We Keep Accountable Because We Love

Do you have one of those friends who tells you what you don't want to hear? Like the little angel sitting on your
shoulder pointing out to you why you shouldn't make whatever dumb decision you're about to make?

At one point in college, I was going through a bit of a rough time and as a result, I wasn't reading my Bible or praying – I was just going through the motions. One of my roommates called me on it. To this day, I can still hear her telling me that I needed to change – "Good Christian girls can get pregnant before they're married, pastors can have affairs and leave their families..." If you don't live for God daily, you can end up like that too…

We Spend Time With Because We Love

If you were stranded on a desert island, who would you want to be stuck with?


My guess is either answered with Leif or Scott because they'd build you a shelter and catch you food. OR you answered with one of your closest friends because that's a lot of time you'll be spending together and you want to be with someone you like.

Time is something we all value and are often careful with how we use it. When people make the time to hang with us in whatever capacity, it lets us know that they love us.

Read Luke 10:38-42.

There are three characters in the story, who are they and what are they doing?
1)

2)

3)

When Martha asks Jesus to make Mary help, he tells her, "there's only one thing worth being concerned about." (Luke 10:42a NLT). What is that one thing?


Mary opted to spend time with Jesus. Jesus said that was better than worrying about cooking and cleaning and everything else. (That's not to say those other things don't matter, my last devo was on serving… We just got to keep things in check.)

The New Testament is full of passages that talk about "one-anothering"… It's a kind of silly phrase but it groups together all these different verbs that we are to do for or with one another… Love one another, serve one another, instruct one another, forgive one another, encourage one another, confess to one another… in order to do these things, we must spend time with one another. "So then, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." (Gal. 6:10 ESV). We spend time with others because we love them.

Have you ever watched White Wolves? For those of you that haven't had the privilege, a group of teens and their leader go on a backpacking trip, very much like the wilderness trip, with less canoeing. Their goal is to get to the top of Eagle Rock. They eventually make it to the top and disaster strikes! Their trip turns into a rescue mission and they go through struggle after struggle on the way. In the beginning of the movie, Pandra tells Kara she likes Adam. As the movie goes on, Kara and Adam continually end up spending time together, they raft together, sit together at campfires, etc. They develop a deeper relationship because they spend time together. We just need to make sure the people we choose to spend time with our good people… What does 1 Corinthians 15:33 say about this?


There's one more thing we can learn from the story of Mary and Martha – we spend time with God because we love him. Jesus wasn't just any old friend Mary was hanging out with. If you look back at Luke 10:39, it says she was listening to His word. If we love Jesus, we will spend time reading His word and praying. We can't know Him and His will for our lives without spending time with Him. "If you love me, he will keep my commandments." (John 14:15 ESV). 

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This is a devotional I wrote for the teens on the Ecuador missions trip. Our theme for the devotionals is "We _____ because we love." We came up with a list of 11 (one for each day), and this is one I was assigned.

We Serve Because We Love

Welcome to Ecuador! I don't know what you were expecting, but I can tell you for sure that over the next 10 days our focus will be on serving – serving God and serving others.

We all have read numerous Bible stories and verses that tell us we should serve. "And whosoever would be first among you, shall be servant of all." (Mark 10:44 ASV). "Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." (Heb. 13:16 ESV). "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God varied grace." (1 Pet. 4:10). I could make you read the passage in John about Jesus serving the disciples by washing your feet. However, knowing we should serve is a no-brainer! You all know that, that’s why you’re here.

Setting the Stage for What's to Come

Recap: Hannah prayed for years for a son before the Lord gave one to her. She gave Samuel to Eli the priest so he could serve the Lord.

Read verses 1-10: These verses are Hannah's prayer (or song) and would have been tied to the sacrifice she made in regard to Samuel's birth – well, God's answer to prayers more so than the actual answer itself. Some commentators feel that her prayer shows the themes of 1 and 2 Samuel. We see God's sovereignty, and the expected Messiah.
Hannah shares a lot of theology in her prayer. What attributes of God does Hannah rejoice over? Or what things does she praise him for?

• The salvation He gives (v1)
• His holiness (v2)
• His strength (rock- v2)
• His knowledge (v3)
• He is just (v3)
• He is sovereign which means He controls all things and He is omnipotent or all-powerful (v5-9)

Also, verses 4-5 seem specific to Peninnah and Hannah's situation. Verses 9-10 we see a little bit of eschatology, meaning there are  prophetic remarks about what's to happen in the future. As we read Samuel, we will see that they were fulfilled immediately but also will be filled in the end times.

Read verse 11: Elkanah (and although unstated, Hannah) go home, Samuel remains with Eli to minister to the Lord.

Read verse 12a: "worthless men" - From seeing this phrase repeatedly in the book of Judges, we should know this is foreshadowing something bad is about to happen… And it's especially terrible because we know Eli's sons are what? Priests!

Read verses 12b-17: Phineas and Hophni didn't know the Lord and continually broke ruless and really stole what belongs to the Lord. Their sin is causing others to sin because their sacrifices are not being done properly. Their sin of Phineas and Hophni is very great. We don't understand a lot of the meaning behind what's going on with the sacrificial customs, but the fat portion belonged to the Lord, and that's what they're stealing. So this is a huge issue because it's sin being committed against the Lord!!

Read verse 18: Samuel is actually serving… Also it says he's wearing an ephod, which in Exodus 28 we learn that it's a garment worn by priests.

Read verses 19-21: Hannah and Elkanah continue to sacrifice yearly. Hannah brings Samuel a homemade robe each time. Because of this, Eli asks the Lord to bless them with more children, and he does with five more. Again it emphasizes that Samuel continues to grow.

Read verses 22-25: Eli is getting old. He knows that his sons do terrible things (both the stuff with the sacrifices we saw previously and now it also mentions that they sleep with women at the temple). Eli pleads with his sons to repent because their sins are against God, not men. They refused to listen and God is going to put them to death.
Depending on what version you read, it says God desired to put them to death or that he longs to put them to death. Ultimately, God longs for each of us to repent, however sin has consequences and if we refuse to repent, God will punish us for our sins.

Read verse 26: The atrocity of Eli's sons is book-ended by reports of Samuel's growth and favor. It is a huge contrast between how these men who are supposed to be priests are portrayed versus this boy growing up. The wording here is also very reminiscent of the wording used to describe Jesus in Luke 2:52.

Read verses 27-34?: "Man of God" – a human messenger sent by God with this message (paraphrased of course):

• You know me (v27). 
• You know I choose your tribe (v28). 
• Why do you to file me (v29)? 
• Punishment is coming for the defilers (v30-33). 
• Sons die same day (v34). 
• But God will raise up a faithful priest (v35). 
• He will be over Eli's household (v36).

Application:

• Don't let your age hinder you. (1Tim. 4:12) Samuel was a boy and yet the one who was doing the right thing. Just because people are older, it does not mean they are automatically correct or more spiritual. Don't fear serving thinking that there are people more qualified than you because of their age.
• Decisions have consequences. Hophni and Phineas are living is sin and seem like they are getting away with it, but it catches up with them. 
• Repent while you can. Even when your decisions have consequences, God longs to forgive us. (Jer. 18:8-9, 1 John 1:9)

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We are currently going through 1 Samuel in the youth group Sunday School class. These are my lessons turned into posts.

Ruth 3

Recap-Chapter 1: Naomi's husband and sons die, widowing her, Orpah and Ruth. Naomi heads back to Israel, but tries to send Orpah and Ruth back to their fathers. Orpah goes, but Ruth says no, your God is now my God and your people, my people. Naomi (call me Mara) and Ruth arrive in Bethlehem in time for the barley harvest.
Chapter 2: Ruth gleans in Boaz's field and catches his attention so he shows her favor.

Read verses 1: Naomi is now getting over her misery and helping Ruth out.

Read verses 2-4: Naomi comes up with a plan for Ruth. According to the Law, there were customs of which man was to step up to care for a woman in place of her deceased husband and also that man would get his land (Deut. 25:5; Lev. 25:23-28).
Winnowing is a time of celebration and work, a party-like atmosphere, tied in with the Feast of Booths (Deut. 16:13-15).

Read verse 5: Ruth says ok to Naomi's plan.

Ruth 2

Recap-Chapter 1: Naomi's husband and sons die, widowing her, Orpah and Ruth. Naomi heads back to Israel, but tries to send Orpah and Ruth back to their fathers. Orpah goes, but Ruth says no, your God is now my God and your people, my people. Naomi (call me Mara) and Ruth arrive in Bethlehem in time for the barley harvest.

Read verse 1: Boaz is a rich relative of Elimelech. More importantly he is referred to as a "worthy man," which stands in stark contrast to all these "worthless fellows" we've read about in Judges.

Read verses 2-3: Ruth gets Naomi's permission, then goes to glean in the fields. This was a provision God had set up for widows and orphans (Deut. 24:19). The field she happens to glean in belongs to Boaz.
As we read through Ruth, we see God's hand working in numerous situations, even if He isn't specifically credited for it, like happened here.

Samuel's Birth

This past Sunday we started studying the book of 1 Samuel in Sunday School. The books of 1&2 Samuel are really one book but it was too long to fit onto one scroll, so that's why it's split as we have it today. The book is next in line chronologically after the book of Judges. We will see that Samuel becomes the last of the judges before Israel then has kings in authority over them.

Read verses 1-2: Elkanah is an Israelite living in Ephraim. If we look in 1 Chron. 6:33-34, we see he is a Levite. Elkanah also has two wives, Peninnah and Hannah. Peninnah has children but Hannah does not. In biblical times this is a big deal; much of a woman's worth was tied to being able to provide children (particularly sons), to her husband.

Read verse 3: Elkanah goes to sacrifice and worship yearly at the temple, which shows us he follows the Lord. Remember in Judges we saw that people do whatever they want, including Levites. So we are being shown that Elkanah was different in this regard – he obeyed the Lord.
We are also introduced to Eli and his sons, Hophni and Phineas. All three are priests at the temple.

Ruth 1

Read verses 1-2: We start out by being given some background information. First, we're told this story takes place during the time of the judges, like an addendum to the book of Judges.Next we're told that there is a famine in the land. More than likely this was a punishment from God for repeatedly sinning (Lev. 26:18-20). Then we start learning about the people in the book. Elimelech takes his wife, Naomi, and his sons, Mahlon and Chilion, to Moab. They leave to find food and provision which doesn't seem like a big deal but they are doing this instead of turning back to the Lord and trusting God to provide.

Read verse 3: Elimelech dies; we are given know details but it makes me wonder if this is more punishment from the Lord. In that day, blessings were tied to the land and having left the land could've brought more punishment.

Read verse 4: Our titular character now enters the scene... Mahlon and Chilion both marry Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah, respectively. They live in Moab for ten years. This is a much bigger deal than it seems. Israelites were given instructions to never marry foreigners, especially not Moabites and Ammonites (Deut. 23:3).

The Final on Judges

Hope you studied, it's time for the final! This week we played Judges Jeopardy! If you think you're ready for it, you can try answering the questions too.

Round 1: jeopardylabs.com/play/the-book-of-judges5

Round 2: jeopardylabs.com/play/the-book-of-judges-2

Final Jeopardy: These are the six steps in the Cycle of the Judges.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)

Unfortunately for you, reading this online instead of participating in church, you don't get to enjoy the treats we had in celebration of the culmination of our study. Then again, you may not have wanted them anyway... We had:
Tent pegs (like Jael hammered into Sisera's head)...
Honey in a lion carcass (like Samson ate and gave his parents)...
Blood & guts (like oozed out of Ehud and Abimelech when they died)...
Wine (ok just sparkling cider because Gideon hid in a wine press and Samson liked to drink it)...

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I just finished teaching on the book of Judges for the youth group Sunday school class. We normally spend half our time playing a game and the other half studying the Bible. However today it was one game/Bible combo.

Crazy Plans for the Benjaminites

The last few chapters of Judges are appendices to the rest of the book. Chapters 19-21 deal with one continuous story and its repercussions. If you recall in chapter 19, a Levite's concubine is raped and killed by the Benjaminites when he travels through their city. She dies so the Levite chops her up into 12 pieces and sends her to the other tribes as a warning and/or to seek retribution. In chapter 20, Israel gathers, the Levie tells half-truths about what happened and so Israel fights against Benjamin. The first two days Benjamin kills lots of Israelites, but then the third day things swing around and all of the Benjaminite women and children are killed, and only 600 Benjaminite men remain.

Read verse 1: If you remember, the men of Israel were in Mizpah to discuss what happened to the Levite's concubine. Apparently while they were there they also made a pact that they would not give their daughters to the Benjaminites in marriage.

Read verses 2-3: Israel is upset and asking the Lord why this happened. Apparently they forgot that they did it!!

Read verse 4: The next day they offer sacrifices. Interestingly, they are honoring and serving God and don't seemed to be hindered by their disobedience.

Philemon

The book of Philemon is a short one chapter book. Yet through it we are able to glean principles of how to live, as well as seeing a picture of Christ.

Read verses 1-3: This is Paul's typical greeting, with one difference. He refers to himself as a prisoner of Christ rather than an apostle of Christ, clearly there must be some reason he identifies himself this way. The letter is also coming from Timothy and it is addressed to Philemon, Apphia (our sister and possible Philemon's wife?), Archippus (our fellow soldier and possible Philemon's son?), and their house church.
In verse three Paul switches from the plural "you" to the singular "you" and is now addressing Philemon specifically.

Read verses 4-7: Paul shares a testimony about Philemon. What do we learn about Philemon's character through this? He has a great love and faith in God and people, he shares his faith and all he does encourages and refreshes other believers (including Paul).
I don't know about you, but if I was Philemon reading this, I'd be wondering what does Paul want that he's buttering me up by saying all these nice things.

Read verses 8-9: As an apostle and church leader, Paul has the authority that he could just make Philemon do what he wants. However, he gives Philemon the option to what he wants. It's in essence a chance for him to put his words into action. When it's going to cost him something, will he still do what it right?

The Levite Seeks Revenge

The last few chapters of Judges are appendices to the rest of the book. The last chapter was one of the craziest stories we see in the Bible. Chapter 20 deals with some of the repercussions of that story. If you recall in chapter 19, a Levite's concubine is raped and killed by the Benjaminites when he travels through their city. She dies so the Levite chops her up into 12 pieces and sends her to the other tribes as a warning and/or to seek retribution.

Read verses 1-2: All sorts of leaders of Israel gather at Mizpah (which is a Benjaminite city). We're told Israelite leaders come from Dan to Beersheba, which is like saying from the north to the south.

Read verse 3a:  The Benjaminites hear about this meeting (which isn't surprising since it's happening in their land.

Read verses 3b-6: The Levite is questioned about what happened. He explains what happens, but with some omissions and alterations to make himself look completely innocent and the Benjaminites look worse.

Read verse 7: The Levite then asks Israel for their advice and counsel.

A Levite and His Concubine

The last few chapters of Judges are appendices to the rest of the book. The last two chapters were one continuous story. We now move on to a new story with different characters, but the same theme. Now a word of warning, chapter 19 of Judges would get an R rating if it were a movie. Be prepared for that, no seriously, it's about to get crazy!

Read verse 1a: Yet again we are reminded that there is no king, which should makes us think that the people therefore are doing whatever they want.

Read verse 1b:  A Levite (not the same Levite from the last two chapters) is traveling around (but remember he should be doing priestly duties in a levitical city) and he takes a concubine. Now the question you don't want to answer for 7-12th graders, but you have to since you've been asked is: what exactly is a concubine? Well here are some possible answers:

• a sex slave (some sort of extended prostitution)
• a secondary wife (lacks the respect a wife deserves)
• the bearer of children for barren wives
• woman who was part of a king's harem for sexual gratification
• if a woman was unmarried and had no family, this was a better option than prostitution, homelessness or death.

The definition that seems to best fit this story is that she was like a live-in girlfriend. There was a relationship there but it lacks the commitment of marriage.

Oh and one other thing, The Levite is referred to as "the man," "his son-in-law," "her husband," "his master," and "the traveler" among other things. To make it less confusing, I'm just going to refer to him as the Levite throughout the entire story.

Read verse 2: After some time, the concubine is unfaithful to the Levite and goes to her dad's house for four months. In those days adultery would've been punishable by death so when it says she was unfaithful it means they were just having some issues which cause her to leave.

Read verses 3-4: The Levite goes to woo her back, and is welcomed by her father to stay for a few days.

The Levite and the Idols

A little refresher from the last chapter... Micah has a house full of idols and he just hired the Levite as his priest. This is all quite sinful because Israel has no king and people are just doing whatever they want.

Read verse 1: In case you forgot, we start off with another reminder that there's no king. We now find out that the tribe of Dan hasn't cleared the Gentiles of of their promised land and they decide to look for land elsewhere.

Read verse 2: Five spies are sent out who find Micah's house.

Read verses 3-4:  They recognize the Levites voice (meaning his accent probably), so they ask him what he's doing there.

Micah and the Levite

A little recap on the outline of the book of Judges... Chapters 1-2 was an introduction with some background information on the book of Judges. In chapters 3-16, there was story after story demonstrating the cycle of sin and deliverance of Israel through a number of Judges. The judges spiraled downward, falling further and further from God's plan for them. The final chapters (17-21) share a few stories that are considered to be appendices. They are not chronological, but are likely to have happened during the time of the Judges. They will demonstrate the apostasy of Israel during this time period.

Read verse 1: Our main character enters the scene, Micah, and he is an Israelite. An interesting note as you read through the story: Micah means "Who is like the Lord."

Read verse 2: Micah reminds his mom of some silver she thought had been stolen and then confesses that he was the one who took it. Her response, "Lord, bless my son." (Seems like a weird response to me!)

Read verse 3: Micah gives the silver back and she instructs him to take it back and use it to make idols. (FYI- a graven image would be wood overlaid with silver and a molten image would be solid silver)

Remember

In Judges 16:28, Samson cries out in prayer to the Lord and asks God to remember him. A number of years ago, I was teaching a Sunday School class on the life of Joseph and had made a worksheet up for the teens to do as homework. (It was a small group of solid kids and 4 of the 5 of them did the homework.)

The homework was a word study of sorts on 'remember' because the verse we would be looking at the following week was Genesis 40-41: when the cupbearer remembers Joseph and tells Pharaoh about him... Here's the homework I gave them:

Remember

What does remember mean? (look it up in a dictionary or something.)

Some possible definitions from dictionary.com…

            …to keep continually in mind for attention or consideration

            …to be continually aware or thoughtful of

            …to bear (a person) in mind as deserving a gift, reward, or fee

Grab a Bible and check out these verses. From what you know about these passages; jot down what happened before and after each verse.

Genesis 8:1- ___________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Genesis 19:29- _________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Genesis 30:22- _________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Exodus 2:24- __________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

1 Samuel 1:19- _________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Psalm 106:44-45- _______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

There are many verses that God says, “I will remember my covenant…” or the people are told that they will “remember the days of their youth.” What do you think it means or what will happen when these things are remembered?

Any conclusions you can draw from these passages?

So for those of you who aren't going to look up the verse, I'll give you my answers.

• Genesis 8:1- Noah is in the ark, God remembers him and causes a wind to make the waters subside.
• Genesis 19:29- God remembers the promise He made to Abraham and saves Lot.
• Genesis 30:22- Rachel had no children. God remembers her and opens her womb so she conceives a child.
• Exodus 2:24- The Israelites are in slavery. God remembers the covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In the rest of the Old Testament, He is working to fulfill that covenant.
• 1 Samuel 1:19- God remembered He had closed Hannah's womb and He opens it.
• Psalm 106:44-45- God hears the cries, He remembers them, and He relents because He is merciful.
• “I will remember my covenant…” God will act on the promises He's made, whether good or bad thing (saving people, punishing people, etc). If He said it, He will do it at the right time.
• “remember the days of their youth” They often did not remember and acted sinfully because of not remembering.

The conclusion I drew from these passages? When it says God remembers, it's not that He had forgotten about the people and where they are. Instead, when God remembers, an action immediately follows.

The afternoon after I taught this lesson. I picked up my copy of Beth Moore's Believing God Bible Study and opened up to the day's homework and it was titled "How God Remembers." It said to look up Genesis 8:1 and then asked "Whom and what did God remember?"

And then it talked about how it's unsettling to think about God forgetting us. However God assures us in Isa. 49 that we never leave His mind (Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I WILL NOT FORGET YOU. Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My Hands; your walls are continually before me. v15-16)

Beth goes on to say that the opposite of God remembering is not God forgetting. And has a page set up to have you study 3 of the exact passages we had on the Remember worksheet I gave the teens, as well as two other very closely related ones.

She then concludes the section with this paragraph: 

The vast majority of references to God remembering also record a subsequent action or promise of action. Beloved, God never forgets His people. When the Word of God says that God remembers, we can assume a subsequent action on His part, even if its not specified. Almost every time we see a reference to God remembering, He is about to stretch out His mighty arm and swing into action. And when He stands, His enemies scatter (see Ps. 68:1). Glory! As you discovered in the previous Scriptures, most of the action is included, if not implied, in the context of God's remembrance. Hear this carefully: God acts on what He remembers. (Moore, Beth. Believing God. LifeWay Press: Nashville, TN. 2004. p147-149.)

This is a lesson that I haven't forgotten. The pre-chorus of Chris Tomlin's song "Your Grace is Enough," sings "Remember Your people, Remember Your children, Remember Your promise, Oh God." Every time I hear it I get a expectant joy in my heart thinking, "Yes God, please remember us and immediately act on our behalf."

One last thing, there are also verses that state, "God will remember no more..." For instance, in Jeremiah 31:34 the Lord declares, "I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more." It doesn't say God just forgot about it. No He chooses not to remember, meaning He knows but chooses to show mercy and not act upon it.

Samson & Delilah

This is the last chapter in the story of Samson. When we ended chapter 15, the Philistines and he were retaliating back and forth and ended with lots of dead Philistines.

Read verses 1-2: Samson goes to Gaza (which is a Philistine city) and sleeps with a prostitute. The Philistines see him and set an ambush to attack him in the morning.

Read verse 3: Samson wakes at midnight, somehow sneaks past the ambush and takes apart the city gate. He then carries the gate's doors, posts and bar up a mountain 38 miles away. (That's a really strong guy to carry any weight such a long distance!)

That's the end of this first little story. Now on to Delilah...

Samson Seeks Revenge

It's been a few weeks since we've looked at the book of Judges. We had breakfast instead of Sunday School on Easter, then a Youth Group Survivor weekend. So you may not remember where we left off. If you recall, Judges 13-16 are all about Samson and his life. He was to be a Nazirite from birth, meaning he was to avoid alcohol, cutting his hair and touching dead stuff. The last we saw Samson he had found a woman he wanted to marry but because of the whole riddle dilemma, he went home while the best man consummated the marriage. Quite an odd ending to the chapter, but the story continues in chapter 15.

(Now before I dive into the Scripture, I'm going to ask you to grab a Bible and turn to Judges 15 and read the verses when it says to. Or if you prefer, open up a Bible online to read it. Either way, read the Word, don't just read what I say, my words are not inspired, unlike His!)

Read verse 1: Some time has passed and Samson's no longer angry about the riddle, so he's ready to consummate the marriage. He brings a goat to give her as a gift, but her dad says no.

A Fearless Man, a Damsel (not in distress), and A Wedding Feast

Last chapter we looked at the birth of Samson and the Nazirite vow that he is to abide by so he can deliver Israel from the Philistines. In this chapter, that vow will come into play, so read Numbers 6 or look back over the last chapter if you need a refresher. This chapter starts with Samson all grown up.

Read verses 1-2: Samson sees a Philistine woman and wants her. Therefore he asks his parents to get her for him. I find it rather annoying that he just looks at this woman and decides he wants her like she's a piece of meat, but times were different then, so I can look past that. However, she's a Philistine woman and God has made it clear that the Israelites are not to intermarry with any foreigners (Deut 7:3-4). This whole thing goes against his life purpose of delivering Israel from the Philistines, he's about to deepen their connection!

Read verse 3: His parents wisely try to convince him otherwise, but he doesn't want to hear it. He talks about it being "right in his own eyes" (ESV), but this is a major problem, we need to live for what's right in God's eyes, not our own.

Samson's Birth

The next couple of chapters in the book of Judges are all about Samson. He's one of those guys listed in the end of Hebrews 11 who had faith, but the author ran out of time to tell us about specifically. I'll be honest. Samson is one that confuses me, cause it seems like he makes bad decision after bad decision, with no remorse. So it'll be interesting to read and learn more about him.

Oh and I didn't actually teach this lesson. I was away with some of the high school girls for a retreat. Therefore this is just what I would have taught had I been there, but our youth pastor taught the chapter, not me.

Alright, so chapter 13...

Read verse 1: The cycle starts again... Israel sins and is enslaved to the Philistines for 40 years.

Read verse 2: Manoah is introduced to us. We aren't told much about him, but that his wife is barren (aka menopausal) and has no previously had any children.

The End of the Saga of Jephthah

Chapters 10, 11 and 12 are one narrative that all seem to flow together. Last week we read chapter 10 and the first half of chapter 11. This week, we finished chapter 11 and read all of chapter 12.

At the end of chapter 8, we read that the land was at rest. Chapter 9 was all sorts of upheaval as Abimelech tried to seize control of the land. At the end of chapter 9, Abimelech is killed and it seems like the land is at rest, even though we are not specifically told so.

Read verse 29: The "Spirit of the Lord" comes upon Jephthah. Remember, when the Spirit of the Lord came upon people in the Old Testament it was cause He was empowering them to do something special.

Read verses 30-31: Jephthah makes a vow to God. If He delivers them, he'll sacrifice the first thing that comes out of his house.

The Beginning of the Saga of Jephthah

Chapters 10, 11 and 12 are one narrative that all seem to flow together. This week we read chapter 10 and the first half of chapter 11. Next week, we'll finish 11 and read chapter 12.

At the end of chapter 8, we read that the land was at rest. Chapter 9 was all sorts of upheaval as Abimelech tried to seize control of the land. At the end of chapter 9, Abimelech is killed and it seems like the land is at rest, even though we are not specifically told so.

Read verses 1-2: Tola judges Israel 23 years, then dies.

Read verses 3-5: Jair judges Israel 22 years, then dies.

Clearly not much information is given about these two men. They were judges for a number of years. Tola somehow saved Israel. Jair had sons with donkeys and cities. That's about all we know.
There are a few explanations for why this may be the case. They did nothing noteworthy (good, nor bad). Twelve is a popular number in the Bible, so they need to be mentioned so that we can have 12 judges. My guess is that they just lived during quiet, peaceful times (aka, the land was at rest). Think about it, if you are writing the history of the USA in 21 brief chapters, are you going to spend much time on James Garfield, Chester Arthur, Howard Taft, or Jimmy Carter? No, you'd focus on the guys at Mt. Rushmore (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt), FDR or JFK. They are the guys who were presidents at significant times in our country's history. It's not that what other presidents did was insignificant, just not as noteworthy. Of course, I'd give Taft a verse or two mentioning about getting stuck in the White House bathtub or mention in a verse that Garfield was the first left-handed president.

Abimelech

Like any great literary work, the book of Judges gives us some foreshadowing at the end of chapter 8. We are informed Gideon dies leaving behind 70 sons, including Abimelech. (And of course don't forget, Abimelech's name means "my father is king." We discussed some of the ramifications of that last week.)

The End of the Saga of Gideon

We played Balderdash as our game this week. Everyone is told some obscure word and has to write down a definition for it. We then read all the definitions, including the correct one, then everyone picks whichever they think it true. You get points if people guess your false definition or if you guess the correct one. We do the same this with a weird law too.
This week the weird law was: In South Carolina, it is illegal to crawl... Here are some possible answers:

1. in a cave.
2. under your neighbor's house.
3. down the sidewalk at night.
4. in a public sewer without government approval.
5. across the road.
6. under clothes racks in department stores.

Can you guess the correct one?


And then on to Judges... If you recall, at the end of chapter 7, Gideon had called upon the men of Ephriam to help him fight and they had cut off the heads of two Midiainite leaders.

Gideon's Strange Battle Plan

Actually it's more like God's Strange Battle Plan for Gideon...

Recap: In chapter 6, we saw Israel sin, Israel enslaved, Israel crises out to God, and God raises up a judge.

Read verse 1:  Remember what "Jeruabbaal" means and who it refers to? (He who contends with Baal... it's another name for Gideon.)

Read verse 2: Why does God say there are too many people? (There are still too many people for it to be clear that He delivered them from the Midianites and so they might boast.)
Read verse 3: Who leaves and why? (22,000 men, because they're scared)

"Positive morale is one of the most critical weapons in a soldier's arsenal... fear and insecurity can spread like wildfire in a group and [will hinder] success." -P. Shirer (Gideon p78)

Read verses 4-7: further whittled down by the way they drank water... 300 bringing water to their mouth would've been more alert to danger around them... may or may not be part of why
Read verse 8: so the 31,700 go home and the 300 prepare to fight
Read verse 9-11: God knew Gideon would want proof of what He said, so He gives him and option. Gideon takes the option because, of course, he's scared.

Read verses 12-15: huge camp and Gideon happens to come upon a man telling his friend about a dream. What was the dream? (bread tumbling into a tent) What did the dream mean? (Gideon's going to win) How did Gideon respond? (in worship to God)

Read verses 16-18:  What's the battle plan?

1. light a torch and cover it with a pitcher.
2. surround camp at night
3. break pitchers, blow trumpets, and shout "for the Lord and for Gideon"

"...the Lord's explicit aim in reducing the troops earlier was to ensure that the credit due Him would not be usurped by another..." (Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary, G. Wong p223)

Read verses 19-20: They carry out Gideon's instructions (blinding light and loud noise). Does it work?

Read verses 21-22: YES! The Midianites turn on each other in their confusion.
Read verse 23:  some fled and were pursued

Read verses 24-25: Tribe of Ephriam (who hadn't been involved in the fighting) capture then kill two Midianite leaders and bring Gideon their heads. More on Ephriam next week...

Application:

• Obey even when it doesn't make sense to you. (They went to battle with trumpets and torches, not swords and shields.)  
• God is working things together for good, like it says in Romans 8:28. (It wasn't just coincidence that Gideon happened to overhear the dream. There were thousands of men that he could have overheard.)
• God can handle your doubt. He even expects it. (He offered Gideon a test knowing he was going to be scared and want it.)

**All Scripture is quotes from the New American Standard.
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I'm currently teaching on the book of Judges for the youth group Sunday school class. We normally spend half our time playing a game and the other half studying the Bible. These are my lessons and some funny tidbits that happen during the course of the morning.

Gideon

Have you ever watched A Bug's Life? There's a colony of ants who are being oppressed by a swarm of grasshoppers. Every year the ants try to prepare as much food as possible for the winter so that they can give a share to the grasshoppers and still have some of their own leftover. The next couple of chapters are all telling the story of Gideon. This first chapter of his story reminds me of the oppression the ants experienced in the movie.

Deborah & Barak

This is my least favorite story so far in Judges. We've been talking about the major flaws the judges have and how God uses them in spite of this. God is their strength and He works through them and their weaknesses. As Priscilla Shirer says, "God handpicked people for the job who were terribly flawed, then empowered them to fulfill these roles in spite of their shortcomings."
Well, in chapters 4-5 the judges are Deborah and Barak. Her major flaw: she's a woman. It seriously pains me to say that... He's got his own flaws too, which we'll get to as well!

One of the most interesting Bible stories, ever!

We often play Balderdash as one of our games. Everyone is told some obscure word and has to write down a definition for it. We then read all the definitions, including the correct one, then everyone picks whichever they think it true. You get points if people guess your false definition or if you guess the correct one. We do the same this with a weird law too.

This week the word was: zufolo. Here are some possible definitions:

Caught Red-Handed!

Ever watch White Wolves? For those of you that haven't had the privilege, a group of teens and their leader go on a backpacking trip, very much like the wilderness trip, with less canoeing. Their goal is to get to the top of Eagle Rock. They eventually make it to the top and disaster strikes! Their trip turns into a rescue mission and they go through struggle after struggle on the way. Before they go, they trained for the trip. Some had prior knowledge on camping and hiking. There is also a ranger who gives them specific instructions, including that fires can only be made in designated areas. At one point, Benny has distanced himself from the group and makes a little fire on his own. Mr. B comes looking for him and catches him red-handed with this fire.

Last week we studied Judges 1, which is basically the political background of the book. This week we studied Judges 2, which we will see is basically the spiritual background of the book. An important thing to note, is the Judges is not chronological. So in chapter 1 we read that Joshua died and he's going to die again in chapter 2. Nothing funny is going on, we're just learning about the same events but with a different reason each time.

Inquire & Obey

I'm currently teaching on the book of Judges for the youth group Sunday school class. We normally spend half our time playing a game and the other half studying the Bible. The next few weeks, I will be posting my lessons and possibly a game or some funny tidbits that happen during the course of the morning.
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Before we take a look at the book of Judges, we need to get some background info so we know what's happening when we start reading chapter 1. In Numbers, the Israelites, God' chosen people, are wandering around in the wilderness waiting to enter the Promised Land. In Joshua, Moses dies and now Joshua leads the people into the Promised Land (Canaan). They fight many battles to acquire the land, yet there are many towns that are not completely taken over.

In Joshua 23-24, on his deathbed, Joshua challenges the people to remember all that God has done for them and their forefathers and to choose to serve the Lord. He reminds them that they cannot serve the Lord and foreign gods. Then he dies.

Now in Sunday School, we read a verse or two and then recap/discuss what's going on in those verses. So the rest of this won't make sense unless you open up your Bible to Judges 1 and read along with me.

I walk on the wild side, I laugh in the face of danger. Ha ha ha.

You ever play that movie game in the pool? you give the acronym for the movie title and every one else has to figure it out, race to you and make their guess? Well we did a Christmas song version of that for Sunday school. Without using any technological help, can you figure out the titles of these Christmas carols/songs?

1) OHN
2) ICUAMC
3) AIAM
4) COTB
5) H!THAS
6) OLTOB
7) TDOC
8) M,DYK?
9) JTTW
10) OCAYF
11) BOH
12) WCIT?
13) SN
14) AWHHOH
15) ICTD (Bonus points if you get this obscure one)
16) RATCT
17) WWYAMC
18) WC
19) FTS
20) JB
21) DTH
22) DTD