We are in the book of Judges and seeing a cycle repeat itself over and over again. We do the same. We do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result = insanity. We don't see judgment as judgment sometimes, maybe just unlucky or just a victim when we were actually the cause. We use excuses to justify our behavior, to ride both sides of the fence or make the scriptures fit our lifestyle or create a God in our own image. I'm guilty. I have lots of excuses. I am my worst enemy. But.....I am thankful for grace. Because like Gideon, my faith is weak at times but God's patience is unending. Grace makes me want to obey and love God and live for Him. I'm not perfect, I'm reminded everyday. I'm reminded everyday of grace. It is amazing.
Here is the next schedule and lots of lessons to be learned:
Saturday, July 26 - Judges 9
Sunday, July 27 - Judges 10
Monday, July 28 - Judges 11
Tuesday, July 29 - Judges 12
Wednesday, July 30 - Judges 13
Thursday, July 31 - Judges 14
Friday, August 1 - Judges 15
Saturday, August 2 - Judges 16
Judges 9
ReplyDeleteTalking about causing a scene. Throwing a curse and then running away. The curse was fulfilled in v. 56. I like how God used women to humiliate mean leaders!
Judges 10
ReplyDelete30 sons who rode 30 donkeys was repeated by another king in Judges 12. Maybe donkeys were a big deal back then. They controlled 30 towns. I love their reasoning. "Let your gods save you." They couldn't.
Judges 11
ReplyDeleteJephthat's mother was a prostitute and he was illegitimate but knew the Lord, go figure. v. 9 "suppose the Lord gives them to me, will I be your head?" He recounted and remembered what the Lord had done in Egypt. Someone had taught him well. He told them "300 years ago, the Lord took the land from you, what right do you have to take it over. I didn't take it from you, the Lord did. The vow he made was weird. So out of character. My commentary said he may just have set his daughter apart from service so she did not marry and did not go through with the burnt offering. I am anxious to see what yours said Aimee.
Judges 12
ReplyDeleteSame old Ephramites as in Chapter 8. "Why didn't you call us to fight too" whine, whine, whine. He said I did call you and you didn't come. So 42,000 were killed that day and they were fellow Israelites! Go figure.
Ibzan 30 sons, 30 daughters, gave daughters away outside clan and bought 30 women outside clan for sons. I guess 30 x 2 was an amazing number of children come to think of it!
Abdon had 40 sons, 30 grandsons who rode on 70 donkeys -----amazing!
That's a lot of kids and a lot of donkeys!!!
DeleteJudges 13
ReplyDeleteOppressed for 40 years, a generation.
Everytime they asked the angel for information, he only said what he said before. God has told me that before "I will tell you what you need to know."
They asked for the angel to teach them how to raise the child and what will his work be. Sounds like desperation. No direct answer. God would tell Samson.
The angel wouldn't even tell them his name. So interesting.
Even though the angel didn't tell them much, he still told them in person. How much more faith we have to have to believe. We don't have physical assurance only spiritual.
DeleteJudges 14
ReplyDeleteWas Samson a little spoiled?
Philistines were hated and Israel's enemies
v. 4 seemed like blatant disobedience of the Lord but it was from the Lord for reasons you could not see.
v. 8 Sometime later....the lion was now a carcass with honey in it
v. 10 why 30 companions?
v. 15 riddle gone bad over "clothes"!
v. 19 beat up 30 guys of Ashkelon to take their clothes!
v. 20 Samson's wife was given to the friend? What friend? Why?
Sampson was terribly spoiled. He killed the lion and tore it as easily as a goat. I didn't think goats would be easy to tear? My commentary says that the wife's dad gave her to the best man because Sampson left and they didn't think he would be back and she had to marry someone.
DeleteOhhhh, good to know!
DeleteJudges 15.
ReplyDeleteSampson continued being spoiled. When he realized his wife was given to another, he tied torches to a bunch of foxes and they burned down the fields. Lol! And then he killed 1000 men with a has bone from a donkey.
JUDGES 16 - SATURDAY
ReplyDeleteThat whole Delilah thing was so weird and unhealthy! LOL HE tricked her??? Really? v. 16 nagging paid off - he told her the secret! He killed more Philistines with his death than he did living. Was that God's plan in the first place? Or did he just use Samson's disobedience to work out His will?