JUDGES 7-11: DAY 45 JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
February 14, 2023
JUDGES 7-11
DAY 45 JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
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Focus Verses For Today: Judges 10:10-16
Our journey today continues through the book of Judges. It is a time when Israel occupies the Promised Land, before they have a king. When a leader is needed within the nation, a judge is appointed to guide people in seeking God’s will.
Take a few minutes to pray for God’s guidance and for His wisdom to be granted to you as our journey for today takes us through Judges 7-11. Now take some time and read Judges 7-11. The journey begins!
Judges 7-11: Our journey today begins exactly where our journey left off last week. Gideon is preparing to engage the Midianites in war. The story begins with God sending all but 300 of Gideon’s 25,000 soldiers home. Only the 300 soldiers God had chosen were to go into battle with the Midianites. Why? Because God wanted to make it perfectly clear to the Israelites, and His enemies the Midianites, the enemies of His people Israel, that He waged the war against and defeated the Midianites and not 300 Jewish soldiers. The Ephraimites are upset at Gideon for not asking them to join the battle sooner. Abimelek plotted and killed his 70 brothers, sons of Gideon, to take control of Jerub-Baal’s (Gideon) possessions. Jothan was the only son of Gideon to survive the massacre. The brothers were all killed the same day, on the same rock. Abimelek does not go unpunished for his sin. Two judges, Tola and Jair arise after Abimelek’s death. Combined both Judges governed Israel for a period of 45 peace-filled years. After the death of Jair, the Israelites turned to false gods. Jephthah was a man rejected, even though his father was Gilead, because his mother was a prostitute. God used him to lead the people against the Amorites and other descendants of Ishmael. However, Jephthah makes a rash vow, resulting in the sacrifice of his daughter. There are two principal theories posed by Bible scholars as to what happened with Jephthah’s daughter. One is that she was offered as a burnt offering. The other is that she was to remain a virgin for her entire life.
Our focus verses for today:
Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, “We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals.” 11The Lord replied, “When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, 12the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands? 13But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. 14Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!” 15But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.” 16Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer.
(Judges 10:10-16, NIV)
Even though God’s chosen people repeatedly forsake Him; He cannot forsake them. Have you noticed a pattern of the people of Israel? Have you noticed God’s continual forgiveness and salvation of His people? What does this say about the character of God? Does this affect the way your view your relationship with the Lord?
Godspeace!
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