Judges 6  Once again Israel "did what was evil in the sight of the Lord." This time the Lord used the tribe of Midian to oppress Israel. "And the power of Midian prevailed against Israel."  Remember that Midian was a descendant of Abraham and Jethro, a Midianite priest, was the father-in-law of Moses.  There had once been close ties between these two nations, but now Midian joined with the Amalekites to overcome Israel.  Their tactics were brutal. They would watch Israel plant their fields and then come up and destroy their crops... "they would come in like locusts for number, both they and their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to devastate it." 

"So Israel was brought very low."  They lived in dens and caves in the mountains.  They suffered for 7 years and finally "cried to the Lord."   The Lord answered this time by sending a prophet to the sons of Israel.  The message was clear.. "It was I who brought you up from Egypt, and brought you from the house of slavery. And I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians and from the hands of all your oppressors, and dispossessed them before you and gave you their land, and I said to you, 'I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the god of the Amorites in whose land you live. But you have not obeyed Me.' " 

Then an angel of the Lord visited Gideon.  Gideon was from the tribe of Manasseh and he was chosen to deliver Israel from the Midianites. "The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior."  the angel addressed him.  He was beating out wheat in a wine press.. hiding the harvest from the enemy.  Gideon was skeptical. " O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has this happened to us?"  Gideon was assured that the Lord was with him and would use him to deliver Israel. 

Gideon asked for a sign and was given more than one.  The first sign was when the offering of bread and meat was laid on a rock the angel of the Lord touched it with a staff and a fire consumed it.  The angel disappeared and Gideon reacted with  a statement of faith, "O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face. And the Lord said to him, 'Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die.' "  Gideon built an altar to the Lord right then. 

Then the Lord called on Gideon to act in faith by doing something dangerous.  He was commanded to tear down his father's idols.. Baal and the Asherah.  He was to use the wood of the Asherah to burn an offering of his father's bulls.  Gideon completed his task during the night because he was afraid of the men around him. In the morning these men were ready to kill him, but his father would not allow it saying that Baal would have to avenge himself. 

When the Midianites and Amalekites came against Israel again, Gideon was almost ready.. "So the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet.. "  Gideon called upon all of his father's household, the Abierzrites; plus he called on all of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali to come up and fight.  Even with all that, Gideon had one more request of God.. he wanted another sign.. just to be sure he was hearing the Lord right.  So the fleece was wet and the land dry; then the fleece was dry and the land wet.. and Gideon had no more doubts that the Lord would deliver Israel through him. 

Father in heaven, thank You for the promise that You will be with us when we belong to You and walk with You in faith. Help us to keep on believing and trusting You every day of our lives. May we fear only You and obey Your Word always.  Sanctify us through and through as only You can. Preserve us, transform us, fill us with Your Spirit that we might be conformed to the image  of Jesus Christ our Lord, ready to do Your will.. with faith and with courage.. We ask this in His wonderful Name. Amen 

 Judges 4  "Then the sons of Israel again did evil..."  This time the Lord "sold" Israel into the hands of Jabin, the king of Canaan.  Jabin ruled from the city of Hazor which was located in the territory of Naphtali.  Jabin's army was led by Sisera. This army was quite powerful. There were 900 iron chariots.. this was a powerful enemy that oppressed Israel "severely" for 20 years. 

Deborah was a prophetess and the judge in Israel at this time.  She lived in the territory of Ephraim near Bethel where she would sit under a tree and receive those who needed her to make a judgement for them.  The Lord spoke to Deborah and told her to summon Barak from Kadesh to lead an army against Sisera.  Barak's home was in Naphtali.. just north of Hazor where Jabin ruled.  Barak was commanded to gather 10,000 soldiers from Naphtali and Zebulun ( just south of Naphtali). They would find Sisera at the River Kishon at the southern tip of Zebulun. 

Barak agreed to the assignment that Deborah gave him, but only if she would go with him.  Deborah went, but Barak lost the honor of taking Sisera, for he would die at the hand of a woman... not Deborah, but a woman named Jael. 

Sisera and his army and his 900 iron chariots went to the River Kishon. Barak and his 10,000 men met them there. "And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army, with the edge of the sword before Barak... "  Sisera ran away while his army was pursued and struck down by Barak and his men.  This is when Sisera hid in the tent of Jael.  Jael covered Sisera, gave him some milk to drink and allowed him to rest in her tent. But.. when he fell asleep she took a tent peg and a hammer and drove the tent peg into his head so that he died.  When Barak came to Jael's tent she showed him the dead body.  

"So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the sons of Israel. And the hand of the sons of Israel pressed heavier and heavier upon Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin, the king of Canaan." 

Chapter 5 is a song that Deborah and Barak sang together after the victory that God had given them over the enemy.  This song tells the story of how the Lord went before them and delivered Israel from the army of Sisera.  It also tells of those tribes of Israel that didn't come to help their brothers.  Zebulun and Naphtali needed help.. but Reuben, Dan, and Asher were too busy to help them. It was the Lord's help that brought the deliverance they needed.. "The stars fought from heaven," Deborah declares.  Her song is to the Lord who blessed a woman with the courage and strength to strike a cruel commander of a powerful army.  

"Thus let all Thine enemies perish, O Lord; But let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might."  The Lord gave Israel peace for 40 more years. 

Father in heaven,  we learn from Your Word that no enemy can stand against You. There is none too powerful, none to great, none that can fight against You.  You will always be victorious when we call upon You and obey Your Word.  May we have courage like Deborah and like Jael. May we rest in You, knowing that the enemy of our souls has been defeated and will be struck down forever on that day. Lord, subdue those who are doing evil to Your people.. in Israel and in all the nations of this world. May those who call upon the name of the Lord be  rescued from the enemy that oppresses and persecutes them.  We pray that they will be steadfast and strong in faith and hope.. in Your Mighty Name. It is in the name of Jesus that we pray. Amen

 Judges 3:9-31 Because Israel began serving idols and had forgotten the Lord their God, the "anger of the Lord was kindled".  The Lord "sold" Israel into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim of Mesopotamia for eight years. Finally, Israel woke up and "cried to the Lord."

The first judge called to deliver Israel was Othniel. This was Caleb's nephew and son-in-law. "And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him."  Othniel led Israel in battle against Cushan-rishathaim and prevailed by the Spirit of the Lord. Israel was at peace for 40 years while Othniel lived. 

After Othniel died Israel "again did evil in the sight of the Lord".  This time the Lord sent Eglon the king of Moab against Israel.  For 18 years Eglon ruled.  When Israel finally had enough and cried out to the Lord, he raised up "a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamin.. "  Ehud was very clever but we are not told that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him.  Ehud was left-handed. He made himself a dagger and hid it on his right thigh. He was sent to offer a tribute to the king of Moab. Eglon was "a very fat man."  Ehud managed to be alone with Eglon and came close enough to him to draw the dagger and plunge it fully into Eglon's belly. Then, leaving it there he went out, locked the door behind him and got away.  It took the king's servants a little while to figure out there was a problem.. but finally they unlocked the door and found him dead. 

Ehud then led the Israelites into battle agains the Moabites and struck down 10,000 "robust and valiant" men. This time the nation was "undisturbed for eighty years." 

The third judge was Shamgar," who struck down 600 Philistines with an oxgoad and he also saved Israel." 

A hundred forty- six years into the occupation of the Promised Land.. and Israel continued to fail the test.. they continued to do evil. These first 3 judges were able to give temporary peace to the nation, but they did not succeed in turning the hearts of the people back to the Lord in the way that Moses and Joshua had done.  

One day.. the Scriptures remind us.. there will be a greater victory for Israel.. when the King will come.. not with a sword or a dagger.. or an ox goad.. but with the Word of His mouth..  and He will rule over all the earth and every nation will exalt Him! Then there will be Peace for 1000 years.  What a glorious Day that will be!

Father in heaven,  let us learn the lessons we need to hear from Your Word.. let us learn to cry out to You.. to look to You alone for deliverance from evil and from the evil one.  Let us look to You and be ready for the coming of our True Judge, Jesus Christ the Lord.. our King forever!  We wait on You and know that You see us in our trials and in our failures.. and You wait for us to cry out to You.  We know that You do hear us and You will grant us peace even in the times of trouble.  Thank You Father! Amen. 

 Judges 3:1-8

 Chapters 1and 2 give us an overall view of the times of the judges.  Beginning in chapter 3 we get more details from this unknown writer.  Verses 1-8 sum up the main problem which Israel had.. they failed the test.  "Now, these are then nations which the Lord left, to test Israel by them.. " 

A generation after those who had fought for the promised land, there was a new generation who did not know how to fight. They were surrounded by Philistines, Canaanites, Sidonians, and Hivites. The Lord tested Israel "to find out if they would obey the commandments of the Lord, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses." 

But.. instead of fighting and fearing the Lord and keeping His commandments.. the people compromised and took the easier road.. they intermarried with them; they gave their daughters to the sons of the enemy.. "And the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth." 

"Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.. "  

What kind of people are we?We are surrounded by people who have no knowledge of the One True God.. people who think that God does not exist.. or that He doesn't care.. people who do what is right in their own eyes and feel no remorse or regret... Do we stand apart as servants of the Lord.. do we pass the test?  Or are we more like the Israelites than we care to admit?  How many churches today have compromised the clear Truth of the Word of God and intermingled with those who do not believe in a Holy God who declares that evil is evil?  Too many.. even 1 is too many.. they have not passed God's test. 

Paul warned Timothy to watch out for those who "accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths. "  Preach the Word.. "reprove, rebuke, exhort.. " Paul tells Timothy and we are reminded that every pastor and every believer must be constantly in the Word of Truth! "Be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.. " 

Father, may we be strong and courageous in the midst of unbelievers who would have us accept what is unacceptable in Your eyes.  Help us to have discernment and wisdom.. help us to teach our children and grandchildren how to walk with You.. how to fight the good fight.. how to stand firm in Your strength. We arm ourselves with Your Holy armor.. truth, righteousness, peace, salvation, faith, and the Holy Spirit who fills us and works in us all that You have purposed for each of us according to Your will. Our surrender is to You, the Lord God Almighty and we trust You to fight for us.. and we.. with Your help.. will not forget our God. Amen!

 Judges 1-2  After Joshua and those of his generation died things changed quickly for the people of Israel. They had scattered to their various places.. each tribe responsible for defeating the enemies and possessing the land God had given to them.  But, most of the tribes failed to accomplish what they needed to do.  The result was disastrous.. they lived along side Canaanites and Amorites and eventually forgot all about the Lord and began worshipping idols. 

"And the anger of the Lord burned against Israel and He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies." 

Over and over again the people would cry out to the Lord and He would send them a judge to deliver them. And then over and over again they would not listen to the judge, turning back to their idols. The result was a nation under constant attack.. and a people dominated by the enemy. 

It only took 2 generations for the promise of a godly nation .. A nation who had a God that would fight for them.. to become a idol worshipping, evil nation who did not even know "the Lord nor yet the work which He had done for Israel." 

We have seen that in our own land haven't we? A generation that stood for what was right.. that fought for freedom and justice for all.. is dying out.  We see a new generation that does not know the Lord and has lost sight of what is right or wrong.. that welcomes foreign ideas and ungodly ideals.  Lord help us!

Father in heaven, raise up men and women from this current generation that will stand up for Truth. Bring forth  Christian boys and girls who will tell of the gospel of Jesus Christ and who will lead the nation back to righteousness and justice. Send Your Spirit upon Your church today we pray. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

 Acts 27 -28 These two chapters take us through Paul's journey to Rome. "And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they proceeded to deliver Paul.. "  Once again, Paul is being moved.. not by his own volition, but by others.. according to the plans that the Lord chose for him.  Paul had no way of knowing how this trip would pan out... but he knew he would stand before Caesar eventually. 

From port to port Paul was taken north and west. The winds were "contrary".. the weather unstable.. and the voyage dangerous.  But, Paul was treated with kindness, finding favor with the soldiers who guarded him. In return, Paul ended up saving their lives as the ship was breaking up and the sailors intended to abandon them. A fourteen day nor'easter drove the ship to the small island of Malta. 

Paul encouraged his captors, testified of God's presence and promises, and helped everyone.. all 276 people on board the ship that broke up into pieces.. arrived safely onto the island. 

At Malta Paul ministered to those in need, healing the father of Publius, the leading man in Malta.  He also prayed for healing for the rest of the people who came to him.  Three months later, they finally set sail for Rome.  "And when we entered Rome Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him."  It was two more years that Paul stayed in Rome, renting his own quarters, and "welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all oneness, unhindered." 

Father in heaven, we give You thanks for taking Paul on this journey and keeping him safe so that he could write the letters that we cherish as Your Word.  Words that teach us, rebuke us, correct us, and encourage us.. Words that welcome us and open our eyes and hearts to the Truth of the kingdom of God and to the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank You for this salvation "sent to the Gentiles" so that we could listen and believe. Father, we pray that this Word of Truth will continue to change lives and hearts to the glory of the Lord Jesus and to the praise of Your Great Name. Amen. 

 Acts 25  Two years.. Paul was kept in prison in Caesarea under Felix.. and then Felix left and Festus was appointed in his place. Two years.. and the Jews in Jerusalem still tried to kill Paul, asking that Festus bring Paul to Jerusalem so that he could be attacked and killed on the way.  But.. Festus was two smart for that.. and set up another trial in Caesarea. 

The Jews brought their accusations. Paul gave his defense. The Jews couldn't prove their charges. Paul refused to be returned to Jerusalem.  Given no other solution, Paul appealed to Caesar, to the ultimate judge in Rome. Festus agreed, "You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go."

A few days later, King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea and wanted to hear Paul for themselves.  It became a show of pomp and circumstances!  The Who's who of Caesarea all came to hear Paul defend himself before the king. 

( A little history which I find interesting - This would be Agrippa II, the son of Agrippa I who was the one that ordered James killed and Peter imprisoned and ended up eaten by worms..  Agrippa II was the brother of Drusilla, who married Felix. Bernice was the sister to both Drusilla and Agrippa II.. but also his close companion...and rumored consort. Herod Agrippa II had no children, so was the last of the Herodian kings. After him all of Israel was absorbed into the Roman territory. ) 

Neither Festus, Agrippa, or Bernice found Paul guilty of any crimes. They agreed that Paul could have been set free except for the fact that he had appealed to Caesar. 

Chapter 25 gives us a detailed transcript of Paul's speech before Festus, Agrippa, and Bernice. Paul begins by acknowledging that Agrippa was well aware of the "customs and questions among the Jews.."  He told of his upbringing and his life as a Pharisee.  He told of how he had persecuted the Christians up until the day he met Jesus on the road to Damascus.  He told how God had given him a mission..  that he was appointed by Jesus  to go to the Jewish people and the Gentiles.. "to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me." 

Paul spoke openly and clearly.. testifying "both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place..."  Again, when Paul got to the part where he spoke of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he was stopped .. this time by Festus who thought he was "out of his mind".  But, Agrippa was not of the same mind.. his reply shows some small bit of interest.. "In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian."  

Paul's answer, "I would to God, that whether in a short time or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains."  Although there is no evidence that Agrippa ever believed in Jesus, I feel certain that Paul never stopped praying for him!

Father in heaven, it is our prayer that the Word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news of Your grace... be heard by both small and great.. that their eyes will be opened so that they will turn from darkness to the Light, from the dominion of Satan to the Kingdom of our God forever.  Send forth workers into the harvest field today so that the lost will be found, the sinner forgiven, and that Jesus Christ will be exalted in every nation according to Your great will and love. We ask this in the Name above all names, Jesus our Lord, amen