Read Judges 10-12
        
Judges 11:29-31 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from  there he advanced against the Ammonites. 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, 31 whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from  the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”
 
WHO is Jephthah? His name is among more well-known names you likely recognize in Hebrews 11:32 How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. Hebrews also describes Jephthah as one who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. (Hebrews 11:34e) Jephthah’s story includes an illicit birth, brothers’ rejection, active faith, fatal foolishness, misguided devotion and an apparent pagan-like sacrifice of his daughter in Judges 11:39. It seems God should condemn him rather than honor him.
   In need of a leader, Gilead’s elders granted him an army to defeat the Ammonites. It is apparent this was God’s doing. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah (Judges 11:29) as he began his campaign. Then comes his foolish, deadly vow. Judges 11:30-31 And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord. He said, “If you give me victory over the Ammonites, 31 I will give to the Lord whatever comes out of my house to meet me when I return in triumph. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.” Why do we think God needs a big promise from  us  to achieve the LORD’s purpose? Do you think God’s grace and power requires you to promise him something? He only wants your worship.   
   Jephthah won the war. He lost his daughter. But what does sacrifice as a burnt offering actually mean? There is equal evidence in the original language to understand one of two things happened: Jephthah killed his daughter on an altar. Or Jephthah dedicated his daughter with a vow of celibacy to a lifetime of service to the Tabernacle. For a Hebrew woman to remain childless was as a death sentence. Two phrases give us hope it was the latter sacrifice. Judges 11:38-39 “You may go,” Jephthah said. And he sent her away for two months. She and her friends went into the hills and wept because she would never have children. 39 When she returned home, her father kept the vow he had made, and she died a virgin. This can mean she lived a normal life of celibacy. Or it could mean she died at her father’s hands.  
   In either way, the father victimized the daughter. He changed her life with a foolish, even unfaithful vow.
   We must be very careful of what we allow into our minds and experiences. The vow could have come from  the influence of Jephthah’s pagan mother. We cannot mix the false gods with the true God. How careful we must be with our words and with our children!
     

Judges 8-9
 
Judges 8:22-23 Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Be our ruler! You and your son and your grandson will be our rulers, for you have rescued us from Midian.” 23 But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The Lord will rule over you!”
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Judges 8:27 Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family.
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Judges 8:29-31 Then Gideon son of Joash returned home. 30 He had seventy sons born to him, for he had many wives. 31 He also had a concubine in Shechem, who gave birth to a son, whom he named Abimelech. 
 
MUCH can occur in a few sentences in Scripture! Gideon’s warfare is done. His victories have stirred Israel to desire Gideon and his future generations be kings over them. It may seem a practical solution to Israel’s ongoing miseries with foreign occupation. But what was the true cause of Israel’s oppression? Of course, it was their failure to make God the King of their hearts.
   Did they not remember God was on his earthly throne seated between the Cherubim on the ark in the Tabernacle? (then at Shiloh) The desire for a human king was as telling God, “You’re not enough for us.”  
   They further turned from the LORD as they worshiped the golden ephod Gideon created. What was the purpose of such a thing? Was Gideon trying to meet the pagan desires of his hometown and kinsmen?
   And then it seemed Gideon lived as a king. Even though he wasn’t crowned a king, what king then knew more riches than Gideon in the 40 years he ruled as a Judge? He had 70 sons from numerous wives and a son Abimelech from a concubine. “Abimelech” means “son of a king”. This was also the name of a title to a line of kings Abraham and Isaac encountered in Canaan. Does that reveal Gideon’s heart at this point in his life? Was he pointing this son to become king one day? Indeed, Abimelech would later be the next example in Israel of a violent man attempting to subvert God’s will and rule his nation. He did reign for three years in a king-like rule.
   Sometimes it seems that when a man’s faith work is thought to be done, the faithful servant turns back to the world. Gideon’s battles against the Moabites and others were done. But he neglected to fight the spiritual battles at home. Gideon needed to be a Mighty Warrior to defeat Satan’s temptations toward excess and self-importance. Our personal lives reflect more of who we are than anything we do publicly. What we do at home matters. Let’s be sure we do what matters to God.
 
One More Thought: in the previous lesson I compared Gideon with Peter. One great difference in their lives was Peter’s faith testimony at the end of his life. The apostle struggled with many challenges regarding Jesus’ teachings, but when he knew Jesus’ in the fullness of his resurrection, Peter certainly became a Mighty Warrior for his King.
 
 

Read Judges 6-7
 
Judges 6:12-13, 15 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” 13 “But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? …15 “But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
 
HERE again is the Angel of the LORD coming to empower a man to save his people. Here again is a reluctant man trying to excuse himself from God’s call.
   Gideon and the apostle Peter are two men I often connect with emotionally and spiritually. They had to similar responses to Christ’s call. For instance, the Angel – the pre-incarnate Christ – named Gideon “mighty Warrior”. Jesus – the incarnate God – labeled Peter “the rock”. Gideon says, “But, Lord.” twice here and later tests the LORD’s assignment for him three times, once with a food offering and twice with a fleece. “But Lord.”  was Peter’s response to Jesus’ prophecies of his crucifixion and resurrection. Plus, Peter three times denied he knew Jesus. Peter and Gideon were laborers of the sea and soil. They were uneducated and unqualified by the world’s standards to speak and act for God. But we are thankful I AM would not allow these men’s limitations to stop his redemptive work in Israel and to the world.
   God had “mighty Warrior” plans for Gideon. Gideon saw himself as a powerless scared farmer, hiding in a cistern to protect his meager crop. His goal was to stay alive and o get through each day. Feeling helpless often makes us feel hopeless.
   Then God set Gideon apart. God separated Gideon from idolatry, fear, doubts and his idol-worshiping family. Chosen by God, Gideon was born again to be a Mighty Warrior for God’s covenant. Step-by-step (Remember, go forward step-by-step.) the Holy Spirit replaced, “But, Lord.” in Gideon’s heart with a “Yes, LORD!” devotion in his soul. Gideon’s faith grew to fully trust God’s commands to become God’s Mighty Warrior. The LORD had spoken it, and Gideon lived it. The physical victories defeated the pagan power and cleansed Israel for 40 years.
 
One More Thought:
One part of Gideon’s story we often put aside is the brokenness in his family. His father and community worshiped Baal. Gideon had to destroy the altar to Baal. The townspeople would have killed Gideon if his father had not protected him. Not only did Moab oppress Israel, this idolatry was suffocating Israel’s relationship with God.
   It is difficult to imagine how a people whom God had so especially chosen to be his very own, unique nation among the entire creation could be so devoted to gods of other nations and of their own making. What happens in the human heart that we become so quickly and easily devoted to faceless, lifeless objects over the living God?
  

Read Judges 4-5
 
Judges 4:14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Get ready! This is the day the Lord will give you victory over Sisera, for the Lord is marching ahead of you.” So Barak led his 10,000 warriors down the slopes of Mount Tabor into battle.
 
BARAK’s name means “Thunderbolt”. The name fits the man as he fearlessly led 10,000 soldiers to victory. For 20 years, God had used Sisera, a Canaanite general, to ruthlessly oppress the Israelites (Judges 4:3) because the Israelites again did evil in the LORD’s sight (Judges 4:1) God’s grace redeemed Israel from God’s judgment.  
   Yes a thunderbolt has enormous power. But a thunderbolt’s power needs a power source. Barak was a thunderbolt on the battlefield that day because God empowered him through Deborah, the judge and prophet.
   Surely there are many people you know and millions you don’t know who strike God’s power against the oppressive enemy Satan. With Spirit-powered prayer, devotion, help, love, mercy and many more spiritual gifts, God’s true universal church is empowered to remove oppression from sinners’ hearts.
   Be God’s Thunderbolt, prepared to use the power of God’s gift to win a victory over evil’s oppression in his name.
  
Deborah
 
Judges 4:4-5 Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet who was judging Israel at that time. 5 She would sit under the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites would go to her for judgment.
 
DEBORAH is definitely another Thunderbolt for God in Israel’s history. Gifted as a prophet and leader, she displayed a God-given strength, courage and confidence, a rare combination is Israel’s history. Judges 5 is Deborah’s victory celebration, praising God for his power to destroy the enemy and protect Israel.
   Deborah’s life glorified God. Her life is a good example to shape our lives to speak and believe God’s power.
 
Jael Most Blessed 
 
Judges 5:24 “Most blessed among women is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. May she be blessed above all women who live in tents.”
 
JAEL (Jay el) is the third Thunderbolt of Israel’s military victory over the Canaanites. Like Rahab of Jericho, she was not an Israelite. Her husband had settled in this territory. Sisera must have known this family, and he apparently felt safe at her household. So then, to kill a guest was a great violation of cultural and criminal law. And who would think a woman would kill a general? How can Jael be the “most blessed among women” having committed this violent act?
   She is blessed because she was chosen to be the means to final victory of evil. We might see Sisera was guilty of heinous crimes. God appointed Jael for this. Jael conquered the enemy in a David-like way. She was the perceived weak against the supposed strong, the amateur against the warrior. In that culture, this was completely out of order, but it was God’s orders to do so.
   Barak, Deborah and Jael are three Thunderbolts God formed to cleanse his nation. Thunderbolts destroy and thunderbolts cleanse to make space for new growth. When the three struck the enemy, the land had peace for forty years. (Judges 5:31b)
  
 

Read Judges 2:6-3
 
Judges 3:5-6 So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, 6 and they intermarried with them. Israelite sons married their daughters, and Israelite daughters were given in marriage to their sons. And the Israelites served their gods.
 
AT times we speak of challenges in moving forward in our lives toward our goals. We might use the phrase, “two steps forward and one step back” to refer to slow progress. But we do have to admit this is progress, isn’t it? One step forward at a time is often a good way to move ahead on a sure pathway toward your goal. It’s a good plan for your faith journey, too.
   Israel, though, took three giant steps backward as they settled into Canaan. Here is how they were to go forward: Deuteronomy 7:2 “When the Lord your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy. 3 You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters, 4 for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods…You must break down their pagan altars and shatter their sacred pillars. Cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols.”
   Israel did not destroy these nations, but they lived, intermarried and worshiped with them. Taking these three steps backward, they nearly lost any ability to go forward.
   We can become resigned to Israel’s and God’s love story as an ongoing relationship breakdown between God and mankind. It’s as if a husband and wife are continually fighting and reconciling, repeating a cycle of broken commitments and emotional promises. Judges is that way as it describes times of captivity in Israel and times of victory, times of worship toward God and times of worship toward idols. And the cycle will not change much throughout the centuries. How then, does El Shaddai, the eternal God, keep the world going forward through such depraved rebellion?
   Perhaps the answer comes in God’s words, “I am the LORD.” From the time God went to Abraham to renew the covenant in Genesis 15 through Judges, he spoke, “I am the LORD.” about 90 times. He spoke it to make the promise, to assure Israel, to correct Israel, to confirm his law and to continue his grace. “I am the LORD.” defines a God, who will never stop from his purpose because we are unworthy. Instead, the LORD’s purpose is to make us worthy through his unstoppable love. “I am the LORD.” affirms his sovereign power. It tells us there is no other god, not other thing so good and right and true. “I am the LORD” defines the God, who is Creator, Redeemer, Savior, Spirit and King of Glory.
   God’s Love Story was written to glorify Gd’s Holy character. We can actually see God’s glory shining in stark contrast to the dark shadows that attempt to hide his love and power to come face to face with us.
   As we continue, let’s keep looking for the Light to shine. The great comfort and hope of God’s Love Story is you can “be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b
 
 

 

Joshua 24, Judges 1-2:5
 
Judges 2:1-5 The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said to the Israelites, “I brought you out of Egypt into this land that I swore to give your ancestors, and I said I would never break my covenant with you. 2 For your part, you were not to make any covenants with the people living in this land; instead, you were to destroy their altars. But you disobeyed my command. Why did you do this? 3 So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.” 4 When the angel of the Lord finished speaking to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly. 5 So they called the place Bokim (which means “weeping”), and they offered sacrifices there to the Lord.
 
THE angel (some translations use “Angel”) of the LORD was more than an angel – a messenger from God. He was God making a physical appearance on earth. This is called a theophany. Theo = God. Phany = appearance. And in this case it can be called a Christophany because this is believed to be Christ, the second Person of the Trinity. We have seen him with Moses at the Burning Bush, and we have just met him as Commander of the LORD’s army just prior to Jericho’s conquest. He will show himself twice more in Judges.
   We know he is God because he repeatedly speaks with “I” and “my”. “I brought…I swore to give…I said…I would…my commands.” He commands a holy response to his presence as Israel worshiped the Angel of the LORD. Other angels rightly serving God do not receive worship but direct worship toward God: Revelation 19:10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship (the angel), but he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.”
   Christ’s message here was a grievous judgment on his people. “Why did you do this?” Did Israel have an answer? Could they tell the Holy I AM why they had not removed unholy people and their altars? Did Israel have a better way to live than by God’s commands? Did Israel not love the LORD their God? Did they know why they put godless depravity above the LORD God Almighty’s promises?   
   From that day on, Israel has been confronted with enemies against their way of life and their worship of God. The promise of the Promised Land became a promise lost because Israel did not know what they were doing.
 

 

Read Joshua 22-24
 
Joshua 24:14-15 “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. 15 But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
 
JOSHUA – or Yeshua –means “Jehovah (God) is our help” or “Jehovah the Savior”. It is the Hebrew form of the Greek name “Jesus”. As Jesus, the Son of God, lived in perfect harmony with the Father, Joshua’s life was a very personal experience with the LORD God. Joshua was a warrior. He led Israel’s armies in battles throughout the Wilderness Journey, first recorded in Exodus 17. Joshua was Moses’ disciple. Exodus 24 tells us Joshua accompanied Moses to Mt. Sinai and waited while Moses received the Law. Joshua was also with Moses when the LORD came to the Tent of Meeting before the Tabernacle was built. Joshua was a faithful scout. He joined with Caleb to urge Israel into the Promised Land when 10 other spies put fear and doubt in the nation’s mind.
   Appointed by God, taught by Moses, Joshua led Israel to conquer the Promised Land. Yes, he errored at times as we all do. But he knew how to repent and move forward. Joshua moved out of his mistakes into a greater faith because he knew victory awaits those who devotedly follow God. Joshua’s legacy to this day is to know that a steadfast worship of God is a daily, active faith to know and live in God’s commands.
   There is one more thing – perhaps the most important thing – we should know of Joshua. As he declared, “But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” we know Joshua’s leadership began at home. Serving God takes many forms. Most importantly it begins with a servant’s heart at home. You can’t lead a community, church, nation or business until you fully and faithfully lead your family toward Jesus with a true servant heart.
   A servant’s heart was the essence of his character. Joshua served the LORD through serving his family, Moses and the nation. How good it would have been for Israel to remember and live into Yeshua’s – the Savior’s – words: “Choose today whom you will serve. Serve the LORD alone.”
 
 
 
 
 

Read Joshua 18-21
 
Joshua 21:43-45 So the LORD gave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. And the LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the LORD helped them conquer all their enemies. Not a single one of all the good promises the LORD had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.
 
GOD’S Word is true. Nearly everything we have read in the Bible to this point is about God fulfilling his promise to Abraham in Genesis 17:8 “And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.”
   Through the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, then the accounts of Joseph in Egypt, the growth of Israel in Egypt, the exodus from Egypt, the Law of Moses and the 40-years wandering, God has made his covenant with Abraham alive and purposeful through his chosen servants. God’s words have become sacred dirt under Israel’s feet, living water in their streams, fruit in their trees and bounty in their crops. He has taught the right way to love God and to love one another. There is right and wrong, justice and truth from the Holy God.
   To complete the promise, Israel must complete the land division. Then they must completely cleanse the land of its current occupants whose detestable acts have defiled the land. The LORD God Almighty has promised a beautiful, bounteous life to a nation he has created and formed. El Shaddai has fulfilled his promise. Now Israel holds  the covenant in their hands.
   Sadly, much of Israel’s remaining history is their faithless response to God’s love for them. His love, indeed, does endure forever (Psalm 118:1) because it flows as streams of living water (John 7:38), deep, high, wide and long throughout history. God’s remarkable love story defines how he has continually replaced sin with his love. The more we understand God’s faithfulness to his promise, the greater we will know and experience God’s love.
   At the end of human history one will be able to write, “Not a single one of all the good promises the LORD had given to the (church) was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.
 
 

Joshua 13-17
 
Joshua 15:20 This was the homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Judah.
 
THIS verse begins a long list over 44 verses of the 100-plus towns and villages Judah inherited. The tribes of Judah and Ephraim, and the remaining half-tribe of Manasseh, were given a preferential portion of the land. And there is a special grant for Caleb, the faithful spy, who is also of Judah. These four special favors or blessings from God could be for both past reward and future expectation.
   Remember, Ephraim and Manasseh were Joseph’s sons. Their grandfather Jacob gave them a special blessing in Genesis 48:19 “Manasseh will also become a great people, but his younger brother will become even greater. And his descendants will become a multitude of nations.” And Jacob also blessed Judah: Genesis 49:8-10 “Judah, your brothers will praise you. You will grasp your enemies by the neck. All your relatives will bow before you…10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor.” A promise to Caleb was also fulfilled.
   About 700 years after this, Israel’s structure will dramatically change after Solomon’s reign. Judah with Benjamin will become the Southern Kingdom. Ephraim with the other nine tribes will become the Northern Kingdom, more commonly called Israel. Then Ephraim and the nine tribes will one day be dispersed from the land. Judah will survive through the exile to bear the Savior. The scepter of God’s eternal rule would not depart from Judah.
   Notice that within the conquests and the land dispersion, Israel did not fully complete its mission to rid the land of all pagan influence. An example is this unsettling verse: Joshua 15:63 But the tribe of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites, who lived in the city of Jerusalem, so the Jebusites live there among the people of Judah to this day.
   Where was Jerusalem? It ws on a mountain fortress, an imposing city against attack. How could Judah not drive out the Jebusites until David did so 600 years later? Was this another failure to trust God’s leading, power and command?
   The Promised Land was divided among the conquering tribes of Israel, but Israel did not remove people groups whose detestable idols and sins had defiled the land. It would not be possible for Israel to fully enjoy the Promise because they did not completely live into God’s purpose.
   Let’s remember the power of God’s Word. 2 Timothy 3:15-17 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
   Israel’s Scriptures were the Law of Moses and God’s direct commands. They needed to know and do what was right.
   Our Scripture from Joshua is very, very useful to our Christian life. Know that all words from God teach and correct us. Listen, learn and leave no room for those things that oppose God.
 
  
 

Read Joshua 9-12
 
Joshua 9:14-15 So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord. 15 Then Joshua made a peace treaty with them and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the community ratified their agreement with a binding oath.
 
AS we read of the good and the bad that happened in Israel’s history, we can perhaps become critical, even judgmental of their errors. “What were they thinking?” or “Why didn’t they understand God’s care for them?” These types of questions, though, can often be asked of our faith journey. So let’s approach each aspect of Israel’s story with, “What do I learn from this? How can I be faithful to God?”
   Having read Joshua 9, you’ll see Joshua and his troops were fooled by the Gibeonites, who resorted to deception to save themselves. How did this happen? Yes, the Gibeonites were clever to develop the plan. But Joshua and the leaders did not consult the LORD.
   Do you think they were too confident in their success to conquer Jericho and Ai? It seems so. But did they forget it was God’s instructions and provision for their victories? Joshua and the other leaders did not devise the battle plans for either conquest. In fact, when they first attacked Ai, Israel’s army was defeated because of the sin in the camp and their neglect to seek the LORD’s guidance. Even more, how could Joshua have forgotten I AM’s power to stop the Jordan River for their crossing? Did he also neglect his meeting with the LORD’s Commander: Joshua 5:13-15 When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?” 14 “Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the LORD’s army.” At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?”
15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did as he was told.
   The ground is holy where God is present. The Commander is likely the One who wrestled with Jacob and met Moses at the burning bush. He is the One who will come in triumph wielding his sword of justice on the Final Day of the LORD. He is the Son of God, willing to fight for his own and lead them on the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
   Joshua had experienced God as only a few ever had or will on this earth. How could Joshua stand before scheming men and neglect to inquire of the LORD? That’s a good question and a warning for us all. 2 Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves.
   Keep your heart humble. Know you have no wisdom apart from God.