Judges: The book of Judges was written between 1050 and 1000 BC and even though the author is thought to be unknown, Samuel could have possibly been the creator. The book of Judges spanned over a period of roughly 325 years and it described a very dark time in the history of Israel. The first civil war for Israel was also documented in this book. Judges was written from a prophetic view point for the people of Israel and the main lesson was to teach them that God will judge and punish all sin as well as the sinners for the acts they commit. It also told how God would always return to his people once they seek forgiveness and repent for their sins. The book of Judges has shown many generations how not to act and it reminds everyone that we …show more content…
He was the son of Joash and a farmer from the town of Ophrah in the Manasseh territory of Samaria. The story of Gideon can be found in Judges Chapters 6-8. Gideon was the fifth Judge and the Midianite Army was defeated under his leadership. Gideon was a very timid man and often questioned his ability to follow out God’s plan, but despite his weak moments Gideon still was a servant of God. Gideon challenged God three different times and God proved himself all three times, after these three tests Gideon lead the army of only 300 men into victory. Gideon was the father to seventy unnamed sons and also father to a son named Abimelek, who brought about tremendous amounts of grief for his family and the nation of Israel. Gideon is the perfect example of how one can serve God despite their limitations and previous failures. God knows what each individual is capable of and he works off of those strengths and builds them up even more, so that even if one feels unprepared for the task at hand, they are capable of being victorious. Despite Gideon’s ability to convince and lead just 300 men to victory, he was unable to change the beliefs of the entire nation and as a result they reverted back to idol …show more content…
The Jordan River is Palestine’s longest river and it flows from North to South. The river starts at Mount Hermon and flows south through Lake Huleh, to the Sea of Galilee, through the Jordan valley, before it empties into the Dead Sea. There have been numerous biblical events that have taken place at the Jordan River; Christians believe that this is where John the Baptist preached and baptized Jesus and his followers. This is the river that Joshua led the Israelites across after the death of Moses, so they could continue on their journey to the promise land. When the twelve Israelites walked across the river on dry land they praised God and also gathered twelve stones from the middle of the river and carried them with them to Gilgal where they were arranged as a memorial. According to Joshua 4:9, “And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.” The prophets Elijah and Elisha also crossed the Jordan and a Syrian General by the name of Naaman was healed of leprosy after washing in the