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This seventh book of the old testament is anonymous and continues the history of the Israeli tribes from the death of Joshua to the time just before the birth of Samuel. It is not a chronology as many of the stories overlap in time periods and are not an accurate and complete story of the conquests of the period. It is instructive and should teach us all the consequences of disobeying God.

We learn about the strength of Samson and the perfidy of Delilah, the repetitious refusal of the Israelites to keep their covenant with God, and the steadfast love of God who continues to send deliverers to His people. We read the stories of twelve who are sent by God to rescue them from their enemies and wonder why the tribes seem unable to stay faithful.

“Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, “I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you into the land that I had promised to your ancestors. But you have not obeyed my command. See what you have done! So now I say, I will not drive them out before you; but they shall become adversaries to you, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”

Joshua had been the leader and kept all obedient to God thoughout his lifetime and the lives of two generations after. “And then the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” The book opens with Judah being chosen by God to lead the Israelites against the Canaanites. Judah and his brother Simeon defeated thousands and took possession of the territories. However, they failed to occupy all of Canaan and cohabited with the peoples.

The twelve judges who came each had a unique characteristic which seemed to negate their ability to lead. One was left-handed, one lacked courage, another was the son of a prostitute and another was a woman. Each is victorious and wins giving glory to God. Their narratives are gory, sarcastic and sexual.

After each judge, there is a quiet period of security, and then the Israelites begin to worship Baal. God sends an enemy to oppress them . They beg for mercy and a rescuer is sent.

Will we ever learn?

Iformation has been researched in the Harper Collins Bible Dictionary Mark Allan Powell, General Editor, with the Society of Biblical Literature, HarperOne, 1989 Edition

MILITARY WALL

Our Military Wall is dedicated to the lives and service of all those members of our congregation who have been in the armed forces. It also reminds us of those loved ones currently serving whom we keep in our prayer list. We will update it periodically and add additional names given to us.

Stories Behind Women of Extraordinary Faith

by Ace Collins, Published by Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2008

All of us have visited our good friend Millie, the lady who never gives up! It was hearing about visits Pat and Barb had with her, that I knew she was teaching us lessons we all needed to learn or to be reminded of. For the next few meetings of my circle, I want to introduce some women of extraordinary faith and dedicate this portion of our circle meeting to Millie!

Meet Nancy as Introduced by the Author

"Nancy was a good friend that I met in college who died at age 33. She made a

mark on this earth in such a short time, not by achieving fame but by the way she lived, with a special spirit that could be seen in her vitality, joy, enthusiasm and faith.

She was very competitive in her youth and always played to win. However when she lost, she was always determined to bounce back! With more guts and spirit than most she would take the world by storm.

After graduating college, Nancy began to teach first grade. An encounter with cancer left her unable to have children of her own. She always believed God was with her! She, was not surprised when she won this battle easily! She had six great years in which she fell in love, married and continued to teach. She and her husband were all set to adopt a child.

But she fell ill and was hospitalized with a cancerous tumor and had a kidney removed. She, the one who was ill, encouraged her doctors, and scolded her brothers, asking if they didn’t have something better to do than hang around a hospital! Never allowing pain to interfere, she told us, “I’ve got kids to teach, so I have to get well fast.”

Nancy made it back for the first day of school. She knew God had placed her on earth to teach. Knowing how hard a battle she was waging, and being inspired by her good cheer, enthusiasm and dynamic personality, her co-workers couldn’t complain about sinus problems or having so many papers to grade. They modeled themselves after her. What a great year the school was having!

Her thinking was not “why me.” She reasoned that if it were not her, it could be someone she loved. She believed she was fit for the battle because God had made her strong!

When I learned that cancer returned a third time and had hit her liver, I called her. She made me feel like I was the most important person in her life! She did that with all her friends. It was a gift few possess.

Just before she died, she counseled a college student who was also fighting cancer: 'Remember, you can carry the load you’ve been given. You have the rare privilege, are in that wonderful situation where you can be an inspiration to others. Latch onto this responsibility and give it everything you’ve got. If you do you will win!'

One Sunday a young child was "acting up" during the worship hour. The parents tried to maintain some sense of order but were losing the battle. Finally, the father picked the little fellow up and walked sternly up the aisle on the way out. Just as they were leaving the Sanctuary, the little one called loudly to the congregation, "Pray for me! Pray for me!"