Judges
The unexpected ways of God (Judg 13:24-14:4)
Judg 13:24-25; 14:1-4 Today’s passage makes for uncomfortable reading and our understanding hinges on the phrase that Samson’s marriage plans were ‘from the Lord’ (Judg 14:4). Does this mean God’s approval? How can it, though, when God elsewhere condemns intermarriage…
Learning to see God’s involvement (Judg 13:15-25)
Judg 13:15-25 Going to a job interview in the UK shortly after receiving my doctorate, I was trying to anticipate the kind of questions I might be asked. As a rookie Old Testament scholar who spent the previous three years…
An important prerequisite to hearing God (Judg 13:8-14)
Judg 13:8-14 When I was an undergraduate theology student, one of my tutors led us in a seminar discussion. Sadly, he was only interested in hearing us regurgitate scholarly opinions, which made for a rather boring session. One classmate ventured…
Truly hearing what God is saying (Judg 13:1-7)
Judg 13:1-7 Once I was sitting in a café with a friend and telling her something that happened to me, when the story was interrupted by the arrival of two other friends. After the initial greetings and orders placed for…
What can we learn from God’s retribution? (Judg 9:50-57)
Judg 9:50-59 A few weeks ago, I mentioned a man who encouraged relatives and friends to put their money into his bank and then made off with the funds to build a comfortable life in the US (read it here).…
The long view that gives perspective (Judg 9:30-49)
Judg 9:30-49 In the wake of jubilation over the Allied victory in the Second World War came fear in the West in the late 1940s as people faced the economic hardship of re-building and the potential new threat from Soviet…
Does God do evil for the greater good? (Judg 9:22-29)
Judg 9:22-29 We tend to think of God as by definition good, and many, in fact, abandon Him because He does not live up to their idea of goodness. They cry for help and there is no answer. Their loved…
What do we choose: blessing or curse? (Judg 9:16-21)
Judg 9:16-21 During a gap year that I spent in Israel, a Jewish woman at a café struck up a conversation with me. She came from Poland and her father was a well-known rabbi in Eastern Europe who translated the…
Learning to see true reality (Judg 9:7-15)
Judg 9:7-15 I often wonder why certain things hold such an attraction for people that they cannot dispense with them. For each person who clings to activities or things, there will be another who feels no pull towards them. Thus,…
Who claims our allegiance? (Judg 9:1-6)
Judg 9:1-6 After WWII a man whose family was known to my father opened a bank in Hungary. The man convinced his siblings of the scheme, and they encouraged their relatives and friends in good faith to put their money…