Bible Chapter: Judges 21
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
We see one more chapter in this strange saga. After going against the tribe of Benjamin with the goal of killing them, the nation now lamented the fact that could lose one of the tribes. And, they had made a foolish vow to now allow any of their daughters to marry a man from Benjamin. They came up with a solution, but it was a very strange and sad one that included more death and destruction. The thought that comes to my mind is that whenever people go against God and His ways, they do strange things because there are no good options. People think they can solve any problem, but that is just not true. Turn away from God and people discover the problems they face. Not everything is easy to fix.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
The last verse of the book describes the sad state on the nation at that time. It also describes the sad state of many nations down through history. It could be written about many places in the world today. All the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. That is a recipe for disaster. There is no safety for life. What is right will constantly change when it is up to individual people. Selfishness and jealousy will control and no one will be safe. Fear and destruction will take over. So, the application for life is live and promote the message of Jesus. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He came to give abundant life. He came to set people free from the bondage of sin.
3. How can I help someone?
The message of this book is what happens when apostasy takes over a nation. There is deliverance in God, but it requires submission to Him. Apostasy is renouncing and abandoning the faith. Those who abandon God always pay a large price that, if they would have really seen the cost, would never have done it. Pay attention before it is too late.
Bible Chapter: Judges 19 & 20
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
All my life I have been taught the Bible. I have spent the last four decades teaching and preaching the Bible. I have found many people who think it is not worth the effort to really study and apply the Bible in their lives. It is too restricting. They would rather do anything but let the message of God’s Word impact their lives. Sadly, when people walk away from God and do their own thing, horrible problems happen. We see this again here in Israel. They had no leader and they became depraved and immoral. This immorality caused them to do despicable things.
The Bible tells the story as it happened. These chapters are a very sad time in history. Along with horrible sin, tens of thousands of people died. People easily become overcome with uncontrollable passions. They don’t care about others. Sadly, this story tells of a town where the men burned with sexual desire for both men and women. The thought of a traveling couple spending the night was too much for them. They believed they should be able to do what they wanted. The Levite didn’t protect his wife. She was brutally raped and murdered. There was no justice or accountability against the perpetrators. They had their night of “fun” and thought it should all end there.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
God’s righteousness is the one and only standard for living. When people step away from God’s ways they quickly plunge to base actions. I see the things happening in the world today. I see things that our culture is not only sanctioning but promoting. I never would have thought I could see these kinds of sins so actively promoted. People are unashamed of their debauchery. It is just normal. I, and everyone who claims the name of Jesus, must see that we live in a relationship with Jesus that is fully committed to HIM. It is vital to call right things right and wrong things wrong. The standard is not a sliding scale of popularity. The standard is God’s Word that was inspired by the Spirit of God and recorded by holy men who gave us the most important writing in history.
The Psalmist told us that he hid God’s Word in his heart so he wouldn’t sin against God. This is one of the top pieces of advice we will ever hear.
3. How can I help someone?
Do you see God’s Word? Don’t make it more complex than it is. Study it. Learn it. Apply it. Reject compromise and grow close to Jesus.
Bible Chapter: Judges 17 & 18
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
What happens when God is rejected in a society and the influence of righteousness is missing? People will sink to the lowest common denominator. Their actions and beliefs sink to doing whatever they want, whatever they think is right (or fun) in their own estimation. This always leads to sin. This always brings rejection of God’s ways. This is what happened to Israel at this time. Everyone was a law to themselves. They resented being told what to do. Verse 6 tells us In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. So, we have a story of Micah and his mother. They made idols and worshiped them. They hired their own person priest, thinking this would give them protection.
This is a sad time in the nation’s history because of the statement that everyone did what was right in their own eyes. What happened over and over was the pull of worshiping other gods. It happened again at this time. People thought they could maintain God’s blessings on their lives as they actively broke His commandments.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
Corruption. That is what we see in these chapters. There was a man, Micah, who was willing to hire a young Levite as his personal priest. The Levite was willing to take the job. Then later, when a better offer came by, the Levite left and became the priest to a larger group. But, they still had idols and worshiped false gods. I must be sure to not allow corruption to interfere in God’s calling on my life. One thing I have observed in life is that many people don’t look at the big picture. People can’t see beyond the end of their nose. So, they see something that looks good and take it without seeing the long-term impact. Having an eternal perspective will help prevent corruption and promote righteousness.
3. How can I help someone?
It may seen desirable to create a set of beliefs that makes one comfortable, but that is not possible. Since God created the world and gave the human race His set of standards to live by, we must seek to learn what He says and then actually LIVE BY what God instructed. We must avoid corruption and learn that doing life God’s way is always best.
Bible Chapter: Judges 15 & 16
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
The word that comes to my mind as I read these chapters is potential. God had a plan for Samson. He empowered him with the Spirit of God. There was an amazing plan for how God wanted to use Samson. Unfortunately, Samson had other ideas. He misused what God had given him. Yes, he judged Israel for twenty years. Sadly, he never reached the potential God had for him.
Samson was consumed with uncontrollable desires of sexual lust. He didn’t seek a wife from Israel. He played around with the enemy. He risked everything for temporary pleasures. He toyed with the source of his strength. It was more important to Samson to satisfy his physical desires than to please God. He was so sure of himself that he didn’t even realize when God left him. This eventually brought him to his death.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
As I have rambled through life I have met many people with amazing gifts. The things they can do are astonishing. There are some who have so many abilities. It is what they do with them that it is important. Sadly, Samson didn’t use the gifts God gave him properly. When God creates a person, He gives them abilities they are to develop and use. While it is common to be impressed (and probably jealous as well) at people with many gifts and talents, it is important that we use what God has given to us to the best of our ability, without worrying what the other person can do. Samson didn’t do that, he didn’t obey God’s commands, thereby missing his full potential. He did accomplish some things, but he never brought the nation to deliverance from the captivity of the Philistines. I wonder what would have happened if he had been faithful to God. That is the continual challenge we all face. Again, I think of potential, the potential God gives to each one of us.
3. How can I help someone?
I want to encourage people to look to God for what He has given to them. Identify the talents, the desires God has given. Then, find the ways to develop and reach their full potential with God’s help to impact eternity.
Bible Chapter: Judges 13 & 14
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
There are many modern heroes in entertainment that do amazing feats of strength. They can take on a whole gang of attackers and win. While those are just stories, here we read of a real hero, a real man of strength who won some amazing victories. Samson was used of God to deliver the nation from the Philistines. God sent an angel to his mother to tell her she would give birth to a son who would be set apart from birth to accomplish much for God.
Samson was used by God. But, sadly, he was also quite insistent on doing things his own way. If he had been more willing to seek and learn God’s ways, he would still have been used by God, but his life would have been quite different. Samson didn’t listen to the teaching he heard about serving God and staying away from sin. He didn’t listen to the urging of his parents to marry someone from his homeland. He was generally looking for pleasure.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
God used Samson, but he missed out because of his stubbornness. Being used by God is the best thing that can happen in life. While we read about his exploits and are amazed at what he accomplished, he missed out because of his immaturity and insistence on getting his own way. This is a good lesson to learn from.
3. How can I help someone?
Generally, people think they know what is best and insist on living life according to personal whims and desires. It is always best to follow God’s directions. Samson missed out on this.
Bible Chapter: Judges 11 & 12
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
Sometimes people make snap judgements based on poor information. We see that happening here. A son, a brother was kicked out of the family. Later they decided that he was important to them. This is a lesson in being careful how and why people make decisions.
We also see the importance of God’s power enabling people to do great deeds. The Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah to empower him to win the victory. The Spirit of God is still, He is always available to empower God’s people to do whatever God knows needs to be done.
While this is a story of victory, it is also a frustrating story. Jephthah made a rash vow and it brought pain to him and his daughter. Stories of rash vows bring pain. It is a good lesson on the importance of thinking before making a vow to God.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
I look at the reason why Jephthah was shunned by his siblings. It is sad. It shows the importance of thinking, of realizing the implications of decisions made on weak foundations. While it appeared on the surface to be rational, they later realized their mistake. Sadly, much pain had already happened. Learning to think before decisions are made is important. Learning to base decisions on proper biblical interpretation is also critical.
3. How can I help someone?
God created the family. It is the first social unit He made. This story shows how families can be broken through bad choices. Many have experienced hurt and missed out on the benefits of a good family relationship because of bad choices. I want to help people see the importance of good choices and a solid foundation for family relationships.
Bible Chapter: Judges 9 & 10
Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.
1. Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
It is amazing what greed, pride and desire for power will do. We have here the story of Abimelech, who murdered his brothers so that he could become the king. He manipulated and deceived people to gain power. We see his evil heart in receiving seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith. He used this money to hire some worthless folks to follow him. This brought a time of sadness and eventual destruction to the nation. Many people died. This is an illustration of the bad things that can come when people walk away from God.
After Abimelech’s death there were a few godly judges who ruled the nation. Then the spiritual landslide happened again as the people did evil in God’s sight and worshiped false gods. They came under evil oppression for eighteen years. Then, in desperation, they again called out to God for deliverance. It is interesting to see God’s response. He told them to call out the gods they were serving and let them deliver. This caused them to say even more, “we have sinned against God”. The false gods they served had no power to save.
2. What can I apply in my life from the reading?
As I ramble through life I often wonder about the things that people do. There are some activities that are common among people, no matter what the culture. These things are often illegal, and yet the find ways to do them. People work to make these things legal and accepted. Yet, the negative consequences continue to come. The resulting problems can be pointed out and people still do them. I wonder what is the great pull, the great desire people have to do these things. I know that it is sin and the tempter is very powerful. I also know that the only way to overcome sin is through the power of Jesus. Yet, I still observe life and see sin controlling and destroying countless lives. These are the same things we see over and over in these historical books of the Bible. People, learn the lessons and serve the Lord.
3. How can I help someone?
I want to help people see what is happening in their lives. Sin is destroying, and yet they continue to participate in it. They think they are happier in their miserable sinful existence and are afraid to take the step of faith to trust in Jesus. Again the message, People, learn the lessons and serve the Lord.
