Author: Michelle Lesley

Servant of Christ, wife, mother, churchwoman, women's discipleship blogger, podcaster, and speaker.
Judges Bible Study

Judges ~ Lesson 2

Michelle Lesley

Welcome, ladies! Just a reminder, please do not skip Lesson 1 from last week (link below). Not only will it answer any questions you may have about the study itself, but if you want to study Judges properly, you must do the background work contained in Lesson 1.

Previous Lessons: 1

Read Judges 1:1-2:5

Questions to Consider

1. Review your notes from last week’s introductory lesson. What are some things to keep in mind as you begin to study the text of Judges today?

2. Carefully examine Deuteronomy 7. How does this passage serve as the historical backdrop for 1:1? How does Judges 1:1-2:5 carry out, and fail to carry out, Deuteronomy 7?

3. In your own words, and using your cross-references, describe what is happening in 1:1-3. Why was it important that the people inquired of the Lord? Were Judah and Simeon individuals?

4. Using the maps in your Bible, or these maps (scroll down to “Judges”), attempt to identify as many locations mentioned in today’s passage as possible, and describe, in your own words, the confrontations at each location.

5. In 1:27-36, who are Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan? How did they fail to carry out God’s instructions from Deuteronomy 7?

6. In 2:2, God says to Israel, “You have not obeyed my voice.” List the ways Israel had disobeyed God. Did God give them “credit” for their partial obedience in 1:1-26? It has been said that “Partial obedience is disobedience.” Explain this statement in light of today’s passage.

Israel was a corporate body of God’s people, similar to the way the local church is a corporate body of God’s people. What happens to a local church when part of the body is walking in obedience, and part of the body is walking in disobedience?

7. At the end of 2:3, what was God’s main concern with Israel’s failure to drive the pagan nations out of the Promised Land? Think about what you know of Old Testament history from this point on. How did the Canaanite gods become a “snare” to Israel?

8. Examine these New Testament passages. How is what God teaches Christians in the New Testament about avoiding false teachers and professing Christians who live in unrepentant sin similar to God’s commands in Deuteronomy and Judges about driving out the pagans so Israel wouldn’t be drawn away by sin and false gods?

9. What was the people’s response to God pronouncing the consequences of their sin in 2:4-5? Does it seem from these verses that this was a godly grief over their sin or a worldly grief over the consequences? What kind of grief does God want us to have when confronted with our sin? Does God always remove the consequences of our sin when we repent? Watch, as we continue our study in Judges, to see if God removes the consequences of Israel’s sin.

10. Today’s passage lays the foundation for what is to come in the book of Judges. Describe the foundation Israel laid, and what you expect to see happen when they build on that foundation in the chapters to come.

Homework

  • Think about your church. Is there any way part of the body is walking in disobedience? How? Commit to praying for your church about this, and prayerfully consider whether you should speak to your pastor about it, and how you might influence your brothers and sisters in Christ toward obedience to Scripture.
  • Consider your relationships and partnerships in light of the New Testament passages linked in #8. Is there any way you need to “come out from among them and be ye separate”? Pray about how God would have you be set apart to Him when it comes to these relationships and partnerships.

Suggested Memory Verse

OHCW Women's Conference

OHCW Women’s Conference ~ Day 2

Michelle Lesley

Ladies, welcome to Open Hearts in a Closed World 2021 online conference!

All this week, I’ll be posting each daily conference session here on the blog. You can watch here, or on the AGTV app, YouTube, IGTV (Instagram), or Facebook every day this week, July 12-16, 8:30-11:00 a.m. (CST).

The conference is totally free and you don’t have to register or sign up. Just tune in each day at your convenience and watch the teaching sessions. You could even gather up some friends and watch together! (Send me some pics if you like!)

Many have asked whether or not the sessions will still be available to watch later in the day and after this week. Yes. (As a matter of fact, if you missed last year’s conference, you can still catch all the sessions here.) BUT – once the live broadcast (8:30-11:00 a.m. CST) is over, it will take approximately one hour to process the YouTube version of the video (below) from “live” to “permanent” status, so it will not be available during that time period.

Special exclusive for my followers:

I’ve put together a two page outline for you that goes with my teaching session on Thursday (July 15) in case you’d like to take notes and have all the Scripture references handy. You can grab it here.

Here’s today’s session. (For more info. on the conference, speakers, schedule, etc., keep scrolling.)


Due to processing from “live” to “permanent” status on YouTube, this video will be unavailable between approximately 11a-12p CST.

Watch the remaining sessions of the conference at these links: Day 1 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

The theme of this year’s conference is Reverence in Radical Times, and our focal passage will be Titus 2:3-5:

Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

Titus 2:3-5

2021 Speakers:

2021 Teaching Schedule:

For more details on the conference, visit the OHCW website, follow Open Hearts in a Closed World on Instagram, or join the OHCW Facebook group and ask the conference organizers directly.

OHCW Women's Conference

OHCW Women’s Conference ~ Day 1

Michelle Lesley

Ladies, welcome to Open Hearts in a Closed World 2021 online conference!

All this week, I’ll be posting each daily conference session here on the blog. You can watch here, or on the AGTV app, YouTube, IGTV (Instagram), or Facebook every day this week, July 12-16, 8:30-11:00 a.m. (CST).

The conference is totally free and you don’t have to register or sign up. Just tune in each day at your convenience and watch the teaching sessions. You could even gather up some friends and watch together! (Send me some pics if you like!)

Many have asked whether or not the sessions will still be available to watch later in the day and after this week. Yes. (As a matter of fact, if you missed last year’s conference, you can still catch all the sessions here.) BUT – once the live broadcast (8:30-11:00 a.m. CST) is over, it will take approximately one hour to process the YouTube version of the video (below) from “live” to “permanent” status, so it will not be available during that time period.

Special exclusive for my followers:

I’ve put together a two page outline for you that goes with my teaching session on Thursday (July 15) in case you’d like to take notes and have all the Scripture references handy. You can grab it here.

Here’s today’s session. (For more info. on the conference, speakers, schedule, etc., keep scrolling.)

Due to processing from “live” to “permanent” status on YouTube, this video will be unavailable between approximately 11a-12p CST.

Watch the remaining sessions of the conference at these links: Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

The theme of this year’s conference is Reverence in Radical Times, and our focal passage will be Titus 2:3-5:

Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

Titus 2:3-5

2021 Speakers:

2021 Teaching Schedule:

For more details on the conference, visit the OHCW website, follow Open Hearts in a Closed World on Instagram, or join the OHCW Facebook group and ask the conference organizers directly.

Uncategorized

FYI about this week’s blog schedule…

Michelle Lesley

Hi ladies! Just wanted to give y’all a little heads up on the blog schedule this week.

Normally, I schedule my blog posts to publish at 5 a.m. (CST), Monday – Friday. But this week, I’m going to be posting the video sessions for the Open Hearts in a Closed World conference every day, and that doesn’t start until 8:30 a.m. (CST).

So, long story short, if you subscribe to the blog, and you’re used to seeing your daily blog post email at 5 a.m., don’t worry when you don’t see it at that time this week. This week’s blog posts of the conference sessions will publish between 8-8:30 a.m. (CST).

Doctrinally Sound Teachers

Doctrinally Sound Christian Women to Follow – 1

Michelle Lesley

False teachers. You can’t throw a rock out the window these days without hitting one. But are there any “good guys” out there who are getting it right? Discipleship, Bible study, and theological issues bloggers who rightly divide God’s word? You bet. You might have to do a little digging and turn over a few rocks, but they are out there, most, sans “Christian Celebrity” status, plugging away day after day, faithfully teaching God’s word. Here are some godly Christian women who are getting it right. No name it and claim it. No signs and wonders. No health, wealth, and prosperity. Just sound doctrine straight from God’s word.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Don’t just take my (or anyone else’s) word for it that any ministry, podcast, book, or blog is biblical in its doctrine. You MUST do the work of comparing with Scripture everything you read and hear. If it doesn’t match up with God’s word (in context), chuck it.

Chapter 3 Ministries–  Sharon Lareau writes a wonderful blog on marriage, apologetics, and the Christian life. “Marriage and apologetics are the two main topics addressed here, but not the only ones. Chapter 3 Ministries reaches beyond them. We cannot limit our Christian experience to one or two things. There is so much in Christ to love and learn about!” Facebook  Twitter

The End Time– Elizabeth Prata is a blogging machine. Her articles are always thoughtful and well researched. “This blog is about encouragement, discernment, and prophecy. Each essay focuses on one of these with the prayer that through them, God is exalted. No matter how dark the days or how weary the heart, He is the Light and our hope.” Facebook  Twitter

Christian Answers for the New Age– When it comes to mysticism and the New Age movement, Marcia Montenegro really knows her stuff. “Christian Answers for the New Age is a ministry responding to alternative religions: to inform and educate others about New Age and occult beliefs; to respond to those involved in New Age/ occult/ Eastern belief systems with the love and truth of Christ (I Peter 3:15-16); and to serve as a resource on aspects of New Age/ occult thinking and practices such as astrology, psychic powers, meditation, witchcraft/ Wicca, alternative healing, magick, etc.” Marcia writes most actively on these topics on her Facebook page.

Susan Heck– “Susan’s ministry emphasizes sequential teaching of the Bible marching verse-by-verse through the Sacred Library. We are involved with teaching Biblical books to capture their originally intended meaning; mentoring women; Scripture memorization; writing Ladies Bible Studies; counseling and discipling. ” Instagram Facebook YouTube

Martha Peace– Martha “teaches ladies’ Bible study classes and counseling classes…and travels extensively all over the world and conducts seminars for ladies’ groups” on biblical topics. Be sure to check out her free downloadable Bible studies! Facebook

Doreen Virtue– Raised in the New Age Movement and one of its leaders for years, Doreen has an amazing testimony of how Christ saved her. Now she teaches on the dangers and deceptions of the New Age as well as other biblical topics. Check out her YouTube broadcast.  Facebook Twitter Instagram

Proverbs 9:10 Ministries– “Understanding the Bible and knowing the true Gospel message for yourself is crucial in today’s world that’s saturated with false teaching and gospels being preached that are really not the true Gospel message at all…It’s time to take out the trash, and replace it with truth!” Join this dynamic duo of sound doctrine, Rose Spiller and Chris Paxon, for their podcast No Trash, Just Truth!, subscribe to their YouTube channel, and more! Facebook Instagram

Reagan Scott– “Redeemed. Truth Seeker. Free Thinker” – that’s how Reagan has been known to describe herself. And she couldn’t be more accurate. Formerly Media and Communications Manager for a large conservative political organization, Reagan is now a full time stay at home wife and mom. But she still lights up social media, commenting on politics and social issues with a blatantly biblical bent. On biblical topics, her doctrine is timeless, freshly communicated to young women eager for the truth of Scripture. Reagan’s main online platform is Instagram, so be sure to give her a follow over there and check out her highlights to get started. Facebook Twitter

Robin Self– Robin is a pastor’s wife who blogs about a variety of biblical topics – from false teachers to avoid, to women’s ministry help, to devotions, and more – at A Worthy Walk. Give her a follow! Facebook

You can always find these – and more great Christian women and men to follow – at the Recommended Bible Teachers tab in the blue menu bar at the top of this page.