Jesus Is the Whole Story of the Bible, Part 12 :: By Sean Gooding

Judges 2:1-6, 6:11-27

“Then the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: ‘I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you. 2 And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? 3 Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’

4 So it was, when the Angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept.5 Then they called the name of that place Bochim; and they sacrificed there to the Lord. 6 And when Joshua had dismissed the people, the children of Israel went each to his own inheritance to possess the land.”

We continue our journey, looking at Jesus in the Old Testament. I pray that as you read your personal devotions or recap the accounts that you have known before, maybe you are seeing the Lord more and more. We often hear from many people, and especially from conservative Jews, that Jesus is a New Testament character. Nothing could be further from the truth as we are seeing and learning. I hope that this is helping you to see the continuity between the OT and the NT, and that the central theme and central character is Jesus.

Last week, we looked at Jesus as the Commander of the Lord’s Armies. Today, we will explore the Angel of the Lord, and we will see Him here in two situations. First, we will meet Him as He pronounces a curse on Israel for their disobedience. Then we will take a look as He calls Gideon to be a ‘mighty warrior.’

In chapter 2:1, the Angel of the Lord comes to pronounce a judgment on the people. They have crossed over into the Promised Land, and for 5 years, they fought the inhabitants as they took the land and got their inheritance. However, they did not drive ALL of the people out of the land; they made covenants and agreements with the people, and as such, they were shoulder to shoulder with pagan people who worshipped false gods.

God never intended for this to be the case; He had intended for them to drive out the people and establish the land as a safe place for them to live, raise their children, and worship their God. But we find in verse 2 that the people had not obeyed God. So the Lord did not drive the inhabitants out; instead, they would be ‘thorns in the side’ of the Israelite people. For the better part of 400 years, the inhabitants of the land would enslave and impoverish the Jewish people.

Obedience is the highest form of worship. These folks knew that God had spoken to them; they had seen Him, heard Him, and had victories because of Him. They had seen Him kill giants on the other side of the Jordan, they had seen Him provide food, water, clothes that never wore out, and yet still, they refused to obey Him. The consequence of that was that they would have perpetual enemies.

The enemies of Israel still live on their land, killing them, persecuting them, stealing their freedoms, and taking their peace. They are still suffering more than 3,500 years later from this disobedience. For some reason, we, as God’s people, always think that obedience puts this burden on us; we think God does not know what He is doing, so we do things our way. Then we get a few years or a few generations down the road, and we begin to reap what we have sown, and we get mad at God. We disobeyed, and we have to deal with the consequences. Lord, please forgive us for being just as ‘stiff-necked’ as the Jews were back in the days of the Exodus and the Judges.

In our next account’ Judges 6: 11-27, we will meet the ‘valiant’ Gideon. He is threshing wheat in the winepress, hiding the profit of the crops from the Midianites. They had come up and stripped Israel of her food and crops. So, the Angel of the Lord comes to call Gideon to lead the fight against them and to deliver Israel for a time. In verse 17, Gideon doubts that he is speaking to God because of all that had befallen Israel. They were sorely pained by their neighbors, and nothing good seemed to ever happen to them.

Disobedience to God brings pain and lots of it. I am not talking about a one-time sin, or even sin that one repents of often, even though it is done often; we all have these kinds of sin in our lives. But this is the rebellious sin, the one that we never repent of and pursue; this is what Israel did with idolatry, especially. These kind so arrogant failings come with egregious repercussions. All that Gideon saw were the repercussions and pain, and so he doubted the goodness and even the presence of God.

In verse 21, Gideon is about to have his eyes opened all the way when this Angel of the Lord accepts a sacrifice. This is very important; normal angels like Gabriel or Michael will NEVER allow you to worship them (Revelation 22:9). But here, the Angel of the Lord allowed Gideon to worship him, and Gideon realizes what has happened. In verse 22, he cries out, “Alas, O Lord God!” He was afraid that he would die. He knew Exodus 33:20, where God tells Moses, “No man shall see Me and live.” This is an acknowledgement from Gideon that the Angel of the Lord is God.

The Lord comforts him in Judges 6:23; you will not die. In verse 24, the place is called The Lord is Peace. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Most of us know the story and what goes on after this. Gideon goes on to judge Israel and deliver them from the Midianites.

We can be comforted that even when we are disobedient and rebellious, God does not completely abandon us. Yes, we have to suffer the consequences of disobedience, BUT we are not forsaken or abandoned. What an awesome, loving, gracious, and faithful God we serve!

Is there unconfessed and arrogantly pursued sin that you need to confess? Are there gods in your life that you need to forsake? And yes, I know that the vast majority of the people reading RR are saved, but we can still have idols in our lives. Even in your sinful rebellion, Jesus has not left you. And yes, there may be harsh consequences for our sins, but we are still loved, and God will help us through the pain that we have brought on ourselves if we will cry out to Him.

Like Gideon, it is okay to have doubts, but don’t let that stop you from obeying.

11 Feb 2026

Satellite images reveal ancient rivers that may pinpoint biblical Garden of Eden
For thousands of years, skeptics dismissed the Garden of Eden as religious mythology with no basis in reality. Now, satellite technology has uncovered evidence that the biblical account may describe an actual location that once existed on Earth. Recent analysis of orbital scans has identified ancient, now-dry riverbeds that align with the specific geographical details recorded in the Book of Genesis—rivers whose very existence was doubted until space-age technology proved otherwise. The geological evidence matches Genesis with precision. … evidence from Wadi al-Batin stands. The satellite data reveals a physical reality that matches the biblical account with geographical precision. The Sages taught that the Torah speaks in the language of human beings—meaning it describes real places, real events, and real history. What space-age technology has revealed is that the biblical account of Eden’s rivers was not mythology or allegory, but an accurate description of an ancient world that existed exactly as Genesis recorded.

Prince William, Princess Catherine ‘Deeply Concerned’ by Jeffrey Epstein Revelations
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Norwegian warning: Cannot rule out Russian attack on Norway
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Two of NATO’s three operational headquarters were previously led by the United States: JFC Norfolk, which includes Sweden and Finland, and JFC Naples. They will now be led by the United Kingdom and Italy, respectively, according to a press release. Germany and Poland will lead the third command, JFC Brunssum, on a rotational basis. NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) will continue to be held by an American.

Fact Sheet: The United States and India Announce Historic Trade Deal 
THE PROSPEROUS PATH FORWARD: President Trump continues to advance the interests of the American people, enhancing market access for American exporters and lowering tariff and non-tariff barriers to protect our economic and national security.

US praises Lebanese army for discovering Hezbollah weapons tunnel, while terror group touts its own ‘military strength’ 
U.S. Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper praised the Lebanese Armed Forces for discovering a massive weapons depot belonging to Hezbollah on Monday, several days after a visit of the LAF commander revealed tensions with the U.S. The LAF is largely dependent on U.S. funds, and was instructed by the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah last year under massive U.S. pressure. The military announced last month that the terror group’s presence in the area south of the Litani River had been removed.

Iranian regime fortifies Isfahan nuclear tunnels as US military buildup continues, despite ongoing talks 
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Israeli scientists detect cosmic rays in star-forming cloud, confirming biblical account of ongoing stellar creation
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Ex-model appointed by Trump to religious freedom panel defends Candace Owens, rips ‘Zionist supremacy’
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Israel hits Hamas terrorists in Gaza after ceasefire violation
No Israeli casualties were reported in Monday’s incident in southern Gaza, in which troops killed four Palestinian terrorists who had opened fire on them. “Four armed terrorists exited an underground tunnel shaft and fired toward IDF troops operating in the Rafah area,” the IDF said in an English-language statement. “Following identification, the troops eliminated the terrorists,”

Security experts: Israel, US will likely strike Iran together
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China Played Key Role in Iran’s Digital Crackdown on Protesters, Report Shows
The Iranian regime used Chinese and Russian technology to silence dissent during recent nationwide anti-government protests, imposing near-total internet shutdowns and disrupting satellite communications to suppress public scrutiny, according to a new study. On Monday, the international human rights organization Article 19 released a new report examining digital cooperation between China and Iran, detailing Beijing’s role in expanding Tehran’s digital repression apparatus.

The calculations behind Netanyahu’s emergency meeting with Trump 
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Grandson Of Former Iranian Supreme Leader Claims ‘All Islamic Nations’ Are Committed To ‘Erasing’ Israel
All Islamic nations have a duty to “erase” the Jewish State of Israel, and given the opportunity, they will all do so, the grandson of the Islamic Republic’s founder insisted on Wednesday. The venomous interview, which openly called for the destruction of the United States and Israel, was conducted by Al Mayadeen TV, an independent news channel based in Beirut, Lebanon. “The Israelis know full well that if the day comes when any Islamic nation is capable of firing missiles at Israel, and striking Israel, and if they are capable of erasing Israel—they will do to Israel what Hamas did to it,” Ali Ahmad Khomeini, the grandchild of former Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini, claimed. Israel knows, America knows, and the leaders of the superpowers know that if the day comes when the Islamic countries are capable of bombing Israel, they will do it.”

Six all-time cold records broken in one day as death toll from record snow climbs to 46, Japan
At least six locations in Japan recorded record-breaking cold on the morning of February 9, 2026, as temperatures fell below -3°C (26.6°F) for the first time since 1984. The death toll from the record-breaking snowfall since January 20 has climbed to 46 as of February 10. At least 558 people have been injured, of whom 193 have serious injuries.

New York Becomes 13th State to Legalize Assisted Suicide
Democrat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill on Friday legalizing assisted suicide for terminally ill New Yorkers with less than six months to live. The law expanding the state’s culture of death will go into effect in six months to allow the Dept of Health to put regulations into place, making New York the 13th state, plus D.C., to legalize physician-assisted suicide.

EU Pressured Social Media Giants to Censor Americans’ Speech
A U.S. House of Representatives report accused EU gov’t officials of forcing tech firms to apply EU speech laws, including Digital Services Act, to content posted by non-EU users, including Americans. Since 2020, officials conducted over 100 closed-door meetings with social media platforms in an attempt to get their cooperation in a plan to “censor the global internet.”

Optimism About the Future Plunges to All-Time Record Low; Credit Card Debt Soars to All-Time Record High
Americans have been losing hope at an unprecedented rate. Optimism about the future has fallen to the lowest level ever recorded.  One of the biggest reasons is we’ve been in a historic cost-of-living crisis almost this entire decade. It’s getting harder to pay the bills. For most of the country, just surviving from month to month is a real struggle.

Dr. Russell Blaylock: How Vaccine-Induced Spike Proteins Damage the Brain and Cause Cancer
This [Covid] injection is an injection of artificial exosomes. The brain is one of the most complex things in the entire universe. [The medical profession] really doesn’t understand this injection. They don’t understand what it does to the neurological apparatus of the brain and spinal cord,” Dr. Russell Blaylock told Brian Hooker of Children’s Health Defense.

DSA Stooge Nithya Raman Throws Hat in Ring For LA Mayor, a ‘Recipe for Disaster and Danger’
Los Angeles’s version of Zohran Mamdani, Democratic Socialist Nithya Raman, entered the mayoral race. If elected, it will be a catastrophe as Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) cheers its “Program for Los Angeles,” outlining a commitment to disarm police, end fossil fuel use, close jails, raise taxes, & decriminalize drugs, etc.

The UN: Still Willfully Blind After All These Years
The Gatestone Institute’s Bassam Tawil recently reminded us of the UN’s long support of jihadist genocidal antisemitism: “United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is still pushing for the establishment of a Palestinian terror state next to Israel. There are only three ways to read Guterres’s position: he is completely clueless; he wants to see Israel eradicated; or he is happy to oblige his constituents at the UN who would apparently like to see Israel eradicated.”

Iran could have up to 2,000 ballistic missiles in weeks, Israel warns
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