Contemplative Bible Reading

Judges 21:25 (New Living Translation) 25 In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. This sentence appears four times in the book of Judges. There are many explanations and interpretations of it. Some reflect good on the people while others reflect bad. There are times […]

[Read more →]

Judges 12:5-6 (New Living Translation) 5 Jephthah captured the shallow crossings of the Jordan River, and whenever a fugitive from Ephraim tried to go back across, the men of Gilead would challenge him. “Are you a member of the tribe of Ephraim?” they would ask. If the man said, “No, I’m not,” 6 they would […]

[Read more →]

Judges 3:5-6 (New Living Translation) 5 So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, 6 and they intermarried with them. Israelite sons married their daughters, and Israelite daughters were given in marriage to their sons. And the Israelites served their gods. The people of Israel moved into the […]

[Read more →]

Judges 13:8 (New Living Translation) Then Manoah prayed to the Lord, saying, “Lord, please let the man of God come back to us again and give us more instructions about this son who is to be born.” Please God, send us a person to give us more instructions. Hmmm, how often do we pray and […]

[Read more →]

Judges 13:1 (New Living Translation) Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years. Bad times; very bad times. God handed His people over to the Philistines. The Philistines oppressed God’s people politically for forty years. That political persecution was […]

[Read more →]

Judges 13 (New Living Translation) 6 The woman ran and told her husband, “A man of God appeared to me! He looked like one of God’s angels, terrifying to see. … 16 “I will stay,” the angel of the Lord replied, “but I will not eat anything. However, you may prepare a burnt offering as […]

[Read more →]

Judges 7:10-11 (New Living Translation) 10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah. 11 Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and you will be greatly encouraged. Then you will be eager to attack.” This is one of the little-known verses in the (hi)story of Gideon. […]

[Read more →]

Judges 13:6 (New Living Translation) The woman ran and told her husband, “A man of God appeared to me! He looked like on of God’s angels, terrifying to see. I didn’t ask where he was from, and he didn’t tell me his name. We seem to think that angels are glorious. We show our children […]

[Read more →]

Judges 8:22-23 (New Living Translation) 22 Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Be our ruler! You and your son and your grandson will be our rulers, for you have rescued us from Midian.” 23 But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The Lord will rule over you! Gideon had […]

[Read more →]

Judges 2:1-4 (New Living Translation) The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said to the Israelites, “I brought you out of Egypt into this land that I swore to give your ancestors, and I said I would never break my covenant with you. 2 For your part, you were not […]

[Read more →]