March 30 - April 5

Heart Preparations: 

As you read, ask God to open your heart to his word, to take his teachings and apply them to your life in every way possible.


Weekly Reading: 

• Sunday, March 30 — Judges 1-2
• Monday, March 31 — Judges 3-5
• Tuesday, April 1 — Judges 6-7
• Wednesday, April 2 — Judges 8-9
• Thursday, April 3 — Judges 10-12
• Friday, April 4 — Judges 13-15
• Saturday, April 5 — Judges 16-18

What to expect: 
As we enter into the book of Judges, we enter into some of the darkest moments in the history of Israel. This period is marked by the people continually doing what they want to do, instead of listening to God. They allow for themselves to be polluted by the nations that surround them, the nations that they were commanded to clear out, but yet they failed to do this. Judges is a book that shows the constant cycle of the sin of the people, who then cry out to God, who then sends them a deliverer, someone who will rescue them from their bondage.     


Things to look for:
There is a cycle that is continually repeated in Judges, mentioned earlier. The people sin against God, doing what is right in their own eyes → God then sends a foreign nation to oppress the people → The people then cry out to God → God hears the cry of the people and sends a judge to deliver them from their oppression → Repeat the cycle. 


In the very first chapter, you see what leads to this cycle. The people were called to drive out all of the inhabitants, but you begin to notice a repetition (such and such tribe did not drive out the inhabitants). 


Judges 2 serves as a mini overview of the book of Judges, showing the cycle of sin → oppression → crying out → deliverance. 




Personal Insight:
As I read through the book of Judges, I want to constantly look at the people of Israel, grab them by the shoulders, and yell at them will you never learn?! But then, as I look closer, I look at my own life, my own constant cycle of doing what I think is right, and not following God’s law. But what really hits me through this reading is the grace of God. None of this caught God by surprise. He knew the people were going to rebel against Him. They’ve had a track record of this already. He knew that they were not going to be obedient to Him. And though the people had to face consequences for their sins, God always gave them grace. He always sent a deliverer, someone who would come and set them free from their oppression. The book of Judges gives us a glimpse into the human condition, the need for a deliverer, and thank God He sent that deliverer, Jesus Christ, who delivers us from the bondage of sin and death. When we cry out to God, He hears us, He forgives us, and He delivers us! 


Prayer:
Father, You are good. You are right in all of Your ways. You continually show us Your love, even when we rebel against You and do what is right in our own eyes. Thank You for sending Jesus to deliver us from our sin. Thank You that You do not condemn us, but You love us. Thank You for being the ultimate deliverer! 


This week’s devotion was prepared by Andrew Peterman.