Day 1 Judges 2-5
Day 2 Judges 6-9
Day 3 Judges 10-13
Day 4 Judges 14-18
Day 5 Judges 19-21
Day 6 Ruth 1-4
As we've discussed in class, Israel was prone to making the same mistakes over and over. God would miraculously provide and protect, then Israel would forget, seemingly overnight, and start worshiping false gods, ignoring the real God, etc. At times, I find myself thinking, "how stupid!" or "how could they do that?" The fact is, I commit the same stupid sins over and over. While I might not worship Baal or a golden calf, I can easily slip into spending too much time thinking about money or some other "idol" and spending too little in fellowship with God. I suggest that we read through the history of Israel with a sympathetic heart. Their failures on a national scale are similar to our failures as individuals. Thankfully, we have a God that loves sinners, even repeat offenders like me.
As we've discussed in class, Israel was prone to making the same mistakes over and over. God would miraculously provide and protect, then Israel would forget, seemingly overnight, and start worshiping false gods, ignoring the real God, etc. At times, I find myself thinking, "how stupid!" or "how could they do that?" The fact is, I commit the same stupid sins over and over. While I might not worship Baal or a golden calf, I can easily slip into spending too much time thinking about money or some other "idol" and spending too little in fellowship with God. I suggest that we read through the history of Israel with a sympathetic heart. Their failures on a national scale are similar to our failures as individuals. Thankfully, we have a God that loves sinners, even repeat offenders like me.
One of the things that I like about Judges and some of the other books we've read so far is that the curtain is occasionally peeled back and you are given glimpses of God's sovereign actions in the world. For example, there are numerous times where God is said to take the lead in battle, throw enemies into confusion, harden hearts, etc. Sometimes I think people confuse our free will (which has limits, by the way) with the idea that God is more or less hands-off with the world, allowing the choices of people to completely determine the events that unfold. Obviously, this is not even close to being true. In places throughout the Old Testament, we are shown example after example of God taking an active role in directly shaping events on earth.
ReplyDeleteSome pretty terrible things happen in the book of Judges, including murder, rape, mass slaughters, idolatry, and more. Did you notice how the text makes note in multiple places that "men did what was right in their own eyes"? Fallen men make terrible decisions when they ignore God.
ReplyDeleteI just finished Ruth and it was like a breath of fresh air compared to most of the events in Judges. Ruth, who was an ancestor of both David and Jesus, provides such a great example of loving faithfulness and self-sacrifice. While I've read the story a number of times, I still found myself rooting for her as I read it again. Great woman, great story, nice respite from the carnage of the previous book
ReplyDeleteOthniel was the son of Caleb (remember Caleb with Joshua was one of the only two older generation allowed to survive to the Promised Land after the Israelites wandering?). It is interesting to note he was a pretty powerful judge. He destroyed a powerful nation of that time - Mesopotamia.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite stories is how the left-hander Ehud killed Eglon, the obese king of Moab. The man was so fat, the handle as well as the blade were enveloped by the blubber. Wow!
Gideon's story is always so sweetly told by children's Sunday school and sermons. Yet Gideon sinned. He took a FOREIGN which backfired later on for the Israelites.
Loved the not-often-told story of Shamrah, who killed 600 Philistines with an ox goad (as prodding stick!). He is quite the warrior, don't you think?
Ruth is also a story of redemption. And it continues the seed to the birth of Jesus. How amazing!
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