Maranatha Grace Church

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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 26 Judges 1 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

⁴ When Judah attacked, the Lord gave the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek. ⁵ It was there that they found Adoni-Bezek and fought against him, putting to rout the Canaanites and Perizzites. ⁶ Adoni-Bezek fled, but they chased him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.

⁷ Then Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.  (Judges 1:4-7)

It is a very slippery slope when the people of the Lord starts to use the tactics of the enemy. “Adoni-Bezek fled, but they chased him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes” (v. 6). It may appear on the surface that the punishment of Adoni-Bezek was a just one. He even confessed that God has paid him back for what he did to other seventy kings (v. 7). But that was just the talk of someone who knew nothing of the character of God.  

God never asked the Israelites to torture the Canaanites. Judah was in disobedience to the Lord.  The Canaanites had either to leave the land voluntarily or faced extermination because of their abominations. But Judah disobeyed. They will eventually pay heavily for their disobedience.  When everyone does what seems right on his own eyes that always lead to disaster.  “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 26 Judges 2 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. ¹¹ Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. ¹² They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger ¹³ because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. ¹⁴ In his anger against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. ¹⁵ Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.  (Judges 2:10-15)

An article in time.com about kids and money gives the following sad statistics: “70% of Rich Families Lose Their Wealth by the Second Generation.” One of the strategies proposed to remedy that situation is: “Talk Early and Often.” Simply the parents should talk to their children while they are still young about the value of money. It seems a clever advice to a sad situation, but this is really an old advice to keep the wealth from one generation to the next.

Speaking to the Israelites, God basically told the adults to “Talk Early and Often” to their children about the laws.  “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

Most likely the first generation failed that simple task since we read that “After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel (v.10). The parents forgot that they were the primary teachers of the children in spiritual matters.

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 28 Judges 3 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses.⁵ The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. ⁶ They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods. ⁷ The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. (Judges 3:4-6)

1 John 2:15 is a verse that every kid of my church knew, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” The underlying thought was that we, young Christians, should avoid falling in love with non-Christians. But in this age of inclusion, we tend to ignore such restriction (2 Corinthians 6:14). We ignore or neglect the restriction of not being unequally yoke at our own lost.

“They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods. 7 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs” (v. 6-7). My advice to all young Christians, boys and girls, is to avoid the temptation of dating and falling in love with someone who doesn’t share your Christian faith. It is hundred times easier for them to pull you into the world, than for you to lead them to Christ.

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of Judges Challenge – Day 29 Judges 4 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

⁴ Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading^[a] Israel at that time. ⁵ She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided. ⁶ She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor. ⁷ I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’” (Judges 4:4-7)

The presence of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life is the prime qualifier for service, not education, not gender, not race, but the unction of the Holy Spirit. Deborah’s qualification in a very restrictive male dominated society was the unction of the Holy Spirit in her life. She was a judge in Israel not because the people elected her, but because they recognized that God had chosen her.

Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go (v. 8).” Was Barak seeking the protection of a valiant warrior? Not at all. In good time, people can criticize you for being a Christian, but in time of danger, they will flock to you, because they know that where God’s presence is there is security. It is unnecessary for Christians to fight for recognition, spiritual authority is obtained by the leader’s closeness to the Lord.  

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of Judges Challenge – Day 30 Judges 5 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

“So may all your enemies perish, Lord!
 But may all who love you be like the sun
 when it rises in its strength.”

Then the land had peace forty years.  (Judges 4:4-7)

An attitude of gratitude guarantees continuous blessings.  Deborah and Barak did not take credit for the victory, they gave it all to the Lord. Thus, the Lord rewarded them greatly, “the land had peace forty years.”  God was pleased with their worship. They praised the Lord for the gift of leadership and total submission of the people.  “When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves— praise the Lord!  Where there is unity, there is victory.

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of Judges Challenge – Day 1 Judges 6 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

¹¹ The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. ¹² When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” ¹³ “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” ¹⁴ The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” ¹⁵ “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” ¹⁶ The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.” (Judges 4:4-7)

“The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Do see yourself as the Lord see you? Gideon could not believe that he was a mighty warrior. He saw himself totally opposite from the way that Lord saw him. The Lord saw a mighty warrior, Gideon saw himself as a victim. Humanly speaking the situation was bleak, “My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family (v. 15),” Gideon argued. But our limitation is not a valid excuse when the Lord is with us. The Christian can say confidently, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 2 Judges 7 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.

² And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ ³ Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained. (Judges 4:4-7)

The story of Gideon teaches us three important lessons. First, God sees us differently than we see ourselves. He called Gideon mighty warrior, while Gideon saw himself as a coward. Second, God wants all the glory for himself. God told Gideon, ““The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me (v. 2).”  Lastly, it is God who saves us. When we are weak, then we are strong (2 Corinthians 12:10).  God reduced an army of thirty thousand to an army of three hundred men to give them victory against a multitude.

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 3 Judges 8 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

 Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?” And they challenged him vigorously.

² But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? ³ God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided. (Judges 8:1-3)

As I read the answer of Gideon to the Ephraimites, I regret the many unnecessary fights that I have fought just because I wanted to be right.  Gideon adroitly avoid an unnecessary dispute with the Ephraimites by given them a gentle answer. He told them, “God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” Perfect answer.  “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1).

The best way to win a fight is to avoid it in the first place. Do we have to be right all the time? It is better to be blessed than to be right mostly when we have an argument with our spouse. Sometimes we have to forget our rights so we can facilitate peace.  God doesn’t want us to keep fighting our enemies. The Bible says, “When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way, he causes their enemies to make peace with them” (Proverbs 16:7).

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 4 Judges 9 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelek had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers. ⁵⁷ God also made the people of Shechem pay for all their wickedness. The curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal came on them. (Judges 9:56-57)

We cannot pick and choose which part of the world of God we want to believe and to obey.  Since sin has consequences, even forgiven sins, we must be very careful not to use the grace of God as a license to sin. God is a loving father, but he is also a just judge.  In the Old Testament we read, “Those who plant injustice will harvest disaster, and their reign of terror will come to an end” (Proverbs 22:8). Still in the New Covenant we read, “Don't be misled--you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant” (Galatians 6:7).

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 5 Judges 10 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

The Israelites were in great distress. ¹⁰ Finally, they cried out to the Lord for help, saying, “We have sinned against you because we have abandoned you as our God and have served the images of Baal.”

¹¹ The Lord replied, “Did I not rescue you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, ¹² the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites? When they oppressed you, you cried out to me for help, and I rescued you. ¹³ Yet you have abandoned me and served other gods. So I will not rescue you anymore. ¹⁴ Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen! Let them rescue you in your hour of distress!”

¹⁵ But the Israelites pleaded with the Lord and said, “We have sinned. Punish us as you see fit, only rescue us today from our enemies.” ¹⁶ Then the Israelites put aside their foreign gods and served the Lord. And he was grieved by their misery. (Judges 10:9-16)

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him (Psalms 103:113). A lot of teenagers live their lives as if their lives were solely theirs, they create so much heartache for their parents by their wrong actions. If only they could feel the pain of their parents! Many Christians live their lives as if they were not part of the body of Christ. They grieve the Holy Spirit a lot (Ephesians 4:30-31). If only they could feel the grief of the Holy Spirit!

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 6 Judges 11 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

²⁹ At that time the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he went throughout the land of Gilead and Manasseh, including Mizpah in Gilead, and from there he led an army against the Ammonites. ³⁰ 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.”

³² So Jephthah led his army against the Ammonites, and the Lord gave him victory. ³³ He crushed the Ammonites, devastating about twenty towns from Aroer to an area near Minnith and as far away as Abel-keramim. In this way Israel defeated the Ammonites.

³⁴ When Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, his daughter came out to meet him, playing on a tambourine and dancing for joy. She was his one and only child; he had no other sons or daughters. ³⁵ When he saw her, he tore his clothes in anguish. “Oh, my daughter!” he cried out. “You have completely destroyed me! You’ve brought disaster on me! For I have made a vow to the Lord, and I cannot take it back.” (Judges 11:29-35)

This is one of the saddest stories in the Bible. Because of the brashness of Jephthah’s vow and pride in his heart Jephthah had to sacrifice his only child, his daughter. Leaders should be careful with their words, parents should be careful with their words, because their words can bring life or death to the people who depend on them.  The vow of Jephthah was wrong, it brought death.

The worship of false gods around Israel influenced them so much that Jephthah brought into God’s worship a detestable thing such as human sacrifice.  Do we need to bargain with God for his blessings while he has already given us the best he had! For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 7 Judges 12 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

⁵ The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a survivor of Ephraim said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead asked him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he replied, “No,” ⁶ they said, “All right, say ‘Shibboleth.’” If he said, “Sibboleth,” because he could not pronounce the word correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time. (Judges 12:5-6)

You could not differentiate a Gileadite from an Ephraimite just by looking at them. Basically they were the same people. But the sound of the word Shibboleth set them apart. Just missing an “H” would send an Ephraimite to his death. Do you know that your word set you apart for life or death? Jesus said, “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37).

Our confession matters for eternity. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 8 Judges 13 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

² There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children. ³ And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. ⁴ Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, ⁵ for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” (Judges 13:2-5)

Throughout the Bible we find many couples who had to wait a long time until the Lord gave them a child. The most famous of those couples is Abraham and Sarah who had Isaac in their old age. In all the cases, the result was worth the wait. Manoah had Samson. Zachariah had John the Baptist.  It may take us a long time to see a dream comes true. But we should never be discouraged, God’s timing is perfect timing.

But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 9 Judges 14 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. ² So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.”

³ Then his father and mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?”

And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she pleases me well.” (Judges 14:1-3)

Happy Anniversary Maranatha Grace Church!

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 10 Judges 15 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

¹⁸ And he was very thirsty, and he called upon the Lord and said, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” ¹⁹ And God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi, and water came out from it. And when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived. (Judges 15:18-19)

We must be very vigilant after a great victory or a big accomplishment. If we let our guard down it is easy for pride to creep into our thinking.  There Samson was thirsty for water, here we are thirsty for the presence of God to give us continuous victory against the attack of the enemy. Just like Samson called upon the Lord and got his answer, we must call upon the Lord to receive our victory. God is not far from us, the word of God tells us that "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13).

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 11 Judges 16 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

¹⁷ So he told her everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.”

¹⁸ When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. ¹⁹ After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him.^[c] And his strength left him.

²⁰ Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”

He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.

²¹ Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison. ²² But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. (Judges 16:17-21)

Samson’s spiritual blindness was worse than his physical blindness. Judges 16:20 is a sad commentary on whoever plays with sin.  Samson awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him (v. 20). He was spiritually blind. There is a level of disobedience that will bring swift judgment on anyone, even someone who is anointed for a special task in the body of Christ. The presence of the Lord is all that we have going for us in our ministries, so we cannot take the risk of losing his presence by being disobedient to his commands.  

May the Lord richly bless you!

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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 12 Judges 17 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household gods and installed one of his sons as his priest. ⁶ In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. (Judges 17:5-6)

One of the worst things that can happen to a society is to become a leaderless society. “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit (v.6)”.  That condition happened to the Israelites on and off during the period of the Judges, and we clearly see the disastrous results whenever the people were without a leader.  It is very difficult to accept a verse such as Hebrews 13:17, but there is the wisdom of God in that verse.

¹⁷ Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. (Hebrews 13:17)

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Tomorrow we will complete the Book of Judges Challenge by reading Judges 20 and 21. I will be going on vacation for a month. Please keep on reading your Bible, the word of God is a great treasure.

Book of Judges Challenge – Day 13 Judges 18-19 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

⁷ So the five men left and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living in safety, like the Sidonians, at peace and secure. And since their land lacked nothing, they were prosperous.^[a] Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no relationship with anyone else.^[b]

⁸ When they returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their fellow Danites asked them, “How did you find things?”

⁹ They answered, “Come on, let’s attack them! We have seen the land, and it is very good. Aren’t you going to do something? Don’t hesitate to go there and take it over. ¹⁰ When you get there, you will find an unsuspecting people and a spacious land that God has put into your hands, a land that lacks nothing whatever.”(Judges 18:7-10)

A false sense of security is just an invitation to disaster. The people of Laish had a false sense of security, “they were living in safety, like the Sidonians, at peace and secure (v. 7).” But, the people of Dan were on their way to destroy them. Christians cannot ignore that they have a powerful enemy, the devil who prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). However, we can are guaranteed total victory over the adversary. “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7).

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Today we complete the Book of Judges Challenge. I  will be on vacation for a month. Please keep on reading the Bible; we will start reading the Book of 1 Samuel tomorrow. I will catch up with you in 31 days.  

Book of Judges Challenge – Day 14 Judges 20-21 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

The men of Israel had taken an oath at Mizpah: “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”

² The people went to Bethel,^[f] where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly. ³ “Lord, God of Israel,” they cried, “why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?”

⁴ Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. (Judges 21:1-4)

There is great danger in making a vow in a moment of anger. The men of Israel took a harsh oath that left them almost no way out (v. 1). Surprisingly, after they practically destroyed the tribe of Benjamin they started blaming God for their own wrong doings.  “Lord, God of Israel,” they cried, “why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today? (v.3)” Why? Because they had just killed all the innocent women and children of the tribe of Benjamin in a moment of blind rage.

We should always pray for self-control both in words and in deeds. Once spoken, a word cannot be taken back; once an act is done its result cannot be undone.  

May the Lord richly bless you!