>The Ark is Captured I Samuel 4

 

I Samuel 4. The Ark is captured

 

With no thought of seeking God’s direction, the Israelites go out to battle against the Philistines. They are defeated.

 

They send to Shiloh for the ark of the covenant. Because Aaron’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas are “paid preachers”, they are going to do what they are told to do. When the ark is brought into the camp, the Israelites have a great rally.  They think they are getting somewhere spiritually, but this is nothing but idolatry. They are worshiping a box – not God.

 

The Philistines are afraid for they say, “God is come into camp.” To them the ark is an idol. This shows that the Philistines are both superstitious and ignorant. Although they have heard of His power, they are ignorant of the true and living God. The Philistines and the Israelites fight, and the Israelites lose the battle. There is a great slaughter, the ark of God is captured, and Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas are slain.

 

When the news of Israel’s terrible defeat reached the city, a great wail arose. Eli, old and blind, asks the reason for it. He maintains his composure when he is told about the death of his sons, but when he learns that the ark of God has been captured, he falls backwards and dies.

 

Eli’s death brings Samuel into the position of God’s spokesman.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

Call of Samuel. I Samuel 3

 

I Samuel 3 – Call of Samuel

 

The period of the judges is over, and no longer will God move through the priest.  He is now raising up a priest-prophet. Samuel will minister to the Lord, but his office will be that of a prophet. Samuel was a young man, and he ministered unto the Lord before Eli. Samuel did not know the Lord at first, and He was calling him to salvation.

When Israel turned back to wander in the wilderness because of unbelief, only those under twenty years of ag were allowed to live and go into the promised land. We do not know how old Samuel was, but we can be sure that he was not a toddler.

God may call many times, but there comes a day when man’s heart is hardened. Proverbs 29:1 “He that being often reproved hardens his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”

God never removes His Grace, but men can resist and rebel and reject until their conscience becomes seared. Men like Cain, Balaam, Samson, Korah, and Ahab reached a day when they turned their backs against God.

When God says something is going to happen, it is going to happen. God speaks to Samuel that He is about to move against the house of Eli.

Samuel did not attempt to undermine Eli but told him everything that God had said to him.

God today is revealing Himself through the Word. He is illuminating His pages of scripture.  That is how you and I come to know Him, and to know Him is life eternal.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

I Samuel 2 - Children of God

 

I Samuel 2 – Children of God

 

Most people would sing if they could keep their son, but Hannah sang because she could give her son to the service of the Lord.  She glorified the Lord who does great things for His people. Mary’s song is like Hannah’s because Mary had also made a sacrifice to the Lord. First the sacrifice, then the song.

 

Eli had lost his influence over his sons and as a result caused his family to lose the priesthood. The greatest evil comes from the corruption of the greatest good. Eli’s sons illustrate this truth.

 

Blessed are those parents who realize that their children are growing and facing new needs and struggles. And blessed are those children who grow “before the Lord.” God kept Samuel pure amid a defiled environment because he had parents who loved him and prayed for him. Jesus has a special love for children, and we must love them too.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah.

 

Birth of Samuel. 1 Samuel 1

 

1 Samuel 1 -Birth of Samuel                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Elkanah had two wives. He gave more to Hannah than he did his other wife and all their children because he loved Hannah.

Hannah was probably one of the most miserable persons in the world at this time, but she went to God in prayer. The expression “she was in bitterness of soul” describes her deep disappointment at not having a son. So, she prayed for a son and promised God two things if her desire was granted: 1. He would be a priest in the Levitical service all the days of his life, and 2. She would make him a Nazarite unto God- that is, he would be separated unto the service of God.

Eli was the High Priest, and he saw this distraught woman come to the tabernacle and pray. When Hannah prayed with such zeal in her heart, Eli thought she was drunk. Eli realized his mistake and gave a prophetic blessing. That Hannah’s “countenance would be no more sad” indicates her confidence that God had heard and would answer her prayer.

Hannah lived in a day when she wanted a son, and she dedicated that son unto the Lord. On her cry, God built a kingdom.

When Hannah took her offering to the Lord, she kept her vow to God. She said, “I have promised to bring this little one to the Lord, and here he is.” Her decision to give him completely over to the service of the Lord is irrevocable.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Ruth Redeemed. Ruth 4

 

Ruth 4 – Ruth Redeemed

 

Boaz planned the marriage privately but paid the price publicly. The other kinsman was able to redeem but not willing. He was afraid of harming his own inheritance.

Ruth went from tears to joy. Hard labor to rest, from emptiness to fullness, from fear to peace and assurance. And the thing that made the difference was obeying the Word of God. When Ruth put herself at the feet of her redeemer and entrusted herself to him, he took over and changed everything.

Ruth started out with nothing but her faith, then she lived on leftovers, and soon began receiving gifts. But once she belonged to Boaz, everything he owned belonged to her.

We have a Kinsman Redeemer, and He is able to save. He is right now at God’s right hand, and He stood one day upon this earth. In fact, He hung one day upon a cross that He might redeem us from sin. Today, God has highly exalted Him and given Him a name above every name, and that someday every tongue shall confess and every knee must bow to Him. He is able to save you!

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

 

The Kinsman Redeemer. Ruth 3

 

Ruth 3 – The kinsman Redeemer

 

Naomi got rid of her bitterness and began to think of others.  She told Ruth how to approach Boaz, her kinsman Redeemer. He was a near relative who was able to redeem, but was he willing to redeem?

She was already under the Lord’s wings, but she requested to be under the wing of Boaz.  He was only too happy to comply! Up to that point Ruth was doing all the work, but then Boaz went to work for Ruth.  It was time for Ruth to rest and wait, trusting her kinsman-redeemer.

Ruth is a good example for us to follow when we have needs to be met.  She listened to instructions, obeyed, believed what her redeemer said, received his gifts, and waited in patience for him to do the rest.

When we are at the feet of the Redeemer, we have nothing to fear.

There is a wonderful peace that will come to the heart that will trust Him, recognizing that He has completed it all.  It is based on His work upon the cross for you and me that God saves us.

We either trust Him or we don’t trust Him. There is no middle ground. We are either resting in Him or we are trying to earn our own salvation.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

 

 

In The Field of Boaz. Ruth 2

 

Ruth 2 – In The Field of Boaz

 

Ruth was a young believer, but she knew enough of the Word to understand that she was permitted to glean in the fields during the harvest.  She trusted the God who was concerned about widows and the poor, and He did not fail.

 

When we trust God and obey Him, He begins to work on our behalf.

 

There were at least two men in Bethlehem who could permanently deliver Ruth and Naomi from their poverty and loneliness, and God providentially led Ruth to the field of one of them, Boaz. It was not the bitterness of Naomi but the faithfulness of Ruth that changed the picture.

 

Boaz protected Ruth and provided for her even before she discovered who he was. Instead of living on leftovers, Ruth became a friend of “the Lord of the harvest” who gave her generous gifts.

 

Boaz is a picture and a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was a “mighty man of wealth, mighty man of war, and a mighty man of law.”

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah.

 

In The Land of Moab - Ruth 1

 

Ruth 1 -In the Land of Moab                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Jesus Christ would never have been born in Bethlehem if the incidents recorded in the Book of Ruth hadn’t first taken place in Bethlehem.

Here is a story of a Prodigal Family.  They were in the promised land but when famine came, they left. When we get away from God, that is when trouble comes. Naomi’s trouble began in the land of Moab where first her husband Elimelech, dies. She has two sons, Mahlon and Chillion. Their troubles began when they broke the Mosaic law and took wives of the women of Moab. Then Mahlon and Chillion dies, leaving Naomi alone with her two daughters-in law.

Naomi heard that the famine was over in the promised land, and there was bread again in Bethlehem. Now she wants to return home, but first she must talk to her daughters-in-law.  The Israelites had no dealings with the Moabites. If they go with Naomi, it will cost them something. They would never be able to marry again. It would mean perpetual widowhood and poverty for them because she had lost all her property. She encourages them to return and go back to their own mothers and not go up with her.

The decision made that day would determine whether Jess Christ will be born in Bethlehem or not. Ruth clung to Naomi, but Orpah turned back. Ruth made a decision for God, and when she made this decision, it was for time and eternity.

What we need today are people who make real decisions for God. Ruth is genuine and repentant. She says “I accept the poverty.  I accept being an outcast. I accept that I will be a widow the rest of my life.” She was willing to accept all of that to take a stand for God. She decided to go to Bethlehem with Naomi.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

 

One Less Tribe. Judges 21

 

Judges 21 – One Less Tribe

 

The slaughter of the Benjamites caused Israel to be faced with a new problem. Almost the entire tribe of Benjamin had been destroyed, and the other tribes vowed not to let their daughters marry any of the few remaining Benjamites. 

 

Before the war, the Israelites had made another vow. They said that any who refused to come to Mizpeh and fight would be put to death. They found out that the men of Jabesh-Gilead had not responded to their appeal, and so the command went out for twelve thousand men of Israel to kill the males of Jabesh-Gilead, marry the women, and bring the virgins back to the camp at Shiloh.  These virgins then became wives to four hundred Benjamites.

 

The apostle Paul came from the tribe of Benjamin. No doubt he was grateful for those four hundred women from Jabesh-Gilead and the two hundred women who were kidnapped at Shiloh, for they kept the tribe alive.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Immorality and Civil War. Judges 19 & 20

 

Judges 19 – Immorality and Civil War

 

The sad history of Israel moves from Idolatry to immorality and civil war. If sin is not dealt with, it spreads like a plague and destroys. Israel’s plight was their independence from God and their indifference to His law. Nothing can be right when every man does what is right in his own eyes.

 

The Levite was not a good example of a spiritual leader. He had a concubine, which was permitted and regulated by law but was not approved by God. His main interests were eating, drinking, and enjoying life.  Had he been a man of discipline and spiritual wisdom, he would never have caused all the trouble. He had not a godly influence on the people whose lives he touched, and his evil treatment of his concubine was inexcusable. 

One incident of lawlessness can cause a national crisis. It makes a difference when God’s people are truly salt and light in a decaying and dark society.

 

Judges 20. Benjamin declares War

 

Benjamin declares war against the eleven other tribes. Apparently, he had a tremendous army. There were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; everyone could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.

That day twenty-five thousand men of valor died of Benjamin.

The people in the tribe of Benjamin were judged because of their gross immorality. First there was religious apostasy in the temple, then moral awfulness in the home. And finally political anarchy in the state, these are the steps that any nation takes that goes down.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

A Home of Idolatry. Judges 17 & 18

 

Judges 17- A home of Idolatry

 

Israel was in trouble, for everything about this home violated the law of God.

The family was devoted to idolatry. The son had established his own priesthood and was a thief, and the mother was guilty of speaking both curses and blessings. She was concerned more about her money than about her son’s character.

The Levite was far more guilty than they were because he was especially called of God and was trained in the law. He was not God’s servant. He was a hireling. When offered a better situation by the Danites, he took it.

This is a vivid example of Do-it-Yourself religion. Even today people are not following God’s laws but are doing what they think is right in their own eyes.

 

Judges 18 – The Danites

 

Corruption in the home will soon spread to society. In this case it covered a whole tribe. The Danites had claimed their inheritance, but the enemy’s invasion had forced them to relocate. Had they stayed true to God, the enemy would not have been able to force them out. The Danites kidnapped the hireling priest of the false religion and stole the idols. Then they killed innocent people who were living in ignorant isolation. The climax came when they set up their own center of idolatrous worship, in open disobedience to God. Their false prosperity gave them false security that would not last. They lacked the blessings of God.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Samson's Immorality. Judges 16

 

Judges 16 – Samson’s Immorality

 

Then Samson went to Gaza and went into a harlot. He got up at midnight and found the gates of the city locked. He took the gate, posts, bar, and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them away to the top of the hill that is before Hebron. That would have been forty miles away.

 

Later, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah. One of the greatest sins that destroys a man today is this matter of illicit sex.  That was Samson’s sin.  As far as we know, he made no attempt to marry her. You can be sure that Delilah was more interested in the silver than she was in Samson.  Once again the Philistine leaders had found a way to get to Samson.

Delilah wants to know what makes Samson strong.  He toys with her for quite some time until she gets angry enough to tell him that if he really loved her he would tell her the secret of his strength. So, Samson told her that he was a Nazarite, and his long hair was part of his vow. His strength was not in his hair but in the Spirit of God who came upon him. When Samson went to sleep, Delilah had one of the Philistines come in and cut his hair. When he woke up, “he knew not that the Lord was departed from him.” The strength of the believer is always in the Spirit of God.

After the Philistines captured Samson, they put out his eyes, then forced him to do the work of a beast of burden in the prison.  While he was in prison, his hair began to grow.  He now has become a very repentant man. The Pharisees ascribe their victory over Samson to their god Dagon and hold a feast to celebrate. They bring him from the prison and about three thousand men and women watch him being tormented.

Samson called upon the Lord, took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood. He bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the Lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So, the people which he killed at his death were more than they which he killed in his life.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Samson Slays 1,000 Philistines. Judges 15

 

Judges 15- Samson Slays 1,000 Philistines

 

After Samson cooled down from being angry at his wife for telling the answer of his riddle to the Philistines, he returned to her with a kid as a present. Her father informed Samson that he thought Samson no longer wanted her, so he had given her to his friend. This riled Samson even more,

 

Apparently, Samson felt justified in his vengeance on the Philistines. He caught three hundred foxes, tied their tails together and then tied a torch on their tails, set them on fire, and let the animals loose in the fields. When the Philistines discovered who did this, they came up and burnt his wife and father with fire. This shas nothing to do with his commission from God to deliver Israel from the Philistines. He is just avenging himself. His actions had nothing to do with delivering Israel. His revenge was personal.

 

After hitting the Philistines with a great slaughter, the enemy had begun looking for him. Samson let his own people bind him with ropes to protect them from the Philistines. The men of Judah took Samson, their prisoner, to Lehi which was occupied by the Philistines.  The enemy was overjoyed to see Samson being brought to them bound. Then he broke the bands as if they were nothing. He grabbed a jawbone of a donkey and attacked the enemy.  He killed one thousand of them. He could never have done such a thing in his own power; it was the Spirit of the Lord upon him that enabled him to do it.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

 

Samson, The thirteenth Judge. Judges 13

Judges 13, Samson, the Thirteenth Judge

 

Manoah and his wife did not have any children because she was barren. So, the birth of Samson was miraculous. Before Samson was born, God singled him out. God raised him up to perform a gigantic task, he was to deliver Israel.

They were in a bad way because God had delivered them into the hands of the Philistines. The Philistines were probably the worst enemies that Israel had. This oppression lasted for forty years. The angel of the Lord that appeared to the mother of Samson told her what her son was to be – a Nazarite. He was not to touch strong drink or use grapes in any form. He was not to cut his hair. He was not to go near a dead body. He was God’s man and that was the secret of the success he had.  He was raised up for a great purpose, and his success was in God.

He began to deliver Israel, but he never finished the task. Samson’s strength was not in his arms, although he killed a thousand Philistines with those arms. His strength was not in his back, although he carried the gates of Gaza on his back. His strength was not in his hair, although he was weak when it was cut. Samson was strong only when the Spirit of God was moving him. The Spirit of God was not moving in him when his hair was cut, because he failed in his vow. When the Spirit was not upon him, he was as weak as water.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

  

Samson's Riddle. Judges 14

 

Judges 14 – Samson’s Riddle

 

Samson is going to use his marriage as a ruse in order that he might deliver Israel from the Philistines.  He starts off well.

 

On his way to Timnath with his parents, Samson was attacked by a lion. He killed the lion with his bare hands. On another trip Samson discovered a swarm of bees and honey in the carcass of the lion. He scooped the honey out with his hands and ate it. He also gave some to his parents but didn’t tell them where it came from. Having contact with a dead carcass was a violation of the Nazarite vow.

 

Later, Samson put on a marriage feast and invited the Philistines. He gives his guests a riddle and seven days to come up with an answer. Without knowing about the slain lion and the hive of bees in the carcass, there was no way the thirty guests could solve the riddle.

The Philistines threatened Samson’s wife that if she didn’t tell them the answer they would burn her father’s house down with her in it. For seven days, his wife cried, begging for the answer. Finally, Samson gave in and told her.

 

When the Philistines gave him the answer, he knew they got it from his wife.

He then went and killed thirty men to get thirty changes of raiment that he needed to pay off his wager.

 

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

Jealousy of Ephraim Judges 12

 

Judges 12. Jealousy of Ephraim

 

The men of Ephraim demanded that Jephthah give them the reason why he did not ask their help in the battle of the Ammonites. Jealousy was the problem here. Jephthah had to protect himself.  The men of Ephraim were going to burn his house down right over his head.

 

The Gileadites were successful in defeating the Ephramites.  Then they selected a password that would be difficult to pronounce because it contained a consonant which was not in the Ephramite dialect. The word was Shibboleth. It was a difficult word for the Ephramites to say because they could not put the “h” in it. Jephthah’s death ended six eventful years.

 

After Jephthah, the tenth judge was Ibzan. He was from Bethlehem. He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. Ibzan was a man who gave all his time to his family. There is nothing wrong with that, but it was not what he was called to do. Elon, the Eleventh judge did nothing- he didn’t even have a large family. Abdon, the twelfth judge had forty sons and forty nephews. All three of these judges apparently did nothing constructive as judges.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com. J. Vernon McGee Commentary and NKJ Bible and Nelson’s Quick Reference.

 

 

Jephthah, The Ninth Judge. Judges 11

 

Judges 11- Jephthah, the Ninth Judge.

 

Jephthah had become a leader of a band of desperados. He is a son of a harlot; he has been exiled by his brethren; and he is the leader of a despised, rejected group. He is not a very likely man to be used; but God uses men like this.  God moves in mysterious ways, and He chooses men that are despised in the world.

Our Lord humbled Himself. “Despised and rejected of men.” He is the “Stone the builders rejected.” His enemies said, “We will not have this Man reign over us.” Yet God has highly exalted Him and given Him a name that is above every name.

Jephthah outlines the way that the Ammonites came into the land. He makes it clear that the land really belonged to the Israelites who gained the land in a legitimate way.  The Ammonites were attempting to not only drive the Israelites off the land but were also trying to exterminate them.

This man had spent years in exile and then suddenly he is exalted to the highest position. He is made a judge. In his excitement, he makes a rash promise. God did not require him to make a vow. It was the hand of God that had elevated him to this position. He should have recognized that. “Whatever comes out to meet me I will deliver it to the Lord.” He had no right to offer that individual to the Lord. God’s commandment is “Thou shall not kill”. He also gave specific instructions about offering children. The daughter is the one who comes through the doors to greet him, and he offers her up to the Lord. That means she shall never marry. She did not understand his promise to be a burnt offering or sacrifice, but that she is not going to marry. Her life is to be dedicated to the Lord.

 

We would do well to promise God only what we think we can execute.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com. Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary

 

 

Slaves to the Philistines and Ammonites. Judges 10

 

Judges 10. Slaves to the Philistines and Ammonites.

 

You would think that after all the experiences, the Israelites would learn that when they turned to idolatry, trouble came upon them. Because of their idolatry, they went into slavery again – they served the Philistines and the Ammonites for eighteen years.

 

We are in a nation that is in trouble.  We have tried every method, political scheme, and political party, and none of them has worked. Only a turning to God will get us on the right path. God does not have to have any of us. He is not dependent upon us at all. We are, however, dependent upon Him.

 

The Israelites finally got so desperate that they called upon God. The Israelites lacked leadership. There has been a lack of leadership in the world for many years. Now they are going to turn to a most unusual man for guidance. Jephthah, the ninth judge was illegitimate, the son of a harlot. He was a Gileadite. His wife was a Gentile. He was excommunicated, and ostracized and exiled. More of his story will be in tomorrow’s lesson.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible. Nelsons Quick Reference Commentary.

Abimelech, Gideon's Son. Judges 9

 

Judges 9. Abimelech, Gideon’s Son

 This boy Abimelech was very ambitious. He had heard about the nation wanting Gideon to become ruler over them. Since he is a son of Gideon, he wanted to become King. He brutally murdered the seventy sons of Gideon and set himself up as King.

People get the ruler they deserve. The people of Israel wanted this boy Abimelech to rule over them; and they got the caliber of man they deserved.

God judged Abimelech for the awful thing he did, and He also judged the men of Shechem for making him King. Civil war came about because there were many people who did not want Abimelech. This is a sad ending for the life of Gideon who fathered this illegitimate son, Abimelech. God lifted Gideon from a very humble position to be the deliverer and judge of His people. How that a man who accomplished so much good should allow this in his life of which God did not approve and which resulted in Civil war in Israel.

If good men and women will not pay the price and lead, we must settle for the bramble.

Abimelech’s sin caught up with him, but he certainly did a lot of damage to his people and family. Psalm 34:21, Proverbs 11:3,19.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

 

Not a King. Judges 8

 

Judges 8.  Not a King

 

God told the Israelites in the beginning that He did not want them to have a king like the nations round about them. But because Gideon had delivered them from bondage, they wanted him to accept the position of king. He was the first one to be offered this position and he turned it down. God wanted to rule over His people. It was God who used Gideon so remarkably, but it is Gideon who Israel wants to rule over them. They not only wanted Gideon but his son and his son’s son also to rule. This meant they wanted a king like the nations around them. This young man who threshed grain down by the winepress, recognized that he was a coward. He knew that it was God who had given them the victory. He realized God had raised him up for this purpose.

As long as we are willing to let God have His way, it is remarkable what God will do.

Gideon had many wives and a concubine besides. He had a total of seventy-one sons. Gideon took these wives and had all these children after the battle. God did not approve of what he did. His actions brought tragedy to the nation of Israel.  God had forbidden intermarriage outside the nation.  He had forbidden the Israelites to have more than one wife. God did not create several eves for Adam. He created only one. God did not remove all of Adam’s ribs. God took only one rib.

That was the sin of Abraham, and God never blessed that. God did not bless Solomon’s actions. He did not bless Gideon either. In fact, Gideon’s actions split the kingdom and caused real tragedy.

At first they were a nation that served God, then they forsook God, turned to Baal, and God sold them into slavery. Then they cry out to God. They repent, and God raises up a judge to deliver them. As soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelites turned from God and worshipped Baalim.

This up and down business is the story of nations, churches, and individuals. God never intended our spiritual lives to be that way.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible. Nelsons Quick Reference Commentary.

Gideon Goes To War. Judges 7

 

Judges 7. Gideon Goes to War

 

God has always given a filling of the Spirit to the man that He uses. Gideon was certainly not a man prepared to lead them into battle.  So, God begins to move in this man’s life in a definite way. Gideon looks at his army.  He had thirty-two thousand men. In Gideon’s mind it is not enough.  But God said to Gideon, “You have too many men.”  In Deuteronomy it states, “if anyone was drafted into the army and was afraid, he could go home.” So, now only ten thousand remain and God says, “you still have too many men.” So, Gideon and his men went through another test. Bring them down to the water, and the ones who lap water like a dog are the ones I have chosen.

God elects, but He lets us be the one to make the choice. Each one of the ten thousand men in Gideon’s army exercised his free will.

Gideon’s band was a group of dedicated men, willing to die to deliver Israel, men who had their hearts and souls in this matter. These men lapped up water like a dog because they were after the Midianites and not after water.  They will drink water after the battle is over.

After the men are chosen, Gideon goes down to the edge of the camp and eavesdrops while two soldiers are talking. They believe that God is going to deliver the Midianites into the hands of Gideon and his army.  God permits Gideon to hear this conversation to encourage him just prior to battle. He divides his three hundred men into three groups. They are given pitchers, lamps, and trumpets.  The lamps were put inside the pitchers so that the light could not be seen. Their cry was to be “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.” Gideon did not have a sword and neither did his army. The Midianites had kept the weapons for themselves.  They blew their trumpets and broke the pitchers so that the light shone out. The first thing the Midianites did after being startled awake was swinging their swords in every direction. They were going after each other. The Midianites soon fled over the hills into the tall timber and out of that area. This gave Gideon and the Israelites a tremendous victory.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible. Nelsons Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

Gideon The Sixth Judge. Judges 6

 

Judges 6, The Sixth Judge Gideon

 

The Midianites and the Amalekites were raiders. They would raid crops and supplies of others. They took their families and all that they had with them and pitched tents wherever they stopped. They overwhelmed the people of the land. The children of Israel fled from them into the caves. God had blessed the children under the rule of Deborah. When they sinned, God delivered them to Midian, and they cried out for deliverance. The tribe of Manasseh, of which Gideon was from, moved into the dens and into the caves. They saw their crops all taken by the enemy. God is gracious and good. A prophet came and told them why they were in their present condition. They cried out to God, and God in mercy sent them another judge.

Gideon is threshing wheat by the winepress which is at the foot of the hill where they bring the grapes down from the vineyard. The threshing floor was always at the top of the hills so that the wind could blow the chaff away. Gideon is afraid of the Midianites, so he takes his wheat to the winepress. He pitches the grain up in the air, and it comes down around his neck and into his clothes. It was at that time an angel of the Lord appeared to him. One of the funniest things the Lord could have called Gideon was a mighty man of valor because he was a coward. God has called him to deliver his people. The angel said, “The Lord is with you Gideon”. But Gideon wants to know where all those miracles are that their fathers had told them about. He believed that the Lord had forgotten them. The Lord had not forsaken them, they had forsaken the Lord. Gideon had an inferiority complex. He was skeptical, weak, and cowardly. Most of us today are doing our own will and going our own way. God wants weak vessels and that is the only kind He will use. Read I Cor. 1:26-27. God follows this policy so that no flesh will glory in His presence. Although, Gideon was a weak individual, God told him that he was the one who was going to deliver Israel. He told Gideon that he will not die. He was to go down and throw over the altar of Baal, and to burn the grove beside it. Instead of doing it in the daytime, he does it under the cover of night. More of Gideon’s story will be in tomorrow’s lesson.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

 

 

Deborah and Barak's Song. Judges 5

 

Judges 5. Deborah and Barak’s Song

 

Deborah was one of the outstanding judges. She far exceeded Othniel in ability. Deborah had to agree to go with him before he was willing to go and battle the enemy. After the battle Deborah and Barak sang a song that was one of the first songs of the human race. The song mentions Shamgar. He was the judge that used an ox goad. He had judged during a time of lawlessness and grave immorality. It was not safe to walk the highways; travelers walked through the byways because it was not safe to take the main route.

Then her song mentions the lack of leadership. Rulers had ceased to rule. Because of her desire, she became a judge in Israel.  She stepped out and took the lead in a day where her nation had denied God. Deborah did not want her children to grow up this way and that is why she stepped out as she did.

After Israel’s victory over the enemy, Deborah once again tells Barak to take command. But he does not take charge. The tribe of Issachar was the only Israelite tribe that stood with Deborah and Barak. In her song she curses Meroz, of whom we don’t know anything about. She cursed him because he did not come to help the work of the Lord.

Deborah reveals her mothers’ heart by remembering Sisera. He had a mother. And even though she extols Jael for what she did, she thinks of Sisera’s mother. The mother of Sisera knew in her heart what had happened. She knew he had been slain. The heart of Deborah went out to her because she was a mother. What a picture we have of Deborah in her song!

 

 Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

 

 

Deborah and Barak. Judges 4

 

Judges 4 Deborah and Barak

 

After the death of Ehud, Israel again turned to idolatry. The Lord then sold Israel into the hand of Jabin, king of Canaan. Sisera was the captain of the host with 900 chariots of iron. For twenty years Jabin oppressed Israel. Deborah was raised up by God to judge Israel, and she called upon the General to get busy. If there was a General who was weak, it was Barak. Barak would not go into battle unless Deborah went along. If this prophetess went with him, he felt he would be successful in battle.  No wonder God had to use a woman in that day!

Deborah was a forthright woman who wanted deliverance for her people. Barak called together his army, and they got ready to go against the enemy. God gave them the victory. Since the rest of his army was destroyed, Sisera’s primary desire was to save his own life. Sisera believed the Kenites would offer him protection. He went to the house of Heber, and his wife Jael offered the weary soldier hospitality. When he went to sleep, she took a tent pin and hammer and let him have it. This brought a great deliverance for Israel.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar. Judges 3

 

Judges 3 – Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar

 

The Israelites married into all the tribes, even though God had strictly forbidden it. The five lords of the Philistines and the other tribes mentioned in this passage were enemies of the Israelites. Instead of driving the Canaanites out of the land, Israel shared it with them. Their idolatry resulted in chastisement. God sold them into slavery for eight years. They were oppressed to the point that they called out to the Lord for help. When the children of Israel cried out to Him for deliverance, He raised up Othniel to be their first judge.  He was one of the better judges. He did not become their leader because of his outstanding ability but because he was Caleb’s nephew. And had married Caleb’s daughter. And yet God used him. 

All of the judges were “little men”. They were odd characters. Their very oddness caused God to use them. Ehud was the second judge. He happened to be left-handed, which gave him an opportunity to get rid of a man who was bringing all kinds of tragedy into the lives of the Israelites. His act of killing Eglon accomplished God’s purpose. Thousands of lives were saved because of what Ehud did.

When the Israelites went against God’s will, He delivered them into slavery. The third judge, Shamgar used an ox goad, which is a very crude instrument. The Israelites didn’t have any iron weapons, so he used that which he had. The important thing is not the method, but the message. An ox goad can be dedicated to God if it is in the right hands. God used the rod of Moses, a stone from the slingshot of David, Dorcas had a needle and thread. All these things were given to God.. If you put it in His hands, God will use it.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and New King James Bible.

 

JUdges 2. God Raises Up Judges.

 

Judges 2 – God Raises Up Judges

 

Each time the nation hit bottom; God raised up a judge to deliver them. The nations in Canaan were in terrible bondage to ignorance, Idolatry and immorality and they desperately needed to know the true God of Israel. But instead, the Jews stooped to imitation and joined their neighbors in their sins. In their relationship with God, the next generation, and their neighbors failed. After Joshua’s generation passed away, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel. This resulted in a series of sin cycles, sin, judgment, cries for help, and deliverance.

To the best of our ability, we must focus our energy on raising our children in the nurture and instruction of the Lord, teaching them the truths of scripture, and giving them testimonies of faith.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Dr. David Jeremiah.

 

 

God Equips Us. Judges 1

 

Judges 1 – God Equips Us                                      

January 1,2022                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

 After the death of Joshua, the nation did not function as one great army.  Individual tribes fought to claim their inheritance, and often the tribes worked together; but something was lost in the transition. God’s people must endeavor “to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:3.

What began with conquest, soon became compromised as the defeated tribes gave in to the enemy. If we do not defeat the enemy completely, the enemy will eventually defeat us. Israel learned their ways and worshiped their god, and the Lord had to chasten His people to bring them back. They forgot the warnings of Moses and Joshua.

It has been well said, “The one thing we learn from history is that we do not learn from history.”  Read  Corinthians 6:1-7:1 and take it to heart.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.