13“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14The Lord will fight for you and you need only to be still.” ~Exodus 14

13“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14The Lord will fight for you and you need only to be still.” ~Exodus 14

Message from Exodus: You are God’s People and He will fight for you Message from Exodus: You are God’s People and He will fight for you. You need only to be still.

9“The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. 10One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. 11So be very careful to love the Lord your God…~Joshua 23

9“The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. 10One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. 11So be very careful to love the Lord your God…~Joshua 23

Message from Exodus: You are God’s People and He will fight for you Message from Exodus: You are God’s People and He will fight for you. You need only to be still.

Message from the Conquest: You are God’s people and the Lord your God will fight for you just as he promised.

The “Judges” Cycle… The Judge dies God’s people did evil in God’s eyes. God “gives them over” to their enemies The people “cry out” to God Salvation by God’s chosen “Judge” Peace during the Judge’s lifetime The Judge dies The “Judges” Cycle…

12They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger 13because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14In his anger against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. ~Judges 2

12They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger 13because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14In his anger against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. ~Judges 2

14bHe sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. 15Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress. 16Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. ~Judges 2

14bHe sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. 15Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress. 16Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. ~Judges 2

Message from Exodus: You are God’s People and He will fight for you Message from Exodus: You are God’s People and He will fight for you. You need only to be still.

Message from the Conquest: You are God’s people and the Lord your God will fight for you just as he promised.

Message from Judges: “You are God’s people, and if you turn from Him and worship idols, when you go out to fight, the hand of the Lord will be against you to defeat you.

God’s People demand a King!

God’s People demand a King! “19bWe want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” ~I Samuel 8:

1Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, “Bring us some drinks!” 2The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness: “The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks. 3You will each go straight out through breaches in the wall, and you will be cast out toward Harmon,” declares the Lord. ~Amos 4:

1Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, “Bring us some drinks!” 2The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness: “The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks. 3You will each go straight out through breaches in the wall, and you will be cast out toward Harmon,” declares the Lord. ~Amos 4:

1Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, “Bring us some drinks!” 2The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness: “The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks. 3You will each go straight out through breaches in the wall, and you will be cast out toward Harmon,” declares the Lord. ~Amos 4:

6They sell the innocent for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. 7They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. ~Amos 2:

Message from Exodus: You are God’s People and He will fight for you Message from Exodus: You are God’s People and He will fight for you. You need only to be still.

Message from the Conquest: You are God’s people and the Lord your God will fight for you just as he promised.

Message from Judges: “You are God’s people, and if you turn away from Him and worship idols, when you go out to fight, the hand of the Lord will be against you to defeat you.

Message from the North Kingdom: You are God’s people… but when the rich oppress the poor and deny justice to the needy, you will be utterly destroyed by your enemies. You will fight, but God will fight against you.

7People of Judah, how can I forgive you 7People of Judah, how can I forgive you? I gave you everything, but you abandoned me and worshiped idols. You men go to prostitutes and are unfaithful to your wives. 8You are no better than animals, and you always want sex with someone else’s wife. 9Why shouldn’t I punish the people of Judah? 10I will tell their enemies, “Go through my vineyard. Don’t destroy the vines, but cut off the branches, because they are the people who don’t belong to me.” ~Jeremiah 5:

18The Lord said: Jeremiah, the enemy army won’t kill everyone in Judah 18The Lord said: Jeremiah, the enemy army won’t kill everyone in Judah. 19And the people who survive will ask, “Why did the Lord our God do such terrible things to us?” Then tell them: I am the Lord, but you abandoned me and worshiped other gods in your own land. Now you will be slaves in a foreign country. ~Jeremiah 5:

Message from Exodus: You are God’s People and He will fight for you Message from Exodus: You are God’s People and He will fight for you. You need only to be still.

Message from the Conquest: You are God’s people and the Lord your God will fight for you just as he promised.

Message from Judges: “You are God’s people, and if you turn from Him and worship idols, when you go out to fight, the hand of the Lord will be against you to defeat you.

Message from the North Kingdom: You are God’s people… but when the rich oppress the poor and deny justice to the needy, you will be utterly destroyed by your enemies. You will fight them, but God will fight against you.

Message from the South Kingdom: You are God’s people, but when you abandon me, and when your men are unfaithful with prostitutes… When you live like animals, I will tell your enemies, “Go through my vineyard. Don’t destroy the vines, but cut off the branches…” You will fight, and most will die. Those who do not die will go into exile, against their will, and live a life of horrid slavery.

Earning God’s favor meant victory over their enemies in battle over Earning God’s favor meant victory over their enemies in battle over. (And vice versa,) living in a way that forfeited God’s favor meant defeat at the hands of their foes.

9Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God. ~Matthew 5

21So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” ~Luke 20

23He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. 25He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” 26They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent. ~Luke 20

29So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?” 30“If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.” 31Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” ~John 18

31b“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected 31b“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. 32This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die. ~John 18

31b“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected 31b“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. 32This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die. ~John 18

33Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” 34“Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?” 35“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?” ~John 18

36Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world 36Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” 37“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” ~John 18

36Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world 36Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” 37“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” ~John 18

28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29for our “God is a consuming fire.” ~Hebrews 12:28