Judges
Making the difficult choice for God (Judg 6:25-27)
Judg 6:25-27 The most challenging aspect of following God is not so much choosing Him – although it is a big step – but of serving Him only. Many people had a brush with Christianity at some point: they may…
How can we know God as our peace? (Judg 6:17-24)
Judg 6:17-24 As I write, New Zealand is going through a Covid outbreak of the infectious Delta variant and the ease and speed it spreads with are worrying. Having low vaccination rates make us vulnerable and looking across the ditch…
Where do we look, what do we hear? (Judg 6:11-16)
Judg 6:11-16 When organisations examine their security, they look to the weakest link in the chain to establish what they can withstand. You can have an elaborate anti-virus software on your laptop, but if you click on a dubious link…
How to be equipped to know what God is doing (Judg 6:1-10)
Judg 6:1-10, 13 When I was hospitalised with pneumonia in my early twenties, an elderly lady on the pastoral team of my church came to visit me. She asked me if God had spoken to me, and the implication of…
Jephthah’s vow II – What if…? (Judg 11:34-40)
It is sometimes assumed that if only Jephthah had known certain laws, he could have redeemed his vow, but the regulations commentators mention (e.g. Lev 27:1-8 or Lev 5:4-5) are not straightforward (see my discussion here). Vows are solemn promises…
Jephthah’s vow I – the price of fulfilling our desires (Judg 11:29–33)
Perhaps in response to Jephthah’s expression of faith (Judg 11:27), God’s Spirit comes on him – the Lord’s first explicit involvement since 10:11-16. Despite all we know of Jephthah, his mixed beliefs, his drive for recognition, God responds to his…
Jephthah and the Ammonites – shaped by truth… and pagan beliefs (Judg 11:12-28)
We have seen so far that Israel was threatened by the Ammonites and Jephthah has been made leader. He, the former outcast, must have felt good about negotiating on equal terms with the Ammonite king (11:15, ‘Thus says…’ is a…
Jephthah and the elders negotiate – What drives us? (Judg 11:4-11)
Once, when I took an evening course for further training, I had a Christian classmate who was starved for affection and believed that she wasn’t lovable. To feel loved, she would give people lots of presents and provide small services…
Jephthah and a compromised people (Judg 10:17–11:3)
As the story continues, we expect God to raise up a judge (e.g. Judg 3:9, 15), but this is not mentioned. Instead, the elders of Gilead (the area closest to the Ammonite threat), advertise the leadership job (10:17). We may…
Israel cries out to God – Help me but stay out of my life! (Judg 10:6–16)
While not all difficulties are an indication of sin, sometimes God brings circumstances into our lives to call us to our senses. Like the prodigal son in Jesus’ parable in Luke 15, our struggles may awaken us to our need…