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1 min|03/29/20Once again Israel ramps up its idolatry and God is not pleased and says He will not save them again and then does. How does law and gospel help us understand texts like this? When is God’s impatience a comfort to us? And we meet a warrior son of a prostitute named Jephthah.
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11 mins read|03/23/20Long ago, the people of Israel began to sing words of encouragement to each other in times of distress. In their songs, the psalms, are three Hebrew words that provide stability for us. They are more than just words—each one encapsulates the way of God with his people. They serve as helpful handholds in times of stress and upheaval. The words are these: רָפָה (be still), קָוָה (wait), and שָׁמַר (watch).
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1 min|03/23/20Abimelech gets word of the drunken threats issued against him and plans an ambush. Zebul’s eyesight isn’t any better than his judgment. The wrath of Abimelech is thorough and includes a whole lot of salt. Jotham’s fable/prophecy comes full circle and Abimelech unsuccessfully tries to avoid what he sees as an embarrassing death legacy.
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1 min|03/16/20Gideon takes many wives and has a ton of children and one son named Abimelech from a woman who was not his wife. Gideon dies, and the people take their idolatry to the next level. Abimelech puts together a plan to seize power that involves killing all his brothers. And Gideon’s youngest son delivers a fable/prophecy to the leaders of Shechem.
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16 mins read|03/10/20The Old Testament often seems like a long lost family--and a rather weird family, at that. How can followers of the Messiah today live our heritage in the Torah, Prophets, and Writings? Here are three simple suggestions.
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1 min|03/06/20Gideon makes a 2nd threatening promise and then follows through on both of them. We learn more about his family and what may be some additional motivation in these conflicts. The people start wanting a ruler and Gideon slips into compromise.
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1 min|02/29/20Gideon gets some reassurance from an interpretation of a very strange dream. He and his reduced force go into battle with trumpets and jars. Why are all these victories so lopsided and how does Isaiah talk about this battle when speaking of the coming Christ?
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2 mins read|02/21/20Contending with false gods, fleeces, and a new nickname are all in store for Gideon.
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1 min|02/14/20Bad things happen when you refuse to listen to God and Gideon meets Jesus.
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1 min|02/10/20A song is sung by Deborah to cement what God has done in the history of Israel. Why does this song and others have an address to enemies? Why is God’s interaction with creation so personal?
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1 min|02/03/20Israel is in trouble again, so we are introduced to a prophetess judge named Deborah.
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1 min|01/25/20A left-handed man has a short sword and a message from God for a fat king.
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