David Bahn – Reflections

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These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are 1 Samuel 17-19, Psalm 111.

1 Samuel 17:48-50; 18:5-9

When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹ And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.

⁵⁰ So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David.

^18:5 And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

⁶ As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. ⁷ And the women sang to one another as they celebrated,

“Saul has struck down his thousands,
    and David his ten thousands.”

⁸ And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?” ⁹ And Saul eyed David from that day on.

David is brought before King Saul after offering to fight Goliath. Though Saul doubts him, David points to the Lord’s past faithfulness – delivering him from lion and bear – and trusts that the Lord will deliver him again.

Rejecting Saul’s armor, David goes out with a sling and stones. Goliath mocks him, but David declares that the battle belongs to the Lord, not to human strength or weapons.

As Goliath advances, David runs toward him, slings a stone, and strikes him down. Using Goliath’s own sword, he completes the victory the LORD has given.

David is initially celebrated by Saul. He becomes the head of Saul’s armies. He leads them in one victory after another. All is going David’s way. Even the women celebrate his greatness. But their extravagant celebration is a bit too much for Saul.

The thrill of David’s victory is real, but it does not last. What begins as celebration becomes suspicion. Saul no longer sees a champion but a rival – one who threatens his glory. The ensuing events play out in a sad mixture of Saul’s insecurity and David’s faithfulness. David does the right thing – including refusing to lift his hand against the king. For his loyalty Saul will try to kill David, and that more than once.

Saul seems ready for any excuse to resent David and fear for his own future.

When it comes to great victories, Jesus’ death and resurrection stand at the head of any list I would make. His was accomplished through great sacrifice and confirmed by God’s own exaltation. Sadly there are many who think little of it or mock the cross and despise the empty tomb. David will have his share of failures, but Jesus was everything David was not. And his victory more far reaching than any human feat will ever be.

David is to be admired as a man after God’s own heart. And Jesus is the One who captures the hearts of men and women for God for all eternity.

Click on the graphic below to watch the Bible Project video summary of the book of 1 Samuel.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are 1 Samuel 14-16, Psalm 110.

1 Samuel 14:6-15

Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.” ⁷ And his armor-bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul.” ⁸ Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them. ⁹ If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place, and we will not go up to them. ¹⁰ But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the Lord has given them into our hand. And this shall be the sign to us.” ¹¹ So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.” ¹² And the men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his armor-bearer and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you a thing.” And Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Come up after me, for the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.” ¹³ Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor-bearer after him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed them after him. ¹⁴ And that first strike, which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made, killed about twenty men within as it were half a furrow’s length in an acre of land. ¹⁵ And there was a panic in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and even the raiders trembled, the earth quaked, and it became a very great panic.

This is one of my favorite – if obscure – Old Testament stories. It’s a favorite because of three words, “it may be,” (or “perhaps” as in another translation) and the implications of that frame of mind.

I’m not a fan of Possibility Thinking, per se. That’s the idea that if we think positively enough, or believe strongly enough, we can create a better outcome. It tends to place the weight on us – our outlook, our effort, our determination.

But Jonathan’s words point us in a different direction. He is not confident in the outcome. He is confident in the Lord. That is very different from both a scarcity mindset that assumes nothing can be done and a kind of optimism that assumes everything will work out. Jonathan lives in the tension between those two – seeing things as they are, and yet leaving room for what God may do.

Another way of thinking about this is the Stockdale Paradox. Admiral Stockdale, a POW in the Vietnam War, determined to face the brutal facts while holding on to hope. In other words, he acknowledged the challenges before him while not losing sight of what might yet be. That is something like Jonathan’s “it may be.” For those three words are followed by some very important ones: “It may be that the LORD will work for us, for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few.”

Jonathan could say, “it may be,” because he did not know what the Lord would choose to do in that moment. But he knew that the LORD would be the decisive factor in the outcome. He acted in faith, leaving the result in God’s hands.

But we are given something even more certain.

In Jesus Christ, God has already acted. There is no “may be” about his mercy, his forgiveness, or his saving work. The cross and the empty tomb are not possibilities; they are promises fulfilled.

So we live much as Jonathan did – not paralyzed by fear, not presuming upon God, but stepping forward in faith. And we do so with confidence, not in ourselves, but in the God who has already shown himself faithful.

Rather than embracing impossibility thinking or naïve possibility thinking, those who trust in the Lord are called to a faithful “it may be” way of living – seeing things as they are, and yet moving forward in the confidence of what God has already done for us in Jesus.

Click on the graphic below to watch the Bible Project video summary of the book of 1 Samuel.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are 1 Samuel 5-7, Psalm 107.

1 Samuel 6:13-21

Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it. ¹⁴ The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. ¹⁵ And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box that was beside it, in which were the golden figures, and set them upon the great stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the Lord. ¹⁶ And when the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.

¹⁷ These are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron, ¹⁸ and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and unwalled villages. The great stone beside which they set down the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.

¹⁹ And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the Lord. He struck seventy men of them, and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great blow. ²⁰ Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?” ²¹ So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you.”

This incident is almost hard not to smile at. The Philistines capture the Ark of the LORD and place it in the temple of Dagon – their god of grain and provision. His name is likely related to dagan, the Hebrew word for grain. But Dagon is quickly shown to be nothing. The very next morning, his statue lies fallen before the Ark. And by the following day, his head and hands are broken off, lying on the threshold (1 Samuel 5:4). His supposed power is exposed as empty.

So much is revealed here. The LORD does not bow to idols. Dagon cannot speak, cannot act, cannot stand. It is a sad moment for the Philistines – but more is coming than the symbolic fall of their god. As they keep the Ark, the LORD afflicts them with painful tumors. Their trophy of victory becomes a heavy reminder of his sovereignty.

I remember first hearing this described – based on the King James translation – as a case of severe hemorrhoids. Whatever the exact nature of the affliction, it was no minor inconvenience. It may well have been something far more serious, perhaps even a plague, suggested by the offering of golden tumors and rats when they finally send the Ark away.

And yet, when the Ark returns to Israel, even God’s people do not fully understand. They begin to treat it as something of a talisman – a way to secure blessing or protection on their own terms.

That is a danger for us as well. As Paul writes in Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked.” He is not a genie to be summoned, nor a power to be managed. He is the Lord – the God of creation, redemption, and judgment.

The men of Beth-shemesh ask the right question: “Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God?” It is a question we must also ask. And the answer is not found in anything we bring or control, but in what God himself provides.

We stand before him in humility and faith – with thankful hearts – trusting that this holy God has also shown himself to be gracious, merciful, and faithful. He is not only to be feared, but to be loved and trusted.

Click on the graphic below to watch the Bible Project video summary of the book of 1 Samuel.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are 1 Samuel 2-4, Psalm 106.

1 Samuel 3:10-21

And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” ¹¹ Then the LORD said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. ¹² On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. ¹³ And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. ¹⁴ Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

¹⁵ Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. ¹⁶ But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” ¹⁷ And Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” ¹⁸ So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the LORD. Let him do what seems good to him.”

¹⁹ And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. ²⁰ And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the LORD. ²¹ And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD.

Hannah has given birth and sings a song of praise to God — the One who raises up the lowly and the weak. Mary echoes Hannah’s song when she meets her cousin Elizabeth, as both await the birth of their promised sons. Hannah’s song is not only from her heart, but a powerful witness to the true nature of God. Out of that conviction, she presents Samuel to Eli to serve the LORD in his house.

Samuel continues to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and also with man – echoing the growth of the boy Jesus recorded in Luke 2 after he was found among the teachers in the temple at age twelve. Much of the truth of God’s ways is laid down here in these chapters.

As Samuel serves in the house of the LORD, he hears a voice in the night calling his name: “Samuel!” He answers, “Here I am,” and runs to Eli, thinking he had called him. This happens three times before Eli realizes that the LORD is speaking to the boy. He instructs Samuel, if the LORD calls again, to answer, “Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.”

And so it happens. The LORD calls, Samuel answers, and the LORD gives him a heavy word to deliver to Eli. His sons will be put to death. Eli had not restrained them in their blasphemous and immoral behavior, and his house would fall. A hard message for a young and newly called prophet to deliver. But deliver it he did – and it came true. In fact, “none of Samuel’s words fell to the ground,” a vivid way of expressing the complete reliability with which he spoke the word of the LORD.

Sometimes those called by God must speak hard words. I recall one such moment early in my ministry, when I confronted a man in the hospital about misplaced priorities. The message was difficult, but the result was gracious. That same day I was able to assure him of God’s grace, salvation, and steadfast love.

Seldom are we called to speak a word without hope. That is the gift of the New Covenant in which we live. God humbles, but he also lifts up. He calls to repentance, but he does not abandon the repentant. This is the song Hannah sang – and it is the greater song fulfilled in Jesus Christ. In him grace and truth are fully found, and hope is given to all who trust in him.

Click on the graphic below to watch the Bible Project video summary of the book of 1 Samuel.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Judges 21, Ruth 1-2, Psalm 104.

Ruth 4:13-17

So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. ¹⁴ Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! ¹⁵ He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” ¹⁶ Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. ¹⁷ And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

1 Samuel 1:9-11

Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. ¹⁰ [Hannah] was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. ¹¹ And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”

These chapters have been, for me, a welcome relief from the sad and discouraging accounts of the judges in Israel. Those were dark days, marked by repeated cycles of murder, retribution, deceit, and violence. One thing is clear: God’s word does not soften the reality of human sin. We see it plainly – even when we might prefer a more muted telling.

Then we have this breath of fresh air – light in the darkness – in the persons of Ruth, Naomi, Boaz, and Hannah. Each bring a different facet of faithfulness, trust, grace, humility, and godliness into focus.

Naomi describes herself as bitter after the loss of her husband and her two sons. It is not necessarily the kind of sinful bitterness warned against in Hebrews 12:15, but rather an honest expression of deep sorrow. Yet her grief does not turn her inward. She still seeks the good of her daughters-in-law, urging them to return to their homeland and families. Orpah returns, but Ruth does not.

Ruth’s response is striking – marked by trust, humility, faithfulness, and initiative. She goes to glean in the fields, providing for Naomi. She listens to Naomi’s guidance about a kinsman-redeemer – a custom foreign to her as a Moabite – yet she follows it in faith. She goes to the threshing floor, lays at the feet of Boaz, and asks him to redeem Naomi and her.

Boaz provides for Ruth and Naomi by instructing the workers to allow her to draw water along with them, even allowing her to glean from the stacked stalks in the field, and protecting her from being taken advantage of. When it comes time to act as kinsman redeemer he makes certain that the closer relative was given the opportunity first before exercising his duty and privilege. The happy result is that a child is born – from whose lineage will come King David, and our Savior, Jesus Christ, Son of David, Son of God.

Hannah prays for a son, and the Lord gives her Samuel. He will serve in the house of the Lord and, in time, anoint David as king of Israel. The narrative is beginning to turn. We are moving toward some of the most familiar and beloved stories of the Old Testament. Yet as engaging and enduring as they are, we remember that all of this is prelude – pointing ahead to the once-for-all deliverance God will accomplish through his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. So we watch for him, even now, as we see glimpses of his grace and truth reflected in these faithful lives – bright lights in the dark days of the Judges.

Click on the graphic below to watch the Bible Project video summary of the book of 1 Samuel.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Judges 21, Ruth 1-2, Psalm 104.

Judges 21:25

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Ruth 1:1-18 (Narrative Summary)

In the days when the judges ruled, a famine came upon the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah went to live for a time in Moab with his wife Naomi and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. While there, Elimelech died, leaving Naomi with her sons. The sons took Moabite wives, Orpah and Ruth, but after about ten years both sons also died, and Naomi was left without her husband and her children.

Hearing that the Lord had provided food for his people, Naomi set out to return to Judah with her daughters-in-law. Along the way she urged them to go back to their mothers’ houses, praying that the Lord would deal kindly with them and grant them rest in new homes. They wept and said they would go with her, but Naomi insisted, reminding them that she had no future to offer them and describing her own bitterness under the Lord’s hand.

Again they wept. Orpah kissed Naomi and returned to her people and her gods, but Ruth clung to her. Naomi urged her to follow her sister-in-law, but Ruth refused, saying that where Naomi went she would go, where she lodged she would lodge, that Naomi’s people would be her people and Naomi’s God her God. She pledged to remain with her even unto death. Seeing her determination, Naomi said no more.

Israel nearly destroys the tribe of Benjamin in retribution of the terrible events recorded in Judges 19. But instead of keeping it local, and because the people of Gilbea refused to hand over the guilty men. Israel goes to war against Benjamin, and nearly annihilates them. Israel is unraveling morally – seeking revenge, piling sin upon sin, and caving in to the ways of the people around them. They have no leader and we read those terrible words at the end of the book: In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

We’ve already seen that the deeper issue in Israel is not merely that they lack a king, but that they are not living under the LORD God as their King. Their allegiance is not to the LORD, it is to the convenient gods of the surrounding peoples. I this landscape of disintegration we are introduced to Ruth, the widow daughter-in-law of Naomi. This Moabite woman’s faith, humility, and loyalty offer a striking contrast to the chaos that has come before.

As these first two chapters introduce us to Ruth, it is important to remember that these events occur during the time of the Judges. It is a reminder that the goodness of God and the influence of the Holy Spirit shines brightest in the darkness of sin and evil. This book will offer a counterpoint to the ugly events recorded in the book of Judges.

As these chapters end we are introduced to Boaz – a man of great integrity, generosity, and kindness. Naomi tells Ruth that Boaz is “one of our redeemers;” a near relative able to restore what has been lost. In the midst of her emptiness, it is a quiet sign that God has already placed redemption within reach.

Naomi is saying, in effect, “there is still hope for us.” Tragedy has struck. These two widows are vulnerable and empty. But God is providing a way forward for them. He is, in fact, providing a way forward for us as well, for Ruth is an ancestor of Jesus, listed in Matthew’s record of his genealogy. There is hope for us as God acts throughout history to save and redeem his people. Ruth gives us a glimpse of that hope.

Click on the graphic below to watch the Bible Project video summary of the book of Ruth.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Judges 18-20, Psalm 103.

Judges 20:18-26

The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, “Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Judah shall go up first.”

¹⁹ Then the people of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. ²⁰ And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin, and the men of Israel drew up the battle line against them at Gibeah. ²¹ The people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and destroyed on that day 22,000 men of the Israelites. ²² But the people, the men of Israel, took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day. ²³ And the people of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until the evening. And they inquired of the Lord, “Shall we again draw near to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Go up against them.”

²⁴ So the people of Israel came near against the people of Benjamin the second day. ²⁵ And Benjamin went against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed 18,000 men of the people of Israel. All these were men who drew the sword. ²⁶ Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 

Judges 18–20 lays bare the corruption of a kingless people. The people still speak the Lord’s name, yet live as though he were absent. Worship is reshaped to fit convenience and sullied by pagan gods. Morality collapses into brutality, and even the pursuit of justice leads to deeper destruction. Again and again they inquire of the Lord, yet their actions reveal hearts untethered from true faith and trustful obedience. What unfolds is not merely a series of tragic events, but a revealing portrait of human sinfulness – restless, self-directed, and unable to set itself right. And yet, in the midst of all this, the Lord remains – present, speaking, and unchanged – exposing both the depth of their need and the reality that their hope must come from beyond themselves.

Notice that the people do not abandon religion – they reshape it. They take what belongs to the Lord and bend it to their purposes, convincing themselves that God is with them even as they go their own way. They who were made in the image of God remake God into their own image: powerless, manipulative, unreliable and completely impotent.

And their sinful pride doesn’t stay contained. What begins as distorted worship spills into distorted living. The corruption deepens, relationships fracture, and violence multiplies. One tribe’s sin becomes the whole nation’s tragedy.

So they call out to God. Problem is, seeking God is not the same as submitting to him. They inquire of the Lord, and he answers – yet their hearts remain unchanged. They want direction without surrender, guidance without repentance – until the events in these verses. They realize how far they had wandered. The people of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until the evening.

Will it stick? Will they remain faithfully obedient? We know how this goes. But thankfully – and I mean that sincerely – thankfully, God remains present even in the face of the wavering faithfulness and untethered hearts. The Lord does not disappear. He is still there – hearing, speaking, and acting – not because his people are faithful, but because he is. God, alone, is the only constant. His ways are the only true way of life.

Their problem isn’t just that the people of Israel have no king… it’s that they have no true King. What Israel lacks is not merely leadership, but a heart rightly ruled. Their corruption exposes a deeper need – for a King who does not mirror their brokenness, but redeems it.

This is the cycle of Judges plays out: false worship leads to spreading corruption, which begets hollow seeking, played out in the shadow of God’s reliable faithfulness, pointing to our need for a true King. This cycle will repeat itself throughout the Old Testament – until the True King, our Lord Jesus comes to save us. We who are prone to wander, broken and evil (Jesus’ word to describe his own disciples) have a Savior who is faithful, broken in our place on the cross, and truly good. We have a true king! Thanks be to God!

Click on the graphic below to watch the Bible Project video summary of the book of Judges.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Judges 9-11, Psalm 100.

Judges 10:8-18

For eighteen years [the Philistines and Ammonites] oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. ⁹ And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.

¹⁰ And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.” ¹¹ And the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? ¹² The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand. ¹³ Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. ¹⁴ Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” ¹⁵ And the people of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.” ¹⁶ So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel.

¹⁷ Then the Ammonites were called to arms, and they encamped in Gilead. And the people of Israel came together, and they encamped at Mizpah. ¹⁸ And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said one to another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight against the Ammonites? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

Judges 9–11 traces Israel’s deepening faithlessness – from Abimelech’s violent, self-made rule to the nation’s return to idolatry and the oppression that follows. Leadership falters, the people wander, and the familiar cycle spirals downward. Yet when Israel cries out again, the response is not immediate rescue but a searching confrontation that exposes the emptiness of the gods they have chosen. It is here, in the tension between judgment and compassion, that the focus sharpens – leading into Judges 10:8–18, where repentance deepens and the heart of God toward his people is revealed.

In the face of these threats the people of Israel confessed: “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.” It wasn’t just that they had done some bad things like stealing, adultery, or even murder. They sinned by forsaking God and looking to false gods, the Baals – man-made answers to fear, dressed up as divine power.

So God’s answer was not simply to forgive, “That’s OK, I forgive you.” This struck me strongly – as one who deals so consistently in God’s grace. In fact it struck me pretty hard to hear God say, “Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” 

God wanted more than a contrition borne of desperation. He wanted – and always does want – true repentance. He desires not just empty words – especially those that sound sincere but are driven by sincere sadness of being in distress. God is always concerned with the heart. It’s like John the Baptist said to the people coming out to be baptized by him 1200 years later: “Bring forth the fruits of repentance.” In other words, sincere repentance isn’t just an Old Testament ideal. It’s the center of our relationship with God.

The people of Israel show true repentance by throwing away their idols and foreign gods. I noticed that God “became impatient over the misery of Israel.” And God acted in their behalf. Deliverance begins even before a deliver appears. Here we learn the danger of self-made salvation, the depth of Israel’s wandering, and the persistence of God’s mercy.

And so it is today. We might discover the same truth. Revival begins with repentance. It might be that God begins to act before we see the fruits of his deliverance. But it always starts with true repentance for sin isn’t just an act. It is a condition that can be overcome only by God’s grace and we discover that grace as we approach him in humility and contrition. Let not the persistence of God’s mercy ever lead us to abandon our faith in him and his ways.

Click on the graphic below to watch the Bible Project video summary of the book of Judges.