“So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes. Now when Job’s three friends heard of all…
Month: April 2020
Job 1
Job is an extremely wealthy and God-honoring individual who lived around the time of Israel’s sanctuary-turned-slavery in Egypt (after Joseph, before Moses). Since he was a God-honoring man, God had blessed him greatly with ten children, thousands of animals, and many servants. One day Satan stands before God and challenges God, saying that Job would…
Judges 21
“Now the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, ‘No one of us shall give his daughter in marriage to Benjamin.’ And they commanded the people of Benjamin, saying, ‘Go and lie in ambush in the vineyards and watch. If the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of…
Judges 20
Remember the Levite whose concubine was murdered horribly, so he sent a message to all of Israel? Well, Israel gathers to hear his testimony, and they end up going to war with the tribe of Benjamin. (the city of Gibeah where the atrocity happened belonged to Benjamin). This civil war should have been avoidable, but…
A Prayer of Celebration and Praise for Freedom from Death
Today is resurrection Sunday, when we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. Why do we celebrate this event? Because it speaks to the sovereignty and power of Jesus/God. Not only can God overcome physical death, He overcomes spiritual death as well. God raising Jesus from the dead also brings us ultimate hope – that we too have overcome…
Judges 19
I must admit, this is one of the more disturbing passages I have read in a long time. A Levite and his concubine are travelling and taken in to a stranger’s house for the night. “As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, worthless fellows, surrounded the house, beating on…
Judges 18
This dense chapter contains the account of 600 Danite families who travel to capture and occupy some land from the Sidonians. On their way, they convince Micah’s Levite priest to come be their priest, and they also take all of the household gods and ephod with them. “When [the Danites] had gone a distance from…
A Prayer for Motivation and Perseverance
Father God, Lord of Heaven and Earth, great and holy is Your name. Father, please help us not to be slow in pursuit of the passions You have placed in our hearts, but to be intensely passionate in serving You. We know that many tasks You require of us are impossible in our own strength,…
Judges 17
This rather odd chapter chapter contains the account of a man named Micah, who steals 1100 pieces of silver from his mother. When he returns them, his mother has an idol fashioned out of 200 pieces of the silver. “And the man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household gods, and…
Judges 16
“Then Samson called to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.’ And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his…