A Shocking Culture
As we near the end of Judges, we are faced with some shocking examples of human depravity. The author makes it clear that Israel had replaced God’s theocratic rule with natural desire—“Every man did what was right in his own … Read More
A Rebellious Priest
Many people remember a repeated phrase from Judges: Every man did what was right in his own eyes. We understand the principle of that phrase, but we seldom see it illustrated like in Judges 17-18. These chapters feature a man stealing from … Read More
A Whispered Secret
As you read the book of Judges, you can’t help but notice how the messiness of sin seems to be spiraling out of control. If Gideon and Abimelech weren’t bad enough, the ugliness of Jephthah’s outcome and now Samson’s selfish … Read More
Death-Defying God
The philosopher Blaise Pascal concluded that we are all gambling over God’s existence. His philosophy was that it is a better bet to lean toward God’s existence. If we go with God’s existence and are wrong, he figured we wouldn’t … Read More
Covenant-Keeping God
One of the most quoted verses in the Psalter is Psalm 118:23. “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Perhaps you grew up singing the children’s chorus that simply repeats … Read More
A Lustful Warrior
The middle chapters of Judges provide interesting juxtaposed stories. It begins with Abimelech, the first character whose back story goes to his birth. As Gideon’s illegitimate son, he killed his brothers and acted out a murderous rampage. The next major … Read More