Judges 12:1-7 — “There fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand…” 42,000 dead Israelites. Why? What happened to cause this terrible loss of life? This is the final chapter in Jephthah’s story and it’s awful. A small grievance turned into violence and violence into civil war. As we work through this story,…
Judges 11:12-28 — Jephthah was brought back from exile to lead God’s people into battle against the Children of Ammon. Before entering the fray, Jephthah had a fascinating dialogue with the King of Ammon and it’s this dialogue that we study in this sermon. Jephthah demonstrated a deep knowledge of Israel’s history in countering the…
Judges 11:1-11 — In this sermon we begin studying the exploits of the judge Jephthah. The trajectory of his life was, to a large degree, set by the actions of others. His father had an affair with a pagan harlot and Jephthah was born. Because of his parentage, his brothers rejected him and kicked him…
Judges 10 — “…I will deliver you no more. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.” (vs.13-14) The Children of Israel were again guilty of idolatry. They rejected the LORD and went after the gods of many nations – some of the very nations…
Judges 9:1-6 — “And he went unto his father’s house …and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone…” Gideon’s son Abimelech perpetrated one of the most vicious crimes in Israel’s history. He was enabled and assisted by the leaders of his city, who, when it was done, made…
Judges 8:22-35 — Most of us love the story of Gideon and that’s probably because we identify with his struggles. We love the way God ministered to his fears and the way he was used to bring about a marvellous victory. But the sad thing is that Gideon’s story doesn’t end well. He wanted more…
Judges 8:4-17 — Gideon and his men were pushing for final victory over the Midianites and they were growing weak and tired. At two Israelite villages Gideon asked for bread but was refused. In fact, he was told to “go away!” In this sermon we think about why these people refused to help Gideon and we…
Judges 8:1-21 — “Why have you treated us so badly? Why weren’t we invited?” These were the accusations thrown in Gideon’s face by the men of Ephraim as he was pushing for final victory against the Midianites. Gideon not only had to deal with the enemy without, but also opposition from within – from the…
Judges 7 — On the eve of battle with the Midianites, Gideon was afraid and the LORD knew it. The LORD understood that Gideon was not a fearless warrior like Samson or David and he didn’t expect him to be. In this sermon, we consider the ways by which the LORD tenderly addressed Gideon’s fear and…
Judges 6:25-32 — In this sermon we continue to think about the action Gideon took against the false worship his family was practicing. We see how this prepared him for the greater task that God had for him. If Gideon was going to lead Israel into battle then he needed first of all, to have…