Reasoning Through the Bible

Judges 6 opens with Israel suffering under Midianite oppression because the nation has once again turned from God. For seven years, the Midianites invade at harvest time, destroy crops, steal livestock, and leave Israel impoverished and hiding in caves.
When the people finally cry out, God first sends a prophet. Before providing deliverance, He reminds Israel of everything He has already done: bringing them out of Egypt, defeating their enemies, and giving them the land. The problem was not God’s lack of power. Israel had invited evil into its life through disobedience and then forgotten the Lord’s past faithfulness.
This session then introduces Gideon, who is threshing wheat inside a winepress to hide from the Midianites. Wheat was normally threshed on an exposed hill where the wind could separate the grain from the chaff. Gideon is instead working in a confined hole, showing the fear, frustration, and defeat that had overtaken Israel.
The Angel of the Lord appears and calls Gideon a “mighty man of valor.” At that moment, Gideon does not look like a warrior. He is hiding, questioning God, and describing himself as the least important member of the weakest family in Manasseh. Yet God sees Gideon according to what he will become through divine power.
The study also examines the identity of the Angel of the Lord. The passage moves naturally from calling Him the Angel of the Lord to identifying Him as the Lord Himself, supporting the understanding that this was a physical manifestation of God and, as many scholars conclude, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ.
Gideon asks for assurance, and God patiently provides a sign by consuming the offering with fire. The passage reminds us that asking for guidance is different from using signs as excuses to avoid obedience.
The central assurance is simple: “I will be with you.” Gideon’s success will not depend on his family status, confidence, resources, or natural ability. It will depend on God’s presence.
Scripture: Judges 6:7–24
Series: The Book of Judges — An RTTB Study
 Questions discussed in this session:
What should we do if we are in frustration and defeat? 
If God says he is with us, can we move forward in confidence?
Is it wise for us to look to God for a sign? 
What does God do to build our faith?  
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Judges 4 concludes with Sisera fleeing from the battlefield after God destroys his army. Once the commander of nine hundred iron chariots, Sisera suddenly finds himself running on foot and searching for safety. He enters the tent of Jael because there was peace between her household and King Jabin, but the refuge he trusts becomes the place of his death.
In this session, Glenn and Steve discuss why no true peace can be found while running from God. Sisera believed he had control during twenty years of oppression, but his situation changed within minutes. His defeat also fulfills Deborah’s prophecy that the honor of victory would go to a woman. Jael acts freely, yet her actions accomplish what God had already declared, providing an example of divine providence working through human decisions.
Judges 5 then records the Song of Deborah, a poetic celebration of God’s victory. The song praises Yahweh as Israel’s true commander and emphasizes the importance of leaders who lead and people who willingly respond. Some tribes answer the call to battle, while others remain home because everyday responsibilities become more important than joining God’s work.
The session also examines what life was like under Canaanite oppression. Roads became unsafe, travelers avoided the highways, military strength had disappeared, and Israel lacked courageous leadership. When people and societies turn from God, peace and security begin to disappear.
After God provides victory, the land rests for forty years. Yet Judges 6 begins another cycle. Israel again does evil in the Lord’s sight, and the Midianites raid the land for seven years. They destroy crops, steal livestock, and leave Israel impoverished and hiding in mountain caves.
The Midianites function like parasites, allowing Israel to labor and then returning at harvest time to consume the results. Only after seven years does Israel finally cry out to God.
This passage warns believers not to tolerate sin and spiritual oppression when God is ready to hear genuine repentance. The fastest way out is not pride, self-reliance, or trying to repair everything alone. It is returning to God and allowing Him to address what has taken root.
Scripture: Judges 4:17–6:7
Series: The Book of Judges — An RTTB Study
 Questions discussed in this session:
 Can people who are not following God also be fulfilling God’s will? 
Are nations and cultures safe even if they disobey God? 
How should church leaders act when there is disagreement in the church?
Does the Bible contain good literature? 
What happens when evil comes and stays in our life? 
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May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

Judges 4 begins another cycle of Israel’s rebellion, oppression, and deliverance. After Ehud dies, the people once again do evil in the sight of the Lord. God allows Jabin, king of Canaan, and his commander Sisera to oppress Israel cruelly for twenty years with an army supported by nine hundred iron chariots.
The problem, however, was not the strength of the chariots. Israel had already seen God defeat powerful armies and fortified cities. Their weakness came from turning away from the Lord and losing the protection and blessing that came through obedience.
In this session, Glenn and Steve introduce Deborah, a prophetess and respected leader who judged Israel beneath the palm of Deborah. She summons Barak and reminds him that God has already commanded him to gather ten thousand men and confront Sisera’s army.
Barak hesitates and agrees to go only if Deborah accompanies him. His response reveals a mixture of faith and doubt. Yet Deborah remains faithful, holds him accountable, and goes with him. Together, they demonstrate how God can use believers with different strengths: Deborah provides spiritual confidence and accountability, while Barak ultimately obeys and leads the army.
The passage reaches its turning point when Deborah declares, “Arise! For this is the day in which the LORD has given Sisera into your hands. Behold, the LORD has gone out before you.” God had already declared the victory before the battle began.
This study encourages believers who sometimes feel more like Barak than Joshua. Faith may be mixed with fear, hesitation, or uncertainty, but God can still work through those who ultimately trust and obey Him.
Scripture: Judges 4:1–16
Series: The Book of Judges — An RTTB Study
Questions discussed in this session:  
What do we do if we find ourselves with doubting God?
When God commands us to do something, do we need experience before we trust Him? 
Do we have to be in perfect obedience before God can bless us? 
Does God give us signs that He is with us? 
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May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

Judges 3 introduces the first specific deliverers whom God raises up for Israel. The chapter begins by explaining that God left certain nations in the land to test Israel and to teach a new generation how to wage war. The test was not designed to give God information He lacked. It revealed Israel’s condition and exposed whether the people would obey His commandments.
Instead of remaining separate from Canaanite influence, the Israelites lived among the pagan nations, intermarried with them, and eventually served their gods. They became comfortable with the very practices God had warned would become a snare. This raises an important application for believers today: what we tolerate around us can eventually begin shaping what we accept and worship.
The chapter then repeats the familiar cycle of Judges. Israel forgets the Lord and does evil. God allows an enemy to oppress them. The people cry out, and God raises up a deliverer. After a period of peace, the people return to disobedience and the cycle begins again.
This session also explores the biblical themes of being sold under sin, redemption, and Christ paying the debt that sinners cannot pay for themselves. Israel’s bondage to foreign kings provides a picture of humanity’s deeper bondage to sin and the need for a Redeemer.
The study then turns to Ehud, the left-handed Benjaminite whom God uses to deliver Israel from King Eglon of Moab. The account is violent and graphic, reminding us that sin and judgment are not pleasant realities. Yet it also shows God’s faithfulness when His people cry out for help.
Finally, the chapter briefly introduces Shamgar, who defeats six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. Shamgar receives only one verse, but his faithfulness was no less valuable than that of judges who receive several chapters. God does not require fame, recognition, or a large audience. He calls His people to faithfully accomplish the work He places before them.
Scripture: Judges 3:1–31
Series: The Book of Judges — An RTTB Study
 Questions discussed in this session:
Were the Israelites supposed to marry outside Israel? 
What happens when we worship what seems right to us? 
Why would God want to teach people warfare? 
Do people today forget the good things that God does for us? 
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You can find free study and leader resources at the following link - Resource Page - Reasoning Through the Bible
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May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

Judges 2:11–23 introduces the repeating cycle that will shape the rest of the Book of Judges. Israel forsakes the Lord, serves the Baals and Ashtoreth, provokes God to anger, suffers under enemy oppression, and then receives mercy when God raises up judges to deliver them.
In this session, Glenn and Steve examine the Canaanite worship of Baal and Ashtoreth and explain why this idolatry was so dangerous for Israel. Rather than completely rejecting Yahweh at first, Israel began adding Canaanite worship to the worship of the Lord. That kind of syncretism led them deeper into idolatry and away from the covenant commitment they had made in Joshua.
The study also addresses the relationship between God’s wrath and His lovingkindness. God’s anger is not arbitrary or uncontrolled. His anger burns against evil because He is holy and just. At the same time, this passage shows His mercy because He raises up deliverers for people who did not deserve His grace.
The discussion then turns to practical application. Israel repeatedly turned away from God, and believers today must recognize the same danger in their own lives. Staying close to the Lord requires daily prayer, time in Scripture, fellowship with other believers, and keeping short accounts with God when sin appears.
This session also explains the difference between feeling sorry and genuine repentance. Repentance is not merely regret over being caught or suffering consequences. It is a change of mind that results in turning back toward God.
Scripture: Judges 2:11–22
Series: The Book of Judges — An RTTB Study
Questions discussed in this session:
Did Israel deserve God’s love and grace? 
When we come in contact with unbiblical things, what usually happens?
Is God wrathful? Should we concern ourselves with God’s wrath?
Why would God describe idol worship as being like a prostitute?
Is God loving or does He get angry? 
Support the show
Thank you for listening!!  Please give us a five-star rating to help your podcast provider's algorithm spread RTTB among their listeners. 
You can find free study and leader resources at the following link - Resource Page - Reasoning Through the Bible
Please prayerfully consider supporting RTTB to help us to continue providing content and free resources. You can do that at this link - Support RTTB - Reasoning Through the Bible 
May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve