. What similarities do you see between Jephthah and Jesus? What differences do you see?
  4. What can we learn about God and His plan of salvation through His Messiah Jesus throughout the Old Testament and more specifically in our Bible reading today?
sgl23bibleplanDownload

A Bad Relationship

Judges 16

March 2

If you have been in the dating world for any amount of time, there is a high chance that you have had a bad relationship at some point. We’ve all probably had a date go wrong, had someone cheat on us, or had a relationship just not go where we thought it would. This is so common that it shouldn’t surprise us to find an example (among many) within the Bible itself, and that’s what we see with Samson. Blessed with incredible strength by God, Samson sacrificed that gift because he thought he loved someone and paid for it with his life. However, as we look at the story, we see that this was avoidable, and it is a powerful lesson for all of us that bad relationships in general are usually avoidable too.

Looking at Samson’s life, we see that, although he was blessed by God from an early age, he was driven by passion and lust (v. 1). He was so driven by his lustful passions that he fell in love with a woman from the Philistines, who did not worship the same God as him. Not only that, but we learn nothing about how they related to each other’s families, or how quickly they got involved together (although, it can be assumed by his track record that they jumped into things quicker than most). Samson wasn’t aware that Delilah planned on betraying him and didn’t really love him back. Perhaps he would have known if he spent more time thinking it over before getting involved? 

How often do you hear stories about people who “loved” someone else, only to find out later that they weren’t the person they thought? How many of you, or people that you know, have stories about rushing into relationships too quickly, only to have it hurt you in the end? Have you ever been involved with someone else who didn’t share the same beliefs as you, causing you to sacrifice your morals and convictions to please them? This happens all the time, but God doesn’t want this for us. He has given us clear instructions to have healthy relationships in the Scriptures, because as our Father, He wants what is best for us. Patiently consider what God says about dating and marriage before you get too deep with someone else.

-Talon Paul

Questions to Consider

  1. If you are considering dating someone right now, have you taken your family’s and your church’s opinions to heart? Dating is intended to bring you towards marriage, and your family’s view of the person could be life-altering in the future.
  1. The apostle Paul encourages us to not be “unequally yoked” to unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14). Their morals and views of the world do not always match up with your own. How important is your potential date’s faith to you, and is it a deciding factor in your relationship? Should it be?
  1. What guard-rails or boundaries have you set up in your relationship to maintain your faithfulness to God? Breaking these barriers can have life-defining consequences in the future.
2022 SeekGrowLove Bible Reading PlanDownload

When You Feel Inadequate and Overwhelmed

Judges 7

March 1

If you’re like me, you can definitely relate to the story of Gideon. He feels completely inadequate to carry out the commission that God has given him, to defeat the invading Midianites. He constantly asks God for a sign that He has really chosen him for this task (6:17, 36-40), and God responds each time. Then, the moment finally arrives for Gideon to do what God has commanded him, and God tests his faith even more. He takes the Israelite army and shrinks it from 32,000 men to 10,000, and then to just 300… and they didn’t even have real weapons! (v. 16) Gideon literally has no shot of destroying the large army of Midianites, about 120,000 men, at least from a human’s perspective. Yet, God does what He says He is going to do, and Gideon and his 300 men are successful in delivering the people from the Midianites.

How many of you have felt like Gideon did? God has called you to a pretty monumental task, one that you feel ill-prepared for, and yet He was faithful to get you through it? Especially as a pastor, I feel this deeply on a daily basis, as almost all pastors do. I feel this as a husband and father, called to take care of my family without much clear guidance on how to do just that. I feel this just as a Christian, called to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the whole world, but not always knowing how that works. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by what God has called you to do, you’re not alone; and God is faithful to work with us.

-Talon Paul

Questions to Consider

  1. Is God calling you to something bigger that you think is impossible? Take a moment to pray for peace and the faith to believe that your Father will get you through it. Follow through with His plan and He will be with you.
  1. Are you overwhelmed by what is going on around you right now? Take comfort in Gideon’s story. God always takes care of His people, even if the answers aren’t immediately available.
  1. Do you feel inadequate? You’re not alone. Over and over again, God chooses the most inadequate people in the Bible for His mission, so that He gets all the glory. You are exactly the right person that God wants.
2022 SeekGrowLove Bible Reading PlanDownload