The Book of Ruth Resolves the Insanity of Judges
In a previous post I went through some reasons that teaching Judges is extremely difficult. Judges is one of those books of the Bible that I can’t imagine Beth Moore teaching a series on. I can’t see it not because she lack the ability but because it wouldn’t appeal to her core audience. It is […]
The Difficult Message of Judges
We are studying Judges on Sunday morning and it has been a lot harder than I thought it would be. My initial interest in teaching Judges was its relevance to Western Christianity. You have God’s people living among a pagan culture. Most assimilate and worship the gods of the land. Finally they cry out for […]
Gideon’s Weakness and the Grace & Peace of God
We usually associate “grace and peace” with Paul’s letters but grace and peace show up in other places in scripture. One of those places is in Judges 6. Gideon was told to deliver Israel from the Midianites but Gideon is concerned because the days he lived in weren’t like the days of his ancestors. He […]
Holy Spirit Part 3: Role in the Old Testament
Role in Creation: In the Old Testament the word for spirit is the same as the word wind and breath (רוּח) which occurs 378 times. From the very beginning the Spirit played a role in creation, “and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Gen 1:2). God’s Spirit not only assisted in the […]
Samson – Weakness in Power
One of the favorite characters of the Old Testament that any Sunday School teacher worth their salt will cover is Samson. We always think about Samson as a man of great strength. He was able to kill a lion with his bare hands (“as he might have torn a young goat” – as if tearing […]
This and That
Milk & Honey (Thanks to Wiley Lowe for pointing this one out):In the book of Judges you have the story of Deborah and Jair. Sisera was leading the forces of Jaban the Canaanite king against the Israelites. Deborah, whose name can also mean “bee” calls Barak to defeat Sisera and his men. Barak hesitates and […]