Week 13 March 26-April 1

Judges 6
Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they were given to be slaves. This will happen again and again.  Remember Moses warning them against this?  Did they listen?  Nope!
But they would cry out and Lord would save them.  God calls Gideon.  But did you notice Gideon kept questioning God.  Are you sure?  Ok God do this...  OK do this too...  
He really feared cutting down the false gods.  But he did it.  I loved how the men came to Gideons dad and said that his son needed to be killed for tearing down poles.  But dad said well if Baal is a real god then let him kill Gideon.  That was great!  Of course Baal is false so Gideon was just fine. 

Judges 7
God doesn't need a lot of men to win a war.  In fact He would rather do it with just a few so that He will get the glory and not man.  He is a great and awesome God that fought for them He should receive the praise. 

Judges 8
The people wanted Gideon to rule over them in V.22.  But he told them "no" God will rule over you.  That was a great statement although he did accept the offering of the gold and put the ephod in his city, which became a snare to him and his family. Gideon dies and the people turn back to the false gods not remembering what God had done for them. 

Judges 9
Abimelech was a mean dude.  Killed all his brothers except for the youngest, which escaped. But in the end he got what he deserved and he was killed by a rock thrown down by a women. 

Judges 10
The Israelites continued to do evil and serve other gods.  They cried out and God told them I save you but you forsake Me.  Go cry out to your false gods -  let them save you. 

Judges 11
Jepthah makes a deal with the Lord...  Whatever comes out of my house Lord I will offer it to You as a burnt sacrifice.  Well guess who it is that runs out...... His one and only daughter.  Now I was a bit confused about this last year when I read it.. But now I looked into it more and realized that he didn't actually burn his daughter as a sacrifice.  God tells us not to do that.  However just as Isaac was to be the burnt offering God stopped it and gave a replacement.  The daughter wept for her virginity for 2 months.  She did this because she would never marry.  She was to be dedicated to the Lord and serve him.  Jephthah made a hasty decision to offer whatever came out of his house. God never asked him to do that and God would have allowed him to be prosperous without Jepthah's promise.  But since he did make that promise God held him to it and he gave his daughter to the Lord. 

Judges 13 - 17
Continuing Evil.  In the hands of the Philistines for 40 years. 
The birth of Samson.  He was a man that was to never have a razor touch his head.  He was dedicated to the Lord. 
Samson didn't take his position and strength very seriously.  He saw a woman and told mom and dad, "I like her and I want her!" He did care that she was not of his people.  Mistake #1  
The woman then persuades him to tell her a riddle so she can tell the Philistines.  He does!  
Then Delilah....  Well what can I say... Again he wasn't thinking very much.  She told him to tell her how he got his strength so she could use it against him.  AND He does!  It leads to his capture and his eyes being gouged out. Interesting that they would do this.  His eyes caused him to do evil again and again.  He saw something he liked and he went for it. 
He did redeem himself at the end of his life by pulling the pillars down and killing 3000 men.  
He had amazing strength that was given from God.  However the strength was not in his hair or even his own but from God.  And that strength left him because his focus was on carnal things. 

Judges 17- 18
Everyone continued to do what was right in their own eyes.  
Micah hires a Levite to be his priest but he also had false gods as well.  Can't have both, God can't have any darkness or evil or sin around Him. 

Judges 19- 21
Very graphic and sad story here.  But when there is corruption and sin the results are just that graphic and sad. It was sad that the Benjaminites wouldn't own up to what they did and many fell because of the sin.
Again the end of the book ends with, "and everyone did what was right in his own eyes".

1 Samuel 1-7
Hannah weeps because she is barren.  She asks Lord to give her a son and she will dedicate him to the Lord.  She conceives and has Samuel.  She is true to her word and Samuel is brought to the priest after being weaned. God calls Samuel in the night and Samuel begins his life knowing God. 
The Ark is captured by Philistines, and it is like a hot potato.  The people are afflicted with tumors and when they put it with their gods,  it's head and hands fell off.  They finally send it away.. happy to get rid of it!
Ch. 7 v.3 Samuel told them to return to God with their whole heart and only serve Him.  Put away false gods and He will deliver them from Philistines.  Lords hand was against Philistines for all the days of Samuel. 

Happy Reading - Jeannie