Baldhead Bible Podcast

WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS ADULT CONTENT. I would encourage all parents to listen to this podcast before deciding whether to let their child listen to this week's episode. It is one of the saddest and most brutal stories in the Bible. If it were a movie it would be rated R. But it is also a story that ends the book of Judges, and the writer put it there to make a point. And it is a timely reminder to our contemporary society as well: of what happens to a culture that decides to live by "doing what is right in their own eyes."

Things were bad during the period of the Judges. Israel turns more and more towards apostasy and away from Yahweh. The writer of Judges wants to give us examples of what life was like during this time, and so for the final chapters of the book, we will hear tragic stories of people turning from God. Sad stories, but meaningful stories that we can learn a lot from even today.

This is the final installment in the Samson part of the book of Judges, and boy does Samson go out with a bang. Sadly, it does not end well for Samson, but if he is going down, he is going to take a bunch of Philistines with him.

Welcome to a new show for Baldhead Bible Podcast. It's called Baldhead Bible Aftershow: Waxing the Dome. This is where I chat about stuff that intrigues me in the story I just told, or I share extra content that I was not able to include because of time, or I interview unique and interesting people that can give some insight on the book or character we are currently studying. For the premiere episode of Waxing the Dome, I am interviewing one of my best friends, Pastor Chad Wagner, and I am getting his take on the book of Judges. In this episode, we learn the judge with whom Chad would choose to hang out at a coffee shop and Chad's love for crunchy peanut butter. Baldhead Bible Aftershow: Waxing the Dome is free this week, but, starting next week, it will only be available to our BHBP supporters. To find out more, go to https://www.patreon.com/baldheadbible

Everyone is beginning to know the name of Samson. In this episode, we hear about three exploits of Samson that were so amazing, so miraculous, that the Philistines began to fear his name. What were those fantastic feats that struck fear in the hearts of every Philistine? Listen on to find out.

Samson is a young adult now, and he has decided to get married. A time for rejoicing, right? Well, as we will see with Samson, he tends to live for himself, and this is no different. He's breaking the heart of his parents by marrying a Philistine woman, and he is continually breaking his Nazarite vow with seemingly no notice of God in his life. Yet God chooses to use him despite his failures, and this story is as much a story of the grace of God as it is of Samson. Listen to hear more.

Now we begin the story of probably the most famous Judge of them all. He was big, he was brawny . . . or was he? What does the Bible tell us about the man Samson? This week we learn about Samson's birth and the encounter his parents had with the pre-incarnate Jesus, and we also learn the importance of obedience.

Jephthah defeated the Ammonites, and with it, he saved Israel from years of oppression. Great news, he's a hero, and all of Israel should spend some time rejoicing and celebrating this victory. But no sooner had Jephthah secured the victory, than a group of whiners and complainers more concerned about their pride and recognition showed up. What's Jephthah going to do? This group was so full of anger that they threatened to burn Jephthah's house down. What is Jephthah going to do?

Abimelech is dead, but the land of Israel remains in a chaotic mess. And this week we meet a judge who ends up adding to the confusion. But before that, we meet two Judges who made a positive difference: Tola and Jair. So, listen on this week to hear about two positive Judges, followed by Jephthah the judge who should have just kept his mouth shut.

As the book of Judges moves forward, we will begin to see the country of Israel begin to spiral further and further down into apostasy. The end of Gideon's life was problematic, and now we see the fruits of his bad behavior manifest themselves in the life of his son Abimelech. This is a sad story, but one that should be a good reminder of what it means to pass on a godly heritage to your children and to those you influence.

Life is a marathon, not a sprint, and Gideon's life demonstrates this fact. He started so well and demonstrated a weak faith at first that slowly grew stronger and stronger as he continually put his faith in Yahweh. And then he triumphs in battle with a small force of Israelites, against a massive army of the Midianites. You would think after seeing Yahweh provide for him and his people, that Gideon's faith would never falter, that he would always remain loyal to God. But in the end, the life of Gideon demonstrates that starting well does not mean you will end well.

Gideon is now ready to take on the Midianite army. He is hopelessly outmanned, the odds are stacked against him, he probably is left with the worst fighters of the bunch, and yet this is exactly where God wants him to be. Why? Listen to find out why.

Gideon is now ready to fight, and he is prepared to take on the Midianite army. The odds are stacked against him, but Gideon has decided to trust in God anyway and to step out in faith boldly. But God says, not yet Gideon. I have one more set of circumstances I need to take you through. I need you to understand that I want to get all the glory for this victory, Gideon, not you. So what is God going to do? How is he going to stretch Gideon's faith, while accomplishing the triumph? Find out by listening to this week's podcast in our ongoing series on the book of Judges.

Gideon has been called by God to lead his people in battle against the Midianites. He is called to be a Judge, what an exciting honor. But for Gideon, it is a scary proposition, because one of the first things he has to do is to tear down the altar his father built to the Midianite god Baal. Will he do it? Will Gideon step out in faith and obey God, even at his home? And what if he doesn't? What if he fails the test? Listen to this week's episode to find out what happens next as we work our way through the book of Judges.

This week we are moving on to one of the most famous Judges in Israel's history, that of Gideon. The faith that he demonstrated in the face of overwhelming odds, the trust that he placed in Yahweh and His plan, even though it made no sense, that is the kind of faith that we still need to live today to stand firm for the Lord.

The Jewish people rally under the leadership of Ehud, but the minute he dies, they are off pursuing other gods again. So God sends a Canaanite King to oppress His people for twenty years, to bring them back to Him. God also uses two women of faith to do His will and to accomplish one of the most significant military victories of the day. Listen on to hear the exciting story of Deborah, Barak, and Jael.

As Israel begins to slide into apostasy, God sends them oppressors to bring them back to him. The first of these oppressors is a King with the dubious title of King of Double Wickedness. Things are pretty bad, and the people of Israel begin to suffer, so who will save them? Enter the Judges. Listen on to hear the story of the first three Judges, and what some have called the first-ever locked room mystery.

The nation of Israel has taken back the Promised Land, all that is left is to remove the pockets of Canaanite resistance, and the land is theirs. Joshua reminded the people, as did Moses before him that the key for taking back the land is always to love Yahweh, never to stop following Him. Sounds easy, right? Be utterly devoted to God, and you will be unstoppable. No problem. But as we shall see, the people of Israel found this command much harder to accomplish, and the book of Judges is all about the spiritual death spiral that the Jewish people proceeded to enter. It is a sad story of apostasy and of pursuing other gods besides the one true God. But it will also be full of exciting stories of the men and women God raised to protect His people and to bring them back to Him ultimately.

The final perspective we are going to look at within the Christmas story is that of the Magi and King Herod. Who were the Magi? Where did they come from? What was the star? And how was it in the East, but the wise men then went West? And who is King Herod? How evil was he? And how does this all relate to the story of the birth of Jesus? Listen to this week's new episode to find out.

So while Mary was giving birth, there were a bunch of shepherds watching over their flock's by night. Just your run of the mill scruffy shepherds. Or were they? Listen to this episode to find out more about them and how these shepherds were part of a much bigger story than you could ever expect.