JU7-9: A Powerful Way To Instantly Eliminate Boredom From Your Bible Studies

“Gid‘on sent messengers through all the hills of Efrayim, with the message, “Come down and attack Midyan; and capture the rivers before they get there, as far as Beit-Barah, and also the Yarden.” So all the men of Efrayim came together and seized the rivers as far as Beit-Barah and the Yarden. They also captured two chiefs of Midyan, ‘Orev and Ze’ev. They put ‘Orev to death at the Rock of ‘Orev and Ze’ev at Ze’ev’s Winepress; then, as they kept pursuing Midyan, they brought the heads of Orev and Ze’ev to Gid‘on, who had crossed to the far side of the Yarden.”-Judges 7:24-25

Let me give you a great tip that will help you inject some excitement and stimulation into your Bible studies.

Whenever you’re reading the Scriptures, go beyond the dry facts laid out before you and dig deep into the EMOTIONS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MOTIVATIONS behind why certain Bible characters acted the way they did. 

Let me give you a good example using the portion of Judges Chapter 7 we’re currently studying.

The tribes who were first called to fight a Holy War with Gideon were Manessah, Asher, Zevulun and Naphtali.

These tribes were later dismissed but were recalled to come back and join the battle.

Why?

The answer can be found in the fundamentals of sound psychology.

Most folks don’t want to join a battle at the outset when things seems challenging and difficult.

But once an army has gained momentum and appears to be on the verge of winning, then everyone wants to join in and take credit for the victory.

That’s what happened with the tribes of Manessah, Asher, Zevulun and Naphtali.

Ephraim was also invited to join in the action and they happily accepted.

There was a practical reason for Ephraimite’s participation as well.

The Midianites would have had to flee through Ephraimite territory in order to get home to safety.

So just at the right time, the Ephraimites strategically positioned themselves at the many forks of the Jordan River so they’d be able to trap the invaders when they came running through.

We’re told 2 key Midianite leaders named Orev and Ze’ev were captured and beheaded.

Interestingly, notice the names of the 2 places where these men were executed.

“They put ‘Orev to death at the Rock of ‘Orev and Ze’ev at Ze’ev’s Winepress”

Obviously these 2 places weren’t called by these names before the execution of the men they were named after.

In fact, there are a ton place names in the Bible directly named after the events that took place there, usually replacing the previous names.

Anyways, to get back to my original point.

When reading the Scripture, try to dig deep into the emotional or psychological motivations behind why the Bible characters acted the way they did.

You’ll have 2 advantages when you do this.

FIRST, you’ll immediately eliminate any of the boredom from your Scripture studies.

SECOND, you’ll understand yourself better and with this self-knowledge will come an increased capacity to empathize with others.

Remember, there is no one who understands us and the human condition better than our Creator.

The evolutionist can only see as far as the primal motivations of man.

But if you understand the Bible and see things from the Lord’s perspective, you’ll be able to discern deep into the very souls of men.

You’ll be able to know what really makes a man tick…whether he’s a believer or not.

And that understanding is power.

NEXT TIME WE BEGIN JUDGES CHAPTER 8