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Judges 5:6
“ The main roads were deserted. So travelers used the winding paths. That happened in the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath. It happened in the days of Jael.
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1 Corinthians 1 17
Christ did not send me to baptize. He sent me to preach the good news. He commanded me not to preach with wisdom and fancy words. That would take all the power away from the cross of Christ.
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Judges 2:16
Then the Lord gave them leaders. The leaders saved them from the power of those robbers.
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Judges 5:8
War came to the city gates. Then God chose new leaders. But no shields or spears were seen anywhere. There weren’t any among 40,000 men in Israel.
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1 Samuel 17 50
So David won the fight against Goliath with a sling and a stone. He struck down the Philistine and killed him. He did it without even using a sword.
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1 Samuel 17 47
The Lord doesn’t rescue people by using a sword or a spear. And everyone here will know it. The battle belongs to the Lord. He will hand all of you over to us.”
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Judges 10:7
So the Lord became very angry with them. He handed them over to the Philistines and the Ammonites.
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Judges 4:1
After Ehud died, the Israelites once again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.
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Judges 15:15
He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey. He grabbed it and struck down 1,000 men.
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Judges 10:17
The Ammonites were called together to fight. They camped in the land of Gilead. Then the Israelites gathered together. They camped at the city of Mizpah.
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Judges 11:4-33
Some time later, the Ammonites were fighting against Israel.So the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.“ Come with us,” they said.“ Be our commander. Then we can fight against the Ammonites.”Jephthah said to them,“ Didn’t you hate me? Didn’t you drive me away from my father’s house? Why are you coming to me only when you are in trouble?”The elders of Gilead replied to him.“ You are right,” they said.“ That’s why we’re turning to you now. Come with us and fight against the Ammonites. Then you will rule over all of us who live in Gilead.”Jephthah said,“ Suppose you take me back to fight against the Ammonites. And suppose the Lord gives me victory over them. Then will I really be your leader?”The elders of Gilead replied,“ The Lord is our witness. We’ll certainly do as you say.”So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead. And the people made him their leader and commander. He went to Mizpah. There he repeated to the Lord everything he had said.Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon. They asked,“ What do you have against me? Why have you attacked my country?”The king of Ammon answered Jephthah’s messengers. He said,“ Israel came up out of Egypt. At that time they took my land away. They took all the land between the Arnon River and the Jabbok River. It reached all the way to the Jordan River. Now give it back. Then there will be peace.”Jephthah sent messengers back to the king of Ammon.They said,“ Here is what Jephthah says to you. Israel didn’t take the land of Moab. They didn’t take the land of Ammon.When Israel came up out of Egypt, they went through the desert to the Red Sea. From there they went on to Kadesh.Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom. They said,‘ Please let us go through your country.’ But the king of Edom wouldn’t listen to them. They sent the same message to the king of Moab. But he refused too. So Israel stayed at Kadesh.“ Next, they traveled through the desert. They traveled along the borders of the lands of Edom and Moab. They passed along the east side of the country of Moab. They camped on the other side of the Arnon River. They didn’t enter the territory of Moab. The Arnon River was Moab’s border.“ Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon. He was the king of the Amorites. He ruled in Heshbon. They said to him,‘ Let us pass through your country to our own land.’But Sihon didn’t trust Israel to pass through his territory. Instead, he gathered all his troops together. They camped at Jahaz. And they fought against Israel.“ Then the Lord, the God of Israel, handed Sihon and his whole army over to Israel. Israel won the battle over them. Amorites were living in the country at that time. And Israel took over all their land.Israel captured all the land between the Arnon River and the Jabbok River. It reached from the desert all the way to the Jordan River.“ The Lord, the God of Israel, has driven the Amorites out to make room for his people. So what right do you have to take it over?You will take what your god Chemosh gives you, won’t you? In the same way, we will take over what the Lord our God has given us.Are you any better than Balak, the son of Zippor? Balak was the king of Moab. Did he ever argue with Israel? Did he ever fight against them?For 300 years Israel has been living in Heshbon and Aroer. They have been living in the settlements around those cities. They have also been living in all the towns along the Arnon River. Why didn’t you take those places back during that time?I haven’t done anything wrong to you. But you are doing something wrong to me. You have gone to war against me. The Lord is the Judge. So let him decide our case today. Let him settle matters between the Israelites and the Ammonites.”But the king of Ammon didn’t pay any attention to the message Jephthah sent him.Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah. He went across the territories of Gilead and Manasseh. He passed through Mizpah in the land of Gilead. From there he attacked the people of Ammon.Jephthah made a promise to the Lord. Jephthah said,“ Hand the Ammonites over to me.If you do, here’s what I’ll do when I come back from winning the battle. Anything that comes out the door of my house to meet me will belong to the Lord. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”Then Jephthah went over to fight against the Ammonites. The Lord handed them over to him.Jephthah destroyed 20 towns between Aroer and the area of Minnith. He destroyed them all the way to Abel Keramim. So Israel brought Ammon under their control.
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Judges 4:3-24
Jabin used 900 chariots that had some iron parts. He treated the Israelites very badly for 20 years. So they cried out to the Lord for help.Deborah was a prophet. She was the wife of Lappidoth. She was leading Israel at that time.Under the Palm Tree of Deborah she served the people as their judge. That place was between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites went up to her there. They came to have her decide cases for them. She settled matters between them.Deborah sent for Barak. He was the son of Abinoam. Barak was from Kedesh in the land of Naphtali. Deborah said to Barak,“ The Lord, the God of Israel, is giving you a command. He says,‘ Go! Take 10,000 men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun with you. Then lead them up to Mount Tabor.I will lead Sisera into a trap. He is the commander of Jabin’s army. I will bring him, his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River. There I will hand him over to you.’ ”Barak said to her,“ If you go with me, I’ll go. But if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.”“ All right,” Deborah said.“ I’ll go with you. But because of the way you are doing this, you won’t receive any honor. Instead, the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman.” So Deborah went to Kedesh with Barak.There he sent for men from Zebulun and Naphtali. And 10,000 men followed him into battle. Deborah also went with him.Heber, the Kenite, had left the other Kenites. They came from the family line of Hobab. He was the brother- in- law of Moses. Heber set up his tent by the large tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.Sisera was told that Barak, the son of Abinoam, had gone up to Mount Tabor.So Sisera gathered together his 900 chariots that had some iron parts. He also gathered together all his men. He brought them from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River.Then Deborah said to Barak,“ Go! Today the Lord will hand Sisera over to you. Hasn’t the Lord gone ahead of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor. His 10,000 men followed him.As Barak’s men marched out, the Lord drove Sisera away from the field of battle. The Lord scattered all of Sisera’s chariots. Barak’s men struck down Sisera’s army with their swords. Sisera got down from his chariot. He ran away on foot.Barak chased Sisera’s chariots and army. Barak chased them all the way to Harosheth Haggoyim. All of Sisera’s troops were killed by swords. Not even one was left.But Sisera ran away on foot. He ran to the tent of Jael. She was the wife of Heber, the Kenite. Sisera ran there because there was a treaty between Heber’s family and Jabin, the king of Hazor.Jael went out to meet Sisera.“ Come in, sir,” she said.“ Come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent. Then she covered him with a blanket.“ I’m thirsty,” he said.“ Please give me some water.” So Jael opened a bottle of milk. The bottle was made out of animal skin. She gave him a drink of milk. Then she covered him up again.“ Stand in the doorway of the tent,” he told her.“ Someone might come by and ask you,‘ Is anyone in there?’ If that happens, say‘ No.’ ”But Heber’s wife Jael picked up a tent stake and a hammer. She went quietly over to Sisera. He was lying there, fast asleep. He was very tired. She drove the stake through his head right into the ground. So he died.Just then Barak came by because he was chasing Sisera. Jael went out to meet him.“ Come right in,” she said.“ I’ll show you the man you are looking for.” So he went in with her. Sisera was lying there with the stake through his head. He was dead.On that day God brought Jabin under Israel’s control. He was a king in Canaan.Israel’s power grew stronger and stronger against King Jabin. The Israelites became so strong that they destroyed him.
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1 Samuel 4 1
And Samuel gave those messages to all the Israelites. The Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer. The Philistines camped at Aphek.
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1 Samuel 13 19-1 Samuel 13 22
There weren’t any blacksmiths in the whole land of Israel. That’s because the Philistines had said,“ The Hebrews might hire them to make swords or spears!”So all the Israelites had to go down to the Philistines. They had to go to them to get their plows, hoes, axes and sickles sharpened.It cost a fourth of an ounce of silver to sharpen a plow or a hoe. It cost an eighth of an ounce to sharpen a pitchfork or an axe. That’s also what it cost to put new tips on the large sticks used to drive oxen.So the Israelite soldiers went out to battle without swords or spears in their hands. That was true for all of Saul’s and Jonathan’s soldiers. Only Saul and his son Jonathan had those weapons.
