Chapter 1
Judges 1 Daily DEVO Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages, for the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land. Judges 1:27 – First off, don’t get lost with all the weird names of people and places in this chapter. The message behind it all was the people of Israel we’re going into the promised land to do what God was leading them to do which was to drive out the people living there. What I want you see see in this passage is how at the end of it is said, “the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land.” That their mission was met with opposition and so will your’s as you continue to follow God with your life. So as you are following Him and come across pushback, don’t be surprised. Know this is a part or the process and God has helped His people through this type of pushback for many years and He will help you with what you are experiencing too. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 581
After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel inquired of the Lord, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?” The Lord said, “Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.” Judges 1:1-2 – You don’t have to have a title to be heard by God. It’s tempting to believe that God only listens and speaks to the leaders of the church. That if someone who wasn’t a pastor or teacher were to reach out it wouldn’t have as much impact and God wouldn’t respond the same. Yet look here at our passage. Joshua, their leader, is dead. So the people reached out to God and God spoke to His people! What does that mean for you? It means whoever can reach out to God and God hears them! When His followers reach out to Him, regardless of their title or position, He hears and He moves. Know you have the ear of God. He is listening to you. He cares about what you have to say. The question then to be asked of you is with God leaning in willing to listen to all you have to say, are you saying anything to Him? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1784
And the Lord was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, but he could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of iron. Judges 1:19 – The tribes of Israel were continuing their conquest of the land of Canaan, the land God promised them. As we read through the chapter though, we begin to see a theme arise. The theme of “not driving out the inhabitants completely.” God commanded them to drive out the inhabitants completely, but over and over, for one reason or the next, the tribes left some of the inhabitants remaining. Like here with Judah, they didn’t drive them out because the enemy had chariots of iron. While a reasonable excuse, is God stopped because of chariots of iron? We see in Exodus 14 and Joshua 11 that even enemies with chariots didn’t stop God. We see even in in the battle in Judges 4 the enemy had 900 chariots of iron, but God was able to defeat them all. Maybe then this isn’t a story about God’s lack of power but our lack of faith. Know if God has called you to something, you can walk in confidence knowing that He will provide and He will be able to conquer any opposition that arises. Even if the enemy has chariots of iron, God can win. Even if all you have is a slingshot against a giant, God can win. Even if the enemy is death and Hell, our God is able to defeat that enemy. Walk then in faith today knowing the God over angel armies is with you and no enemy will be able to defeat the power of our God. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2857
Chapter 2
Judges 2 Daily DEVO And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel. Judges 2:10 – This next generation that’s to come won’t remember the struggles of dial up internet. They won’t be able to appreciate the magnitude of how something like 9/11 changed our country because they weren’t there. They won’t even know all the things you went through in your own life that God carried you through….unless you tell them about it. This passage illustrates how important it is that we share the goodness and salvation of God with this next generation. Whether we like it or not, some things in culture won’t be passed on to the next generation, we though can’t let a faithful walk with God be one of those things left behind. Share your story with God with everyone you can to make sure this next generation not only knows God but follows God deeper than we ever did! I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 582
Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress. Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Judges 2:15-16 – As a result of their sin and choices they were in terrible distress from their enemies. In that season of distress God raises up judges, or leaders, for them that would guide them to victory in battle and union with God. What we don’t see here is a crying out to God in their distress, yet God still moved on their behalf. As with Romans 5:8, while they were still in their sin God sent a rescue. In your story remember that long before you knew you needed a Savior and long before your reached out to that Savior, God was working everything out for you to be with Him. He chose you before you even knew you could choose Him. So if you’re feeling distant from God today and are hesitant to lean back after Him because you are unsure of how He’ll respond, listen to the truth this passage tells us. God deeply wants you back and has been clearing the path for you to return to Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1785
As soon as the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. Judges 2:4 – God’s people broke the agreement they had with God. God promised He would provide for them land and rid the land of their enemies as long as they would follow Him and make no agreements with the people in the land He was giving them. The people though did the very thing God said not to do, and God gave them the punishment He said would come for breaking His command. He would no longer drive their enemies out. As a result of that message, the people of Israel wept loudly. While this is a solid step for the people, to be remorseful of the mistakes we’ve made against God, we see quickly in the later verses that remorse of sin was all this was. There was no repentance of sin, no turning away from the wrong to begin doing right. They felt bad about the sin, but they didn’t change their ways to begin following God. Let us understand God is seeking repentance from our sin, not simply remorse of our sin. Yes, God wants us to see the wrong of our sin and be sorry that we sinned against such a loving God, but beyond that God desires us to forever turn away from the sin to never commit it again. How often then has repentance been your reaction to the sin in your story? Or has there been more just a remorse for doing wrong, but then later you decided to go right back to the sin you once were so sorry about doing. Know I’m not saying we aren’t allowed to struggle and that if we ever make a future mistake we’re messed everything up with God, but our posture towards sin ought to be one of turning away from it as often as sin arises. With Jesus dying so we could be free of sin’s grip, let’s choose a life of turning away from such sinful things. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2858
Chapter 3
Judges 3 Daily DEVO But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. Judges 3:9 – I want to highlight this verse not only for today, but also for the next couple weeks as we go through Judges. This will happen over and over and over and see how Israel responds. They cry out, God hears and provides, yet once the provision is gone they turn back to the very thing they cried out for God to save them from in the beginning. This is the theme of Judges. Notice this theme as we continue in this book, but more so notice if this theme is within your life. Do you have a habit of turning back to the things God saved you from when in need again or do you the again turn to God who helped you before? Don’t go back to what God rescues you from, it hasn’t changed but you have. Don’t allow yourself to be the old you anymore, live in this new life that God has given you and stay there. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 583
Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before. Judges 3:1-2 – There was a clear reason why God left the other nations there. In order for Israel to complete the mission God had called them to which was to take the land for themselves they would have to fight. Yet, as we see here in our passage, they didn’t know the art of war. So God gave them what they needed in order to grow them and to equip them for their calling. Opposition and struggle in our story most often has purposes like this as well. Maybe it’s to teach you for a future struggle, maybe it’s to sharpen your focus on God, maybe it’s to give you the experience needed to guide someone else later down the line through that same sort of struggle. Whatever the reason is we see there is a reason. Sometimes in the struggle, just knowing their is a reason behind it is enough. Know then as you faithfully pursue Jesus and encounter struggles that there is a reason for that season. Maybe that reason is for you, maybe it’s for someone else, but God has a purpose for it. Remain steady after Him and allow God to shape you as needed for your calling. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1786
After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel. Judges 3:31 – An oxgoad was a tool that caretakers of oxen would use. It was a stick about 8 feet long, 6 inches around, with a point on one end and a chisel on the other. Truly there was nothing special about an oxgoad and nothing uniquely holy about this oxgoad, except that it was given to the Lord to be used for Him. Compare this to Moses’ staff that was used to part the Red Sea or to bring water out of the rock. Or compare this to the slingshot of David that took down Goliath. All these things were just sticks and pieces of leather, but when used for God’s glory, God used them in powerful ways. What then is in your hands today that can be given over to the Lord to be used for His glory today? If you have a car, how could that be used to bring God glory? If you have a cell phone, how could that be used to bring God glory? If you have a pen, how could that bring God glory? All such things are simple things we possess, yet if we are willing to let God use the things in our life, He can bring about great things. If God can use sticks, stones, and leather straps to bring about rescue for His people, imagine what He could do with the things you possess! Today, pick something that you normally have with you during the day and dwell on how you could uniquely use this today for the Lord. Let’s use everything God has blessed us with to bring Him glory. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2859
Chapter 4
Judges 4 Daily DEVO Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” Judges 4:8 – What’s keeping you from following God? Here Barak knew exactly what to do, yet his fear and whatever else drove him to give this answer of if you’d don’t go with me, I’m not doing what God told me to do. So what is keeping you from doing what God has told you to do? Fear of what could happen? Uncertainty about your ability? Lack of confidence that God actually can fill the gaps of our insufficiencies? My advice to you is just do what God has told you to do rather than responding like Barak did. Know if God led you, God will take care of you, provide what’s needed, and fill all the gaps. He just needs you to respond with obedience. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 584
Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, for he had 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years. Judges 4:3 – For twenty years. When I hear that I can’t help but think of all my youth kids who are under the age of twenty. Meaning all their children would have never known a life free from this cruel oppression, all due the their choice to pursue sin. This should be a grand reminder that our actions, choices, and words have an impact greater than simply within our own life. When we choose sin, our families, our friends, our church family, and our loved ones all will feel the impact. By our choices we can cause someone to never know what a free life looks like. By our choices though we can also introduce someone to what freedom in Christ looks like. You are making an impact. Make sure the impact is one that introduces them to the freedom that can be found in Jesus. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1787
And the hand of the people of Israel pressed harder and harder against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they destroyed Jabin king of Canaan. Judges 4:24 – An amazing victory is won by Israel in this chapter. We have foot soldiers with no real weapons coming against an army of 900 iron chariots, the top military weapon in their day. While from a worldly standpoint, it would appear that Israel would find themselves utterly defeated. God though was fighting with His people and the result was a complete victory. Notice though the complete victory didn’t come the moment Sisera the army commander was dead; it came after the Israelites continued to press harder and harder against the enemy king till they destroyed even him. We must as well see that while we may find a victory through Christ over sin today, the battle is not complete. Sin and our enemy is still at work in this world, and he will daily be seeking to tempt us away from the Lord and oppose God’s truth. Let’s celebrate the victory over sin today, but let’s also remember the enemy isn’t gone yet. God has called us to continue to fight the good fight, to continue pursuing holiness instead of godlessness, and to be our brother’s keeper watching for the ways the enemy is seeking to lure him away from the Lord. Thankfully we are battling from a place of victory for Jesus has already defeated death and the grave through the cross. Yet until Christ permanently disposes of the enemy, we must continue to press harder and harder, with Christ’s help, against the enemy until every stronghold of his is defeated. So armor up, fight the good fight, pursue holiness, and don’t forsake the gathering of yourself with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Live today knowing victory is already in the hands of Jesus, and fight against an enemy that just won’t accept the memo he has lost. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2860
Chapter 5
Judges 5 Daily DEVO When new gods were chosen, then war was in the gates. Was shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel? Judges 5:8 – I love how clearly this is put, when you chose to follow other gods, war and difficulty followed that decision. Not to say that you following God will be absent of difficulties; any of us that have been faithfully following God for any amount of time knows that. Yet God is warning us here by showing that when we trust in and follow something other than God, we then are relying on that to protect and provide for us. What does the verse show happens? War and no weapons to fight with. We are helpless. Understand following God is the best choice for you. Any other choice will leave you helpless again the struggles of this world. God wants more for you than that, choose today to choose Him as what you follow. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac Daily DEVO 585
Why did you sit still among the sheepfolds, to hear the whistling for the flocks? Among the clans of Reuben there were great searchings of heart. Judges 5:16 – The tribe of Reuben had been blessed greatly with large flocks of sheep. Yet here, we see Reuben caring more about the sounds of their flocks than the cries of their brothers under attack. Their brother tribes were crying out for help, but they chose to stay back and care for their sheep instead. Here we are reminded what needs to take priority in our story, the life of the person next to us. Nothing in life is more important than loving the people in our life and pointing them to Jesus. When our brother or sister needs help we shouldn’t be so caught up with the care of our blessings that we don’t come to their aid. God has given us those blessings and we should be seeking out ways to use those blessings for those in need when they cry out. What blessing then of yours would possibly be more important to you than coming to the aid of a brother? Why is that? Taking an account of things like this can truly help us see what might come between us and loving the person next to us. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1788
She sent her hand to the tent peg and her right hand to the workmen’s mallet; she struck Sisera; she crushed his head; she shattered and pierced his temple. Judges 5:26 – In Deborah’s song after this victory over Sisera, we see her highlight the deed done by Jael. Jael killed Sisera who was a guest in her house, for she knew this was what the Lord commanded the armies of Israel to do. Take note though how unique this was, for Jael existed in a culture where if you invited a guest into your home, their protection would be of the highest priority. Their cultural tradition was that even over your family’s welfare you would seek the welfare of your guest. Yet she set aside the cultural norms and expectations to follow what God had commanded to do, and that is something to be celebrated. What cultural traditions and expectations do we follow that lead to us not following God’s command? The expectation of our culture is to put sports as higher priority than church, so we skip gathering with our brothers and sisters to watch the game or go to practice. The norm of our culture is to fill our minds with secular songs and shows, so we do just that. What is normal for the world around us that isn’t in line with what God commands? Are we willing to break the cultural norms to be in line with God’s word? While we may find ourselves rejected by the world for rejecting its norm and traditions, when we embrace the word of God and His commands we find ourselves rightfully living the life He has called us to. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2861
Chapter 6
Judges 6 Daily DEVO And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” Judges 6:15-16 – If you’ve ever doubted yourself, if you ever thought you weren’t enough, let this passage be for you. Gideon identifies for God all His drawbacks and how does God respond? “But I will be with you.” So will He be with you in all He’s leading you in. We can come to God with an extravagant list of all our shortcomings, but God will just remind you again He is with you and supporting you. Never forget every step you take forward is one God’s already taking ahead of you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 586
So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night. Judges 6:27 – Sometimes we’ll still have fear, but if we still do all that God is calling us to do despite the fear, God still sees that as faithfulness. We don’t see God shaming Gideon for his fear nor punishing him for waiting till night to do this. In verse 34 we see God clothing Gideon with His Spirit. God will be calling us to do things that will be scary. Maybe we’ll fear the repercussions or fear the opposition, yet if we move forward despite that fear God is still pleased. Let’s seek to “fear not” like scripture speaks on so many times, but in the process of lessening our fear let’s keep moving forward faithfully. As the wise John Wayne once said, “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.” I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1789
When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of the Midianites…Judges 6:7 – After the victory of Deborah and Barak, Israel had rest for 40 years. At some point after the rest period, we see Israel once again turn back to their sinful idolatry and they once again found themselves under the oppression of a foreign enemy. After seven years of the oppression and having all their food and livestock taken from them completely from these enemies, and after being brough very low by the enemy, we see the people of God finally cry out to Him for help. This though was after the Israel retreated to the mountains for protection and after Israel have gotten clever with ways to hide their food. After they had exhausted all their methods that were within their power to save them, only then did they reach out the Lord that brought them out of Egypt. While not an uncommon message to hear within our walk, let us remember how essential it is that prayer for God’s help not be our last report, but instead let it be our first move. If the God who commands angel armies and who created the universe is always with us, why would we try to do anything without Him? Whatever season or thing you are working through, exhausting yourself because you are trying to find victory in that season or thing through your own power, know that is not the path God desires for you. God desires for you today to lean on Him. You don’t have to wait till you’ve spent all your energy and exhausted every other option for you to finally approach God and ask for His aid. He is available right now to you to help with whatever it is you are navigating. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2862
Chapter 7
Judges 7 Daily DEVO That same night the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand. But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outposts of the armed men who were in the camp. Judges7:9-11 – God isn’t held back by our fears. In fact we see God fitting Gideon’s fear into His plan and had it all orchestrated to help Gideon overcome his fear and replace it with courage to do what God had lead him to do. With your fears know God isn’t stopped by them. He knows them better than you do so when He leads you to do something that involves your fear, know it wasn’t that He forgot that this was an issue for you. He just has plans to help you overcome it. God isn’t held back by your fears, and He’s desires you to not be held back by them either. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 587
Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. The Lord said to Gideon…Judges 7:1-2a – There is so much to talk about with this chapter, and I know what hit me this morning isn’t really important to the whole passage but it’s important to me. Notice that God didn’t speak to Jerubbaal, He spoke to Gideon. God didn’t refer to or speak to Gideon by the name others gave him. Jerubbaal was a hateful name that was given to Gideon by the sinful community he was in after Gideon destroyed the idols in his hometown. God though spoke to him as God saw him, a faithful, mighty man of valor. Know in your story many people will give you labels and names. You will even give yourself labels and names. But God sees you differently and calls you out by how He sees you, not how others see you. He calls you chosen, loved, a beautiful workmanship, and worthy. He sees you as worth dying for. Today I don’t know what hateful label you’re carrying and answering to when called by, just know God sees you differently than that and refuses to call you by that because that’s not who you are. You are His. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1790
When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.” 14 And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.” Judges 7:13-14 – Before the battle, God told Gideon that if he was afraid, he could go down into the enemy camp to secretly listen in to what the soldiers are saying about the coming battle. When Gideon did this, he heard how the enemy was terrified and this filled him with the courage he needed. Yet how amazing is it that Gideon just so happened to come to the place in the enemy camp where this one soldier was and that Gideon came just at the right time to hear him tell his buddy this dream. The fact Gideon was at the right place and the right time to hear this one soldier tell his dream shows God was completely sovereign and wise over this whole situation. Let us take stock of how many times we too were in the “right place at the right time” to hear and see something encouraging to our walk. Let those times be reminders to you that God is completely in control of this world and is structuring things to encourage our walk after Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2863
Chapter 8
Judges 8 Daily DEVO And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family. Judges 8:27 – This passage is much like the verse in the Gospels when Jesus shares how difficult it will be for the rich to get into Heaven. Not because wealth keeps us from God, but we can allow a blessing from God to become what we find our security in and what we place our trust in. Maybe it’s money, a job, a relationship, or a past trophy like Gideon’s ephod of when you were used in the past, but we can allow what God has given us to shift our focus off of Him and onto the blessing instead. We can quit looking at the provider when we have the provision in hand. Let’s just make sure we aren’t like that. Let’s keep our eyes firmly focused on God in the times of need and then times of plenty. Don’t let the blessings become a distraction. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 588
And Gideon went up by the way of the tent dwellers east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the army, for the army felt secure. Judges 8:11 – Gideon is in a battle and the enemy army is on the run. Here we see the enemy army must have chosen to settle into a certain place. Why? Because they felt secure enough to do that. They felt safe enough to stop, rest, and take shelter in this place. This shows us though a truth we must remember. You can feel secure but still not be. This army felt secure, but they weren’t at all from Gideon’s army. We too can find ourselves feeling secure in our sin. Thinking I’m fine, nothing is going to happen, no one will be hurt, this thing is actually good for me. Know that security you feel is false. When we allow sin to remain in our story it’s like leaving the back door unlocked at night. Anything and everything we don’t want in our story has access now. The only shelter we can run to and settle in to be secure is Jesus. He is able to protect and bless how we need while keeping the enemy out. There you can feel, and truly be, secure. Find your shelter in Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1791
And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing. Judges 8:4 – Massive victory had been found by Gideon and his army so far, but the battle wasn’t fully over. While they had fought long and hard and were completely exhausted, they kept pursuing the enemy to fulfill the command God gave them. Let this be our posture when it comes to the things God has called us to do, to still be pursuing after His mission even when exhausted. One of my favorite Spurgeon quotes is this, “If you, dear brethren and sisters, will give yourselves wholly to God’s work, although you will never get tired of it, you will often get tired in it. If a man has never tired himself with working for God, I should think he never has done any work that was worth doing.” We see from scripture examples of those who chose to serve the Lord giving everything they had towards the Lord’s work. Let us not then today be fooled into thinking that if we are tired in the course of serving the Lord that something is wrong. Do you think the priests ever became tired when carrying the ark? Do you think Paul ever got tired through all his beatings and imprisonments? Do you think Jesus ever got tired carrying the cross? Let us then serve the Lord today completely, even to the point of exhaustion, and then let’s keep pursuing the Lord from there, relying on God for each breath and ounce of strength we need to keep serving Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2864
Chapter 9
Judges 9 Daily DEVO Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers. Judges 9:56 – Sin never goes unpunished. We see that plainly within this passage. While Abimelech thought that he had gotten away with his actions against his brothers, eventually he had to pay for the crime he did. While it may seem like some get away with their crimes in our world today, realize that while in this world justice may not be served God always is just. Know that means He is going be just when it comes to your crimes as well. Be sure to seek forgiveness through Jesus to let Him carry the weight of God’s punishment rather than you carrying it. Sin always is punished, but thanks to God’s love and grace we don’t have to bear that punishment on ourselves anymore. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 589
And they gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless fellows, who followed him. Judges 9:4 – Often the outcome of your endeavors can be determined by the crowd you bring around you. Here Abimelech hires these worthless, reckless fellows in which the end is them slaughtering seventy men all due to pride and greed. We must be careful of who we allow to be within our inner circle. The ones we allow to be advising us and feeding us directions better be people that are first themselves following after God and that have demonstrated they care about your well being. If though we have brought close the opposite, if they aren’t following God and don’t care about your well being, don’t be surprised when you find yourself far from where you want and need to be. Bring close the people that will help the outcome of your endeavors be a closer walk with Jesus. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1792
And Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him. And Abimelech took an axe in his hand and cut down a bundle of brushwood and took it up and laid it on his shoulder. And he said to the men who were with him, “What you have seen me do, hurry and do as I have done.” Judges 9:48 – We have here the story of the first “king” in Israel, Abimelech, even though his reign was only for a short while and only over about three cities total. After slaughtering almost all his brothers, and after killing many of the people that he was supposed to be king over, now he is seeking to burn down a tower with over a thousand of his people in it. As the leader he commanded his soldiers to “do as I have done” when it came to gathering firewood for the massacre. Crazily enough, his soldiers followed his example and the thousand people perished. Let us remember that we can live such a life that if people “do as we have done,” the result can be their harm and even other’s death. How then are you living? What would be the result if others did as you do? Would their life be better? Would other’s lives be saved? How we live in this life matters for we can have such an impact on how other people live too. Dwell on the reality that the way we live today may be imitated by those we are close to, and let’s make sure the result of their imitation of us is their best and others hearing the truth of the Gospel. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2865
Chapter 10
Judges 10 Daily DEVO So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel. Judges 10:16 – What Israel did here is key in seeing the blessing of God come like God wants it to come within your life. They put away the foreign gods. The very things that they have been setting before God in their life they set aside and put God back where he belonged as the head. So if it’s your reputation, your talents, your fears, your money, or even your stuff that has become more important in your life to you than God, know God isn’t going to bless a life like He wants to bless it if He isn’t Lord of that life. Do whatever it is you need to do to make God Lord again in your story. He’s the only one that has the right, and ability, to hold that title properly in your story. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 590
After him arose Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years. And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities, called Havvoth-jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead. Judges 10:3-4 – Isn’t it great how Jair is remembered for all the ways he faithful led those under him. Remembered for all the people that he directed to God. Remembered for all the people he helped in distress. Remembered for all the ways he strove to follow God faithfully in his own story. That’s what it says about him….right? Nope, we just see he reigned for a couple decades and had thirty donkeys for his sons. That’s what his story in history amounts to. Is them the length of your reign and the flaunting of your worldly success all that’s is going to be said of you once your life is done? Or will the stories of how you poured into the lives of other be spoken? Will the way to followed Jesus be spoken about? Will the way you sacrificed for others be shared? Let’s think today about what will be said of us once our times is over on earth. Let’s make sure the words spoken about us are all about how closely our life mirrored the life of Jesus. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1793
The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him. Judges 10:6 – Truly if you wanted a verse that sums up the entire book of Judges, this could easily be the verse. Seven times a verse like this appears in Judges. Over and over and over God would bring salvation for His people, and over and over and over they would again turn from God and serve the gods of neighboring lands around them. This sort of passage establishes a truth that people of God must acknowledge…we can find ourselves worshipping the gods of the world around us instead of the God who saved us. While likely I doubt you will convert to Islam or Buddhism to begin worshipping their gods, let us not discount the “gods” all around us. Money can be our god, a relationship can be our god, a sport can be our god, we can even become our god. These are things the world around us worships constantly and as followers of God we can find ourselves like the people in Judges worshipping what the world worships instead of the God who saved us. What I’d encourage you to do today is find space to pray and ask the Lord to reveal what you may be worshipping in your life beyond Him or even more than Him. What He reveals may be hard to accept and hard to make a change with, but remember who saved you and who is truly worthy of our worship. Choose this day to serve only the Lord and whatever else you may be worshipping, let those “gods” be put away for the Lord is the focus of your undivided devotion. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2866
Chapter 11
Judges 11 Daily DEVO But Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and drive me out of my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?” Judges 11:7 – While this isn’t Jesus speaking, I can’t help but see these being words that would come out of His mouth. So often our world, and even ourselves if we’re honest, push God out so we can live how we want. Yet, when the struggle comes, we come crying out to God for rescue. We cry out to the very one that we pushed out. Let’s make sure that not our story. Let’s come to God, inviting and welcoming Him into our story today and not just in the days or trouble. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 591
Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. Gilead was the father of Jephthah. Judges 11:1 – There are just some parts of your story you can’t control. Here in our chapter Jephthah is pushed aside, kicked out, and treated poorly all due to the fact of who his mom was. Something that was completely out of his control. For you it may be who your parents are, where you were born, the color of your skin, a health issue, or even what was done to you. These things play huge parts in your story but they are completely out of your control. Know while they are out of your control they find themselves within God’s design for your story. Often it is so hard to understand why some of those things are allowed to be, but as we continue to live and share our story God helps us begin to see purposes for them. Let the parts of your story you can’t control be parts you let God have full control of. They may just be the part that God uses to bring someone close to Himself. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1794
And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot take back my vow.” Judges 11:35 – Jephthah made a vow to the Lord that the first thing that came out of his house after he returned from victory in battle would be offered as a burnt offering. We see from the passage that what came out first was his one and only daughter, and he was heartbroken because of it. Let us though understand this vow was foolish to be made to begin with, and it was sinful for him to keep it. Now yes, we ought to keep our vows, whether to God or to our spouse, for that is a holy thing to do when we make holy vows. But just because we vow to do something doesn’t make that something now right to do. I can vow to murder someone, and when I murder, I can’t excuse that sin because “I was keeping my vow.” Jephthah should have come to the Lord, repented of such a rash vow, and sought forgiveness from God for God was very specific about never wanting to have His people be involved with human sacrifice. The message for us then today is to be very careful that the vows and promises you make are holy and in line with the Lord. For when we make a sinful vow (one that’s not in line with God’s word or one that you don’t intend to keep), neither fulfilling that vow nor breaking it is right, for both end in sin. Let your yes be yes, and your no be no, and keep the words that you have given. Yet if your promise would result in you committing something unholy, lay that foolish promise before the Lord, ask forgiveness, and don’t increase your sin simply by fulfilling some sinful promise. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2867
Chapter 12
Judges 12 Daily DEVO They said to him, “Then say Shibboleth,” and he said, “Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounce it right. Then they seized him and slaughtered him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time 42,000 of the Ephraimites fell. Judges 12:6 – Congratulations men of Israel, you killed 42,000 men of your enemy….which was another tribe of Israel. Don’t mistake your brethren for your enemy. Our true enemy has a special way of making it seem like the people we are to draw close to are the very ones that we should keep away. Make sure you’re looking over those deceptions and seeing who really is the one that we should be pushing away. Your enemy is not another person, your enemy is Satan. Stop throwing attacks of any kind at people, especially if they are another Christian. We should be building each other up, not tearing down. Seek out today how you may have been focusing your attacks on the wrong enemy. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 592
Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and Manasseh.” Judges 12:4 – I have a note in my Bible I apparently wrote a while ago that told me to compare this passage to Judges 8:1-3. There we see Ephraim once again coming to the judge at that time asking why they weren’t invited to the battle. In chapter 8 the judge listens and reacts calmly and Ephraim does the mostly the same. As a result the tension was calmed and everyone left at peace. Here though the opposite happens. As a result of how everyone reacted, we see thousands slaughtered. How you choose to react and respond to the frustrations of others can either led to life or death. You can even push someone away from wanting Jesus or attract them to Him. Choose to listen well, respond thoughtfully, and react as Jesus would. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1795
The men of Ephraim were called to arms, and they crossed to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the Ammonites and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house over you with fire.” 2 And Jephthah said to them, “I and my people had a great dispute with the Ammonites, and when I called you, you did not save me from their hand. Judges 12:1-2 – Jephthah had won the victory over his enemies, yet when home the tribe of Ephraim confronted him and complained that they weren’t invited to help with the battle. Yet, as we see here, they were invited but refused to help. Ephraim refused to offer aid in battle when asked, but when the battle was through, they complained they weren’t invited to the battle. See here the worthlessness and divisiveness of complaining. Tribes were divided, thousands lost their lives, and God was not honored because of complaining. Whether it’s with the Israelites in the wilderness or even amongst Jesus disciples, complaining is never spotlighted as something holy, but always something improper to do that leads to even more sin. Let us instead choose to be grateful for what God has blessed us with rather than being vocal about the things we do not have. For no matter our current situation, God is still a blessing giver, and our lives are deeply blessed by Him. Feel free to bring your desires before the Lord and share those with Him, but don’t exist in a heart of complaint, discontent always with the state of your life. No one, not even you, will be better off existing with a heart of complaint. Choose to thank the Lord even for the smallest of things, and likely you will discover once you begin thanking Him you will never find an end to all the blessings He has poured out into your story. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2868
Chapter 13
Judges 13 Daily DEVO For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines. Judges 13:5 – Notice what’s different about God’s plan to save His people this time around. God’s setting up a person to step in a save them from the enemy nation like before, but this time they hadn’t cried out and asked for help yet. Meaning God was working for their good even before they asked for it. God does the very same thing for us. In Romans 5 we see that while we were even labeled as God’s enemy due to our sin, He showed us the most amazing love and grace possible. Just remember your mistakes never will remove God’s love from being on you. You didn’t place God’s love on you and you also won’t be able to remove it. God’s working for your good, let’s be working for His good with our life. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 593
Then the woman came and told her husband, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name, but he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’” Judges 13:6-7 – God gave them the details they needed to know and held back the details they didn’t. Sure, it would have been nice knowing his name and knowing where he was from, but that knowledge, or lack thereof, didn’t change anything with the what their calling was. We too will be given details concerning our calling yet at the same time not be given details concerning other things. Maybe we won’t know what was the reasoning behind a change or why this thing had to happen. Details that seem to be important, but does not knowing those details keep us from carrying out our calling to love God and love people? No it doesn’t. Let’s seek to trust God when the details are held back from us. We can still move forward faithfully even without some of the details. Maybe this is a reminder that we truly can walk by faith and not by sight. We may not see all the details, but we have a God who is fully in the details. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1796
And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, for we have seen God.” 23 But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these.” Judges 13:22-23 – Manoah and his wife were the parents of Samson within scripture. We see the angel of the Lord appear to them and announce the coming of their son Samson while also telling them of the Nazarite vow that Samson was to be under for his whole life. After the angel of the Lord left, we see Manoah terrified and expecting death for they just witnessed the Lord work. Thankfully his wife had solid wisdom and told her husband the obvious, that if God was going to do such great things with them like He just told them He would, why would He kill them now? Today let us remember that in our story God too has revealed Himself to us through His word. God has also made it known to us the work He has called us to and the sort of life He is calling us to live for Him. If then God has revealed Himself to us, and told us the good plans He has for our future, why would God abandon us now or seek to do us harm? Let us be wise like Manoah’s wife and realize that if God’s not done with us yet, we have nothing to fear in this life. He is with us, He is for us, and He has a plan for our life. Live as you were on a God ordained mission and as if God is by your side, for that’s the reality you live in today. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2869
Chapter 14
Judges 14 Daily DEVO She wept before him the seven days that their feast lasted, and on the seventh day he told her, because she pressed him hard. Then she told the riddle to her people. Judges 14:17 – Be weary of the people in your life that only draw close to you to get something from you. We must not treat everyone like this, constantly holding people at arms length. We are designed to bring people close into our life, but they must be the right people. Learn to be discerning about who you let be a close participant in your life. Make sure they not only are someone you can help grow, but they have an interest in helping you grow as well. Does this mean you can’t have people in your life who aren’t like this? No, just make sure you do have people pouring into you because without them you’ll find yourself very empty. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 594
Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. Then he came up and told his father and mother, “I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife.” Judges 14:1-2 – Whether it’s for honey or for a honey be sure the path you’re on is from the Lord. Don’t be chasing after something if you haven’t first checked it with God. Here Samson multiple times made choices that at least from what we can see from scripture didn’t even think to check with God on. He married the enemy, broke God’s law with eating from a carcass, and killed 30 men. Thankfully, even in his lack of checking, God was still guiding this path of his. Let’s though see Samson’s character as an example not to mirror. Come to God in prayer when you are making a decision. Spend time deep in His Word so you can become more familiar with how God speaks and to offer Him a chance to speak to you. So maybe you are supposed to go after that honey, just take the time first to see if that’s what God wants for your story. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1797
Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion came toward him roaring. Judges 14:5 – This seems like a very innocent situation for Samson to find himself in, but let’s break this down. Samson was under a lifelong Nazarite vow, and one aspect of that vow was to not eat or drink anything that comes from the vine. Now Samson is walking through vineyards that hold the very things God commanded him not to partake in, and what does he find? A roaring lion. Scripture tells us in 1 Peter 5:8 that our enemy is like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. When then we are walking in enemy land, like Samson was, surround by temptations, like Samson was, all to commit ourselves to something God said not to commit to, like Samson was about to do…is in any surprise to find the enemy there ready to attack? Too often Christians will complain about the attacks they are getting from the enemy, yet all the while they are purposefully walking in enemy lands, surrounding themselves with temptations, seeking to commit themselves to something God said to stay away from. Where then are you walking today? What temptations are you toying with and drawing too close to today? What relationships are you committing yourself to that God clearly said not to commit to? Don’t be surprised to find a roaring lion near you when you step into a lion’s cage. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2870
Chapter 15
Judges 15 Daily DEVO And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and put out his hand and took it, and with it he struck 1,000 men. Judges 15:15 – While I think we all would agree this isn’t the most beautiful of miracles God did in scripture, it is pretty amazing that a single person could do all that. What we must remember though when we read in scripture something amazing like this being done through a person that it is God’s power, not their own, making it happen. Even in this case the verse before says the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him. Let’s be sure that even within our life when something amazing is done we give God the glory for it rather than ourselves or someone else. Remember it’s because of His power we are conquerors, victors, heirs, and loved by Him. Keep in mind it’s always all about Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 595
Then 3,000 men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?” And he said to them, “As they did to me, so have I done to them.” Judges 15:11 – As they did to me, so I have done to them. Such a common way to handle issues today. They hurt me, I’ll hurt them. They trashed me on social media, well, I can do that too. I can repay their evil with evil easily. True, and you may be very creative with how you do it, but is that truly the heart of Jesus? Remember how David continually spoke about his issues with Saul…I’ll repay his evil with good. This is the heart of Jesus and this is what will shock the world. You won’t attract anyone to Jesus fighting fire with fire. Yet, when you respond with compassion, patience, and kindness to their hate and anger that will confuse them in the best of ways. Evil for evil is not what we’re called to. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1798
And he was very thirsty, and he called upon the Lord and said, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” Judges 15:18 – Samson had found himself in a cycle of retaliation with the Philistines. They attack him, he attacks them back, and the cycle continued. Right before this verse Samson had just killed 1000 Philistines single-handedly with the jawbone of a donkey. A seemingly massive victory for Samson, yet after such a feat of strength, we see him acknowledge that all the strength and victory wasn’t enough for he was to die if he didn’t get a glass of water. God allowed Samson to be very thirsty and not find water to quench his thirst until Samson turned to the Lord to ask for help. God’s wanted Samson to realize that without Him, no victory would ever of happened against Samson’s enemies and that without God Samson wouldn’t be able to survive. As we then experience victories in our life that are followed by some simple, but very real need, know that often it isn’t God seeking to punish us. Like with Samson, God is using that need to redirect our eyes onto Him. To remind us that it was due to Him that we found our victory and without Him we can’t make it through this life. This is not God being cruel, for even in this Samson story it ended with victory and water being given to Samson. As then the times of “thirst” come upon you, allow that thirst to redirect your eyes to the Lord as the supplier of all your victories and needs. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2871
Chapter 16
Judges 16 Daily DEVO And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. Judges 16:20 – Notice even here the wording isn’t “that his hair had left him,” but “that the Lord has left him.” Samson got this wrong, and we often do as well when telling the story. His strength was not from his hair but from God. Yes the agreement he had with God was broken due to the cutting of the hair, but it was God removing the blessing of strength that left him powerless. Make sure you acknowledge it’s God giving you the blessings you have not your talents, wisdom, or abilities. Let that be a relief to you, for while talents and abilities may go away, God never will. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 596
Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her. Judges 16:1 – Just because you see something doesn’t mean you have to lean into it. Here Samson first chooses to go into Gaza, one of the five strongest Philistine (enemy) cities. He happens to see a prostitute and decides to act sinfully with her. But none of this had to take place. We don’t have to be sinful while we continue to live in this sinful world. We have a choice to see the sinful things yet turn away from it. We don’t have to walk into sinful, enemy territory. We don’t have to say yes to sin anymore. Our chains have been broken and we are free in Jesus from sin. Am I say you are a horrible person for slipping up after you’ve chosen to follow Jesus? Absolutely not. We just need a reminder sometimes that we truly are free from sin. When Jesus saved us He forgave us for all our sin but also broke the chains of control sin had on us. We now have something we didn’t have before when it came to the sinful ways in our story…a choice. You can continue to choose sin or you can choose to not lean into the sinfulness all around us. Just remember what Jesus had to do in order for you to even have that choice. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1799
And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison. Judges 16:21 – Sin has consequences. Samson had lived such a life of sin up to this point but hadn’t tasted much yet of the consequences that follow sin. Yet after choosing to remain in this unhealthy, ungodly relationship with Delilah, and in doing so rejecting a life of faithfulness after God, Samson finally tasted the result of his sinful choice. His eyes that looked upon women and led him to sexual sin were removed, his hands that had killed many and scooped out the honey from an unclean carcass were bound, and the enemy he was called to defeat now had him enslaved. Be then wiser than Samson when it comes to the sinfulness in your story. Do not be deceived thinking that your sinful choices will have no consequences. Yes, you may not see the negative consequences for a while, but sin never is free from hurt, loss, and damage. How then have you been entertaining sin rather than rejecting sin? Is there an obvious sin that you know isn’t holy for you to continue doing yet you find yourself continuing going to it? Let this story of Samson be the signal to cut the sin out now before the consequences get worse. Confess it to the Lord, lay it at His feet, and using His strength walk away from it. Our God is waiting for us to see the deadliness of sin and the call to righteous living we’ve been given. Let us begin that holy pursuit of God today. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2872
Chapter 17
Judges 17 Daily DEVO Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, because I have a Levite as priest.” Judges 17:13 – This passage really shows that we should check ourselves and our walk with God periodically. We need to ask ourselves are we serving God like He says we’re supposed to worship Him or are we worshiping God according to our ways of thinking what is right. Is a faithful walk with God to you just going to church on Sunday morning and giving a little bit in the offering plate every week? God lays out in scripture what a true disciple of God’s life should look like, we need our life with God to follow that guide rather than just what we think is acceptable in God’s eyes. Today, look at what your life with God looks like on an daily and weekly scale. Is it tailored more to how you want a life with God to look like or is it looking like the life God wants you to have with Him? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 597
And he restored the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother. And his mother said, “I dedicate the silver to the Lord from my hand for my son, to make a carved image and a metal image. Now therefore I will restore it to you.” So when he restored the money to his mother, his mother took 200 pieces of silver and gave it to the silversmith, who made it into a carved image and a metal image. And it was in the house of Micah. Judges17:3-4 – What about the other 900 pieces of silver? There is so much going wrong in this chapter, but notice how the mother dedicated the 1,100 pieces of silver to God yet only gave 200 pieces. Does this ever happen within our stories? We tell God we’re committing to something yet never follow through. We say we’re stopping something yet don’t. We tell God we’re all in yet only give Him our free time. Let’s not shortchange God. If we have committed to following Jesus then that is promise to fully give our life entirely over to God’s purposes. Not just our free time, not just our spare change, not just our 200 pieces of silver. Praise God that He didn’t shortchange us but gave everything so we could be with Him. If there then something in your story you’ve been holding back from God? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1800
And the man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household gods, and ordained one of his sons, who became his priest. 6 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Judges 17:5-6 – We have an Israelite who makes for himself a silver idol, builds a mini temple for it, surrounds it with other idols, ordains one of his sons to be a priest, and later hires a Levite as his personal temple priest. What we have here is man choosing to reject God and embrace his own created religion and view on life. That truth is confirmed in verse six, everyone did what was right in their own eyes because God was not king in their life. Oh how this example lines up with the culture of the world today. Everyone does what is right in their eyes, whatever is their truth is right for them, following their heart and doing what makes them happy is best. While such ways of living are applauded and encouraged in our world, scripturally we see how horrible such worldviews are. We need God as our king in our life setting the standards for how we should live. God shows us what is right, not our own eyes. When then we have the Lord as our King, we can find real truth in life and real peace with one another for our truths no longer conflict. Pray for our world today to see the folly of “doing what is right in their own eyes.” God’s word speaks the truth and offers the pathway to real life through Jesus. Our world needs to see that living according to our word, over God’s word, will lead to death. Let’s begin helping our world see that truth by our living according to the word of God. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Daily DEVO 2873
Chapter 18
Judges 18 Daily DEVO Then the people of Dan went their way. And when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his home. Judges 18:26 – Micah saw how weak he was. Sounds simple and seems like and obvious statement when you have one guy against 600 armed soldiers. There though is another layer you need to see. Micah, now that his household gods were taken away and his set up for religion gone, found himself powerless against his enemy. Yet how often do you see in scripture that an enemy “took God” away from His people like we see Micah’s gods being taken away from him? Never. Know this, God is never going to leave you and never can be taken away from you by any enemy. His power will always be with you and He will always be by your side as you are fighting for Him. This is the value of having the real God as your God rather than some creation that you made be what you place your hope and life in. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 598
And they said to him, “Keep quiet; put your hand on your mouth and come with us and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?” Judges 18:19 – Why are you moving? What is the reasoning behind the move you’re thinking about making? Have you invested anytime seeking out God’s direction in this move? Here the Levite didn’t even hesitate but jumped on the idea of going with the army. This would mean more money and position for him. He never once sought God’s lead on it. I don’t know what decision lies in front you but first have you sought out God’s direction on it? Now what are the motivating factors behind the change? Are they for sinful, selfish reasons or because you see this as an open door for the Gospel to be better shared? Sometimes the calling is to stay, yet making a move is sometimes the very thing God is calling you to do as well. Just make sure you are moving for the right reasons and have sought God’s lead on it before taking any steps forward. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1801
And he said, “You take my gods that I made and the priest, and go away, and what have I left? How then do you ask me, ‘What is the matter with you?’” Judges 18:24 – The tribe of Dan comes by the house of Micah and steals the silver idol that he had made, along with all the other idols and the Levite that was his resident priest. For Micah, this would have been losing his entire system of belief for every one of his gods were taken from him and he had no way of rescuing them back. How depressing would it be if we too had such a thing happen to us! Thankfully, if our God is the one true God, we never have to fear something like what happened to Micah taking place in our story. Our God will never leave nor forsake us. Jesus will remain our High Priest for all eternity. Nothing can separate us from the love of our God. Scripture is clear that our God is nothing like the idol of silver that can’t speak, hear, or do anything for its followers. Our God is alive, our God is holy, and our God will never be able to be taken away from us. Be sure then that the God you are serving and giving your life to today is the Lord. While maybe not idols of silver, our culture today has so many idols they are centering their lives around. Be wiser than this and place your faith in the God that never leaves, for why give yourself to something that can be taken from you? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2874
Chapter 19
Judges 19 Daily DEVO But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and made her go out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until the morning. And as the dawn began to break, they let her go. Judges 19:25 – This is my least favorite chapter in the Bible. Not only is it filled with such a vile story, but it is the picture of what a life led by sin looks like. Only out for your own desires, led by your emotions, doing what is right in your eyes, and not giving a care as to how your actions effect anyone else. Let this passage open your eyes to this truth, following sin is the wrong way to go. Don’t let the temptation of a satisfying of your desires blind you from how that process of doing so will hurt those around you. That’s why God directs us to follow Him. Not only for His own glory, but for our well being and the lives of those we impact. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 599
And as morning appeared, the woman came and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her master was, until it was light. Judges 19:26 – Last time I wrote on this chapter I said it was my least favorite chapter in the Bible and I still agree with that statement. You see clearly how when sin is your master how far it can lead you into the darkness and evil. Yet this time reading over this passage I noticed this verse. The woman who had just been abused all night by the men of the city came to the door of where her master was, but he never came out to her to help. Having the wrong master will ruin you. Today, know this is not how Jesus would treat you. He will not throw you to the wicked men. He will not sleep while you’re crying out to Him. He will not let you stand there at the door and not come to your rescue. Is the thing your are giving the most of your time to, the most of your thoughts to, the most of your energy towards going to save you in your time of need? Make sure you have the right master. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1802
In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a certain Levite was sojourning in the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, who took to himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. Judges 19:1 – One commentator actually recommends not even reading this chapter because of how horrid it is, saying that reading just the first phrase, “In those days, when there was no king in Israel,” says enough to let you know nothing good is to come after it. Another commentator in his translating of this passage left many sections in Latin so that only those who understood Latin had to read the gruesome things that took place in these verses. When I’ve preached on this chapter in the past I’ve declared it the worst chapter in the entire Bible. We see here that Israel at this time in the time of the Judges was as bad as Sodom and Gomorrah. What then can we possibly take away from such a chapter? We need King Jesus over us. When we are the ones that determine what is right and wrong for ourselves, this is the sort of world we will find ourselves in. We need someone greater than us and wiser than us to be over us directing our life. We need Jesus in our life. Know having such a God over our life is going to change how we live and change what we may think is right and wrong, but if we ever want peace, love, and unity within our world, we must fall under the Lordship of King Jesus. Let these be the days when there is a King in the lives of God’s people. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2875
Chapter 20
Judges 20 Daily DEVO 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 20:26 – Don’t just follow God, keep following God even when it seems to be the wrong choice. Israel here asked of God twice what to do and He directed them to go out and battle, yet each time they were defeated. Israel though did something we should follow the example of. They continued to follow God and seek God’s direction even after the defeats. Make sure the defeats in your story aren’t pushing you off of the journey of following God. Victory is only found in God. While we may experience defeats along the path, following Him is the only way to ever taste victory. Keep up the fight and stay on the right path. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 600
And there came against Gibeah 10,000 chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was hard, but the Benjaminites did not know that disaster was close upon them. Judges 20:34 – The battle was hard. This is actually the third time the men of Israel came to fight against the Benjaminites in this passage. The first time they lost 22,000 men. The second time they lost 18,000 men. Now after such heavy losses they are fighting once again because they know the fight is just and right. This is a truth about the path God is leading us on. Often it will be hard. Often we lose some battles. Often we’ll sacrifice. Often we feel dismayed and as if the battle is already lost. But the war that we are fighting is just and right. Our mission is to carry the message of the Gospel to a world that deeply needs it. Our fight is against an enemy that longs for the world to stay separated from Jesus. Yes, this fight will be hard, but it’s more than worth it. Today if you’re feeling exhausted from the fight, remember that God has set a table for you in the presence of your enemies to renew your strength. Lean into the peace, rest, and renewal He gives so you can keep fighting the good fight. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1803
And the men of Israel turned back against the people of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, the city, men and beasts and all that they found. And all the towns that they found they set on fire. Judges 20:48 – The crime that was committed by the men of Gibeah was horrible and Israel coming together to execute punishment and bring about justice was the holy move to make. Yet what we see unfold by the end of the chapter goes beyond justice, its simply slaughter of their brother tribe. After hearing about the sin committed against the concubine in chapter 19, and after losing in the first two battles, the men of Israel were filled with fury against the tribe of Benjamin and let that fury loose. Now all that remained of the tribe of Benjamin after this slaughter was 600 men that were able to escape, something we’ll see Israel regret in the next chapter. Let us then remember that God is surely about justice being served, but we must be careful to not go beyond what the Lord has led us to do in scripture. We should hold our brothers accountable for their sins, we should seek to help them remove the speck from their eye, we can go to them with other believers and leadership if they are refusing to change, and we can even cut ties with them and treat them like Gentiles if they reject correction. Beyond this, our role is to pray and leave revenge to the Lord. Allowing sinful actions to take place because we let our rage, anger, and hate lead is not holy unto the Lord. Trust the Lord’s word on how to handle another’s sin and trust the Lord to bring about justice in situations where there is none yet. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2876
Chapter 21
Judges 21 Daily DEVO And they commanded the people of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in ambush in the vineyards and watch. If the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards and snatch each man his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.” Judges21:20-21 – I must have written on this passage before because the irony is too much for me not to have. The whole reason why the tribe of Benjamin was in trouble was because they took what wasn’t their’s, the levite’s concubine, and now they are being told to take more ladies for their own. The irony and confusing nature of all this is no surprise with what it’s says in the last verse of the chapter (look it up). For us, we need a bigger moral compass than just our perception of the world. Allow God to be what sets what’s right and what you should do in your life. Don’t find yourself in a cycle of hurtful mistakes because you choose to let yourself be your leader. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 601
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Judges 21:25 – This verse has been repeated throughout the book of Judges and rightfully is placed at the very end of the book. Judges has given us a picture of what happens when the ultimate authority of what’s right and wrong is ourselves. We have seen the loss it creates. We have seen the chaos it brings. We have seen the pain and death that comes with it. All because each person did what was right according to himself. What was needed in their story was a perfect God who knew what was right and could set up for them a way to exist with each other in peace. What’s crazy is they had that, yet turned away from it. Know you have this too. You can choose to follow the directions God’s gives on how to live and how to relate with others, or you can just do what’s right in your eyes. For sure, following God will put us in a different current than most of the people we do life with and that will create tension sometimes. Take Judges as your example of what it looks like when we go with the flow. Choose to do what is right in Jesus’ eyes. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1804
So the congregation sent 12,000 of their bravest men there and commanded them, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword; also the women and the little ones. Judges 21:10 – While I can’t possibly imagine anyone reading this chapter could see that any of this was “right in the eyes of the Lord,” let’s break down what exactly took place. First, a horrible crime was committed against the Levite’s concubine. In response Israel slaughtered almost all the tribe of Benjamin for committing that crime and harboring the criminals. Israel makes foolish oaths that no one can give Benjamin their daughter in marriage and that any tribe of Israel that didn’t help in this slaughter would be slaughtered themselves. After making these foolish mistakes, they further act in foolishness by killing the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead and kidnapped 600 women to give to the remaining men of Benjamin that escaped the earlier slaughter. This is truly just an insane amount of sinful actions happening in sequence, and the reason is so clear why such things took place. For in those days God was not their king, and each person did what was right in their eyes. When we get to determine was is right and wrong, the sort of things that took place in this chapter unfold and the sort of things we see in the news today unfold. God must be king in our lives and God must be the one that gets the final say on what is right and wrong. When we or anything else slips into that king role, we are doomed for pain like we see in the pages of Judges. Allow King Jesus to reign in your life and allow Him all authority in your life to determine what is right. Freedom, life, peace, and love is found in the Kingdom of Jesus, and all that is available to you today. Choose wisely and choose to be a part of the Kingdom of God. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2877
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