Okay, women rule in today’s readings in Judges!! 🙂 Deborah basically tells Barak that he’s being a wimp, so she’ll help lead the military victory, and does. Below is a map someone put together of the whole Deborah / Barak v. Sisera battle, with Mt. Tabor in the middle highlighted being a focal point of the battle:
And then Jael, who is likely not an Israelite, finishes off Sisera, the commander of the enemy army of the Israelites, with a tent peg! Don’t mess with Deborah or Jael! Below is a painting by Italian Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi (yes, also a woman) from the year 1620 titled “Jael and Sisera”:
Before this fateful scene above, an image is below for Judges chapter 4 verses 17 & 18: “Meanwhile, Sisera ran to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because Heber’s family was on friendly terms with King Jabin of Hazor. Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come into my tent, sir. Come in. Don’t be afraid.” So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.”
In Judges chapter 5 we read the wonderful song of Deborah and Barak, and it is of note in verse 31: “Then there was peace in the land for forty years.” Quite a song! Below is artist Gustave Dore’s engraving of Deborah’s song:
Bob Deffinbaugh with Bible.org’s commentary on Joshua chapters 4 & 5 today titled “The Prophetess Deborah” is at this link.
Worship Video: Today’s readings remind me of Third Day’s song “You Are Mine:”
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
“But when the judge died, the people returned to their corrupt ways, behaving worse than those who had lived before them. They followed other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them. And they refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.” I wonder if we are so different today from the Israelites in the time of the Judges? Do we maybe shape ourselves up for short amounts of time – but then go back to our corrupt ways? Do we ultimately refuse to give up our evil practices and stubborn ways? Why is this? What is the remedy to this problem? Or – perhaps I should ask – Who is the remedy to this problem? Who can literally rescue us from this problem? Who can rescue us from ourselves? Will you allow Jesus to rescue you from any evil practices and stubborn ways?
Worship Video: Today feels like a great day to share with you the entire 2 hour “JESUS” film . Called by some “one of the best-kept secrets in Christian missions,” a number of mission experts have acclaimed the film as one of the greatest evangelistic tools of all time. Since 1979 the “JESUS” film has been viewed by several billion people all across the globe, and has resulted in more than 225 million men, women and children indicating decisions to follow Jesus. Learn more about this film and ministry at https://www.jesusfilm.org/.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Today we begin the book of Judges! Coming up in this book, we’ll be reading about Deborah, Gideon, Samson, Delilah, and Micah – to drop a few names. Below is a great map of the judges in Israel that we’ll be reading about:
Judges Author: Unknown Date: Eleventh century B.C. Content: The book of Judges covers a period of several hundred years following the conquest of Canaan, during which time the people were ruled by individual leaders called judges or saviors. Their task was primarily military, being to expel the enemy from the land. Throughout this period of Israel’s history there is a tragic cycle to be observed – that of rebellion against God, followed by the judgment of God, usually in the form of foreign invasion. The children of Israel then cry to God for help and a “judge” is sent to save them. This cycle is repeated numerous times throughout the book. Tragically, the people never seem to learn that rebellion against God is a sure road to disaster. Theme: The grim lesson of Judges is that “the wages of sin is death: (see Romans 6:23). Sin takes many forms, from the sophisticated sins of kings to the barbaric events that close the book, but the net results is always the same: when everyone does his own thing, chaos and destruction are the inevitable outcome. Through it all, however, God in his faithfulness saves the people when they truly repent and turn to him. (Above commentary is from “The One Year Bible Companion” p. 4)
An image is below for Judges chapter 1 verses 14 & 15 today: “When Acsah married Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for an additional field. As she got down off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What is it? What can I do for you?” She said, “Give me a further blessing. You have been kind enough to give me land in the Negev; please give me springs as well.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.”
Today in Judges Chapter 2 verses 1 & 2 we will read these words from the angel of the Lord – “I said, “I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars. Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this?”” The Israelites disobeyed God back then. Why? Do we disobey God in our lives today? Why do we do this? I have a hunch that maybe sometimes we are simply afraid. Afraid of fully following and trusting God. We may think that God really won’t live up to his promises. At these moments our faith is weak. And we end up disobeying God. Fortunately our inconsistencies do not affect God’s perfect consistency. God never changes. We do. And we can allow ourselves to either be changed by God such that we live in obedience to him – or, we can continue to disobey God and live tumultuous lives. It’s a pretty simple choice. One decision brings an amazing peace that surpasses all understanding and the other decision – grief and frustration. Do we disobey God in our lives today? Why have we done this? Can we instead choose to obey God in our lives? An image is below for Judges chapter 2 verses 4 & 5 today – “When the angel of the LORD finished speaking, the Israelites wept loudly. So they called the place “Weeping,” and they offered sacrifices to the LORD.”
Worship Video: Today’s readings reminded me of the terrific worship song “Graves into Gardens:”
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Today we finish up the book of Joshua! What a book. I have definitely learned much from this book this year. And today’s readings are no exception. Chapter 24 is a wonderful closing to this book where the Israelites renew their covenant with God. Verses 25 through 27 are awesome – “So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day at Shechem, committing them to a permanent and binding contract between themselves and the LORD. Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. As a reminder of their agreement, he took a huge stone and rolled it beneath the oak tree beside the Tabernacle of the LORD. Joshua said to all the people, “This stone has heard everything the LORD said to us. It will be a witness to testify against you if you go back on your word to God.”
It’s great to read verse 32 and realize that Joseph’s wishes from 200 years earlier of being buried in the Promised Land came to fruition! It is amazing to realize the Israelites carried Joseph’s bones with them throughout the 40 years in the desert to fulfill this wish – “The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought along with them when they left Egypt, were buried at Shechem, in the parcel of ground Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor for one hundred pieces of silver. This land was located in the territory allotted to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph.”
Worship Video: Today’s readings remind me of NEEDTOBREATHE’s song “Fall on Me:”
Comments from You & Questions of the Day: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
In Joshua chapter 21 we read about the towns given to the Levites, the priestly tribe appointed in the Mosaic Law for the service of the Tabernacle and of the Temple. It seems very wise that the Levites are given towns throughout the various tribes of the Israelites. In my mind this is spreading out the priestly tribe strategically. Can you imagine if the Levites were all in just 1 location? It seems to me that there would be a vacuum of spiritual leadership in the tribes if the Levites were not dispersed in the manner which they were. How does reading about the Levites being dispersed remind you of the church today? Is the church dispersed throughout the world today a good thing? What are your thoughts on the benefits or drawbacks of denominations?
In Joshua chapter 22 verse 10 today we read: “Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built a very large altar near the Jordan River at a place called Geliloth.” The place where our readings end today in verse 20 is quite a cliff-hanger! Note that verse 20 is not the end of chapter 22, and as Paul Harvey says, in tomorrow’s readings you will get “The Rest of the Story.” 🙂
Worship Video: Today’s readings reminded me of the Steven Curtis Chapman song “Yours:”
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Today we finish up reading about the Promised Land being divided among the tribes! Below is a great NASA photo with an overlay of a map of the twelve tribes:
In Joshua chapter 20 we read about the Cities of Refuge. I like that concept – a city of refuge. A place of refuge. This is what I think about Jesus today – He is our City of Refuge! No matter what our past sins are, Jesus can be our City of Refuge if we will run to Him, believe, confess & repent. Is Jesus your City of Refuge?
Worship Video: Today’s readings reminded me of Phil Wickam’s song “House of the Lord:”
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
In Joshua chapter 18 verse 1 today we read – “Now that the land was under Israelite control, the entire Israelite assembly gathered at Shiloh and set up the Tabernacle.” Shiloh was located about 25 miles north of Jerusalem. The tabernacle remained in Shiloh throughout the period of the Judges, or about 300 years. We will later read about Samuel traveling to Shiloh with his family. The tabernacle at Shiloh may have looked something like this –
Worship Video: Today’s readings reminded me of Mac Powell’s song “River of Life:”
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
It is interesting to read about the allotment of land to the tribe of Judah today! It reminds me of how different these days are for the Israelites, compared to the 40 years of wandering in the desert – or the slavery in Egypt prior to that. Times have changed! God’s Promise is being fulfilled. I think this is important for us to remember in our lives as well. Maybe we’re in a “slavery” period in our own life where we are looking for a Savior to free us. Jesus is of course that Savior to free us from our slavery to sin. Or, maybe we’re in a desert period of our lives. We’ve decided to follow Jesus, but maybe we’re really trudging through some hard times. If we’re in this type of period, hopefully we can be encouraged by knowing that God’s Promises to us will not fail. God will bring us peace that surpasses all understanding. God will bring us to the true Promised Land for eternity. Let us be encouraged in our own lives by our past few months of readings about the Israelites and their journey from slavery to now the Promised Land. God’s Promises will not fail. They are eternal. And they are the only thing in this passing world that is eternal.
Interesting side note on Joshua chapter 15 verses 61 & 62 – “In the wilderness there were the towns of Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah, Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En-gedi–six towns with their surrounding villages.” The NIV translates wilderness as “desert”, which is probably more accurate. Zondervan’s commentary on this verse today says, “The desert is the chalky dry region east and south of Jerusalem that borders the Dead Sea… Either Secacah or the City of Salt may have been the ancient name of the site of Qumran, where the scribes who produced the Dead Sea Scrolls lived.”
Worship Video: Today’s readings reminded me of the song “All My Hope” sung here by David Crowder and Tauren Wells:
Comments from You & Questions of the Day: Based on my reflections on our Joshua readings today, do you believe that God’s promises are True and won’t fail you? If you are in some sort of slavery to sin or perhaps in a desert place in your life right now, will you reach out to Jesus to save you and lead you into the Promised Land? Do you believe Jesus can Save you and Lead you? And will you follow? Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Interesting – Joshua is an old man already here in chapter 13! Time is flying quite a bit faster in this book than our past readings about the life of Moses…. It’s estimated that Joshua is between 90 and 100 years old in chapter 13 and Caleb is 85 years old. In chapter 14 verse 12 we read these words from Caleb to Joshua: “So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me.” Below is a good image of the hill country of Judah that Caleb sought and received, courtesy of HolyLandPhotos.org:
In Joshua chapter 14 verses 1 & 2 today we read: “The remaining tribes of Israel inherited land in Canaan as allotted by Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the tribal leaders. These nine and a half tribes received their inheritance by means of sacred lots, in accordance with the LORD’s command through Moses.”
Worship Video: Today’s readings reminded me of The City Harmonic’s song “Manifesto:”
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
