Though his name means “united,” ironically, Ehud fought alone. But Israel certainly was united afterward! Each year, Israel had to send protection money, delicately called “tribute” (Jdg 3:15), to Eglon, king of Moab. After eighteen long years of subjugation, “Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man,” is going with the tribute to […]
Read More… from June 26, 2023 — A Pointed Message For The King
“Joshua fit de battle of Jericho!” Why isn’t there a song about Ehud fighting there as well? With Othniel having driven out the Mesopotamians, and with his wise judging of Israel from his southern stronghold at Kirjath-Sepher, we read, “the land had rest for forty years” (Jdg 3:11). Eight years were certainly too long for […]
Among all the things we can love about God, surely His longsuffering patience is very special. For eight long years, the children of Israel were ground under the heel of Cushan-Rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia. God waited in heaven, listening for their call for help. Then, at long last, “the children of Israel cried out to […]
Don’t want God to be your ruler? Then try Cushan-Rishathaim, Cushan of Double Wickedness! Father knows best. Long before it happened, He knew what the Israelites would do if they intermarried with the Canaanites. First, through sheer unbelief, they failed to defeat them. Then, with cavalier indifference, “the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites” […]
God’s sovereignty triumphs again—taking human failure and turning it into blessings for us! As we began our studies in Judges 1, we noted that some of the enemies they “did not drive out” (v 21) and others “they could not drive out” (v 19). Largely, the ones they didn’t remove resulted from unbelief on their […]
Read More… from June 20, 2023 — The Nations They Couldn’t Defeat
It’s a hard fact that children are more ready to follow their parents’ example than their advice. The incident at Bochim was obviously a flashback to the previous generation who, in spite of their only partial victories over their enemies, had repented and “served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days […]
God wants to teach His people the unbroken relationship between action and consequence. The Angel of the Lord had ascended from Israel’s base camp at Gilgal and confronted the tribes at a place soon to be named Bochim, meaning “the Weepers.” “You have not obeyed My voice,” He said. “Why have you done this?” (Jdg […]
Read More… from June 16, 2023 — The Rough Road Down To Bochim
We may not break a covenant with Jehovah, but if we make a deal with the devil, same difference. At the beginning of Judges 2, we are confronted with an awe-inspiring Visitor. “Then the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim” (v 1). There is a debate as to who this is, […]
“You have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise” (Heb 10:36). Judges 1:17-36 might well be described as a catalog of mixed reviews. There were some wonderful victories, like this: “Judah took Gaza with its territory, Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its […]
Read More… from June 14, 2023 — When Second-Best Is Really Worst