Romans 13

Romans 13:1-7; God’s Rulers.

-Paul tells the Church to submit to the governing authorities,
because God has set the government up for a purpose.
-Rulers are not intended to oppress the good, but hunt the evil.
(Basically, Paul is saying that anarchy is a bad idea.)
-You only have to fear God’s rulers if you are an evildoer.
-Also, Paul instructs us to pay our taxes.

Romans 13:8-10; The Fulfillment of the Law.

-We are instructed to love one another as brothers.
-Most of the commandments can be summed up as “Love your
neighbor”.
-Loving is the ultimate fulfillment of the law.

Romans 13:11-14; Light, not Darkness.

-Salvation is now at hand, so we must put away all ungodliness.
-We must act as though we are in the light, for the darkness is
passing.
-Only rely on Christ, do not indulge in sin.

Subject Sentence: We submit and follow God’s law by loving

each other and obeying the authorities he has placed.
Truth: God is light, so his followers must remain in the light as
well. (John 8:12)
 Romans 14

14:1-12;
-Paul addresses how to handle church members with different
convictions.
-When a member has a conviction that something is sinful, even
if it is not declared sinful in the bible (e.g. eating meat), that
action is sinful for him.
-Don’t pass judgement on another Christian’s conscience.
-Despite different outlooks and convictions, we are all members
of the body of the church, so we live and die together.

14:13-19;
-We should not judge those with weaker consciences, and should
not cause them to stumble due to their convictions.
-Respect their convictions while in their presence, for if you do
not, you are not loving to them.

14:20-23;
-When we cause our brothers to stumble, we break apart the
church.
-When someone who has doubts in his conscience partakes in an
action he has doubts about, that is sin for him.
Subject Sentence: Respect the weaker brother’s convictions, for
they are matters of the conscience, and violation of conscience is
sin.

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Romans 15

15:1-7; Supporting the Church.

-The stronger Christians have an obligation to support and uplift
the weaker members of the Church.
-We please our neighbors, as Christ forwent his own pleasure for
our sake.
-We are supposed to live in harmony with one another as one
body of Christ.

15:8-13; Prophecy Fulfilled.

-Christ became a servant of man in order to fulfill the prophecies
given to the Jews.
-He came in order to bring the truth to the Gentiles, as was
proclaimed in the prophecies.

15:14-33; Paul’s Ministry.

-Paul writes that he is called to minister to the Gentiles.
-Christ is the only thing of which Paul will boast, for he is the
only way Paul has ever done anything noteworthy.
-His ministry to the Gentiles has been the reason he has not been
able to visit the Romans in a while.
-He plans to visit them before he goes to Spain.
-Paul blesses and prays for them and their deliverance.

Subject Sentence: Paul instructs us to support the rest of the

Church and wishes to visit the Romans.

Truth: God desires harmony within the Church.

Doctrine: Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies about the Messiah.

Romans 16

16:1-16, 21-23; Paul Says Hi to Everyone

-He greets the Romans, one by one, thanking them for their
service and devotion.
-He also extends the greetings of Timothy, Tertius, and Gaius.

16:17-20; Wise as Serpents, Innocent as Doves

-He warns the Church of those who cause division and strife.
They are not of God, but deceive the naive.
-We must be able to recognize that cunning, discerning and wise
are crucial to our faith.

16:24-27; His Goodbye

-Paul ends the letter by reassuring the Romans about the gospel
and praising the Lord.

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Judges 1

1:1-10; A New Leader.

-The people asked God who would lead their armies now that
Joshua was dead.
-God set up Judah as the leader, and he led the people against
the Canaanites.
-God gave the Canaanites up to the Israelites and Judah captured
Adoni-Bezek and removed his thumbs and big toes, sentencing
him to the same fate he had inflicted on other kings.

1:11-15; The Conquest of Debir.

-Caleb offered his daughter to be the wife of the man who could
capture Debir.
-Othneil captured Debir, and his wife urged him to ask her father
for more land.
-Caleb granted them the upper and lower springs.

1:16-26; Conquest Continued.

-Judah continued his conquest of the Canaanites.
-Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron were also captured.
-The House of Joseph conquered Bethel with the aid of a spy,
and let the spy and his family live.
1:27-36; The Cycle Begins.
-The Israelites did not fully complete their slaughter of the
Canaanites, however; instead putting many of them to work as
slaves.
-The Amorites persisted in their existence, because the Israelites
did not purge them.

Subject Sentence: Israel begins their conquest against the

Canaanites and captures much of the land, but do not fully drive
out the gentiles.

Truth: Israel does not follow God’s commands to the fullest.

Key Phrases: And the LORD was with them. Did not drive them
out.

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Judges 2

2:1-10; God’s reminder of the Covenant.

-The Angel of the Lord reminded the Israelites that they had
broken their covenant with him.
-He promised that the people they had not driven out as he
commanded would be thorns in their sides.
-All the people wailed and sacrificed to the Lord.
-They served God all the days of Joshua, and he lived for 110
years.​ ​ ​
2:11-23; The institution of the Judges.
-As soon as Joshua died, the people turned away and began
worshiping the Baals.
-God did as he had promised and gave them over to plunderers
and raiders.
-God then raised up judges to lead the people and protect them,
but the people did not listen to the judges.
-Israel was saved whenever a judge was raised up, but they
turned away as soon as that judge died.
-This was God’s judgement on Israel.

Subject Sentence: God warns the people of their transgressions

and sets up the judges to watch over the people.

Truth: God is Just as well as Merciful.

Truth 2: People invariably fall away from and forget God’s laws.

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Judges 3

3:1-6; The Lord’s Punishment.

-The Lord left nations in Israel in order to test the Israelites and
teach them war.
-The Philistines, the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites.
-The Israelites mingled and intermarried with the Gentiles.
3:7-11; The First Judge.
-The people turned away from God and worshiped the Baals and
Asheroth.
-God gave them up to foreign captivity.
-It took eight years for them to come back to God and cry out for
help.
-God raised up Othniel, Caleb’s younger brother, as a Judge.
-Othniel saved Israel and lived for forty years, then died.

3:12-30; The Coolest Judge.

-The people promptly turned away from God once again.
-Eglon, King of Moab (also a fat guy), conquered Israel and
ruled over it for eighteen years.
-God raised up Ehud, a left-handed Benjamanite as the next
Judge.
-Ehud made himself a sword, concealed it, and went to present
the tribute to Eglon.
-Once he had delivered the tribute, he sent away his companions
and told the king that he had a message from God for him.
-When the king had sent away his companions, Ehud drew his
sword and stabbed the king in the stomach.
-Eglon was fat enough the sword was fully concealed in his
stomach.
-Ehud locked the doors behind him and escaped while the
servants were waiting for Eglon to come out.
-He rallied the Israelites and slew every male Moabite, totalling
10,000 men.
-Israel was free for eighty years.

3:31; Oxgoad Man.

-“After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of
the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel.”
-I have literally nothing to add to this.

Subject Sentence: The Cycle begins and the first three of the
Judges are raised up.

Truth: God will always respond to the pleas of his people and
raise them out of judgement.

Doctrine: Grace, Mercy

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Judges 4

4:1-10; Deborah tells Barak to get his Stuff Together.

-The people went back to worshiping idols. Again.
-Sisera, the general of the Canaanites, ruled over and oppressed
the Israelites. He also had a lot of chariots.
-Deborah was the Judge of Israel at the time, and she sent for
Barak, telling him to do what God had said and fight the
Canaanites.
-Barak said that he would only go to war if Deborah came with
him.
-Deborah agreed, but stated that Barak would not gain any glory,
as punishment for his lack of faith.

4:11-16; The Battle.

-Heber the Kenite had pitched his tent really far away from the
other Kenites. (Relevant later.)
-Barak got told that the Canaanites were going up to Mount
Tabor.
-Deborah had to tell Barak to go fight Sisera.
-Barak fought with Sisera, and all of Sisera’s men died in the
battle, but Sisera himself escaped.

4:17-24; Tent Peg Time.

-Sisera made it to Heber’s tent, which he thought would be safe
due to how far away it was.
-Jael, Heber’s wife, invited Sisera into the tent and made him
comfortable, promising to hide him from the Israelites.
-Once he fell asleep, Jael took a hammer and pounded a tent peg
through Sisera’s head.
-So he died.
-Barak finally caught up, only to discover that Sisera was
already dead.

Subject Sentence: Barak does not have faith in the Lord,

requiring Deborah to kick his butt into gear, and does not gain
any of the glory because of it; but Jael the wife of Heber killed
Sisera.

Truth: Faith in God is rewarded, but unnecessary hesitation will

not bring joy.

​ ​ ​ ​ Judges 6

6:1-6; The Oppression of Israel.

-You can guess how faithful Israel was.
-The Midianites captured them and ruled for seven years.
-The Midianites would steal the Israelite’s crops and produce
and livestock. They were like locusts.
-The Israelites cried out for help from God.

6:7-10; God’s Answer.

-God sent a prophet to Israel.
-He reminded them of his faithfulness and their faithlessness.
-He instructed them to remain faithful after this.

6:11-24; The Angel and Gideon.

-The Angel of The Lord came to Gideon while Gideon was
hiding wheat from the Midianites.
-The Angel called Gideon to judge Israel, but Gideon doubted
that he could save Israel, even with God’s aid.
-Gideon invited the Angel to stay, and prepared a goat and some
cakes, but the Angel lit the food on fire to demonstrate God’s
power.
-Gideon finally figured out who was talking to him and built an
altar to God at the place.

6:25-32; Gideon tears down Baal’s Statue.

-God commanded Gideon to tear down his father’s altar to Baal
and cut down the Asherath.
-Gideon did so, but he was too afraid to do it by day, so he
destroyed the altar at night.
-The men of the town figured out that Gideon had done it, but
Joash refused to give him up, telling the men that Baal could
deal with him.

6:33-40; Preparation for War.

-The Midianites prepared to make war, camping in the Valley of
Jezreel.
-Gideon prepared for war also, and gathered allies.
-Gideon lost faith and asked God for more signs, making a
fleece wet and then dry.
-God did as he asked.

Subject Sentence: The Midianites capture Israel; Gideon is

called to be Judge and he pulls down the altar of Baal, then tests
God with the fleece and the dew.

Attribute of God: Patience. (With Israel and Gideon.)

Application: Have faith in God when he commands you to

undertake a task.

​ ​ ​ Judges 7

7:1-8; The Lord Thins the Numbers.

-Gideon’s men were camped by the spring of Harod, to the south
of the Midian camp.
-The Lord wanted to reduce the army size to reduce the boasting
from the men.
-Gideon told all the men who did not want to be there to go
home, 22,000 men left, and he was left with 10,000 men.
-That was still too many, so God told him to get rid of all the
men who knelt to drink from a river.
-Gideon was left with 300 men after that.

7:9-18; The Fortelling.

-God told Gideon to go down and slay the Midianites, but if he
still doubted, then go down to the camp with Purah.
-Gideon went down to the camp and listened, hearing an omen
that one of the soldiers had experienced, that foretold of
Gideon’s victory.
-He set his soldiers up all around the camp and told them to
blow the trumpets and shout when he gave the signal.

7:19-25; The Defeat of the Midianites.

-The men cried out and blew the trumpets, frightening the
enemy and causing them to flee.
-The Midianites killed each other in confusion.
-The men of Israel were called out and they pursued the
Midianites all the way to the border.
-The heads of the Midianites were brought to Gideon.

Attribute of God/Application: All glory belongs to the Lord and

things turn out better when we give it to him.
Subject Sentence: God sends most of Gideon’s men home and
Gideon conquers the Midianites through trickery.

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Judges 8

8:1-12; Gideon Has to Deal With a Bunch of Idiots.

-Ephraim complained that they had not been invited to fight
Midian.
-Gideon flattered them and they cooled off.
-He crossed the Jordan with his 300 men, still pursuing Zebah
and Zalmunna the Midian kings.
-He asked for bread and rest from the men of Succoth, as his
men were tired and weary.
-Succoth denied him the rest and Gideon swore vengeance
against them for their refusal to help.
-The men of Penuel received the same request, and gave the
same response, Gideon again promising vengeance.
-Gideon attacked the Midianites again, and the kings fled again,
and were captured.

Truth: God’s plans will be carried out no matter who opposes

them.
8:13-21; Justice is Carried Out.
-Gideon returned to the men of Succoth and Penuel to exact his
vengeance against them.
-He ordered the kings killed, but the man he gave the order to
was scared, so Gideon killed them himself.
-He took their ornaments as trophies.

8:22-33; Gideon is Almost Right.

-Gideon rejected rulership of Israel, saying that the Lord should
rule over Israel.
-Gideon instead made an ephod from the gold of the spoils, and
Israel began to idolize it.
-Israel had rest for forty more years.
-Gideon died rich and with many wives and sons.
-The instant he died, Israel forsook God and began worshiping
the Baals once again.

Subject Sentence: Gideon captures and kills the two kings, then
stumbles at the finish line.

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Judges 9

9:1-6;
-Abimelech went to his mother’s clan and tried to convince them
to let him rule them.
-He said that one king is better than seventy.
-They agreed with him and gave him seventy pieces of silver
and Abimelech used the money to hire mercenaries.
-He went to his father’s house and killed all seventy of his
brothers except the youngest one.
-All the leaders crowned Abimelech king.

9:7-21;
-When Jotham heard of this, he cried aloud and condemned the
crowning with a parable.
-He said that Abimelech was a bramble ruling over trees.
-He said that if the leaders were true to faith when they crowned
Abimelech then they have done right, but if they have not acted
properly, then let fire consume them.
-He then fled to Beer and hid there.

9:22-29;
-Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years.
-God caused tension and treachery between Abimelech and the
leaders of Shechem.
-The leaders of Shechem set up an ambush for Abimelech, but
they went about it improperly and he was warned of it.
-Gaal the son of Ebed got drunk and decided to attempt a revolt
against Abimelech.

9:30-41;
-Zebul warned Abimelech about the uprising, and Abimelech
set his own ambush.
-Gaal walked into the ambush and Zebul convinced him that the
ambushers were simply shadows.
-Gaal figured out that they were people and Zebul taunted him
for cowardice.
-Gaal went out and fought Abimelech and got his butt kicked,
fleeing the battle.
-Zebul drove out all of Gaal’s relatives, so that he could not
return to the city.

9:42-49;
-Abimelech brought his men up and captured the city.
-He and his men then razed the city, killed the inhabitants, and
salted the fields.
-The men of Shechem went and hid in a stronghold, and
Abimelech got wind of their location.
-He went to the stronghold and cut a bundle of wood, and all his
men did the same.
-They then set fire to the bundles of wood, burning the
stronghold and all of its men.

9:50-57;
-He then captured Thebez, and all the inhabitants of Thebez hid
in a fortified tower.
-Abimelech went to set the tower afire, and a “certain woman”
threw a millstone off of the top and smashed his head.
-He then had his servant stab him, to avoid being killed by a
woman.
-So he died, and God’s justice was delivered.

Subject Sentence: Abimelech and the men of Shechem deal

treacherously with each other and Abimelech is killed by a
woman.

Truth: God can use horrible people to accomplish good goals.

(Numbers 32:23)

​ ​ ​
​ ​
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Judges 10

10:1-5;
-The next judge was Tola, grandson of Dodo.
-He judged Israel for 23 years.
-Then he died.
-After him was Jair, who judged Israel for 22 years.
-He had 30 sons, who rode on 30 donkeys and ruled over 30
cities.
-He died too.

10:6-10;
-The Israelites began serving even more false gods.
-God gave them into the possession of the Philistines and
Ammonites.
-They were oppressed for 18 years.
-They cried out to God and admitted that they had sinned,
pleading for aid.

10:11-18;
-The Lord reminded the Israelites of all the times that he had
bailed them out from their unfaithfulness.
-He said that he would save them no more, as they had broken
the covenant too many times.
-They remained faithful despite his seeming rejection, and he
saved them once more.
-The Ammonites began to march against Israel and the Israelites
wondered who would judge them.

Subject Sentence: After Jair and the grandson of Dodo die,

Israel forsakes God, but turns back when they are oppressed.

Truth: Just but forgiving.

​ ​ ​ ​ Judges 11
11:1-11;
-God raised up Jephthah, a warrior.
-He was the son of a Gilead and a prostitute, and his legitimate
half-brothers drove him out of the house and removed his
inheritance.
-Jephthah fled to Tob and became a gang leader.
-The Ammonites began warring against Israel, and the elders of
Gilead sent for Jephthah and his men to lead them in war.
-Jephthah responded by pointing out how they had shunned him
and driven him away.
-He said that he would aid them only if they welcomed him back
and made him head over them.
-The Gileadites swore that they would do so and Jephthah and
his men came to Gilead with them.

11:12-28;
-Jephthah sent a letter to the Ammonites asking why they were
invading Israel.
-They replied that Israel stole land from them, and continued
their march against Israel.

11:29-40;
-Jephthah led his army to fight the Ammonites at Gilead.
-He vowed that, if he won, the first thing he saw when he came
home he would sacrifice as a burnt offering.
-He beat them back as far as Abel-keramim, and returned home
victorious.
-When he came back, the first thing he saw was his daughter.
Then he tore his clothes and regretted his vow.
-She told him to adhere to his vow, but leave her alone for two
months so she and her companions could mourn.
-He fulfilled his vow. (Scholars debate what he exactly did.)
-It became a tradition in Israel for maidens to weep for her.

Subject Sentence: Gilead elects a gang leader, Jephthah, and he

makes a very dumb promise.

Lesson: Always consider what you are going to say before you
say it. Do not make rash promises. If God is with you, no
additional vows are needed.

Lesson(1): God can use the most unlikely people to accomplish

his will.

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Judges 12

12:1-7; A civil war involving accents.

-The Ephriamites were angry that they had not gotten to take
part in the fight against the Ammonites.
-Jephthah claimed that they had not given aid against the
Ammonites when it was needed, and so he had to take matters
into his own hands.
-Then Gilead and Ephriam fought each other.
-The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan, and they
installed a passcode that the Ephriamites could not say due to
their accents.
-42,000 Ephriamites fell.
-Jephthah judged Israel for 6 years, then died.

12:8-13; A bunch of dudes who did nothing, then died.

-Izban judged Israel next.
-He had thirty sons and thirty daughters, married all of them off,
then died.
-Elon then judged Israel for ten years.
-Abdon judged Israel next, and had forty sons and thirty
grandsons, and a whole lotta donkeys. He lasted 8 years, then
died too.

Subject Sentence: Jephthah fights a civil war, and the next three
Judges live extremely boring lives.

Lesson: Lying and quarreling lead to bad outcomes.

Lesson(1): We must use what little time we have for God’s

glory.
 ​​ ​ ​ ​ Judges 13

13:1-14;
-Guess what happened. Again.
-A man named Manoah was of the Danites, and his wife was
barren.
-The Angel of The Lord appeared to her and told her that she
was going to have a child.
-He warned her to avoid wine and alcohol, along with anything
that was unclean.
-His hair also had to remain uncut.
-Manoah prayed for God to send the Angel again and give
clearer instructions.
-The Angel came back, and Manoah’s wife ran to get her
husband.
-Manoah identified the Angel, and the Angel reiterated his
commands.

13:15-25;
-Manoah asked the Angel to come stay with them for the night,
and the Angel asked them to make a burnt offering instead.
-They asked the Angel’s name, and he told them that it wasn’t
needed.
-He made the burnt offering, and the Angel went up in the pillar
of fire.
-They fell on their faces and freaked out, and Manoah thought
that they were going to die.
-His wife talked sense into him and pointed out that if he wanted
them to die, they’d already be dead.
-She bore a son and named him Sampson, and the Lord blessed
him.