Author: Ash Clarkson

The Church is often closest to victory in God when it appears closest to defeat. The Gospel advanced like wildfire in the Roman Empire, even as persecutions swept the land. Rebellious leaders who have sought to crush the Church within their bounds have joined the dustheap of history, while the Church marches on and undergoes…

Sometimes in life, a person and the events that occur to them ends up being a picture of a group they belong to. In Jesus’ parables, figures like the older brother stood quite clearly for the life and attitude of the Pharisees. Samson’s life also served as a picture of Israel. His sinful life, expectation…

Judges 15 continues the story of conflict between Samson and the Philistines. However, this conflict is driven not by ideology or devotion to God, but by his own passion, pride, and temper. While God uses this to mock and begin to destroy the Philistine oppression of Israel, it does not reflect well on Samson as…

In Judges 14, we are introduced to three people or groups with secrets and agendas. Samson has an agenda and secrets. The Philistines have an agenda, and want to know secrets. Finally, God has an agenda in the actions of Samson and the Philistines. This passage reminds us that whatever the secrets, agendas, and actions…

Samson, the final judge in the Book of Judges, grew up knowing he had a special destiny. In Judges 13, God’s dramatic power to provide a saviour for Israel from birth is demonstrated to a common man and his wife. The passage reminds us of our need for saving from our sins, and that God…

People like to gather power and wealth because it makes them notable, but in the end most will just become a passing mention at best. Like three of the judges mentioned in the next section of Judges. Ultimately their power and wealth, however beneficial to them and to Israel, is nothing compared to God. They,…

statement is. Likewise, prejudice against those different to us is an ever present truth in this fallen world. In this passage, we see the tragic consequences of pride and prejudice (sorry Jane Austen). Ephraim’s pride, combined with Jephthah and Israel’s prejudice against Ephraim, lead to a further tragic event overshadowing victory over Ammon. It reminds…

e all say or do foolish things, or make stupid promises. Sometimes we wish we had stopped rebelling against God earlier, or paid more attention to God’s commands. Most of the time they don’t have dire, life-changing consequences. Sometimes, they do. Jephthah’s tragic vow sits firmly in the life-changing consequences camp, both for him and…

In our second look at Jephthah’s role as a Judge over Israel, we see the importance of history in the conflict between Israel and Ammon. Ammon promotes a revisionist history of the settlement of Israel, which Jephthah corrects, showing God’s goodness towards his people in giving them their land. This passage reminds us that God’s…

How often in life do we reject the help or advice of someone until it is past time that we need it? As a father, it seems like my children do not listen to my advice until it is too late. Then they want my help! If I look at my own life, it’s the…