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Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 95

Apr5
Day 95.  Reading Judges 16 – 17 
 

Read today’s scripture.

Is there anything that encourages you from the book of Judges?

Judges 16.

Oh, Samson. Your lustful eyes and arrogant pride will be your downfall. (Literally.)

Samson goes down to Gaza, the southernmost Philistine city, and there he sees and uses a prostitute. When the people learn their arch-enemy is in town, they surround the house, thinking they will kill him at dawn. But Samson wakes at midnight, goes to the gates of the town (which are closed/locked for the night), pulls up the posts, and carries them and the gates to the top of a nearby hill.  So much for locking him in!

Then, in another place, Samson sees and falls for Delilah. Instead of trying to “take” Samson at dawn, as the people of Gaza, these Philistines offered to pay Delilah $35K to discover the “trick” to his strength.

She woos him, plays on his pride, and using her feminine wiles, has him “confess” three times the key to his strength. She calls the men, but Samson breaks the bindings like wax. She is peeved (seeing that cash melt away) and eventually tricks Samson into telling the true source of his strength – his Nazarite Vow, which forbids him cutting his hair.

Samson sleeps, Delilah calls a barber then the Philistines. Yep, he’s as weak as a babe.  The last thing Samson sees before losing his eyes is Delilah counting her money.  Betrayed!!!  Such glee among the Philistines! They make him “perform” and then put him to work like an ox, grinding grain at the mill in prison.

(Was Jesus thinking of Samson when He said, “If your eye offends you, gouge it out.”? (See Matthew 5:27-29)

But Samson’s hair begins to grow.  And perhaps repentance and submission to God too.

Years later at a great feast for their god, Dagon, who has the head of a man and the body of a fish, the great crowd gets bored and calls for some entertainment. Samson.  The blind man, with a head of hair to his shoulders (DIDN’T THEY SEE THAT???) is brought in to perform and be mocked.  They laugh and cheer and guzzle their wine.

“Young man,” Samson whispers, “let me feel the pillars with my hands so I may rest.“

The boy places Samson’s hands on the two center columns.

He pretends to sag with exhaustion.

“O LORD God,” he prays silently, “please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my eyes.”

God hears him. 

Samson grasps the pillars with his hands and leans forward.

“Let me die with the Philistines!” He prays.

And he pulled with all this strength … and the house fell down.

“The dead whom Samson killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life.“

His brothers buried him in the tomb of his father, Manoah. He was a national hero who died for his God and country. 

DID YOU KNOW? Samson is on the list of the heroes of the Faith in Hebrews 11:32, along with Gideon, Barak, and Jephthah.

Judges 17.

This story is evidence that the people of Israel had NOT been reading the Law of God annually.  They had no idea about His commands, statutes, rules, and laws.

Micah, a man from the tribe of Ephraim was a thief to begin with.  He stole 1,100 pieces of silver from his mother but returned it. She was so happy that she dedicated some of it to make a silver image. An idol!! She put it in her son’s house along with the ephod he made and a bunch of other household idols. This inspired Micah to ordain his son as a priest. (MAN!!! How far can they go from the LAW OF THE LORD??)

“There was no king in Israel in those days. (So) Everyone did what was right in his OWN EYES.

Then a true Levite living in Judah’s land journeyed to the land of Ephraim. When Micah saw him, he thought, “Wow, here is a real priest!!” He invited the man to stay with him. The smug Micah then thought to himself, “Now I know that the LORD will prosper me because I have a Levite as a priest.” SERIOUSLY??

Judges 18.

Dan, the tribe from which Samson came, “was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in, for until then, no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had fallen to them?”

(WHAT??  What about that small area on the coast including Joppa? Judges 1:34 tells us that they were indeed given that land, but THEY HAD FAILED TO SECURE IT and let the Amorites press them up into the hill country.)

Anyway, now this very small tribe was looking for some land they could easily take. Spies left Zorah (Samson’s town) and came to Micah’s house. They asked the wayward Levite priest living there for God’s direction. “Oh, all is cool,” said the Levite. “Go in peace. The journey on which you go is under the eye of the LORD.”

So the five spies went waaaayyyyyyy north into the land of the Sidonians (not the land that God had given to Israel).  The people there were isolated and quiet. Cool. No problem.  They returned to their fellow Danites and said, “Let’s go up against this people, for we’ve seen the land and it is very good. Don’t be slow to go and possess the land.  The people are unsuspecting. The land is spacious. We will lack nothing there.” 

So 600 Danites, armed with weapons of war went up and arrived at the house of Micah. The 600 men went into his house and took the ephod, the household gods, and the carved silver image.

“What are you doing?” asked the Levite.

“Keep quiet. Come with us. You can be a priest of a whole tribe in Israel, and not just one man. “

“Cool!” said the priest. He took the artifacts and went with the Danite troops.

Micah, of course, was not happy.  “Why are you taking my priest and my gods?“

The Danites told him to be quiet or else he’d “lose his life.”

The Danites then went up to the people of Laish, a quiet and unsuspecting people, and struck them with the sword and burned their city.  There was no deliverer for them since Sidon was so far away. 

The Danites rebuilt the city and named it Dan. They set up the carved image and had the priests as their own. And so they remained until the day of the captivity of the land. 

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 94

Apr4
Day 94.  Reading Judges 13 – 15
 

Read today’s scripture.

What encourages you from the book of Judges?

Judges 13.

Samson, the Old Testament Super Hero?  Not, when you get to know him!

The story begins as it has in the last chapters:

  • The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.
  • So the LORD gave them into the hands of the Philistines for 40 years.

This time we don’t read about the people crying out to God for help, but you can be sure they did.  The help would come from the tribe of Dan this time.  Remember, their land allotment was a small area at the Mediterranean Sea around Joppa. This was just north of the five main cities of Philistia (Ashdod, Gath, Ashkelan, Ekron, and Gaza). 

The town of Zorah, where Samson’s parents lived, was just east of Ekron and north of Gath. (kind of scary!)

As in so many of the Bible stories where God chooses special people for specific tasks, we see a man with a barren wife. One day the Angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah and told him that his wife was going to have a son. He was to be a Nazarite FROM BEFORE BIRTH. That meant that not only would the son NOT have his hair cut, and would not eat anything unclean or connected with grapes (juice, wine, raisins or skins), and never touch anything dead, but his MOTHER would also not eat anything from the vine or unclean.

The Angel of the LORD also told him that this son would “begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”  The couple believed, and asked God for more instructions on what they were to do with the child born to them. And the angel returned to instruct them.

Manoah asked the Angel for his name and the answer was amazing! “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?”  This immediately reminded me of Isaiah 9:6, speaking about the Messiah to come.

  • “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

It was surely the pre-incarnate Jesus, talking to this Danite man.

And… in due time, Manoah’s wife conceived and bore a son. They called him Samson. “And the young man grew, and the LORD blessed him. And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him.”

Sounds good, so far……

Judges 14.

Samson went to Timnah, a boarder town of Judah, saw a Philistine girl there and told his parents to get her for his wife. His parents were of course upset, thinking their nice Jewish boy should marry a nice Jewish girl.  But they forgot that God was going to use Samson to “begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”  Samson was “seeking an opportunity against the Philistines” and this was from the LORD.

As the three journeyed down to Timnah, a lion rushed out at them. YIKES!  Samson grabbed the cat with his bare hands and tore it to pieces (in the power of the Spirit).  WHAT???  Then they calmly went the rest of the way and talked to the woman. (I assume they made the deal for the bride price.)

A few days later, Samson went back to claim his wife and saw the carcass of the lion he killed. THERE WAS A SWARM OF BEES INSIDE … AND SOME HONEY.  Samson scraped out some of the honey and ate it! (Now did he touch a dead body?)  When he saw his parents later he gave them some and they ate too. 

Now, why is this in the story – other than to show Samson broke the Nazarite Vow?  Because our clever “judge” made up a riddle for the wedding party guests to guess.  The winning prize would be 30 changes of garments, awarded to the guests if they guessed the answer, or kept by Samson, if they didn’t.

Here it is:

  • Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet.

Of course WE know what it was, but no one else could guess.  CHEATERS!!  Yep, the young men went to Samson’s fiancé and threated her to find the answer. She did and told them.  They smugly gave him the answer,

Samson was furious.  “If you had not ‘plowed with my heifer’ you would not have found out my riddle!”

The Spirit of the LORD rushed on him. He went down to Ashkelon and killed the young men in hot anger.  He returned to his parent’s home, and his new bride was given to his best man.   Oh, boy!!!

Judges 15.

After he cooled off, Samson went down to claim his wife, only to discover she had been given to the other man.  The dad offered her younger sister, but Samson was angered again.

He caught 300 foxes (how did he do THAT?), tied there tails together with torches and lit the torches.  The foxes ran wildly though the grain fields and burned up all the crops and the fig trees.

This enraged the Philistines, so they came and burned Samson’s “wife” and her father with fire.

Samson struck them all with great blows, braking their hips and thighs. Then he went to sulk.

The Philistines got up an army and raided Judah.  When asked why, they said, they wanted Samson.  So 3,000 men of Judah went to Samson and made a deal.  They bound him and gave them over to the Philistines. 

The Philistines shouted in victory when they saw the bound Samson coming.  But……………………

The Spirit of the LORD rushed on him and the ropes binding him melted away.  He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey (another dead body), grabbed it, and with it killed 1,000 Philistines!  And he sang a song about it.  Then he threw away the jawbone.

Samson was then very thirsty and called out to God, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”

And God split open the hollow place and water came out from it, and Samson drank it.  WHOA!

And Samson judged Israel twenty years.

..

(But wait! that’s not the end of his story. Stay tuned to tomorrow when Samson meets Delilah.) 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 93

Apr3
Day 93.  Reading Judges 10 – 12 
 

Read today’s scripture.

What encourages you from the book of Judges?

Before I go on to today’s reading, I want to share this children’s church song.  I hadn’t ever remembered reading about that 1-verse judge, Shamgar (Judges 3:31) who fought the Philistines for Israel. (We studied him three days ago.)

And then I came across this song while looking for something else.  I wonder how many kids singing this, KNOW about this Canaanite Judge for Israel!! I just had to add it here!

 

Amazing, huh?

Judges 10.

Six more mostly short-term judges follow Gideon’s family and fill in before Samson.  After God fulfilled the curse Jotham made on Abimelech and the people of Shechem, the judge Tola arose to save Israel.  He was a man of Issachar but he lived in Ephraim.  He judged Israel for twenty-three years.

After him, Jair from Gilead (East Manasseh) judged Israel for twenty-two years. (He was known for his thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys and ruled thirty cities.

Then … the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served Baals and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, Sidon, Moab, Ammon, and Philistia. They forsook the LORD and did not serve Him, so His anger was kindled against them.  And … God gave them over to the Philistines and Ammonites who “crushed and oppressed them for eighteen years.”

The Ammonites crossed the Jordan River to fight against Judah and Benjamin and Ephraim. And Israel (surprise, surprise) called out to the LORD.  “We have sinned against you because we have forsaken our God and served Baals.”

But God was tired of rescuing them. He said, “I will save you no more.  Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.”

That was a serious blow, and Israel got serious. “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to You. Only please deliver us this day.” (And they put away the foreign gods from among them.)

Judges 11.

And once again God raised up a judge for His people (Oh, the depths of His mercy and grace!)  Jephthah was a Gileadite (East Manasseh) and a mighty warrior.  After a time the Ammonites made war with Israel and they fetched Jephthah (after some bargaining) to help. 

Jephthah sent a long message to the kings of Moab and the Amorites, explaining how it came about that Israel took their land in the time of Moses … 300 years earlier!  But they would NOT LISTEN to reason.  So Jephthah decided to go to war.  He made a VOW that when he returned victorious, the first thing that came out of his house would be a sacrifice to the LORD.

Yikes!

Well, the LORD caused him victory in his battles and he defeated twenty cities of the Ammonites with a great blow.  He came home, and out walked – not a chicken, a cow, or a sheep – but his one and only offspring, his daughter.  GULP!!!

Now, Jephthah “could have gotten out of that foolish vow had he known the law of the LORD, which gives account for such thing.  He could have admitted sin and made a sacrifice for it, and saved his only child.”  But alas, he did NOT KNOW the law and after giving his daughter two months of solitary introspection out in the country to mourn her virginity…………… he sacrificed her. NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Jephthah judged Israel for six years.

Judges 12.

Next there was a bit of intra-tribal fighting.  Soldiers of Ephraim were again miffed that Jephthah hadn’t called them to fight the Ammonites with him. They vowed to burn him and his house with fire.  What??? He tried to explain, but they got into a tussle fighting each other and 42K Ephraimites ended up being killed!!! 

(I guess none of the other tribes ever called them for help because they were such poor fighters!)

After that came Ibzan of Bethlehem. He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He judged Israel seven years.

Then, Elon from Zebulun. He had judged Israel ten years. 

Next up was Abdon the son of Hillel from Ephraim.  He had forty sons and thirty grandsons who rode on seventy donkeys. He judged Israel eight years. 

Yes, I know. I’m tired keeping track of all the one-term judges.  Tomorrow we’ll start the study of Samson, the worst judge yet, albeit, the most well-known.

  • O LORD, help me to learn more about You, and hide more of Your Word in my heart, so I don’t sin against You.

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 92

Apr2
Day 92.  Reading Judges 8 – 9 
 

Read today’s scripture.

What encourages you in today’s reading in Judges?

Judges 8.

And so, on with Gideon.  He’s valiant now, but beginning to slip. He and his 300 men chase the two kings of Midian. He met some men of the tribe of Ephraim who were mad at him for not calling them to battle. (He only called Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh.)  

Gideon chased the kings across the Jordan River but the men were, by this time, exhausted and very hungry.  He asked the people of Succoth and Penial for some food for his men.  They refused and Gideon vowed to “pay them back” with violence on his return (which he did). He attacked the remaining Midianite army and the two kings fled. Gideon’s men caught them, and the rest of the army fled in a panic.

On his return, Gideon dealt cruelly to Succoth and Penial, then told his young son to kill the two kings. But Jether was scared, so Gideon did the deed himself.

WARNING, GIDEON – temptation is coming.  The men of Israel said to Gideon, “rule over us.”  And at first, he was cool.  “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; The LORD will rule over you.”

Good start, Gideon, but then he asked for part of the gold from their spoil. He made an Ephod (only priests were to have them!).  Soon all of Israel “whored after it” for it had “become a snare to Gideon and his family.” 

But, the land had rest for forty years.

Gideon left behind 70 SONS from his wives and one more from a concubine.  This man was Abimelech.  Remember him.

And the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals. They did not remember the LORD their God who had delivered them from their enemies.

Judges 9.

Abimelech (Gideon’s son by a female servant) went to Shechem where his mother lived and stirred up the people. “Which is better for you, that all the 70 sons rule over you or ME? Remember that I am your bone and your flesh.“

“You!” they cried.

So, Abimelech hired a gang of worthless men and went south. They killed all of his half-brothers, missing only the very youngest, Jotham, who escaped.  And THE PEOPLE (not God) made him king at Shechem. 

Young Jotham, went to the top of Mount Gerizim and yelled out a parable about Abimelech and the leaders in Shechem, pointing out his murderous deeds.  He proclaimed a curse on them.  “Let fire come down from Abimelech and devour the leaders of Shechem and let fire come out from the leaders of Shechem and devour Abimelech.”

Then Jotham ran away. 

Abimelech ruled for three years. Then GOD sent an evil spirit between him and the leaders and they dealt treacherously with him. Anger stirred up strife. Each ambushed the other and plotted against the other.  Abimelech finally set fire to Shechem. The people ran for safety in their tower. Abimelech set it afire too, but before it fell a woman took a millstone and dropped it down onto Abimelech and crushed his skull. 

After that, the others who were with him left and went home.  

God returned the evil of Abimelech on his head and the evil of the men of Shechem on their heads.

And so, God fulfilled the curse of Jotham, Gideon’s son.

Sigh.

What a horrible time to live in Israel. After the LORD had fulfilled all His promises to them, they kept turning farther and farther away from Him.  He rescued them with flawed judges, but soon they were back at the evil their hearts craved.

  • O LORD, keep me firm. May my heart NOT stray from You!

 

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 91

Apr1
Day 91.  Reading Judges 6 – 7. 
 

BEGINNING THE MONTH OF APRIL

Continuing with the judges of Israel and the repeating cycles of sin.

What truth can help you TODAY?

Judges 6.

Oh, no! It’s happening again!

“The people did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.”

And the LORD gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years. (Those people who had corrupted Israel by the hand of Balaam when Moses was alive. Israel had declared a holy war against them and defeated them soundly, killing all except the young girls. Now they were back to repay Israel.)

The Midianites overpowered them. Israel hid in caves and dens. The Midianites stole and destroyed all their crops and produce, so food was scarce. Midian came like locusts with their camels (not chariots) and laid waste to the land. 

Israel was brought VERY LOW. 

And the cried out for help to the LORD.

The LORD sent a prophet saying, “I led you up out of Egypt and drove out all in this land and gave it to you. I said I am the LORD your God, you shall not fear the gods in the land you dwell. But you have not obeyed my voice.”

Nevertheless, God raised up another judge, one fearful little man who was threshing his meager grain at night so as not to be seen.

The Angel of the LORD: “The LORD be with you, O mighty man of valor!“

Gideon: “Huh? If the LORD is with us, why has all this happened?  Where are all God’s wonderful deeds that our fathers talked about? The LORD brought us out of Egypt, but now He has forsaken us,” 

The Angel of the LORD: “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from Midian. I’m sending YOU.”

Gideon: “Seriously??? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am least in my father’s house!”

The Angel of the LORD: “I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”

Gideon. “Show me a sign! Oh, wait, if it’s really you, stay here and I’ll bring you a present.”

The Angel of the LORD: “I will stay till you return.”

This was an extraordinary conversation!  But amazingly, the Angel remained till Gideon brought back some food. The Angel zapped the meat and broth and unleavened bread that Gideon brought with His staff and consumed it. 

“Whoa! Now I know I’ve seen the Angel of the LORD!“

The LORD gave Gideon the task of destroying the local alters of Baal and Asheroth that night, and Gideon obeyed. The whole town was angry and wanted to kill Gideon, but his father mocked.  “Do YOU defend the gods? Why don’t they defend themselves?”

Then the Midianites came. And the Amalekites. And the people of the East. They crossed the Jordan and camped in the plain of Jezreel. And all Israel quaked.

BUT… not Gideon because the Spirit of the LORD clothed him.  He sent messages to his tribe of Manasseh, and to Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali to meet him and they did, all 30K of them.  Then Gideon got the shakes. 

“God, if you will save Israel by my hand – as you have said – behold I’m laying a fleece of wool on the floor. If there is dew on it and not the surrounding area in the morning, I WILL KNOW YOU WILL SAVE US.

It happened as Gideon asked.

But he was still shaking.  “God, this time, let the fleece be dry and the surrounding floor be wet.”  Yep. It happened.  

Convinced yet, Gideon?  

Judges 7.

And so, Gideon and his 30K set themselves in array camped by a spring, ready for battle.

The LORD:  “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me saying, ‘My OWN HAND HAS DONE IT.’  So, tell all who are afraid to go home.”

And 22,000 left Gideon!!!

“Still too many, Gideon.  Give them the water lapping test.”  

Gideon did, and there were but 300 men left to fight the hoard of Midianites.

“With the 300 men I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand.”

And it seems that Gideon believed God.

Later that night God sent him to spy out the Midianite camp, and he heard one of the soldiers recounting a dream he’d had about a simple disaster.  But the other soldier declared, “It’s none other than the sword of Gideon, a man of Israel. God has given us into his hand, the whole camp.”

Whoa!  Prophecy from the mouth of the enemy, no less. And Gideon worshiped God.

“Get up, men, the LORD has given the host of Midian into your hand!”

And so, Gideon and the 300, with only empty jars with torches inside and their trumpets, attacked at the sound of Gideon’s trumpet. “THE SWORD OF THE LORD AND GIDEON,”  they shouted and blew their horns.

And all of Midian fell into chaos, turning, spinning, falling, killing their own. Gideon called the other tribes to chase and capture them before they got to the Jordan River.  They did and also captured the two princes of Midian and killed them.  

Whew.

  • LORD, encourage my little faith as you did with Gideon. Help me to remember that YOU are a majority. YOU have the power to defeat any enemy in my life. O may I trust you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Days 89 & 90

Mar31
Day 89 – 90.  Reading Judges 1-2 and 3-5. 
 

Read today’s scripture.

What do you find encouraging or challenging today?

Judges 1.

It seems that after Joshua died, the people of Israel tried to finish the conquest of the Land.  The LORD had Judah lead the charge, along with Simeon, who was positioned inside Judah.  They were successful with God’s help in several campaigns.

Interestingly, the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law also fought with Judah, south into the Negev. Judah and Simeon went west and captured three Philistine cities, Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron. 

  • They cleared out and settled in the hill country, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because those people had chariots of Iron.
  • Benjamin could not drive out the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 
  • The house of Joseph (dual tribes) captured  Bethel with the help of a man of the city. They protected him and his family for the help – much like Israel had with Rahab and her family.  But Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants in some of their cities, putting them instead to forced labor. And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer.
  • Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of several areas but put them into forced labor.
  • Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, Sidon, and other cities.
  • Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants in their area.
  • The Amorites pressed the people of Dan back into the hill country and did not let them come down to the plain.

Joshua 2.

The Angel of the LORD came to the people at Gilgal.  “I brought you up from Egypt and into this land, I swore to give to your fathers. I told you I would never break my covenant with you, and YOU SHALL MAKE NO COVENANT with the inhabitants of this land. Instead, you shall break down their altars!”

“BUT, you have not obeyed my voice.  What is this you have done?  So, now I will not drive them out before you. They shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to trap you.“

And all the people wept.

  • And the people of Israel did what was EVIL in the sight of the LORD and served Baals.
  • They abandoned the LORD the God of their fathers, who brought them out of Egypt.
  • They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them.
  • And they provoked the LORD to anger.
  • They abandoned the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth.

So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel and he gave them over to plunderers. And He sold them into the hands of their enemies, so they could no longer withstand them. And whenever they marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them.

And they were in terrible distress.

And then …. like a pitying Father … the LORD raised up judges (military leaders) who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them.

Yet they DID NOT LISTEN to their judges, for the whored after other gods and bowed down to them. 

Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD saved them from the hand of their enemies.  He was moved to pity for their groaning.

But when the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than before, going after other gods, serving them, and bowing down to them.

(The book of Judges follows those SEVEN CYCLES OF SIN, each worse than the one before.

  • LORD, help me to be more mindful of the important instructions you have given me (for YOUR glory and MY good). Let me not get so involved with “MY” desires and plans that I forget what You have told me to do FIRST. Clean out the enemy! After all, You have promised to help me do it.

.

Judges 3.

Here’s what the LORD did to test His people.  After those who fought and conquered Canaan under Joshua’s leadership died, the next generation seemed content to simply settle down in comfort. (Not a good plan!)

God wanted to teach “war” to those who had not known it before, so He left some of the pagan nations undefeated inside the Promised Land. Would young Israel obey the commandments of the LORD and drive them out?

Here are the nations: five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites and Sidonians and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon.  (It looks like they didn’t make war on those.)  Instead the people LIVED AMONG the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 

They not only did NOT make war against them, they settled among them, intermarried, and served their gods.

Disgusting!

  • But wait….  Doesn’t the LORD also tell believers to cast off our old sin nature and cast down every evil thought against Him, and resist the devil? Hasn’t He given believers a suit of Armor to protect us, and the mighty Sword of the Spirit with which to stand and defeat the devil? Hasn’t He given us His Spirit to strengthen us?  So why don’t we make use of it all?  

1) “The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served Baals and the Asheroth.” 

  • This angered God and He “sold them into the hand of the king of Mesopotamia for EIGHT YEARS.
  • They cried out to Him.  
  • The LORD raised up a deliverer who saved them – Othniel, Caleb’s younger brother from Judah. The spirit of the LORD was on him and he went to war and defeated that king.
  • So the land had rest for 40 years.
  • Then Othniel died.

2) The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. 

  • He strengthened King Eglon, the king of the Moabites, plus the Ammonites and Amalekites. They defeated Israel and took the area around Jericho, and served him EIGHTEEN YEARS.
  • They cried out to the LORD.
  • The LORD raised up a deliverer – Ehud, a left-handed Benjamite.  When Israel sent “tribute” to King Eglon, Ehud went too, and stealthily killed the king with an 18″ double-edged sword. (A kind of funny story – read verses 16-26a.) 
  • Then Ehud ehud and the Israelites killed 10L Moabites, so they were subdued.
  • So the land had rest for 80 years.
  • And Ehud died.

3) The next judge was a converted Canaanite, Shamgar, who killed 600 Philistines with an ox goad and saved Israel.

Judges 4.

4) Again the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.

  • God sold them into the hand of Jabin, king of Canaan who reigned at Hazor.  The commander of the army was the cruel Sisera. And he had 900 iron chariots. He oppressed the people for TWENTY YEARS.
  • The the people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help.
  • And the LORD raised up Deborah, a prophetess who judged Israel. She sent Commander Barak with 10K men from Naphtali and Zebulun, for the LORD had promised to give Sisera into his hand. He went and he LORD routed them all before Barak, pressing until they had killed the Canaanite king as well. 
  • Barak obeyed, knowing a woman would get credit for the battle’s win.  Not Deborah, but the wife Heber the Kenite, who fed the escaped Sisera some warm kefir and then pounded a tent stake through his skull while he slept.  YIKES!!
  • And the land had rest for 40 years.

Judges 5.

And they sang a song that Deborah wrote, all about the victory on that day, ending with, “So may all your enemies perish, O LORD! But your friends be like the sun as it rises in its might.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  •  

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 88

Mar29
Day 84.  Reading Joshua 22 – 24. 
 

Now … into the History of Israel – post-Moses.

Will the new leadership change the Nation?

What did you learn today about God’s faithfulness?

Joshua 22.

 A BIG MISUNDERSTANDING! nearly causes war.

The war is over, the land in conquered, the eastern tribes turn toward home. They have fulfilled their promise to help their brothers. All is well.

Joshua sends them off with this word, “You have not forsaken your brothers. They have rest, so return to the land the LORD gave you.  ONLY … be very careful to OBSERVE the commandment and the law that the LORD commanded -‘to LOVE the LORD your God, and to WALK in all His ways and to KEEP His commandments and to CLING to Him and to SERVE Him with all your heart and with all your soul.’ 

Then Joshua blessed them.

Then they build a big, imposing alter at the Jordan River.

WHAT?  Why?

The western tribes wanted to know too.  Were these eastern tribes turning already to worship the idols of the pagans?  If so, surely the LORD would punish them ALL.  And the whole assembly of the western tribes gathered “to make war against them.”

Whoa, whoa, whoa!   

Loyal and zealous priest, Phinehas, son of Eleazar the high priest, went to them.  “What is this breach of faith that you have committed against the God of Israel? If you don’t like your portion, come back and take yourselves a portion in the LORD’s land where the tabernacle stands. Only do not rebel against the LORD by making an alter other than the alter of the LORD your God!“

“WAIT!” the eastern tribes cried.

Then they explained.  That huge alter was not for sacrifice or offerings. It was a MEMORIAL, “to be a witness between us and you and our generations after us, that we DO perform the service of the LORD in His presence.  Far be it from us that we should rebel against the LORD and turn away this day from following Him.”

Phinehas and the chiefs of the congregation then stood down. “It is good in our eyes.” And the good report spread to all the people of Israel, and they blessed God.  It was an alter of “witness” not of pagan worship. 

Whew!

Joshua 23.

A LONG TIME AFTERWARD,  when the LORD had given rest to Israel from all their enemies, and Joshua was “old and well advanced in years,” Joshua summoned all Israel (elders and heads, judges and officers) and spoke to them. 

The LORD has done all He promised you. “Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right or the left, that you may NOT mix with these nations remaining among you, or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them, or serve them or bow down to them.  BUT YOU SHALL CLING TO THE LORD YOUR GOD JUST AS YOU HAVE DONE TO THIS DAY. Be very careful to love the LORD your God.”

Joshua knew it was his time to die.  He warns them of God’s goodness and the curses He could bring. You can LIVE, or you can PERISH.

Joshua 24.

Then Joshua gathered all the tribes together at Shechem.  There he retells the story of the people of God, from when Abraham was called out of the land beyond the Euphrates, God’s promises of a people, a land, and His presence to him and his descendants. He recalls their long stay in and rescue from Egypt, and their 40-year stay in the wilderness. He reminds them of how God helped them defeat all their enemies on the east of the Jordan, Jericho, and the westside of the Jordan River.  Now they are eating of the plenty they did not plant.

So.  And I think Joshua looked them straight in the eye to say, “If it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, CHOOSE THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE, whether the gods your fathers served in Egypt.  BUT FOR ME AND MY HOUSE —- WE WILL SERVE THE LORD”

And the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods.  “Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for He is our God.”

Then Joshua said an unusual thing. He challenges their pledge.

“You are not ABLE to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. IF YOU FORSAKE THE LORD and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.”

“No, but we WILL serve the LORD!”

“You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD, to serve Him.”

“We are witnesses.”

“Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD, the God of Israel.”

“The LORD our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey.”

And Joshua made a covenant with the people, wrote it on a large stone and set it up under a terebinth tree there in Shechem.  “Behold this stone shall be a witness, for it has heard all the words.” 

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And there at Shechem, on land that his father, Jacob, had purchased from Hamor for 100 pieces of money, THEY BURIED THE BONES OF JOSEPH which the people had brought up from Egypt. (See Genesis 50:24-25 and Exodus 13:19)   It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph. 

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And JOSHUA, THE SON OF NUN, the servant of the LORD, died, being 110 years old. And they buried him in his own inheritance at Timnath-serah, in the hill country of Ephraim.  

Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work the LORD did for Israel. (Sadly, only ONE generation.)

Then ELEAZAR, THE SON OF AARON died. They buried him at Gilbea, the town of Phinehas his son.

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 87

Mar28
Day 87.  Reading Joshua 19 – 21. 
 

Now … into the History of Israel – post-Moses.

Will the new leadership change the Nation?

What did you learn today about God’s faithfulness?

Joshua 19.

Another land distribution, with the last six tribes getting their portions.

  1. Simeon – in the middle of Judah because they were small
  2. Zebulun – a small portion near the Sea of Galilee
  3. Issachar – a slightly larger portion to the south of Zebulun
  4. Asher – runs along the Great Sea and includes Tyre, with Zebulun and Naphtali on the east
  5. Naphtali – boarders Asher on the West, and touches the Sea of Galilee, then North up to Mount Hermon  (Jesus’ Galilean ministry largely took place in Naphtali. (See Matthew 4:13-17)
  6. Dan – a small territory on the Great Sea coast at Joppa and touching Ephraim and Judah. Later they lose this land and settle on the far north edge of the Eastern Manasseh territory, which they also lose except for the city they named Dan. (See Judges 1:34-36, and 18:27-29)

Then, finally and last of all, Joshua took the territory saved for him. “By command of the LORD,” they gave him the city he asked for – Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim.  He rebuilt it and settled there.

Joshua 20.

Next, the LORD told Joshua to appoint the Cities of Refuge, where any who had accidentally killed someone without malice aforethought, could flee and live in safety from the “avenger of blood,” a family member of the deceased who sought vengeance. 

The cities were equally distributed in the Land, three east of the Jordan River, and three on the west side. 

KEDESH in Naphtali, SHECHEM in Ephraim, and HEBRON in Judah were on the west. 

BEZER in Reuben, RAMOTH in Gad, and GOLAN in Manasseh were east of the Jordan. 

Joshua 21.

And lastly, special cities within the tribes were given to the Levites, so they would be closer to the people to minister judgements of the law.

  • The direct descendants of Aaron the Priest were given cities in Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin (13 cities)
  • The rest of the Kohathites got cities from Ephraim, Dan, and the western 1/2 tribe of Manasseh (10 cities)
  • The Gershonites received cities from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and also the 1/2 tribe of Manasseh (13 cities)
  • The Merarites received cities from Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun (12 cites)

All the cities included pasturelands. (The rest of the chapter names the cities that each clan of the tribe of Levi received, 48 in all.)

And … “Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that He swore to give their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as He had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed, all came to pass.“

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 86

Mar27
Day 86.  Reading Joshua 16 – 18. 
 

Now … into the History of Israel – post-Moses.

Will the new leadership change the Nation?

What did you learn today about God’s faithfulness?

Joshua 16.

Today’s chapters continue with the distribution of the Promised Land to the tribes of Israel after the LORD helped Joshua and the armies to defeat them.

The duel tribe of “Joseph” (Ephraim & Manasseh) receives their inheritance. First Ephraim’s portion is described. It was a large section from the Jordan River at Jericho almost to the  “Great Sea.”  The last verse in the chapter says, “However, they DID NOT drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so those people lived among them. but (like Gibeon) they were made to do forced labor.”

Joshua 17.

Then the other half of Joseph’s tribe – Manasseh – was given their land. Manasseh gets a lot of land because they were a large tribe.  They already received a huge portion on the East side of the Jordan. Now, continuing on the West side all the way to the Great Sea, they received more.

Again the scripture comment is, “Yet the people of Manasseh could not take possession of some of the cities, but the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in the land. Now when the people of Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor … but did not utterly drive them out.“

(All this is setting up the tribes for trouble later. God said to drive them ALL out and He would help them. God Knew the worship practices of the Canaanites would be a strong temptation to the Jews.)

Later the duel tribes of Joseph came to Joshua saying they did not have enough land.  Joshua told them to go into the hill country/forest and clear more land, and also to drive out the Canaanites in the plains.  Okay, okay, they DID have chariots of Iron, but Joshua was not moved.  “You shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong!“

(Way to lead, Josh!!)

Joshua 18.

Now the rest of the smaller tribes were to get their portions. Joshua set up a tent at Shiloh, got out the maps.  He called three men each (spies) from the remaining seven tribes and told them to go out and write a description of the land and bring it back. The remaining land would then be divided (by lots) accordingly into seven portions.

So they went out and wrote the descriptions “in a book” and returned. And Joshua cast lots for them before the LORD.

Benjamin was first and got the prime piece of land dead center in the land between Judah and Ephraim. Nestled at the bottom of their portion, on the boarder with Judah, was Jerusalem.  This “City of Gold” now ruled by the Jebusites, would one day be Israel’s capital, with God dwelling there in their midst in the magnificent Temple that King Solomon would build.

Benjamin also got the cities of Jericho, Bethel, Gibeon, Ramah, Mizpeh, and Gibeah (actually, 14 cities in all). And he got a finger hold of the Dead Sea, right at the top.

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Tomorrow the remaining 6 tribes will get their allotment, and Commander Joshua will finally get HIS special land grant from the LORD. 

 

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 85

Mar26
Day 85.  Reading Joshua 12 – 15. 
 

Now … into the History of Israel – post-Moses.

Will the new leadership change the Nation?

What did you learn today about God’s faithfulness?

Joshua 12.

Taking stock after the conquest.

This chapter lists the victories of Israel over the kings and city-states, as they “took” the Land God gave to them, as per His covenant with Abraham.

On the East of the Jordan River, settled by 2.5 tribes, was the land from the edge of the River Arnon, clear north, past the Sea of Galilee to Mount Herman, and eastward to the Araba.  MOSES led the conquest of this territory.

On the West side of the Jordan River, JOSHUA led the conquest, beginning at Jericho, and including 31 kings, south from the Negev, along the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee clear north, to Mt Hermon and westward to Sidon on the Great Sea.

This amazing conquest was all due to the LORD’s faithful help and direction.

Chapter 13.

Although Joshua and Israel took all this land, there was some territory not completely conquered (which would later lead to their big problem of idolatry).

Also, the land of the Philistines (which would be a thorn in the side of Israel as a nation) should have been conquered. It included Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.  (Remember Goliath the giant and his four brothers were from Gath, and would taunt the armies of Israel under King Saul and King David.)

And up north the land of Lebanon and eastward, that hill country should have been taken.  There were areas on the edge of the 2.5 tribes’ territory also not settled.  God Himself would help to drive these out.  God told Israel to start living in these areas anyway. 

The rest of the chapter gives details on the land Moses gave to the 2.5 tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh.

Joshua 14.

The land on the West of the Jordan River was divided up by lot by Eleazar the high priest, Joshua, and the heads of the tribes. (Levi received no land inheritance, but had cities scattered throughout the other tribes.)

During this time, Caleb (the other spy with Joshua who had given Moses a good report of the land 45 years ago) came to Joshua for his special inheritance in Judah.  He asked for the city of Hebron and the hill country surrounding it.  Joshua blessed him and gave it to him as his inheritance.  (This city was formerly know as Kiriath-Arba, (City of “Arba.” Arba was the greatest man among the giants.)

Joshua 15.

This chapter lists in detail the land and the occupants of the tribe of Judah, a very large land allotment. (Eventually this would represent the Southern Kingdom, after the Nation split in half after Solomon’s rule.)

Also, later, Simeon’s allotment would be absorbed into this area of Judah, as that tribe was small and weak.

But the Jebusites, who were the inhabitants of Jerusalem, could not be driven out at that time.  So the Jebusites continued on there. 

(LATER, King David would take the city from them and make Jerusalem the Capital of Israel.  The tabernacle and later the temple which Solomon would build would be in Jerusalem, the place the LORD chose to dwell among His people and put His Name there.)