Sunday, April 2
As you read the story of Gideon, note the trajectory it takes. 1) He led a small army to an amazing defeat of the Midianites. 2) He created an ephod which became an idol to the people. 3) His son, Abimelech, rebelled and established his own “kingdom” with devastating results. 4) The people were rebuked for being disloyal to Gideon.
- Judges chs. 7:1-9:21
- Focus text: Judges 9:7-21
Monday, April 3
What happens to a nation when the rulers are evil? Today's reading should drive us to pray for our nation's leaders. After Abimelech ruled for three years, the people revolted, and he killed many of them in several battles and he himself was killed. Two little-known judges served for 25 years and then we read that the people of Israel “did evil in the sight of the LORD.” Jephthah, who had been abandoned by his people, returned to serve as defender and judge.
- Judges 9:22-11:28
- Focus Text: Judges 11:1-11
Tuesday, April 4
Real life drama is often worse than fiction. The stories of Israel's judges would make a good TV series. Judge Jephthah had great battle victories, but he made a foolish vow that cost him his daughter’s life. An intertribal battle cost one tribe of Israel great loss of life. And then there's Samson, Israel's next-to-last judge, whose life is a confusing mixture of strength and weakness.
- Judges 11:29-ch. 15
- Focus text: Judges 11:29-40
Wednesday, April 5
Far too often, we hear of a prominent Christian pastor or teacher who has fallen into sexual sin. Today's reading is the story of Samson, a man of extraordinary strength who had a weakness for women that led to personal disaster and humiliation. A man of riddles, he finally revealed the secret of his power which led to his great fall. It's important to be sure the leaders we put in place are men and women of integrity and that we pray for our spiritual leaders.
- Judges 16-18
- Focus text: Judges 16:23-31
Thursday, April 6
One of the sad truths about The Church is the number of times a denomination or fellowship of churches have split—too often over something other than a doctrinal issue. Personal biases and tribal distinctions cause great division and disaster among God’s people. There is no “Hallmark movie” ending to the terrible sin of degradation that envelops Israel because of one man’s attempt at revenge. His vengeance brought on the terrible tragedy of another intertribal war, resulting in Benjamin’s tribe losing 25,000. What a terrible slander on Israel and her God!
- Judges 19-21
- Focus text: Joshua 21:15-21
Friday, April 7
The familiar story of Ruth is an encouragement to any who have lost everything and are pursuing a new and fruitful relationship. Far from Israel and, thus, in that time, far from God, she is like all of us, separated from God because of sin and without hope of redemption. It has been said that Jesus is pictured somehow in every book of the Bible The illustration of the kinsman-redeemer in this story is a beautiful picture of Jesus, the ultimate redeemer who paid the full payment required to set the sinner free.
- Ruth 1:1– 4:12
- Focus text: Ruth 4:1-12
Saturday, April 8
Most Bible genealogies contain men with names we don’t recognize and can’t pronounce. Very few list a woman, but Ruth is one of them. The story of how she became an ancestor of Jesus is a love story which could be written only by God. Blessed by the elders of Bethlehem, Boaz marries Ruth, and their baby, Obed, begins a genealogy that is continued in 1 Chronicles and ultimately leads to King David and finally to Jesus (Matthew 1:5).
- Ruth 4:13-22
- 1 Chronicles 2:18-55
- 1 Chronicles 4:1-23
- 1 Samuel 1:1-8
- Focus text: Ruth 4:13-17
