The Book of Judges reminds me a bit of A Series of Unfortunate Events, where each mini-narrative has a crisis that the hero overcomes, and yet there never seems to be a satisfying resolution. Something “unfortunate” always happens, namely, that the people fall back into sin again. Each time this happens, the story draws you in further, wondering who the next hero will be, what problems they will face and whether they will finally be the leader after God’s own heart (foreshadowing) who will finally be able to unite the people.
Read MoreOne of the stories in the Book of Judges that has always intrigued (and disturbed) me is the encounter of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, and Sisera, commander of the army of Jabin king of Hazor. You’ll find this encounter in Judges 4:17-21, and then retold in a poem in chapter 5. Essentially, Deborah and Barak are fighting Sisera and his army and they defeat them. But Sisera escapes to the camp of Heber the Kenite and is greeted by Heber’s wife, Jael, who invites him into her tent and offers him refreshment. When he falls asleep, she resourcefully takes a tent peg and hammer and drives it through his temple, thus freeing the Israelites from the attack of the Canaanites. It is heroic, no doubt, but also so strange! What is going on here?
Read MoreOne of the repeated terms in Judges is “Then Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” You are going to see this (and highlight it!) over and over again as we journey through Judges. It is really very annoying, to be honest. I am a freak at doing everything right, a stickler for the rules and making sure that when I put my hand to a task I give it 100%. So I have to say Judges is a little frustrating for me.
Read MoreWhen I read the Bible, I like to look beyond the main story, the main characters and find the person that God has put in there to surprise us. At times these people can be overlooked in the big scheme of things but God has called these faithful people and put their story into the Bible to show us, that every story matters if you take the time to hear it and learn from it.
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