What is unique about Ehud?

Left-handed

Judges 8:27 – what is the purpose of this story (Israelites worshipping Gideon’s ephod)?  Why does it not follow the “Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD” formula?

1) In Joshua chapter 2, Joshua sends two spies into Jericho.  From where does he send them?

Shittim

The complimentary pictures of the Israelite inhabitation given in Joshua and Judges parallel the dominant mental models many Christians create when thinking about divine providence.  Either God works gradually and little by little or he does so in great and mighty acts.  Often we look for one method while excluding the other.  We may praise God for a sudden and unexpected miracle, while ignoring the “still small voice” that is with us constantly.  I think Gideon fits well into such an impatient model.  When we first meet Gideon, he questions God’s providence – “if the lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?”  The audience can smile or cringe at the dramatic irony, since we know that the “Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.”  Dramatic irony does not get Gideon off the hook, however.  He continues to ask for signs from God (6:17, 39).  It is clear that Gideon can only see the acts of God that are right in front of him at any moment.  He is blind to the big picture; but his ways of thinking and doubting are not so far from our own.  Questions of “where was God” are all too common among believers today because many assume that God only acts in big and mighty ways.  We must constantly be reassured of his presence, because we are insecure and cannot trust the simple and understated ways of God.  Perhaps the question we should be asking is not “where was God,” but rather “where am I looking for God?”

What do we do with all of the meticulous Levitical laws (hair cutting, shellfish) today?  Can they simply be ignored?  Can they be applied in any way?