Day 18: Judges 3:28-Judges 15:12 - 90 Day Challenge

The Israelites Continue to Miss the Point 

Disobedience Ravages Israel

Does it feel crazy to anyone else that Israel continues to turn from God every. single. time? 
Have they not learned by now that God is for them, and worshiping false gods and leading a life of sin brings nothing but bad things on the Israelites? (including famine and plague...) 
It's like as soon as one judge dies, the Israelites are like "Yay! We were good, so now God will be good to us while we're bad!" And then God just sort of lets his head sink into his hands thinking That is so not how it works. Better send another judge.

Our reading continues with some serious girl power!

  1. The first female judge is appointed to lead the Israelites--Deborah. She leads the Israelites to attack Jabin's army, where all are defeated except for Sisera, the general. He dies later, when Jael, another woman, allows him into her tent and then proceeds to stab him with a tent post. Girl power!
  2. After Deborah, the Israelites turn from God again (I know, shocking), but when they are invaded, they ask God for help (again, I know, this is very shocking). God then appoints Gideon to lead the Israelites into battle, which they win. 
  3. Israel then asks Gideon to be their King, and then Gideon's sons after him, since Gideon delivered the Israelites from Midian. But Gideon says no, because God should be the Israelites only King. 
  4. After Gideon's death, one of his descendants, Abimelech, decides that he should be the King of Israel, and proceeds to kill his siblings. But one brother, Jotham, the youngest, hides and escapes. Abimelech is made the king of Israel, but Jotham warns them that Abimelech will be a bad king. Abimelech leads his army into war, but a stone is dropped on his head by a woman, because he cannot possibly bear the shame of being killed by a woman, he has his servant stab him and then his army retreats. 
  5. God sends two judges to keep the Israelites in line after that disaster, but of course, after they die, the Israelites worship other gods, but this time, they become oppressed by the Philistines. When they cry to the Lord for help again, God says "Try asking the gods you worship to help you." Shady. But finally, the Israelites put down their false gods and begin worshiping the Lord again. And finally, God couldn't bear to hear their misery any longer.
  6. Jephthah is appointed to lead the Israelites, and he sends messengers to the Ammonite King detailing the journey the Israelites have been on, then says that the Lord is on their side, and the land he controls has always been the Israelites to possess. But the King paid no attention. So, the Spirit of the Lord came to Jephthah and he vowed to sacrifice the first thing to come out of his home to the Lord when he returned from battle--which was the only option left to the Israelites. 
  7. Unfortunately, the first thing to come out of Jephthah's house on his return was his only child. His daughter accepted her fate, but asked first if she could be given two months to mourn with her friends. Upon her return, Jephthah sacrificed his daughter to the Lord. 
  8. Israel had three more leaders, things were good, and then the Israelites stopped following the Lord (again) and were taken over by Philistine (again) and God sends a savior (again). This time, it's a baby named Samson. 
  9. Samson takes a Philistine woman as his wife, and killed a lion with his bare hands when it attacked him, because the Lord was with him. But later, Samson had given people honey that had been made in the carcass of that lion (remember, dead things are a big no-no to the Israelites). He has them solve a riddle about it, and when his wife finally begs for the answer and tells the people, God struck down thirty men and gave Samson's wife away to Samson's best friend, because Samson had disobeyed God. 
  10. Then Samson goes after the Philistines, the Philistines kill his wife and father in law, and try to take Samson prisoner. When some of the Israelites find Samson, they tell him they will tie him up and hand them over to the Philistines (presumably for their freedom?) Samson says that's fine, as long as the Israelites don't kill him themselves. 



It's like this entire chapter was all about disobedience! Was anyone else pulling at their hair thinking "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

We'll be picking up with more of Samson's story tomorrow.
Tomorrow's reading will be: Judges 15:13-1 Samuel 2:29

Have a wonderful day!
Jill Jafarace
Director of Student Ministry
New Leaf UMC

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