Judges 1-10

It was in the book of Judges where I felt in my heart that the wisdom, love, guidance, understanding and passion that I feel during this commitment of reading 10 chapters a day of the Bible should be shared. In the book of Judges, there were several mentions of the supernatural powers given to men when “The Spirit was upon them.” I kept hearing throughout reading this book that I should write my experience of what these words mean and how they are shaping my life. I would say ironic that it was in this particular book, which represents the Holy Spirit giving strength and power that would not exist without Him, but I know this message is attributed from God. I committed to this journey on September 12, 2009 and we are now into October. I will spend some extra time going back to the beginning, so that I may share the beautiful lessons in the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua. It was when I least expected it that I would hear the Holy Spirit answering for me the exact question I was asking. It’s been truly amazing so far and we have barely scratched the surface!

Judges is the book of heroes. This book is to show judgment against sin as well as the restoration to relationship with Him. There were 12 heroes, men and women in this book. During these times, God’s people were living by the standard of “everyone doing as he sees fit.” God raised up a judge to deliver His people and then complacency and disobedience would follow in a continues cycle. How often does this happen today? I’ve lived in Los Angeles for a few years and been a witness to many people, including myself, living a life of “doing as one sees fit.” With self-centeredness as the driving force behind this “lifestyle”, I can only guess this to be a reason for the depression, anger, frustration, fear and doubt that is so prevalent. When God gives us a mission, it should not be polluted by a desire for approval from society. Keeping our eye on Christ, instead of ourselves and worldly things, should be our desire. Idolatry has been brought up in every book I’ve read thus far. It is one of the ten commandments and something that God despises. The way I understand Idolatry is to mean anything, not just a person, that we put more important than God, and many times its something that is unconscious that becomes a ruling god in our lives when we choose it above loving God. Vanity, a certain trend, the modern day obsession with “celebrity” and worshiping icons with a desperate attempt to become one at any cost are just a few examples. If you are letting your desire for recognition, craving for power, or love of money rule your life, you may find yourself besieged by enemies like stress, depression, anxiety, fatigue and chronic disease. Keep God at the center of your life and you will have the power to fight these destroyers.

The people of Israel had finally entered and taken control of the promised land. The unholy but attractive lifestyle of the Canaanites proved more dangerous than their military might. Sound familiar? The devil has seduced us into thinking the worldly treasures, fame, fortune and power is worth striving for to WASTE OUR TIME so that we don’t fulfill God’s plan for our lives and ultimately, salvation. It says in Judges, that if we attempt to meet life’s challenges with human effort alone, we will find the pressures and temptations around us too great to resist. And furthermore, the Canaanites idealized evil traits: cruelty in war, sexual immorality, selfish greed, and materialism. It was a “me first, anything goes” society. Doesn’t this sound a lot like our current environments? In order for faith to survive, it must be practiced everyday in loving God and living for Him. The Israelites had a task to drive out the Canaanites and failed to do so. This relates to us with sin because we often times know what to do, but just don’t follow through. The result is a gradual separation from God. Victory comes from living according to His purpose. Often times people want God to fulfill his promises while excusing themselves from responsibility. “They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways, therefore the Lord was very angry.” (Judges 2:20) Does faith mean to sit on your behind and wait for God to come serve you with all the gifts he has assigned to you? I don’t think so. We need to ask ourselves, have we done our part? This book has cycles of the Israelites’ disobedience, repentance, and mercy by God when He continued to rise up judges to lead the Israelites back on course to drive out sin. When we pray for forgiveness, we are asking for what we do not deserve and it is through God’s mercy, that he sent his son and through Him, we are forgiven. We need the help of Jesus Christ to live God’s way which is an essence of selflessness. Has it occurred to you that God has left obstacles in your life like hostile people, difficult situations, or baffling problems to allow you to develop faith and obedience? The Israelites discovered that relationships affect faith. The men and women seemed attractive and soon they intermarried and accepted immoral practices. Befriending people that do not know God is important, but God warns us that through those friendships we can become entangled in unhealthy practices and adopting their patterns of behavior. When in your gut, you feel that even a friend is leading into behavior that God does not condone, why not challenge yourself to become the leader God wants you to be and run if you have to? A person’s real faith steps out at God’s command, even if he must go at it alone. When the Holy Spirit enters your heart and you are guided by Him, supernatural things occur that are unexplainable. “Othniel , a deliverer was raised up and The Spirit of the Lord came upon him.” (Judges 3:10) There was a spontaneous increase of physical, spiritual and mental strength that prepared him for God’s special task. Have you ever experienced supernatural power when you were to complete a task that you felt was not your own? Let God use you the way you are for His special tasks. The Holy Spirit can upgrade your natural talents into the spiritual gifts that He has intended for your life if you ask Him.


One of the Judges was Deborah, and it was through her story that I related the most in this book. She led Israel to battle “March on, my soul; be strong! Then thundered the horses’ hoofs galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds…So may all your enemies perish, O Lord! But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength…Then the land had peace” (Judges 5:22-31) I get chills when I read her story and understand her completely. She was a brave and resourceful woman. Wise leaders like Deborah are rare because they know how to work through others so well and are able to see the big picture making a great mediator, advisor and planner. She had a great relationship with God, all the leadership skills and the God-given insight and confidence that made her among the most outstanding women of history. Her goal was to serve God; she was not power hungry. When people praised her, in her humility she gave God the credit. She never denied her place as a woman and wife, nor was she hindered by her role either. Deborah reminds us that we need to be available both to God and to others. She encourages us to spend our time on what we can do rather than worrying about what we can’t do. How many of us worry about things we have no control over or things that don’t even exist? Deborah challenges us to be a wise leader and shows what a person can accomplish when God is in control. There goes those chills again! Her strengths were that when she was called upon to lead, she was able to plan, direct, and delegate. She was a mediator, adviser and counselor, and was also a beautiful writer. God chooses leaders by His standards, not ours. Wise leaders choose good helpers.

The fifth judge was Gideon, a farmer that delivered Israel from Midian. The angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon to deliver a special message and Gideon questioned God about His apparent lack of help. How easy it is to overlook personal accountability and blame our problems on God and others. When problems come, the first place to look is within. Our first action should be to confess the sins that may have caused the problems to begin with. God continuously says in all the books so far “The Lord is with you.” Even though God promises to be with us and give us the tools and strength we need, we often make excuses. Reminding God of our limitations is to assume that God doesn’t know us better than we know ourselves since He is the one who created us. Spend time being productive and doing what God wants, excuses are another waste of time. Be aware that when you do begin to accomplish something for God, you may be criticized by the very people that should support you. Satan’s strongest attacks are usually after a great victory. Gideon struggled with putting confidence in himself above God and lacking faith by requesting God to show him visible signs of his existence. Demanding extra signs is an indication of unbelief. Fear often makes us wait for more confirmation when we should be taking action. Visible signs are unnecessary if they only confirm what we already know to be true. The greatest means of God’s guidance is His word. Instead of asking for signs, study the Bible.

What are you doing for God this worth noting? When your life is over, will people remember more than just what is in your bank account or the number of years you lived?