Feb 13 (Jud 1-3)

Judges 1

The book of Judges covers the time between the death of Joshua, to the beginning of the kingly reign of the tribe of Judah. This spans around 450 years.

In this chapter, I point out to my kids that they didn't drive out all of the inhabitants. This would come back to haunt them.

(v.20) However, we see that the giants, the sons of Anak (Anakim) were driven out of the land. But they weren't eliminated...that will come back later.

Judges 2

The Angel of the Lord appears...this is another theophany...Jesus in the OT. Again, we know that this is not an angel, since He says that the Jews have not obeyed His voice, and He will allow the enemies they didn't eliminate, to torment them. This is going on to this very day.

(v.10) It only takes one generation to abandon all that was worked for and accomplished. The next generation after Joshua and his peers, didn't listen to what the Lord had done, and they went along by their own wisdom.

I point out to my kids, that we see this in America today. This country was established as a Christian nation. But over time, the parents failed to teach this, and now, we can barely recognize God in anything our government does. Even our culture and personal lives have excluded God. If we don't repent, we will have the same kind of troubles Israel did here.

(v.11) As God warned them not to do, they took on the pagan practices of worship. These are Satanic figures, and much of the world religions mirror what was done here. Jesus said that He is the only way to heaven (John 14:6), so all the other "faiths" are Satan's way of putting leaven into the loaf, to have uninformed people worship other things than God.

Judges 3

(v.1) Throughout the Bible, we see that God disciplines and tests His people by their enemies.

(v.9) Often we hear that the God of the OT is mean. Yet, here we are only one generation removed from Joshua, and they are acting like God was never with them! God was angry, and He let their enemies enslave them. However, God is merciful, and when He heard their cries, He provided for them a deliverer. First, Othniel, then Ehud and Shamgar. All did incredible things and showed the people that God was behind their actions, but they still slipped back into paganism each time their deliverer died.