Scripture

Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. He went down to the town of Ashkelon, killed thirty men, took their belongings, and gave their clothing to the men who had solved his riddle. Samson was Furious about what had happened, and he went back home to live with his father and mother.

Observation

Samson decides he wants a particular Philistine woman. He demands his parents get her to be his wife.

As Samson and his parents travelled to Timnah to arrange the marriage, a lion attacks Samson. The Holy Spirit comes up on him and he rips the lion’s jaw apart with his bare hands.

Some time later, he returns to Timnah for the wedding. He sees that a swarm of bees has made honey in the carcass of the lion. He scoops some up and gives some to his parents.

He makes a wager with the Philistine men at the wedding. If they can solve the riddle, he will give them 30 sets of clothing. If they cannot, then they will give him 30 sets of clothing.

The man have no clue, so they try to get Samson’s bride to entice him to tell her the answer. She does this. When the men reveal the answer to his riddle, Samson storms off to Ashkelon where he kills 30 young men, steals their belongings, and gives their clothes to the men in Timnah. Then he goes home to his parents without his bride.

Application

Samson is a tragic case of gifts without character. Samson’s unique gift was physical strength, but he lacked the wisdom and the character to use it for God’s glory.

There are many people who have some gift or anointing from the Holy Spirit, but they have failed to develop in the fruit of the Holy Spirit. They minister with power, but they lack the character of Christ.

It has been said by other people: If you have the fruit of the Spirit without the gifts of the Spirit, you will dry up. If you have the gifts but not the fruit, you will blow up. If you have the gifts and the fruit, you will grow up.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, please develop your gifts and your fruit in my life so that I can be a mature follower of Jesus. Amen.

Scripture

“Why do you ask my name?” the angel of the Lord replied.” It is too wonderful for you to understand.”

Observation

The Israelites again do evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Philistines oppress them for 40 years.

A man named Manoah is married to a woman who is unable to have children. The angel of the Lord appears to his wife with the happy news that she will soon become pregnant. The child is to be set apart for the Lord, so she must not eat any unclean food. The child will rescue Israel from the Philistines.

She tells Manoah, who then prays for a second visitation so they can receive more instructions about how to raise the child. The angel of God appears again to Manoah’s wife while she is sitting in the field. She runs to bring Manoah. Manoah wants to kill a goat to feed the angel, but he will not eat it. Manoah offers it as a burnt offering to the Lord. When Manoah does this, the angel of the Lord rises to heaven in the flames.

When the baby is born they name him Samson.

Application

When Manoah asked the angel his name, he replied, “It is too wonderful for you to understand”

Many scholars believe that in the Old Testament, the angel of the Lord is a representation of Jesus, the Son of God yet to be born in human flesh.

This truly is a mystery that is too wonderful to understand.

Because God is infinite and unlimited, and we are finite and bound to physical bodies, there are many things about Him that we cannot understand. They remain mysteries to us.

It is natural to want to know as much about God as we can, but we must accept that our knowledge is limited. Some things about the Lord are simply too wonderful to explain, far beyond our thoughts and words.

Prayer

Lord God, you truly are too marvellous for words. I cannot entirely understand you, but I will worship you. Amen.

Scripture

After Jephthah died, Ibzan from Bethlehem judged Israel. He had thirty sons and thirty daughters.

Observation

The people of Ephraim raise an army to fight Jephthah. They claim to have been overlooked when Jephthah fought the Ammonites. Jephthah replies that he did summon them at the beginning of the dispute, but they refused to come.

Jephthah then gathers the men of Gilead to attack the people of Ephraim. He captures the Jordan River and sets up check points at all the crossing points along the river. Those wanting to cross are required to say the word Shibboleth. The Ephraimites cannot say this word correctly and they are killed.

After Jephthah dies, Ibzan takes over as judge over Israel. After Ibzan, comes Elon, and then Abdon.

Application

Some of the judges were more famous for their offspring than for their actions. Ibzan had thirty sons and thirty daughters. Elon had seventy sons and grandsons. They were very busy men!

It is fair to assume that under these judges Israel enjoyed a time of peace. Nothing is recorded of national significance.

Sometimes life is like that. We enjoy peace and prosperity. Life goes on as normal.

During the peaceful times, we need to make sure that we continue to walk with the Lord. When life is going well, some people find it easy to neglect prayer and worship.

This was certainly the case for Israel. During times of peace, they would gradually turn away from the Lord and start to worship other gods, until the Lord sent an enemy to punish them.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, please help me to stay focused on you, even when times are good. Amen.

Scripture

Jephthah made a vow to the Lord. He said, “If you give me a victory over the Ammonites, I will give to the Lord whatever comes out of my house to meet me when I return in triumph. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”

Observation

The Spirit of the Lord comes upon Jephthah, and he leads an army against the Ammonites. He makes a vow to the Lord that he will offer as a burnt offering whatever comes out of his house to meet him when he returns in triumph.

The Lord gives Jephthah a crushing victory over the Ammonites. When he returns home, his only daughter comes out to meet him, dancing for joy. Jephthah tears his clothes in anguish at the result of his foolish vow.

Jephthah’s daughter asks to go into the hills for two months and weep with her friends as she will never have children. She returns home, and her father keeps his vow.

Application

We must always be careful of the things we say, especially the promises we make. Jephthah’s vow was foolish and unnecessary.

The Lord does not require us to make brash promises or costly sacrifices to answer our prayers. He delights to pour out grace upon grace over us. Prayer is not a process of bargaining with God, but of seeking His will and His desires.

Jephthah was foolish in that he should have known that God’s law does not condone human sacrifice in any situation. This raises the question of where were the priests and other religious leaders who could have told him quite clearly that the Lord does not require or allow such things.

Jephthah killed his daughter as a sacrifice to the Lord to thank him for the victory God had given. This sacrifice was abhorrent to God.

Jephthah’s vow was foolish; it was unnecessary; and it was displeasing to the Lord.

Prayer

Lord, I pray that my religious acts will never be obnoxious to you. Please give me wisdom in my words and my deeds. Amen.

Scripture

“You keep whatever your god Chemosh gives you, and we will keep whatever the Lord our God gives us.”

Observation

Jephthah is a son of Gilead, but to a prostitute. The sons of Gilead’s wife drive him off the land so he flees to Tob, where he gathers a band of worthless rebels.

When the Ammonites attack Israel, the elders of Gilead send for Jephthah. They make him there ruler and commander of the army.

Jephthah then sends a message to the king of Ammon, demanding to know why they are attacking. The king says that Israel stole their land.

Jephthah writes back to say that they never stole any land from Ammon. In any event, the land is a gift from the Lord. The Ammonites can keep whatever their god gives them, but Israel will keep the land the Lord gives them. Not only that, they have held this land for 300 years, and the Ammonites never tried to take it back before.

Application

Jephthah was right to see this war in spiritual terms. Israel lived in land given to them by the Lord. The Ammonites had their own gods to gift them land. Therefore, any invasion was a test of whose God is the greater.

We live in a culture which does not recognise the reality of the unseen realm, except in romanticised terms. The reality is that we are in the thick pf a supernatural war. As Christians, everything we do advance as either God’s Kingdom or satan’s realm.

This battle is personal, but it is not human. We do not fight against people, but against powers and principalities, rulers and authorities in the spirit realm. The primary weapon of this warfare is prayer. As we surrender ourselves to God and listen to the indwelling Holy Spirit, He directs us how to pray and how to live in such a way as to destroy the works of satan.

The battle belongs to the Lord, and His victory is guaranteed.

Prayer

Lord, please grant me the gift of discernment of spirits. Open my spiritual eyes so that I can truly see where the battle is and how to fight it. Amen.

Scripture

Then the Israelites put aside their foreign gods and served the Lord. And he was grieved by their misery.

Observation

Two judges, Tola and Jair, between them ruled over Israel for 45 years. It Seems to have been a time of peace.

But then the Israelites turn again to foreign gods. They abandon the Lord. So the Lord abandons them to the Philistines and the Ammonites.

The Israelites call out to the Lord to rescue them. At first, He is unmoved. He tells them to call out to their foreign gods to rescue them. They repent from their wicked ways and their idolatry, so the Lord determines to rescue them.

Application

It would be very confronting have the Lord say to you: “You have been serving other gods so let them save you.”

Sometimes we can think we can take up the Lord and put Him down again, that our faith is like a buffet dinner where we can take what we want at anytime.

God is looking for relationship, for intimacy and faithfulness. He isn’t interested in what we may do to serve Him from time to time. He wants our hearts, our minds, our will.

People sin, even spirit-filled born again Christians. We repent and turn back to the Lord, and He welcomes us back. What He does not like is the uncommitted, fickle faith that ignored God six days and then wants Him on Sunday or, worse still, only ever calls to God when a problem needs to be fixed.

We must stay faithful to the Lord, everyday.

Prayer

Lord, I confess that I do not always do what is right by you. Please forgive me for being so easily distracted from following you and help me to follow you more faithfully. Amen.

Scripture

After Abimelech had ruled over Israel for three years, God sent a spirit that stirred up trouble between Abimelech and the leading citizens of Shechem, and they revolted. God was punishing Abimelech for murdering Gideon’s seventy sons, and the people of Shechem for supporting him in this treachery.

Observation

After Abimelech has ruled over Israel for three years, God sends a spirit to stir up trouble, in order to punish Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem. A man called Gaal moves to Shechem and he starts to speak out against Abimelech.

Abimelech and his men go to Shechem and surround it at night. At first, an army led by Gaal overwhelms them, but Abimelech regroups and captures the city. He kills the people and levels the city.

Abimelech and his men then go to a town called Thebez. The people flee to a strong tower from where a woman drops a millstone on Abimelech, killing him.

Application

God sent a disruptive spirit to punish both Abimelech and the people of Shechem. This spirit manifested itself through the person of Gaal. The subsequent events are quite horrific with many people being killed in a nasty battle. How can God do such a thing?

When we look at the affairs of nations, we can not easily see how God is at work. He uses evil spirits, bad people and whole populations to achieve His purposes.

We should not be dismayed by these things, even if we cannot understand them. In the end, God is in control and that is what matters.

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for the knowledge that in all things you work for the good of your people. Help me to trust you in all things. Amen.

Scripture

He went to his father’s home at Ophrah, and there, on one stone, they killed all seventy of his half-brothers, the sons of Gideon. But, the youngest brother, Jotham, escaped and hid.

Observation

Gideon’s son Abimelech goes to Shechem to visit his uncles. He asks them to ask the elders of Shechem whether they want to be ruled by seventy sons of Gideon or by one man.

The men of Shechem decide that Abimelech should be their king. Abimelech hires some henchmen to go to Ophrah to kill all of Gideon’s sons. One of them, Jotham, escapes.

Jotham tells a parable to the elders of Shechem. He accuses them of betraying Gideon’s heritage. He challenges them to consider if they have acted honourably in making Abimelech their king. If they have not acted honourably, may they all be devoured by fire.

Application

The NLT Study Bible heads this section with “Abimelch: The Anti- Judge.” Whereas the previous judges were raised by God to meet a particular threat, Abimelech imposes himself with violence to be a king. His ambition was to rule over, not just Shechem but the whole of Israel. To meet that ambition, he had all seventy of his half-brothers, except one who escaped, put to death.

Whenever God is at work, we can always expect satan to produce a counterfeit. He fakes spiritual gifts to deceive the elect. He produces false gospels to lead us away from true faith in Christ.

These things ultimately show themselves by their fruit – death, destruction, misery, bondage and so on. But we need to practise discernment so that we are always aware of what is truly God and what is merely satan’s distractions.

Prayer

Father, grant me wisdom and discernment in all that I do. Please help me to stay close to you and to not fall prey to satan’s traps. Amen.

Scripture

Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his home town. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshipping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family.

Observation

The Israelites want to install Gideon and his family as king so that he, his son and his grandson will rule over them. Gideon refuses because the Lord is their king.

Gideon requests that each person gives him an earring from the loot of the Midianites. This is freely given, along with other jewellery. Gideon uses this gold to make an ephod. But the Israelites soon start to worship this item.

Gideon returns home and has seventy sons. He dies at an old age, and there is peace in the land for as long as he lives. After his death, the Israelites quickly start worshipping Baal, displeasing the Lord.

Application

People have an inherent desire to worship idols. Gideon makes a ”sacred ephod” out of the gold plundered from their enemies, and pretty soon people are worshipping it. Prior to this, they had wanted to make Gideon into a kind of idol because he had rescued the nation.

We can so easily turn what God intends for good into a replacement for Him.

There are people who effectively worship Government, thinking that it will keep them safe. Some people hysterically demand that masks be made compulsory so that they can be safe from viruses.

People dedicate their lives to the pursuit of money, power, influence, sex, or pleasure. None of these things bring lasting happiness or security.

We have been created to worship God alone. He is invisible and will tolerate no rivals in the form of manufactured gods.

Because we are hard-wired for worship, we must always ensure that we are worshipping the one and only true God.

Prayer

Lord God, I praise you. I give you glory. There is no god but you. Please keep me safe from idolatry. Amen.