We’ve begun 1 Samuel and today we read about how Israel wanted a king to be placed over them instead of following the judges that God had been using.  In the book of Judges we read this refrain, which was constantly repeated as the theme of the book:

“In those days there was no king in Israel.  Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”  – Judges 21:25

Many take this to mean that the author of Judges was suggesting that Israel needed a king.  However this is not the case as we saw today in 1 Samuel chapter 8.  When Israel requests that a king be placed over them they did so because they wanted to be like all the nations surrounding them (1 Sam. 8:5), and God says their requests reveals that they have rejected him as their King and Lord (1 Sam. 8:7).  So it was never God’s desire that they should reject him as king and have a man be their king in his place.

One very important lesson we learn from this is that “friendship with the world is enmity toward God.” (James 4:4)  The Israelites wanted to be like the world… like the nations around them.  But God wanted them to be holy, separate from other nations.  God wanted them to be different.  And he calls us to be the same.  If we see the world and desire to conform ourselves to it we’re in direct disobedience to God’s word (See Rom. 12:2).  We cannot run after the things of the world and at the same time be devoted to God.  The two don’t mix.  Becoming like the world means rejecting God as our King and Lord.

Today we finished Joshua in our trek through the Old Testament in 2012.  If you’ve kept up thus far, congratulations!  Take time to thank the Lord for helping you through this; and ask him to help you finish the entire year!  If you haven’t read through the entire Old Testament before, I promise it will be worth every second!

I’m not sure how many people are still following this blog (even if none are I’m learning a lot just doing it), but I’d like you to know that I’m always available and willing to answer any questions you might have.  A link to my e-mail address is below and I’d love to dialogue with you about anything you might not understand or something that you’d simply like to talk about that you’ve read.  Even if it’s a question about the Bible but not about the book we’re currently in, I’d love to help!  And even if I don’t know the answer, I’ll sure have fun researching it and learning something new to help you find it!

john@owensborochurchofchrist.com

Today we read one of the weirdest and most tragic stories you’ll ever read in the Bible – Jephthah’s vow to to the Lord in Judges 11:29-40.

Jephthah tells God that if God will give him victory in the upcoming battle, when he comes home whatever comes out of his house doors to meet him he will sacrifice to the Lord.  This is the weird part.  Did he actually expect an animal to come out to greet him and not his only daughter?

But the tragic part is, as he returns from battle, his only daughter comes out of the house greeting him with dancing and music for his victory.

Here’s why I thought it would be important to comment on this story.  The narrator in the book of Judges doesn’t comment on Jephthah’s actions… so many people assume they were honorable and pleasing to God.  He keeps his vow to the Lord, even though it was very hard for him to do.  He sacrifices his own daughter for God.

But remember the difference between prescriptive and descriptive texts.  This is a descriptive text in which the author simply describes what happened without making any comments on the morality of the situation.

So don’t think for a second that Jephthah’s actions were pleasing to God.  First of all, he tried to barter with God, which we should never do.  He tells God… If you bless me I’ll make a sacrifice to you.  That’s like someone who’s in a bind saying… God, if you get me out of this I promise I’ll follow you for the rest of my life!  Those are empty vows that should never be made.  They’re selfish and are not based on true devotion to the Lord.  We should follow God for who he is, because he deserves it!  Not because he blesses us.

Second, Jephthah, upon returning, should never have killed his daughter.  God would never want us to sacrifice a person (especially our own child) in worship of him.  That’s what the pagan nations used to do in worship of false gods and God hated it (see Lev. 20:1-5).  Jephthah could have paid 20 shekels to the priest to release his daughter from the vow (see Lev. 27:1-8), but he went ahead and killed her anyway.  This was evil resulting from a foolish vow.

So remember, just because the Bible shows someone doing something and doesn’t say it’s wrong, it doesn’t mean they’re right.

And remember too, God deserves worship and devotion simply because of who he is!  We do not come to God with ultimatums saying we’ll worship if he blesses us.  We worship no matter what circumstances we’re in because he is God!

Today we read that God called Gideon to lead the people in conquering the Midianites.  God was very clear in his call to Gideon, yet Gideon was hesitant to trust God.

In Judges 6:36-40 we read of a quite famous story where Gideon tests the Lord to try and confirm that He will truly be with Gideon.  He first asks God to cover a fleece with dew while the surrounding grass is dry.  God obliges him.  But that’s not enough for Gideon.  He next asks God to do the opposite – wet the grass but not the fleece.  God again obliges.

This is not an example for us to follow in discerning the will of God.  If you try this I predict you’ll be thoroughly disappointed.  Rather this is yet another instance of God showing someone his grace and mercy and favor in spite of their sin and unbelief.  Gideon is testing the Lord, which is sin (see Deut. 6:16).  He’s not trusting in God’s word but looking for physical signs to confirm that God will follow through on his word.  He’s lacking in faith.  Yet God has a plan to defeat the Midianites and to use Gideon as his man to do it, so God encourages Gideon in spite of the fact that he is in sin.

How many times in our lives has God responded to our sin and our lack of faith with blessings, favor, and goodness toward us?  How many times has God given us encouragement when we actually deserved punishment?

This is a constant theme in Judges, and throughout the whole Bible.  In spite of our sin (or the sin of Gideon, or the sin of the Israelites) God remains faithful to his people and true to his word.  God’s grace brings goodness and blessings in spite of our sin and in spite of the fact that we deserve punishment and death.  What a gracious and good God we serve!

“He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”  - Psalm 103:10

Today in our trek through the Old Testament in 2012 we finished the book of Joshua.  How have you been doing?  Now’s another great time to analyze your commitment/pace/schedule/etc.  It’s very encouraging to me that it’s already April and we’ve finished six of the largest books of the Bible already.  God has also been teaching me a lot and helping me grow in my relationship with him!

Today we ran across one of the most famous verses in the Bible.  Joshua is getting old and he knows he will die soon so he calls all the leaders of Israel together to give them one last speech – a sort of what-to-remember-when-I’m-gone speech.  He’s very blunt and honest with them and he tells them that they may feel like following the Lord is wrong, and in that case they’re going to have to choose what “gods” to follow.  And then he says the verse we’ve all seen cross-stitched and framed on our grandmother’s wall:

“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  – Joshua 24:15

It’s important that we remember the context of this statement.  We’ve seen it so many times out of context, and probably have memorized it, but it’s very important to remember the way it was intended to be communicated.

Joshua, as the oldest male, was the head of his household.  He made the decisions as to how they were going to live.  It was very much a dictatorship back then.  Younger children and family members didn’t have a choice in these matters.  When the head was a righteous man this was a very good thing though!  Joshua takes control and says, It doesn’t matter what everyone else is doing, my family is going to serve the LORD!

As a husband and a father myself, God has called me to be the head of my household.  And this stand that Joshua takes teaches me that I need to stand up and make the right decisions for my family.  I need to plot out our course and then lead them in that direction… sacrificially, lovingly, and selflessly.  Husbands and fathers are first and foremost the ones responsible for making sure their families know and follow God.  Husbands are responsible for cultivating the faith of their wives and helping them to mature (See Eph. 5:22 and following).  Fathers are responsible (even before mothers!) for teaching their children about God and his word.

Joshua wasn’t passive as so many husbands and fathers are.  He was proactive in setting the course for his family.  He didn’t wait for mom to do the spiritual stuff for the family while he went out and made sure they had enough to eat.  He took the responsibility God gave him.  Husbands and fathers today need to step up and do the same.