Search results for: judges

Less Is More

Sometimes it takes a reduction in our own abilities for us to begin to really trust God.

Joshua, Judges and Work

This Bible commentary on Joshua and Judges offers lessons for following God through times of chaos and uncertainty.

Introduction to Joshua and Judges

Joshua and Judges tell the story of Israel’s occupation of God’s promised land and the formation of a national government. Their overall theme is that when God’s people abide by his commandments and...

Chaos (Judges 1-21)

After the death of Joshua, Israel has no permanent national leadership position. Instead, as threats arise—a military attack, for example—men and women are raised to leadership for the duration of each crisis. The...

Failing the Driving (Out) Test: Israel’s Idolatry (Judges 1-2)

Judges 1-2 picks up where Joshua 13-22 left off, with the failure of Israel to drive out the Canaanite nations in the...

The Judges (Judges 3-16)

The Economic Effects of War (Judges 6:1-11)

After Deborah, the quality of the judges begins to decline. Judges 6:1-11 illustrates what was likely a common feature of Israelite life...

Past Success Doesn’t Ensure the Future - Gideon’s Ambivalent Leadership (Judges 6:12 – 8:35)

Gideon is a prime example of the paradoxical character of Israel’s judges and the ambivalent lessons they...

The Judges’ Failure of Leadership (Judges 9-16)

Gideon’s failures are intensified in the judges who follow. Gideon’s son Abimelech unites the people around him, but only by killing his...

Israel Falls Apart (Judges 17-21)

The Prosperity Gospel Unmasked in Early Form (Judges 17)

If the central section of Judges offers us flawed heroes caught in a depressing cycle of oppression and deliverance, the final chapters...

The Levite’s Concubine: Human Depravity & The Complicity of Religious Authorities (Judges 18-21)

The final episode in Judges is the most appalling event in Israel’s long slide into depravity, idolatry...

Conclusions from Joshua and Judges

The journey through Joshua and Judges is a sobering one. We begin with the inspiring example of Joshua, in whom were combined...

Deborah: An Ezer Woman Equipped to Lead (Judges 4-5)

Sometimes God calls a woman to the highest level of leadership in a crisis moment. As the Israelites settled into the Promised...

Does God Have a Blueprint For My Life?

“God has a wonderful plan for your life,” declares a well-known tract. The lesson is, it seems, that we need to find...

Work Through the Whole Bible, Part 2: Joshua - Ruth (Devotional)

Do you wonder if God has anything to say about your work? Explore key verses from each chapter of the Bible that...