Archive for the ‘Judges’ Category

Spiritual Training 11 June 2012

Posted: June 11, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Judges, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command
Gideon

Judges 6:01-05 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites.  Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds.  Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country.  They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys.  They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locust.  It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it.

The Midianites were desert people descended from Abraham’s second wife, Keturah (Genesis 25:1,2).  From this relationship came a nation that was always in conflict with Israel.  Years earlier the Israelite’s, while still wandering in the desert, battled the Midianites and almost totally destroyed them (Numbers 31:1-20).  Because of their failure to completely destroy them, however, the tribe repopulated.  Here they were once again oppressing Israel.

Spiritual Training 08 June 2012

Posted: June 8, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Judges, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command 
Judges 5 The Song of Deborah
(Read Entire Chapter)

Music and singing were a cherished part of Israel’s culture.  Chapter 5 is a song, possibly composed and sung by Deborah and Barak.  It sets to music the story of Israel’s great victory recounted in Chapter 4. This victory song was accompanied by joyous celebration.  It proclaimed God’s greatness by giving him credit for the victory.  It was an excellent way to preserve and retell this wonderful story from generation to generation.

In Victory, Barak and Deborah sang praises to God.  Songs of praise focus our attention on God, give us an outlet for spiritual celebration, and remind us of God’s faithfulness and character.  Whether you are experiencing a great victory or a major dilemma, singing praises to God can have a positive effect on your attitude.

Spiritual Training 05 June 2012

Posted: June 5, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Judges, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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UNDER GODS COMMAND

Judges 5.8 – When they chose new gods, war came to the city gates, and not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel. 

War was the inevitable result when Israel chose to follow false gods.  Although God had given Israel clear directions, the people failed to put his words into practice.  Without God at the center of their national life, pressure from the outside soon became greater than power from within, and they were an easy prey for their enemies.

Lets bring it home: If you are letting a desire for recognition, craving for power, or love of money rule your life, you may find yourself besieged by enemies-stress, anxiety, illness, fatigue.  Keep God at the center of your life, and you will have the power you need to fight these destroyers.

Spiritual Training 04 June 2012

Posted: June 4, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Judges, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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UNDER GODS COMMAND Deborah (Judges 4-5) 

Key verse: “Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading  Israel at that time ” (Judges 4:4)

Wise Leaders are rare.  They accomplish great amounts of work without direct involvement because they know how to work through other people.  They are able to see the big picture that often escapes those directly involved, so they make good mediators, advisers, and planners.  Deborah fit this description perfectly.  She had all these leadership skills, and she had a remarkable relationship with God.  The insight and confidence God gave this woman placed her in a unique position in the Old Testament.  Deborah is among the outstanding women of history.  Her story shows that use was not power hungry.  She wanted to serve God.  Whenever praise came her way, she gave God the credit.  She didn’t deny or resist her position in the culture as a woman and wife, but she never allowed herself to be hindered by it either.  Her story show Great God can accomplish great things through people who are willing to be led by him.  Deborah’s life challenges us in several ways.  She reminds us of the need to be available both to God and to others.  She encourages us to spend our efforts on what we can do rather than on worrying about what we can’t do.  Deborah challenges us to be wise leaders.  She demonstrates what a person can accomplish when God isn in control.  

STRENGTHS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

  • FOURTH AND ONLY FEMALE  JUDGE OVER ISRAEL
  • SPECIAL ABILITIES AS A MEDIATOR, ADVISER, AND COUNSELOR
  • WHEN CALLED ON TO LEAD, WAS ABLE TO PLAN, DIRECT, AND DELEGATE
  • KNOWN FOR HER PROPHETIC POWER
  • A WRITER OF SONGS
LESSONS FROM HER LIFE:
  • GOD CHOOSES LEADERS BY HIS STANDARDS, NOT OURS
  • WISE LEADERS CHOOSE GOOD HELPERS

Spiritual Training 04 June 2012

Posted: June 4, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Judges, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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UNDER GODS COMMAND Deborah (Judges 4-5) 

Key verse: “Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading  Israel at that time ” (Judges 4:4)

Wise Leaders are rare.  They accomplish great amounts of work without direct involvement because they know how to work through other people.  They are able to see the big picture that often escapes those directly involved, so they make good mediators, advisers, and planners.  Deborah fit this description perfectly.  She had all these leadership skills, and she had a remarkable relationship with God.  The insight and confidence God gave this woman placed her in a unique position in the Old Testament.  Deborah is among the outstanding women of history.  Her story shows that use was not power hungry.  She wanted to serve God.  Whenever praise came her way, she gave God the credit.  She didn’t deny or resist her position in the culture as a woman and wife, but she never allowed herself to be hindered by it either.  Her story show Great God can accomplish great things through people who are willing to be led by him.  Deborah’s life challenges us in several ways.  She reminds us of the need to be available both to God and to others.  She encourages us to spend our efforts on what we can do rather than on worrying about what we can’t do.  Deborah challenges us to be wise leaders.  She demonstrates what a person can accomplish when God isn in control.  

STRENGTHS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

  • FOURTH AND ONLY FEMALE  JUDGE OVER ISRAEL
  • SPECIAL ABILITIES AS A MEDIATOR, ADVISER, AND COUNSELOR
  • WHEN CALLED ON TO LEAD, WAS ABLE TO PLAN, DIRECT, AND DELEGATE
  • KNOWN FOR HER PROPHETIC POWER
  • A WRITER OF SONGS

LESSONS FROM HER LIFE

  • GOD CHOOSES LEADERS BY HIS STANDARDS, NOT OURS
  • WISE LEADERS CHOOSE GOOD HELPERS

Spiritual Training 23 May 2012

Posted: May 23, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Judges, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command
Disobedience and defeat

Judges 4:3 Because he had nine hundred iron chariots and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the LORD for help.

After 20 years of unbearable circumstances, the Israelites finally cried to the LORD for help. But God should be the first place we turn when we are facing struggles or dilemmas. The Israelite’s chose to go their own way and got into a mess.

Lets bring it home: We often do the same. Trying to control our own lives without God’s help leads to struggle and confusion. By contrast, when we stay in daily contact with the LORD, we are less likely to create painful circumstances for ourselves. This is a lesson the Israelites never fully learned. When struggles come our way, God wants us to come to him first, seeking his strength and guidance.

Spiritual Training 22 May 2012

Posted: May 22, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Judges, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command
Disobedience and defeat

Judges 4:1-3 After Ehud died, the Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the LORD. So the LORD sold them into the hands of Jabin, a King of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim. Because he had nine hundred iron chariots and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the LORD for help.

Israel sinned “in the eyes of the LORD. “Our sins harm both others, and ourselves but all sin is ultimately against God because it disregards his commands and his authority over us. When confessing his sin David prayed, “Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” (Psalm 51:4). Recognizing the seriousness of sin is the first step toward removing it from our lives.

This is the only time during the period of the judges when the Israelites enemies came from within their land. The Israelites had failed to drive out all the Canaanites. These Canaanites had regrouped and were attempting to restore their lost power. If the Israelites had obeyed God in the first place and had driven the Canaanites from the land, this incident would not have happened.

Chariots were the tanks of the ancient world. Made of iron or wood, they were pulled by one or two horses and were the most feared and powerful weapons of the day. Some chariots even had razor-sharp knives extending from the wheels designed to mutilate helpless foot soldiers. The Canaanite army had 900 iron chariots. Israel was not powerful enough to defeat such an invincible army. Therefore, Jabin and Sisera had no trouble oppressing the people-until a faithful woman named Deborah called upon God.

Spiritual Training 23 May 2012

Posted: May 21, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Judges, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command
Disobedience and defeat

Judges 3:12, 15-21, 30
12Once again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and because they did this evil the LORD gave Eglon King of Moab power over Israel.

15-21: Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them deliverer-Ehud, a left handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites went him with tribute to Eglon King of Moab. Now Ehud had made a double-edge sword about a foot and a half long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. He presented the tribute to Eglon King of Moab, who was a very fat man. After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way the men who had carried it. At the idols near Gilgal he himself turned back and said, “I have a secret message for you, O King.” The king said, “Quiet!” And all his attendants left him. Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his summer palace and said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the King rose from his seat, Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the Kings belly. Even the handle sank in after the blade, which came out his back. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it.

30: That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years.

Ehud is called a deliverer. In the broadest sense, all the judges can be looked upon as foreshadowing the perfect Deliverer, Jesus Christ While Ehud delivered Israel from its enemies, Jesus delivers us from sin, our greatest enemy.

This unusual story demonstrates how God can use us just the way he made us. Being left-handed in Ehud’s day was considered an exceptional ability. Many Benjaminites were left-handed (see 20:16), making them highly specialized troops, able to use a sling or bow with tactics designed to repel right-handed warriors. Eglon’s bodyguard never checked Israel’s messengers for left-handed weapons. But God used Ehud’s overlooked ability to give Israel victory.

Lets bring it home: Let God use you the way you are to accomplish his work. The enemies we face are as real as Ehud’s, but they are most often within ourselves. The battles we fight are not against other people but against the power of sin. We need God’s help in doing battle against sin. We also need to remember that he has already won the war. He has defeated sin at the cross of his Son, Jesus. His help is the cause of each success, and his forgiveness is sufficient for each failure.

Spiritual Training 17 May 2012

Posted: May 17, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Judges, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command
Disobedience and defeat

Judges 3:8-9 The Anger of LORD burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim King of Aram Naharaim, to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years. But when they cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother who saved them.

Othniel was Israel’s first judge. In 1:13 we read that he volunteered to lead an attack against a fortified city. Here he was to lead the nation back to God. Othniel had a rich spiritual heritage-his uncle was Caleb, a man with unwavering faith in God (Numbers 13:30; 14:24). Othniel’s leadership brought the people back to God and freed then from the oppression of the King of Aram, Naharaim. But after Othniel’s death, it didn’t take the Israelites long to fall back into their neighbors’ comfortable but sinful ways.

Lets bring it home: How many of us, when we win battles by asking other people to pray to for us or even going to God when we need to win a battle forget about Him and go back to our sinful ways after being shown favor.

Spiritual Training 16 May 2012

Posted: May 16, 2012 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Judges, Personal Growth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command
Disobedience and defeat

Judges 3:7 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.

Baal was the most worshiped god of the Canaanites. Most often cast in the form of a bull, he symbolized strength and fertility and was considered the god of agriculture. Asherah was Baal’s female consort, mother goddess of the sea who was worshiped by means of wooden pillars that substituted for sacred trees.

Lets bring it home: It is difficult to imagine the people of Israel trading worship of the Lord for worship of idols of wood, stone, and iron, but we do the same when we forsake worshiping God for other activities, hobbies, or priorities. Our idols are not made of wood or stone but they are every bit a sinful

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