Samson: A One-Man Army
May 28, 2026 • Arthur Bailey • Judges 15
Judges 15 portrays Samson as a one-man army – a judge who brings judgment against the Philistines and a weapon of YeHoVaH to deliver Israel through a single individual. The chapter also highlights Israel’s spiritualdecline and internal division. Samson stands alone not only against the Philistines, but also among his own people. Samson returns to Timnath to discover that his wife’s father has given her to another man. Enraged by what his father-in-law had done, Samson retaliates against the Philistines by capturing three hundred foxes, tying torches between their tails, and releasing them into the Philistine grain fields, vineyards, and olive groves. This act devastates the Philistine harvest and economy, escalating the conflict between Samson and thePhilistines. The cycle of retaliation intensifies, demonstrating the chaos and lawlessness that characterized the period of the Judges.
A Covenant-Breaking Judge
May 21, 2026 • Arthur Bailey • Judges 14
Samson, the Danite Nazarite chosen from the womb in Judges 13, now enters adulthood and begins acting independently of his parents’ oversight and his Nazarite calling. Rather than seeking counsel and living according to Torah principles, he follows the desires of his eyes and heart, setting in motion a chain of events that will shape his Covenant-breaking lifestyle and Israel’s conflict with the Philistines. Judges 14 stands as both a narrative of supernatural empowerment and a warning about compromise. It reveals the danger of being spiritually empowered while lacking discipline, discernment, and faithfulness to the Covenant Commandments. Samson’s physical strength contrasts sharply with his moral vulnerability, making him one of the most tragic and complex judges in the Book of Judges.
Samson – The Danite Nazarite
May 14, 2026 • Arthur Bailey • Judges 13
Judges 13 introduces the miraculous birth and divine calling of Samson, one of the most unique judges in Israel’s history. The chapter opens with a familiar pattern seen throughout the Book of Judges: the Children of Israel again do evil in the sight of YeHoVaH, and as a result, YeHoVaH delivers them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. Unlike earlier oppressions, Israel does not cry out for deliverance after being in bondage for forty years, reflecting a very dark period for the nation. The focus of the chapter zooms in on a barren woman who is visited by the angel of YeHoVaH. The messenger declares that although she has been barren, she will conceive and bear a son. This child is not to be an ordinary son of Israel; he is to be a Nazarite unto YeHoVaH from the womb. The chapter concludes with the birth of Samson and a closing statement that signals the beginning of Samson’s divine empowerment and foreshadows the extraordinary events that will unfold in the following chapters.
Israel’s Civil War
May 7, 2026 • Arthur Bailey • Judges 12
Judges Chapter 12 captures one of the most tragic moments in Israel’s early history – a civil war among the tribes of Israel. After YeHoVaH grants victory over Ammon through Jephthah, the tribe of Ephraim responds not with gratitude, but with resentment and pride. Instead of uniting against external enemies, the tribes turn against one another. Feeling slighted for not being called to battle, Ephraim confronts Jephthah with hostility and threatens violence. Jephthah defends himself, explaining that he did summon them, but they refused to come. What follows is a rapid escalation into armed conflict between brethren. The Gileadites, led by Jephthah, defeat Ephraim and seize the strategic crossings of the Jordan River. The death toll reaches 42,000, marking one of the bloodiest internal conflicts in Israel’s history. The chapter closes with brief accounts of three judges – Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon – whose administrations reflect order and continuity but lack the dramatic narratives of earlier judges.
Judge Jephthah: A Rejected Deliverer
April 30, 2026 • Arthur Bailey • Judges 11
Judges 11 presents one of the most complex and sobering narratives in the Book of Judges, centering on Jephthah, a man shaped by rejection, thrust into leadership by crisis, and remembered for both victory and tragedy. Jephthah is introduced as a “mighty man of valor,” but his background is marked by shame – he is the son of a prostitute and is cast out by his brothers to protect their inheritance. After being forced to live in exile, when Israel is oppressed by the Ammonites, the elders of Gilead seek Jephthah – the very man they once rejected – to lead them into battle. Initially, Jephthah confronts their hypocrisy, but desperation causes the elders to promise him leadership if he delivers them. However, a rash vow made by Jephthah to YeHoVaH led to an unnecessary tragedy.
Judges Tola, Jair and Jephthah
April 23, 2026 • Arthur Bailey • Judges 10
Judges 10 reveals a nation caught in a worsening cycle of rebellion. Though God raises leaders like Tola and Jair to maintain order, the deeper issue – Israel’s unfaithfulness – remains unresolved. The people fall into widespread idolatry, provoking divine judgment through oppression by surrounding enemies. When Israel cries out, God initially refuses, exposing their pattern of shallow repentance. Only when they genuinelyturn – removing idols and submitting to YeHoVaH – does His compassion return. Yet even then, deliverance is delayed, and the chapter ends with a pressing question: who will rise to lead?
Abimelech – The Self-Appointed King
April 16, 2026 • Arthur Bailey • Judges 9
During the era of the Judges of Israel, there was a man who wanted to be king. Soon after the death of Gideon, who refused to become a king nor would he allow his sons or his son’s sons to be kings at the request of the people, the son of a concubine exploited the desires of the people and through manipulation, conspiracy, and bloodshed, convinced them to make him their king. Initially, Abimelech’s reign appears successful until YeHoVaH intervenes between Abimelech and the people who made him their king, causing conflict, division, and mistrust. Conflict escalates into open warfare and what follows is a story for the annals of history.
Gideon Refuses Ruling Israel
April 2, 2026 • Arthur Bailey • Judges 8
Judges 8 presents the final phase of Gideon’s leadership following YeHoVaH’s decisive victory over the Midianites. The Chapter highlights both Gideon’s effectiveness as a deliverer and the subtle shift in his character as he navigates leadership, conflict, and influence among the people of Israel. Gideon skillfully diffuses tension withthe tribe of Ephraim but his actions begin to reflect a transition from executing YeHoVaH’s judgment to carrying out personal vengeance. At the height of his success, the men of Israel offer Gideon a dynastic rulership which Gideon verbally refuses, declaring, “YeHoVaH shall rule over you,” affirming the divine Kingship over Israel. Yet, despite this confession, his actions demonstrated a contradiction. The Chapter concludes with Gideon’s death and Israel’s rapid return to Baal worship and failure to show loyalty or gratitude to Gideon’s household.
Gideon And A Midianite’s Dream
March 26, 2026 • Arthur Bailey • Judges 7
Judges 7 continues the story of Gideon, whom YeHoVaH raised in Judges 6 to deliver Israel from Midianite oppression. Israel had fallen into apostasy, and Midian had reduced them to poverty. After calling Gideon and confirming His will through signs (the fleece), YeHoVaH now prepares Gideon for battle. However, the preparation is unexpected—instead of strengthening Israel militarily, YeHoVaH weakens them numerically. This reversal highlights His divine purpose behind the deliverance: to restore Israel’s dependence on Him rather than on their own human ability. Gideon, still wrestling with fear, is strengthened through a divinely appointed sign – a Midianite dream that confirms Israel’s victory.
Gideon - The Savior of Israel
March 19, 2026 • Arthur Bailey • Judges 6
Forty years of rest and peace in Israel came to an end when the Children of Israel did evil in the sight of YeHoVaH again. As a result of their evil, YeHoVaH delivers the Children of Israel into the hands of the Midianites where they experienced seven years of terror. Israel’s rebellion leads to severe oppression under Midian, reducing the nation to hiding in caves and living in poverty. In response to their cry, YeHoVaH first reminds them of their Covenant failure through a prophet before calling Gideon, a fearful and reluctant individual who tests YeHoVaH before answering the call to lead. Judges 6 sets the stage for the miraculous victory that will follow in Judges 7, demonstrating that when Israel returns to YeHoVaH, He raises deliverers and restores His people.
Deborah The Prophetess
March 5, 2026 • Arthur Bailey • Judges 4
After eighty years of peace, the death of Ehud and a brief mention of Shamgar, Israel did evil in the sight of YeHoVaH again. The recurring cycle of apostasy resets as Israel sinned and YeHoVaH sold the Israelites into the hands of Jabin, a king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Judges 4 records one of the most dramatic deliverance accounts in the Book of Judges as YeHoVaH raised up a Prophetess named Deborah to judge in Israel. The deliverance of Israel in this portion of Judges centers around a Prophetess-Judge, a reluctant military leader who hesitates to follow the Instructions of YeHoVaH, and the wife of a Kenite man whose actions end the terror-filled reign of a superior military commander.
Israel’s Sinful Cycle Begins
February 26, 2026 • Arthur Bailey • Judges 3
After the death of Joshua and the elders who outlived Joshua died in Judges 2, a new generation of Israelites arises that do not fully know YeHoVaH nor His mighty works. YeHoVaH allows the surrounding nations to remain in the land – as a divine test to test Israel’s obedience and to teach succeeding generations warfare. Judges 3 introduces the sinful cycle of Israel’s idolatrous behavior pattern that will dominate the next several hundred years of Israel’s history. In this Chapter, three major judges or deliverers are presented: Othniel, who delivers Israel from Mesopotamian oppression; Ehud’s bold and strategic act that brings Israel out of Moabite bondage; and Shamgar, who defeats the Philistines.
Israel Forsake YeHoVaH
February 19, 2026 • Arthur Bailey • Judges 2
Thursday Service: Israel Forsake YeHoVaH - Judges 2:1-23 Chapter 2 opens with a visitation from the Angel of YeHoVaH who reminds the Children of Israel of their journey from slavery in Egypt to their deliverance into the Promised Land according to the Covenant made between them and YeHoVaH. The narration recaps the final days of Joshua and the elders that outlived Joshua then transitions to the evil Israel did after the death of Joshua. The revelations in this Chapter of Judges exposes how Israel forsook YeHoVaH, the consequences they would experience by forsaking YeHoVaH, and the main reasons YeHoVaH raised up Judges for the sake of His covenant relationship with His people. The events of this Chapter traces Israel’s downward spiral in forsaking YeHoVaH, establishes the cycle of apostasy that dominates Judges, and explains Israel’s spiritual decline after the generation of Joshua.
Israel Breaks Covenant and Compromises
February 5, 2026 • Arthur Bailey • Judges 1
The Covenant Agreement between YeHoVaH and the descendants of Israel was inclusive of the acquisition and occupying of the Promised Land which required the Israelites to drive out all of the inhabitants of the inherited tribal territories. The 1st Chapter of Judges illustrates Israel’s partial obedience in conquering the land mixed with disobedience by allowing certain Canaanites to remain in the land. This led to coexistence and tolerance of people YeHoVaH had commanded to be removed. This Chapter sets the stage for Israel’s compromises, corruption, and repeated cycle of disobedience to the Covenant they had agreed to with YeHoVaH.