Category: Judges

Judges 21:25 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. (NIV)
Can you imagine what our world would look like if we self-governed by doing as we each saw fit? What a nightmare, especially if we are operating as if we have no Heavenly Father who is sovereign in our lives. 
Judges 21:25 In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. (NLT)
I recently heard a Canadian describe the difference between the American attitude and Canadian attitude as Americans are all about the rights of the individual while Canadians are for the collective good of the group. I definitely see that tension between individual desires and the greater good at present.
Judges 21:25 In those days Israel wasn’t ruled by a king, and everyone did what they thought was right. (CEV)
Lord, Thank You for this day and for this scripture. Thank You for showing me the reality of Judges 21:25 through the actions of the Israelites in Judges. Help me to operate under Your sovereign, loving, merciful authority and not my own judgement. Draw me closer. Amen.
Judges 21:25 There was no king in Israel at that time. Everyone did whatever they pleased. (GNT)
Have a blessed day.

Judges 20:26a Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went up to Bethel, and there sat weeping before the LORD….
It is hard to be humbled, to be brought low. It is so difficult to admit, “I can’t handle this,” or “I messed up,” or “I need help.” Yet, if we are truly going to give God control, it is absolutely necessary.
Judges 20:27 And the Israelites inquired of the LORD….
In this self-sufficient world we live in, though, vigilance is necessary. And self-reliance can be insidious. I want to be able to take care of things by myself. I don’t want to be seen as weak. But God needs me to be strong in HIM, not in myself.
Judges 20:28b …They asked, “Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites, or not?”…
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for reminding me of the need to be vigilant in my actions so that I can remain humble in You. Humility can be hard, Lord, because it feels like weakness, but being humble in You requires so much strength. Draw me closer. Amen.
Judges 20:28c …The LORD responded, “Go, for tomorrow I will give them into you hands.”
Have a blessed day.

Judges 19:1 In those days Israel had no king.
This was an incredibly disturbing chapter. It seemed to exemplify how people who don’t recognize God as the one true King might act, devoid of hospitality, devoid of human compassion. 
Judges 19:12 His master replied, “No. we won’t go into any city whose people are not Israelites. We will go to Gibeah.”
I’m left contemplating what I can learn from this chapter, and I feel like hospitality and compassion for ALL are definitely among the lessons. 
Judges 19:15 …They went and sat in the city square, but no one took them in for the night.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and for this scripture. Thank You for the ability to glean positive lessons even from a very disturbing chapter. Draw me closer to You always. Guard my heart and mind in You. Amen.
Judges 19:20 “You are welcome at my house….Let me supply whatever you need. Only don’t spend the night in the square.”
Have a blessed day.

Judges 18:1 In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
Commentary suggests that the Danites has not claimed the inheritance set aside for them because they may have thought it too difficult. Unfortunately, I have also fallen into the trap of ease, thinking perhaps what I thought was God’s will for me maybe wasn’t because it was so much more difficult than I bargained for.
Judges 18:5-6 Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to learn whether our journey will be successful.” The priest answered them, “Go in peace. Your journey has the LORD’s approval.”
But I think God does that to remind us that our strength is never enough to accomplish His will, that we will always need Him to walk where He leads us. We hope, like the Danites, for a breezy “Go in peace,” but God’s way, God’s work, often requires grit and determination. It often brings us to the end of ourselves, which is the only place we can truly recognize our deep need for Him.
Judges 18:24 [Micah] replied, “You took the gods I made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you ask, ‘What’s the matter with you?’”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for reminding me that You don’t always call us to an easy path, but You always walk it with us. Help me to never become so confident in my own strength that I forget my deep need for You. Please don’t ever leave me sitting in the ashes of my own doing wondering ‘What else do I have?’ I have You, Lord. That’s all I need. Thank You. Amen.
Judges 18:26 …and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him, turned around and went back home.
Have a blessed day.

Judges 17:2 … “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have that silver with me; I took it.” Then his mother said, “The LORD bless you, my son!”
Once again I am poised to lambast the people in this chapter because, to my way of thinking, they are acting like utter fools. Once again my Savior metaphorically taps me on the shoulder, whispering, “Look closer. They aren’t so different from you in some ways. What can you learn from them?” Sigh.
Judges 17:3 When he returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I solemnly consecrate my silver to the LORD for my son to make an image overlaid with silver. I will give it back to you.”
Verse 6 is the one that really jumps out to me: “… everyone did as they saw fit.”  That seems awfully close to letting your thoughts, feelings, and emotions run the show, but I know that doesn’t work. My feelings tell me constantly that I’m not enough, but I am seeking and striving every day to draw closer to my Savior, to know Him more, to glorify and praise Him. Jesus, Help me!
Judges 17:5 Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household gods and installed one of his sons as his priest.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for showing me areas in my own life that need work. Thank You for the beautiful mess that I am and for drawing me closer to You daily. Help me to put my trust in You and not in my thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Draw me closer. Amen.
Judges 17:6 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.
Have a blessed day.

Judges 16:6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”
Part of me is truly incredulous that Samson keeps putting himself in these situations. How can a man set aside for God be so selfish and stupid? Another part of me is wrestling with fear, anxiety, and bitterness—again—pertaining to situations that should already be laid to rest.
Judges 16:15 Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me?…”
Just like Samson, I keep putting myself in this situation because I keep rehashing and fretting and worrying.  Just like Samson, when I focus on myself instead of my God, life slips off-kilter. Anger, bitterness, fear come with an incredibly negative physical sensation. I feel like it’s God’s way of reinforcing that I should NOT be dwelling on these things leading to those emotions, so why do I find myself wrestling with them again?
Judges 16:27 Then Samson prayed to the LORD, “Sovereign LORD, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. I fully intended to write a scathing review of weak-minded Samson, but You have shown me that when I allow myself to get sucked up into negative emotions, I am no better. Thank You that You are the antidote to this spiraling abyss. Help me to focus on You—Your love, Your mercy, Your hope, Your will, NOT my own. Draw me closer. Amen.
Judges 16:30 …Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.
Have a blessed day.

Judges 14:2 When he returned, he said to his father and mother, “I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.”
Samson seems rather impetuous, almost like Varuca Salt from Willy Wonka declaring, “I want it now!” And commentary pointed out several instances where he either directly violated his Nazirite vows (touching the carcass of the lion) or where he put himself in a position where his vows could be easily broken—in a vineyard and at the dinner (having nothing to do with grape products in any form).
Judges 14:4 (His parents did not know that this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines….)
Even Judges 14:4, according to commentary, is God using Sampson’s rash, ungodly decision to marry the Philistine to further God’s plan. There seems to be nothing in this chapter suggesting that this man set apart for God gave any thought, prayer, or consideration to God’s will for his life. That seems incredibly strange to me.
Judges 14:5 Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder of the need to actively align ourselves with Your will. Thank You for pointing us in the right direction if we are only willing to seek Your direction and to listen to Your voice. Thank You for giving us the strength to do what You call us to, even if we don’t really want to do it. Draw us closer. Grant us Your peace and Your strength so we can do Your will. Amen.
Judges 14:6 The Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat….
Have a blessed day.

Judges 13:1 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, so the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.
This verse brings to mind a saying I’ve heard before. I have no idea who coined the phrase, but I first heard it in Sunday School: “We either say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ or God says to us, ‘Thy will be done.’” And while it may seem like a great idea for God to give us our way, it doesn’t turn out well for us, as the Israelites saw time and again.
Judges 13:2 A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, … had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth.
Manoah is an interesting figure. My heart goes out to him in that his wife’s infertility seems to have shaken his faith. Even though his wife takes the angel of the LORD at his word, Manoah seems to need additional reassurance, which I completely understand. And while at face value it seems a completely different struggle than the Israelites were facing in verse 1, it is still a struggle accepting and following God’s will.
Judges 13:22 “We are doomed to die!” he said to his wife. “We have seen God!”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that there are many ways one can struggle to follow Your will. Help us seek, always, Your will and not our own. Help us, even when we are afraid to believe the goodness You are giving us, to be bold for You and in You. Always. Draw us closer. Amen.
Judges 13:23 But the wife answered, “If the LORD had meant to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or told us this.”
Have a blessed day.