Judges 19

The story contained in this chapter is both sickening and saddening. We have another case like Sodom of a city so imbued with evil that they would rape guests, and at the same time a man who went out of his way to get his concubine back but then was willing to let her take the abuse that was demanded of him. Why would he go after her like that if he did not love her? Why would he let them do what they did to her if he loved her? Why would the people of a town be so evil? It all seems so pointless, but I'm sure that it is going somewhere; I guess we'll see tomorrow.

Judges 18

Well, this chapter didn't have nearly the bad consequences I was expecting it to have. Micah did have his priest and idols stolen, which was the least of what he deserved, but he wasn't punished or even reprimanded by God - nor were the Danites who stole his things, as best as I can tell. The final verses indicate that the tribe of Dan worshiped Micah's idol on their own until the time of the Exile; that means a few hundred years, and through the time of the various kings that Israel had. I am very surprised that God allowed that, but perhaps there was more to the story which was not recorded (or which is written elsewhere).

Judges 17

This short chapter describes the first 'cult' talked about in the Bible - and perhaps the only one, as I don't recall that being a theme or major issue anywhere else. The man named Micah and his family claim to be worshiping God, but he has idols and seems to have wrong impressions of what God's will is. Near the end he thinks that God will make him rich because he hired a Levite to serve as his priest - but I don't recall the Lord making any such statements previously. It will be interesting, and likely saddening, to see where this ends up.

Judges 16

It is pretty clear that Samson had women problems. I'm not sure what he did for the twenty years he led Israel, but his career started with a marriage gone bad, then he went in for a prostitute, and then fell in love with a woman who nagged him into giving away the secret of his strength. A flawed man, just like all of us, and it was his downfall.

In the end he got revenge, though, and the Bible says he killed more people in his death than he had in his life - which means quite a few, since he had already killed in excess of 1,030 (just in his early days).

Judges 15

I realized this evening that I haven't done my blog in several days - the first time since I started this over two hundred days ago that I missed it, and boy did I ever miss (at least three days without remembering). Anyways, I'm picking up tonight where I left off.

Samson really comes into his own, or more properly into God's power, in this section. He gets revenge first for his wife being given away to another man, and then when she and her father are killed he went on a rampage against those who did it. Lastly, he kills a thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey - amazing! A great example of God's purpose being carried out in a way which no mere human on his own could ever accomplish.

It also looks like Samson led the Israelites for a couple decades after these events, before he finally met his demise. But I am getting ahead of myself - that should be left for future entries.

Judges 14

The story of Samson picks up in this chapter, with some interesting exploits. It looks like God is setting him up to be hated by the Philistines, so that he will have cause to rise up against them. So far he has killed 30 of them, to provide clothes for a bet he made which he lost. I think this will also mark the beginning of 'women trouble' for Samson, as he was betrayed by the woman he was going to marry. If my memory serves, this will become a recurring theme in his life.

Judges 13

The cycle of disobedience among the Israelites is back yet again, and this time they are oppressed for 40 years. But as always in this chapter another judge is on his way - this time in the form of Samson. The account here in chapter 13 of how God told his parents about his coming is pretty cool; I especially like how God responds to the father's request to see the angelic messenger again, since only his wife had seen him at first. It is odd, though, that when he asks how the boy should be raised the answer is that the mother should avoid alcohol and unclean foods. I wonder if more was said that was not written down, or if that omission was intentional.