Naomi called herself Mara … God had dealt bitterly with her. She lost her husband and both sons in a great famine in Moab where they were living.

Her daughter-in-law, Ruth, was to utter some of the most quoted words ever … at nearly every wedding. Ruth would also become a critical link in the genealogy of Jesus.

Little did she know … that in her pain and bitterness, God would use her life to impact the world through a Savior, Christ the Lord.

PRAYER: Father in Heaven, forgive us for our complaining.  Use our humble lives to further Your Kingdom and do mighty things through our offspring.

READ: Judges 20,21; Ruth 1

Often mentioned in the book of Judges is the phrase, “Israel had no king.” It was recorded, “Every man did what was right in his own eyes.”

How disastrous! Can you imagine living without societal restraints?

We can praise God for laws and law enforcement officers.

PRAYER: Father, protect our law officers and their families. Let our nation turn to You to become their king.

READ: Judges 17-19

Samson’s strength was conditional upon his obedience to God’s command … “No razor is to cut your hair.” Delilah tricked him into giving up the secret of his strength.

The longer we spend time in the presence of this world’s temptations, the more likely we are to decline in spiritual strength.

Waiting upon the Lord … spending time in His presence … renews our spiritual strength. It will cause us to dwell in a higher plane of spiritual strength. We too can do great exploits for the Lord’s Kingdom. [Is. 40:31]

PRAYER: Father, I want to be strong in spirit. As I wait in Your presence, cause me to be strong enough to withstand all of this life’s destructive temptations.

READ: Judges 15,16

Samson’s supernatural strength was from God. He did things no ordinary man can do … killing a lion with bare hands, defeating 30 Philistines single-handed. God had raised him up to be a deliverer for the Israelites. There was a purpose for his strength.

The New Testament Christian is taught by Paul that God’s strength is perfected and completed in us when we are desperate for it. Through no natural strength of our own, God again gives out His strength to reveal to us and all witnesses that His grace makes the difference.

And he (Christ) said unto me (Paul), My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in (your) weakness. [ 2 Cor. 12:9a]

PRAYER: Lord, I am weak. You are strong. Give me the strength to serve You completely to bring glory to Your name.

READ: Judges 10-14

Gideon requested one gold earring from each of his soldiers after they had defeated the Midianites. They agreed. It yielded 43 pounds of gold, which Gideon molded into a ritual vest, which he located in his city, ‘Ofrah. But all Isra’el turned it into an idol there, and it thus became a snare to Gideon and his family.’s

God’s reward for doing God’s work is the safest way to receive payment. When we focus on what we want, we lose focus on the Lord and His provision.

“God may not always pay on Fridays, but He always pays.” (I used to hear Pastor Moses Vegh say this)

PRAYER: Lord, Your provision is more than enough for me. I will seek Your reward rather than be distracted by looking out for myself.

READ: Judges 7-9

When God gives your enemy to you, He GIVES them to you.

Sisera was the commander of an enemy army whom God had told Deborah was already a defeated foe. After the Israelites had routed them, Sisera fled on foot to the tent of an anonymous woman whom he thought was going to give him safe shelter.

Wrong! She waited until he was sleeping, and drove a tent-peg through his temple. God had sovereignly brought him to his fateful defeat.

The wise believer let’s God fight his battles.

PRAYER: Father, You are the Mighty Warrior, the Captain of the Armies of Heaven. We trust in Your might and the power of Your great name.

READ: Judges 4-6

The tribe of Judah was successful when they were dispatched to fight a war. Over and over again, a pattern is seen as the tribe named for a man whose name meant “praise” became the front line of attack.

Israel’s wars with the inhabitants of the land taught them to fight, to be victorious. When we attack life’s problems with praise, we are following a Biblical pattern.

We declare God’s greatness, we acknowledge His power and sovereignty, and we put Him first over any foe when we lift up His name in praise. Praise is one of the healthiest functions of a mouth and a voice.

PRAYER: Lord, You are great over all the earth. All my enemies must bow in Your presence when Your great name is lifted up.

READ: Judges 1-3

The life and message of Joshua speak of God’s faithfulness to His People. Although Joshua was the leader, he was quick and faithful to identify the Lord as the One Who conquered the new land. As he was about to pass away, he restated the testimony that God had NEVER gone back on His promises to His People.

His message condemned idolatry, learning the carnal, destructive ways of the Canaanite nations, and forsaking God’s laws and precepts.

The simplest, yet most effective way for a contemporary Christian to realize God’s blessings is to maintain a daily devotion to God through prayer and the reading of His Word.

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein both day and night that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success.” [Joshua 1:8]

PRAYER: Lord, like Joshua, we want to commit that as for us and our household, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD.

READ: Joshua 23, 24

The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Mannaseh were given a land east of Jordan to dwell in. After they had faithfully served in the Isrealite army to clear the entire land, they went back to their ineritance.

However, they built an altar at the river. The other tribes feared that they were thereby rebelling against the Lord. When challenged about the reason for the altar, they satisfied the others, fending off a war, by giving a valid reason.

The other tribes held them accountable for their actions because their rebellion could have brought God’s judgment upon the entire nation.

PRAYER: Father, kindle within us the appropriate love and accountability for our family members. Use our prayer and concern to keep a Godly standard.

READ: Joshua 20-22

To each descendant of Israel was given an allotment of land and cities to dwell in. All were included in their inheritance because of their blood relationship to each other.

In the New Testament, God’s focus is centered on the spiritual rather than the natural. Through our relationship with God and each other because of Christ’s shed blood, we all have an inheritance that’s greater than a piece of property … it’s a place in Heaven with God forever.

“And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.” [Acts 20:32]

PRAYER: Lord, You have been so good to us. We don’t deserve Your love, yet You sent Christ to die for us to atone for our sin, even while we were still marred by it.

READ: Josh. 16-19