March
24
2019

Bible Reading - Week 13

WEEK 13

Be on the lookout this week for gruesome events and flawed characters. The time of the judges was a time when Israel had no king to keep order and the covenant was being ignored.

 

VERSE OF THE WEEK

Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him.

 

DAY 1 Judges 2-5

  • Why does the Lord leave nations in the promised land after the death of Joshua?
  • What sin does Israel commit that causes the Lord to sell them to King Cushan-rishathaim for eight years?
  • Summarize the careers of Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, and Deborah. What is the overall impact of their leadership on the nation of Israel?

 

DAY 2 Judges 6-9

  • What difficult position is Israel in after the Midianites oppress them?
  • According to the prophet the Lord sends to Israel, what is the reason they are in such a bad situation? What does Israel do that you should do if or when you ever get yourself in a bad situation because of your sin?
  • Why does the Lord shrink Gideon’s army?
  • What weapons do Gideon and his three hundred men use to defeat the Midianites?
  • Gideon’s behavior in 8:22-27 seems strikingly similar to the golden calf incident in Exodus 32. What are the negative consequences of his actions?
  • How does God punish Abimelech for his evil?

 

DAY 3 Judges 10-13

  • What vow does Jephthah make that he regrets severely?
  • Why was Samson never to cut his hair?
  • Why does Manoah, Samson’s father, fear for his life?

 

DAY 4 Judges 14-18

  • What does Samson do when his wife is given to another man?
  • How many men does Samson kill with the jawbone of a donkey? Why does he have such great strength?
  • What events lead to Samson’s death?
  • Chapters 17-18 outline the career of a “young Levite” who exchanges devotion to the Lord for earthly gain, agreeing to serve a family that worships idols. Later he leads other Israelites into idolatry. Pay attention to how these actions tie into the book’s main theme (cf. 17:6 and 21:25).

 

DAY 5 Judges 19-21

  • Chapter 19 is simply a tragic story of depravity. Read it and weep because such horrible and despicable acts continue to this day.
  •  When the sons of Benjamin refuse to hand over the rapists/murderers, civil war begins. In the end, over 40,000 men die, a heavy price for doing what is right in their own sight.
  • What is the plan for getting wives for the sons of Benjamin? Again, note how this displays the tragic theme of everyone doing what is right in their own eyes.

 

DAY 6 Ruth 1-4

  • Why does Ruth, a Moabite woman, come to be in an Israelite family?
  • How does Boaz treat Ruth?
  • After Boaz and Ruth marry, they have a son named Obed. Whose grandfather is he?
  • Take note of how God uses seemingly insignificant people like Naomi and Ruth to further his purposes.

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