1. Close Reading: book of Judges
Jephthah – ch. 11:1-11, 30-40

2. Gilead was his father. He was married and had sons.
Jephthah
son of a prostitute
was a mighty warrior
Gilead was his father. He was married and had sons.
Jephthah’ brothers drove him away.

3. @ War the Israelites are @ war with the Ammonites
The elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah back to be their commander

4. Jephthah’s Vow
If he defeats the Ammonites , he will give to God whoever comes out of the doors of his house to welcome him will be offered to God as a burnt offering.
the person who receives Jephthah is his daughter (his only child)
She was offered as a sacrifice

5. Samson Bible Readings: Samson- Ch
Samson Bible Readings: Samson- Ch. 13:1-5 (birth), 14 (lion), 15 (foxes) & 16 (Delilah )

6. Samson (chapters 13-16)
He is the most colorful character in the book of Judges, and his story has inspired artistic renderings
He is marked as a hero from the beginning by his birth to a barren mother
announced by an angel of the Lord.
Not to drink wine or strong drink
Not to eat anything unclean
No razor is to come on his head
Nazirite
One separated or one consecrated
Similar stories are told of Samuel, the last of the judges, and of John the Baptist in the NT

7. He killed a lion barehanded
Slaughtered thirty Philistines
Set three hundred foxes afire, and
Killed a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey.

8. He is vulnerable to the weaker sex.
According to Judges 14, the Philistines “had dominion over Israel” in the time of Samson.
A major feature of Samson’s character is his involvement with Philistine women.
His downfall comes from his inability to resist the charms of a Philistine woman, Delilah.
He is vulnerable to the weaker sex.

9. in love with Delilah He falls in love with Delilah
Told her his secret- his consecration to God and the secret of his strength- his hair

10. His death Samson prayed to the Lord to give him back his strength
He rested his weight on the temple and the temple collapsed.
He died with the Philistines