And Joshua was called to face
The task to bring the chosen race
Into the Promised Land of grace
Their holy calling to embrace
Through many battles lay the road
To gain the land which God bestowed
On Abraham through Isaac’s line
Through Jacob’s sons was God’s design
At Jericho they marched around
The city till the walls fell down
At Ai there was loss and grief
For in the camp there was a thief
At Jebus Jacob’s heirs were trapped
By crafty tricksters in a pact
And swore to treat the Jebusites
As friends and on their side to fight
When all the land was in their grip
The tribes to Shechem made a trip
There Joshua reviewed the past
And called the people to hold fast
To ev’ry word of God’s good Law
To keep the covenant they swore
And chose to serve the Lord Most High
And keep his ways or else to die
But Israel worshipped wood and stone
Put sun and moon upon the throne
On Israel’s throne there sat no king
And every man did his own thing
The covenant was soon forgot
They stumbled to a troubled spot
No justice and no rule of law
No respite for the hungry poor
Oppressed by foes who did not care
Until they called to God in prayer
Then God would send a saving judge
Whose vict’ry made oppressors budge
But then they turned away again
And worshipped idols all in vain
Oppressed by foes who did not care
Until they called to God in prayer
Then Othniel by Spirit bold
Shook off the Eastern stranglehold
King Eglon was by Ehud tricked
Then Barak had King Jabin licked
Deborah wise and Jael smart
Made up for Barak’s lack of heart
Then fleecy-minded Gideon
Defeated all of Midian
And Jephthah beat the Ammonites
But what he did was never right
The final judge was super strong
Some things he did were very wrong
His secret strength was in his hair
While it was long no-one would dare
Taunt Samson or to agitate
For he was boss with no debate
Among the Philistines one night
Samson was shorn and tried to fight
His strength had fled, his eyes they burned
In Gaza’s jail the mill he turned
By day by night his hair regrew
He prayed to God for strength anew
One night of frenzied revelries
Samson repaid his enemies
And Israel fell to civil war
No respite for the hungry poor
On Israel’s throne there sat no king
And everyone did their own thing
And those who dared to take the road
Faced trials at every yard they strode
But who is this that shimmers bright?
From Moab comes a shaft of light
תגובות