Day 77 (Saturday) - Judges 10-13

Are you shocked with Jehphtah’s vow and killing of his daughter? We know that God detests human sacrifice…so why this story. There is no easy or soft way to put this. He made a vow that was against God’s will and he followed through with it. This did not and does not please God. Not everything you read in the Bible is an example of things we should do, many are the opposite. Some people feel that the Scriptures should clearly state this, but it doesn’t. Does it need to? Do we really wonder if burning our children pleases God? It was against the Mosaic Law and we also have the example of Abraham and Isaac. Jephthah messed this one up big time!

Day 76 (Friday) - Judges 8-9

The people wanted Gideon to be their king, but Gideon knew this was going to be a bad plan. God was to be their king. We are in the transition years from Judges to Kings. The people are completely ignoring God and as they worship others gods, they decide to have a king. Did you know that most books and references about early Israelite history mark Saul as the first king? It just ain’t so! Abimelech is the first king of the people. So for kings it goes; God, Abimelech and then Saul and so on and so on. Now to be clear, Saul and those that succeeded him were appointed in a more divine way, Abimelech was self appointed, but still a king.

There are times we put humans in the role of King. We want our pastors to rule over us or elders or spiritual leaders, but it will end in oppression. The Lord of your life can only be God, there is no room for others kings and there are no other kings you can trust.

Day 75 (Thursday) - Judges 6-7

God sure is patient with Gideon. God allows Gideon to test the angel of the Lord with the sacrificial meal, God lets him build the altar under cover of night, God lets him use the fleece (two times) to test God, and he allows Gideon to hear the dream before he is to attack. God is patient. But God also tested Gideon. I think we are to get the picture that Gideon is not the most courageous man in the field and fighting with 22,000 men is a lot more comforting than 300! God wants to show Gideon that he can trust him and that God is there to fight for him.

I am a Gideon. I want to test God every step of the way and I prefer going into battle with a 22,000:1 ratio. God wants me to remember that he will fight for me and he will be with me if I go where he asks me to go.

Day 74 (Wednesday) - Judges 3-5

What a great set of verses. Couldn’t God have sprinkled a couple of these stories in last week when we were knee deep in details? Now we have three great stories in one day. In my office I have a replica of Ehud’s dagger. Come check it out. To think it went all the way into King Eglon and got lost is stunning. He must have been seriously fat! The story of Deborah is my favorite Judge story because it is a great example of a woman leading God’s people. It’s hard to make the case that women are not allowed to serve in the church with Deborah in the wings!

I really like Judges 3:31 because it’s so short. Most say that Shamgar is a judge but notice that the text never says that. Being a son of Anath is what drives me to believe that he was a mercenary fighting for Israel or a mercenary for Egypt that benefited the Israelites. Anath is a Canaanite goddess, who was a patron of warriors. He seems more connected to non Israelite groups than a Judge. If he was an Israelite judge…he is a strange one!

Day 73 (Tuesday) - Joshua 24; Judges 1-2

Leadership is very important. Did you notice that after Joshua dies, there was no leader after him? The people floundered and were not united. One tribe let a small people group survive, then another and another, until it was the norm. As God sent Judges, things would get better, but after the death of each judge, the people would do evil in the sight of the Lord. There seems to be a need for leadership among God’s people, someone to help them stay on track to correct, rebuke and encourage the people. When good leaders are in place, the people walk close with God. When a leader is selfish, the people drift away from the truths they know. It can happen so quickly. I need to submit to the spiritual leaders in my life. I need their guidance and I need to listen to them so I stay on the path that leads to blessing. I need to allow myself to be corrected so I don’t drift off into doing “evil in the sight of the Lord”.

Day 72 (Monday) - Joshua 21:13-23:16

Idolatry is a big deal. It was a big enough deal that the Transjordan tribes almost got wiped out by the tribes that lived west of the Jordan River. They were not going to allow this group to worship other gods and get away with it. Even in Joshua’s final words, his main issue is with idolatry. Do not take on the customs and religious practices of the people by allowing them to survive war or intermarry. If so, God’s blessing will turn to curse. I have to admit that I engage in idol worship. I worship the god of money at times as well as the companion god of materialism. I worship at the altar of comfort and pleasure and I am not a better follower of Jesus as a result.

Day 71 (Sunday) - Joshua 18:1-21:12

We are still knee deep in the cities and allotments but today I want to pull out a nugget in chapter 20, about the cities of refuge. We first read about them back in numbers 35. The cities were always Levitical cities, so the asylum was from the priests. The area was expanded to the whole town so that the person did not defile the altar or sacred spaces. It is interesting that this concept continued on into the modern age where a person could seek asylum in a church and it was recognized by law. Not to get to overly religious here, but it does remind me that Jesus is our high priest and there is always asylum in him!