Jim Gallagher

Judges 3:9
“When the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them…”

As I read through the book of Judges, I am confronted with mixed emotions. On the one hand, it is a sad and tragic story of repeated failure. Over and over, we are told of the compromise of the people of God, and the suffering they experienced as a result. We are told, much of the reason for their repeated failure, was they did not know how to fight. Instead of realizing they were facing spiritual battles, and engaging in conflict against compromise, they simply gave in. Judges records the story of failure which is often repeated today.

On the other hand, this book fills me with hope. Eight times, in eight different settings, we read of Israel “crying out to the Lord.” Each…

Acts 17:11 “. . . more fair-minded. . . “

Paul and his companions were traveling throughout Greece. They had been in Philippi, Thessalonica, and would soon be in Athens. These were all very prominent cities. Philippi was the foremost city in the region of Macedonia, and Athens remained the scholastic capital of the Empire. Berea, on the other hand, was a small town, which in the large scale of things, was pretty insignificant. No one would be impressed with someone from Berea. They were not known for their universities, trade or monuments.

While the world may not have been particularly impressed with the Bereans, Scripture certainly was. Luke takes the time to write concerning the character of these Christians. He speaks of their fair-mindedness; the King James uses the word, noble. These folks were considered nobility by the Apostles.

What is it that caught the attention of the Apostles? It…

Judges 2:16
“Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them..”

The book of Judges records a reoccurring cycle in the life of the young Israeli nation. Over and over, as the story unfolds, we will read of sin, suffering, supplications and salvation. The people will disobey the Lord, becoming involved in sinful and worldly practices. These practices will lead to suffering, and their suffering will cause them to cry out to God for help. Again and again the mercy of God is revealed as God raises up judges or deliverers to rescue the people from the bondage their sin has caused.

This pattern is one which has sadly been repeated many times over, in the life of believers down through the ages. We, like Israel, make compromises with sins that should be removed from our lives forever. As time…

Judges 1:3

‘So Judah said to Simeon his brother, ‘Come up with me to my allotted territory, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I will likewise go with you to your allotted territory.’ And Simeon went with him.”

 

When the land was distributed among the tribes,  Simeon was given a portion within the land allotted to Judah. The reason being,  Judah’s lot was too big for any one tribe. Since Judah and Simeon were going to share the land, they would have to learn to stand together in battle to defeat their enemies. 

 

As the events recorded in Judges unfold, we find that each of the tribes, while facing different enemies, have a common struggle; some things are persistent and difficult to remove. This is the same struggle  the believer faces today. Immediately upon receiving Christ, there are a number of things that seem to flee from…

Acts 16:1 

“. . .  a certain disciple was there, named Timothy”

The Scriptures are filled with men and women who had a tremendous impact upon their world for the kingdom of Heaven. Timothy is one of those men. We are first introduced to him here in Acts 16. He is described as a disciple who was well-spoken of throughout the cities of Lystra and Iconium. The word disciple means, a learner and a follower. It describes a person who has chosen to surrender to Christ, follow Him, and allow the Word of God to write upon the tablet of his heart. The disciple lets God’s Word direct his private life, public life, family life and church life. Timothy was a disciple of Christ, and set an example for the believers around him on what it meant to follow Jesus. As we continue to follow Timothy’s story, we find…

Joshua 23:2

“And Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them: ‘I am old, advanced in age.'”

 

The sun is about to set in the life and ministry of Joshua. After spending years being mentored in ministry by Moses, he ventured out as Israel’s leader. He led the nation as they furthered the kingdom of God, and became established in the land. Now that time is coming to an end, and Joshua will give his final message to the people he has so faithfully served. His message could be divided into four main points of exhortation that would lead to their continued success. 

 

Joshua 23:6

“Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right…

Joshua 24:14
“…Serve the Lord!”

Years ago Bob Dylan wrote a song that included the phrase, “You’ve got to serve somebody.” Many years before, the Psalmist declared, we will become whatever we choose to serve. He stated, if we serve false gods we become like them, but if we choose to serve the True and Living God, we will become like Him. Our lives will be determined by what masters us.

Romans 6:16
“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?”

Sin is a reckless master. It makes promises it will never fulfill. When we choose to disobey the Word of God, getting involved in practices He forbids, it is not long before we are controlled by the very things we thought would be…

Acts 15:28-29 

“For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.”

A great controversy arose in the early church as a result of the Gentiles coming to faith in Christ. Some of the church leaders in Jerusalem were suggesting that after coming to Christ, these new converts must be circumcised and keep the ceremonial laws. I think their motives were probably sincere. They wanted to see these new believers behaving correctly, and determined the best way for them to do so, was to make rules. We see the same thing happening in the church today. A young woman may come to Christ, and still dress the way she did before…

Joshua 22:26-27

“Therefore we said, ‘Let us now prepare to build ourselves an altar, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice, but that it may be a witness between you and us and our generations after us, that we may perform the service of the Lord before Him with our burnt offerings, with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your descendants may not say to our descendants in time to come, “You have no part in the Lord.” ’”

 

The tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh chose to separate from the rest of Israel and live east of the Jordan River. Although the Jordan is not a large river, and crossing it during the dry season would not be a difficult endeavor, this division would prove to be very costly.  It is clear from the event recorded in Joshua 22, the effects of this separation were felt immediately…

Joshua 21:45
“Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.”

A lot of my childhood was spent on the ocean. From as far back as I can remember, my dad had a boat and we would spend the summers taking vacations to Catalina Island. It was a great way to grow up. We would spend day after day on the boat, fishing, swimming, diving and exploring. When the vacation finally came to an end and we made the 27 mile journey back to the mainland, I experienced an interesting sensation. After so much time rocking back and forth on the boat, the ground seemed especially solid.

Life can seem like a journey at sea. We seem to get hit by unexpected waves, and the ground we are standing on is moving. If we are going to…