The Bible by David Alley

In 1 Samuel Chapter 14 recounts Jonathan and Israel’s victory at Michmash. This was the scene of a similar WWI victory in 1918 with the General Allenby’s British troops copying Jonathan’s example.A soldier who knew his Bible pointed it out, leading to the soldiers scaling the cliffs for an assault on Ottoman troops. Allenby decided to attack with just one troop instead of the whole company and the Ottomans were unsuspecting and fled, just as the Philistines did. Source: Gilbert, Major Vivian., The Romance of the Last Crusade with Allenby to Jerusalem, Appleton and Company.Once Saul knows they are winning, he tells Ahijah the priest to stop inquiring of the Lord, so they can get into the attack. Circumstances being what they were, must have convinced him he already knew what God wanted and decided to save time. This is the Lesson, don’t assume that circumstances prove God’s voice. Can you think of a time this wasn’t true?Once Jonathan attacked the Philistines panicked, fled, and even started fighting themselves. Previously a number of Hebrews had aligned themselves with the Philistines. Everyone wants to be on the winning side, and when it was evident God was delivering the Philistines up, they switched back. This also helps explain why the “Philistines” were fighting against themselves.

In this video listen to 1 Samuel Chapter 12, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In 1 Samuel Chapter 12 the prophet Samuel recounts a basic history of Israel, covering the Judges up to the first King. He was building a case that the choosing of a King was a sin. This summarised recounting of the Judges is interesting because Bedan is a new name here.Either it's another Judge we didn't know about, or it's Samson or Barak. St Jerome had translated it as Barak as hae others, for various reasons and the word Bedan literally means “in Dan” giving some the idea it was Samson, the judge from Dan. Samuel tells them that he is going to pray for thunder and show them that choosing a king was a sin, and this is what happens.So even though the selecting of Saul as King was a great success, and his initial battle was a victory, Samuel confirms here their great sin in rejecting God. Samuel closes his speech with this “Only fear Yahweh, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things he has done for you.But if you keep doing evil, you will be consumed, both you and your king.” The last sentence is a prophecy, and it comes to pass in 586 BC.

In 1 Samuel Chapter 13 we find a genuine textual issue. They are not common, but here the age of Saul and the length of his reign is odd in the Hebrew.This verse is translated in so many different ways. KJV: "Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel," ESV: "Saul was ... years old when he began to reign, and he reigned, ... and 2 years..." NIV: "Saul was 30 years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel 42 years." NASB: "Saul was 30 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 42 years..." LXX: Simply left out. The number of theories about this verse are astounding.What we learn elsewhere is that Saul actually reigned for 40 years. We get this from Paul in Acts 13:21. Josephus also tells us that Saul reigned for 40 years. He clearly didn’t start reigning when he was 1 year old. This chapter outlines Saul’s first major act of disobedience/sin. He is to wait for Samule for the sacrifices, but Samuel is late. Saul acts out of fear and conducts the sacrifice himself, rather than be obedient to his instruction.He also takes the role of priest which was not his job. Saul is rejected and God wants a king who is after his heart. This raises the question, what is God’s heart? How does one go after it?

In 1 Samuel Chapter 11 is Saul’s first battle as king. In this battle he wins the hearts of the people of Israel and they accept him. Jabesh Gilead is threatened by Nahash of Ammon. The citizens plead peace, but Nahash wants to gouge out their right eyes. Apparently the name Nahash means “snake” or serpent. So we may be dealing with a symbol of Satan in this narrative.His name may also mean “oracle” according to Lockyer (cited in Coffman) According to Josephus this brutal eye-gouging act was so that they were unable to fight. Effectively it meant they couldn’t shoot a bow properly with only one eye, and make them subject permanently.In the Dead Sea Scrolls in 4QSam - an extra verse was found in the Samuel Scroll - “Now Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been grievously oppressing the Gadites and the Reubenites. He would gouge out the right eye of each of them and would not grant Israel a deliverer. No one was left of the Israelites across the Jordan whose right eye Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had not gouged out. But there were seven thousand men who had escaped from the Ammonites and had entered Jabesh-gilead.”Very interestingly in Matt 5:29 Jesus said if your “right eye” causes you to sin, pluck it out. In the early period of Saul’s kingship he was moved by God and served in the power of the Lord, but his hard heart and disobedience later grieved the Spirit. Saul struck in the morning watch, the middle of the night. The ammonites were unsuspecting, and defeated.Much later when Saul was killed by the Philistines on Mt Gilboa, it was the brave men of Jabesh Gilead who took down his body from the wall at Beth Shan and buried it. This city retained a sense of affection towards Saul all of his life after this event.

In this video listen to 1 Samuel Chapter 10, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In 1 Samuel Chapter 10 are stages 1 and 2 of 3 lifting Saul to the throne of Israel. First is the private anointing, second the public selection and third proving himself in battle which comes in the following chapters. First he is anointed privately by Saul. Physically, anointing is rubbing or pouring oil on another.This was done as a sign that someone was set aside or dedicated to service for God. It was often a sign that God’s favor and his Spirit was with that person. While many people were anointed for various tasks, there was one special anointed person... the Messiah, or “the” anointed one.Much later when Saul turned bad, he was still considered anointed by David. This is an important point, given that God knows the future and chose Saul, fully aware of how he would turn out. After his anointing, Saul changed. When the Holy spirit works in us it does change us - we are turned into different people. What it does NOT do is take away our choices.Those in whom the Spirit is working have to cooperate with the Spirit. This is completely unlike demonic oppression which is controlling. The result of this is that people have to learn how to cooperate with the Spirit. Essentially they have to practice.Finally he was selected publicly before all Israel - this was stage two. When this happened he hid himself in the baggage. Why was he hiding in the baggage? Was it because he had already been anointed, and already knew what was ahead. Was he so afraid of leadership he hid.

In this video listen to 1 Samuel Chapter 9, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In 1 Samuel Chapter 9 Saul is going to become king. He looked the part. He was going to be chosen because he “looked” like a king. A movie director would have chosen Saul for his great looks. He would have cast well. He is exactly what we would imagine a king to be like. However the people are getting what they want.Even in this king, we learn that what we want isn't’ always good for us. Saul is missing animals and goes looking for them. Ironically he is about to become the shepherd of Israel. Because of the missing donkeys, he ends up at Saul’s town Ramah. Here we see that God either uses the missing donkey circumstance to bring Saul to Samuel, or perhaps he orchestrates it.When things happen in life that seem unfortunate, God is often in them, or at least can work through them. Nothing complicates God’s life. They intend to pay a quarter of a shekel to see the prophet, Samuel. A quarter of a shekel wasn't much. Imagine cutting a dollar in quarters. Americans have an actual coin called a quarter, but back then they didn’t always have the smaller denominations, so this was an innovation.Samuel is going to the high place at Ramah to sacrifice to God. This high place, and the one at Gilgal when Solomon seeks the Lord seem at face value to be contradicting what God said in the Law. And later in the OT, God speaks against the high places, so why is there an allowance just at this period of time for about 70 years. It is because the tabernacle is in ruins, and Shiloh was taken offline by the Philistines.So the people are worshipping God as they can. Samuel as leader has set up a place where God can be worshipped and sought. God’s word through Samuel refers to “my people.” God still considers Israel his. It's always a mistake when someone rules God’s people and thinks they are their own. Pastors fall into this trap easily.

In 1 Samuel Chapter 8 Israel wants to be like the other nations, but God had always wanted them to be different to the other nations.The “if” game is never possible, but what if Israel had truly followed the law from the beginning, how could this have been a unique nation unlike any other? Firstly poverty in Israel would have been minimal, the economy would have been strong, the land would have been healthy and produced continual harvests because of the sabbath rests, effectively fertilising the land.Other nations would have become jealous and it would have demonstrated that the fertility cults of other nations were false. Even without active evangelism, the nation would have become a witness to the power of God. Other nations would have wanted to have become like them. Instead with narrow minds they want to be like the other nations. From God’s perspective Israel not only has a king, but has a “real” king.They felt like they had no king, and even from our twenty-first century perspective we feel like God was only a “virtual king” of some type, but we don’t feel his realness. The problem was that God’s kingship and rule had not been followed. He had given them the most wonderful law, outlining how everything was to be done in Israel, but they didn’t follow it, and then felt that they needed a king believing they had none. It was a far greater tragedy that we imagine.Samuel tries to warn them, giving God’s words saying what will happen if they have a king. The people refused to listen. Remember when this happened previously at Sinai. They didn’t want to hear God speaking. Here though, they heard the words and refused to accept them. Finally God tells Samuel to listen to them. So even though they have not listened to God, he listens to them and gives them what they want.This also happened to the Israelites in the desert when they craved meat, but it killed them. God can answer prayers sometimes giving us things we shouldn’t have... be careful.

In 1 Samuel Chapter 7 the second battle of Ebenezer is about to happen. The ark of the covenant had been returned to Israel, but not at Shiloh which was no longer functional, but at Kiriath Jearim. The ark however is not brought to battle like it was the first time at Ebenezer.The battle was prompted by a gathering of Israel to repent towards the Lord. They were at Mizpah at Samuel’s direction, when the Philistines sensed an opportunity. 3 Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you are returning to Yahweh with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts to Yahweh, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”The language reminds us of what Christ said, “Seek first the kingdom and all these things will be added unto you.” The lessons and the struggles are the same today as they were three thousand years ago. After the repentance God fought for Israel. Thunder and lightning filled the sky and it terrified the Philistines. Many westerners have lost the sense that there are two realms that overlap each other in different dimensions.The spiritual and the natural are overlaid. Even the Philistines knew this, and interpreted the thunder as a sign that God was against them. In 1 Samuel 3 the Israelites had fought the Philistines at the exact same place, Ebenezer. Except in that case they had taken the ark of the covenant out as a king of magic wand to help them win war.They had no fear of God, and lost. Following on from this 50,000 men died at the hands of the ark, having no respect for God. But now, they have repented and the Lord has obtained a great victory in the same geographical place, Ebenezer. What a contrast. At the end of the chapter Samuel is labelled a judge.

In this video listen to 1 Samuel Chapter 6, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.1 Samuel Chapter 6 the Philistines are distressed and want to send the ark back. It cannot go to Shiloh - but Israel in general. Shiloh had been destroyed by the Philistines and the tabernacle quite likely too. Yet the Philistines aren’t 100% convinced that God was behind their problems, so they propose a test.The ark is placed on a cart pulled by cows, with their not yet weaned calves nearby. Despite this the cows walk off with the ark, proving that God wanted his ark back. The Philistines send it back with offerings of golden tumors and rats, signs of the bubonic plague which had troubled them. The ark went to Beth Shemesh, a border town in Israel.There Apparently 70 men tried to look inside the ark. Or was is 50,070? Chad Ashby has an interesting article on this. It seems that 70 men from Beth Shemesh sparked something much bigger and more terrible by their actions that may have affected many others. https://chadashby.com/2018/07/23/text... eir-heads/ Interestingly, the Philistines have treated the ark with great respect, but the Israelites have not to the same degree.The Philistines also would not have been aware of the rules concerning the ark, but the Israelites in theory should have known. Either way, this event which the Bible calls “a great slaughter” on the back of having lost the ark for seven months, was modifying the theology of the Israelites. It is on the back of this knowledge, that Uzziah later dies when he touches the ark 20 years after this.Both him and David should have been much much more careful. What about the holiness and the glory of God? Here Israelites were treating God like a common thing.

In this video listen to 1 Samuel Chapter 5, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.1 Samuel Chapter 5 the Philistines have captured the ark. In the mind of the Philistines they had defeated the Isrealite God, and they now believed their god to be superior. They knew the Israelite God had defeated the Egyptian gods, so this was quite a celebration for them, but their theology was also faulty. What God would allow himself to be defeated? Yahweh for one, because he cares more about the hearts of men, that the perception that he lost a battle.The great temple of Dagon was in Ashdod. Previously there had been a greater temple in Gaza, but Sampson had destroyed it. Ashdod is also the NT city Azotus, which Philip visits in Acts 8. Once the ark is put in the temple, the statue of Dagon falls down before it overnight. The Lord so amazingly puts messages before people of all times and places.Here God speaks to the Philistines showing them that He alone is to be worshipped, but nobody seems to pick up what is being said. After this the plague starts. Many people think this was the Bubonic plague because of the tumours and the rats. In the Bible, plagues are always associated with God’s action. It may well have been the Bubonic plague symbolised by both the tumors and the rats, but it can still be spiritually caused too.The plague causes the Philistines to change their mind about wanting to keep the ark.

In this video listen to 1 Samuel Chapter 4, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.1 Samuel Chapter 4 the Isrealites are camped at Ebenezer for battle against the Philistines. Ebenezer means the Lord has helped us thus far. Strangely, they are about to go into battle at the end of God’s help. The Israelites bring the ark, but view the ark of the covenant like a magic wand that can be waved.They didn’t realise that the right heart and attitudes towards God are crucial. Today, someone can pray a good prayer for salvation, but not be saved because the heart is not truly humbled, and grace doesn’t flow. Here for Israel, despite the ark coming into the camp, grace doesn’t flow. So the Israelites lose the battle, and the ark is captured. This is the event prophecied in the last chapter that was going to make the ears of everyone tingle.When Eli hears the terrible news, he falls off his chair, breaks his neck and dies. The scripture says he was “very heavy.” Essentially he was fat. His privileged position, and his profligate sons who helped themselves to everything may not have helped. Finally Eli’s daughter in law dies giving birth and names the boy Ichabod meaning “no glory.” This is the low point that kind of ends the period of the Judges.Samuel is kind of like the last judge, and during the period of the judges, Israel had apostatized. This statement about the glory departing is a good statement to describe the low state Israel had come to. But under Samuel they were going to see the beginnings of Prophets and Kings.Despite it being a low point, it is also a very important moment, because it shows the Israelites that they don’t control God. He isn’t something brought out to perform as required. The removal of the ark no doubt prompted many theological questions, and this was good long term. Also, Shiloh was destroyed by the Philistines as recorded in Psalm 78.

In this video listen to 1 Samuel Chapter 3, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.1 Samuel Chapter 3 Samuel seems to be learning the duty of the priest. He in fact might have been Levite despite having lived in Ephraim. At this point he is about 12-13, a fact which comes from the historian Josephus. He is now old enough to be spiritually responsible for himself. Scripture says here that the word of the Lord was rare.Perhaps because people didn’t seek Him for them. Also note that the proper translation here is not rare, but precious. The fact that the word is not common is what makes it precious, but it indicates our attitude towards those rare times when God speaks. Samuel at first doesn’t recognise the voice as the Lord. Learning to recognise the voice of God is a skill that many people do not have.Even though this is a situation in which God seems to be speaking audibly, it doesn’t actually say that he is. God knows how to get the attention of people, so the onus is on him to be heard, but the onus is on his people to want to hear, and to seek his voice. Once God speaks however, it can take practice to learn to recognise Him.Then Samuel said, “Speak; for your servant hears.” Or “speak for your servant is listening.” This phrase is an amazing phrase to speak to the Lord at any time. During our times of silent prayer at Peace Christian Church, I have often said this to the Lord. Moses aside, Samuel is really the first of the prophets and is also the last of the Judges.Counting the 12 in the book of Judges, there are 13 judges if we count Samuel, and Samuel is clearly the more significant.

In this video listen to 1 Samuel Chapter 2, read by Hannah Batley, followed by comments and prayer.1 Samuel Chapter 2 includes a prayer by Samuel’s mother Hannah. This prayer is one of praise, worship and thanksgiving. Many commentators also consider this prayer a song or prophecy. In the prayer, the justice of the Lord is emphasised, particularly in verses 9 - 10. As mentioned in Chapter 1, the Lord sees the needy, and he does provide. The chapter also gives us extra information on this family, telling us that Hannah went on to have three sons and two daughters.Once a year, Hannah would bring a robe to Samuel, and the boy grew, both physically and spiritually (verse 21 and 26). Finally, the latter portion of the chapter tells of the disobedience and wickedness of Eli’s sons, which will be touched on in later videos. The Lord is both just and merciful. This is sometimes a difficult concept for us to grasp, because our human minds cannot comprehend how someone could show both justice and mercy, and know when to act accordingly.Yet God isn’t limited to our finite minds, he created us and knows when and how to act. The Lord will forgive you when you sin, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t reap the consequences of your actions.

In this video listen to 1 Samuel Chapter 1, read by Hannah Batley, followed by comments and prayer.1 Samuel Chapter 1 gives us the backstory of the well known Biblical prophet Samuel. Hannah, Samuel’s mother, was barren and unable to have children. Her husband Elkanah’s second wife, Peninnah, would provoke Hannah to the point where the childless woman wept and refused to eat. Following a persistent prayer at the temple, Samuel was born, and once weaned, Hannah gave him back to the Lord at the temple, where Samuel would grow up and serve the Lord.Weaning often occurred at the point of 3-4 years of age. The Lord God hears the prayers of his people. God hadn’t forgotten Hannah, and he hasn’t forgotten you. Our heavenly father knows what is best for us, and in his time he will act. Today, if you have a request, bring it before God, lay it at his feet, and thank him that he has heard your prayer.Sometimes he will ask us to wait, and sometimes he has something else in mind, but one thing is certain, he knows what is best, and he does remember. A key aspect in this chapter is the determination in prayer of Hannah, this is something that we rarely experience, because we are not as desperate as Hannah was.

In this video listen to Ruth 4 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Ruth 4 Boaz goes to the city gate to make a transaction on behalf of Ruth, but another stands in the way. After the details emerge, the other doesn't want to endanger his own estate so is not able and only Boaz can proceed. In Revelation 5:4-10 we see this about Christ... “4I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Christ is descended from Judah, from Boaz, from David .... And yet is before them. He alone is worthy to open the scroll. Only he is capable of being our redeemer, none other is worthy.So a transaction to redeem Ruth occurs and Boaz removes his sandals. In the story of the prodigal son, the wayward son is given sandals by the Father. So here we see God represented as Boaz removing his sandals for our redemption, and we receive sandals as a sign of being included in the family, along with a ring (the Holy Spirit guaranteeing our inheritance) and a robe, Joseph’s robe” symbolising our inclusion in the family.The Kinsman redeemer in Ruth 4 is redeeming both the land and the bride. This is an incredible picture of Christ who redeems not just people back from their sins, which is the wife of Christ, but also redeems the land back from Satan to whom it was deeded. Jesus is not only our propitiation and atonement, but he is also ‘Christus Victor’, the one who conquers death, hell and triumphs over all the works of darkness.No longer can Satan tempt Christ offering him all the kingdoms of the world, now they are Christ’s. So the book of Ruth is also a key part of salvation history. Ruth is one of four women in the line of Christ, all of them with redemption in their histories. Rahab is an amorite, redeemed into Christ, Tamar is a Canaanite redeemed into Christ, Bath-Sheba is the wife of a Hittite redeemed into Christ, and Ruth is a Moabite redeemed into Christ.None of them seem to have Israelite backgrounds, yet hidden in this is a clue, that Christ is the redeemer of all people, and of all nations.

In this video listen to Ruth 3 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Ruth 3 The end of the barley harvest has arrived. It has been three months that Ruth has been gleaning and getting to know Boaz. Naomi advises Ruth to go to the threshing floor at night, uncover Boaz’ feet and lay down, asking him to cover her. She does this and after being surprised by her presence... who wouldn’t have been... he covers her and decides to take action in the morning to redeem her. Some people think that “feet” is a euphemism for genitals, but this seems like complete nonsense.Block noted in his commentary that the only significant textual variant in the entire book of Ruth is on this point where it could either say feet or foot. To me it is clearly getting at the actual feet, because to say uncover a foot means that too. Laying at someone’s feet is also an act of humility - the place to be when making a request of someone greater than yourself.We also must lay at the feet of Christ. In practical terms this means to serve those around us, and especially to serve and honour our spiritual leaders. Do you think that you can say you are at the feet of Christ when you despise spiritual leadership and undermine or despise your pastor? Christ is never wrong, but because our leaders are humans who do sometimes make even big mistakes, we think we don’t hold the same obligation to them.Yet the Lord who asks all people to honour their father and mother, regardless of their behaviors asks us to honour our spiritual leaders. If our heart is toward them, then we truly are at the feet of Christ.. She isn’t asking for sex, she is asking for covering. This is both a physical thing in that moment as they share a blanket for the night, but also in life as she is asking him to protect her. Spiritually this is where we come when we come to Christ.We ask him to spread his garment over us. In day-to-day terms the rubber meets the road in life in our relationships. God spreads the garment over people by having them come into relationship with others and walking with them. As a minister preaches and encourages, this is Christ’s word covering them.As they walk together with their pastor, and serve together in this mutual place, with a heart to honor, they are under covering.

In this video listen to Ruth 2 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Ruth 2 she asks her mother-in-law for permission to go and glean, or harvest on the fringes of the fields for the poor. Being able to glean on the margins was an allowance for the poor that God placed into the Laws of Moses in Leviticus 19:9-10. So it is Ruth that decides to make an effort to go and harvest barley, she isn’t dependent on her Mother in law, but actually supports her.How unusual this is for any time and any place? Imagine churches filled with people who took this attitude towards their pastors and spiritual leaders. Imagine how much would be achieved. Rather than being asked to harvest, they ask permission to harvest and go. Then Boaz was understanding. The real reason is that the Lord was in this scenario, and Boaz has seen how unusual her behaviour was in a good way. Boaz however also had a mother who was a foreigner,Rahab the woman from Jericho. So he knew that you cannot generalize about someone based on their nationality. This chapter has highlighted the principle of God working, if we also work. While God does work on his own, and occasionally we see something like the conversion of Saul which appears truly miraculous and sovereign, mostly God works through our work. So it is important that we seek the Lord for his will, and then actually work.Here we see that the Lord blessed Ruth, while she worked. In this story, Ruth was told by her mother in law to stay in the field of Boaz. But Boaz also said to stay in his field and there she would be safe. Boaz is a picture of Christ to us, and we are to remain in him. Christ said, “remain in me, and my words will remain in you.” John 15:4. If we do this we will bear “much fruit.” Also, if we remain in Christ it is a place of much safety.

In this video listen to Ruth 1 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Ruth 1 we find a story with a tragic start and a very happy ending. If you were to remove the title and add this as another 4 chapters to the book of Judges it would fit it fine, but would change the tenor of Judges to have a much happier ending. This book is positive and highlights how good comes out of the bad, whereas the book of Judges doesn’t feel positive and ends on quite a down point. But which part of Judges does it fit in?Judges span over 350 years from the death of Joshua in about 1381 BC to King Saul in about 1050 BC. Probably during the Judge period of Ehud or Shamgar because Boaz is the son of Rahab from the Jericho story in Joshua, but is now quite old. Ruth is from Moab. Moab was an enemy of Israel, who had oppressed them at the time they had entered into the land of Israel. Moabites were not welcome in the presence of God according to Deuteronomy 23:3.The moabites worshipped the god Chemosh who required child sacrifice. Why Elimelech’s family was in Moab is a good question. Many people at this time are henotheists, they don’t worship as polygamists, but they seem to accept that other gods exist that they don’t worship. Ruth seems to be like this here and that isn’t surprising.Rather what is surprising is that like Jacob at Bethel in Genesis 35, she chooses to follow God, with no evidence of any benefit to her. So many people choose to follow the Lord because of the perceived benefits they are going to receive, not least is salvation from Hell. How few people follow God because of dedication to doing good.The meaning of names is significant in this book. Naomi means pleasant, but Mara means bitter. Yet out of bitterness comes redemption, and this is a mirror for much later when Mary gives birth to Christ.

In this video listen to Judges 21 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.Judges 21 is possibly the strangest chapter in the Bible? Everyone in Benjamin is dead except for 600 men. St Paul was a descendant of Benjamin, who here was nearly wiped out. This story outlines how they found wives for these men, given that they ha taken vows not to give wives to them. First one city had no participate in the battle, Jabesh Gilead.The inhabitants of the city of Jabesh Gilead were completely destroyed except for 400 virgin women. The 400 virgins provide wives for two thirds of the remaining Benjamites. They then arrange a strange kidnapping process to obtain the other 200. All of this is entertaining but very odd. The book concludes saying that there was no king, and everyone lived however they deemed right to them. The last sentence of the book is a good summary of the entire book of Judges.We could even further summarise it with one word, lawlessness. In the NT this word is in Greek anomia - without a law. Jesus spoke against people who lived as if there was no law. The Israelites had a very clearly spelled out law, and yet it seemed to have been forgotten. We too have the law written on our own hearts, but we ignore it and our own consciences.We have far less excuse that the people in the time of the Judges. At the end of Judges we realise there were few standout good people. Deborah was one, and Othniel and Ehud perhaps others… and if his vow is understood properly, Jephthah also. This comment by Block (1999) seems interesting at the end of the book of Judges: “​​No book in the Old Testament offers the modern church as telling a mirror as this book.From the jealousies of the Ephraimites to the religious pragmatism of the Danites, from the paganism of Gideon to the self-centeredness of Samson, and from the unmanliness of Barak to the violence against women by the men of Gibeah, all of the marks of Canaanite degeneracy are evident in the church and its leaders today… everywhere congregations and their leaders do what is right in their own eyes.”

In this video listen to Judges 20 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Judges 20 all Israel gathers at Mizpah, just a few miles from Gibeah, to go to war against Benjamin, an army of 400,000. The Levite gives a version of the story which is modified for effect and the Israelites are outraged and commit ten percent of their fighting men to this campaign.Benjamin has gone off the rails as a tribe. They would rather defend their own evil than defend the law of the Lord. So Israel attacks. Initially 22,000 Israelite men die in battle. Then another 18,000 additional men die bringing the total to 40,000 in total, symbolic of a big test. Then we see the mention of Phinehas the high priest consulting the Lord for them.Here we have one zealous for the Lord, the grandson of Aaron, but in the previous chapter is Jonathan the grandson of Moses who seemed to have no clue about what God required. This is also an indication about which part of the history of Judges this story appears. It is probably within the first 50 years after the conquest. Now 25,100 fighters from Benjamin die and the battle turns against them. In their zeal for what is right, the Israelites do a much better job destroying Benjamin than they had done removing the Canaanites from the land.Benjamin effectively disappears leaving only 600 men, no women or children. So in the book of Judges we see two tribes with issues, first Benjamin, and later Ephraim, both greatly humbled and cut down to size. It’s easy to judge the Israelites, and much harder to avoid the same sins ourselves. We all fall into them, and must learn to rely on the Lord and not assume His will in anything.

In this video listen to Judges 19 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Judges 19 is a story spanning three chapters. One writer Campbell called this narrative the “sewer of scripture.” It outlines how low people could get without proper guidance, and with hearts that did whatever they felt was right.This story was also in the early period of the Judges, after Joshua died, but before Phinehas died, according to the Pulpit commentary. So it indicates that things were bad early on, and only got worse. A Levite went to try to win his concubine back from her father’s house. Her father kept encouraging him to stay longer. That apparent strange behaviour is completely understandable in a world with no communication.He was probably not going to see his daughter again for a very long time. Even so, the Levite ends up leaving late in the day, which turns out to be a very dumb decision. While he knew there was danger travelling so late, he assumed he would be safe in Gibeah, an Isreaelite city, but it was the men of Gibeah who were the unsafe ones. And in Gibeah we have a very similar story to that of Sodom and Gomorrah. How could such a thing happen?Later the prophet Hosea to these things in chapter 9:1a & 9. “Do not rejoice, Israel; do not be jubilant like the other nations. For you have been unfaithful to your God… ​​They have sunk deep into corruption, as in the days of Gibeah. God will remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins.” Some people have used these types of things in the Bible to say the Bible approves of such things, but its a retelling of what actually happened, not a condoning of it, as is obvious if the entire Bible is taken together.Also, what type of spiritual adultery takes place in the hearts and minds of people today? People use the internet, and their popularity to push things into others which rob God of his glory. Also, the stranger, weirder and odder people get, the more attention they get, and rather than controlling themselves and glorifying God that way, they seek to glorify themselves.

In this video listen to Judges 18 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Judges 18 it says in verse 1 says that the Inheritance of the tribe of Dan “had not Fallen to them.” In Joshua 19 the tribe of Dan actually DO have an inheritance allotted to them, but it seems they haven’t obtained it yet. This is placed immediately after Joshua’s death. In Judges 1:34-36 it also describes the failure of the Danites to push out the Amorites, so what we have here is an attempt to look for land elsewhere, rather than to obtain what God allocated with faith.So they are now going to try to take their own inheritance in their own strength outside of God’s will. The ephod and the idol from the previous chapter, are then used to enquire of the Lord. So now they believe they have the approval of God to do something which God never told them to do. This is going to have terrible future consequences for the Danites who would be the furthest tribe from Jerusalem of all the tribes.Later Jeroboam I would set up a golden calf in Dan to keep people away from Jerusalem. There is still no sense that the priest is doing anything wrong, nor do the Danites think so either. The priest is glad because he now has a ministry promotion. Do not work for ministry promotion, but rather to do the will of God. This all happens during a time when Israel has no king, records Samuel the author. Does a king fix these problems in the future?No, but when the hearts of people have God as their king in the long distant future, in the kingdom of heaven, it fixes it for those people. The city of Laish is burned with fire. This was renamed Dan. What seems like easy pickings for them, requiring little faith becomes a snare to all future generations and ultimately they become one of the lost ten tribes.

In this video listen to Judges 17 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Judges 17 we are now in the so called appendix of Judges. The last five chapters of Judges don’t cover any more actual judges, but they do provide a window into what life was actually like during the time of the Judges. If you needed examples of how corrupt Israel was becoming, here they are. This part of the Judges does not continue chronologically from the previous chapter. We are jumping back from Sampson to much earlier.According to Josephus this story took place during the reign of the very first Judge Othniel, the nephew of Caleb. We are now quite likely about 300 years earlier than Sampson. This whole chapter represents what seems like sincere behaviour toward God combined with very little understanding of what God actually requires. The woman for example praises Yahweh and then commissions an idol. The author says “there was no king” as an explanation of the behaviour.This is both a statement which gives a window into the author’s mind, theology and dating of authorship. Some have tried to use this to prove that these examples were arguing for the need for a king, and were written by later authors in the time of King Josiah. However, that's odd given that they would be arguing about the need for a king, while already having had a king for many hundreds of years.Also the author here thinks that having a king would avoid these problems, but if it was written in the time of Josiah, it would be obvious that many kings still allowed idolatry. Samuel is the author and he lived and wrote during the time of King Saul, the first of the kings. He was writing about this time explaining why things were the way they were politically and spiritually.Israel had no king, either a man, or God. People didn’t have a man to follow, and neither did they do what God wanted. We must assume that most people had no idea of what God actually required. They didn’t have a bible to read, and most people were probably illiterate anyway.They were sincere in doing things God didn’t approve of. A big lesson here has to do with assuming that our way of loving and serving God is the right one.

In this video listen to Judges 16 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Judges 16 the saga of Samson concludes in this chapter where we see a picture of Christ. Even Samson as weak as he was, illustrated to us the power of grace at work in lives as weak as our own. The Philistines almost trap Samson in Gaza, but he rips off the city gates and deposits them close to Hebron. The distance from Gaza to Hebron is no less than 60 kilometres according to Google maps.There is also a difference in elevation of 916 meters, so the gates of the city are removed to such an extent they are not recoverable. God has removed the thing which blocks us and traps us so completely that it is impossible for the evil one to contain us, whilever we are in Christ. Samson’s feat is a picture of the work of Christ, carrying the cross up the hill.Jesus is the gate according to John 10 and here we see a picture of this reality. Finally he falls in love with Delilah, who is offered 5 lots of 1100 silver pieces to betray him. Considering Abraham bought a block of land for 400 shekels of silver. THis is probably a million dollar sum being offered. Eventually Delilah works out his secret and the seven locks of his head are shaved off, and he loses his strength and is captured, adn blinded.A lot of people question what the seven locks are, given there doesn’t seem to be seven natural sections of hair on anyone’s head. I suggest his was simply how he had done his hair for his own practical purposes. He had a lot of hair to manage and tying it up in sections was probably how he did it. There were simply seven locks in his hair, and it's not an indication of all humanity. One of the clear lessons here in the Samson story is that the enemy within can be stronger than the enemy without. In Samson’s final moments he is put between two pillars.He prays for strength and pushes them over and the building collapses killing thousands of Philistines, and himself. Here we are given a picture of Christ. Samson stretches out his arms and dies, and in doing so he destroys the enemy who has placed the people of God in bondage. He dies so that others will be liberated.

In this video listen to Judges 11 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Judges 15 Samson tries to pay his wife a special visit, even though the marriage was never properly finalised. This was undoubtedly a conjugal visit, and the bringing of a goat might have been the cost of the visit, similar to when Judah sent a goat to Tamar in Genesis 38. His father-in-law isn’t keen and tries to buy him off by offering her sister instead.Samson is wild and catches 300 foxes, ties them in pairs, lights their tails and lets them go in the wheat fields. Apparently the word here can mean jackals, and not necessarily the foxes that we think of that come from England. And he may not have caught them all single handedly. What is sometimes described in a sentence is a process that took considerable time. HIs actions destroy the wheat, grapes and olive crops making him very unpopular.The Philistines negotiate with the tribe ofo Judah to hand him over, but it results in the death of a thousand Philistines at Lehi - the place of the jawbone. After having now killed a thousand Philistines, Samson has reason to feel significant and proud of his accomplishments. He seems completely unaware of his failings which are obvious to us.He then calls out to God who answers his prayer for water, and God does. It is ALL grace. God answers prayers because he is good, noto because we are good. The NT reminds us that “if you think you are standing firm, be careful you do not fall. (1 Cor 10:12)

In this video listen to Judges 14 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Judges 14 the scene is set in Timnah. Back in Joshua 15, Timnah was a part of the dividing up of the inheritance of the land and part of the boundary of Judah, but now seems to have reverted to the Philistines. One of the big tragedies of not doing what God asks is that you lose ground. There doesn't seem to be a neutral in spiritual matters.Not rowing is to risk going with the current somewhere you didn’t want to go. Our first impression of Samsoon is a bad one. He is immediately going against everything taught in the Law, and looking at inter-marriage with the nations who worshipped other gods. In modern times we question the wisdom of marriage based on appearance only, but that is not a good enough reason to reject a potential partner, but for Samson simply knowing she was not of Israel was sufficient reason for that time.This isn’t about inter-racial marriage which isn’t a problem to God, but rather about mixing worldliness with faith. Samson said he saw her, and she pleased him. Since when has pleasure been a good reason to do things? In modern times it is though, and Samson shows us that this is not a new idea. Today people say “if it feels good, do it.” Samson was a proponent of this.The chapter tells the story of the killing of a lion, Samson’s riddle, his marriage which isn’t consummate and falls apart, and his revenge killing of thirty Philistines at the city of Ashkelon, for the purpose of taking their clothing. Apparently the shallot or shallot is an onion named after Ashkelon. Also it is an indication of the high value of 30 sets of clothing.THis chapter is an introduction to the strength, and foolishness of Samson, and to the deception and treachery of the Philistines.

In this video listen to Judges 13 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Judges 13 we now come to the backstory of Sampson, who was the twelfth and last of the Judges in this book. Samuel is ultimately the last of the Judges but is spoken of in the book of Samuel. Samuel is also the first of the prophets, with the exclusion of Moses. Samson is an enigma, but in some ways represents us all. We see the obvious lessons in his life about avoiding sexual impurity and temptation, but a bigger less obvious lesson is portrayed out through his life, and it has to do with giftedness.Samson’s strength is a gift from God, but it was not based on merit. So the gift doesn’t validate the person, but the person’s life can certainly undermine the gift. An angel advises Samson’s parents about how he is to live. He is going to be a lifelong Nazarite. The Nazarite vow was covered in the Law in Numbers 6. There are only three lifelong Nazarites in the Bible, Sampson, Samuel and John the Baptist. The angel also advises that his mission in life is to “begin’ to save Israel from the Philistines.But it is really King David, a reflection of Christ who completes the job later. In the same way, each of us are called to begin the task of subduing our flesh, but like Samsono we are totally helpless to do anything. Only when we have the Spirit at work, or we come into Christ, as reflected in King David can we actually overcome.

In this video listen to Judges 12 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Judges 12 the tribe of Ephraim is jealous of Jepthah’s victory and threatens to burn down his house. This is the second time that Ephraim has been jealous. This also happened when Gideon was victorious over the Midianites. They seem to not want to fight the enemy, but seem to want the credit after it is over. Occasionally we find this type of thing in the Body of Christ.Some people think that unless it is them that does something, it doesn’t count. The truth is that God deliberately uses weak things to achieve his ends, and so it leaves Ephraimites - people of strength out in the cold. Isn’t a victory worth celebrating? Why then cause a fight over a victory? But in the body of Christ some people are not happy celebrating someone else’s success, they want it for themselves.Such people don’t really have a heart for the whole, but only for themselves. Jepthah wasn’t the diplomatic genius of Gideon, and so the pride of the Ephraimites was put to bed. This sometimes is the only solution for those who think so much of themselves that they cannot learn with words, but must learn with humiliation.This story is also an interesting window into ancient accents of the Hebrew language. Apparently the Ephraimites couldn’t pronounce “sh.” After this the mighty tribe of Ephraim was much less mighty until later times. Here they lost 42000 fighting men. At the time of the second census about 300 years earlier,Ephraim only had 32500 fighting men, so this was clearly a big percentage of their population. After this Izban was the ninth Judge. Elon is the tenth judge and Abdon is the eleventh judge.

In this video listen to Judges 11 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Judges 11 we meet Jepthah, the son of an Israelite and a Canaanite prostitute who becomes the eighth judge. There is a backstory to Jepthah that we know basically nothing of. His heroics with a band of outlaws sounds like King David who is to come, and he gets a reputation for bravery. He is asked to judge Israel. Jepthath ends up fighting Ammon who holds a grudge that is 300 years old and demands the return of land.The reply of Jephthah to Ammon ends up proving very helpful in dating the early history of Israel and the juges, and also helps firm up the early position for the Exodus at 1446 BC. There is no resolution and they go to war. As Jepthah leaves his home, he vows to offer to God whatever greets him on his return in exchange for victory. This was a tragic mistake, and clearly he thought an animal was going to greet him as he returned home.This is also a window into the rural lifestyle of the inhabitants of Israel. Instead his daughter greets him. Jepthah says “I have opened my mouth to Yahweh, and I can’t go back.” This phrase echoes a commitment to God which is binding. What a different world we would live in if people thought like Jepthah. Her response is to request permission, and then mourn her virginity for two months. This is an action that makes no sense if she was actually offered as a burnt offering.Quite a few commentators think that she was redeemed with an animal sacrifice and then lived as a woman at the temple, never to marry. This is a real possibility and explains her actions here. The redeeming of the firstborn is an activity that fits this type of thing. Finally we learn there is an annual feast that remembers Jepthah’s daughter.This feast makes a hero out of this woman, and also helps make Jepthah’s addition to the hall of fame in Hebrews 11:32 acceptable. Why would he be held up as a great hero if he killed his daughter, a thing which would have been hideous in the eyes of God?We learn a few lessons from Jepthah - first about the foolishness of making vows. In the sermon on the mount Christ says to let your yes be yes and your no be no. (matt 5:37) We also learn the value of strong dedication to Christ that is unwavering. He did what he said he would do.

In this video listen to Judges 10 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Judges 10 we meet the sixth and seventh judges and very little is said about them. Tola is the sixth judge. There is no military victory described but he is said to have arose to save Israel. This is interesting because it highlights the idea of salvation as being much more significant than just a military one. Because of his leadership, the slide away from God is halted.Salvation in God’s mind is always a spiritual thing, and the real bondage isn’t a military issue. THe seventh Judge is Jair. He had 30 sons who rode 30 donkeys and he ruled 30 cities. Probably he used his thirty sons and their thirty donkeys to rule the thirty cities. But interestingly the idea of a donkey being associated with kingship is found early in Israel.Jesus later rides a donkey as a sign of his kingship. In the NT, Jesus heals the daughter of Jairus - the same name roughly speaking. It means he enlightens. And some Bible experts think it was during the time of Jair, that the story of Ruth happened. After these two judges are briefly mentioned, the scene is set for the rest of the book of Judges and in particular the two key judges to come, Sampson and Jepthah.Their two main enemies were the Philistines and the Ammonites. Sometimes we read of the juges and get an impression that they are chronological in order, but Sampson and Jepthah who are the two final most prominent judges, seem to have overlapped. This helps explain why the ages of Judges add up to over 400 years, but in reality only covers a period of about 350 years.

In this video listen to Judges 9 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Judges 9 the story of Gideon continues as an excursus telling about his sons. Abimelech was an illegitimate son of Gideon from Shechem, who convinced this town to support his initiative. With their support, Abimelech killed 69 of his 70 brothers in an attempt to take total control of Israel. He wanted to be effectively the king.But his father’s words in 8:23 were to prove prophetic when he said that neither he, nor his son would be king. Jotham, the remaining son of Gideon told a parable and added a prophetic curse to it. He predicted that fire from Abimelech would destroy Shechem and fire from Shechem would destroy Abimelech. The chapter tells how these events come to pass and there is a battle between Shechem and Abimelech.Ultimately Abimelech dies when a woman drops a millstone on his head from a city wall above.. Skeptics have questioned how a woman could have lifted an upper millstone. They have in mind a huge stone, but they come in all sizes, and this was clearly a smaller one. Female scholars have supported the possibility of this by using small stones to destroy watermelons from a height.As seen in this article at brainerdispatch.com https://www.brainerddispatch.com/life... Much later in 2 Samuel 11:21 King David was well aware of this story and used it to give battle advice. Abimelech’s death lived on in notoriety. The double prophecy of Gideon and Jotham came to pass. Gideon that his son would not be king, and Jotham that fire would come out and devour.This chapter is an illustration of how lawless things are starting to become in Israel, but it gets worse as Judges progresses.

In this video listen to Judges 8 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Judges 8 the battle against the Midianites is still ongoing with 15000 troops and two king remaining on the eastern side of the Jordan at Karkor. Gideon requests help from two cities, Succoth and Penuel, but they hedge their bets and refuse help, probably thinking the Midianites might retain ongoing influence. This comes back to bite them later.Gideon catches the remaining 15000 Midianite soldiers by surprise and defeats them. He then returns to punish the leaders of Succoth and Penuel. This illustrates to us that in the battle between the Lord’s kingdom and the kingdoms of this world, we should not hedge our bets. It always results in catastrophe. Finally Gideon overcomes and they want him to be the King.He refuses, but internally sees himself as a king, naming one of his sons Abimelech, which means, my father is King. His position of pride leads him to make an ephod which becomes a snare to Israel. This chapter teaches us the danger of firstly not trusting our spiritual leaders, and secondly the danger of pride in spiritual leadership.

In this video listen to Judges 7 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Judges 7 Gideon’s army camps at the spring of Harod to fight the Midianites. Harod means trembling. The Israelites were camped at the spring of trembling which was probably named after their experience there. So they were basically terrified. And in response God whittles their army down from 32,000 to just 300.This is reminiscent of the Spartan 300 who fought at Thermopylae except that here Gideon’s 300 will win. God seeks to encourage Gideon who overhears the dream of one of the Midianites. It turns out that they are also terrified, and this is encouraging news for Gideon.It is also a window in the world of dreams and dream interpretation in the scriptures. God’s strategy pays off and Gideon has a great victory. Once the enemy is on the back foot, it was much easier to get others to join in the pursuit. The challenge always seems to be obeying the Lord because his directions can be difficult, but in reality there are two challenges.The first and maybe bigger challenge is to know what the Lord is saying. We need to seek Him.

In this video listen to Judges 6 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Judges 6 the Midianites oppress Israel in a terrible widespread oppression which seems more significant than the previous oppressors in the book of Judges. The Lord appears to Gideon, calling him a “man of valour” and telling him to go in the strength of his hand. Normally going in your own ability doesn’t work, but when the Lord sends you, he is fighting for you as in the book of Joshua, and your own might is able to do it.Gideon asks for an initial sign, after which he obeys the Lord and cuts down an altar to Baal and an Asherah pole. This earns the fury of people in his nearby town, but then also a nickname, Jerubbaal. In 2019 pottery was discovered in the Shahariya forest in Israel with the name Jerubbaal written on it - the first time this name was found outside of scripture. It was also carbon dated to the biblical period of the Judges.GIdeon is delaying with his requirements for multiple signs. This is because of fear which makes the Lord’s description of him as a man of valour seem sarcastic. Moses delayed too but it seemed out of low self esteem, but the situation with the Midianites must have been quite terrible. Gideon ultimately asks for three signs and gets them all, first with the angel and then twice with the fleece. What reasons do people delay obeying the Lord? For some it is fear, or low self-esteem, but for many it is laziness, self absorption, or simply wanting to do their own thing first.

In this video listen to Judges 5 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Judges 5 Deborah sings a song which makes a number of points and further elaborate how the victory in chapter 4 came about. Firstly, The people who fought offered themselves willingly - there was no compulsion. And not all of the tribes responded in this fight. It is like this sometimes in the kingdom of Heaven - not all are willing, but those who are are rewarded.Verse 15 suggests that in the tribe of Reuben there was remorse that they did not participate. Verse 17 tells us that Dan and Asher didn’t participate. Verse 18 tells us that Zebulun and Naphtali risked their lives. Such are the contrasts even in the body of Christ today when it comes to fighting for the Lord.Some are willing to risk their lives, and others like Dan, happy to remain safely at home. Verse 4 tell us that the sky trembled and the clouds dropped water. It began to rain. The river Kishon is normally just a stream, but when the heavens opened on Tabor flash flooding occurred, causing huge problems for the heavy iron chariots. God was fighting for them.A similar thing happened in response to many prayers at Dunkirk when storms kept the German forces back allowing the evacuation of more than 150,000 soldiers from the beaches of France in WWII. God was involved, even though it was just as natural as supernatural.The last verse says “So let all your enemies perish, Yahweh, but let those who love him be as the sun when it rises in its strength.” This is the prayer of every believer.

In this video listen to Judges 4 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Judges 4 Jabin King of Hazor oppresses Israel. Jabin is a title, like Pharaoh king of Egypt. This is a different person to the one mentioned in Joshua 11. The defeat of the northern alliance of kings in Joshua 11 was about 200 years prior. In the intervening centuries Hazor has been rebuilt.This is where Deborah the Judge and Barak the General work together against Sisera, the General of Jabin’s army. Deborah commanded Barak to go fight, but he wouldn’t go unless Deborah went too. This passage has at times been used to denigrate women, and paint Barak as a weak general, but instead it shows that the Lord was with Deborah.The Lord does use men and women for his purposes and his intent as prophesied by Joel was to pour out his spirit on all flesh. However this passage does open up a discussion of another nature. God has created men to take responsibility - it is a requirement. Women seem to be more responsible by nature.At Peace Christian Church in Rockhampton, it is our policy to require men to be leaders, but to give women the freedom to choose either way. If men are strong in church life, the whole church, children included will be strong in the Lord. When the battle began,God went before them, just like in the book of Joshua. In the next chapter in the song of Deborah we learn that there was a heavy downpour on Mt Tabor which turned the Kishon river into a flood zone. The many heavy chariots of Sisera were bogged and unable to be used and the drivers became easy prey. Sisera died in a grizzly manner.It is reminiscent of the book of Judith in the Catholic Bible’s apocryphal books where Judith killed King Helophenes and chopped off his head.

In this video listen to Judges 3 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Judges 3 we meet the first three of the twelve judges, Othniel, Ehud and Shamgar. The Israelites intermarried, which they were told not to do. They mixed worldliness into their lives and became weak. Earlier in Genesis we saw that God had sent the Israelites to Egypt to help solidify them as a separate cultural group.The Egyptians saw the Israelites as distasteful and generally wouldn’t mix with them, so it preserved them as a group. But now they are beginning to intermarry and it is causing problems. This does NOT inform the question of cultural intermarriage in today’s world.Paul writes in the NT that believers should not be unequally yoked, but he isn’t speaking of one’s ethnicity, but rather of faith in Christ. Here we learn not to mix worldliness in with our faith as it has an undermining effect. The first of the judges is Othniel who delivers Israel from Cushan Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. Then there is rest for 40 years.The second of the judges is Ehud who delivers Israel from Eglon king of Moab, after which there is rest for 80 years. The third judge in this chapter is Shamgar, but basically nothing is said about him. The periods of rest are multiples of 40 - a number which means testing.Christ was tempted 40 days and the Israelites in the desert 40 years. This chapter teaches us that when all is quiet and peaceful - that is actually a time of testing of our souls.

In this video listen to Judges 2 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Judges 2 Another generation arose who didn’t know Yahweh. This doesn't mean they didn’t know who God was, but that they didn’t know him meaningfully, or understand how to serve Him. Every generation faces the same challenges, but clothed in different clothing.The tendency to distrust the advice of parents, and to seek out one’s own advancements is an old problem. It takes very prayerful parents to raise children in a worldly age. We are, just like the Israelites, surrounded by things that influence against God. This chapter describes the cycle of apostasy, where they turn repeatedly to follow other gods, and are handed over to them by the Lord. God allowed them to have the thing they loved.Essentially this is also what happens at that final judgement. People hate God and love doing it on their own. The ultimate judgement is receiving that separation, the thing they love. Ultimate goodness, and all temporary goodness comes from the Lord only, and freedom only comes coupled with responsibility. So while God does judge as seen in this book, there are also consequences at work. So there are now a series of Judges.Each of them shows us a quality of Christ, even though they are clearly human. But Ultimately the big picture of Christ in this book is that He is the Ultimate Judge and while ever he lives, we are not handed over to our enemies. Because Christ lives forever, this is a permanent position for those who are in Him.There are now going to be 12 judges listed in this chapters ahead being, Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, and Samson.

In this video listen to Judges 1 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Judges 1 we are reading what are the words of the prophet Samuel. We won’t learn about him personally until the book of Samuel, partially written by him, and partially written by other prophets Nathan and Gad. Samuel is the last of the Judges and the first of the Prophets if you discount Moses. In this chapter we are given an overview of the failings of eight and a half of the tribes to drive out the prior inhabitants of the land before them.This is going to set the scene for the rest of the book where they fall away from the Lord repeatedly in worsening cycles. This is sometimes called the cycle of apostasy, a process which many individuals also go through in their own lives. It is a reflection of lawlessness, not being submitted to God. Judges 1 described the defeat of Adonibezek at the hands of the tribes of Judah and Simeon.Adonibezek was a king who defeated seventy tribal chiefs and tortured them. After his defeat he suffered the same fate as what he inflicted on others. This chapter is a symbol of completion, but completion is mutilated by this king, and this chapter highlights how the tribes of Israel actually failed to complete the job of subduing Adonibezek who symbolises the idolatry… his name is lord of lightning and is a symbol of the false god baal.Even though Adonibezek is defeated and dies at Jerusalem, a symbol of peace, the picture of the failure and inability to complete the job is the big message of this chapter. The consequences of this flow in the rest of the book.

In this video listen to Joshua 24 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Joshua 24 his dying words continue in a second chapter. Here we find the most famous verse in the entire book of Joshua, written on the walls of the homes of believers, and on church walls and more. Joshua says “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Serving other gods in antiquity was a more obvious thing than the other gods so many follow now.Today it's possible to say the above with apparent sincerity and to be entirely wrong about it. People worship many things and their hearts follow many things that don’t look idolatrous. The twenty four chapters represent about 25 years of time, so the book closes at around about 1381 BC. At this point the book ends with three burials. Burial 1 - Joshua is 110 years old, a picture of Christ.Here he is labelled for the first time, with “servant of God” a title Moses was labelled many times with. May be all be servants of God. Burial 2 - Joseph also lived 110 years, the perfect age for an Egyptian. Burial 3 - Eleazar - the high priest of the righteous generation. Now the good generation is passing and the future awaits. This book represents many things. It represents the idea that God keeps his promises. What God said to Abraham 470 years earlier has come to pass. (430 plus 40)And it is a picture of Christ who brings the people into the fulfilment of the promises. Without Christ we cannot inherit anything from God. The book starts with them living in the desert, and ends with every single person successfully living in a new land, each with an inheritance. And this is a picture of GOd’s great plan for all of humanity too.This generation also was the good generation who didn’t grumble or complain, and who obeyed the Lord, unlike the generations before or after. Such are the people who are led by Christ. What a remarkable book, outlining all that God had done, and continues to do for us today.

In this video listen to Joshua 23 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Joshua 23 he is dying and going the way of all the earth. Here in these last two chapters are his final words to the Israelites, words of greater significance than normal. The chapter comments on how God has given them rest in the land. Note that it is God who has given them rest, even though it is them who have fought on the ground.Without God fighting for them, they would not have succeeded. Joshua warns them not to marry in with the people who are in the land who have not been removed because God will stop fighting for them. The great danger of mixing worldliness with godliness is that God stops fighting for you. This was the problem of the next generation after Joshua died.This is what Joshua is trying to warn them of in his last words. So many Christians today find that God is not fighting for them and it is too hard to be godly in a world like ours. We are weak as a result.

In this video listen to Joshua 22 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Joshua 22 It has been seven long years that these faithful men have been away fighting. Seven is the Lord’s number and so we all see that we must fight for the Lord. The men now get to go home, and take with them the spoils of war. There are spoils in warfare for us too when we plunder the enemy's camp in prayer. We also share the plunder with our brothers. The good things we obtain from the Lord are not for us alone.We are meant to fight, to inherit and to share. The soldiers of the three eastern tribes built an altar on the jordan river on their way home, which causes the western tribes to be indignant at what seems to be a gross violation. They are zealous for the Lord and this indicates a different mind to the previous generation. Plus they have paid with seven years of hard work for their inheritance… so should it be so lightly thrown away?Do we easily throw away things that have been hard fought? We should be zealous to keep them also. However in this case the eastern tribes were not sinful, but thinking with foresight. Verse 22 is one of many interesting things that undermine the JEDP theory. If the book was revised as theorised, why are all the names of God together in one place? The chapter finishes by highlighting one of the big problems in Christianity today.There are parts of God’s body that do not recognize other parts of God’s body, just as was the danger here between the tribes. They effectively say to the others “You have no part in God.” This is a great sin, which grieves God very much, and grieves me too.As my father John Alley has said on many occasions, it's sometimes not what we believe about God that is the problem, but what we believe about each other. This chapter is the witness against those people who say that, if they have eyes to see it.

In this video listen to Joshua 21 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Joshua 21 Even though the Levites didn’t get an inheritance, they were assigned cities to dwell in, which is covered here. There are various types of Levites, and those who were the sons of Aaron, ministering priests, were assigned cities within the inheritance of Judah, Benjamin and Simeon. This was the future area where the temple would later be located.This confirms that the Lord determines the lot. All of those who were to minister as priests had land assigned in the area of the temple, four hundred years before the temple appeared. The Lord saw what was to happen. Even so before that time, the tabernacle at Shiloh was not far from them - just 1-2 days walk to the north. They were all rostered on to take turns. In total there were 48 cities assigned to the Levites. It makes the tribe of Levi seem humongous, but a few things are worthy of note.First, the Levites shared the cities with other tribes where the cities were located. And second, some of the cities were small, not at all like modern day Metropolises that we imagine such as New York. Some were more like towns of a few thousand people. As an example, Hebron was one of thirteen cities assigned to the priests on duty. This city was previously assigned to Caleb for an inheritance, and while this sounds like a mistake to now assign it to the Levites, both were true.The city wasn’t entirely lived in by just one man Caleb, nor was it entirely owned by Levites, but both shared this inheritance. Such was the nature of cities. This last verse is very cool…. Nothing failed of anything God did for Israel.

In this video listen to Joshua 20 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Joshua 20 the cities of refuge are assigned. These cities were mentioned in Numbers 35 and in Deuteronomy 4 and 19. Now they are assigned. The six cities are: Kedesh - which means holy - devoted to God’s work Shechem - the shoulder - the government shall be on his shoulders (Isaiah 9:6) Hebron - Fellowship - also the highest elevated place in Palestine.When we in Christ come into fellowship with one another, we are all elevated. Bezer - Fortress - the Lord is our Strength. Ramoth Gilead - Height - the Lord is lifted up. Golan - To remove - the Lord has removed our transgressions from us. Each of the cities is a picture of Christ because we run to Christ for our refuge. Here each of the cities highlight a quality of Christ.

In this video listen to Joshua 19 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Joshua 19 the remaining six tribes are allotted. God gives an inheritance to all of his people. The first of these was for Simeon. This assignment was the mercy of God because Simeon was the smallest and weakest of the tribes after the second census. They rebelled at Baal Peor and twenty-two thousand of them were put to death, greatly reducing their size.Consequently they received a small inheritance. But the Lord mercifully assigned them a place with Judah, which strangely enough meant that part of this tribe was preserved inside the future nation of Judah even though ten tribes split away. This also was a mercy. The Lord is so thoughtful!! Beersheba was a city allocated to Simeon. Beersheba is the place Jacob had just left when he had his dream of the stairway going up to Heaven, and the Lord spoke to him in Genesis 28.It is also the place where the Australian Light Horse soldiers broke through the Turkish lines in the Great War putting the territory of Palestine under British control for the first time. The Modern nation of Israel might not have existed without that moment at Beer-Sheba. The tribal boundaries hold little significance to most of us today. Interestingly Jesus grew up in Nazareth most likely in the tribal boundary of Zebulun.Jesus ministered much in Capernaum in the tribal region of Naphtali. Finally Joshua is given a special inheritance. God also gives people an individual inheritance. When someone serves the Lord, he does not forget. Note also that Joshua is a type of Christ here, and there is an inheritance that is Christ’s. Psalm 2:8 says “Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.” People are God’s inheritance - his redeeming love has worked to take us for himself.Yet there are also parts of God’s inheritance that remain unclaimed, and we are to work with Christ to claim them for his own.

In this video listen to Joshua 18 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Joshua 18 the tabernacle is set up in Shiloh. This was the home of the tabernacle for about 400 years now until David took the ark to Jerusalem, and then shortly afterwards Solomon built the temple. Biblical Shiloh is called Khirbet Seilun about 42 kilometres north of Jerusalem. It was in the inheritance of Ephraim. The associates for Biblical Research have a dig at Shiloh which has been going now for many years.They have concluded that there were three sites that the tabernacle was setup on and they moved between them, possibly to adjust for the season and prevailing wind etc. At this point 5 tribes have already received an inheritance. The tribes of Reuben (the oldest), Joseph being two, who was Jacob’s chosen firstborn, and Judah who seems to have been the Lord’s chosen firstborn and Gad have all received inheritance, leaving 7 tribes plus the Levites.The land was now surveyed, and then divided by lot. The first lot was for Benjamin who bordered Judah, which meant that ultimately the city of Jerusalem was inside of Benjamin and this kept both it and Judah together after the nation divided after Solomon’s death. It is the Lord who determines the lot. In Psalm 15:5-6 it says “Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” Spiritually we make our plans, but the Lord determines the outcome and our trust is placed in Him as in this Psalm. Benjamin’s lot fell in such a place as to ensure its future connection with the Lord’s temple.

In this video listen to Joshua 17 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Joshua 17 the portion of land which is the inheritance of the second half of the tribe of Manassah is given out. This includes the land given to the daughters of Zelophedad mentioned twice previously in Numbers 26 and Numbers 36. Then the tribe of Joseph, being both Ephraim and Manasseh request even more land. Joshua gives them options which required work.They had to either clear vacant land, or drive our other inhabitants who had chariots of iron. Both required hard work of differing types. In the one instance it required pressing regular work, laboring to clear forests. THe other was quicker, but required bravery, except that in this case it meant removing from the land something which was a source of temptation.Maybe they didn’t want to remove that temptation because they enjoyed it. That is an all too common problem many Christians face in their spiritual lives. They are too lazy to take ground, and they simultaneously resist the quicker victory over temptation because its enticing.

In this video listen to Joshua 16 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Joshua 16 the tribes of Joseph receive their inheritance. Of course Manasseh already received land east of the Jordan. Once again, they received their inheritance, but didn’t drive out the inhabitants. This becomes a repetitive idea as it seems all of God’s people fail to do this properly. What parts of the devil’s resistance in your own life are you failing to drive out?The previous entire chapter was given to outlining the inheritance (63 verses) of Judah, but this chapter is so short and not anywhere as detailed. Of all the tribes, why was such attention given to Juda and not to the rest? Is it because God knew in advance that Judah represented the inheritance of Christ?Also in this chapter Joseph is one of the twelve sons, but represents a double portion. Joseph was given two tribes in his place, and Levi was removed from inheritance. Here we see ourselves in both. Joseph is the effective firstborn who takes the place of Levi. He receives a double share.And Joseph represents Chjrist, who is first born and takes our palace and in him we have a double share. Also as Levites/priests Christ is our portion but now we see it is a double portion.

In this video listen to Joshua 15 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Joshua 15 is longest chapter in the book of Joshua - 63 verses. The borders of the tribes are now being described. Without a good knowledge of the geography of Canaan, this won’t mean much to readers. I encourage you to download a map of the division of the land which will give a sense of it.The portion for JUdah was the largest of all the tribes, and actually encompassed Simeon’s portion. Simeon was given the smallest portion, and here we see a grace being illustrated that the weakest is placed with the strongest. This is the Lord’s manner. Caleb also promises his daughter as a wife to the man who conquers Kiriath Sepher with its giants. His nephew Othniel does so.We see that it was a close relative who took up the challenge. Often good thinking resides in family, or at least it resides in the company one keeps. Bad thinking does the same. Then he says to his daughter “what do you want, and she wants springs as well as arid land. So should our attitude be toward the Lord, who figuratively says here “what do you want?”This is alway the Lord’s question even though he knows all things. We see it in his healing ministry where he asks the blind man in Mark 10:15. He requires the blind man to say that he wants to see. So we are required to ask the Lord for what we want… and we want springs of living water.Finally it mentions that Jebus “to this day” wasn’t yet conquered. To this day is of course in the time of Joshua. Later David conquers Jerusalem and makes it his capital.

In this video listen to Joshua 14 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Joshua 14 we now start covering the division of the land to the tribes west of the Jordan. In verse 10 we find out some facts about Caleb, that he was 40 when he spied out the land and is 85 now. Many marvel at the age of Caleb who is 85 here and strong as ever, yet here is the key to the length of the campaign.Because he spied out the land at the age of 40, which was in the second year after leaving Egypt, when he was presumably 38. So it has been 7 years since the campaign began, making it a 7 years campaign. Now, Caleb requests Kiriath Arba in the hill country to be his inheritance. This is the home of giants. Caleb was one of the twelve spies who wasn’t bothered by the giants, and now 45 years later he is still not impressed by them. His trust is in the Lord.What do we learn from that? Our eyes should be on the Lord, as we work for our inheritance in the land he has given us.