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The men and women who are called Judges in the Bible were not Judges as we understand them today. They were more akin to informal military leaders who were called and empowered by God to rescue his people from the oppression of surrounding nations. After their military success, the Judges often implemented or inspired spiritual […]
The book of Judges is one of the historical books in the Old Testament. On a timeline, it occurs immediately after the book of Joshua. Following it are the events recorded in Samuel and Kings. Once the people settle in Israel, they are governed by a series of judges, hence the name for this book. […]
Deborah is another familiar judge, with two chapters in the book of Judges devoted to her. There are some noteworthy facts about her: 1) She is the only female judge in the entire book. This was very counter-cultural for the day — and very cool! 2) She was the only judge who actually “held court” […]
When I think of a judge, I immediately conjure up an image of a person wearing a black robe and presiding over a hearing or trial. Indeed, that is the primary definition of the word “judge.” However, that understanding is greatly misleading when reading the book of Judges in the Bible. In the biblical context […]
Jehoshaphat is the great-great-grandson of King Solomon. Though Solomon’s father David ruled well as a man after God’s own heart, Solomon’s heart was divided and many succeeding kings in their family line did more evil than good. Jehoshaphat is an exception. Scripture calls him a good king, just like his father Asa. He follows his […]
Some time later, we encounter Samuel. Those who grew up hearing Bible stories may remember the account of young Samuel. He is the son of Elkanah and Hannah. His mother takes him to live at the temple and help Eli, the priest. Each year she visits him and gives him a little robe to wear. […]
During the time of the judges, we come across a man named Elimelek. Scripture tells us little about him, covering his story in a scant three verses. He’s married to Naomi, and they have two sons. They live in Bethlehem, which is part of Judah. There’s a famine, so they head off to Moab. There […]
Another judge is Samson. His story begins even before his birth. An angel appears to a childless woman and tells her she’ll become pregnant and have a son. The angel says the boy will be dedicated to God, even before he is born. He then gives the woman special dietary expectations. Though we may assume […]
Gideon is an interesting judge. The Bible gives us three chapters about key events in his life. Some of what he does inspires us and provides an example to follow. Yet he does other things we should certainly avoid. But aren’t we all like that, with both strengths and weaknesses? In our first story Gideon […]
God gives the prophetess Deborah a message for Barak. God wants him to raise a troop of 10,000 and confront the better-equipped army led by Sisera. God promises to give Barak the victory. But Barak balks. Barak is the son of Abinoam. He lives in Kedesh in the territory of Naphtali in Israel. That’s all […]