"The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord" after Ehud died (Judges 4:1).

This is the common refrain throughout the book of Judges. After the God-appointed judge died, the people of Israel again did evil. This would last until the next judge came to deliver them from God's judgment and lead them back to the Lord. Over time, with each fall and recovery, each judgment and deliverance, the people grew worse and worse.

Friends, may I suggest that one reason for this recurring cycle of disobedience was the lack of continuity in godly leadership? The people were faithful to the Lord only as long as the God-appointed judge was leading them. When that leadership was gone, the people went astray again.

How important, then, is it for us to find and equip godly leaders to follow us in our families, our ministries, and our work! Jesus found and equipped twelve apostles to carry on His work. Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in every church they founded (Acts 14:23), even returning to strengthen them (Acts 15:36). In Jesus' final charge to His apostles, He commanded them to make disciples (Matthew 28:19). Paul told Timothy to find and equip reliable leaders who would be able to do the same (2 Timothy 2:2).

Some years ago I started a martial arts program built around the idea of training trainers. From the very outset, finding and equipping godly leaders was my goal. After two years, God had given us more than thirty such leaders to help lead nearly a hundred students. More recently, God took one of these leaders to lead his own group, and provided ten leaders to assist him. I testify that without God's favor and wisdom to be intentional about training leaders from the start, we could not have built and sustained such a vibrant ministry.

Therefore, dear friends, let us learn from the wisdom of Scripture as we serve the Lord in our families, our ministries, and our work. Let us always be intentional about finding and equipping leaders to carry on the good work God gives us to do today. Don't wait until it's too late — and it's never too early to be making disciples.

AI-Expanded Reflection

The refrain the comment identifies is the structural backbone of Judges: the people do evil, God gives them into the hand of an oppressor, they cry out, God raises a deliverer, the land has rest — and then the cycle begins again (2:11–19). The book's summary states the problem plainly: "whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers" (2:18–19). The downward spiral the comment notes is real: the judges themselves grow more flawed as the book proceeds, from Othniel to Samson.

Judges 2:10 gives another cause alongside the leadership gap: "there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord." The failure was not only in leaders but in the handing on of faith within families. That is why the New Testament pairs both remedies — leaders appointed in every church (Titus 1:5) and parents instructing their children (Ephesians 6:4; 2 Timothy 1:5). The comment's practical instinct is sound: succession is not a business technique but a spiritual responsibility, and 2 Timothy 2:2 envisions it stretching four generations deep.

After him came Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad; and he also saved Israel (Judges 3:31).

In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, In the days of Jael, the highways were deserted, And travelers went by roundabout ways (Judges 5:6).

(possible appearance of ox goad)

Shamgar is mentioned these two times and only these two times in the entire Bible. We know very little about him, except that he was one of the judges of Israel, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.

Now, the second reference above reveals the social conditions that existed in the time of Shamgar. We learn that the highways were deserted and travelers had to find backroutes to get to where they were going.

Now, why would the highways, the traditional thoroughfare for travel, be deserted? Unless Israel's enemies, like the Philistines, had groups set up all around the major highways to ambush the Israelite travelers. Perhaps this is how Shamgar did a service for Israel, even by clearing the highways of trouble and danger.

It is always assumed that Shamgar killed the six hundred Philistines at one time and in one place; however, the text does not say that and so this may not be a correct assumption. He could have struck down numerous small groups of them that were positioned at different points along the highways. And the total number of Philistines in these groups may have come to six hundred. This would not take anything away from the great deliverance by God through Shamgar; however, it might suggest there was planning and strategy involved, as was the case it seems of the deliverance by the other judges of Israel.

Is there a possible application here? Perhaps. I have heard it sometimes preached that believers should seek only what God could do and to gain only what God could give. This, presumably, is living the "supernatural" life. I believe this is simply a preacher's attempt at rhetorical flourish without any basis in Scripture. While there are instances of God prompting displays of power and the miraculous, this is by no means the norm. Even in biblical practice it was normal to think, to plan, to prepare, to strategize and to diligently execute. In fact, it appears God is more interested in those that trust and follow Him apart from any supernatural displays:

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29).

Friends, it is good and right to live by faith (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:7 "We walk by faith not by sight"); however, this does not mean that we must always live in the "supernatural," expecting miracles to happen all around us. In fact, it may mean just the opposite. Even when there are no miraculous proofs of God's Presence, we ought to still trust in Him and obey His Word. Remember, it was the wicked and unbelieving Jews that demanded more and more signs from Jesus, but Jesus told them,

A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! (Matthew 12:39; 16:4)

God has already made Himself known to us through both general (i.e. nature) and special (i.e. the Bible) revelation. In fact, contrary to popular belief, the Bible says that if people are unwilling to believe the Scriptures, even a supernatural miracle, like someone rising from the dead, will not convince them:

‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ (Luke 16:31).

So, friends, why are some of you so intent on paying money to go all the way to Kansas City to mindlessly pray for hours and days and to receive some prophecy from strangers? Are you not doing just what Jesus tells us not to do? With respect to prayer, Jesus says,

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him (Matthew 6:7–8).

And when you go to the self-proclaimed prophets at IHOP, don't you know that this is just like going to a fortune teller? They are no more accurate in their predictions, and at best they might give you a word of encouragement under the false pretense of prophesying.

Don't you know that these are the very kinds of false prophets Jesus warned believers against? They emphasize experience and displays of power, but they lack the fruit of true doctrine:

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:15–23).

When you go into the prayer assemblies at IHOP and see people convulsing on the floor and making unusual animal sounds, can't you see that these are not the evidence of the Holy Spirit's presence but rather of pagan rituals inspired by demons? For as the Bible teaches,

God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints (1 Corinthians 14:33).

The Scriptures never give any examples of the Holy Spirit prompting the kind of aberrant, uncontrolled behavior, as regularly seen at IHOP and encouraged by people like Mike Bickle. These displays more closely parallel demon possession than they do the filling and empowering by the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, friends, be watchful and diligent to hold fast to God's Word. I see many today that would encourage you to disengage your minds and just trust your feelings, which is completely opposite what Scripture teaches. Transformation begins and is led by the "renewing of our minds" (Romans 12:2), not by our feelings.

Don't be misled by those that try to overly personalize their relationship to the Father, calling him "daddy" and "papa," something that is based on a misunderstanding of the original text, which even the man responsible for first propagating this address has confessed. Such an address is never supported in Scripture. What is more, do not casually ask each other, "What did God tell you, today?" as if God speaks to you directly, as a man speaks to his friend, which, even in Scripture, was the exclusive provenance of a select few. When you make such claims, don't think that you will not be held accountable, for Jesus clearly says that people will be held accountable for every idle word:

But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned (Matthew 12:36–37).

Rather than foolishly claim that God said this or that to you, when it is more than likely your own thoughts, is it not better to just quote the relevant Scripture and know for sure that it is from the Lord?! I earnestly call my friends, who are doing these things, to come to their senses. I see that they are finding confidence in what they do by supporting each other in their wrong practices.

The wife of a well-respected pastor told me recently that those that she knows, who are caught up in IHOP, can't get out. They are so brainwashed in their thinking that it would take an act of God to deliver them from their delusion. So, for some of you, I pray for an act of God.

AI-Expanded Reflection

The brief notice about Shamgar leaves many questions unanswered. Judges 3:31 identifies his weapon and the number of Philistines struck down, while Judges 5:6 describes unsafe travel in the period associated with him and Jael. The original appropriately observes that the first verse does not specify a single encounter. Its proposal that he cleared hostile groups from the roads is possible, but neither passage establishes that reconstruction. The image of an oxgoad illustrates the kind of implement named; it does not identify the exact object Shamgar used.

That distinction between text and reconstruction is itself a valuable lesson. We may use imagination to explore a narrative without converting a plausible scenario into recovered history. The same restraint should govern claims about how God works. Scripture describes divine deliverance through both extraordinary events and ordinary planning. The use of strategy does not make an outcome independent of God, and the absence of spectacle does not make obedience less spiritual. We can prepare carefully while depending upon the Lord.

John 20:29, however, concerns belief in the risen Jesus without the direct sight Thomas demanded. It does not necessarily establish a preference against every later miracle. Likewise, Jesus' rebuke of sign-seeking confronts resistant demands for proof despite the revelation already given. His ministry also includes signs that call people toward faith. The point is not that evidence is worthless, but that a heart determined to resist can misuse even extraordinary evidence.

The critique of prayer practices should be equally precise. Matthew 6:7 rejects the assumption that multiplying words secures a hearing. It does not condemn lengthy prayer as such; Luke 6:12 describes Jesus praying through the night. Duration, emotional intensity, or bodily behavior alone cannot identify a spiritual source. Claims about a ministry's doctrine, predictions, or conduct require specific evidence. The original's statements concerning IHOP are retained as its historical assessment, not independently established conclusions about every participant or event.

First Corinthians 14 supplies a constructive standard for corporate worship: intelligibility, edification, order, and self-control. The corrected reference to God as the God of peace is verse 33, while verse 32 also matters because it describes prophetic spirits as subject to the prophets. A claim of spiritual inspiration cannot simply exempt a speaker from responsibility for what is said and done. At the same time, criticism must avoid turning unusual behavior into an unsupported diagnosis of demonic possession.

The discussion of “Abba” benefits from linguistic precision. The Aramaic address means “Father”; it is not adequately defined as an exclusively childish equivalent of “Daddy.” Yet its use by Jesus and by believers in Mark 14:36, Romans 8:15, and Galatians 4:6 does communicate intimate filial access. Reverence and intimacy belong together. The original's allegation that a particular scholar later confessed an error is not documented here and should not be treated as established history. The lexical entry for Abba supports the basic translation without supplying that historical claim.

Discernment is strongest when it applies one standard to both enthusiasm and criticism. State clearly what Scripture says, identify what is inferred, verify what is alleged, and remain accountable for the effects of one's speech. A believer can decline a practice without demeaning those drawn to it, and can value ordinary means without denying God's freedom. The aim is a thoughtful dependence on Christ that joins renewed understanding, truthful speech, and care for his people.

Israel was oppressed by Jabin, king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor for twenty years, with Sisera commanding his army. Hazor sat north of the Sea of Galilee, in Naphtali's territory. Deborah, an Ephraimite prophetess in central Israel, sends for Barak, a Naphtalite, with a prophetic message — the LORD commands him to gather ten thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them to Mount Tabor, where God will draw Sisera's army to the Kishon River and deliver them into his hands (a paraphrase of Judges 4:6–7).

The Song of Deborah in Judges 5 records other tribes helping in this battle too — Ephraim, Benjamin, Makir (Manasseh's son, given territory east of the Jordan), and Issachar came to assist Zebulun and Naphtali, while Reuben, Gilead, Dan, and Asher stayed home. The song specifically curses one place, Meroz, for not coming to the LORD's aid against the mighty (a paraphrase of Judges 5:23) — nowhere else in Scripture is Meroz mentioned again, meaning this curse in Deborah's song may be its only historical trace. It was likely a city near the battle that simply chose not to help, perhaps even benefiting from Jabin's rule (though this is speculation) — either way, they're cursed specifically for failing to help those fighting oppression.

Watching persecuted Christians around the world today, I wonder what our own role should be. Naphtali and Zebulun fought because the oppression directly affected them; but Ephraim and Benjamin, without a direct border with the affected tribes, still came to help and are specifically recognized for it in the song. Dan and Asher, both bordering tribes, stayed home — they aren't cursed for it, but it's notable their names are specifically named as the ones who didn't come. Whether or not we act on injustice we witness or hear about happening elsewhere, it seems God takes note either way. Just something to think about.

AI-Expanded Reflection

The distinction this comment draws — Dan and Asher named but not cursed, Meroz named and specifically cursed — is worth sharpening slightly, since it suggests degrees of culpability rather than a single uniform standard applied to everyone who didn't help. Simply staying uninvolved, as Dan and Asher apparently did, receives no explicit condemnation in the song; but Meroz's failure draws a curse specifically severe enough to be the one thing that place is remembered for at all. That gradation may say something useful about proximity and specific opportunity mattering in how responsibility for injustice elsewhere actually gets weighed — not everyone who stays uninvolved bears equal blame, but someone positioned to help and choosing not to may bear more than most.

Dear brothers and sisters! I want to talk about Israel's second judge, Ehud, whom God used to deliver Israel from Moabite oppression. What caught my attention is how often the text mentions him being left-handed. Based on some research, the literal Hebrew phrase for "left-handed" here actually means something closer to "restricted as to his right hand" — suggesting Ehud may not have been able to use his right hand at all. Reading further into how he brought victory to his people, we find he assassinates the Moabite king, Eglon, after his lie leaves the two of them alone together — something that would have been almost impossible unless the king perceived no real danger from someone who appeared physically incapable of harming him. Scripture doesn't specify Ehud's exact physical condition beyond this detail, so this remains somewhat speculative — but I believe God uses our weaknesses to bring Himself glory and mercy to those He loves. He is strong in our weakness.

I see God's mercy poured out on His rebellious children throughout this story. Deliverance from their oppressors never came from their own merit, but from God's compassion and mercy toward His helpless people. Our own salvation as Gentiles didn't come from any innate goodness or random chance, but from His sovereign plan. Israel's rebellion came from their own disobedience, yet was simultaneously ordained by God so that we could ultimately be grafted in. I can't help but be amazed by a God who is both all-knowing and all-powerful — there truly is none like Him. The world keeps searching for someone or something like Him through man-made religion, science, or philosophy, without success. Let's boldly proclaim that God has already announced His salvation through His Son.

AI-Expanded Reflection

The physical limitation this comment speculates about, however uncertain in its exact nature, fits a pattern worth naming across several of Judges' deliverers — Ehud possibly restricted in his right hand, Gideon calling himself the least in the weakest clan of his tribe, Samson eventually blinded and dependent entirely on God's power rather than his own strength for his final act. Judges seems to deliberately choose deliverers whose qualifications, by any ordinary military standard, look unimpressive or actively compromised, which reinforces this comment's own closing point — the pattern this book keeps returning to is God's strength being made unmistakable precisely because the human instrument used clearly couldn't have accomplished the victory alone.

In the movie The NeverEnding Story II, the boy rereads the same magical book only to find it has completely changed. I swear I read stories or books and their content changes on me — I expect to read about some ground-swallowing event, but I never do. I swear this story of Deborah was different even as I read it. When Deborah said a woman would kill Sisera, I had in mind that she — Deborah — would kill him. But that's not what she said. She just said "a woman," not "I."

It just goes to show that even when I read carefully, I need to realize I may be putting my own meaning onto the text. To add to this, I can put my own meaning on it, but the actual foretelling turned out to be exact from the beginning. Two specific tribes came and fought and won, and a woman killed the king because Deborah had come with Barak. I'm trying to compare this to the open-ended, ambiguous kind of prophecy Delphi was known for in Greece — a king asking if he would win being told, "if you go to war, a great kingdom will be destroyed." That sounds impressive, but which kingdom — his, or his enemy's? The Word is inexhaustible.

AI-Expanded Reflection

The precision this comment is reaching for shows up exactly where expected: Deborah tells Barak only that "the LORD will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman" (a paraphrase of Judges 4:9), without naming which one. The text then deliberately withholds the answer until the last possible moment — it isn't Deborah, or Jael the prophetess-adjacent figure readers might assume, but Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, someone barely introduced beforehand, who drives a tent peg through Sisera's temple while he sleeps (Judges 4:17–21). That's the opposite of Delphic ambiguity: not a vague statement flexible enough to fit whatever happens, but a specific, checkable claim — "a woman, not Barak" — that turns out to be exactly, almost teasingly, correct.

In chapter 3, we read that Ehud was raised up by God and ultimately frees Israel by killing the king. I always thought that, even in the Old Testament, it was wrong to rebel against authority — yet this man wasn't even a Perizzite, Jebusite, Canaanite, or the like carrying out judgment on a foreign king; he was an Israelite killing the king who ruled over them. God approved, and he had success — but why?

Yujin commented... The key here is that "the LORD raised up" Ehud (Judges 3:15) against the idolatrous king of Moab, who only reigned over Israel at the time because of Israel's own disobedience. Even in the New Testament, Peter and John defy the religious and political authorities of Israel in preaching the gospel, saying, "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). Ehud was obeying God in killing Eglon, the king of Moab.

AI-Expanded Reflection

Worth noting the pattern this single episode belongs to: Ehud is only the second of twelve judges God raises up across the book, all following the same repeating cycle — Israel turns to idolatry, God allows an oppressor to rule over them, Israel cries out, and God "raises up" a deliverer, using that exact phrase again and again throughout the book (e.g., Judges 2:16; 3:9). Ehud's story isn't a one-time exception to a general rule against rebellion — it's the first clear example of what becomes Judges' standard pattern: illegitimate authority, installed as judgment for Israel's own unfaithfulness, being removed by God's own initiative rather than human insurrection for its own sake.