Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day: “That the leaders took the lead in Israel, that the people offered themselves willingly, bless the Lord! “Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes; to the Lord I will sing; I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel. —Judges 5:1-3 … More Recounting His greatness and responding in praise
As we read Judges 1-3 today, a little help from Kim Riddlebarger’s sermon series on Judges: And then there are the judges themselves–men whom God raises up to rescue Israel from some military or political crisis, but who can do nothing about the nation’s spiritual condition. Remember that Israel’s judges are not jurists presiding over … More Broken People-Faithful God
As we finish our reading of Judges today (Chapters 20-21), we see a phrase repeated…. “right in their own eyes” ….. I am struck with the depravity of the people, as they just did whatever they considered to be right in their own eyes. Moral, political, social, and spiritual chaos reigned. There was no recognized … More Right in whose eyes?
We have reached Judges 19, a terrifying and awful account of how bad things had gotten in Israel. D.A.Carson, in “For the Love of God, Vol 1” says “the law of the jungle has triumphed in the fledgling nation of Israel.” Indeed, Judges 19: 1 says, “In those days, when there was no king in … More Law of the Jungle
Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Everyone was doing as they pleased and not according to God. Micah steals from his mother (so much for family loyalty!) then confesses (maybe because he is afraid….his mother curses the thief, not knowing it was … More Right in his own eyes
Kim Riddlebarger concludes a sermon on the life of Samson, from Judges 15-16 As for application for us today, there is much to learn from the life of Samson. No question, his allegiance is to YHWH. No question, his sin–especially his dalliances with Philistine women–was his undoing. Like Israel during the time of the Judges, … More God chooses us and uses us…in spite of ourselves
Judges 10-12 is our Bible reading passage for today. In Judges 10:10-16 we read: And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.” And the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you … More “Repentance,” exasperation and mercy
Pastor Kim Riddlebarger comments on Judges 9: The story of Abimelech points us in two directions. On the one hand, we see in Abimelech the sovereign hand of God. In order to remove Gideon’s sham dynasty, YHWH allows Abimelech to do in sixty-nine of Gideon’s sons (save one) and then become the leader over much of Israel. The people … More Seeing the sovereign hand of God in the life of Abimelech
Pastor Kim Riddlebarger on Judges 8: In 1 Timothy 6, the apostle Paul warns us of many of the same things that Gideon brought upon Israel. He speaks of men who “teach a different doctrine[which]does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness.” Ironically, Gideon did this … More Gideon is the perfect example to us of how not to take for granted God’s work in our lives
John Piper, “The Gideon Venture,” a sermon when the church was considering a building project, sending out part of the congregation to plant a new church, and doing all of this without incurring debt…. …we began to meditate on God’s unusual ways of doing things in the Bible. We saw his strange ways everywhere. God … More Why are stories like this in the Bible?
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 