Judges 1:17

 Judges 1:17 says, And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah.  Together, the people of the tribes of Judah and Simeon killed the people of Canaan in Zephath and utterly destroyed it.  This was Simeon's land that the were working together to capture, just as the people of Judah had promised.  We as followers of Christ need to keep our promises to others, and we need to help one another defeat sin in the world.  Verse eighteen adds, Also Judah took Gaza with the coasts thereof, and Askelon with the coasts thereof,  and Ekron with the coasts thereof,   We are then told that Judah took Gaza, Askelon, and Ekron with their coasts.  These were cities of the Philistines, not the Canaanites, and all the inhabitants were not destroyed.  We cannot allow any sin, which is our true enemy today, to continue live in our lives as Christians.  Verse nineteen  continues,  And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.  We are told that God was with Judah and that they were successful in driving the people out of the mountains, but not from the valley, because the people there had chariots.  This was due to a lack of faith on the part of the people of Judah, because if they put their faith in God, chariots wouldn't have mattered.  If we are faithfully following God, we don't have to worry about what weapons our enemies may have, because nothing is more powerful than God.  Verse twenty states, And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak. Caleb was given the land of Hebron to conquer as Moses had promised, and he drove out three sons of Anak who lived there.  Though he was now old, he was still faithful to God and successful because of his faith.  No matter how old we may be as Christians, as long as we are faithful to God, He will continue to give us success as we undertake doing what He calls us to do.  Verse twenty-one says, And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.  The tribe of Benjamin did not drive the Jebusites out of Jerusalem, as God had commanded.  We as followers of Christ cannot compromise our faith and be totally devoted to God and allow sin to continue to live in our life.  Verse twenty-two states, And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel: and the LORD was with them.  The people of the tribe of Joseph, through Ephraim his son, went up against Bethel, and the LORD was with them.  Verse twenty-three adds, And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.)  Verse twenty-four continues, And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy.  While the people of the house  of Joseph were on their way to Bethel, which had been called Luz, they had sent spies to find the best way into the city.  They met a man coming out of the city, and told him that if he would show them the way in that they would let him live.  Verse twenty-five states, And when he shewed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man and all his family.  The man showed them the entrance and the people of the tribe of Joseph killed the people there.  Matthew Henry says the man who showed them the way in was not looked down on for compromising his people.  If a non Christian helps us today, even at the cost of other non Christians, we should not look down on him for his actions.  Verse twenty-six adds, And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz: which is the name thereof unto this day.  Though he could have, the man chose not to stay with the people of Joseph, but went into the land of the Hittites to live, where he built a city and called it Luz.  He may have helped the people of Joseph, but he didn't want to become a part of them.  Non Christians may help us today and yet still not want to be a part if God's family. 

Judges 1:9

Judges 1:9 says, And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley.  The people of Judah continued in their fight against the Canaanites even after defeating many and capturing Adonibezek.  We may reach some sinners with the gospel, but there will always be others, so we can never be satisfied with reaching just somewith the gospel.  Verse ten adds, And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron: (now the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba:) and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.  The tribe of Judah next fought the Canaanites that lived in Hebron, and killed Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.  They did not quit after their early success, but continued toward their goal.  We cannot let early success stop us from reaching out to others with the gospel of Christ.  Verse eleven states, And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher:  They next went to fight the people of Debir.  Verse twelve adds, And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.  Caleb, the only remaining one of the twelve spies, and one of the two faithful ones, promised his daughter as a wife to the man who defeated Debir, which he called by its original name, Kirjathsepher.  Verse thirteen continues, And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.  Caleb’s nephew took Debir, and Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah as his wife.  We as followers of Christ should fulfill our promises to others so that God might be magnified, without concern for material blessings.  Verse fourteen says, And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou?  We are told that when Achsah came to Othniel that she moved him to ask Caleb for a field, but then she did so herself.  This is also referred to in Joshua 15:16-19,  When Achsah got off her donkey before Caleb, he asked her what she wanted.  Even though he had given her to Othniel in marriage, he was still interested in what she wanted.  When our children are grown and on their own, we need to continue to be concerned for them.  Verse fifteen adds, And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs.  Achsah asked Caleb to give her a blessing by giving her some springs of water to go along with the south land that he had given her, and he gave her two springs.  We as Christians inherit everlasting life when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, and He makes the Living Water available to us to help sustain us at that time.  Verse sixteen continues, And the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.  The children of Kenite, Moses's father-in-law went with Othniel and Achsah and possessed the city of palm trees in the wilderness of Judah along with the people of Judah.  We as Christians may not all be of the same family by birth, but we are of the same family spiritually and we should all be willing to live together in peace.

Judges 1:1

Judges 1:1 says, Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?  After  Joshua, the leader of the people of Israel after Moses, died, they asked the LORD who was going to lead them now in their war against the Canaanites.  They had only known two leaders, and the first, Moses, had appointed the second, Joshua, before he died.  Even if we don't know who he is immediately, God will never leave His groups of believers, the local church, without a leader.  We just need to look to Him for guidance in finding that person.  Verse two adds, And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.  God said the tribe of Judah would would go up against the Canaanites, and that He had delivered the land into his hands.  If we are appointed by God, He will always be with us to give us success if we put our faith in Him.  This doesn't mean that we will physically defeat every foe we encounter, but will have everlasting spiritual victory.  Verse three continues, And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.  The people of Judah asked the people of the tribe of Simeon to go with them into the battle, and promised that they would assist the people of Simeon in their battle when they went to war.  Judah was the largest tribe, but they had no problem asking for help from and promising help to others.  We should never believe that we are so strong that we cannot use the help of fellow Christians nor that we are above offering help to others.  Verse four states, And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.  When the people of Judah did as God directed them to do, God delivered their enemy into their hands and they killed ten thousand men of the Canaanites and Perizzites.  God has already defeated our enemies forever by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, so we can go forth boldly and proclaim the gospel to the world.  Verse five adds, And they found Adonibezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites. They came up against Adonibezek in Berek.  Verse six adds, But Adonibezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.  Adonibezek fled from them, but they caught him and did not kill him, but instead cut off his thumbs and big toes.  This made him unable to fight, and was also a witness to his followers who may have been left to his weakness.  God has effectively eliminated the power of the people of the world to have the ability to defeat us spiritually today.   This does not mean that we, like Paul and so many early Christians will never suffer a physical defeat though.  Verse seven continues, And Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.  Adonibezek said that he had cut off the thumbs and big toes of ten kings who ate under his table, and that now God had done this to him.  No matter how powerful our enemies may be today, they have already been defeated by God from a spiritual, everlasting view.  Verse nine concludes, Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.  The people of Judah had taken Jerusalem and set it on fire.  God has already given us victory over all our enemies, but our reward will be in heaven. 

Colossians Review

 Colossians was written by Paul as a letter of encouragement and instruction to the Christians at Colosse while he was imprisoned in Rome.  He did not write to complain about his situation, but out of concern for them.  Evan if we are in a bad situation ourselves as followers of Christ, we should be concerned about others and point them to Christ and obedience to Him instead of concentrating on our own situation.  Paul then gives a summary of Christian doctrine concerning the Holy Spirit, the person of the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, the work of redemption and the preaching of the gospel.  Once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we have everlasting salvation provided for us by His death, burial and resurrection, and we are immediately indwelled by the Holy Spirit.  This should lead us feel compelled to share the gospel, the Good News, with others and to have compassion for our fellow Christians, even when we ourselves may be suffering.  Paul shared what he had heard about the faith of the Christians at Colosse, and we should encourage other Christians when we hear about good things that they are doing for Christ.  Paul was not jealous, but he was uplifted for their faith.  We never need to be jealous of the good things that other Christians do for Christ, but need to be an encouragement to them instead.  Reaching the lost is not a competition, but a joint effort for us as followers of Christ.  Paul then shares some concerns that he has for the church at Colosse, warning them against false teachings.  Though he had heard good things about them, he had also heard some things that concerned him.  Even if churches are doing good works for Christ today, there is always a danger that they can allow false teachings to enter into their beliefs if they are not careful.  This is why we must study and teach the Bible and lift one another up in prayer.  Paul exhorted them to set their heart on Christ, and so must we.  He did not call on them to set their heart on Paul himself, but on Christ.  We cannot set our heart on a particular preacher today, but must set our heart on Christ alone.  Paul warned them against sexual sins, and so must we warn the world today, no matter what the world may say about it.  Paul then shared how families should work under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  This still has not changed.  Paul closed by sharing about the work of some other Christians there.  We need to realize that we are not alone in working for Christ, if we are, and be willing to give praise to the work other Christians are doing to spread the gospel and teach God's word.  Next, we will look at the book of Judges.

Colossians 4:10

Colossians 4:10 says, Aristarchus my fellow prisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;)  After telling the church at Colosse who he was sending to them, Paul continued to tell them about others who were with him, starting with Aristarchus and Mark, his  fellow prisoners.  We don't know much about Aristarchus, but Mark, Barnabas's nephew, had once started on a missionary journey with Paul and Barnabas and had turned back.  This led to a split between them, but now Paul was speaking well of Mark, who also would write the book of Mark.  Just because we may at one point disagree with another Christian doesn't mean that we should let that disagreement rule the way the treat them forever.  Verse eleven adds, And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me.  Paul then concluded by naming Jesus, who was called Justis, who was a Jew, as a fellow laborer, and said those mentioned were his only fellowworkers for the kingdom of God.  Though they were very different in the eyes of the world, they were all joined together by faith in Jesus Christ.  We may all be different in the view of the world, but as followers of Christ we are all united by our faith in Him.  Verse twelve states, Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.  Paul then mentioned Epaphras, who was from Colosse, as saluting them and said that he was always laboring fervently for them in prayer.  We may not thank of prayer as laboring for others, but if we are fervent in our prayers, it should be.  Verse thirteen adds, For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis.  Paul said that he would vouch for the faithfulness of Epaphras in praying not only for the church at Colosse, but for the church at Laodicea and Hierapolis as well.  We should never limit our prayers to our home church, but should be fervently in prayer for others as well.  Verse fourteen says, Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.  Paul said that Luke, who was a physician and who would write both the book of Luke and the book of Acts, greeted them.  He did not hold himself to be above them, but considered himself to be a fellow laborer for Christ.  No matter what we may do in the world, we as Christians should always know that with God we are all equal.  Verse fifteen says, Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.  Paul then asked them to salute the brethren at Laodicea and Nymphas, whose home the church at Colosse met in.  Verse sixteen adds, And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.  Paul asked that they read his epistle, or letter at the church at Laodicea, and that they also read the letter written to Laodicea.  This implies that Paul had also written a letter to the church at Laodicea, but if he did, we do not have it.  Verse seventeen continues, And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.  Paul also asked that they ask Archippus to take heed to the ministry that he had received from the Lord and to be faithful in it.  We need to always encourage and support preachers today to be faithful in their calling from God.  Verse eighteen concludes, The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen. Written from Rome to the Colossians by Tychicus and Onesimus.  Paul concluded the letter by asking them to remember him in his bonds and asked that the grace of God be with them.  We need to ask that other Christians pray that we might continue to be faithful to God today, no matter what our status in the world may be.  

Colossians 4:7

Colossians 4:7 says, All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord:  Paul said Tychicus was going to come the the church at Colosse and tell them personally how Paul was doing instead of writing it down.  Paul called him aa beloved brother.  He wanted the Christians at Colosse to have a personal account of how he was doing, and since he couldn't go himself, he sent someone that he considered a beloved brother.  No matter how important we may be viewed as by other Christians, we ourselves like Paul must simply consider ourselves brothers and sisters in Christ.  Verse eight adds, Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts;  Paul said he was also sending Tychicus so that he could see for himself how they were doing and bring comfort to their hearts.  We should always have concern about our fellow Christians and check on them when possible to help bring comfort to their hearts.  Verse nine continues, With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here.  Paul said he was sending Onesimus, whom he also called a faithful and beloved brother, with Tychicus so that together they might make known to them all the things which were being done there.  Onesimus was a runaway slave that Paul had converted to Christianity and Paul said that he was one of them.  As a runaway slave, it might have been dangerous for Onesimus to go to Colosse, but he was going by faith.  We cannot allow what others once were determine how we view them now if they have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, nor can we allow fear of what may happen to us if we go into the world to share the gospel and support other Christians keep us from going.  Like Paul, we must understand that all those who believe in Christ are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and we are neither better nor worse than they are.

Colossians 4:1

Colossians 4:1 says, Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.  Paul had just told servants to be obedient to their masters, and now he told masters to treat their servants fairly and justly.  They were to do this because they themselves had a Master in heaven, especially if they were Christians.  Today,  I believe this applies to employers who are Christians.  They should never deal unfairly with their employees.  Verse two states, Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;  Paul called on them to continue in prayer with thanksgiving.  No matter what is going on in life, we should be praying and thanking God for the blessings He sends our way, especially the gift and blessing of salvation.  Verse three adds, Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:  Paul then asked that the believers at Colosse pray for him that he might have doors opened, not to be set free, but to share the gospel.  Our prayer today should likewise not be for personal things, but should first be for doors to be opened for us to share the gospel.  Verse four continues, That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.  Paul said they should pray that he would be able to make manifest, or clear, the word of God as he should speak it.  We also need to be in prayer for preachers and teachers today that they might make the gospel of Christ clear enough so that others might understand it.  Verse five declares, Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Paul called on the Christians at Colosse to walk in wisdom before the lost, those who had not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, so that they might redeem the time that they were here on earth.  They would thereby give the lost no reason to speak against them.  We cannot sound like the lost when we speak to them today and be a good witness for Jesus Christ.  Verse six adds, Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.  Paul called on them to always let their speech be with grace, seasoned with salt.  Matthew Henry says that grace is the salt that seasons our conversation so that it might be savory and preservative to those that we are speaking to.  This applies to all our speech, and not just to when we are speaking with other Christians.  As followers of Christ, all our speech to or about others should be filtered by the gospel of Christ.  We will never reach the lost people of the world if we always speak to them with anger and condemnation.