The book of Judges is a book of testing. It's a book about conquest, discipleship, and the great testing of Israel.

A test you can sum up in a single question. If no human king rules them, if God alone is their king, will Israel obey?

Moses was dead.

Joshua was dead.

But there were still giants in the land, there was still conquest before them them to conquer or be conquered

to tear down the idols of the land or to be harried and put to flight by the

idols and their followers.

Would Israel pass the test?

One such test had a name, Adanai Bazak, a king in the land, a pagan ruler whose name literally

translates to Lord of Lightning.

Adanai Bazak was a bloodthirsty conqueror.

In fact, he's typologically represented in the Book of Judges

as the Lord of Nations and King of Kings.

He had conquered 70 nations, cut off the thumbs and big toes of 70 Kings,

and made them gather scraps under his table as a sign of their utter subjugation to him the Lord of Lightning.

They begged their bread under his table.

They were his footstool, conquered and put under his feet.

They could no longer march to war or even hold a sword.

They had been made harmless.

The number 70, the number of these conquered kings is significant,

scripturally speaking.

When the number 70 appears in scripture, it almost always calls the reader back to

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