In this episode we began reading about Ruth. In these first 3 Chapters we can see how God’s master plan is at work preparing the way for Jesus to one day be born. Ruth is King David’s great grandmother and an ancestor of Jesus. What else can we learn from Ruth? That all things will truly work together for our good no matter how bad it might look now. #foryou #foryourpage #ruth #christian #naomi #biblestudy #boaz  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

Praise God we finished the last two Chapters of Judges! The Book of Judges caused us to see how low our sin nature can go without God in our lives. This Book also shows us how faithful God is even when His people didn’t deserve it. We should leave the Book of Judges ‘fully’ convinced that mankind needed a savior. Sending Jesus to die for us was always God’s master plan. In the fullness of time (when the time was right), Jesus came into the world forever breaking the curse of sin for all who received Him. Thank God for Jesus! #foryou #foryourpage #christian #judges #jesus #idols #israelites #civilwar  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

In this episode we covered the rape and violation of the Levite’s concubine. The last 5 Chapters of Judges shows us just how low mankind can go without God in our lives. But remember, even though Israel was failing, God was still going to continue His master plan to one day bring his only son into this world to die for our sins. Basically these last Chapters remind us that we (mankind) needed a savior. #foryou #foryourpage #judges #biblestudy #oldtestamentstudy #benjamin #israelites  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

In this episode we continued highlighting the contributions of women in the Bible. We saw that they were leaders, pastors, deacons, prophets, teachers, and business women. Many women in the Bible had great faith, they were persistent, and they got the job done! It was even alluded that Junia was an Apostle. Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament considered women as equals (Gal 3:28, Rom 16:3). He acknowledged women and had a lot of respect for them. Jesus elevated women at a time when women were devalued. Many women followed and supported Jesus. Jesus acknowledged and valued women. #foryou #foryourpage #women#judges #valued  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

Prior to finishing the last three Chapters of Judges which devalued women, we want to briefly go thru the Bible highlighting awesome women and their contributions to God’s master plan. #foryou #foryourpage #judges #idols #women #christian #jesus #paul  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

In this week’s episode from Judges Chapters 17 - 18 we see what was happening to individuals and the tribes as the entire nation of Israel was falling into idolatry. Everyone was doing what seemed right in their own eyes. These two Chapters and the next three show us what can happen to a nation when they turn away from God and His ways. It is not pretty. The sin nature took over and they were capable of doing the vilest things. The blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit is what enables us to walk right, talk right, and live right. Thank God for Jesus. We would be lost without Him! #foryou #judges #foryourpage #biblestudy #isrealites #christian #idols #worship  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

In this episode from Judges Chapter 16 we concluded reading about Samson, the 12th and final Judge listed in the book of Judges (we will read about a couple more Judges in the book of 1 Samuel). We continue to be reminded of the grace and mercy of God. After all the things Samson did wrong, when he sincerely cried out to God, God answered him. What can we learn from Samson? That even when we are at our lowest, if we sincerely cry out (pray) to God, He will always hear us and come to our rescue. Thanking God right now for His unconditional love for us 🙏. #foryou #judges #foryourpage #samson #delilah #christian #philistine #strength #biblestudy #oldtestament  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

In this episode from Judges Chapters 14 - 15 we continued to read about Samson, the last judge talked about in the book of Judges. In this episode Samson marries a Philistine woman. She betrays him during their wedding feast resulting in Samson killing 30 Philistines and walking away from the marriage. When he returned after he calmed down, his wife had been given to another man. Furious, Samson burned up the Philistines crops, vineyards, and olive groves. The Philistines retaliate by burning his wife and her father to death. Samson attacks them again killing many of them. After this battle, Samson hid in a cave and then allowed the Israelites to capture him and take him bound with ropes to the Philistines (Samson wanted them to take him to the Philistines so he could kill some more of them). Once in their camp, Samson breaks the ropes and kills 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. Samson had a lot of character flaws but God was using him to confront the Philistines. It tells us this in Chapter 14:4 that God would use his marriage to the Philistine woman to initiate a confrontation. What can we learn from this? That you can’t put God in a box and that all things will work out for our good when you belong to the Lord. Even when it doesn’t look good or feel good at the moment. We also notice that we didn’t read about the Israelites asking for God’s help against the Philistines, they seem to have accepted their fate of being oppressed by the Philistines. God still sends them help because they are His chosen people. This shows us God’s patience and His long suffering with us…even when we don’t deserve it. #foryou #judges #foryourpage #samson #philistine #christian #nazirite #strength  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

In this episode from Judges Chapters 12-13 we finished talking about Jephthah and the next three judges (Ibzan, Elon, and Ebdon). In Chapter 13 we began reading about Samson, the 12th judge. During this episode we read about the Israelites first civil war since entering the promised land. What can we learn from this? As Christians we must remember that we are on the same team. We should not be fighting each other. Our common enemy is the devil (the world and our own flesh also fight against us). Let’s remember when we gather together that love should be flowing-not jealousy, envy, or hatred. There is room for all of us in God’s kingdom. Each of us has been given gifts to be used in the body of Christ. According to John 13:34-35, when the world see us loving each other it confirms that we are Jesus’s disciples. Because we are not perfect yet, there will be times when we ‘bump heads’. When those conflicts arise we must do what Jesus tells us to do…forgive one another. I am not saying it is always easy, but God will help us walk in forgiveness. Jesus is our pattern and He loved unconditionally. #foryou #judges #nazirite #christian #biblestudy #oldtestament #samson  @readingthroughthebiblewith3242 ​

In this episode from Judges Chapters 10:17 - 11, we read about the 8th Judge, Jephthah and how he defeated the Ammonites after they had oppressed the Israelites for 18 years. However, Jephthah made the mistake of mixing the worship of the true God with the way the Canaanites worshipped their pagan gods. The vow he made to sacrifice his daughter was the way the Canaanites worshipped their gods - they sacrificed their children to them. Sacrificing our children was never a part of the true worship of God. You might ask, what about Abraham? God tested Abraham’s total dedication to Him to see if he was willing to give up his only son for God. God was not going to have Abraham kill his son. In fact God provided a ram for that offering (Genesis 22). We read numerous scriptures proving God did not require human sacrifices and He was not pleased with it (Deut 12:30-32, Lev 20:1-2, Deut 18:9-14, Jeremiah 19:4-6). Because Jephthah practiced both the worship of God and the worship of the pagan idols, he thought literally sacrificing his daughter was acceptable. This was one of the main reasons God thru Moses and Joshua warned the Israelites not to learn the ways of the Canaanites and do not mingle with them. What can we learn from this? That we are also called to live holy (separated from the world and dedicated to God). We are told to be in the world but not of the world. We must be watchful that we are living our lives by God’s standards and not the world’s standards. We are God’s ambassadors. God help us not to compromise and help us to represent You well!