1 Samuel 8
As Samuel grew older, he trusted his sons to be the next set of judges in the land of Israel. Sadly, they did not follow after God as Samuel had done. They let worldly gain satisfy them and rejected God’s ways. The people of Israel took notice and told Samuel what was going on, as if he did not know. I think Samuel knew how his sons were acting, and although the text says nothing about how he might have responded to them, I figure he was upset with them. Plus, he was still a judge as well because 1 Samuel 7 said that he judged Israel up until his death. Whatever the case was, Israel did have a right to say that two of their judges were not following after God. However, they themselves did not follow after God. How many times had they been punished for breaking His commands?
The problem in 1 Samuel 8 is that Israel was judging Samuel’s sons for something that they themselves were doing. It is true that Samuel’s sons were not following after God, but neither were they. They wanted a king, so that they could be just like the rest of the nations when God had positioned Himself as the King of Israel, making them different from the other nations. They were His chosen people and were never meant to be like the nations around them. Instead, they were to be examples to the nations, so that the nations could come to know God. By asking for a king and asking to be like the nations they were rejecting God, rejecting His call, and rejecting their special task.
God assured Samuel that the people were not rejecting his leadership of the nation, for God knew who they were really rejecting. Since Israel asked for a king, God decided that He would give one to them but with consequences. He knew that a king in the nation of Israel was not the best option for them (He was their best option). So He wanted to warn Israel before He allowed them to have a king of their own. Samuel told the people what their king would be like. He warned them of how they would lose their lands, their children, and the best of their crops. Their lands would be owned by the king and his servants, a tenth of their crops would be given to the king and his servants, and their children would man his armies and work in his kingdom. They would no longer enjoy the freedoms that they were accustomed to, and they would suffer under his rule. In essence, he would be a king just like those of the other nations.
Furthermore, Samuel assured them that they would not enjoy living under his rule, and in the end, they would cry out to God for help. However, God would not be there to help them. Since they had requested to have a king like the nations, He would leave them alone in their choices. Despite these warnings, the people of Israel were very persistent and continued to ask for a king. God finally agreed and instructed Samuel to allow them to find a king for themselves.
God has always had a plan. He had a plan for His people in the Old Testament, He had a plan for the New Testament Church, and He has a plan for us today. The problem is that in our sinful nature, we do not always choose to follow His plan. Thinking we could do things better, we reject God’s plan for our lives. We may not know what it is God wants us to do with our lives or in our current stages of life, but we can be assured that God has a plan. Therefore we must stay in His word, be active in prayer, and stay connected to our fellow brothers and sisters so that we can discover what it is God has planned for us. We may not receive the same type of instructions as some of the men and women of the Bible did. We may not hear God’s voice audibly, but we can know His will for our life. At the same time, there are times when we do know what God wants to do in our lives, and we reject Him in fear. Just as we must stay close to God so that we can discover His will for our lives, we must also not reject Him when He makes those plans clear to us. We must never reject God’s position in our life. He should be the head of our lives, the One we go to for help, guidance, and advice no matter the situation.
Matt
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
1 Samuel 7:3-17
1 Samuel 7:3-17
After whatever was going on in 1 Samuel 6, Samuel rose up as one last judge over Israel. Considering the fact that Samuel was very similar to a judge and that he immediately called for Israel to repent before God, it is obvious that Israel had drifted from God. Again, I am not sure what their role should have been when the Ark had been captured, but once they had received it back, they did end up in disobedience to God. After a great number of men had been killed, they went into 20 years of mourning, and from what Samuel says at the beginning of 1 Samuel 7, they must have also remained in disobedience. Nevertheless, after Samuel’s requests, Israel changed their attitudes and actions and turned back to God, putting away their idols.
Samuel then asked that they all gather at Mizpah as one nation so that he could pray over them. Once Israel was gathered together as one, the Philistines decided that it was time to attack once again. Israel became fearful that the Philistines would destroy them, so they asked Samuel to continue to pray for their safety. Samuel cried out to God and asked for protection, and God answered his prayers. As the Philistines drew closer to Israel, God struck them all with confusion. They changed their plans and went off in a different direction, allowing Israel to pursue them and destroy them (at least that group of Philistines).
After their defeat, the Philistines gave up on trying to take control of Israel. As long as Samuel was the judge over Israel, the Philistines stayed away. Furthermore, they gave up all the lands that they had already captured, and all of Israel’s lands were restored to them. The text does not mention how long Samuel judged in the land of Israel, but he was their judge until the day that he died. One reason as to why it is not mentioned is possibly due to the rise of Israel’s first king, which will be discussed in 1 Samuel 8. Nevertheless, Israel found themselves in a time of peace once again under the leadership of Samuel.
At this point God had not only revealed Himself to the Philistines, showing them His power, but He also showed Israel that He was still their Protector. He was not going to allow any nation to come in and destroy His chosen people. Of course, He still expected obedience from them, and when they became disobedient He continued to punish them. But God wanted Israel to remember that He was their ultimate leader. He was the one that they could depend on no matter what. They had had leaders such as Moses and Joshua and even a series of judges to rule over them since the time that they had left Egypt, but even their earthly leaders were submissive to God’s will. God chose to use different men to lead His nation, but He really did not need anyone to do that since He was their leader, their Judge, and their King. All God was to Israel, He is still today. We can trust that He still watches out for us. We may not see it as clearly as Israel did in these supernatural stories, but even Israel did not recognize God’s power in those miraculous events. God is still at work around us, and He is still our ultimate authority. As His children, we must never forget those truths, and we must remain obedient to His commands.
Matt
After whatever was going on in 1 Samuel 6, Samuel rose up as one last judge over Israel. Considering the fact that Samuel was very similar to a judge and that he immediately called for Israel to repent before God, it is obvious that Israel had drifted from God. Again, I am not sure what their role should have been when the Ark had been captured, but once they had received it back, they did end up in disobedience to God. After a great number of men had been killed, they went into 20 years of mourning, and from what Samuel says at the beginning of 1 Samuel 7, they must have also remained in disobedience. Nevertheless, after Samuel’s requests, Israel changed their attitudes and actions and turned back to God, putting away their idols.
Samuel then asked that they all gather at Mizpah as one nation so that he could pray over them. Once Israel was gathered together as one, the Philistines decided that it was time to attack once again. Israel became fearful that the Philistines would destroy them, so they asked Samuel to continue to pray for their safety. Samuel cried out to God and asked for protection, and God answered his prayers. As the Philistines drew closer to Israel, God struck them all with confusion. They changed their plans and went off in a different direction, allowing Israel to pursue them and destroy them (at least that group of Philistines).
After their defeat, the Philistines gave up on trying to take control of Israel. As long as Samuel was the judge over Israel, the Philistines stayed away. Furthermore, they gave up all the lands that they had already captured, and all of Israel’s lands were restored to them. The text does not mention how long Samuel judged in the land of Israel, but he was their judge until the day that he died. One reason as to why it is not mentioned is possibly due to the rise of Israel’s first king, which will be discussed in 1 Samuel 8. Nevertheless, Israel found themselves in a time of peace once again under the leadership of Samuel.
At this point God had not only revealed Himself to the Philistines, showing them His power, but He also showed Israel that He was still their Protector. He was not going to allow any nation to come in and destroy His chosen people. Of course, He still expected obedience from them, and when they became disobedient He continued to punish them. But God wanted Israel to remember that He was their ultimate leader. He was the one that they could depend on no matter what. They had had leaders such as Moses and Joshua and even a series of judges to rule over them since the time that they had left Egypt, but even their earthly leaders were submissive to God’s will. God chose to use different men to lead His nation, but He really did not need anyone to do that since He was their leader, their Judge, and their King. All God was to Israel, He is still today. We can trust that He still watches out for us. We may not see it as clearly as Israel did in these supernatural stories, but even Israel did not recognize God’s power in those miraculous events. God is still at work around us, and He is still our ultimate authority. As His children, we must never forget those truths, and we must remain obedient to His commands.
Matt
Thursday, October 28, 2010
1 Samuel 6:1-7:2
1 Samuel 6:1-7:2
The Ark remained with the Philistines for 7 months, and there is no indication that the Israelites tried to recover the Ark. In 1 Samuel 5 we saw how God afflicted the various cities that house the Ark during that time in an effort to convince them to return the Ark back to Israel. What is interesting is that God had to do this, for Israel had not sent anyone to confront the Philistines and defend their God. I said yesterday that it appeared as if God chose to do this on His own this time and did not choose to use anyone in His plans. While this may be true, it can also be argued that Israel was too afraid to confront the Israelites, thus not putting their trust in God. Whatever the case was, the situation was taken care of in the end, and the Philistines were convinced that they needed to return the Ark. Furthermore, it appears as if the Philistines truly learned who God was, leaving it up to them as to how they would respond. They had the choice to stay in opposition to Him or learn to walk in obedience to His commands.
To show that they acknowledged His power and understood that the tumors and plagues that had been sent their way were from God, they created golden tumors and golden mice to send with the ark. They constructed a cart that would be pulled by two new cows and would carry the Ark back to its home. The extra “gift” of the golden images was to show that they recognized God, and some of the men even said that they did not want to harden their hearts as the Egyptians had done. The Egyptians did not want to accept the fact that Israel’s God had come to their rescue, so they hardened their hearts and ignored the obvious. This group of Philistines understood that the plagues could have been coincidental but were certain that it had come from God. So they sent the cattle off on their own and declared that if the cattle walked straight toward Israel, then it would be a sign that God had indeed been the one that sent the plagues to them. When the cattle returned to Israel, the Philistines had no more excuses. The text does not say how it affected these men or what conclusion they eventually came to, but God had clearly made Himself known to the Philistines, and it was up to them to decide if they would accept Him or not.
With the Ark back in the hands of the Israelites, the people rejoiced at its return. They immediately sacrificed the cattle as an offering to God, thanking Him for what He had done. Yet not long after this sacrifice, God killed many of the Israelites. The end of 1 Samuel 6 is somewhat confusing. A footnote in my Bible says that the 70 men who died could mean 50,000 men. Whatever the case, the text says that it was a “great blow” to the people of that town. The question that comes to my mind is what did they do and why were they punished? The text says that they “looked upon the Ark.” While I cannot recall any law against looking at it, I know there were laws that said it could not be touched. So the reason God struck these people so harshly is unclear in my mind, but they had to of broken some law. The only other option I can think of is the fact that none of these men offered to go after the Ark when it had been captured, but now they were rejoicing at its return. Maybe God was upset that they were happy to see the good that came out of the situation when they were unwilling to help resolve it. Whatever the case, Israel lamented over this for 20 years, and the Ark finally found its way to safety in an Israelite city.
This passage, more than any before it, has stumped me the most. Although it seems clear that God was able to reveal Himself to the Philistines and that the Philistines recognized who the God of Israel was, the role Israel plays in this story is unclear. I am left with many questions. Why did Israel not go after the Ark? Did God not want them to go? Were the Israelites unwilling to go? Why did God strike down so many, whether it was 70 or 50,000 afterwards? What did the Israelites do that required that punishment? Although it seems obvious that they must have been disobedient in some way, I am not sure I understand what they did. In the end, however, one thing is clear. God took care of His children once again, allowing the Ark to return to Israel. He took care of their enemies while making Himself known to yet another nation of people. Through His acts of love and punishment, God continued to show Israel that He was the one in control and that He was the one that they must learn to depend on and trust.
Matt
The Ark remained with the Philistines for 7 months, and there is no indication that the Israelites tried to recover the Ark. In 1 Samuel 5 we saw how God afflicted the various cities that house the Ark during that time in an effort to convince them to return the Ark back to Israel. What is interesting is that God had to do this, for Israel had not sent anyone to confront the Philistines and defend their God. I said yesterday that it appeared as if God chose to do this on His own this time and did not choose to use anyone in His plans. While this may be true, it can also be argued that Israel was too afraid to confront the Israelites, thus not putting their trust in God. Whatever the case was, the situation was taken care of in the end, and the Philistines were convinced that they needed to return the Ark. Furthermore, it appears as if the Philistines truly learned who God was, leaving it up to them as to how they would respond. They had the choice to stay in opposition to Him or learn to walk in obedience to His commands.
To show that they acknowledged His power and understood that the tumors and plagues that had been sent their way were from God, they created golden tumors and golden mice to send with the ark. They constructed a cart that would be pulled by two new cows and would carry the Ark back to its home. The extra “gift” of the golden images was to show that they recognized God, and some of the men even said that they did not want to harden their hearts as the Egyptians had done. The Egyptians did not want to accept the fact that Israel’s God had come to their rescue, so they hardened their hearts and ignored the obvious. This group of Philistines understood that the plagues could have been coincidental but were certain that it had come from God. So they sent the cattle off on their own and declared that if the cattle walked straight toward Israel, then it would be a sign that God had indeed been the one that sent the plagues to them. When the cattle returned to Israel, the Philistines had no more excuses. The text does not say how it affected these men or what conclusion they eventually came to, but God had clearly made Himself known to the Philistines, and it was up to them to decide if they would accept Him or not.
With the Ark back in the hands of the Israelites, the people rejoiced at its return. They immediately sacrificed the cattle as an offering to God, thanking Him for what He had done. Yet not long after this sacrifice, God killed many of the Israelites. The end of 1 Samuel 6 is somewhat confusing. A footnote in my Bible says that the 70 men who died could mean 50,000 men. Whatever the case, the text says that it was a “great blow” to the people of that town. The question that comes to my mind is what did they do and why were they punished? The text says that they “looked upon the Ark.” While I cannot recall any law against looking at it, I know there were laws that said it could not be touched. So the reason God struck these people so harshly is unclear in my mind, but they had to of broken some law. The only other option I can think of is the fact that none of these men offered to go after the Ark when it had been captured, but now they were rejoicing at its return. Maybe God was upset that they were happy to see the good that came out of the situation when they were unwilling to help resolve it. Whatever the case, Israel lamented over this for 20 years, and the Ark finally found its way to safety in an Israelite city.
This passage, more than any before it, has stumped me the most. Although it seems clear that God was able to reveal Himself to the Philistines and that the Philistines recognized who the God of Israel was, the role Israel plays in this story is unclear. I am left with many questions. Why did Israel not go after the Ark? Did God not want them to go? Were the Israelites unwilling to go? Why did God strike down so many, whether it was 70 or 50,000 afterwards? What did the Israelites do that required that punishment? Although it seems obvious that they must have been disobedient in some way, I am not sure I understand what they did. In the end, however, one thing is clear. God took care of His children once again, allowing the Ark to return to Israel. He took care of their enemies while making Himself known to yet another nation of people. Through His acts of love and punishment, God continued to show Israel that He was the one in control and that He was the one that they must learn to depend on and trust.
Matt
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
1 Samuel 5
1 Samuel 5
Although it was partly Israel’s fault for being careless with the Ark, the Philistines were also to blame for taking the Ark. In order to prove a point, they took away that which was most special to the nation of Israel. They had no intentions of worshipping the God it represented, and they did it purely for strategic purposes. God knew their hearts, and He knew that the Philistines had taken the Ark for all the wrong reasons. So He showed the His true power. The Ark had been placed next to an idol that represented their god Dagon. When the Philistines entered their place of worship the next day, the idol was on the ground bowing before the Ark. They did not seem to think much of it, placing it back where it belonged. Then, the next day, the idol was in the same position only with its arms and head cut off. Now while the people might have thought that someone had done this as a trick, Scripture does not say that this was done by some man. It is actually unclear as to how it happened, but it does seem to allude to the fact that this was a supernatural act by God.
God was showing the Philistines who He was (who He is). He is the only true God, and there are no other gods. Dagon was just a false god that these people had created. Dagon was nothing more than the different idols we create today in the 21st century. God is far above anything that we could ever create. He is also our Creator, and He deserves our worship. Whereas these people had created their own god to worship, God created His own people to worship Him. There is a big difference here.
The situation with Dagon did not seem to affect the people, so God took it one step further. He afflicted the people of that city with tumors. Through the pain, they finally understood that all the mysterious problems that they were facing were coming as a result of the Ark. They, at least in some way, recognized God’s power and knew that they did not want to endure His punishments. But instead of changing their ways and accepting God as the only true God, they got rid of the Ark, sending it to another city. This same situation repeated itself two more times, and ultimately the Philistines were prepared to send the Ark back to Israel.
Again, we can see two sides to this story. In one sense, God was taking care of Himself and Israel. He alone was able to make the Philistines return the Ark to Israel after they had stolen it. He did not use anybody else to carry out His plans this time. Instead, He used His power to prove His existence to the Philistines. But the Philistines responded in fear. They did recognize God’s power, but they were so focused on getting rid of the Ark that they did not take the time to recognize God. So while it appeared as if the Israelites were sure to get the Ark back, the Philistines lost a great opportunity to get to know God. They recognized His wrath and His power, but they missed seeing His love and provision for His children.
God’s desire is that people from every nation come to know Him. Some may argue that 1 Samuel 5 is an example of God’s wrath against a sinful nation, and while that is true, His love can also be sensed in this passage. God is concerned about His glory, about His name, and He desires that people from every nation worship Him. So while He was punishing the Philistines for taking the Ark, He was also revealing Himself to them so that they could come to know Him. If the Philistines had repented of their sins and come to God, do you think He would have rejected them? Absolutely not! He would have accepted them and included them in with His children just like He had done with Rahab and Ruth (who also came from other nations).
Matt
Although it was partly Israel’s fault for being careless with the Ark, the Philistines were also to blame for taking the Ark. In order to prove a point, they took away that which was most special to the nation of Israel. They had no intentions of worshipping the God it represented, and they did it purely for strategic purposes. God knew their hearts, and He knew that the Philistines had taken the Ark for all the wrong reasons. So He showed the His true power. The Ark had been placed next to an idol that represented their god Dagon. When the Philistines entered their place of worship the next day, the idol was on the ground bowing before the Ark. They did not seem to think much of it, placing it back where it belonged. Then, the next day, the idol was in the same position only with its arms and head cut off. Now while the people might have thought that someone had done this as a trick, Scripture does not say that this was done by some man. It is actually unclear as to how it happened, but it does seem to allude to the fact that this was a supernatural act by God.
God was showing the Philistines who He was (who He is). He is the only true God, and there are no other gods. Dagon was just a false god that these people had created. Dagon was nothing more than the different idols we create today in the 21st century. God is far above anything that we could ever create. He is also our Creator, and He deserves our worship. Whereas these people had created their own god to worship, God created His own people to worship Him. There is a big difference here.
The situation with Dagon did not seem to affect the people, so God took it one step further. He afflicted the people of that city with tumors. Through the pain, they finally understood that all the mysterious problems that they were facing were coming as a result of the Ark. They, at least in some way, recognized God’s power and knew that they did not want to endure His punishments. But instead of changing their ways and accepting God as the only true God, they got rid of the Ark, sending it to another city. This same situation repeated itself two more times, and ultimately the Philistines were prepared to send the Ark back to Israel.
Again, we can see two sides to this story. In one sense, God was taking care of Himself and Israel. He alone was able to make the Philistines return the Ark to Israel after they had stolen it. He did not use anybody else to carry out His plans this time. Instead, He used His power to prove His existence to the Philistines. But the Philistines responded in fear. They did recognize God’s power, but they were so focused on getting rid of the Ark that they did not take the time to recognize God. So while it appeared as if the Israelites were sure to get the Ark back, the Philistines lost a great opportunity to get to know God. They recognized His wrath and His power, but they missed seeing His love and provision for His children.
God’s desire is that people from every nation come to know Him. Some may argue that 1 Samuel 5 is an example of God’s wrath against a sinful nation, and while that is true, His love can also be sensed in this passage. God is concerned about His glory, about His name, and He desires that people from every nation worship Him. So while He was punishing the Philistines for taking the Ark, He was also revealing Himself to them so that they could come to know Him. If the Philistines had repented of their sins and come to God, do you think He would have rejected them? Absolutely not! He would have accepted them and included them in with His children just like He had done with Rahab and Ruth (who also came from other nations).
Matt
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
1 Samuel 4
1 Samuel 4
There are two sides to the battle mentioned in 1 Samuel 4. On one hand it seems as if Israel did something right in battle. They were being defeated by the Philistines, and instead of depending on their own strength, they realized that they needed to turn to God instead. So they went to retrieve the Ark and bring it into battle. The Philistines were curious as to what brought about the sudden excitement in Israel’s camp, and when they found out it was the Ark of God, they became frightened. They knew all the stories of what God had done for Israel from the time that they had left Egypt through their eventual conquest of the land. However, the Philistines did not let the presence of the Ark scare them.
The other side of this story is the fact that God had sent a message of destruction through His prophet Samuel that promised destruction. Because of the sins of Eli’s two sons, and the fact that Eli had not really done anything about it, God had promised destruction on Eli’s house. So it had already been decided that Israel would not win this battle. Samuel had told Eli and all of Israel the message that God had sent him. So why would they bring the Ark out into a battle that they had been told they would lose? Well considering that Eli’s sons are the two that brought it, it is understandable. As Samuel had told them, the Philistines defeated Israel that day, capturing the Ark and killing both of Eli’s sons.
When the news of this defeat came back to Israel and to Eli, they all cried out in anguish. The loss itself was not as a big of a deal when considering that Israel had also lost the Ark of the Covenant, the most precious piece of the tabernacle. Eli’s reaction to this news was devastating. Like Israel, he was upset with the loss, and he was also upset over the fact that his two sons were killed. But what brought him the most pain was the fact that the Ark had been captured. Upon hearing this news, he fell out of his chair and died. Then, when his daughter-in-law was told the news of her husband, father-in-law, and the Ark, she reacted in the same way. She was pregnant, and she immediately went into labor, but the grief of losing the Ark of the Covenant was greatest for her as well, and she died.
As a result, Ichabod was born, and he received his name because the common consensus throughout Israel was that the “Glory of God had departed from Israel.” They had allowed the one artifact that meant so much to them get taken away because of carelessness. The Ark of the Covenant was the most holy piece of the tabernacle, containing the Ten Commandments, some manna, and Aaron’s rod. It was a physical representation of where they had been and how God had protected them, provided for them, and delivered them out of slavery and into freedom. Instead of being careful to guard it, they let it slip away.
We no longer have anything such as the Ark in the New Testament era. We do not go to the tabernacle or the temple to worship God. We do not have to perform sacrifices. We do, however, have to obey God and worship Him. It is much more than a duty as well. We should also have the desire to obey and worship the one true God who created us, who protects and provides for us, who has delivered us out of our sin and given us the free gift of salvation. We must guard that salvation carefully. No, we cannot lose our salvation, and our salvation cannot be seen in direct correlation with the Ark of the Covenant, but we must realize how special it is to us. Therefore, we should not be careless with the gift by living life however we want to. We must obey God’s commands and choose to live for Him. May it never be said that the “Glory of God has departed from us!” People should be able to see God in us as we live for and worship Him. Our lives should be evidence that God is still active in this world, drawing people to Himself, and we should be in the world proclaiming the truth by spreading the Gospel.
Matt
There are two sides to the battle mentioned in 1 Samuel 4. On one hand it seems as if Israel did something right in battle. They were being defeated by the Philistines, and instead of depending on their own strength, they realized that they needed to turn to God instead. So they went to retrieve the Ark and bring it into battle. The Philistines were curious as to what brought about the sudden excitement in Israel’s camp, and when they found out it was the Ark of God, they became frightened. They knew all the stories of what God had done for Israel from the time that they had left Egypt through their eventual conquest of the land. However, the Philistines did not let the presence of the Ark scare them.
The other side of this story is the fact that God had sent a message of destruction through His prophet Samuel that promised destruction. Because of the sins of Eli’s two sons, and the fact that Eli had not really done anything about it, God had promised destruction on Eli’s house. So it had already been decided that Israel would not win this battle. Samuel had told Eli and all of Israel the message that God had sent him. So why would they bring the Ark out into a battle that they had been told they would lose? Well considering that Eli’s sons are the two that brought it, it is understandable. As Samuel had told them, the Philistines defeated Israel that day, capturing the Ark and killing both of Eli’s sons.
When the news of this defeat came back to Israel and to Eli, they all cried out in anguish. The loss itself was not as a big of a deal when considering that Israel had also lost the Ark of the Covenant, the most precious piece of the tabernacle. Eli’s reaction to this news was devastating. Like Israel, he was upset with the loss, and he was also upset over the fact that his two sons were killed. But what brought him the most pain was the fact that the Ark had been captured. Upon hearing this news, he fell out of his chair and died. Then, when his daughter-in-law was told the news of her husband, father-in-law, and the Ark, she reacted in the same way. She was pregnant, and she immediately went into labor, but the grief of losing the Ark of the Covenant was greatest for her as well, and she died.
As a result, Ichabod was born, and he received his name because the common consensus throughout Israel was that the “Glory of God had departed from Israel.” They had allowed the one artifact that meant so much to them get taken away because of carelessness. The Ark of the Covenant was the most holy piece of the tabernacle, containing the Ten Commandments, some manna, and Aaron’s rod. It was a physical representation of where they had been and how God had protected them, provided for them, and delivered them out of slavery and into freedom. Instead of being careful to guard it, they let it slip away.
We no longer have anything such as the Ark in the New Testament era. We do not go to the tabernacle or the temple to worship God. We do not have to perform sacrifices. We do, however, have to obey God and worship Him. It is much more than a duty as well. We should also have the desire to obey and worship the one true God who created us, who protects and provides for us, who has delivered us out of our sin and given us the free gift of salvation. We must guard that salvation carefully. No, we cannot lose our salvation, and our salvation cannot be seen in direct correlation with the Ark of the Covenant, but we must realize how special it is to us. Therefore, we should not be careless with the gift by living life however we want to. We must obey God’s commands and choose to live for Him. May it never be said that the “Glory of God has departed from us!” People should be able to see God in us as we live for and worship Him. Our lives should be evidence that God is still active in this world, drawing people to Himself, and we should be in the world proclaiming the truth by spreading the Gospel.
Matt
Monday, October 25, 2010
1 Samuel 3
1 Samuel 3
As 21st century Christians, most of us would consider it pretty rare for someone to directly hear from God in an audible voice. Most people reading this have probably never heard God speak to them audibly; I know I have not ever heard Him. God speaks to us differently. Although an audible calling is not out of the question, and He could just as likely talk someone audibly today, most of us would consider that rare. In the Old Testament it was still fairly rare for someone to hear the voice of the Lord in this manner, but there were many all throughout Scripture who received a personal message from God (spoken either by Him or one of His angels). Nevertheless, the author of 1 Samuel in 1 Samuel 3 says that this was a rare occurrence in the time of Samuel.
Therefore, when God did call out to Samuel in an audible voice, Samuel did not immediately recognize Him to be God. He assumed that Eli was calling him from another room. Although he had been brought up in the ways of God, since before his birth, he did not personally know who God was yet. So it is understandable that he was confused when this unknown voice was calling out to him. Eli, however, who had served the Lord for years, finally picked up on what was going on. He recognized the Lord’s calling and instructed Samuel to respond next time.
When God called out to him the 4th time, Samuel responded and asked God to continue. Now remember the contrast the author laid out in 1 Samuel 2 between Eli’s sons and Samuel. They were priests under Eli and were brought up to serve God, and yet they had been found disobeying God in their service. Samuel, on the other hand, had not yet come to a full recognition of who God was, but he remained obedient to whatever he was commanded to do and served God faithfully. Now God has chosen to use Samuel to pronounce the judgment that would fall on Eli and his sons. Eli already knew that destruction was coming, for God had previously revealed that to him, but Samuel had been given some of the specifics of what was to come.
Now think about where Samuel stood in this situation. The man who had taught him everything he knew, Eli, was probably like a father to Samuel, and yet he had to bring this sorrowful news to him. On the other hand, he knew that he had to be obedient to God, so he had to deliver the message to Eli, even if it was hard. Eli understood his predicament but also knew the importance of Samuel obeying God’s commands, so he encouraged Samuel to tell him what God had said. So Samuel told him. That set Samuel up as a prophet in the land of Israel. Because of his obedience in this situation, the Lord continued to speak with Samuel, and he became known throughout all of Israel as a prophet.
Following God’s voice can be hard enough sometimes, but even before that, we must be sure that we recognize His voice. How many times do we miss God working in our lives because we were not listening for Him? It is so easy to get caught up in the daily chores of life that we neglect to listen for God. The first step in following God is listening for His instructions. That might include making sure we spend time in His word or spending time in prayer for some. For others it may mean getting back in Church or joining a small group where we can live life with fellow believers. Before we can ever be in a situation like Samuel (even if we hear God in a different form and not audibly), we must first make sure that we are living as He would have us live. Then, when He speaks, whether audibly, through His word, or through others, we must be careful to listen and do as He would have us to do. Only when we are willing to listen to God and obey His commands will He be able to use us.
Matt
As 21st century Christians, most of us would consider it pretty rare for someone to directly hear from God in an audible voice. Most people reading this have probably never heard God speak to them audibly; I know I have not ever heard Him. God speaks to us differently. Although an audible calling is not out of the question, and He could just as likely talk someone audibly today, most of us would consider that rare. In the Old Testament it was still fairly rare for someone to hear the voice of the Lord in this manner, but there were many all throughout Scripture who received a personal message from God (spoken either by Him or one of His angels). Nevertheless, the author of 1 Samuel in 1 Samuel 3 says that this was a rare occurrence in the time of Samuel.
Therefore, when God did call out to Samuel in an audible voice, Samuel did not immediately recognize Him to be God. He assumed that Eli was calling him from another room. Although he had been brought up in the ways of God, since before his birth, he did not personally know who God was yet. So it is understandable that he was confused when this unknown voice was calling out to him. Eli, however, who had served the Lord for years, finally picked up on what was going on. He recognized the Lord’s calling and instructed Samuel to respond next time.
When God called out to him the 4th time, Samuel responded and asked God to continue. Now remember the contrast the author laid out in 1 Samuel 2 between Eli’s sons and Samuel. They were priests under Eli and were brought up to serve God, and yet they had been found disobeying God in their service. Samuel, on the other hand, had not yet come to a full recognition of who God was, but he remained obedient to whatever he was commanded to do and served God faithfully. Now God has chosen to use Samuel to pronounce the judgment that would fall on Eli and his sons. Eli already knew that destruction was coming, for God had previously revealed that to him, but Samuel had been given some of the specifics of what was to come.
Now think about where Samuel stood in this situation. The man who had taught him everything he knew, Eli, was probably like a father to Samuel, and yet he had to bring this sorrowful news to him. On the other hand, he knew that he had to be obedient to God, so he had to deliver the message to Eli, even if it was hard. Eli understood his predicament but also knew the importance of Samuel obeying God’s commands, so he encouraged Samuel to tell him what God had said. So Samuel told him. That set Samuel up as a prophet in the land of Israel. Because of his obedience in this situation, the Lord continued to speak with Samuel, and he became known throughout all of Israel as a prophet.
Following God’s voice can be hard enough sometimes, but even before that, we must be sure that we recognize His voice. How many times do we miss God working in our lives because we were not listening for Him? It is so easy to get caught up in the daily chores of life that we neglect to listen for God. The first step in following God is listening for His instructions. That might include making sure we spend time in His word or spending time in prayer for some. For others it may mean getting back in Church or joining a small group where we can live life with fellow believers. Before we can ever be in a situation like Samuel (even if we hear God in a different form and not audibly), we must first make sure that we are living as He would have us live. Then, when He speaks, whether audibly, through His word, or through others, we must be careful to listen and do as He would have us to do. Only when we are willing to listen to God and obey His commands will He be able to use us.
Matt
Sunday, October 24, 2010
1 Samuel 2
1 Samuel 2
As seen at the end of 1 Samuel 1, we must never forget to praise God. Again, we are great at asking God for help in a variety of situations, but many times we fall short in praising Him. We should be grateful that the God of the universe would be willing to listen to us. We should be grateful that He would even help us in our life, offering to be by our side through the good times and the bad. Hannah could not help but praise God for all He had done in her life. He had made her dreams come true, and she was careful not to think that it was anything she had done. She knew that it was God at work within her.
After Hannah’s prayer of thanksgiving, 1 Samuel 2 tells the story of Eli’s sons, and their story stands in contrast to Samuel’s. Whereas Samuel came from a humble woman whose desire was for him to serve God, Eli’s sons came from a line of priests and stepped into their position by birth. Samuel worked hard to do his job correctly in order to honor God. Eli’s sons took advantage of their position in order to satisfy themselves.
Eli then rebuked his sons after hearing about all they were doing. He warned them of the consequences, explaining that they were sinning against God, breaking His commands. But his two sons would not listen to his advice, and they continued to go about their disobedient ways. What is interesting is that immediately after explaining their disobedience, the writer of 1 Samuel chose to once again counter that with what Samuel was doing. Samuel continued to grow in the Lord, doing as he was supposed to, and he found favor in God’s sight. Whereas God was displeased with Eli’s two sons and was ready to punish them (with death), He was pleased with Samuel and ready to use Samuel in great ways. The same is true for anyone who chooses to follow God. While we may not think that the tasks God gives us are great from a human perspective, we must never compare our assignments with others. God uses those who trust and follow Him, and we should be honored that He would even choose to use us to accomplish His work.
The chapter concludes with God sending a message to Eli. Because of his son’s disobedience, God was choosing to remove the blessing from their house. Although they had been God’s priests for quite some time, God was ready to move that privilege to someone else, someone who was more trustworthy. He explained to Eli that his sons would die because of their sins and that his entire house would eventually be killed as well. Then, God would raise up a new priest to take over that role, and that man’s house would take over from that point on.
This passage like so many others we have come across points back to the importance of obedience. God did not give Israel the Book of Law just to give them some suggestions to try to live by. He did not give them the option to choose whether they wanted to obey Him or not. He required it of them. If they were going to be His people and were going to receive His blessings, then they had no choice but to follow His commands and remain holy before Him. Anyone who chose to turn away from God and wander off into their own desires would be forfeiting those blessings. Time and time again, we have seen this happen from Genesis all the way to 1 Samuel. Yet at the same time, there have also been countless examples of men and women who have obeyed God’s commands, and they were blessed for it. 1 Samuel 2 provides yet another example by contrasting the lives of Eli’s sons and Samuel. It may not always be easy to follow God, and we may not see the “benefits” right away (or they may not be what we expect). We may suffer for His sake and find life to still be hard, but the alternative is far worse. God will always be with His children, walking beside them, providing for their needs. Even if life is hard, having God by our side makes all the difference.
Matt
As seen at the end of 1 Samuel 1, we must never forget to praise God. Again, we are great at asking God for help in a variety of situations, but many times we fall short in praising Him. We should be grateful that the God of the universe would be willing to listen to us. We should be grateful that He would even help us in our life, offering to be by our side through the good times and the bad. Hannah could not help but praise God for all He had done in her life. He had made her dreams come true, and she was careful not to think that it was anything she had done. She knew that it was God at work within her.
After Hannah’s prayer of thanksgiving, 1 Samuel 2 tells the story of Eli’s sons, and their story stands in contrast to Samuel’s. Whereas Samuel came from a humble woman whose desire was for him to serve God, Eli’s sons came from a line of priests and stepped into their position by birth. Samuel worked hard to do his job correctly in order to honor God. Eli’s sons took advantage of their position in order to satisfy themselves.
Eli then rebuked his sons after hearing about all they were doing. He warned them of the consequences, explaining that they were sinning against God, breaking His commands. But his two sons would not listen to his advice, and they continued to go about their disobedient ways. What is interesting is that immediately after explaining their disobedience, the writer of 1 Samuel chose to once again counter that with what Samuel was doing. Samuel continued to grow in the Lord, doing as he was supposed to, and he found favor in God’s sight. Whereas God was displeased with Eli’s two sons and was ready to punish them (with death), He was pleased with Samuel and ready to use Samuel in great ways. The same is true for anyone who chooses to follow God. While we may not think that the tasks God gives us are great from a human perspective, we must never compare our assignments with others. God uses those who trust and follow Him, and we should be honored that He would even choose to use us to accomplish His work.
The chapter concludes with God sending a message to Eli. Because of his son’s disobedience, God was choosing to remove the blessing from their house. Although they had been God’s priests for quite some time, God was ready to move that privilege to someone else, someone who was more trustworthy. He explained to Eli that his sons would die because of their sins and that his entire house would eventually be killed as well. Then, God would raise up a new priest to take over that role, and that man’s house would take over from that point on.
This passage like so many others we have come across points back to the importance of obedience. God did not give Israel the Book of Law just to give them some suggestions to try to live by. He did not give them the option to choose whether they wanted to obey Him or not. He required it of them. If they were going to be His people and were going to receive His blessings, then they had no choice but to follow His commands and remain holy before Him. Anyone who chose to turn away from God and wander off into their own desires would be forfeiting those blessings. Time and time again, we have seen this happen from Genesis all the way to 1 Samuel. Yet at the same time, there have also been countless examples of men and women who have obeyed God’s commands, and they were blessed for it. 1 Samuel 2 provides yet another example by contrasting the lives of Eli’s sons and Samuel. It may not always be easy to follow God, and we may not see the “benefits” right away (or they may not be what we expect). We may suffer for His sake and find life to still be hard, but the alternative is far worse. God will always be with His children, walking beside them, providing for their needs. Even if life is hard, having God by our side makes all the difference.
Matt
Saturday, October 23, 2010
1 Samuel 1
1 Samuel 1
The story of Samuel begins with another man and his two wives. We have seen a similar situation play out with Abraham and Jacob. Like their stories, there was one woman who was favored over the other and that woman was unable to have a child. Like both Sarah and Rachel, God had closed their wombs for a reason. He was going to use their pregnancies for extraordinary purposes. Sarah gave birth to Isaac, the man God had chosen to inherit the promise He had made to Abraham. Rachel gave birth to Joseph, the man God had chosen to use to protect the beginnings of the nation Israel as He fulfilled His promise to Abraham in making him a great nation. Now, in the book of Samuel, Elkanah has two wives as well, and he prefers Hannah over Peninnah. Like the two examples mentioned above, Hannah was unable to have children.
Hannah was distressed because she could not have a son, much less a child. To make matters worse, Peninnah provoked her, making fun of her situation. Elkanah was aware of the situation but knew that there was nothing he could do. He tried to comfort her, but he found that it was not enough. Hannah knew that there was something she could do about the situation, and that was prayer. Hannah earnestly prayed to God for a son, and in that prayer she promised that if He would answer her prayers then should would give the child to Him to serve Him. Hannah was so adamant about having a child, that she was even willing make a sacrifice by giving the child back to God.
While she was weeping and praying at the temple, the priest, Eli, took notice. Thinking she was drunk, Eli went up to her and advised her to put away whatever it was she was drinking. She assured him that she was not drunk; instead, she had been praying. Seeing her dedication, Eli told her that God had indeed heard her prayers and would answer them. Hannah went away happy knowing that God would keep His promises. The next morning she woke up worshipping God, excited about her future. Then, in time, God did uphold his end of the deal, blessing Elkanah and Hannah with a son.
The next year, Elkanah prepared to go back to Eli for their yearly sacrifice, but Hannah stayed behind saying that she needed to make sure that Samuel was weaned. Once she had done so, she promised that she would make the trip and present Samuel to God. Once Samuel was 3, Hannah made that trip, upholding her end of the deal that she made with God. She had promised God that she would give the child over to Him if He blessed her with a son, and she made sure that she did not break her promise. She then explained the situation to Eli, reminding him of who she was. Afterwards, she left Samuel with Eli to serve the Lord for the rest of his life.
We all have dreams and desires in life. We all encounter disappointment when life does not go as we hope. We probably all make deals with God at some point, promising that we will do something or give up something if He would just answer our prayers. What we should ask ourselves is do we really intend to uphold our end of the bargain, and are we truly praying for His will to be done? Furthermore, if and when our desires become reality, do we go back to God and thank Him for what He has done for us or do we go on about our lives ignoring the fact that God is the one in control? Hannah not only intended on keeping her promise to God, but she also began worshipping God for what He was about to do even before it came true. After receiving word that God had heard her prayers and would do as she said, she began worshipping Him immediately. Then, after the child was born she thanked God for His blessings. We are great at asking God to help us out in life (giving Him prayer requests), but we must also learn to praise Him for what He does in our lives.
Matt
The story of Samuel begins with another man and his two wives. We have seen a similar situation play out with Abraham and Jacob. Like their stories, there was one woman who was favored over the other and that woman was unable to have a child. Like both Sarah and Rachel, God had closed their wombs for a reason. He was going to use their pregnancies for extraordinary purposes. Sarah gave birth to Isaac, the man God had chosen to inherit the promise He had made to Abraham. Rachel gave birth to Joseph, the man God had chosen to use to protect the beginnings of the nation Israel as He fulfilled His promise to Abraham in making him a great nation. Now, in the book of Samuel, Elkanah has two wives as well, and he prefers Hannah over Peninnah. Like the two examples mentioned above, Hannah was unable to have children.
Hannah was distressed because she could not have a son, much less a child. To make matters worse, Peninnah provoked her, making fun of her situation. Elkanah was aware of the situation but knew that there was nothing he could do. He tried to comfort her, but he found that it was not enough. Hannah knew that there was something she could do about the situation, and that was prayer. Hannah earnestly prayed to God for a son, and in that prayer she promised that if He would answer her prayers then should would give the child to Him to serve Him. Hannah was so adamant about having a child, that she was even willing make a sacrifice by giving the child back to God.
While she was weeping and praying at the temple, the priest, Eli, took notice. Thinking she was drunk, Eli went up to her and advised her to put away whatever it was she was drinking. She assured him that she was not drunk; instead, she had been praying. Seeing her dedication, Eli told her that God had indeed heard her prayers and would answer them. Hannah went away happy knowing that God would keep His promises. The next morning she woke up worshipping God, excited about her future. Then, in time, God did uphold his end of the deal, blessing Elkanah and Hannah with a son.
The next year, Elkanah prepared to go back to Eli for their yearly sacrifice, but Hannah stayed behind saying that she needed to make sure that Samuel was weaned. Once she had done so, she promised that she would make the trip and present Samuel to God. Once Samuel was 3, Hannah made that trip, upholding her end of the deal that she made with God. She had promised God that she would give the child over to Him if He blessed her with a son, and she made sure that she did not break her promise. She then explained the situation to Eli, reminding him of who she was. Afterwards, she left Samuel with Eli to serve the Lord for the rest of his life.
We all have dreams and desires in life. We all encounter disappointment when life does not go as we hope. We probably all make deals with God at some point, promising that we will do something or give up something if He would just answer our prayers. What we should ask ourselves is do we really intend to uphold our end of the bargain, and are we truly praying for His will to be done? Furthermore, if and when our desires become reality, do we go back to God and thank Him for what He has done for us or do we go on about our lives ignoring the fact that God is the one in control? Hannah not only intended on keeping her promise to God, but she also began worshipping God for what He was about to do even before it came true. After receiving word that God had heard her prayers and would do as she said, she began worshipping Him immediately. Then, after the child was born she thanked God for His blessings. We are great at asking God to help us out in life (giving Him prayer requests), but we must also learn to praise Him for what He does in our lives.
Matt
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the 3rd/5th book in The Chronicles of Narnia. It was the 3rd book that C.S. Lewis wrote but became the 5th book chronologically when he reordered the books a few years later. The book follows the adventures of Edmund and Lucy along with their annoying cousin Eustace. The first line of the book says it all when Lewis writes, "There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it." If you have read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, then you know how bad Edmund was when he first entered Narnia. Eustace is very much like Edmund was at the beginning. But after two visits and encountering Aslan, Edmund changed. He has become the oldest of the Pevensie children to enter Narnia this time, and he is far from the Edmund who was deceived by the White Witch.
Eustace has a lot of growing up to do, and he will encounter his fair share of adventures when he boards the Dawn Treader. In the past, the Pevensie children entered Narnia through a wardrobe and at a train station. As always, Aslan opens a new door this time, and the children find themselves instantly transported to the Eastern Ocean just outside Narnia. It is there that they find their old friends Prince (now King) Caspian and Reepicheep. On their way to find the 7 lords that Caspian's uncle Miraz had sent away, Caspian is excited to see his two old friends. Although Edmund and Lucy had only been gone for a year, 3 years had passed in Narnia, and things could not be any better.
Without giving away much of the book, I will briefly mention some of the places they visit. This book does not have one central storyline except for the fact that they are looking for the 7 lords. Other than that, the book is more like a series of different episodes, different encounters they have along the way. They visit many different islands, each with its own mysteries and magical creatures. They encounter slave owners, dragons, Dufflepuds, magicians, Ramandu's daughter, Aslan's table, and a few of them eventually find themselves at the end of the world (geographically not chronologically). But how they get to these places and the events that transpire at each stop is what makes this book magical.
In less than 50 days this book will hit the big screen in 3D. The directors have already stated that some things have been changed for the sake of the movie. However, some of the changes are so that they can fill in the gaps, since this book is so episodic and without one main theme. Also, they want to fill in the gaps between this book and the next, The Silver Chair (which will also be the next movie). 70 years passes between these 2 books. After reading some articles about the movie, it does appear as if the major scenes in this book are represented. I have a good feeling about the movie, and think it will be closer to the text than Prince Caspian was (although it was still a good movie). We shall see how well they did on December 10. Until then, I encourage you to read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
Matt
Friday, October 22, 2010
Ruth 4
Ruth 4
Just as Boaz had promised, he found the man that was the closest Redeemer to Ruth and Naomi. In the presence of a group of elders, Boaz brought the matter to the man. He explained how he was the closest relative to Naomi and was thus in line first to acquire her land and her inheritance, which also included Ruth. When the man thought that he was only going to acquire the land, he was more than willing to take it, but when he was told Ruth was in the deal as well, he decided against it. The text does not say why he changed his mind, and it really does not matter. Whether he already had a wife, did not want a wife, or felt burdened by the deal, the man did not want to redeem Naomi’s inheritance, which left it up to Boaz. Since Boaz had promised Ruth earlier that day that he would be their Redeemer, he immediately jumped on the opportunity.
Before the elders, Boaz proclaimed that he would redeem Naomi’s inheritance, and it became official. The elders and officials then blessed Boaz and Ruth, saying that they wished their marriage to be like that of Jacob with Leah and Rachel. Knowing the story of Jacob, we know that he was the father of Israel, and he had 12 sons that became the 12 tribes. Furthermore, his line was the promised line through Abraham. This continued through the tribe of Judah and on down to Boaz. They not only blessed Boaz by wishing him a happy marriage, but they also blessed the family Boaz and Ruth would have. None of the men sitting there that day knew what God was about to do. They did not know that it would be through Boaz and Ruth that the great King David would come. They certainly did not know that Jesus would also be born out of their line of descendants. God was at work in the lives of these men.
Ruth did have a son some time later, and the women of the city named him Obed. Naomi, who probably never thought that she would ever have a family again after her tragedies in Ruth 1 now had a grandson. Because of her change of heart and love for Ruth, because of Ruth’s sacrifice for Naomi, and because of Boaz’s sacrifice for and willingness to help both Ruth and Naomi, they were all blessed with the birth of Obed. Of course, this was God’s plan all along, but it is amazing that he was able to use a young Moabite woman (not someone of Israel), a bitter woman (who learned to trust God again), and almost a random man (who had been placed in their lives for a reason) to fulfill His purposes. God can use anything in order to accomplish His purposes. He can even use us, but we have to be willing to let Him use us. Sometimes that requires sacrifice, and we must always remain obedient to His commands. When we are willing to let God have control of our lives, He can accomplish great things through us for His glory.
Furthermore we should never think that we are too insignificant to be used by God. Think of the people God used in Scripture. He chose Moses who had a speaking problem, Rahab who was a prostitute, Ruth who was a Moabite, and eventually Paul who persecuted His children. Anyone who is willing to give God control and alter their lives to be in accordance with His commands can be used by God. God is in the process of redeeming men and women from every nation, every people group. He uses people all across the world, and if we are willing to give Him control, He can use us as well.
Matt
Just as Boaz had promised, he found the man that was the closest Redeemer to Ruth and Naomi. In the presence of a group of elders, Boaz brought the matter to the man. He explained how he was the closest relative to Naomi and was thus in line first to acquire her land and her inheritance, which also included Ruth. When the man thought that he was only going to acquire the land, he was more than willing to take it, but when he was told Ruth was in the deal as well, he decided against it. The text does not say why he changed his mind, and it really does not matter. Whether he already had a wife, did not want a wife, or felt burdened by the deal, the man did not want to redeem Naomi’s inheritance, which left it up to Boaz. Since Boaz had promised Ruth earlier that day that he would be their Redeemer, he immediately jumped on the opportunity.
Before the elders, Boaz proclaimed that he would redeem Naomi’s inheritance, and it became official. The elders and officials then blessed Boaz and Ruth, saying that they wished their marriage to be like that of Jacob with Leah and Rachel. Knowing the story of Jacob, we know that he was the father of Israel, and he had 12 sons that became the 12 tribes. Furthermore, his line was the promised line through Abraham. This continued through the tribe of Judah and on down to Boaz. They not only blessed Boaz by wishing him a happy marriage, but they also blessed the family Boaz and Ruth would have. None of the men sitting there that day knew what God was about to do. They did not know that it would be through Boaz and Ruth that the great King David would come. They certainly did not know that Jesus would also be born out of their line of descendants. God was at work in the lives of these men.
Ruth did have a son some time later, and the women of the city named him Obed. Naomi, who probably never thought that she would ever have a family again after her tragedies in Ruth 1 now had a grandson. Because of her change of heart and love for Ruth, because of Ruth’s sacrifice for Naomi, and because of Boaz’s sacrifice for and willingness to help both Ruth and Naomi, they were all blessed with the birth of Obed. Of course, this was God’s plan all along, but it is amazing that he was able to use a young Moabite woman (not someone of Israel), a bitter woman (who learned to trust God again), and almost a random man (who had been placed in their lives for a reason) to fulfill His purposes. God can use anything in order to accomplish His purposes. He can even use us, but we have to be willing to let Him use us. Sometimes that requires sacrifice, and we must always remain obedient to His commands. When we are willing to let God have control of our lives, He can accomplish great things through us for His glory.
Furthermore we should never think that we are too insignificant to be used by God. Think of the people God used in Scripture. He chose Moses who had a speaking problem, Rahab who was a prostitute, Ruth who was a Moabite, and eventually Paul who persecuted His children. Anyone who is willing to give God control and alter their lives to be in accordance with His commands can be used by God. God is in the process of redeeming men and women from every nation, every people group. He uses people all across the world, and if we are willing to give Him control, He can use us as well.
Matt
Communicating on the Playing Field - Part 2
Here is Part 2 of my book review of Communicating on the Playing Field:
As great as this charge to spread the Gospel sounds, many who develop the passion to witness find themselves paralyzed by fear once they give it a shot. After a door is shut in their face or they feel as if they did not present the message effectively, they tend to want to give up and go back to the sidelines. This leads to another point that Solc makes in this book. In general, many Christians have forgotten the power of the Holy Spirit. They know that He lives inside of them after their conversion, and they might remember that it was Him who convicted them of their sin. Yet they somehow forget that He is still active in their lives and in the lives of those around them. Just as He originally convicted them of their sin, He continues to convict others of their sins as well. So when a Christian witnesses to an unbeliever, they can trust that the Holy Spirit is working in the life of that person as well, trying to draw them to God. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit is also with that Christian. He provides Christians with the confidence and boldness to proclaim the Gospel, and if a Christian ever finds themselves fearful of witnessing, they can turn to Him for the strength they need.
Personally, I think this is one reason why I have failed to witness to others in the past. As Solc said, I feel like out of the three members of the Trinity, I think the least about the Holy Spirit. It is not that I do not trust Him or believe in Him. It is more that we are always more focused on the Father and Son in general. As a result, I tend to forget about the power that He can give me in witnessing. My goal is to grow in the Holy Spirit and learn to depend on Him more each day. Yes, the Holy Spirit is God, but it is the Holy Spirit who lives in me. How can I lead others to learn to trust in the Holy Spirit in their evangelistic encounters if I have not first rediscovered that truth?
Finally, Solc ends the book with some practical suggestions on how to do sports evangelism. The last chapter lists practical ways of promoting a ministry of this nature in a church. Maybe a church has never been involved in sports ministry or run a sports clinic before. Solc provides those people with ways in which they can begin to promote the idea and even begin the first steps in starting a program such as this in their church. He then takes it one step further by showing how a clinic might look. He outlines potential schedules that could be used. Most importantly, he stresses the importance of working the Gospel into these plans and the event itself. A church might reach hundreds of people through sports ministries, but if they neglect to share the Gospel with these people, then what is the point? Solc understands that churches might not know where to start or how to organize one of these events, so the step-by-step suggestions are very helpful.
In the future, I hope to be working in a local church. While I do not know how far into the future that might be or where that might be, sports clinics are one form of ministry that I can be thinking about even now. No matter where I go in this country, Sports is going to be just as loved there as it is here. Therefore, this idea can be one practical way in which I can think about how to reach the lost in whatever town or city I might find myself living in. While I should be open to using other avenues to reach the lost, the ideas and schedules listed in the final chapter of this book will prove to be very helpful in the future.
This book covers a lot of various topics but does so in a very cohesive manner. Although Solc looks only at sports evangelism, he does so by grounding it all in the Gospel and our call to spread the good news. The book is not only a listing of practical ideas for today’s churches. Instead, it also looks at the culture that we find ourselves living in today, it looks at the basics of the gospel, it looks at the job that Christians are called to do, and it looks at how Christianity can be tied into the Sports world. Ultimately, Solc brings all these topics together and shows how Christians can live out their faith in this ever changing world. Coming from a sports background himself, Solc has a passion for this type of ministry, but most importantly it is clear that he has a passion for the Gospel to be spread throughout all the nations. He brings these two together quite effectively in Communicating on the Playing Field.
Matt
As great as this charge to spread the Gospel sounds, many who develop the passion to witness find themselves paralyzed by fear once they give it a shot. After a door is shut in their face or they feel as if they did not present the message effectively, they tend to want to give up and go back to the sidelines. This leads to another point that Solc makes in this book. In general, many Christians have forgotten the power of the Holy Spirit. They know that He lives inside of them after their conversion, and they might remember that it was Him who convicted them of their sin. Yet they somehow forget that He is still active in their lives and in the lives of those around them. Just as He originally convicted them of their sin, He continues to convict others of their sins as well. So when a Christian witnesses to an unbeliever, they can trust that the Holy Spirit is working in the life of that person as well, trying to draw them to God. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit is also with that Christian. He provides Christians with the confidence and boldness to proclaim the Gospel, and if a Christian ever finds themselves fearful of witnessing, they can turn to Him for the strength they need.
Personally, I think this is one reason why I have failed to witness to others in the past. As Solc said, I feel like out of the three members of the Trinity, I think the least about the Holy Spirit. It is not that I do not trust Him or believe in Him. It is more that we are always more focused on the Father and Son in general. As a result, I tend to forget about the power that He can give me in witnessing. My goal is to grow in the Holy Spirit and learn to depend on Him more each day. Yes, the Holy Spirit is God, but it is the Holy Spirit who lives in me. How can I lead others to learn to trust in the Holy Spirit in their evangelistic encounters if I have not first rediscovered that truth?
Finally, Solc ends the book with some practical suggestions on how to do sports evangelism. The last chapter lists practical ways of promoting a ministry of this nature in a church. Maybe a church has never been involved in sports ministry or run a sports clinic before. Solc provides those people with ways in which they can begin to promote the idea and even begin the first steps in starting a program such as this in their church. He then takes it one step further by showing how a clinic might look. He outlines potential schedules that could be used. Most importantly, he stresses the importance of working the Gospel into these plans and the event itself. A church might reach hundreds of people through sports ministries, but if they neglect to share the Gospel with these people, then what is the point? Solc understands that churches might not know where to start or how to organize one of these events, so the step-by-step suggestions are very helpful.
In the future, I hope to be working in a local church. While I do not know how far into the future that might be or where that might be, sports clinics are one form of ministry that I can be thinking about even now. No matter where I go in this country, Sports is going to be just as loved there as it is here. Therefore, this idea can be one practical way in which I can think about how to reach the lost in whatever town or city I might find myself living in. While I should be open to using other avenues to reach the lost, the ideas and schedules listed in the final chapter of this book will prove to be very helpful in the future.
This book covers a lot of various topics but does so in a very cohesive manner. Although Solc looks only at sports evangelism, he does so by grounding it all in the Gospel and our call to spread the good news. The book is not only a listing of practical ideas for today’s churches. Instead, it also looks at the culture that we find ourselves living in today, it looks at the basics of the gospel, it looks at the job that Christians are called to do, and it looks at how Christianity can be tied into the Sports world. Ultimately, Solc brings all these topics together and shows how Christians can live out their faith in this ever changing world. Coming from a sports background himself, Solc has a passion for this type of ministry, but most importantly it is clear that he has a passion for the Gospel to be spread throughout all the nations. He brings these two together quite effectively in Communicating on the Playing Field.
Matt
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Ruth 3
Ruth 3
Because of Ruth’s sacrifice and dedication to Naomi, Naomi had come out of her depression and grief. In Ruth 3, Naomi turns the tables on Ruth as she has come up with a way in which to provide for Ruth. She was obviously grateful for all Ruth had done for her, for Ruth could have remained in Moab, leaving Naomi to fend for herself once she had returned home. Ruth, however, had not done so, and since their return to Israel, Ruth had been able to provide for Naomi (with the help of Boaz). Naomi knew that Boaz was a redeemer for her family, which meant that if a woman lost her husband, the closest kinsman-redeemer in the family would step in to redeem that man’s inheritance. However, doing so was quite a burden, especially if that man already had a family to provide for.
Knowing that Boaz, the man who had already been providing for Ruth and Naomi was one of their family’s redeemers, Naomi instructed Ruth to ask him about this possibility. Naomi gave Ruth a specific set of instructions on where she should go and how she should treat Boaz. Ruth continued to obey her mother-in-law and did exactly as she was told. When Boaz was told what Ruth desired, he was ready to help her out. He was ready to make another sacrifice for Ruth in order to provide for her and Naomi. He told Ruth that one reason he would agree to her request was because of her reputation. She was well respected among the men of the town, and he had previously told her how he admired her sacrifice. Ruth was a woman who followed God and thought more of others than she did herself.
Boaz was more than happy to help Ruth out, but there was a problem. He knew of a redeemer closer in the line to Ruth that would have the choice to redeem her first. Boaz agreed to be Ruth’s redeemer, but he could only do it if this other man passed on the opportunity. Either way, Boaz was content with either possibility knowing that Ruth would be taken care. So as she left the next morning not knowing what her future held, Boaz gave her six measures of barley, a good portion of food. He promised that the situation would be handled within the day, but for the time being she returned to Naomi.
Naomi was pleased to know that Boaz had agreed to Ruth’s request. She was confident that the situation would be handled within the day. Considering where Naomi was in Ruth 1, she had come a long way by the time of Ruth 3. She went from being a depressed woman who was grieving the loss of her family (which was expected), to a woman who was grateful for the blessings she had received and wanted to reach out and help someone else. She went from someone who did not want any help, trying to send both of her daughters-in-law away, to returning the favor and helping provide for Ruth.
We have learned what it means to sacrifice from both Ruth and Boaz, and Ruth 3 even shows Boaz’s continuing willingness to sacrifice in order to help Ruth. Now, we are also seeing how that sacrifice can help others not only physically but emotionally. If it had not been for Ruth and Boaz, Naomi might have lived a bitter life the rest of her life, but now she was returning the favor by providing for Ruth. We may not think that the sacrifices we make actually help others. We may never see the results of our actions. We may never know the effects they have on others. But even if just one person’s life is improved because of our sacrifice, even if one person is encouraged, even if one person comes to know God as a result, it is worth it. We should “never grow weary of doing good” for others. Who knows, maybe they will be return the favor by passing it on in order to help someone else.
Matt
Because of Ruth’s sacrifice and dedication to Naomi, Naomi had come out of her depression and grief. In Ruth 3, Naomi turns the tables on Ruth as she has come up with a way in which to provide for Ruth. She was obviously grateful for all Ruth had done for her, for Ruth could have remained in Moab, leaving Naomi to fend for herself once she had returned home. Ruth, however, had not done so, and since their return to Israel, Ruth had been able to provide for Naomi (with the help of Boaz). Naomi knew that Boaz was a redeemer for her family, which meant that if a woman lost her husband, the closest kinsman-redeemer in the family would step in to redeem that man’s inheritance. However, doing so was quite a burden, especially if that man already had a family to provide for.
Knowing that Boaz, the man who had already been providing for Ruth and Naomi was one of their family’s redeemers, Naomi instructed Ruth to ask him about this possibility. Naomi gave Ruth a specific set of instructions on where she should go and how she should treat Boaz. Ruth continued to obey her mother-in-law and did exactly as she was told. When Boaz was told what Ruth desired, he was ready to help her out. He was ready to make another sacrifice for Ruth in order to provide for her and Naomi. He told Ruth that one reason he would agree to her request was because of her reputation. She was well respected among the men of the town, and he had previously told her how he admired her sacrifice. Ruth was a woman who followed God and thought more of others than she did herself.
Boaz was more than happy to help Ruth out, but there was a problem. He knew of a redeemer closer in the line to Ruth that would have the choice to redeem her first. Boaz agreed to be Ruth’s redeemer, but he could only do it if this other man passed on the opportunity. Either way, Boaz was content with either possibility knowing that Ruth would be taken care. So as she left the next morning not knowing what her future held, Boaz gave her six measures of barley, a good portion of food. He promised that the situation would be handled within the day, but for the time being she returned to Naomi.
Naomi was pleased to know that Boaz had agreed to Ruth’s request. She was confident that the situation would be handled within the day. Considering where Naomi was in Ruth 1, she had come a long way by the time of Ruth 3. She went from being a depressed woman who was grieving the loss of her family (which was expected), to a woman who was grateful for the blessings she had received and wanted to reach out and help someone else. She went from someone who did not want any help, trying to send both of her daughters-in-law away, to returning the favor and helping provide for Ruth.
We have learned what it means to sacrifice from both Ruth and Boaz, and Ruth 3 even shows Boaz’s continuing willingness to sacrifice in order to help Ruth. Now, we are also seeing how that sacrifice can help others not only physically but emotionally. If it had not been for Ruth and Boaz, Naomi might have lived a bitter life the rest of her life, but now she was returning the favor by providing for Ruth. We may not think that the sacrifices we make actually help others. We may never see the results of our actions. We may never know the effects they have on others. But even if just one person’s life is improved because of our sacrifice, even if one person is encouraged, even if one person comes to know God as a result, it is worth it. We should “never grow weary of doing good” for others. Who knows, maybe they will be return the favor by passing it on in order to help someone else.
Matt
Communicating on the Playing Field - Part 1
I'm finally going to be able to get back to some book reviews for the bookshelf. Over the next month or two I will be posting the various book reports I have had to write for some of my classes here at Southeastern. Communicating on the Playing Field is the first of those, written by my Evangelism professor. It is an excellent look into sports evangelism. Due to the length of the review, this is only part one of my book review.
Josef Solc is a former professional tennis and ice hockey player who had to leave his home country, the Czech Republic, due to religious persecution. On a tennis scholarship, Solc attended Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma, thus able to move to the United States. From there, he attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he earned his M. Div and Ph.D. Solc is currently a professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. His background provides the perfect combination for the message behind his book, Communicating on the Playing Field. Sports is the most popular activity in the world. Around 95% of the people in the world are involved in sports in some manner, whether that involves them actually playing or participating as a spectator. As a result, Christians have a great opportunity to reach out to almost any person in the world through the avenue of sports evangelism.
Solc begins his book by looking at the similarities and differences between Christianity and Sports. He believes that if Christians understand the vast influence that Sports have on the world scene, then they can find avenues in which they can get involved and ultimately share the Gospel with the lost world. Similar to the great influence Sports has in the world, Christianity also has a great influence. For years it has been the most wide spread religion in the world, and during the early centuries of the Church, Christianity was the premiere religion. Yet in recent years, a disconnect has arisen between Sports and Christianity. Now, it appears as if Christians, who are sports fans themselves, have lost their influence in the Sports arena.
Solc suggests that Christians should figure out how to be that influence in the world again, and since Sports is so prominent worldwide, he believes that it is a perfect tool by which to evangelize. He provides practical ways that this can happen, such as sports clinics and sports related ministries at local churches. He also suggests that Christians get involved in secular sports activities where they can be the Christian example on those fields. What is impressive about Solc’s approach is that he does not only list out ideas. He also provides sufficient background information to support his claims.
While the closing chapters of the book show specific examples of activities that individual Christians or local churches can use for sports evangelism, a large section of the book deals with understanding what the Bible says about this topic. Solc first looks at the language used by various authors in the Bible, comparing their terminology for the Christian life to the sports arena. Words such as wrestle, compete, run, or fight bring sports images to mind, but authors such as Moses and Paul use these images to describe the Christian life as well. Next, Solc walks his readers through the Gospel. He explains how God has had a plan to redeem the world from before the beginning of time and shows how God set forth that plan through His Son. Jesus came to the earth to be a sacrifice for His children so that they could come to know the Father. Thankfully, the story did not end with His death. It was through His resurrection that eternal life was offered to humanity. Again, the story does not end there. God commands His children to carry this good news to the nations, so that people from every nation can know the truth. Furthermore, God has given all His children the power of the Holy Spirit, who will give them the confidence to proclaim the truth as well as convict unbelievers of their need for a Savior. This is the mission given to every Christian, but there is no set way to go about it. Although the truth of the Gospel cannot be compromised, Christians must find creative ways to present it to a lost world. The focus of this book is to use the avenue of Sports in order to get the Gospel to that lost world.
One convicting idea that Solc points out in his book is the reality that the Gospel is not being spread to all the nations by most Christians. Only a small percentage of Christians are actually involved in telling others about Christ. As a result, Christianity is dwindling in a rapidly growing world. The problem is that Christians believe that after their conversion they can just sit on the sidelines and let the pastors and church leaders do the work. Solc explains that professional athletes never want to just sit on the sideline. After preparing their entire lives for the chance to start in a professional game in their sport, the last thing they want to do is sit on the bench and watch their teammates play the game. They would much rather be out on the field or court leading their team to victory. So why is it that Christians, who have the ultimate victory in their future, sit on the sideline not worried about the salvation of those around them?
I feel like most of us fail in this area at some point in our lives, and I have honestly been convicted of this tragedy before. The illustration that Solc uses to explain this laziness that so many of us find ourselves in really made me think harder about this harsh reality. Why would a professional athlete sit on the sidelines and not be involved in the game? In the same way, I, who have the greatest gift in the world and the ultimate hope for the future, cannot sit on the sideline any longer. I must find ways, such as through sports evangelism, to reach out to this lost world. I must also help others figure out ways in which they can witness effectively. We can no longer be lazy about spreading the Gospel.
Matt
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Ruth 2
Ruth 2
A new person is introduced in Ruth 2, Boaz. Not having a way to provide food for herself or for Ruth, Naomi had to think of a way to get some. So she encouraged Ruth to go to the fields and glean after the harvesters so that they would at least have something to eat. One of her relatives was Boaz, and so Naomi sent Ruth on her way to one of Boaz’s fields. Ruth did as she was asked, desiring to help her mother-in-law. She went to the fields and eventually found herself in Boaz’s field, following his harvesters.
Boaz took notice of Ruth and asked his men who the young woman was. They told him that she was the Moabite woman who had come back with Naomi. Immediately Boaz wanted to help Ruth. He did not look at Ruth as some foreigner who should not be in Israel. He did not see her as an outsider that he did not want to be associated with. Even though she was not an Israelite, he understood her situation. Furthermore, he had seen all that Ruth had sacrificed and done for Naomi. So he went to Ruth and gave her clear instructions to stay with his men in his field and to go nowhere else for food. He promised to take care of her and Naomi. Ruth was shocked and could not understand why he would be willing to help her. So he told her that he had seen her help Naomi and sacrifice a lot for her. As a result, he wanted to help Ruth and provide for her.
He fed her that night in his home and she was able to eat until she was full. Afterwards, she prepared to go back out to the fields and glean. Meanwhile, Boaz instructed his workers to allow her to glean wherever she desired, and he also wanted them to leave a little more than they usually would. Ruth was able to return home to Naomi with more food than either of them expected. She was also able to give Naomi some of the leftovers from the meal that she had shared with Boaz. Naomi was extremely happy when Ruth showed her what she gathered and was very grateful to the man who had allowed her to glean. Then, when Ruth told her that she had been in Boaz’s field, Naomi told her of their relations. Naomi encouraged her to return to his fields for the rest of the season, just as Boaz had done, and God continued to provide for Ruth and Naomi through Boaz.
Naomi had no way of knowing that Ruth would actually end up in Boaz’s field. Neither woman knew that they would receive such a great wealth of food. Neither woman knew that they would be taken care of for the rest of the season with that one job. There were a lot of unknowns when they returned to Israel. They were living on faith from one day to the next, but God was in control. Because of Ruth’s sacrifice and their faith, God ended up giving them all that they would need through Boaz. Boaz was willing to reach out to someone in need. After seeing how much Ruth cared for Naomi, Boaz felt compelled to help Ruth. He was inspired by her sacrifice, and as a result, he sacrificed part of his crops for her sake. Ruth and Naomi are a great example of what it means to trust God day by day, knowing that He will provide for our needs, whether it is in large ways or small ways. Ruth and Boaz provide examples of what it means to sacrifice for the sake of others. Sometimes God blesses us with more than we need. Those are great opportunities to use that excess to help others.
Matt
A new person is introduced in Ruth 2, Boaz. Not having a way to provide food for herself or for Ruth, Naomi had to think of a way to get some. So she encouraged Ruth to go to the fields and glean after the harvesters so that they would at least have something to eat. One of her relatives was Boaz, and so Naomi sent Ruth on her way to one of Boaz’s fields. Ruth did as she was asked, desiring to help her mother-in-law. She went to the fields and eventually found herself in Boaz’s field, following his harvesters.
Boaz took notice of Ruth and asked his men who the young woman was. They told him that she was the Moabite woman who had come back with Naomi. Immediately Boaz wanted to help Ruth. He did not look at Ruth as some foreigner who should not be in Israel. He did not see her as an outsider that he did not want to be associated with. Even though she was not an Israelite, he understood her situation. Furthermore, he had seen all that Ruth had sacrificed and done for Naomi. So he went to Ruth and gave her clear instructions to stay with his men in his field and to go nowhere else for food. He promised to take care of her and Naomi. Ruth was shocked and could not understand why he would be willing to help her. So he told her that he had seen her help Naomi and sacrifice a lot for her. As a result, he wanted to help Ruth and provide for her.
He fed her that night in his home and she was able to eat until she was full. Afterwards, she prepared to go back out to the fields and glean. Meanwhile, Boaz instructed his workers to allow her to glean wherever she desired, and he also wanted them to leave a little more than they usually would. Ruth was able to return home to Naomi with more food than either of them expected. She was also able to give Naomi some of the leftovers from the meal that she had shared with Boaz. Naomi was extremely happy when Ruth showed her what she gathered and was very grateful to the man who had allowed her to glean. Then, when Ruth told her that she had been in Boaz’s field, Naomi told her of their relations. Naomi encouraged her to return to his fields for the rest of the season, just as Boaz had done, and God continued to provide for Ruth and Naomi through Boaz.
Naomi had no way of knowing that Ruth would actually end up in Boaz’s field. Neither woman knew that they would receive such a great wealth of food. Neither woman knew that they would be taken care of for the rest of the season with that one job. There were a lot of unknowns when they returned to Israel. They were living on faith from one day to the next, but God was in control. Because of Ruth’s sacrifice and their faith, God ended up giving them all that they would need through Boaz. Boaz was willing to reach out to someone in need. After seeing how much Ruth cared for Naomi, Boaz felt compelled to help Ruth. He was inspired by her sacrifice, and as a result, he sacrificed part of his crops for her sake. Ruth and Naomi are a great example of what it means to trust God day by day, knowing that He will provide for our needs, whether it is in large ways or small ways. Ruth and Boaz provide examples of what it means to sacrifice for the sake of others. Sometimes God blesses us with more than we need. Those are great opportunities to use that excess to help others.
Matt
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Ruth 1
Ruth 1
One of the shortest books in the Old Testament holds one of the most popular stories, the story of Ruth. It is a story about a young woman, who was not an Israelite, that found herself in the line that would eventually lead to Israel’s Messiah, Jesus. The Old Testament shows time and time again how God was drawing people from every nation unto Himself, not just Israel, but Israel never fully understood God’s purposes. It was not until the book of Acts that the Israelites finally grasped the idea of taking God’s message to the nations. Along with Rahab, the story of Ruth is one of the early examples of God’s drawing all peoples unto Himself.
The book of Ruth takes place during the time of the Judges, in a time when famine had struck the land. As a result, Naomi and her husband left Judah and went into Moab in order to survive the famine. In that land, their two sons found Moabite women to be their wives, one of which was Ruth. In a short time, Naomi’s husband and two sons all died, leaving Naomi alone with her two daughters-in-law. Those two young women, Ruth and Orpah, stayed with Naomi while she was in Moab and grieved with her.
Then, Naomi heard that there was food in the land of Judah again, so she began planning a return home. She told Ruth and Orpah to return home and to their families and leave her alone to grieve. She had no way to support these two young women and could not promise them husbands. Orpah did as she was told and returned to her home, but Ruth knew that she could not leave Naomi. Ruth did not want to think of Naomi returning to her home alone to live alone and grieve. Although Ruth probably had a desire to return to a normal life and would have probably been more comfortable living in her own land, she went with Naomi to comfort her and be with her. She sacrificed her comforts and security for the sake of someone she loved. She left all she knew and went to an unknown place for the sake of someone else. That was quite a sacrifice. She had no idea how they would support themselves, for they had no men in their life for support, but she knew that she had to be there for Naomi.
For Ruth to have been so willing to stand by Naomi’s side in her troubling time, Naomi seemed unappreciative. Granted, Naomi had lost three men who meant a lot to her. She had lost pretty much everything in such a short time, and there is definitely a time for grieving. It is normal for someone to be upset after such a tragedy, for I am sure that any of us would feel the same way. However, over time we have to learn to trust God again. We have to get to the point where we no longer blame Him for what happened. We have to get to the point where we turn to Him for comfort, for security, trusting that He will be with us through those tough times. One way in which He was providing for Naomi was through Ruth.
There are two big lessons from Ruth 1 for us today. First off, we must learn to trust God in all situations in life, good and bad. We must realize that He is in control and that He will provide for us. We must also be able to recognize His provisions. Naomi might not have realized that Ruth was God’s way of helping her through that tough time, not allowing her to be isolated. Secondly, maybe we need to be Ruth to someone else. There may be someone you know quite well who is suffering today. Maybe God wants to use you to comfort them, to just be there for them in their tough times. Sometimes we need a Ruth in our lives to help us, but we must never neglect to be a Ruth to others. We should express God’s great love for the world through the way we live our lives.
Matt
One of the shortest books in the Old Testament holds one of the most popular stories, the story of Ruth. It is a story about a young woman, who was not an Israelite, that found herself in the line that would eventually lead to Israel’s Messiah, Jesus. The Old Testament shows time and time again how God was drawing people from every nation unto Himself, not just Israel, but Israel never fully understood God’s purposes. It was not until the book of Acts that the Israelites finally grasped the idea of taking God’s message to the nations. Along with Rahab, the story of Ruth is one of the early examples of God’s drawing all peoples unto Himself.
The book of Ruth takes place during the time of the Judges, in a time when famine had struck the land. As a result, Naomi and her husband left Judah and went into Moab in order to survive the famine. In that land, their two sons found Moabite women to be their wives, one of which was Ruth. In a short time, Naomi’s husband and two sons all died, leaving Naomi alone with her two daughters-in-law. Those two young women, Ruth and Orpah, stayed with Naomi while she was in Moab and grieved with her.
Then, Naomi heard that there was food in the land of Judah again, so she began planning a return home. She told Ruth and Orpah to return home and to their families and leave her alone to grieve. She had no way to support these two young women and could not promise them husbands. Orpah did as she was told and returned to her home, but Ruth knew that she could not leave Naomi. Ruth did not want to think of Naomi returning to her home alone to live alone and grieve. Although Ruth probably had a desire to return to a normal life and would have probably been more comfortable living in her own land, she went with Naomi to comfort her and be with her. She sacrificed her comforts and security for the sake of someone she loved. She left all she knew and went to an unknown place for the sake of someone else. That was quite a sacrifice. She had no idea how they would support themselves, for they had no men in their life for support, but she knew that she had to be there for Naomi.
For Ruth to have been so willing to stand by Naomi’s side in her troubling time, Naomi seemed unappreciative. Granted, Naomi had lost three men who meant a lot to her. She had lost pretty much everything in such a short time, and there is definitely a time for grieving. It is normal for someone to be upset after such a tragedy, for I am sure that any of us would feel the same way. However, over time we have to learn to trust God again. We have to get to the point where we no longer blame Him for what happened. We have to get to the point where we turn to Him for comfort, for security, trusting that He will be with us through those tough times. One way in which He was providing for Naomi was through Ruth.
There are two big lessons from Ruth 1 for us today. First off, we must learn to trust God in all situations in life, good and bad. We must realize that He is in control and that He will provide for us. We must also be able to recognize His provisions. Naomi might not have realized that Ruth was God’s way of helping her through that tough time, not allowing her to be isolated. Secondly, maybe we need to be Ruth to someone else. There may be someone you know quite well who is suffering today. Maybe God wants to use you to comfort them, to just be there for them in their tough times. Sometimes we need a Ruth in our lives to help us, but we must never neglect to be a Ruth to others. We should express God’s great love for the world through the way we live our lives.
Matt
Monday, October 18, 2010
Judges 20:29-21:25
Judges 20:29-21:25
As God had promised, Israel was victorious over Benjamin the next day, but that does not mean that it was an easy battle. Israel knew going into battle that they would come out victorious, but they also knew that Benjamin would be tough. So they developed a complex strategy that involved two different fronts in battle, one against Benjamin and one against Gibeah. Both attacks were a success, and by the time the people of Benjamin realized that they were defeated, they also realized that they had no place to retreat for Gibeah had been destroyed as well. In the end, their defeat was their punishment for defending the sinful actions of the men of Gibeah.
Israel went into battle knowing the battle was won, but they still had to fight. They knew God was in control and would give them victory, but they also knew that they had to physically fight the battle. In the same way, we know that Satan has been defeated and that God has won that battle as well. Yet we still have to fight against Satan and his demons today. We cannot sit on the sidelines and do nothing for although victory is sure to come, the battle is not yet over. There are still people to reach all across the world, and we must get into the battle so that we can share the gospel with all those who are out there that still need to hear it.
After the battle, Israel found itself in a tough position, not knowing what to do with Benjamin. If Benjamin was left alone after the battle, they would eventually die off, leaving only 11 tribes in Israel. Israel was concerned about this possibility, so they sought advice on what to do about the tribe of Benjamin. Having made an oath to God that they would not give their wives to Benjamin because of the corruption in that tribe, they did not know how to assure Benjamin’s longevity. They then realized that a certain clan had not sent men to join Israel in the war against Benjamin. People from every part of Israel had been involved in this effort except for the people of Jabesh-gilead. So Israel decided that the women of that city would be given over to Benjamin in order to assure Benjamin’s future.
What was left of Benjamin accepted Israel’s suggestions and did as they were told. They were able to rebuild their cities and start life again. The rest of the tribes of Israel were also able to return to their homes and start again as well. Israel had come off of quite a spiritual high. They were a unified nation once again that had gone to God for direction. They then trusted God’s leadership and did exactly as they were told. They had success over their brothers and in the end were able to be restored to their brothers in Benjamin. All in all it seemed as if Israel was back on track; however, the final verse of the book of Judges does not end in hope. Although everything seemed to be going well, the book ends by saying that they continued to do what seemed right in their own eyes. This was the same problem that had plagued Samson, Micah, the Levite, and the men of Gibeah. May we never choose to do what is right in our own eyes; instead, we must choose to follow God.
Matt
As God had promised, Israel was victorious over Benjamin the next day, but that does not mean that it was an easy battle. Israel knew going into battle that they would come out victorious, but they also knew that Benjamin would be tough. So they developed a complex strategy that involved two different fronts in battle, one against Benjamin and one against Gibeah. Both attacks were a success, and by the time the people of Benjamin realized that they were defeated, they also realized that they had no place to retreat for Gibeah had been destroyed as well. In the end, their defeat was their punishment for defending the sinful actions of the men of Gibeah.
Israel went into battle knowing the battle was won, but they still had to fight. They knew God was in control and would give them victory, but they also knew that they had to physically fight the battle. In the same way, we know that Satan has been defeated and that God has won that battle as well. Yet we still have to fight against Satan and his demons today. We cannot sit on the sidelines and do nothing for although victory is sure to come, the battle is not yet over. There are still people to reach all across the world, and we must get into the battle so that we can share the gospel with all those who are out there that still need to hear it.
After the battle, Israel found itself in a tough position, not knowing what to do with Benjamin. If Benjamin was left alone after the battle, they would eventually die off, leaving only 11 tribes in Israel. Israel was concerned about this possibility, so they sought advice on what to do about the tribe of Benjamin. Having made an oath to God that they would not give their wives to Benjamin because of the corruption in that tribe, they did not know how to assure Benjamin’s longevity. They then realized that a certain clan had not sent men to join Israel in the war against Benjamin. People from every part of Israel had been involved in this effort except for the people of Jabesh-gilead. So Israel decided that the women of that city would be given over to Benjamin in order to assure Benjamin’s future.
What was left of Benjamin accepted Israel’s suggestions and did as they were told. They were able to rebuild their cities and start life again. The rest of the tribes of Israel were also able to return to their homes and start again as well. Israel had come off of quite a spiritual high. They were a unified nation once again that had gone to God for direction. They then trusted God’s leadership and did exactly as they were told. They had success over their brothers and in the end were able to be restored to their brothers in Benjamin. All in all it seemed as if Israel was back on track; however, the final verse of the book of Judges does not end in hope. Although everything seemed to be going well, the book ends by saying that they continued to do what seemed right in their own eyes. This was the same problem that had plagued Samson, Micah, the Levite, and the men of Gibeah. May we never choose to do what is right in our own eyes; instead, we must choose to follow God.
Matt
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Judges 20:1-28
Judges 20:1-28
The story of the Levite and his concubine continues in Judges 20. After sending pieces of the woman to every tribe in Israel with a note about what had happened, the entire nation of Israel gathered at Mizpah to discuss the matter. The Levite told them what had happened and explained how it was the men of the tribe of Benjamin in that city who were at fault (for Gibeah was part of Benjamin’s territory). The Levite was seeking advice for what should be done as a result of this tragic situation. Israel decided that the best way to deal with the situation was to go up against Gibeah. They did not want to go up against their brothers, those of Benjamin, but they did expect them to give up the ones who were responsible.
When the tribe of Benjamin refused to cooperate, the other 11 tribes of Israel had no choice but to go to war against not only Gibeah, but Benjamin as well. They went to Bethel to inquire of the Lord, and He told them to send Judah into battle first. Apart from Benjamin, it seemed as if the nation was returning to God in this moment of crisis. It took an awful situation to grab the nation’s attention, but maybe that was the point. Tough times are not always a result of disobedience. Storms in life are sometimes used to strengthen us in our faith. But there are those times that God uses life’s storms to grab our attention, to cause us to turn back to Him. This particular instance caused Israel to turn to Him for advice as they prepared to cleanse their nation of these evil deeds.
As the day of battle drew near, Israel found themselves in a dilemma. They had never intended to go into battle against their brothers. They only wanted to get rid of the ones responsible, Gibeah. However, when Benjamin chose not to deal with Gibeah’s sin and took their side in the situation, Israel had no choice. Furthermore, when they went to God with their concerns, He instructed them to go up against Benjamin as well. As we have seen previously, it is not always easy to go up against a brother and sister in Christ and show them their sinful ways. We fear that we will be seen as judgmental. However, we are called to confront them about their sin in a loving way so that they can be forgiven and restored. Of course, we should have always recognize our sin as well and be willing to accept the same concerns from others. As Israel exhibits in this passage, it is not easy, but it has to be done for it is commanded by God.
After a setback in battle, Israel wondered if they were doing the right thing. They lost 18,000 men during the first day. They inquired of God once more and made offerings to Him. He assured them that they would find victory the next day. For the first time in quite a while, Israel was truly worshipping God and going to Him for advice before they made major decisions. They had returned to God for the time being. This shows how God is not only a God of wrath but also a God of love. He had promised Joshua that when Israel began to live in disobedience, He would remove His blessings from them, and that is seen countless times in the book of Judges. But He also promised Joshua that when Israel returned to Him, He would protect them, guide them, and be with them. Here at the end of the book of Judges, Israel was once again experiencing God’s blessings, even in the midst of a storm.
Now this does not mean that obedience will result in a life that is free of storms. Just because we follow God does not mean that everything in life will be easy and perfect. Storms will still come, and they will still be painful; however, God will be with us through it all. He will be there for us to turn to for guidance, like Israel was doing in Judges 20. Even when we turn our backs on God and find ourselves reverting to our sinful ways, we can still return to God. By repenting of our sins we will find that the same God who disciplined us (in order that we would return to Him), will also forgive us.
Matt
The story of the Levite and his concubine continues in Judges 20. After sending pieces of the woman to every tribe in Israel with a note about what had happened, the entire nation of Israel gathered at Mizpah to discuss the matter. The Levite told them what had happened and explained how it was the men of the tribe of Benjamin in that city who were at fault (for Gibeah was part of Benjamin’s territory). The Levite was seeking advice for what should be done as a result of this tragic situation. Israel decided that the best way to deal with the situation was to go up against Gibeah. They did not want to go up against their brothers, those of Benjamin, but they did expect them to give up the ones who were responsible.
When the tribe of Benjamin refused to cooperate, the other 11 tribes of Israel had no choice but to go to war against not only Gibeah, but Benjamin as well. They went to Bethel to inquire of the Lord, and He told them to send Judah into battle first. Apart from Benjamin, it seemed as if the nation was returning to God in this moment of crisis. It took an awful situation to grab the nation’s attention, but maybe that was the point. Tough times are not always a result of disobedience. Storms in life are sometimes used to strengthen us in our faith. But there are those times that God uses life’s storms to grab our attention, to cause us to turn back to Him. This particular instance caused Israel to turn to Him for advice as they prepared to cleanse their nation of these evil deeds.
As the day of battle drew near, Israel found themselves in a dilemma. They had never intended to go into battle against their brothers. They only wanted to get rid of the ones responsible, Gibeah. However, when Benjamin chose not to deal with Gibeah’s sin and took their side in the situation, Israel had no choice. Furthermore, when they went to God with their concerns, He instructed them to go up against Benjamin as well. As we have seen previously, it is not always easy to go up against a brother and sister in Christ and show them their sinful ways. We fear that we will be seen as judgmental. However, we are called to confront them about their sin in a loving way so that they can be forgiven and restored. Of course, we should have always recognize our sin as well and be willing to accept the same concerns from others. As Israel exhibits in this passage, it is not easy, but it has to be done for it is commanded by God.
After a setback in battle, Israel wondered if they were doing the right thing. They lost 18,000 men during the first day. They inquired of God once more and made offerings to Him. He assured them that they would find victory the next day. For the first time in quite a while, Israel was truly worshipping God and going to Him for advice before they made major decisions. They had returned to God for the time being. This shows how God is not only a God of wrath but also a God of love. He had promised Joshua that when Israel began to live in disobedience, He would remove His blessings from them, and that is seen countless times in the book of Judges. But He also promised Joshua that when Israel returned to Him, He would protect them, guide them, and be with them. Here at the end of the book of Judges, Israel was once again experiencing God’s blessings, even in the midst of a storm.
Now this does not mean that obedience will result in a life that is free of storms. Just because we follow God does not mean that everything in life will be easy and perfect. Storms will still come, and they will still be painful; however, God will be with us through it all. He will be there for us to turn to for guidance, like Israel was doing in Judges 20. Even when we turn our backs on God and find ourselves reverting to our sinful ways, we can still return to God. By repenting of our sins we will find that the same God who disciplined us (in order that we would return to Him), will also forgive us.
Matt
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Judges 19
Judges 19
The story told in Judges 19 is another vivid example of Israel’s downfall into sin. Like the story before it, the timing of this story is unclear. However, it does show how far some people in Israel had turned from God. Almost every person mentioned in this story was at fault in one way or another. First, the story begins with a Levite who was taking a concubine to be his wife, which is already questionable. Then, that concubine is unfaithful to the Levite and returns to her home. Her father protects her for the time being, and the Levite goes to find her and take her back to their land in Ephraim. Her father constantly asks the Levite to remain with them “just one more day.” This goes on for five days. Finally, the Levite decides to leave and return home, but he leaves late in the day. So for the night they have to stop in an unknown city. His concubine suggests staying with the Jebusites, but he refuses since they are a foreign people and not Israelites. He moves on to Gibeah instead, but he still cannot a place to stay for the night. Finally, an older man of the city sees them sleeping in the city square, and he invites them to say with them.
At this point, there really are not any major mistakes that anyone had made. There were questionable decisions, such as the Levite taking the concubine as his wife, leaving late in the day, and staying in an unfamiliar city, but they had not really done anything incredibly wrong at this point. Then, this older man seems to offer his help to them, allowing them to stay with him for the night. Half-way through this story it really does not seem as if it is going to turn out to be one of the tragic stories of Judges. However, the worst was still to come.
In the end, the bad decisions that the Levite made led to a tragic ending. Some men of the city came to the old man’s house in the middle of the night requesting to have the man that had come to stay with him (for sexual reasons). This story is actually very similar to what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah with Lot and his family. The old man refuses to send him out to them and condemns them for their requests. He appears to be standing for what is right in condemning their actions; however, he then offers the Levite’s concubine to them. In the end, the old man ends up being just as sinful as they were. They reluctantly take the concubine instead, and they abuse and beat her to death. The next morning, the Levite finds her dead at the door of the old man’s house.
Now remember, he had refused to stay in a city of foreigners. That is why he went to Gibeah. But in the end his own people were the ones who had such sinful thoughts and ended up killing a woman. Between the idol worship of Micah and the Danites and the sinful actions of the men of Gibeah, Israel was truly turning away from God in major ways. God was not at the center of their lives. Whether this was in between the reigns of some of the judges or after the time of the judges is unclear, but the end of Judges 19 is clear that Israel had never experienced something this tragic at this point in their history. They needed help. They needed God. May we take the stories of Judges 17-19 as warnings of what could happen if we turn our backs on God. May we cling to God even more, making sure that we obey His commands and stay away from the temptations around us.
Matt
The story told in Judges 19 is another vivid example of Israel’s downfall into sin. Like the story before it, the timing of this story is unclear. However, it does show how far some people in Israel had turned from God. Almost every person mentioned in this story was at fault in one way or another. First, the story begins with a Levite who was taking a concubine to be his wife, which is already questionable. Then, that concubine is unfaithful to the Levite and returns to her home. Her father protects her for the time being, and the Levite goes to find her and take her back to their land in Ephraim. Her father constantly asks the Levite to remain with them “just one more day.” This goes on for five days. Finally, the Levite decides to leave and return home, but he leaves late in the day. So for the night they have to stop in an unknown city. His concubine suggests staying with the Jebusites, but he refuses since they are a foreign people and not Israelites. He moves on to Gibeah instead, but he still cannot a place to stay for the night. Finally, an older man of the city sees them sleeping in the city square, and he invites them to say with them.
At this point, there really are not any major mistakes that anyone had made. There were questionable decisions, such as the Levite taking the concubine as his wife, leaving late in the day, and staying in an unfamiliar city, but they had not really done anything incredibly wrong at this point. Then, this older man seems to offer his help to them, allowing them to stay with him for the night. Half-way through this story it really does not seem as if it is going to turn out to be one of the tragic stories of Judges. However, the worst was still to come.
In the end, the bad decisions that the Levite made led to a tragic ending. Some men of the city came to the old man’s house in the middle of the night requesting to have the man that had come to stay with him (for sexual reasons). This story is actually very similar to what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah with Lot and his family. The old man refuses to send him out to them and condemns them for their requests. He appears to be standing for what is right in condemning their actions; however, he then offers the Levite’s concubine to them. In the end, the old man ends up being just as sinful as they were. They reluctantly take the concubine instead, and they abuse and beat her to death. The next morning, the Levite finds her dead at the door of the old man’s house.
Now remember, he had refused to stay in a city of foreigners. That is why he went to Gibeah. But in the end his own people were the ones who had such sinful thoughts and ended up killing a woman. Between the idol worship of Micah and the Danites and the sinful actions of the men of Gibeah, Israel was truly turning away from God in major ways. God was not at the center of their lives. Whether this was in between the reigns of some of the judges or after the time of the judges is unclear, but the end of Judges 19 is clear that Israel had never experienced something this tragic at this point in their history. They needed help. They needed God. May we take the stories of Judges 17-19 as warnings of what could happen if we turn our backs on God. May we cling to God even more, making sure that we obey His commands and stay away from the temptations around us.
Matt
Friday, October 15, 2010
Judges 18
Judges 18
The tragic story of Micah continues in Judges 18, but the focus shifts to the tribe of Dan. It begins by saying that Dan had not found a place to settle yet, so the time period of this story is a little confusing. If they did not have their tribal allotment, then this probably happened before most of the stories in the book of Judges. The time of this story really does not matter, but that does put the story in perspective, and it also shows how far Israel had drifted since the time of Joshua. These people from Dan stumbled upon Micah and recognized his Levite priest. They asked him why he was with Micah (and they did not know the situation) and he answered by saying that he was Micah’s priest. They assumed that he was still a priest for God, so they asked him to see if their journey would be a success. He told them it would and sent them on their way.
After scouting out the land, they returned to the Levite and noticed the idols that were in the house. At this point in the story it seemed as if the Danites were going to stand up for God. They believed that they would gain control of the land (possibly because of the promise God had made to all the tribes about their possessions), and they were disturbed that Micah had the idols in his house. They even went as far as to remove the idols from the house and take the Levite away from Micah as well. They told the Levite it was better for him to serve all of Israel than one household. At this point, it seemed as if the Danites had truly come to save the day by condemning Micah’s actions and restoring the Levite.
Sadly, that was not the case. Like Judges 17, Judges 18 opens by saying that there was no king of Israel at that time, alluding to the fact that the people had no sense of order. They did whatever pleased them, whatever they thought best for themselves. Instead of setting things right in Micah’s house and with the Levite, the Danites took the idols for themselves. They went into the land that they wanted and were able to conquer it. They renamed the land Dan, and it was there that they set up the idols they had taken from Micah. Furthermore, they took the Levite and set him up as their priest. They ended up doing the same things that Micah had done only on a larger scale. Instead of a single household being misled, now an entire tribe was being fed a lie from this false religion.
It would have been appropriate for the Danites to have condemned Micah and the Levite if they had set things right. If they had destroyed the idols and instituted worship to God alone, they could have destroyed Micah’s house. Instead, they overlooked his sin and ended up falling in the same trap. I think many times we fear that if we acknowledge someone’s sin and bring it to their attention, they will accuse of being judgmental and turn away from us. We fear losing friends or relationships. However, we are called to help a brother and sister when we see them falling. No, we should not be judgmental, realizing that we sin as well and that they could come to us if they saw us sinning, but we are commanded to help those we see in sin. If we do not confront the problems, we will find that they will only escalate. The sin might spread from a household to a city, like it did for the Danites. Sin is a major issue, and we cannot sit by while it ravages our communities and our churches. It may be hard to confront others in sin, but if we love our brothers and sisters in Christ, then we need to be willing to do so (as well as being willing to accept it if someone comes to us).
Matt
The tragic story of Micah continues in Judges 18, but the focus shifts to the tribe of Dan. It begins by saying that Dan had not found a place to settle yet, so the time period of this story is a little confusing. If they did not have their tribal allotment, then this probably happened before most of the stories in the book of Judges. The time of this story really does not matter, but that does put the story in perspective, and it also shows how far Israel had drifted since the time of Joshua. These people from Dan stumbled upon Micah and recognized his Levite priest. They asked him why he was with Micah (and they did not know the situation) and he answered by saying that he was Micah’s priest. They assumed that he was still a priest for God, so they asked him to see if their journey would be a success. He told them it would and sent them on their way.
After scouting out the land, they returned to the Levite and noticed the idols that were in the house. At this point in the story it seemed as if the Danites were going to stand up for God. They believed that they would gain control of the land (possibly because of the promise God had made to all the tribes about their possessions), and they were disturbed that Micah had the idols in his house. They even went as far as to remove the idols from the house and take the Levite away from Micah as well. They told the Levite it was better for him to serve all of Israel than one household. At this point, it seemed as if the Danites had truly come to save the day by condemning Micah’s actions and restoring the Levite.
Sadly, that was not the case. Like Judges 17, Judges 18 opens by saying that there was no king of Israel at that time, alluding to the fact that the people had no sense of order. They did whatever pleased them, whatever they thought best for themselves. Instead of setting things right in Micah’s house and with the Levite, the Danites took the idols for themselves. They went into the land that they wanted and were able to conquer it. They renamed the land Dan, and it was there that they set up the idols they had taken from Micah. Furthermore, they took the Levite and set him up as their priest. They ended up doing the same things that Micah had done only on a larger scale. Instead of a single household being misled, now an entire tribe was being fed a lie from this false religion.
It would have been appropriate for the Danites to have condemned Micah and the Levite if they had set things right. If they had destroyed the idols and instituted worship to God alone, they could have destroyed Micah’s house. Instead, they overlooked his sin and ended up falling in the same trap. I think many times we fear that if we acknowledge someone’s sin and bring it to their attention, they will accuse of being judgmental and turn away from us. We fear losing friends or relationships. However, we are called to help a brother and sister when we see them falling. No, we should not be judgmental, realizing that we sin as well and that they could come to us if they saw us sinning, but we are commanded to help those we see in sin. If we do not confront the problems, we will find that they will only escalate. The sin might spread from a household to a city, like it did for the Danites. Sin is a major issue, and we cannot sit by while it ravages our communities and our churches. It may be hard to confront others in sin, but if we love our brothers and sisters in Christ, then we need to be willing to do so (as well as being willing to accept it if someone comes to us).
Matt
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Judges 17
Judges 17
After Samson’s death, Israel reverted to their former ways, and things continued to grow worse. Judges 17 tells the story of Micah, a man who exemplified the hearts of many of the Israelites in those days. A common theme in the book of Judges is the fact that Israel had no king and did whatever was right in their own eyes. That was especially true for Samson who originally took his first wife because she looked good to him. He had only been concerned with his wants and desires and did not consider God’s plan for his life.
Micah’s actions were very similar to Samson. He was concerned about his own desires and pleasures. So when he received money from his mother, his mother constructed idols and gods for him. He took the idols and set them up as his form of worship. He even went as far to hire his own priest to go along with his man-made (false) religion. What is sad is that it is obvious that he knew about the God of Israel for he fashioned his own religion off of some of the practices of Israel (like having a priest). But instead of worshipping the true God, he chose to worship a piece of metal. Then, when a Levite came through his town and stopped as his house, he convinced the Levite to become his priest. Again, he knew enough about Israelite worship to know that Levites were God’s priests. But instead of allowing the priest to aid him in worshipping the true God, he hired this priest for his own sinful purposes.
Of course, the priest is at fault in this story as well. He was obviously not committed to God or to his role as a priest of Israel. He went along with Micah and did just as Micah requested. He did not try to stop Micah for worshipping this false God. He did not decline the offer and move on to another city. Instead, he stayed in that city, stayed with Micah, and received payment from Micah to serve as a priest for this false god. The people of Israel were drifting away from God, and this story is probably just one example of the sin that was in Israel.
Many of us probably cannot relate to a story about a man who was obviously serving other gods. In our culture, most of us do not have little metal images sitting around our houses that we worship daily. However, that does not mean that we do not have idols. Maybe we do not worship idols in the way that Micah did, but that does not mean that false religions are not in our culture today. We have new idols in our lives: sports, TV, Internet, money, etc. They may not look the same as they did in the book of Judges, but this story is actually very representative of us today. At some point, we have all placed something in our life above God. Anything that is put above Him in our lives is an idol. So before we question whether this story can apply to our lives, we need to consider if there is anything that is standing between us and God. If we find some idol in our lives, then we must also be quick to repent and turn back to God.
Matt
After Samson’s death, Israel reverted to their former ways, and things continued to grow worse. Judges 17 tells the story of Micah, a man who exemplified the hearts of many of the Israelites in those days. A common theme in the book of Judges is the fact that Israel had no king and did whatever was right in their own eyes. That was especially true for Samson who originally took his first wife because she looked good to him. He had only been concerned with his wants and desires and did not consider God’s plan for his life.
Micah’s actions were very similar to Samson. He was concerned about his own desires and pleasures. So when he received money from his mother, his mother constructed idols and gods for him. He took the idols and set them up as his form of worship. He even went as far to hire his own priest to go along with his man-made (false) religion. What is sad is that it is obvious that he knew about the God of Israel for he fashioned his own religion off of some of the practices of Israel (like having a priest). But instead of worshipping the true God, he chose to worship a piece of metal. Then, when a Levite came through his town and stopped as his house, he convinced the Levite to become his priest. Again, he knew enough about Israelite worship to know that Levites were God’s priests. But instead of allowing the priest to aid him in worshipping the true God, he hired this priest for his own sinful purposes.
Of course, the priest is at fault in this story as well. He was obviously not committed to God or to his role as a priest of Israel. He went along with Micah and did just as Micah requested. He did not try to stop Micah for worshipping this false God. He did not decline the offer and move on to another city. Instead, he stayed in that city, stayed with Micah, and received payment from Micah to serve as a priest for this false god. The people of Israel were drifting away from God, and this story is probably just one example of the sin that was in Israel.
Many of us probably cannot relate to a story about a man who was obviously serving other gods. In our culture, most of us do not have little metal images sitting around our houses that we worship daily. However, that does not mean that we do not have idols. Maybe we do not worship idols in the way that Micah did, but that does not mean that false religions are not in our culture today. We have new idols in our lives: sports, TV, Internet, money, etc. They may not look the same as they did in the book of Judges, but this story is actually very representative of us today. At some point, we have all placed something in our life above God. Anything that is put above Him in our lives is an idol. So before we question whether this story can apply to our lives, we need to consider if there is anything that is standing between us and God. If we find some idol in our lives, then we must also be quick to repent and turn back to God.
Matt
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Judges 16
Judges 16
The great downfall of Samson and his great redemption are both found in Judges 16. Samson’s story has been one of ups and downs. It has been confusing at times, and sometimes it does not appear as if he truly wanted to follow God. The beginning of Judges 16 continues this downward spiral. The first few verses are probably forgotten with this chapter being the story of Delilah, but it begins with Samson going into the home of a prostitute. How could Samson make this foolish decision after seeing God at work in Judges 15? Well the answer is that he is human, just like the Israelites before him, and just like us. We are all prone to wander from God, even after we have seen Him work in some mighty way.
Samson’s story only gets worse as Delilah comes into the story. She had been bribed by the Philistines to find the source of Samson’s strength. They had taken notice to Samson’s incredible strength and the great things he had done for Israel. They were frightened by him and knew that the only way to deal with him was to remove his source of strength. Delilah accepted the bribe and went to Samson. Upon their first encounter, Samson refused to tell her his secret. Instead, he lied about it. Delilah took that information and went to the Philistines. When they came to deal with him in the same manner that he had told Delilah, you would think that would have clued him in about Delilah’s intentions. However, he did not catch on. This happened two other times, and both times, Samson lied to Delilah.
However, Samson eventually gave in. Although it should have been obvious as to what Delilah was up to, Samson let her get into his mind. He let her constant requests eventually break him down. He finally told her the real source of his strength, that being his hair. In a moment of weakness, he gave away his secret, but he also gave something else away. Not only did he end up losing his hair that had never been cut, but he also broke the vow that he had with God, the Nazirite Vow. Yes, his strength was in his hair, but more importantly, his strength came from God. In breaking his vow, he in effect drove God away from him. Part of the reason he lost his strength was because he did not have his hair, but the main reason he lost his strength was because God chose to remove His power from Samson.
So Samson lost his hair as well as God’s help. He was at the lowest point in his life that he had ever been. The Philistines gouged out his eyes and made him a prisoner. Then, they went to a celebration for their god and made Samson their source of entertainment. They brought him out in the midst of the 3,000 Philistines and mocked him. At his lowest point, Samson came to an understanding of his sin. He realized his mistakes and asked God to give him his strength back one last time. God granted his request, and Samson was able to bring the building down that the Philistines had strapped him to. In that one single blow, Samson killed 3,000 Philistines as well as himself. He sacrificed himself for the sake of his people. Earlier in Samson’s story it had seemed as if he was getting away with his sins and mistakes. He would mess up, and God would continue to work through him. It really did not seem fair, but God had given Samson a second chance. Samson did end up paying the consequences for his sins and mistakes in a series of harsh circumstances, but in the end he came back to God and was able to be the man God had called him to be.
Matt
The great downfall of Samson and his great redemption are both found in Judges 16. Samson’s story has been one of ups and downs. It has been confusing at times, and sometimes it does not appear as if he truly wanted to follow God. The beginning of Judges 16 continues this downward spiral. The first few verses are probably forgotten with this chapter being the story of Delilah, but it begins with Samson going into the home of a prostitute. How could Samson make this foolish decision after seeing God at work in Judges 15? Well the answer is that he is human, just like the Israelites before him, and just like us. We are all prone to wander from God, even after we have seen Him work in some mighty way.
Samson’s story only gets worse as Delilah comes into the story. She had been bribed by the Philistines to find the source of Samson’s strength. They had taken notice to Samson’s incredible strength and the great things he had done for Israel. They were frightened by him and knew that the only way to deal with him was to remove his source of strength. Delilah accepted the bribe and went to Samson. Upon their first encounter, Samson refused to tell her his secret. Instead, he lied about it. Delilah took that information and went to the Philistines. When they came to deal with him in the same manner that he had told Delilah, you would think that would have clued him in about Delilah’s intentions. However, he did not catch on. This happened two other times, and both times, Samson lied to Delilah.
However, Samson eventually gave in. Although it should have been obvious as to what Delilah was up to, Samson let her get into his mind. He let her constant requests eventually break him down. He finally told her the real source of his strength, that being his hair. In a moment of weakness, he gave away his secret, but he also gave something else away. Not only did he end up losing his hair that had never been cut, but he also broke the vow that he had with God, the Nazirite Vow. Yes, his strength was in his hair, but more importantly, his strength came from God. In breaking his vow, he in effect drove God away from him. Part of the reason he lost his strength was because he did not have his hair, but the main reason he lost his strength was because God chose to remove His power from Samson.
So Samson lost his hair as well as God’s help. He was at the lowest point in his life that he had ever been. The Philistines gouged out his eyes and made him a prisoner. Then, they went to a celebration for their god and made Samson their source of entertainment. They brought him out in the midst of the 3,000 Philistines and mocked him. At his lowest point, Samson came to an understanding of his sin. He realized his mistakes and asked God to give him his strength back one last time. God granted his request, and Samson was able to bring the building down that the Philistines had strapped him to. In that one single blow, Samson killed 3,000 Philistines as well as himself. He sacrificed himself for the sake of his people. Earlier in Samson’s story it had seemed as if he was getting away with his sins and mistakes. He would mess up, and God would continue to work through him. It really did not seem fair, but God had given Samson a second chance. Samson did end up paying the consequences for his sins and mistakes in a series of harsh circumstances, but in the end he came back to God and was able to be the man God had called him to be.
Matt
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Judges 15
Judges 15
As we have seen already, the story of Samson can be confusing. In one sense, he is a man of God who is on a specific mission for God. He had received a high calling from God to be a Nazirite and to eventually be Israel’s next judge. Despite his calling, Samson made a series of mistakes, yet his mistakes were not always obvious. At times, his mistakes began with good intentions, but he would misspeak or make one foolish decision. Ultimately, Samson was not holding up to his end of the vow that he had made with God. As a result, he would eventually have to suffer for those consequences. God still planned on using Samson, but that did not mean that Samson would get away with his sinful actions.
In Judges 15, Samson begins to try to redeem himself. His mistakes had led to him not having his wife any longer. His father-in-law took his wife away from him and gave her to another man because he did not think that Samson truly loved her. So Samson retaliated. After all, these were the Philistines that he was dealing with, the very people God was going to destroy in order to liberate Israel. Samson tied 150 pairs of foxes’ tails together (300 foxes) and set a torch on fire that was also tied to their tales. The foxes rushed into the city and destroyed it. When the people found out Samson had done this, they killed his wife and father-in-law, and Samson promised revenge.
Maybe Samson had made a mistake in his marriage at times, but ultimately his mistakes got him back on track. He was reminded of his mission and purpose, and his mind was once again set on destroying the Philistines. Many of us know what God has planned for us, but there are those times in which we get distracted from that mission. It is at those times in which we sometimes need something to grab our attention. We should learn from Samson that the most important place to be in life is at the center of God’s will. Life will be miserable when we are not. So when we find ourselves in places we know we should not be, we must get back into the Word, back into prayer, and back on mission for God.
Even when we are back where we should be, that does not mean that life will be easy. For Samson, once had he refocused on the mission he was called to, tragedy struck. His own people tied him up as an offering to the Philistines. The Israelites feared that the Philistines would punish them because of what Samson had done. So they were trying to get rid of Samson while they could. But once they had brought him to the Philistines, God worked through Samson again, giving him the strength to kill 1,000 men with the jawbone of a donkey. Samson was willing to let God use him again, and as a result, he was able to accomplish great things for God, even in the midst of the troubles of his life. This set Samson up as the next judge of Israel, and he did so for 20 years.
Matt
As we have seen already, the story of Samson can be confusing. In one sense, he is a man of God who is on a specific mission for God. He had received a high calling from God to be a Nazirite and to eventually be Israel’s next judge. Despite his calling, Samson made a series of mistakes, yet his mistakes were not always obvious. At times, his mistakes began with good intentions, but he would misspeak or make one foolish decision. Ultimately, Samson was not holding up to his end of the vow that he had made with God. As a result, he would eventually have to suffer for those consequences. God still planned on using Samson, but that did not mean that Samson would get away with his sinful actions.
In Judges 15, Samson begins to try to redeem himself. His mistakes had led to him not having his wife any longer. His father-in-law took his wife away from him and gave her to another man because he did not think that Samson truly loved her. So Samson retaliated. After all, these were the Philistines that he was dealing with, the very people God was going to destroy in order to liberate Israel. Samson tied 150 pairs of foxes’ tails together (300 foxes) and set a torch on fire that was also tied to their tales. The foxes rushed into the city and destroyed it. When the people found out Samson had done this, they killed his wife and father-in-law, and Samson promised revenge.
Maybe Samson had made a mistake in his marriage at times, but ultimately his mistakes got him back on track. He was reminded of his mission and purpose, and his mind was once again set on destroying the Philistines. Many of us know what God has planned for us, but there are those times in which we get distracted from that mission. It is at those times in which we sometimes need something to grab our attention. We should learn from Samson that the most important place to be in life is at the center of God’s will. Life will be miserable when we are not. So when we find ourselves in places we know we should not be, we must get back into the Word, back into prayer, and back on mission for God.
Even when we are back where we should be, that does not mean that life will be easy. For Samson, once had he refocused on the mission he was called to, tragedy struck. His own people tied him up as an offering to the Philistines. The Israelites feared that the Philistines would punish them because of what Samson had done. So they were trying to get rid of Samson while they could. But once they had brought him to the Philistines, God worked through Samson again, giving him the strength to kill 1,000 men with the jawbone of a donkey. Samson was willing to let God use him again, and as a result, he was able to accomplish great things for God, even in the midst of the troubles of his life. This set Samson up as the next judge of Israel, and he did so for 20 years.
Matt
Monday, October 11, 2010
Judges 14
Judges 14
Samson’s story begins with him searching for a wife. The Philistines were still ruling over Israel at this time, and Samson had not been set up as the new judge yet. But the problem that seems to arise in the opening verses of Judges 14 is that he is searching for a Philistine wife. Instead of finding someone from his own group of people, which is what his parents would have preferred, Samson sought for one from the Philistines. What his parents did not know was that this was the Lord’s plan. This arrangement would help Samson’s attempts to over throw the Philistines. But the reason this seems like such a problem I think comes from the way that Samson requested this woman. Instead of clarifying that this was from God, Samson told his father that he wanted her because “she was right in his eyes.” After what Manoah and his wife had been through prior to Samson’s birth, they would have more than likely believed that it was God’s plan if Samson had just old them that.
Samson’s questionable ways continue as he prepares to go and get his new wife. On the way it seems as if he is doing just as God would have him do for God gives him the strength to kill a lion that was about to attack. He killed the lion and saved his family. Then, on the way back home with his new wife, he scoops out some honey from the dead body of the lion (where some bees had been) and eats it. Furthermore, he gives some to his parents. There were laws in Israel about not touching dead bodies. So not only did Samson break this law, but he also tricked his parents into doing the same by not being straightforward with them. Of course, they did not question where Samson got the honey, but why would they think it came from somewhere that was considered unclean, especially after knowing what great plans God had for him?
Next, Samson wrote a riddle that explained what he had done, but he did not share the answer with anyone. This caused his wife’s people to become angry with him. They wanted to solve the riddle, and to do so, they manipulated his wife to manipulate him into giving them the answer so that they could receive his reward. Samson ended up telling his wife the answer, and she in turn told her people. They then went to Samson with the answer, and he was bound to do as he had promised. However, he refused to uphold his end of the deal because of the way in which they found out the answer. God gave him the strength to kill these men for their evil deeds.
The story of Samson and the story of his parents are rather confusing. Samson was supposed to be a man of God, the next judge of Israel. He was called to be a Nazirite but was not living up to that calling. He did things as he wanted them done and did not always consult God first. Yet when he was in times of trouble, God helped him out in order to protect him. Why would God help out someone who was trying to live their life on their own strength with what seemed to be not much concern for God? Furthermore, his father had struggled with his faith in Judges 13, questioning God’s promises, yet God still came through for him in allowing Samson to be born. Ultimately, God had bigger plans. He was not going to allow Manoah’s and Samson’s mistakes to mess up His plans. He was still going to deliver Israel from their enemies as He had promised, and He was still going to use Samson.
Yet even that seems unfair, would God not be rewarding Samson, even with Samson seeming to have no concern for Him? This question will be answered in the next two chapters, but for the time understand this: It may seem as if people get away with their sins at times. That does not mean that they will not endure consequences. God promises that there will be consequences for sins. Even if it seems unfair to us when we see people “getting off the hook,” we must continue to follow God’s commands. They will suffer the consequences eventually, and instead of worrying about what they are doing, we should be more concerned about our own obedience. Even more importantly, we should reach out to those people, and show them how God would have them live.
Matt
Samson’s story begins with him searching for a wife. The Philistines were still ruling over Israel at this time, and Samson had not been set up as the new judge yet. But the problem that seems to arise in the opening verses of Judges 14 is that he is searching for a Philistine wife. Instead of finding someone from his own group of people, which is what his parents would have preferred, Samson sought for one from the Philistines. What his parents did not know was that this was the Lord’s plan. This arrangement would help Samson’s attempts to over throw the Philistines. But the reason this seems like such a problem I think comes from the way that Samson requested this woman. Instead of clarifying that this was from God, Samson told his father that he wanted her because “she was right in his eyes.” After what Manoah and his wife had been through prior to Samson’s birth, they would have more than likely believed that it was God’s plan if Samson had just old them that.
Samson’s questionable ways continue as he prepares to go and get his new wife. On the way it seems as if he is doing just as God would have him do for God gives him the strength to kill a lion that was about to attack. He killed the lion and saved his family. Then, on the way back home with his new wife, he scoops out some honey from the dead body of the lion (where some bees had been) and eats it. Furthermore, he gives some to his parents. There were laws in Israel about not touching dead bodies. So not only did Samson break this law, but he also tricked his parents into doing the same by not being straightforward with them. Of course, they did not question where Samson got the honey, but why would they think it came from somewhere that was considered unclean, especially after knowing what great plans God had for him?
Next, Samson wrote a riddle that explained what he had done, but he did not share the answer with anyone. This caused his wife’s people to become angry with him. They wanted to solve the riddle, and to do so, they manipulated his wife to manipulate him into giving them the answer so that they could receive his reward. Samson ended up telling his wife the answer, and she in turn told her people. They then went to Samson with the answer, and he was bound to do as he had promised. However, he refused to uphold his end of the deal because of the way in which they found out the answer. God gave him the strength to kill these men for their evil deeds.
The story of Samson and the story of his parents are rather confusing. Samson was supposed to be a man of God, the next judge of Israel. He was called to be a Nazirite but was not living up to that calling. He did things as he wanted them done and did not always consult God first. Yet when he was in times of trouble, God helped him out in order to protect him. Why would God help out someone who was trying to live their life on their own strength with what seemed to be not much concern for God? Furthermore, his father had struggled with his faith in Judges 13, questioning God’s promises, yet God still came through for him in allowing Samson to be born. Ultimately, God had bigger plans. He was not going to allow Manoah’s and Samson’s mistakes to mess up His plans. He was still going to deliver Israel from their enemies as He had promised, and He was still going to use Samson.
Yet even that seems unfair, would God not be rewarding Samson, even with Samson seeming to have no concern for Him? This question will be answered in the next two chapters, but for the time understand this: It may seem as if people get away with their sins at times. That does not mean that they will not endure consequences. God promises that there will be consequences for sins. Even if it seems unfair to us when we see people “getting off the hook,” we must continue to follow God’s commands. They will suffer the consequences eventually, and instead of worrying about what they are doing, we should be more concerned about our own obedience. Even more importantly, we should reach out to those people, and show them how God would have them live.
Matt
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Judges 13
Judges 13
Israel endured one of the hardest times in their nation’s history up to this point under the Ammonites. The time leading up to Jephthah’s reign was a dark period in their history, for God had declared that He was not going to help them overcome their enemies any longer. After Jephthah’s intervention, and a period of more than 25 years of peace, you would think that Israel would stay on track. But we have to remember that more than likely this was a new generation in Judges 13. Some of the men might have remembered the days of Jephthah and the judges that followed, but there were probably many new Israelites at this point. They turned away from the Lord, and entered into another incredibly dark point of history. For another 40 years, Israel endured hardships under the hands of the Philistines.
Even in the midst of their struggles, God was at work yet again. He was preparing to deliver Israel from the hands of their enemies. But after all they had done, why would God deliver them? He was not planning on delivering them because of them. After the way they had treated Him, how could He reward them by rescuing them from their afflictions? As God always does, He was doing it for His glory. Every time God rescued Israel or protected one of His children, He was the one who received the glory. We must be careful to remember this today as well. It is easy to take the glory for something that God accomplishes through us. When we have great success, our human nature wants to seek the fame and honor for it. We must be careful to give that to God, for He is the only one who deserves the glory.
God’s plan this time was to raise up another judge, one who would be a Nazirite, a holy man. He went to Manoah and his wife, sending an angel to Manoah’s wife to tell her of the son she was about to have. He warned her to be careful what she drink and how she lived during this time so that the baby would be pure. Then, once the young boy was born, she was to follow a specific set of instructions for he was to be a Nazirite. She accepted all the angel told her by faith, but when she told her husband, it seems as if he had some doubts. He seemed to believe his wife, but he wanted to speak to the angel himself, and he wanted further instructions. Instead of believing his wife and following the instructions they had, he asked for more. God agreed and sent the angel again, and this time they both heard the instructions, but the angel did not tell them anything new.
Manoah then decided to honor this man and thank him for the message, but it almost appeared as if Manoah was close to worshipping this angel (although he did not know it was an angel). Before he went too far, the angel warned him not to do so and encouraged him to give a sacrifice to God instead. Manoah did as he was told and thanked God for the message and promise that they had received. It became clear to them that this man was truly an angel sent by God, and Manoah and his wife worshipped God. But after seeing the angel return to Heaven in the midst of the burnt offering, Manoah feared for his life, fearing that he had seen God. He told his wife that they would surely die. Again, Manoah did not completely understand everything. If he died, how would God’s promises come true? His wife assured him that they would be alright for they had just been told that they would soon have a son. God fulfilled His promise and gave them Samson some time later.
It is easy to beat up on Manoah in this passage, but I wonder how I would have reacted to such an extraordinary situation. Manoah’s biggest problem, however, was a lack of faith. He wanted to believe what his wife had told him, but by calling for the angel again, he showed that he was not fully convinced. Then in the end when he was fearing for his life, it seemed as if he had forgotten the promise that had just been made to him. When God makes a promise, He keeps it! We never have to wonder if God is going to do all that He says He will. We can trust that God will never lie to us and will always be there for us. It is easy to lose faith, and we will probably find ourselves in Manoah’s position at some point in our lives (and many of us have probably already done so). In those moments, we must learn to trust God.
Matt
Israel endured one of the hardest times in their nation’s history up to this point under the Ammonites. The time leading up to Jephthah’s reign was a dark period in their history, for God had declared that He was not going to help them overcome their enemies any longer. After Jephthah’s intervention, and a period of more than 25 years of peace, you would think that Israel would stay on track. But we have to remember that more than likely this was a new generation in Judges 13. Some of the men might have remembered the days of Jephthah and the judges that followed, but there were probably many new Israelites at this point. They turned away from the Lord, and entered into another incredibly dark point of history. For another 40 years, Israel endured hardships under the hands of the Philistines.
Even in the midst of their struggles, God was at work yet again. He was preparing to deliver Israel from the hands of their enemies. But after all they had done, why would God deliver them? He was not planning on delivering them because of them. After the way they had treated Him, how could He reward them by rescuing them from their afflictions? As God always does, He was doing it for His glory. Every time God rescued Israel or protected one of His children, He was the one who received the glory. We must be careful to remember this today as well. It is easy to take the glory for something that God accomplishes through us. When we have great success, our human nature wants to seek the fame and honor for it. We must be careful to give that to God, for He is the only one who deserves the glory.
God’s plan this time was to raise up another judge, one who would be a Nazirite, a holy man. He went to Manoah and his wife, sending an angel to Manoah’s wife to tell her of the son she was about to have. He warned her to be careful what she drink and how she lived during this time so that the baby would be pure. Then, once the young boy was born, she was to follow a specific set of instructions for he was to be a Nazirite. She accepted all the angel told her by faith, but when she told her husband, it seems as if he had some doubts. He seemed to believe his wife, but he wanted to speak to the angel himself, and he wanted further instructions. Instead of believing his wife and following the instructions they had, he asked for more. God agreed and sent the angel again, and this time they both heard the instructions, but the angel did not tell them anything new.
Manoah then decided to honor this man and thank him for the message, but it almost appeared as if Manoah was close to worshipping this angel (although he did not know it was an angel). Before he went too far, the angel warned him not to do so and encouraged him to give a sacrifice to God instead. Manoah did as he was told and thanked God for the message and promise that they had received. It became clear to them that this man was truly an angel sent by God, and Manoah and his wife worshipped God. But after seeing the angel return to Heaven in the midst of the burnt offering, Manoah feared for his life, fearing that he had seen God. He told his wife that they would surely die. Again, Manoah did not completely understand everything. If he died, how would God’s promises come true? His wife assured him that they would be alright for they had just been told that they would soon have a son. God fulfilled His promise and gave them Samson some time later.
It is easy to beat up on Manoah in this passage, but I wonder how I would have reacted to such an extraordinary situation. Manoah’s biggest problem, however, was a lack of faith. He wanted to believe what his wife had told him, but by calling for the angel again, he showed that he was not fully convinced. Then in the end when he was fearing for his life, it seemed as if he had forgotten the promise that had just been made to him. When God makes a promise, He keeps it! We never have to wonder if God is going to do all that He says He will. We can trust that God will never lie to us and will always be there for us. It is easy to lose faith, and we will probably find ourselves in Manoah’s position at some point in our lives (and many of us have probably already done so). In those moments, we must learn to trust God.
Matt
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Judges 11:29-12:15
Judges 11:29-12:15
Jephthah showed great faith in God as the battle drew near, but before the battle, he made a tragic vow to God. Instead of leaving the decision up to God, which he had told the Gileadites he was going to do, he made a deal with God. He showed greater faith in God before he made the vow, for he was basically saying that whatever happened would be God’s will, and that is where he wanted to be. Being outside of God’s will was not the place to be. So if God chose to protect Gilead (and thus Israel), then he would be happy. If the opposite happened, he would also understand and be willing to accept God’s plans. I am not sure why Jephthah’s faith changed. Maybe he grew fearful as the battle drew near. Whatever the reason, the vow he made cost him greatly in the end. God granted him victory in the upcoming battle, but as a result he was committed to sacrificing whatever came out of his house when he arrived home after the battle.
After the battle, which did end up in victory, Jephthah met his daughter who was thrilled to know that they had won the battle. Amidst her happiness, Jephthah mourned. He realized that he had made a foolish vow, and he had to explain his foolish decision to his daughter. This is such a hard passage to understand. Gilead and Israel earned the victory and were protected by God again, and it is great to see His provision. However, to know that it came at the expense of Jephthah’s daughter is tragic. Furthermore, it does seem as if Jephthah lost his faith in God’s protection. After leaving the decision to God and admitting to being content with whatever God would decide, this vow is tragic not only because he lost his daughter, but also because he lost his faith in God. The battle might have ended badly, but even in those hard times of life, we must understand that God is still in control. He still has a plan, and as His children we must continue to trust Him no matter what happens to us in this life.
Jephthah had to sacrifice his daughter, but that only showed his commitment to God. It was a tragic mistake, but he went through with his vow knowing that he could not break his promise to God. After seeing the protection God gave him, even in the midst of his fallen nature, he became even more committed to God. He also became the next judge in Israel, judging for six years. During that time he had a disagreement with the tribe of Ephraim. Ephraim had not come to help him in battle when he asked for it, and now that he had power over the Ammonites, the Ephraimites were jealous. They fought against Jephthah, and Jephthah overcame them.
After his reign over Israel, three other judges arose. First, Ibzan judged Israel for seven years. After him, Elon judged Israel for ten years. Finally, Abdon judged Israel for eight years. Not much is known about these three men other than where they were from and where they died. The text also does not say whether Israel had times of disobedience between these judges or not. Knowing the cycle that Israel has gone through throughout the entire book of Judges, it would appear as if they did, but since the text does not say that, we cannot assume it either. It is possible that these 25 years was a string of peace under the rule of these three judges and the Israelites followed God that entire time.
Matt
Jephthah showed great faith in God as the battle drew near, but before the battle, he made a tragic vow to God. Instead of leaving the decision up to God, which he had told the Gileadites he was going to do, he made a deal with God. He showed greater faith in God before he made the vow, for he was basically saying that whatever happened would be God’s will, and that is where he wanted to be. Being outside of God’s will was not the place to be. So if God chose to protect Gilead (and thus Israel), then he would be happy. If the opposite happened, he would also understand and be willing to accept God’s plans. I am not sure why Jephthah’s faith changed. Maybe he grew fearful as the battle drew near. Whatever the reason, the vow he made cost him greatly in the end. God granted him victory in the upcoming battle, but as a result he was committed to sacrificing whatever came out of his house when he arrived home after the battle.
After the battle, which did end up in victory, Jephthah met his daughter who was thrilled to know that they had won the battle. Amidst her happiness, Jephthah mourned. He realized that he had made a foolish vow, and he had to explain his foolish decision to his daughter. This is such a hard passage to understand. Gilead and Israel earned the victory and were protected by God again, and it is great to see His provision. However, to know that it came at the expense of Jephthah’s daughter is tragic. Furthermore, it does seem as if Jephthah lost his faith in God’s protection. After leaving the decision to God and admitting to being content with whatever God would decide, this vow is tragic not only because he lost his daughter, but also because he lost his faith in God. The battle might have ended badly, but even in those hard times of life, we must understand that God is still in control. He still has a plan, and as His children we must continue to trust Him no matter what happens to us in this life.
Jephthah had to sacrifice his daughter, but that only showed his commitment to God. It was a tragic mistake, but he went through with his vow knowing that he could not break his promise to God. After seeing the protection God gave him, even in the midst of his fallen nature, he became even more committed to God. He also became the next judge in Israel, judging for six years. During that time he had a disagreement with the tribe of Ephraim. Ephraim had not come to help him in battle when he asked for it, and now that he had power over the Ammonites, the Ephraimites were jealous. They fought against Jephthah, and Jephthah overcame them.
After his reign over Israel, three other judges arose. First, Ibzan judged Israel for seven years. After him, Elon judged Israel for ten years. Finally, Abdon judged Israel for eight years. Not much is known about these three men other than where they were from and where they died. The text also does not say whether Israel had times of disobedience between these judges or not. Knowing the cycle that Israel has gone through throughout the entire book of Judges, it would appear as if they did, but since the text does not say that, we cannot assume it either. It is possible that these 25 years was a string of peace under the rule of these three judges and the Israelites followed God that entire time.
Matt
Friday, October 8, 2010
Judges 10:1-11:28
Judges 10:1-11:28
Two more judges arose at the beginning of Judges 10, ruling for a total of 50 years. This was another great time for Israel, but as always, once both Tola and Jair were gone, Israel went back to its wicked ways. For 18 years, several nations surrounding Israel, including the Philistines, enslaved the Israelites. They were overtaken by these foreign nations and endured significant punishment. Israel again realized their mistakes and cried out to God. As often as this happens in their history, it almost becomes frustrating. It seems as if they only cry out to God for deliverance, and I sometimes wonder if they are truly repentant. The text is clear in Judges 10 that Israel recognized their sin and chose to turn away from it and turn back to God. That is crucial! We might admit that we have done something wrong, and we might tell people we are sorry for doing it. But how many times do we sorry without actually meaning it? Repentance is much bigger than just saying “sorry” to someone. Repentance is choosing to turn away from that sin for good. For Israel that meant turning away from all the false gods that they had been worshipping.
Repentance for us could be a variety of things. We all struggle with something specific at some point in our lives, and we have to decide whether we are going to continue to live in that sin or turn back to God. Saying sorry is not good enough. Also, we cannot turn back to that sin days later. Now you might be tempted to think that that is exactly what Israel did, and that is what Judges shows; however, we must understand the timeline of Judges. Judges spans hundreds of years. These judges reign from 20-50 years a piece, and there are significant time gaps between each judges’ reign. So although it is possible that some of the same people turned back to the false gods later in their life, it was more than likely a newer generation. Just as Moses’ generation decided to turn away from God and the next generation chose to follow Him, this generational shift could have been happening in the book of Judges as well. Now while that does not excuse the nation’s actions as a whole, it does show that there were changes in the lives of the individual people. That change is what should happen in our lives as well when we repent of our sins. Repentance is turning away and not turning back.
Sadly, there comes a time when God chooses to give people over to their sin. For Israel, that time had arrived. He had told Moses and Joshua that if Israel turned away from Him and continuously lived in their sin, He would eventually give them over to their sin and turn His back. By the end of Judges 10, Israel found themselves in that position. Although they were seeking after Him again, their continual disobedience had angered God. He did not promise them victory in the battles ahead.
In Judges 11 Jephthah comes on the scene, but not as a judge of Israel. Jephthah was a Gileadite who had been disowned. He was the son of Gilead, but by another woman, and Gilead chose to get rid of Jephthah, not allowing him to have any part of the land. Yet when Gilead found themselves under attack from the Ammonites (the same group of people who was attacking Israel at the time), they rushed to Jephthah for help. Obviously, he wanted no part in it after the way they had treated him, but he saw that they needed help. He agreed to help them on one condition: that if God allowed them to win the battle, they appoint him as their leader. Notice though that he was saying from the start that he was not expecting to get the victory himself; instead, it would come from God. He showed more faith in God at the time than Israel did, and he was not even an Israelite. He soon found out from the Ammonites that they were attacking Gilead because they believed it belonged to them (it was part of the land Israel had conquered under Moses on their way to the Promised Land). Gideon responded by saying that their problems with Israel had nothing to do with Gilead. They had no reason to start a war against Gilead for their disagreements were with Israel. Gilead did not pursue the battle either; instead, he left the results up to God. He knew that God had a plan, and He was willing to wait and see if God had chosen to give them the victory or not.
Matt
Two more judges arose at the beginning of Judges 10, ruling for a total of 50 years. This was another great time for Israel, but as always, once both Tola and Jair were gone, Israel went back to its wicked ways. For 18 years, several nations surrounding Israel, including the Philistines, enslaved the Israelites. They were overtaken by these foreign nations and endured significant punishment. Israel again realized their mistakes and cried out to God. As often as this happens in their history, it almost becomes frustrating. It seems as if they only cry out to God for deliverance, and I sometimes wonder if they are truly repentant. The text is clear in Judges 10 that Israel recognized their sin and chose to turn away from it and turn back to God. That is crucial! We might admit that we have done something wrong, and we might tell people we are sorry for doing it. But how many times do we sorry without actually meaning it? Repentance is much bigger than just saying “sorry” to someone. Repentance is choosing to turn away from that sin for good. For Israel that meant turning away from all the false gods that they had been worshipping.
Repentance for us could be a variety of things. We all struggle with something specific at some point in our lives, and we have to decide whether we are going to continue to live in that sin or turn back to God. Saying sorry is not good enough. Also, we cannot turn back to that sin days later. Now you might be tempted to think that that is exactly what Israel did, and that is what Judges shows; however, we must understand the timeline of Judges. Judges spans hundreds of years. These judges reign from 20-50 years a piece, and there are significant time gaps between each judges’ reign. So although it is possible that some of the same people turned back to the false gods later in their life, it was more than likely a newer generation. Just as Moses’ generation decided to turn away from God and the next generation chose to follow Him, this generational shift could have been happening in the book of Judges as well. Now while that does not excuse the nation’s actions as a whole, it does show that there were changes in the lives of the individual people. That change is what should happen in our lives as well when we repent of our sins. Repentance is turning away and not turning back.
Sadly, there comes a time when God chooses to give people over to their sin. For Israel, that time had arrived. He had told Moses and Joshua that if Israel turned away from Him and continuously lived in their sin, He would eventually give them over to their sin and turn His back. By the end of Judges 10, Israel found themselves in that position. Although they were seeking after Him again, their continual disobedience had angered God. He did not promise them victory in the battles ahead.
In Judges 11 Jephthah comes on the scene, but not as a judge of Israel. Jephthah was a Gileadite who had been disowned. He was the son of Gilead, but by another woman, and Gilead chose to get rid of Jephthah, not allowing him to have any part of the land. Yet when Gilead found themselves under attack from the Ammonites (the same group of people who was attacking Israel at the time), they rushed to Jephthah for help. Obviously, he wanted no part in it after the way they had treated him, but he saw that they needed help. He agreed to help them on one condition: that if God allowed them to win the battle, they appoint him as their leader. Notice though that he was saying from the start that he was not expecting to get the victory himself; instead, it would come from God. He showed more faith in God at the time than Israel did, and he was not even an Israelite. He soon found out from the Ammonites that they were attacking Gilead because they believed it belonged to them (it was part of the land Israel had conquered under Moses on their way to the Promised Land). Gideon responded by saying that their problems with Israel had nothing to do with Gilead. They had no reason to start a war against Gilead for their disagreements were with Israel. Gilead did not pursue the battle either; instead, he left the results up to God. He knew that God had a plan, and He was willing to wait and see if God had chosen to give them the victory or not.
Matt
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