Judges
Sampson’s Parents Make a Vow
Manoah and his wife did not have any children because she was barren. So, the birth of Samson was miraculous as was the birth of Isaac, or Joseph or Benjamin. Manoah accepted that the visitor was a “man of God” (v.8), prayed for a second visit and that he and his wife would be prepared for
Delilah Leads Samson to his Doom
Even though Samson had already gotten into trouble with two women he now gets involved with a third woman in the valley of Sorek which was not far from his home (v. 4). It was here that Delilah came into his life and led him to his doom. Three times Delilah enticed Samson, and t …
The Death of Samson
Samson was the laughingstock of the Philistines (vv. 23- 25). The Philistines celebrated Samson’s imprisonment by assembling to worship Dagon their fish god. Dagon was given all the glory, not the God of Israel. There was a temple to Dagon, and he appears to have been the chief deity of the …
The Troubled Reign of Abimelech
Gideon had risked his life for Israel. They had responded by destroying his sons (vv. 16-18) so fires of destruction would only be what they deserved (vv. 19-20). These were Gotham’s words of warning. Then Gotham had to run for his life and hide from the anger of his brothers (v. 21) …
Jephthah’s Call to Leadership
The eighth judge of Israel was a man of great character, by the name of Jephthah. In his early life he was despised by his half-brothers as an illegitimate son of their father, and he became an outcast, exiled to the land of Tob (vv. 1-5). It was a normal practice to send away illegitimate children in …
The Remorse of the Israelites
A spirit of reconciliation set in almost as soon as the war ended. In the heat of conflict Israel had made a rash vow that she would never again permit intermarriage with Benjamin (v. 1). If strictly observed this would have eliminated this tribe. With the Israelites a vow once made, even if it was …
Guided by convenience rather than conviction
We have now completed the history of the Judges. This portion of scripture gives us a full picture of what it was like to live in a day of moral and political disorder before there was a king in Israel (v. 6). Micah was regarded as a religious man. He had “a house of gods” (v. 5). Yet he stole a huge …
Devine Testing of Israel
Because Israel forsook the Lord, He forsook them. He turned them over to their enemies time after time. When the judgment became so severe that the nation finally did cry out to God, He would send a deliverer in the form of a judge (vv. 16-17). Sad to say, the people would turn to the Lord …
The Defeat of Gideon’s Foes
The Israelites strategy unfolded as the 300 soldiers were divided into three companies (v. 16). Each warrior had a trumpet and a pitcher containing a lamp. When Gideon gave the signal, all acted at the same time (vv. 17-18). They blew the trumpets, shattered the pitchers, raised the lamps, and …
Confirming the Will of God
When it was confirmed that Gideon was the one guilty of tearing down the altar of Baal the followers marched on Gideon’s house and demanded that he be turned over to them for execution (v. 30). Joash, Gideon’s father responded by saying, “If (Baal) is a God let him contend …