Category: Scripture

After Ehud’s death, the Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord turned them over to King Jabin of Hazor, a Canaanite king. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-haggoyim. Sisera, who had 900 chariots, ruthlessly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years. Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help.

Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet who was judging Israel at that time. She would sit under the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Epharim, and the Israelites would go to see her for judgement. One day, she sent for Barak son of Abinoam, who lived in Kedesh in teh land of Naphtali. She said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: Call our 10,000 warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun at Mount Tabor. And I will call our Sisera, commander of Jabin’s army, along with his chariots and warriors, to the Kishon River. There I will give you victory over them.”

Babak told her, “I will go, but only if you go with me.”

“Very well,” she replied, “I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the Lord’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.” (vv. 1-9, NLT)

Then Deborah said to Barak, “Get ready! This is the day the Lord will give you victory over Sisera, for the Lord is marching ahead of you.” So Barak led his 10,000 warriors down the slopes of Mount Tabor into battle. When Barak attacked, the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots into a panic. Sisera leaped down from his chariot and escaped on foot. Barak chased the chariots and the enemy all the way to Harosheth-haggoyim, killing all of Sisera’s warriors. No a single one was left alive. (vv. 14-16, NLT)

Once again, the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, and the Lord gave King Eglon of Moab control over Israel because of their evil. Eglon enlisted the Ammorites and Amalakites as allies, and then he went out and defeated Israel. And the Israelites served Eglon of Moab for eighteen years.

But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, the Lord again raised up a rescuer to save them. His name was Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed man of the tribe of Benjamin. The Israelites sent Ehud to deliver their tribute money to King Eglon of Moab. So Ehud made a double-edged dagger that was about a foot long, and he strapped it to his right thigh, keeping it hidden under his clothing. He brought the tribute money to Eglon, who was very fat.

After delivering the payment, Ehud started home with those who had helped carry the tribute. But when Ehud reached the stone idols near Gilgal, he turned back. He came to Eglon and said, “I have a secret message for you.”

So the king commanded. his servants, “Be quiet!”and he sent them all out of the room.

Ehud walked over to Eglon, who was sitting alone in a cool upstairs room. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.!” As King Eglon rose from his seat, Eglon reached with his left hand, pulled out the dagger strapped to his right thigh, and plunged into the king’s belly. (vv. 12-21, NLT)

[Ehud and his servants] attacked the Moabites and killed about 10,000 of their stongers and most able-bodied warriors. Not one of them escaped. So Moab was conquered by Israel that day, and there was peace in that land for eighty years.

After Ehud, Shamar son of Anath rescued Israel. He once killed 600 Philistines with an ox goad. (vv 29-31, NLT)

The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They forgot all about the Lord their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles. Then the Lord burned with anger against Israel, and He turned them over to Aram-naharaim. And the Israelites serve Chshan-rishathaim for eight years.

But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, the Lord raised up a rescuer to save them. His name was Othniel, son of Caleb’s younger brother, Kenaz. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge. He went to war against King Cushan-rishathiam of Amran, and the Lord gave Othiniel victory over him. So there was peace in the land for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died. (vv. 7-11, NLT)

Then the Lord raised up judges to rescue the Israelites from their attackers. Yet Israel did not listen to the judges but prostituted themselves by worshiping other gods. How quickly they turned away from the path of their ancestors , who had walked in obedience to the Lord’s commands.

Whenever the Lord raised up a judge over Israel, He was with that judge and rescued the people from tier enemies throughout the judge’s lifetime. For the Lord took pity on His people, who were burdened by oppression and suffering. But when the judge died, the people returned to their corrupt ways, behaving worse than those who had lived before them. They went after other gods, serving and worshiping them. And they refused to give up their evil practices and suborn ways.

So the Lord burned with anger, against Israel. He said, “Because these people have violated My covenant, which I made with their ancestors, and have ignored My commands, I will no longer drive out the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died. I did this to test Israel-to se whether or not they would follow the ways of the Lord as their ancestors did.” That is why the Lord left those nations in place. He did not quickly drive them out or all Joshua to conquer them all. (vv 16-23, NLT)

[Joshua said] “So fear the Lord and serve Him wholeheartedly. Put away forever your idols you ancestors worshipped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and. in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then you choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer gods you ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” (vv14-15, NLT)

Then Joshua warned the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for He is a holy and jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you abandon the Lord and serve other gods, He will turn against you and destroy you, even though He has been so good to you.” (vv. 19-20, NLT)

So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day ad Shechem, committing them to follow the decrees and regulations of the Lord. Joshua recorded all these things in the Book of God’s Instructions. As a reminder of their agreement, Joshua took a huge stone and rolled it beneath the terebinth tree beside the Tabernacle of the Lord.

Joshua said to all the people, “This stone has heard everything the Lord said to us. It will be a witness to testify against you if you go back on your word to God.” (vv. 25-28,NLT)

On the day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said,

“Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.”

So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies.

Is this event not recorded in The Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day. There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the Lord answered such a prayer. Surely the Lord fought for Israel that day ! (vv. 12-14, NLT)

Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No on was allowed to go in or out. But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day, you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing their horns. When you hear the priests give one long blast on the ram’s horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.” (vv. 1-5 NLT)

On the seventh day the Israelites got up at dawn and marched around the town as they had done before. But this time, they went around the town seven times. The seventh time around, as the priests sounded the long blast on their horns, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the town!” Jericho and everything in it must be completely destroyed as a sin offering to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and others in her house will be spared, for she protected our spies.” (vv 15-17, NLT)

When the people heard the sound of the ram’s horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it. (v. 20, NLT)

When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a sword in hand, Joshua went up to hi and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?”

“Neither one,” he replied. “”I am the commander of the Lord’s army.”

At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?”

The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take of your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did as he was told. (vv 12-15, NLT)

When all the people had crossed the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Now choose twelve men, one from each tribe. Tell them, ‘Take twelve stones from the very place where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan. Carry them out and pile them up at the place where you camp tonight.'”

So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen-one from each of the tribes of Israel. He told them, “Go to the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder-twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a reminder among the people of Israel forever.”

So the men did as Joshua had commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River, one for each tribe, just as the Lord had told Joshua. They carried them to the place where they camped and constructed the memorial there.

Joshua also set up another pile of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the place where the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant were standing. And they are there to this day. (vv. 1-9, NLT)

So the people left their camp to cross the Jordan, and the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them. It was harvest season, and the Joran was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river’s edge, the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam, which is near Zarethan. And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho.

Meanwhile, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by. They waited there until who whole nation had crossed the Joran on dry ground. (vv. 15-17, NLT)