The story of Deborah and Barak. This is another one of my favorite stories because it is about GIRL POWER!
Unfortunately, this chapter starts off like most of all the other chapters, Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. So Ehud is dead, 80 years of peace has passed, and Israel has been sold into the hand of Canaan. They were oppressed for 20 years (the number continues to increase, 8 to 18, now 20). Deborah is the judge of Israel at this time and she held court under a palm tree. She calls for Barak and tells him God wants him to go and gather 10,000 men and fight for Israel and God would free them. (Did I mention the enemy had 900 iron chariots?) Yeah that would be important to know because Barak is intimidated by them and refuses to go to battle unless Deborah joins him. She says fine, but that he would receive no honor and a woman would be the one to slay Sisera the leader of the enemy troops. Barak, totally goes along with that. Now, typically in the bible times we see women are subject to men, but this chapter pretty much just blows tradition out of the water. First we have a female prophet and judge, and now we learn a woman will take the victory in this battle. Awesome! I like this chapter because it is a testament that God wants to use women to bring Glory to him and God is not bound by the traditions of man. He has a whole different agenda.
So they go to battle and the bible says God throws the enemy army into chaos. I love when God does stuff like that. He just totally confuses the enemy they start running around and Barak leaves his chariot and flees on foot (not sure why you would do that, but he did) He comes to the tent of Jael (which is a pretty name in my opinion but it means wild goat) Well, being a woman she uses her nurturing comforting ways to invite Sisera into her tent, wraps him up and gives him some warm milk. He falls asleep and while he is sleeping, Jael takes a tent spike and drives it through his temple. Leave it to a woman to make sure the job gets done right. She doesn't just knock out the guy with a tent spike, the bible says she hammered the tent spike through his head to where his head was pinned to the ground with the spike. Just in case you had any doubt after that vivid description, the bible also records and he died. I find this line hilarious. Dude is pinned to the ground with a tent spike through his skull, but just in case I had any doubt, this is an effective way of killing someone because he did die.
Chapter 5 is a song Deborah and Barak sing after victory.
First they recognize God's greatness then they mention Shamgar (remember him from chapter 4, he had one verse dedicated to his deed but now they mention him in a song) Then Deborah mentions how Israel had turned from God then calls for people to testify about God's righteous acts. She talks about the different tribes but then it gets to the good part, in my opinion. The part where they sing an entire verse about Jael and how she crushed Sisera's head and shattered his temple. There he lay at her feet, dead. Then the song reflects what Sisera's mother is thinking and how she is waiting for the sound of chariots. The last few lines is a call for God to destroy His enemies and give strength to those who love Him. Now I am not an expert in biblical songs and poetry, but I would imagine there is much more to this song than I have conveyed in this post. One day I may just have to study biblical songs and poetry, I may gain a whole new understanding of the scriptures.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Judges 3
Judges 3 opens with a passage describing how God tested Israel by allowing Canaanites to live in the land. He wanted to teach the future generation how to fight. Now that seems weird to me God would want His people to be fighters but at the same time if we look at this in the spiritual world, that's exactly what God calls us to do. God does not always want us to be on the defense when it comes to the devil. God desires us to be proactive! He wants us to charge the gates of hell so we can make the devil aware we know who we are in Christ. However, we can only take on the devil when we are prepared. We must be prayed up, read up, and spiritually in tuned with God prior to trying to take on the devil. The more we prepare, the more we battle, the more experience we gain and the more confident we become in trusting God will be with us and fight for us. That's what the Israelites lacked at this time, they lacked that experience. The bible says there were many who had never fought so they were unaware of God's redeeming power. They had not experienced God's hand fighting with them and for them. They did not know the feeling of knowing God was fighting the battle with them, so God wanted to give them the opportunity to experience this and grow stronger in the faith and trust in God. Experience is a powerful teacher and we often learn much more through experience than we do through books and readings and stories from others. God wanted the Israelites to EXPERIENCE Him, so He gave them that opportunity. Sadly, they failed to engage in battle. They decided to live among the enemy and give their daughters for marriage and take foreign women for their sons. That was not what God wanted for them. Joshua's farewell address warned the Israelites not to do these things and they made a covenant not to do these things, but the covenant was broken and the Israelites missed the chance to experience God's faithfulness to them and His might hand which would go before them in battle.
In addition, to breaking the covenant and living among the Canaanites they began to worship their gods. They turned their back on God and started worshiping false images. This made God extremely angry. God had warned them in Exodus 20 that He was a jealous God and did not want to share His people with false gods. The Israelites had been warned but they did not heed to God's warning and chose to break yet another part of the covenant. God removed His protective hand from the Israelites and they were forced to served a worldly king for 8 years. However, God is a loving and merciful God and when the Israelites called out God raised up Othniel to overpower the enemy and drive them out. God showed the Israelites His might redeeming hand. It won't the way God wanted it to be. God wanted to show His might by going to battle and driving out the Canaanites in the beginning, but God did demonstrate His power and the people gained the experience He desired by them going to battle. God's Will will occur one way or another. The important thing is to ask ourselves our we going to allow God's Will to happen freely in our lives, or our we going to fight, become broken, then call out to God to experience God's love and redemption?
Unfortunately, the Israelites sis not learn from their experience. They lived in peace 40 years, but something happened. The next generation again did what was evil in the site of the Lord. They failed to learn from the experience of their fathers. This time the Israelites were forced to serve the king for 18 years. God is a gracious God, He started with 8, but that didn't seem to make an impact so now we see the Israelites are forced to serve for an addition 10 years compared to their fathers. Again the Israelites called out to God and God raised up Ehud. This has always been one of my favorite stories because Ehud is left handed. Yup, a good ole' lefty. It goes to show God can use even the smallest aspects of our lives. Ehud was able to enter the king' s presence with a dagger strapped to his right thigh because the guards would only check the left side of the body for weapons (since the large majority of the population is right handed). Ehud goes to see the king and while he was in there he shoved the dagger into his gut. The king was so large his fat and entrails swallowed the dagger and Ehud escaped out the window and led the Israelites in an attack against the Moabites and God delivered the Israelites and they lived in peace for 80 years. 80 years the Israelites lived in peace. The first time it was only 8 years of captivity and 40 years of peace. This time it was 18 years or captivity and 80 years. God may have increased the captivity time but the time of peace was also increased. It appears the experience of God's redemption stayed with the Israelites for a longer period of time.
The last verse in Judges 3 is about Shamgar who delivered the Israelites by killing 600 Philistines with an oxgoad. This is all we know of Shamgar. We are not told if Israel was being oppressed due to abandoning God or if the Philistines were attempting to capture Israel and God was protecting them. All we know is Shamgar did was God called him to do at that time. He was obedient and that is what God desires from all of us. It may not get our names in lights all of the time, we may not have a large section in the paper dedicated to our accomplishments but God sees when we are obedient to Him and we will be rewarded. Keep the Faith!
In addition, to breaking the covenant and living among the Canaanites they began to worship their gods. They turned their back on God and started worshiping false images. This made God extremely angry. God had warned them in Exodus 20 that He was a jealous God and did not want to share His people with false gods. The Israelites had been warned but they did not heed to God's warning and chose to break yet another part of the covenant. God removed His protective hand from the Israelites and they were forced to served a worldly king for 8 years. However, God is a loving and merciful God and when the Israelites called out God raised up Othniel to overpower the enemy and drive them out. God showed the Israelites His might redeeming hand. It won't the way God wanted it to be. God wanted to show His might by going to battle and driving out the Canaanites in the beginning, but God did demonstrate His power and the people gained the experience He desired by them going to battle. God's Will will occur one way or another. The important thing is to ask ourselves our we going to allow God's Will to happen freely in our lives, or our we going to fight, become broken, then call out to God to experience God's love and redemption?
Unfortunately, the Israelites sis not learn from their experience. They lived in peace 40 years, but something happened. The next generation again did what was evil in the site of the Lord. They failed to learn from the experience of their fathers. This time the Israelites were forced to serve the king for 18 years. God is a gracious God, He started with 8, but that didn't seem to make an impact so now we see the Israelites are forced to serve for an addition 10 years compared to their fathers. Again the Israelites called out to God and God raised up Ehud. This has always been one of my favorite stories because Ehud is left handed. Yup, a good ole' lefty. It goes to show God can use even the smallest aspects of our lives. Ehud was able to enter the king' s presence with a dagger strapped to his right thigh because the guards would only check the left side of the body for weapons (since the large majority of the population is right handed). Ehud goes to see the king and while he was in there he shoved the dagger into his gut. The king was so large his fat and entrails swallowed the dagger and Ehud escaped out the window and led the Israelites in an attack against the Moabites and God delivered the Israelites and they lived in peace for 80 years. 80 years the Israelites lived in peace. The first time it was only 8 years of captivity and 40 years of peace. This time it was 18 years or captivity and 80 years. God may have increased the captivity time but the time of peace was also increased. It appears the experience of God's redemption stayed with the Israelites for a longer period of time.
The last verse in Judges 3 is about Shamgar who delivered the Israelites by killing 600 Philistines with an oxgoad. This is all we know of Shamgar. We are not told if Israel was being oppressed due to abandoning God or if the Philistines were attempting to capture Israel and God was protecting them. All we know is Shamgar did was God called him to do at that time. He was obedient and that is what God desires from all of us. It may not get our names in lights all of the time, we may not have a large section in the paper dedicated to our accomplishments but God sees when we are obedient to Him and we will be rewarded. Keep the Faith!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Single doesn't always mean available
Just because I am single doesn't mean I am out looking to change that status. I like being single. I like being able to do what I want to do when I want to do it, without worrying about making sure I spend the right amount of time with someone. I like being able to go and eat whatever I'm in the mood for. It's awesome to be able to go and watch the movie I want to watch, every time, did I mention, every time. I get out of my car and I go to wherever I need to go. I walk in stores and down the sidewalks and never have to wait on anyone. I don't have to change my pace to match someone else's. No slowing down or speeding up. I walk what is comfortable for me. I get the couch, the bed, and the chair all to myself. I don't have to share or scoot over for anyone. Plus, I don't have to deal with issues. After spending all day listening to other's problems (which I don't mind at all) I get to spend my free time relaxing and processing my own thoughts, problems, concerns, etc. I don't have to spend my free time listening to my significant other complaining. I don't have to cuddle, hold hands or sit close to anyone, which is a huge plus for me because I am not a physical touch person.
Don't get me wrong, I am not against relationships. I know there are plenty of people out there who are in great relationships and they are happy. That's great. However, I do have a problem when people feel they need to be in a relationship. Just because you are single doesn't me there is something wrong with you. Single is not a disease and being single doesn't make you less of a person. I feel society puts so much pressure making it as if being single is something to be avoided. People get in relationships just to avoid feeling socially unaccepted. Or perhaps it's to avoid being asked those really annoying and dumb questions. You know to what questions I am referring. The questions like, "When are you planning on getting married?" Oh yeah because I have the date all planned out, the weeding cake is ordered, the flowers are on hold, and the church is booked, all I need is a groom. Sorry people, but typically you get the groom first then you plan the wedding. If I say I don't want to get married then people respond "Oh you'll change your mind with that special someone comes along." Ok well since I haven't met that special someone yet, I am not planning on getting married. If I happen to meet some special someone and I change my mind about marriage then fine. However, I am not going to just sit around all day and wonder when that might happen. Neither am I going to date every wrong guy out there until I do find someone I might consider marrying.
Or how about this one, "what's a pretty girl like you doing without a boyfriend?" Because I don't want one, especially one who thinks that's a good pickup line. Here's my favorite (please note sarcasm) "You're too pretty not to get married." What?!?! Since when did looks make a solid, trusting relationship? When did looks become the deciding factor as to whether you should marry or not? I might have a pretty face to someone now, but unfortunately, all the tucks, reworks, lifts, and surgeries in the world won't keep me looking this young forever. Looks have nothing to do with getting married. It may be one of the reasons why you first start talking to someone but it won't hold together a relationship.
I am happy just being myself and enjoying being with me. If one day I choose to share my life with someone then fine but it will be when I am ready, not just because society thinks I should be married by now. I want to live my life on my terms not how others think I should live. My life and right now I am quite happy to say I am single but not available.
Don't get me wrong, I am not against relationships. I know there are plenty of people out there who are in great relationships and they are happy. That's great. However, I do have a problem when people feel they need to be in a relationship. Just because you are single doesn't me there is something wrong with you. Single is not a disease and being single doesn't make you less of a person. I feel society puts so much pressure making it as if being single is something to be avoided. People get in relationships just to avoid feeling socially unaccepted. Or perhaps it's to avoid being asked those really annoying and dumb questions. You know to what questions I am referring. The questions like, "When are you planning on getting married?" Oh yeah because I have the date all planned out, the weeding cake is ordered, the flowers are on hold, and the church is booked, all I need is a groom. Sorry people, but typically you get the groom first then you plan the wedding. If I say I don't want to get married then people respond "Oh you'll change your mind with that special someone comes along." Ok well since I haven't met that special someone yet, I am not planning on getting married. If I happen to meet some special someone and I change my mind about marriage then fine. However, I am not going to just sit around all day and wonder when that might happen. Neither am I going to date every wrong guy out there until I do find someone I might consider marrying.
Or how about this one, "what's a pretty girl like you doing without a boyfriend?" Because I don't want one, especially one who thinks that's a good pickup line. Here's my favorite (please note sarcasm) "You're too pretty not to get married." What?!?! Since when did looks make a solid, trusting relationship? When did looks become the deciding factor as to whether you should marry or not? I might have a pretty face to someone now, but unfortunately, all the tucks, reworks, lifts, and surgeries in the world won't keep me looking this young forever. Looks have nothing to do with getting married. It may be one of the reasons why you first start talking to someone but it won't hold together a relationship.
I am happy just being myself and enjoying being with me. If one day I choose to share my life with someone then fine but it will be when I am ready, not just because society thinks I should be married by now. I want to live my life on my terms not how others think I should live. My life and right now I am quite happy to say I am single but not available.
Judges 2
On to Judges chapter 2.
Chapter 1 ended with the failure of the Isrealites to drive out the people from the land they were promised. Chapter 2 begins with an Angel coming to speak to the people of Israel. The Angel rebuked the Israelites for not keeping their covenant with Him and not driving out the people from the land or tearing down the altars of the false gods in the land. The Angel continues by telling the Israelites that because they did not drive out the people that they would be a thorn in their side and be a trap for them (Something which Joshua warned them about in Joshua 17) Well the Israelites wept loudly and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and that was it. There is no record the Israelites went and fixed the problem. They didn't drive out the people (which some of them they had made covenants with so that would have been breaking their word) and they did not tear down the altars of the false gods. The Angel just told you how upset God is that you did not follow His commands, tells you what the problem is, and ya still don't fix it. That's not true repentance. The weeping loudly was not from feeling guilty for their mistakes it was because they got busted. The saying applies, You're not sorry ya did it, you're sorry you got caught. If they were truly sorry then they would have left the place and immediately attempted to rectify the problem.
Then there is a record of Joshua's death and how the people lived for the Lord while Joshua was alive and the elders who lived past him. Then it says the generation after them rose up and did not know the Lord or the works He had done?!?!?!?!?!?! What?!?!?!? An entire generation who grew up without hearing the stories of God's deliverance, miracles, and commands? How could this be? How could a generation grow up without hearing the stories? Sadly this happens all too often. We fail to pass along the important stories which changed our lives. That and too often people don't care enough to listen to the stories. Still an entire generation growing up without knowing the works of the Lord. It is so sad to think how the Israelites failed to teach their children about God and all He had done for them. How can they know where they are going if they have no clue where they have been? They missed out on the rich history which made them the nation they were. I could go on and on about this because I find it so sad that this happened and is still happening, but I am sure my point is made, It's sad and it's wrong.
The generation which did not know the works of the Lord did evil in God's site and began to worship false gods. The bible says they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers. The God who brought them out of Egypt. The God who helped them take possession of the land they were promised. They began to worship the gods of those who were around them. Most likely all of those whom they did not drive out of the land. They became a snare and trap for the Israelites just like the Angel and Joshua said they would.
Well as could be predicted this did not make God happy. He removed his protection from Israel so when other nations attacked them, they were able to over come Israel. However, because God is a merciful God who gives us chance after chance, He raised up judges to deliver the Israelites from the oppression of the other nations. Sadly, the people of Israel did not listen to the Judges, instead the bible says they prostituted themselves to other gods and bowed down before them. The bible says they quickly turned from the ways of their fathers. Quickly. This was not something Israel wrestled with. It makes it sound as if they possibly didn't even put up a fight. Then God would raise up another judge who would deliver the people and things were ok until that judge died then the Israelites would act even more corrupt than before. It was sad and ugly cycle. Chapter 2 ends with the Lord telling Israel He would no linger drive out the other nations from the promised land because the Israelites had broken their covenant with God. All the land could have been theirs if they had only listened to God. In fact, the whole land could have been theirs and God would have gone with them to fight their battles, but because they did not keep their covenant God would not keep His.
Chapter 1 ended with the failure of the Isrealites to drive out the people from the land they were promised. Chapter 2 begins with an Angel coming to speak to the people of Israel. The Angel rebuked the Israelites for not keeping their covenant with Him and not driving out the people from the land or tearing down the altars of the false gods in the land. The Angel continues by telling the Israelites that because they did not drive out the people that they would be a thorn in their side and be a trap for them (Something which Joshua warned them about in Joshua 17) Well the Israelites wept loudly and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and that was it. There is no record the Israelites went and fixed the problem. They didn't drive out the people (which some of them they had made covenants with so that would have been breaking their word) and they did not tear down the altars of the false gods. The Angel just told you how upset God is that you did not follow His commands, tells you what the problem is, and ya still don't fix it. That's not true repentance. The weeping loudly was not from feeling guilty for their mistakes it was because they got busted. The saying applies, You're not sorry ya did it, you're sorry you got caught. If they were truly sorry then they would have left the place and immediately attempted to rectify the problem.
Then there is a record of Joshua's death and how the people lived for the Lord while Joshua was alive and the elders who lived past him. Then it says the generation after them rose up and did not know the Lord or the works He had done?!?!?!?!?!?! What?!?!?!? An entire generation who grew up without hearing the stories of God's deliverance, miracles, and commands? How could this be? How could a generation grow up without hearing the stories? Sadly this happens all too often. We fail to pass along the important stories which changed our lives. That and too often people don't care enough to listen to the stories. Still an entire generation growing up without knowing the works of the Lord. It is so sad to think how the Israelites failed to teach their children about God and all He had done for them. How can they know where they are going if they have no clue where they have been? They missed out on the rich history which made them the nation they were. I could go on and on about this because I find it so sad that this happened and is still happening, but I am sure my point is made, It's sad and it's wrong.
The generation which did not know the works of the Lord did evil in God's site and began to worship false gods. The bible says they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers. The God who brought them out of Egypt. The God who helped them take possession of the land they were promised. They began to worship the gods of those who were around them. Most likely all of those whom they did not drive out of the land. They became a snare and trap for the Israelites just like the Angel and Joshua said they would.
Well as could be predicted this did not make God happy. He removed his protection from Israel so when other nations attacked them, they were able to over come Israel. However, because God is a merciful God who gives us chance after chance, He raised up judges to deliver the Israelites from the oppression of the other nations. Sadly, the people of Israel did not listen to the Judges, instead the bible says they prostituted themselves to other gods and bowed down before them. The bible says they quickly turned from the ways of their fathers. Quickly. This was not something Israel wrestled with. It makes it sound as if they possibly didn't even put up a fight. Then God would raise up another judge who would deliver the people and things were ok until that judge died then the Israelites would act even more corrupt than before. It was sad and ugly cycle. Chapter 2 ends with the Lord telling Israel He would no linger drive out the other nations from the promised land because the Israelites had broken their covenant with God. All the land could have been theirs if they had only listened to God. In fact, the whole land could have been theirs and God would have gone with them to fight their battles, but because they did not keep their covenant God would not keep His.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Judges 1
So I got this idea I might try and blog my ideas about my devotions. Well I have been reading through the bible and I am currently in Judges. Just a quick background on the book of Judges, because I do love history and I believe it helps if ya know the setting from which the book was written.
Judges was written after Joshua's death and it covers the time Israel was governed by judges. Unfortunately, the judges job was to redeem Israel from their captivity because Israel had sinned against God and been overtaken by their enemy. Judges covers about 300 years of the Israelites continually repeating a cycle of apostasy (living for themselves instead of God) suffering oppression, repentance, then God restoring the Israelites just so they could live a brief moment in God's Will then start the vicious cycle all over again. Sad.
Judges Chapter 1 opens with the Israelites asking God (which is a good thing, talking to God and seeking His Will was the right thing to do) who was to go up first to take their portion of the promised land. God picks Judah (which was the linage from which Jesus came). God says Judah is to go because I have handed the land over to him. Well Judah asks the tribe of Simeon to help them. Now I am not one to say you shouldn't ask for help, but the way I see it, God already promised to give Judah the land, what more security did they need? There may be some traditional battle customs with which I am not familiar, but strictly spiritually speaking, Judah didn't need to ask anyone else to fight with them. If God be for us, who shall be against us? (Romans 8:31). It was nice of Simeon to fight with their brothers but they should have been encouraging Judah to trust God and believe He will keep His word (after all He kept His word regarding delivering them from the hands of the Egyptians, He kept his word about getting them to the place where they currently were, why would God all of the sudden stop there?)
On the flip side, When going into battle, it never hurts to take as many warriors with you as you can right? Ecclesiastes 4:8-10 talks about how 2 are better than one because they are their to help each other. Perhaps I should have mentioned earlier, I am an analyzer and I like to look at all sides of the story. So which one is correct? Only God knows the hearts and the intentions of Judah and Simeon when they chose to fight together. If they chose to fight together because they did not believe God would be enough then they were wrong. If they chose to fight together because they wanted to support each other and help out each other then way to show the love bros. Who knows there reasons for fighting together. Perhaps we should give them the benefit of the doubt especially since they did win. I would guess their intentions could not have been horribly wrong since God did allow them to win the battles.
Judah continues to fight and win and The Lord was with Judah. Then the Bible says Judah was unable to drive out those who lived in the valley because the people there had iron chariots. Now anyone who has read the bible knows God would not allow iron chariots to stop Him if He wanted to give the land to His people. My thinking is perhaps this land was not for Judah to conquer. In Joshua 17:14-18, Joshua gives Joseph's descendants the valley with the people who owned iron chariots and Joshua told them they could drive out the Canaanites despite how strong they were or how many iron chariots they owned. In Joshua 17 Joseph's decedents expressed fear and doubt at the ability to over take the valley with the iron chariot dwellers. The chapter ends with Joshua assuring Joseph's tribes that they can defeat the Canaanites living in the valley. There is no documentation describing whether they believed Joshua after his little pep talk. Once you read in Judges 1 how Judah attempted to take over that section of the land it may make you wonder if Joseph's tribes failed to trust Joshua's words. Of course, it could have also been a completely different valley with completely different group of people owning iron chariots but if God had promised that land to Judah then I fully believe He would have driven out the people. I find it sad that Joseph's tribes did not trust God enough to claim all the land they were promised.
Just on a side note, Joseph's tribes are Ephraim and Manasseh but Joshua 17 simply says Joseph's decedents so the valley was apparently promised to both tribes which means they could have fought together and they were apparently still scared. Which fighting together apparently worked for Judah and Simeon because they conquered all the areas they fought with the exception of the valley with the people who owned iron chariots and that's because that was not their land.
In verse 21 of Judges 1, it begins to describe the failure of the tribe of Benjamin. It's one verse which reads The Benjaminites failed to drive out the people who were living in the land they were promised and they live among the Benjamites still. God told the Isrealites they were to drive out the people of the land. God did not want them living among the natives because He knew they would sway the Israelites loyalty and the Israelites would begin to worship the gods of the people of the land. In the last chapter of Joshua (Joshua's farewell address) Joshua warns the people about residing with the natives of the land and intermarrying with them. He told them they would become a snare for them if they allowed them to stay. Then Joshua had the Isrealites renew their covenant with God and they promised to worship only the Lord but they failed to drive out the people with their other gods. Then there is a brief moment of success when the house of Joseph drives out the people from Bethel then it goes right back to how Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali all failed to drive out the people from the land they were promised. that's 5 tribes out of 12 who were promised an inheritance of the land and they failed to completely claim their inheritance. Some of the tribes did force the natives to be their servants and subdued them in that manner, but that was not God's intentions. God, did not tell the Isrealites to go into the land and subdue the people and make them your slaves. He told them to go and take possession of the land and to drive out the people and stay faithful to Him.
In the spiritual realm, often times we may get tired of fighting and find ourselves willing to settle just like the Isrealites did. However, we must stand strong and push through for our complete victory because if we do not then our compromise may come back to bite us like it did the Isrealites. Eventually the Isrealites lost their land and inheritance and lived in captivity time and time again because they did not drive out the people, they settled among them (which was their first compromise) then they began to make compromises regarding their worship. Settling among the people I am sure did not appear to be that big of a deal. I imagine they figured they were strong enough in their faith they could live among idolatry and be fine. However, God knew what would happen and that is why He gave the Isrealites strict instructions to drive out the people and destroy their false gods. Israelite compromised in what they saw as one minor area. This lead to other compromises which eventually destroyed their homes, deprived them of their inheritance, and caused them to endure multiple captivities. One so seemingly innocent compromise. We must be vigilant and willing to obey God COMPLETELY because He knows what is best for us.
Judges was written after Joshua's death and it covers the time Israel was governed by judges. Unfortunately, the judges job was to redeem Israel from their captivity because Israel had sinned against God and been overtaken by their enemy. Judges covers about 300 years of the Israelites continually repeating a cycle of apostasy (living for themselves instead of God) suffering oppression, repentance, then God restoring the Israelites just so they could live a brief moment in God's Will then start the vicious cycle all over again. Sad.
Judges Chapter 1 opens with the Israelites asking God (which is a good thing, talking to God and seeking His Will was the right thing to do) who was to go up first to take their portion of the promised land. God picks Judah (which was the linage from which Jesus came). God says Judah is to go because I have handed the land over to him. Well Judah asks the tribe of Simeon to help them. Now I am not one to say you shouldn't ask for help, but the way I see it, God already promised to give Judah the land, what more security did they need? There may be some traditional battle customs with which I am not familiar, but strictly spiritually speaking, Judah didn't need to ask anyone else to fight with them. If God be for us, who shall be against us? (Romans 8:31). It was nice of Simeon to fight with their brothers but they should have been encouraging Judah to trust God and believe He will keep His word (after all He kept His word regarding delivering them from the hands of the Egyptians, He kept his word about getting them to the place where they currently were, why would God all of the sudden stop there?)
On the flip side, When going into battle, it never hurts to take as many warriors with you as you can right? Ecclesiastes 4:8-10 talks about how 2 are better than one because they are their to help each other. Perhaps I should have mentioned earlier, I am an analyzer and I like to look at all sides of the story. So which one is correct? Only God knows the hearts and the intentions of Judah and Simeon when they chose to fight together. If they chose to fight together because they did not believe God would be enough then they were wrong. If they chose to fight together because they wanted to support each other and help out each other then way to show the love bros. Who knows there reasons for fighting together. Perhaps we should give them the benefit of the doubt especially since they did win. I would guess their intentions could not have been horribly wrong since God did allow them to win the battles.
Judah continues to fight and win and The Lord was with Judah. Then the Bible says Judah was unable to drive out those who lived in the valley because the people there had iron chariots. Now anyone who has read the bible knows God would not allow iron chariots to stop Him if He wanted to give the land to His people. My thinking is perhaps this land was not for Judah to conquer. In Joshua 17:14-18, Joshua gives Joseph's descendants the valley with the people who owned iron chariots and Joshua told them they could drive out the Canaanites despite how strong they were or how many iron chariots they owned. In Joshua 17 Joseph's decedents expressed fear and doubt at the ability to over take the valley with the iron chariot dwellers. The chapter ends with Joshua assuring Joseph's tribes that they can defeat the Canaanites living in the valley. There is no documentation describing whether they believed Joshua after his little pep talk. Once you read in Judges 1 how Judah attempted to take over that section of the land it may make you wonder if Joseph's tribes failed to trust Joshua's words. Of course, it could have also been a completely different valley with completely different group of people owning iron chariots but if God had promised that land to Judah then I fully believe He would have driven out the people. I find it sad that Joseph's tribes did not trust God enough to claim all the land they were promised.
Just on a side note, Joseph's tribes are Ephraim and Manasseh but Joshua 17 simply says Joseph's decedents so the valley was apparently promised to both tribes which means they could have fought together and they were apparently still scared. Which fighting together apparently worked for Judah and Simeon because they conquered all the areas they fought with the exception of the valley with the people who owned iron chariots and that's because that was not their land.
In verse 21 of Judges 1, it begins to describe the failure of the tribe of Benjamin. It's one verse which reads The Benjaminites failed to drive out the people who were living in the land they were promised and they live among the Benjamites still. God told the Isrealites they were to drive out the people of the land. God did not want them living among the natives because He knew they would sway the Israelites loyalty and the Israelites would begin to worship the gods of the people of the land. In the last chapter of Joshua (Joshua's farewell address) Joshua warns the people about residing with the natives of the land and intermarrying with them. He told them they would become a snare for them if they allowed them to stay. Then Joshua had the Isrealites renew their covenant with God and they promised to worship only the Lord but they failed to drive out the people with their other gods. Then there is a brief moment of success when the house of Joseph drives out the people from Bethel then it goes right back to how Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali all failed to drive out the people from the land they were promised. that's 5 tribes out of 12 who were promised an inheritance of the land and they failed to completely claim their inheritance. Some of the tribes did force the natives to be their servants and subdued them in that manner, but that was not God's intentions. God, did not tell the Isrealites to go into the land and subdue the people and make them your slaves. He told them to go and take possession of the land and to drive out the people and stay faithful to Him.
In the spiritual realm, often times we may get tired of fighting and find ourselves willing to settle just like the Isrealites did. However, we must stand strong and push through for our complete victory because if we do not then our compromise may come back to bite us like it did the Isrealites. Eventually the Isrealites lost their land and inheritance and lived in captivity time and time again because they did not drive out the people, they settled among them (which was their first compromise) then they began to make compromises regarding their worship. Settling among the people I am sure did not appear to be that big of a deal. I imagine they figured they were strong enough in their faith they could live among idolatry and be fine. However, God knew what would happen and that is why He gave the Isrealites strict instructions to drive out the people and destroy their false gods. Israelite compromised in what they saw as one minor area. This lead to other compromises which eventually destroyed their homes, deprived them of their inheritance, and caused them to endure multiple captivities. One so seemingly innocent compromise. We must be vigilant and willing to obey God COMPLETELY because He knows what is best for us.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
All we have to do is ask!
I went to church tonight and the preacher read from Luke 15, the prodigal son. This story is two-fold. It is about the prodigal son but it is also about the older brother. The youngest son realized he was part of the inheritance. The youngest son realized his place as a son of the father and thus one who inherits the father's belongings. However, the youngest son failed to be a loving son willing to serve his father. The oldest son was willing to serve the father but failed to recognize his place as the son and thus failed to see how all his father owned was also his.
Often times we as Christians fail to access all the gifts God has for us. Jesus healed the sick, raised the dead and cast out demons. God provided financial blessings, miracles, and peace of mind. In John 14:10-14, Jesus (who is the son of God) says He and the Father (God) are one. Jesus continues by saying if we believe in him then we will be able to to the things He has done and even greater things than these. Furthermore, Jesus informs us anything we request He will do. We can ask for anything in God's name and it will be done. ANYTHING! Not some things, not most things, ANYTHING! The younger son asked for the father's gifts then he wasted them. The oldest son never utilized the gifts his father had for him.
I can see how confused the father of this story would be when he left the party to go speak to the oldest son. The oldest son says to the father, "I have served you all these years and ya never even gave me a goat so I could celebrate with my friends." I could see the father's puzzled look on his face as he responded, "Ya never asked. I gave your younger brother almost half of everything I own. Your brother asked for his entire inheritance and I gave it to him. Don't ya think if you had asked for a goat, I would have given it to ya? I would have given ya the fatted calf if ya wanted it. Everything I have is yours, all ya had to do was ask."
The interesting thing is, according to Jewish customs, the oldest son received a larger portion of the inheritance than the younger sons. The oldest son actually had more right to ask because he owned more of the inheritance than his younger brother. He just failed to ask.
Now as Christians, all of the power, healing, peace, and wisdom that is God's is also ours because we are the sons and daughters of God. Everything God has is ours, all we have to do is ask. John 16:23-24 says "... I tell you, My Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete." I really like that last part, and your joy will be complete. It is not God's wish for us to live sad and depressed. He desires us to plunge into His gifts, soak up all the wonderful things He has for us that our joy might be complete.
ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS ASK!
Often times we as Christians fail to access all the gifts God has for us. Jesus healed the sick, raised the dead and cast out demons. God provided financial blessings, miracles, and peace of mind. In John 14:10-14, Jesus (who is the son of God) says He and the Father (God) are one. Jesus continues by saying if we believe in him then we will be able to to the things He has done and even greater things than these. Furthermore, Jesus informs us anything we request He will do. We can ask for anything in God's name and it will be done. ANYTHING! Not some things, not most things, ANYTHING! The younger son asked for the father's gifts then he wasted them. The oldest son never utilized the gifts his father had for him.
I can see how confused the father of this story would be when he left the party to go speak to the oldest son. The oldest son says to the father, "I have served you all these years and ya never even gave me a goat so I could celebrate with my friends." I could see the father's puzzled look on his face as he responded, "Ya never asked. I gave your younger brother almost half of everything I own. Your brother asked for his entire inheritance and I gave it to him. Don't ya think if you had asked for a goat, I would have given it to ya? I would have given ya the fatted calf if ya wanted it. Everything I have is yours, all ya had to do was ask."
The interesting thing is, according to Jewish customs, the oldest son received a larger portion of the inheritance than the younger sons. The oldest son actually had more right to ask because he owned more of the inheritance than his younger brother. He just failed to ask.
Now as Christians, all of the power, healing, peace, and wisdom that is God's is also ours because we are the sons and daughters of God. Everything God has is ours, all we have to do is ask. John 16:23-24 says "... I tell you, My Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete." I really like that last part, and your joy will be complete. It is not God's wish for us to live sad and depressed. He desires us to plunge into His gifts, soak up all the wonderful things He has for us that our joy might be complete.
ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS ASK!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
I was looking back to see if you were looking back to see if I was looking back to see if you were looking back at me
I was looking back to see, if you were looking back to see, if I was looking back to see if you were looking back at me. It something my mom use to say quite often and this quote came to mind when I started thinking today about how I haven't spoken to a certain friend in quite awhile. I was missing my friend and wondering if my friend was missing me. I was thinking about how long it had been since I had talked to my friend and I was feeling a tad bit lonely. There is a huge part of me that wonders if my friend feels lonely with out me being around. Of course, I haven't spoken to this friend because the last time I spoke to him, he pretty much blew me off, so I figured I would give him his space and when he needed me he would come around. Ya see, this is a cycle between us. I am typically the one who makes the effort to keep in contact, if I don't then we go long periods of time without speaking. That's how I know that he's not thinking about me and he's not missing me. The way I see it is if he missed my friendship and he noticed I had not contacted him in a while, then if he really missed our conversations then he would have made an effort to contact me, but he hasn't. He hasn't texts, no facebook messages, no posts, no IMs, nothing. However, I'm not surprised. We use to be such close friends, we were best friends but times change and people change and well lets face it, we have both changes a lost since college.
I know the next time he needs me for something, whether it's girlfriend problems, or a question about the bible or psychology then he'll come around and ask me like we had just talked yesterday, but until then, I won't hear a word. He'll never make the effort to just say hey. The next time I hear from him it will be because he wants something. And ya know what, I'll be there because that's what friends do. Even though often times I have asked him to help me with something and he blows me off telling me he doesn't have time but never making an effort to make time, I'll still be there because that's what friends do, at least that is what I do for my friends. He's not a bad kid. He puts up with me which is a handful all in itself. I just miss my friend. The one who was standing outside my window at some crazy early hour in the morning to ride with me to Fayetteville to attend a job fair, just because I didn't want to go by myself. I miss my friend who use to want to teach me how to build a computer. I miss my friend who yelled at me when I was upset because I didn't have a perfect 4.0 and I wasn't feeling smart enough. He yelled at me because even though I won't perfect, he still believed in me and believed I was smart enough and good enough to be successful at anything I wanted. Yeah and even though we may still be friends, it's not the same type of friendship.
I know I should just grow up and get over it. I've made a lot of strides, but there are times when I just miss the good ole days. I think the biggest problem is I have never gotten close enough to another person or been that comfortable around someone to develop a friendship that could replace his. I am not a social person and I don't make friends easily. I have very few people I call true friends. However, one the flip side, I am pretty sure he has replaced me with multiple people. He says we will always be friends and I am not saying we are not friends because I still consider him a friend. It's just that I miss being his real friend. I miss knowing I'm worth it.
I am 900+ miles away from my family and friends and it would be nice if once in a while it would be nice to get a text or heaven forbid, a call, just saying hey. Just letting me know I'm worth it. I'm worth taking a few moments out of your life to say hello. I'm worth making an effort to keep in contact. I'm worth it. I'm worth it.
In the midst of all of this though, I am reminded of the one person who truly does believe I am worth it. God has never left me nor forsaken me. He loves me and wants to be BFFs. Our friendship has not grown distant over the years, it has grown stronger, just like true friendships should and anytime our friendship has become distant it is because I have stopped making the effort I should to stay close because my God will never stop pursuing me and loving me. God thinks I'm worth it.
So even though I may miss my friend and miss the way things use to be, I am comforted by the one true friend who truly has never left me nor forsaken me. He loves me and He totally thinks I'm worth it.
I know the next time he needs me for something, whether it's girlfriend problems, or a question about the bible or psychology then he'll come around and ask me like we had just talked yesterday, but until then, I won't hear a word. He'll never make the effort to just say hey. The next time I hear from him it will be because he wants something. And ya know what, I'll be there because that's what friends do. Even though often times I have asked him to help me with something and he blows me off telling me he doesn't have time but never making an effort to make time, I'll still be there because that's what friends do, at least that is what I do for my friends. He's not a bad kid. He puts up with me which is a handful all in itself. I just miss my friend. The one who was standing outside my window at some crazy early hour in the morning to ride with me to Fayetteville to attend a job fair, just because I didn't want to go by myself. I miss my friend who use to want to teach me how to build a computer. I miss my friend who yelled at me when I was upset because I didn't have a perfect 4.0 and I wasn't feeling smart enough. He yelled at me because even though I won't perfect, he still believed in me and believed I was smart enough and good enough to be successful at anything I wanted. Yeah and even though we may still be friends, it's not the same type of friendship.
I know I should just grow up and get over it. I've made a lot of strides, but there are times when I just miss the good ole days. I think the biggest problem is I have never gotten close enough to another person or been that comfortable around someone to develop a friendship that could replace his. I am not a social person and I don't make friends easily. I have very few people I call true friends. However, one the flip side, I am pretty sure he has replaced me with multiple people. He says we will always be friends and I am not saying we are not friends because I still consider him a friend. It's just that I miss being his real friend. I miss knowing I'm worth it.
I am 900+ miles away from my family and friends and it would be nice if once in a while it would be nice to get a text or heaven forbid, a call, just saying hey. Just letting me know I'm worth it. I'm worth taking a few moments out of your life to say hello. I'm worth making an effort to keep in contact. I'm worth it. I'm worth it.
In the midst of all of this though, I am reminded of the one person who truly does believe I am worth it. God has never left me nor forsaken me. He loves me and wants to be BFFs. Our friendship has not grown distant over the years, it has grown stronger, just like true friendships should and anytime our friendship has become distant it is because I have stopped making the effort I should to stay close because my God will never stop pursuing me and loving me. God thinks I'm worth it.
So even though I may miss my friend and miss the way things use to be, I am comforted by the one true friend who truly has never left me nor forsaken me. He loves me and He totally thinks I'm worth it.
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