Judges 13:1-15:6 The most petulant of the judges, but he has great hair. Samson is born with the prophecy of an angel and tries to get a Philistine wife. The most famous riddle in the Bible and Samson starts a notorious career picking on Philistines. To be fair, they started it.

Judges 10-12 A few obscure judges lead Israel, but it doesn't seem to make any difference. Jephthah makes a foolish vow to get a chance at a victory over the Ammonites that he will regret and we find out where the term "Shibboleth" as a mark of belonging comes from.

Judges 8:30-9 Gideon lives forty years more as a judge, but sets Israel up for failure. His ephod will lead them into idolatry. The son of his concubine will take a bloody path to a throne, only to lead to his downfall and the downfall of a city. Yet another woman proves deadly in the stories of the Judges.

Judges 6-8:22 The most scared of the Judges, Gideon, takes a tiny force chosen by God and saves the people from the threat of Midian. Angels, a fleece as a test, whipping elders with thorns, and destroying pagan altars, life in the times of the Judges is never dull.

Judges 19-21: A Levite from Shiloh pursues his wayward concubine and is subject to one of the worst outrages in Israel's history. The story that most clearly explains why God continued to punish Israel with oppressors.

Judges 17-18 Micah installs a Levite with an impressive pedigree as his household priest, but the tribe of Dan wants their own priest. We found out a little of what it means when the people of Israel do evil in Yahweh's sight.

Israel begins the pattern of disobedience, oppression, salvation and repentance and the first of the saviors known as Judges are introduced. Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar and Deborah each in term bring salvation to Israel, but the people continue to fall away.

Joshua 11-24 Joshua and Israel complete the conquest of the promised land, distribute the land, and settle in it. Joshua comes to the end of a very successful life and the people of God are wanderers no more.

Joshua 9-10: The next phase of the invasion of Canaan takes place. Gibeon deceives Joshua and the elders of Israel and gets a treaty, but then suffers an attack by an alliance of five cities. Joshua responds and God does something He has never done before or since. The sun stops in the sky as Joshua defeats his enemies, then conquers the south in a march of victory.

Joshua 5-8: Joshua and the nation of Israel experience victory and defeat, conquering Jericho in dramatic fashion and losing to the small city of Ai. Obedience and victory are tied together in a pattern that will repeat itself for much of Israel's history.