Judges

April 23, 2023 | Judges 8-9 | exposition

“Spoils” are the reward of having won a victory, as in the “spoils of war.” For in our study today, we’ll see how Gideon’s victory, his success, actually revealed a problem that he had, indeed that we all are apt to have, namely–– we often let success go to our heads. It’s one thing to trust God when we are in a season of lack or trouble. But what about when we’re going through a season of plenty, of prosperity?

In Judges 8-9, the Lord gave victory to Gideon and the Israelites over their Median oppressors, but they let the spoils of war spoil their relationship with God and with one another. They didn’t know how to handle God’s blessings. They let success spoil their hearts. What are the warning signs that success is spoiling our hearts?

April 2, 2023 | Judges 7 | exposition

Admitting our weaknesses, goes against our human nature doesn’t it? We value strength, influence, wealth, possessions, beauty… We don’t care much for weakness, for humility, for being impoverished or downtrodden. Yet, did you know that you can be too big, too rich, too full of yourself to see God’s victory, God’s triumph in your life? Until we admit our weakness apart from God, until we humble ourselves before God, we cannot experience the salvation and victory only He can give us.

Our human default is to trust ourselves, our own wisdom, our own bank accounts, our charge cards, our own strength. But God wants us to learn to put all of our trust in Him. In chapter 7 of Judges, the Lord taught Gideon and the people of Israel to put all their trust in His power to save them, rather than their own strength. We can learn to put all of our trust in the Lord.

March 19, 2023 | Judges 4-5 | exposition

What’s God’s calling on your life? Or do you not think you have a calling? You don’t think He could use you? You don’t have any special talent or ability? Awesome! God loves using ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.

Or maybe you’re going through a time of trouble? Sometimes God uses suffering to get our attention, so that we’ll actually hear His call. Receiving His comfort, we also receive His call to comfort others in the same trouble we once had. Are you willing to answer God’s call on your life?

In chapter 4 and 5 of Judges, the people of Israel again rebelled against the Lord and did evil in His sight, but after falling into servitude, they cried out to the Lord, so the Lord called an unlikely duo named, Deborah and Barak, to rescue Israel. And they answered God’s call. We can answer God’s call on our lives.

March 12, 2023 | Judges 3 | exposition

Spiritually speaking, the heart is the seat of the will, the driver’s seat of our lives. Yet we have this human tendency to have forgetful hearts. And when we forget the Lord in our hearts, we put our very lives at risk. For we open our hearts up to temptation and every kind of sin and enslavement. Where have you forgotten the Lord today? Where do you need to be reminded to remember God in your heart today?

In chapter three of Judges, the Israelites were caught up in a cycle of heart-forgetfulness, until they remembered the Lord and repented and the Lord rescued them. We can remind our forgetful hearts to always remember the Lord.

March 5, 2023 | Judges 1-2 | exposition

In these first two introductory chapters today, we see that Israel had not fully placed their hope and trust in God to fully obey Him. They said they “could not.” But God essentially said, they “would not.” This is a question worth asking ourselves. Where have you made flimsy excuses to God because you’ve put your hope in yourself or someone or something else instead of in Him? That’s what started the downward descent of Israel.

In the first two chapters of Judges, Israel failed to fully trust God’s promise and obey His word, so the Lord allowed their enemies to oppress them. Yet, God was moved by their suffering, so He raised up judges to save them. We can learn to fully trust and obey God.