Posts
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
the other resolution
The problem with falling behind is that it becomes routine. I let to much take my attention and fall behind on everything. I also neglect my goals. Not enough water, to much junk food, to many skipped meals, missing exercise all the result of not keeping priorities. I've allowed my blog to fall behind and failed to pursue my weight goals. I could list a number of things that took my time but the fact is I just let them interfere with priorities and neglected the things that need attention. I am weighing in at 233.6# this week and I'm already late for delivering my posts for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. I will probably be late with Wednesday as well since I have a meeting in about an hour.
Weekly Assignment
Monday: First Samuel 29-31
Tuesday: Second Samuel 1-3
Wednesday: Second Samuel 4-7
Thursday: Second Samuel 8-11
Friday: Second Samuel 12-14
Saturday: Second Samuel 15-16
Sunday: Second Samuel 17-19
I've fallen behind once again and with preparations to make for Palm Sunday, Easter Sunrise and Easter morning services I'm going to be a little slow catching up so here are the Assignments until I catch back up to you.
Tuesday: Second Samuel 1-3
Wednesday: Second Samuel 4-7
Thursday: Second Samuel 8-11
Friday: Second Samuel 12-14
Saturday: Second Samuel 15-16
Sunday: Second Samuel 17-19
I've fallen behind once again and with preparations to make for Palm Sunday, Easter Sunrise and Easter morning services I'm going to be a little slow catching up so here are the Assignments until I catch back up to you.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
First Samuel 22-24
God’s message to me: God’s will is knowable. Use good sense, search the scriptures, listen for His voice, test the spirits, lay a fleece before the Lord... If nothing else, and done prayerfully and honestly, flip a coin. God will give you the right answer if you seek it.
Promises: God will not steer you wrong. When the last of the priests family came to David and reported Saul’s murder of the rest, he came with an Ephod. The Ephod was the ceremonial breastplate and pouch worn by the priest and contained the Urim and Thummin. This was a way of learning God’s answer to questions. A look at the answers gained in this seems to imply it was a simple yes or know type of system like flipping a coin or picking one of 2 different colored stones. David took advantage of this to inquire of the Lord when he made big decisions that could get him and his men hurt or killed.
By seeking God’s will in these decisions David was successful in his choices and protected his men.
Commands: Always seek God’s will in your decisions. The decision to stop at a red light or to eat dinner, lock your door on the way out, etc. is simply a matter of good sense. God gave you a mind and common sense and rules to follow so that you would know what to do in everyday matters. When a matter goes outside the everyday he gave instruction and example of how to seek his will so that you remain within it.
Timeless principles: Even when the world seems to be against you, it is good to look out for others. The city of Keilah was under attack by the Philistines. David and his men had no reason to interfere and every reason to remain in hiding but, David saw the opportunity to help people in distress and, after making sure God approved, he went to fight in the city’s defense. Not only did he win but he grew his army by 50%.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Learn to seek God’s guidance in all things and trust Him to provide the best route.
more to learn for in-depth study: By this point Saul has completely lost his mind. Convinced that there is a conspiracy with everyone against him he threatens his own men and kills the priests and all who live in their city for helping David. David, has never been anything but loyal to the king and has done everything to help Saul. The priests knew this and assumed he was continuing to do so when the met him.
Saul’s men knew not to turn against God’s priests but Doeg, who had been there when David was at the tabernacle, killed the priests on command. Whether it was loyalty, willing murder or fear that he would be the next target for not mentioning seeing David earlier, Doeg was now conspiring with the lunatic king in homicide.
In the meantime, David was attracting an army. 400 disaffected, endangered and indebted men had gathered with him in hiding and he became their commander. When the city of Keilah was under attack by the Philistines, David took his men to battle to protect the city. The men were afraid but trusted David who had inquired of God before moving to fight. The won the fight and when it was over and the men set out for new hiding David’s army was up to 600 men.
Saul continued to pursue David but the Lord would not let the king catch him. Jonathan encouraged David, the Lord guided him, spies and friends warned him of danger and God distracted the king when he got to close. Finally, David got the big chance. Saul went, alone, into the cave where David and his men were hiding. While Saul attended to (ahem) personal business, David had the chance to kill him. David cut the corner of Saul’s robe off without Saul noticing.
I can’t say I would have been so restrained. In my mind, if someone tries to kill you every time you meet, it’s a good idea to eliminate them the first chance you get. Saul had been anointed by God to be king and, while the Lord had taken that blessing and the right to be king away from him, David would not act against the one God had appointed as his ruler. God had appointed him and God would have to remove him. That was David’s view of the matter.
tomorrow: First Samuel 25-28
Promises: God will not steer you wrong. When the last of the priests family came to David and reported Saul’s murder of the rest, he came with an Ephod. The Ephod was the ceremonial breastplate and pouch worn by the priest and contained the Urim and Thummin. This was a way of learning God’s answer to questions. A look at the answers gained in this seems to imply it was a simple yes or know type of system like flipping a coin or picking one of 2 different colored stones. David took advantage of this to inquire of the Lord when he made big decisions that could get him and his men hurt or killed.
By seeking God’s will in these decisions David was successful in his choices and protected his men.
Commands: Always seek God’s will in your decisions. The decision to stop at a red light or to eat dinner, lock your door on the way out, etc. is simply a matter of good sense. God gave you a mind and common sense and rules to follow so that you would know what to do in everyday matters. When a matter goes outside the everyday he gave instruction and example of how to seek his will so that you remain within it.
Timeless principles: Even when the world seems to be against you, it is good to look out for others. The city of Keilah was under attack by the Philistines. David and his men had no reason to interfere and every reason to remain in hiding but, David saw the opportunity to help people in distress and, after making sure God approved, he went to fight in the city’s defense. Not only did he win but he grew his army by 50%.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Learn to seek God’s guidance in all things and trust Him to provide the best route.
more to learn for in-depth study: By this point Saul has completely lost his mind. Convinced that there is a conspiracy with everyone against him he threatens his own men and kills the priests and all who live in their city for helping David. David, has never been anything but loyal to the king and has done everything to help Saul. The priests knew this and assumed he was continuing to do so when the met him.
Saul’s men knew not to turn against God’s priests but Doeg, who had been there when David was at the tabernacle, killed the priests on command. Whether it was loyalty, willing murder or fear that he would be the next target for not mentioning seeing David earlier, Doeg was now conspiring with the lunatic king in homicide.
In the meantime, David was attracting an army. 400 disaffected, endangered and indebted men had gathered with him in hiding and he became their commander. When the city of Keilah was under attack by the Philistines, David took his men to battle to protect the city. The men were afraid but trusted David who had inquired of God before moving to fight. The won the fight and when it was over and the men set out for new hiding David’s army was up to 600 men.
Saul continued to pursue David but the Lord would not let the king catch him. Jonathan encouraged David, the Lord guided him, spies and friends warned him of danger and God distracted the king when he got to close. Finally, David got the big chance. Saul went, alone, into the cave where David and his men were hiding. While Saul attended to (ahem) personal business, David had the chance to kill him. David cut the corner of Saul’s robe off without Saul noticing.
I can’t say I would have been so restrained. In my mind, if someone tries to kill you every time you meet, it’s a good idea to eliminate them the first chance you get. Saul had been anointed by God to be king and, while the Lord had taken that blessing and the right to be king away from him, David would not act against the one God had appointed as his ruler. God had appointed him and God would have to remove him. That was David’s view of the matter.
tomorrow: First Samuel 25-28
Friday, March 27, 2009
First Samuel 19-21
God’s message to me: Being chosen of God and serving God does not mean your life will be easy. In point of fact it may make you a target. God can and will protect you from His enemies and use you through adversity if you only continue to do what is right. When your enemies break every rule in the book to get at you, sticking to the rulebook yourself is often the best way to overcome them and win the hearts of those who matter.
Promises: God will provide your needs. When David arrived at the Tabernacle, he needed food and a weapon. The only food available was the show bread which was placed before God and not to be eaten by those outside the priesthood. The priest provided it to him and his men anyway. He also found that the sword of Goliath was kept at the temple. Not exactly a logical place to find it but God certainly placed it where David would find it when he needed it.
Commands: Asking is the best way to find and get what you need and want. God can protect you in battle and out. Running is sometimes the best way to survive. Following David’s activities you can see that God has no problem with people avoiding danger or arming themselves to face it. Remember, God called David a man after His own heart.
Timeless principles: God can reveal the secrets and conspiracies to those who do not see them. David set a simple test which Saul could easily pass. All the king had to do was play along with Jonathan’s deception and wait for David to return but he got so mad that he actually tried to kill Jonathan. Up to that point Jonathan believed David was being paranoid and the king wouldn’t hurt him. After that Jonathan had no doubt his father was out to kill his best friend.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Do the right thing even when it is difficult. Fear is not a sin. Retreat is always an option. Weapons are not evil. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. These may seem cliche but reading this passage you see David living up to all of them.
more to learn for in-depth study: Saul was of two minds when it came to David. One mind understood this young hero had done great things for him and his army and that he should be revered. He was Saul’s son-in-law and his son’s best friend. He was a general in Saul’s army and a famous hero. He was loyal and the only one who could soothe his spirit with the music he played. Unfortunately, Saul’s other mind tended to keep a spear on hand wherever he went and routinely tried to put that spear through David and into the wall behind him. He made a habit of sending others to capture David so he could be executed. This other mind was a mindless homicidal idiot.
God was with David and helped him escape assassination attempts then overwhelmed those who came to find him and turned them to the purpose of the Spirit of God to keep them from fulfilling the kings orders. Luckily for Jonathan, God seemed to make Saul a really bad spear thrower. He not only missed David on more than one occasion, but he also missed when he tried to kill his own son. The part of him that hated David was so strong that he wanted Jonathan dead for being his friend. Saul understood that David would be the next king and, wanting his own dynasty to continue, he thought he could undermine the will of God by killing David.
As I mentioned before, you can see some similarities to the story of Percival in king Arthur’s legend. On the run from Saul, David comes to the temple in search of food and arms. He takes the sword of Goliath which he had taken from the giant’s corpse when he killed him. Running to the king of Gath he found that his war record had given a false perception. People singing that “Saul has killed his thousands and David his tens of thousand” had caused outsiders to believe David was king. Since the king of a country was considered a high value target, David was afraid the former enemies would kill him on the spot and feigned insanity to avoid execution.
tomorrow: First Samuel 22-24
Promises: God will provide your needs. When David arrived at the Tabernacle, he needed food and a weapon. The only food available was the show bread which was placed before God and not to be eaten by those outside the priesthood. The priest provided it to him and his men anyway. He also found that the sword of Goliath was kept at the temple. Not exactly a logical place to find it but God certainly placed it where David would find it when he needed it.
Commands: Asking is the best way to find and get what you need and want. God can protect you in battle and out. Running is sometimes the best way to survive. Following David’s activities you can see that God has no problem with people avoiding danger or arming themselves to face it. Remember, God called David a man after His own heart.
Timeless principles: God can reveal the secrets and conspiracies to those who do not see them. David set a simple test which Saul could easily pass. All the king had to do was play along with Jonathan’s deception and wait for David to return but he got so mad that he actually tried to kill Jonathan. Up to that point Jonathan believed David was being paranoid and the king wouldn’t hurt him. After that Jonathan had no doubt his father was out to kill his best friend.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Do the right thing even when it is difficult. Fear is not a sin. Retreat is always an option. Weapons are not evil. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. These may seem cliche but reading this passage you see David living up to all of them.
more to learn for in-depth study: Saul was of two minds when it came to David. One mind understood this young hero had done great things for him and his army and that he should be revered. He was Saul’s son-in-law and his son’s best friend. He was a general in Saul’s army and a famous hero. He was loyal and the only one who could soothe his spirit with the music he played. Unfortunately, Saul’s other mind tended to keep a spear on hand wherever he went and routinely tried to put that spear through David and into the wall behind him. He made a habit of sending others to capture David so he could be executed. This other mind was a mindless homicidal idiot.
God was with David and helped him escape assassination attempts then overwhelmed those who came to find him and turned them to the purpose of the Spirit of God to keep them from fulfilling the kings orders. Luckily for Jonathan, God seemed to make Saul a really bad spear thrower. He not only missed David on more than one occasion, but he also missed when he tried to kill his own son. The part of him that hated David was so strong that he wanted Jonathan dead for being his friend. Saul understood that David would be the next king and, wanting his own dynasty to continue, he thought he could undermine the will of God by killing David.
As I mentioned before, you can see some similarities to the story of Percival in king Arthur’s legend. On the run from Saul, David comes to the temple in search of food and arms. He takes the sword of Goliath which he had taken from the giant’s corpse when he killed him. Running to the king of Gath he found that his war record had given a false perception. People singing that “Saul has killed his thousands and David his tens of thousand” had caused outsiders to believe David was king. Since the king of a country was considered a high value target, David was afraid the former enemies would kill him on the spot and feigned insanity to avoid execution.
tomorrow: First Samuel 22-24
Thursday, March 26, 2009
First Samuel 17-18
God’s message to me: One man, serving God has an army outgunned. David was a young teen. If the average soldier of Israel is 5’10” in that time period, Saul is about 6’7” and Goliath is 9’9” David is seen as a small youth so you can imagine he’s no more than about 5’8” and not powerfully built. That makes David just a little over half Goliath’s height. When Goliath mentioned sending him sticks, he might have been referring to David's staff but, given the size difference, it might have been a way of insulting David as being little more than a toothpick for the giant. David walked away from the battle without a scratch on him and carrying the head and sword of Goliath in his hands.
Promises: The Battle is the Lord’s. When God is on your side, there is no one who can stand against you. this doesn’t mean it’s wrong to prepare. David couldn’t handle the sword and armor of the king, it was to big for him to use effectively. He did take his staff and sling into battle. While it may not seem like much, he had used these weapons to kill both lions and bears while defending his flock.
This mismatched battle would be like a kid with a .22 rifle going out to battle “Hulk” Hogan in Body armor and packing a small arsenal of military grade assault weapons. No one would expect the kid to come home but imagine the reaction when the kid fires one shot then drags home “Hulk’s” M60 machine gun and helmet. God can use what you have to overcome whatever the enemy brings after you.
Commands: Trust in the Lord to provide your needs. Stand up for His Majesty and let no one denigrate your God or those who serve Him. David offered to kill Goliath, not to gain fame but to shut the big bullies mouth. Goliath had been standing in that field for 40 days yelling about how incapable the people of Israel were and how powerless God was because no one was willing to fight him one on one. David trusted that God would not let that sort of bragging stand and accepted the challenge to battle.
Timeless principles: “If God be for us, who can stand against us” This old saying is as true today as it was when it was first said. While it may not have been those exact words the sentiment dates back at least to Abraham. God doesn’t allow His enemies to denigrate his name and claim victory over Him. They may gain a brief advantage but it is always the prelude to a defeat so overwhelming that none can honestly deny God provided the victory.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Stand up for God. There is no reason to ever allow anyone to insult God, your faith or you for His sake. Not everyone who stood for God survived but, God has never failed to avenge Himself. Never has there been a victory over those who serve Him that wasn’t followed by massive defeat so powerful that it’s supernatural origin was undeniable. God makes certain that no one can honestly say He is powerless.
more to learn for in-depth study: Describing Goliath of Gath: The cubit is the length from the tip of your elbow to the tips of your fingers and the standard is about 18 inches. Cubit is measured differently in different cultures at the time and could be between 18 and 25 inches but, since it is the most likely, I will use the standard 18” cubit for comparison of size. A span is the distance between the tip of your thumb and the tip of your pinky when your hand is spread out. By these measures Goliath was 9foot 9 inches tall. Using any other measure of the cubit and span used in that time would only make him bigger so we can safely say he was at least 9’9”.
His Chain mail was about 156-157 pounds. The spear head alone weighed almost 19 pounds and the shaft of a standard spear would be longer than the soldier was tall. A javelin of bronze on his back refers to the shorter, lighter spear soldiers would carry just for throwing. Just to make things interesting, David took 5 stones from the brook because Goliath had 4 brothers. Described elsewhere in the bible, Goliath was the runt of the litter and his brothers were quite a bit larger.
David’s rank: David was a captain of thousands. In modern terms that would make him a Brigade commander for most militaries with the rank of at least brigadier general (one star). Saul had become fearful and mistrusting of David and wanted him dead. He put him in the military to make him face the enemy. He offered his daughter in marriage so he could force him into battle by David's own choice. David killed twice as many soldiers as Saul commanded and married the kings daughter.
KINGS: David’s relationship with the kings daughter is growing. the king has tried to kill him on a couple of occasions and sees him as a danger to his rule. He has gone from private to Captain overnight and given the job of press liaison or official spokesman for the entire military.
tomorrow: First Samuel 19-21
Promises: The Battle is the Lord’s. When God is on your side, there is no one who can stand against you. this doesn’t mean it’s wrong to prepare. David couldn’t handle the sword and armor of the king, it was to big for him to use effectively. He did take his staff and sling into battle. While it may not seem like much, he had used these weapons to kill both lions and bears while defending his flock.
This mismatched battle would be like a kid with a .22 rifle going out to battle “Hulk” Hogan in Body armor and packing a small arsenal of military grade assault weapons. No one would expect the kid to come home but imagine the reaction when the kid fires one shot then drags home “Hulk’s” M60 machine gun and helmet. God can use what you have to overcome whatever the enemy brings after you.
Commands: Trust in the Lord to provide your needs. Stand up for His Majesty and let no one denigrate your God or those who serve Him. David offered to kill Goliath, not to gain fame but to shut the big bullies mouth. Goliath had been standing in that field for 40 days yelling about how incapable the people of Israel were and how powerless God was because no one was willing to fight him one on one. David trusted that God would not let that sort of bragging stand and accepted the challenge to battle.
Timeless principles: “If God be for us, who can stand against us” This old saying is as true today as it was when it was first said. While it may not have been those exact words the sentiment dates back at least to Abraham. God doesn’t allow His enemies to denigrate his name and claim victory over Him. They may gain a brief advantage but it is always the prelude to a defeat so overwhelming that none can honestly deny God provided the victory.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Stand up for God. There is no reason to ever allow anyone to insult God, your faith or you for His sake. Not everyone who stood for God survived but, God has never failed to avenge Himself. Never has there been a victory over those who serve Him that wasn’t followed by massive defeat so powerful that it’s supernatural origin was undeniable. God makes certain that no one can honestly say He is powerless.
more to learn for in-depth study: Describing Goliath of Gath: The cubit is the length from the tip of your elbow to the tips of your fingers and the standard is about 18 inches. Cubit is measured differently in different cultures at the time and could be between 18 and 25 inches but, since it is the most likely, I will use the standard 18” cubit for comparison of size. A span is the distance between the tip of your thumb and the tip of your pinky when your hand is spread out. By these measures Goliath was 9foot 9 inches tall. Using any other measure of the cubit and span used in that time would only make him bigger so we can safely say he was at least 9’9”.
His Chain mail was about 156-157 pounds. The spear head alone weighed almost 19 pounds and the shaft of a standard spear would be longer than the soldier was tall. A javelin of bronze on his back refers to the shorter, lighter spear soldiers would carry just for throwing. Just to make things interesting, David took 5 stones from the brook because Goliath had 4 brothers. Described elsewhere in the bible, Goliath was the runt of the litter and his brothers were quite a bit larger.
David’s rank: David was a captain of thousands. In modern terms that would make him a Brigade commander for most militaries with the rank of at least brigadier general (one star). Saul had become fearful and mistrusting of David and wanted him dead. He put him in the military to make him face the enemy. He offered his daughter in marriage so he could force him into battle by David's own choice. David killed twice as many soldiers as Saul commanded and married the kings daughter.
KINGS: David’s relationship with the kings daughter is growing. the king has tried to kill him on a couple of occasions and sees him as a danger to his rule. He has gone from private to Captain overnight and given the job of press liaison or official spokesman for the entire military.
tomorrow: First Samuel 19-21
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
First Samuel 15-16
God’s message to me: Obedience is better than sacrifice. This is the way of God. The way of man is, it’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission. Don’t follow the way of man.
Promises: God does not see with man’s eyes. What you perceive as weakness may be overlooked by God and the strengths you do not see He will promote. No matter what you think prevents you from doing the work God laid before you He will overcome it. No matter what you think makes you the best person for the job, don’t complain if God puts someone else in the duty.
Commands: The law of God is what God commands. When God sent manna in the wilderness He said He was doing it to test whether the Israelites would obey His law. At that point the law had not been written. The only law was God’s command and his command was to gather one days worth of manna and not save any for the next day. (the Israelites failed that test too)
God told Saul to wipe the Amalekites off the map entirely. Saul took the best of the plunder and kept the king of the Amalekites alive. Both these acts were direct violations of God’s command. Faced with this fact Saul claimed the plunder was taken for sacrifice, when that argument failed he blamed his army for taking them and said he was afraid to defy them. That argument failed as well and he begged Samuel to sacrifice with him and give him forgiveness.
God is not a man that He should go back on His word. Saul defied God’s command and God removed His blessing from him. He would not pass the throne to his son and he no longer had the spirit of God to strengthen him. A spirit of distress settled in him. The spirit of God had gone to David, who would be king next. The effect of this spirit was to make David an attractive choice to aid the king. His musical ability could sooth the kings stress and he had the strength and ability of a strong soldier. Saul made him court musician and his personal armor bearer.
Timeless principles: Waste not, want not, is a wise old saying but it isn’t always the best course of action. Following God’s plan, even if it seems insane, will never fail you. The Amalekites were like bandits. When we first see their actions they are attacking the stragglers at the end of the group of Israelites coming out of a tough stretch of wilderness on their way to the promised land. Tired and weakened from their journey with most of their protectors to far away to help quickly, these travelers seemed like easy pickin’s and the Amalekites tried to attack and plunder them when they were least able to defend themselves.
Being bandits, they no doubt had plenty of goodies to claim but God wanted them destroyed completely with no reminders or souvenirs left behind. Saul ignored this and took the best stuff for Israel. He didn’t see any point in destroying useful goods but had no problem burning, smashing and destroying everything he saw no use for. By the wisdom of man(waste not, want not) he was doing right. What is the verse I keep repeating class? “Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Forget the view of the world and don’t look for the path that will be honored by men. Obey God’s command in all things and let His strength and honor be your reward. Man can only give you so much recognition and, as can be seen in the media every day, he will take that back with a vengeance. Those who gain fame, recognition and prestige are the biggest targets for those who look for a way to make every hero look like the worst among us.
What God gives can only be taken by God. No matter how the world sees you, your effectiveness and ability to succeed can never be diminished when you serve God.
more to learn for in-depth study: Remember the Amalekites? at the end of Exodus 17 they delivered a surprise attack at the rear of the formation and God gave Israel victory over them anyway. This was the battle in which Moses held his rod in the air and when it was up the Israelites were winning and when he lowered it the began to loose so Aaron and Hur got a rock for Moses to sit on and held his arms up so he wouldn’t get to tired to keep it up until the battle was won. The Amalakites had been causing problems since Abraham’s time and God tired of their ways. God commanded Saul to finish them off. When Saul failed and the king of the Amalekites was spared, Samuel saw to it that they wouldn’t repeat the mistake of the past and turn an enemy that should have been obliterated into a thorn in the side that wouldn’t go away. Samuel had the king brought to him and when the king suggested that they had seen enough killing for one war, Samuel said he was wrong. Then Samuel hacked the king into pieces before the Lord in the place where they had just worshiped and sacrificed to God.
KINGS: On the TV series, David Shepherd is a pianist. The Spirit of God has moved from the king and left him a paranoid old fool while the Spirit moves David into actions which continue to save his life from the kings paranoia and strangely sooth the kings nerves in the most stressful situations. So far, I gotta say, I like this show. It’s not mirroring the bible exactly but, that wouldn’t make sense in a modern setting. It is closely following the way Saul and David’s story might have played out if it occurred in the modern era.
tomorrow: First Samuel 17-18
Promises: God does not see with man’s eyes. What you perceive as weakness may be overlooked by God and the strengths you do not see He will promote. No matter what you think prevents you from doing the work God laid before you He will overcome it. No matter what you think makes you the best person for the job, don’t complain if God puts someone else in the duty.
Commands: The law of God is what God commands. When God sent manna in the wilderness He said He was doing it to test whether the Israelites would obey His law. At that point the law had not been written. The only law was God’s command and his command was to gather one days worth of manna and not save any for the next day. (the Israelites failed that test too)
God told Saul to wipe the Amalekites off the map entirely. Saul took the best of the plunder and kept the king of the Amalekites alive. Both these acts were direct violations of God’s command. Faced with this fact Saul claimed the plunder was taken for sacrifice, when that argument failed he blamed his army for taking them and said he was afraid to defy them. That argument failed as well and he begged Samuel to sacrifice with him and give him forgiveness.
God is not a man that He should go back on His word. Saul defied God’s command and God removed His blessing from him. He would not pass the throne to his son and he no longer had the spirit of God to strengthen him. A spirit of distress settled in him. The spirit of God had gone to David, who would be king next. The effect of this spirit was to make David an attractive choice to aid the king. His musical ability could sooth the kings stress and he had the strength and ability of a strong soldier. Saul made him court musician and his personal armor bearer.
Timeless principles: Waste not, want not, is a wise old saying but it isn’t always the best course of action. Following God’s plan, even if it seems insane, will never fail you. The Amalekites were like bandits. When we first see their actions they are attacking the stragglers at the end of the group of Israelites coming out of a tough stretch of wilderness on their way to the promised land. Tired and weakened from their journey with most of their protectors to far away to help quickly, these travelers seemed like easy pickin’s and the Amalekites tried to attack and plunder them when they were least able to defend themselves.
Being bandits, they no doubt had plenty of goodies to claim but God wanted them destroyed completely with no reminders or souvenirs left behind. Saul ignored this and took the best stuff for Israel. He didn’t see any point in destroying useful goods but had no problem burning, smashing and destroying everything he saw no use for. By the wisdom of man(waste not, want not) he was doing right. What is the verse I keep repeating class? “Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Forget the view of the world and don’t look for the path that will be honored by men. Obey God’s command in all things and let His strength and honor be your reward. Man can only give you so much recognition and, as can be seen in the media every day, he will take that back with a vengeance. Those who gain fame, recognition and prestige are the biggest targets for those who look for a way to make every hero look like the worst among us.
What God gives can only be taken by God. No matter how the world sees you, your effectiveness and ability to succeed can never be diminished when you serve God.
more to learn for in-depth study: Remember the Amalekites? at the end of Exodus 17 they delivered a surprise attack at the rear of the formation and God gave Israel victory over them anyway. This was the battle in which Moses held his rod in the air and when it was up the Israelites were winning and when he lowered it the began to loose so Aaron and Hur got a rock for Moses to sit on and held his arms up so he wouldn’t get to tired to keep it up until the battle was won. The Amalakites had been causing problems since Abraham’s time and God tired of their ways. God commanded Saul to finish them off. When Saul failed and the king of the Amalekites was spared, Samuel saw to it that they wouldn’t repeat the mistake of the past and turn an enemy that should have been obliterated into a thorn in the side that wouldn’t go away. Samuel had the king brought to him and when the king suggested that they had seen enough killing for one war, Samuel said he was wrong. Then Samuel hacked the king into pieces before the Lord in the place where they had just worshiped and sacrificed to God.
KINGS: On the TV series, David Shepherd is a pianist. The Spirit of God has moved from the king and left him a paranoid old fool while the Spirit moves David into actions which continue to save his life from the kings paranoia and strangely sooth the kings nerves in the most stressful situations. So far, I gotta say, I like this show. It’s not mirroring the bible exactly but, that wouldn’t make sense in a modern setting. It is closely following the way Saul and David’s story might have played out if it occurred in the modern era.
tomorrow: First Samuel 17-18
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
First Samuel 12-14
God’s message to me: Be certain that your brain is in gear before you engage your mouth. Think before you speak. Saul demanded that no one eat until he had revenge and he made everyone swear to it. His son didn’t know about the oath and he ate. Obviously he couldn’t take an oath he didn’t know about but, then he led those around him into sin by telling them they should eat. Famished after a long day of fighting without eating, the army took it’s first opportunity to kill and eat animals plundered from the enemy. They didn’t drain the blood or cook the meat and sinned against God by eating the blood.
Saul insisted on continuing the attack through the night but, when he was reminded to ask God’s council, he was given no answer from God. He drew lots to see if the sin blocking communication came from the army or from him and his son and the lot fell on him and his son. Jonathan told him about eating the honey and, true to his word he decided to execute his son. The army prevented him because it was Jonathan’s initial attack that put the enemy on the run.
Saul stopped people from eating when his army needed the energy to fight. Jonathan ate the honey and told the soldiers around him his father’s command was stupid and should be ignored. The army of Israel ate blood. Saul pursued battle well beyond reasonable limits for his army. Saul rashly called for the death of whoever countermanded him. The sins of this day were universally sins of impatience and unthinking reaction. People acted and spoke without considering consequences.
Promises: When God’s people move wholeheartedly to gain what God has promised he will not fail to give it to them. The surrounding people of Canaan had oppressed Israel for generations because they had not pursued the destruction of these enemies when God told them to. Saul led the army of Israel to beat back these enemies, knowing that he was made king to lead Israel in defeating oppression. God was with the army and Israel defeated it’s enemies on all sides in battle. So long as Saul continued to follow God’s command and wipe out the enemies of Israel they did not fail in battle.
Commands: Be patient. Do not take on yourself the duties that don’t belong to you. DON’T ASSUME. DON’T PRESUME. Saul waited for Samuel but when Samuel was late he decided to make a sacrifice to God without him. This was not his place, duty, privilege or station. It was no better than offering to a false god because the sacrifice was made outside the bounds of God’s law.
You see this mirrored in the first episode of KINGS. The king is ready to begin the ceremony celebrating the beginning of his new capitol city and Rev Samuels is late arriving. The king decides that his son should make the opening prayers so that they don’t keep the people waiting. Rev Samuels tells him the same thing Samuel told Saul. You and your family could have been rulers forever but, you did wrong in God’s eyes and he has replaced you. God has chosen someone who is after His own heart to lead his people and replace you as commander of His people.
Timeless principles: “I gotta do something even if it’s wrong.” I hear this line a lot and it’s as stupid as it sounds. Don’t just do something, STAND THERE. Acting without patience or thinking and doing things you shouldn’t do just because you think they need done will do nothing but make your life worse. God has His own timing and His own choice for who will accomplish what. Jumping the gun out of impatience just means your interfering with God’s plan and that doesn't work. No one can change God’s plan or step outside it. Doing things that are outside the plan will not interfere with it those things will simply fail. Often they will fail dramatically and with dire effects on the person who chose his own timing over God’s.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Wait On GOD. “Be still and know that I am God.” This isn’t just comforting words it’s a command. When things seem off the rails and you think you have to go outside the boundaries to fix them, it’s time to stop and pray. If God wants you to do something it will be clear what to do. If not then you need to stop, remember that the one in charge created everything you know in 7 days, nothing you can do is going to rearrange His plan and, no matter how much you worry, it won’t change anything. “What man among you can, by worrying, add one cubit to his height.” Stop trying to help God. He is there to help you. You are there to obey Him. He has the power, you have only the ability He gives you.
more to learn for in-depth study: In the dawn of the age of kings, Samuel reminds the Israelites of their history.
When the Israelites were oppressed in Egypt God raised up Moses and Aaron to lead them to the promised land. When they forgot the Lord, He gave them into the hand of Sisera, commander of Hazor’s army, the Philistines, and the King of Moab. When they cried out for forgiveness of their idolatry and asked God’s help he sent Jerubaal(Gideon), Bedan, Jephthah and Samuel to deliver them from oppression.
When the king of the Ammonites came the Israelites said “No, but a king shall reign over us”, but the Lord God was their King. This demand for a human king was an affront to God but, he appointed a king to rule the Israelites. He chose Saul. Like Gideon he came from the least of the tribes to the highest position. Saul was easily noticed as he was head and shoulders taller than all the other Israelites. His bearing and good looks made it easy to see him as king. Saul, on the other hand, took a while to get used to the idea. Once appointed king, he went home to plow the family farm.
God warned that the people and the king must continue to follow the commands of God or be given over to oppression again as in the past until they learned to turn back to the Lord.
The first and primary purpose of government is defense. Israel had always had it’s militia. Every man of fighting age, who wasn’t afraid, recently married, recently purchased land, etc. was expected to go to war to defend the land when called. Saul fulfilled God’s warning by drafting 3,000 Israelites into a standing army that was established outside of war time. 2,000 were garrisoned with Him and 1,000 with his son.
tomorrow: First Samuel 15-16
Saul insisted on continuing the attack through the night but, when he was reminded to ask God’s council, he was given no answer from God. He drew lots to see if the sin blocking communication came from the army or from him and his son and the lot fell on him and his son. Jonathan told him about eating the honey and, true to his word he decided to execute his son. The army prevented him because it was Jonathan’s initial attack that put the enemy on the run.
Saul stopped people from eating when his army needed the energy to fight. Jonathan ate the honey and told the soldiers around him his father’s command was stupid and should be ignored. The army of Israel ate blood. Saul pursued battle well beyond reasonable limits for his army. Saul rashly called for the death of whoever countermanded him. The sins of this day were universally sins of impatience and unthinking reaction. People acted and spoke without considering consequences.
Promises: When God’s people move wholeheartedly to gain what God has promised he will not fail to give it to them. The surrounding people of Canaan had oppressed Israel for generations because they had not pursued the destruction of these enemies when God told them to. Saul led the army of Israel to beat back these enemies, knowing that he was made king to lead Israel in defeating oppression. God was with the army and Israel defeated it’s enemies on all sides in battle. So long as Saul continued to follow God’s command and wipe out the enemies of Israel they did not fail in battle.
Commands: Be patient. Do not take on yourself the duties that don’t belong to you. DON’T ASSUME. DON’T PRESUME. Saul waited for Samuel but when Samuel was late he decided to make a sacrifice to God without him. This was not his place, duty, privilege or station. It was no better than offering to a false god because the sacrifice was made outside the bounds of God’s law.
You see this mirrored in the first episode of KINGS. The king is ready to begin the ceremony celebrating the beginning of his new capitol city and Rev Samuels is late arriving. The king decides that his son should make the opening prayers so that they don’t keep the people waiting. Rev Samuels tells him the same thing Samuel told Saul. You and your family could have been rulers forever but, you did wrong in God’s eyes and he has replaced you. God has chosen someone who is after His own heart to lead his people and replace you as commander of His people.
Timeless principles: “I gotta do something even if it’s wrong.” I hear this line a lot and it’s as stupid as it sounds. Don’t just do something, STAND THERE. Acting without patience or thinking and doing things you shouldn’t do just because you think they need done will do nothing but make your life worse. God has His own timing and His own choice for who will accomplish what. Jumping the gun out of impatience just means your interfering with God’s plan and that doesn't work. No one can change God’s plan or step outside it. Doing things that are outside the plan will not interfere with it those things will simply fail. Often they will fail dramatically and with dire effects on the person who chose his own timing over God’s.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Wait On GOD. “Be still and know that I am God.” This isn’t just comforting words it’s a command. When things seem off the rails and you think you have to go outside the boundaries to fix them, it’s time to stop and pray. If God wants you to do something it will be clear what to do. If not then you need to stop, remember that the one in charge created everything you know in 7 days, nothing you can do is going to rearrange His plan and, no matter how much you worry, it won’t change anything. “What man among you can, by worrying, add one cubit to his height.” Stop trying to help God. He is there to help you. You are there to obey Him. He has the power, you have only the ability He gives you.
more to learn for in-depth study: In the dawn of the age of kings, Samuel reminds the Israelites of their history.
When the Israelites were oppressed in Egypt God raised up Moses and Aaron to lead them to the promised land. When they forgot the Lord, He gave them into the hand of Sisera, commander of Hazor’s army, the Philistines, and the King of Moab. When they cried out for forgiveness of their idolatry and asked God’s help he sent Jerubaal(Gideon), Bedan, Jephthah and Samuel to deliver them from oppression.
When the king of the Ammonites came the Israelites said “No, but a king shall reign over us”, but the Lord God was their King. This demand for a human king was an affront to God but, he appointed a king to rule the Israelites. He chose Saul. Like Gideon he came from the least of the tribes to the highest position. Saul was easily noticed as he was head and shoulders taller than all the other Israelites. His bearing and good looks made it easy to see him as king. Saul, on the other hand, took a while to get used to the idea. Once appointed king, he went home to plow the family farm.
God warned that the people and the king must continue to follow the commands of God or be given over to oppression again as in the past until they learned to turn back to the Lord.
The first and primary purpose of government is defense. Israel had always had it’s militia. Every man of fighting age, who wasn’t afraid, recently married, recently purchased land, etc. was expected to go to war to defend the land when called. Saul fulfilled God’s warning by drafting 3,000 Israelites into a standing army that was established outside of war time. 2,000 were garrisoned with Him and 1,000 with his son.
tomorrow: First Samuel 15-16
Monday, March 23, 2009
the other resolution
OK, 232.6# is not exactly an improvement but, I have been much more consistent on the exercise. In addition, my wife is more committed to loosing weight as her friends are making similar commitments. As much as we both try not to let each others habits effect our own, it is easier to stay on track when both people are trying. Particularly since, we both try to be nice and share when we make something good, even if it isn’t particularly good for us. The next trick will be to stop eating Ice Cream during the Biggest Loser. Even though it’s a once a week thing it’s still, pretty much, defeating the purpose of the show.
I’m still not so good on the water intake but I am improving. Bottled water and low income equals less water. Since the stuff from our tap isn’t very good, the best bet would be to spend a little extra cash on a filter and spend less on bottled in the future. We say that all the time but it never seems to happen.
I’m still not so good on the water intake but I am improving. Bottled water and low income equals less water. Since the stuff from our tap isn’t very good, the best bet would be to spend a little extra cash on a filter and spend less on bottled in the future. We say that all the time but it never seems to happen.
First Samuel 8-11
God’s message to me: God can accomplish great things under any circumstance. Following His leadership we can have the benefit of His victory without a great burden of leadership. By following the worlds way and appointing others over us, we force ourselves into submission to those authorities regardless of their foolish ways. Even in the United States, where our representative Republic resembles the leadership of the judges by having representatives instead of rulers, we still find ourselves submitted to oppressive law. Anyone who believes our government is without oppression should try dealing with the IRS, Dept of Motor Vehicles, Social Security Administration or any other bureaucracy that has authority to make decision over you. Compare your experience with those who can decide what you do and don’t get with your experience at McDonald's, where their survival as a business depends on you being a happy customer. It won’t be hard to see what God meant about having kings.
Promises: God promised a draft and victory over the enemy. When those who didn’t trust Saul looked for a peace treaty on their own they were offered peace in exchange for mutilation and humiliation. When Saul heard of it he was still tending fields as a farm boy rather than leading as king. God changed that on the spot. Saul’s anger was such that he chopped up his own cows and sent the parts around all of Israel with word that the same would happen to all the cattle of the people who didn’t come out to join the fight against Israel’s enemies. (sound like a draft?) He then led the 330,000 man army into battle, divided into three companies. They started killing Ammorites at sunrise and continued until the heat of the day by which time the army of the Ammorites was on the run and so scattered that you could not even find two Ammorites running together. WHEN GOD MAKES A PROMISE YOU CAN COUNT ON IT.
Commands: This is implied through out the bible but never said directly. It’s God’s way or the Hard way. For some reason we are always prone to choosing the hard way.
Timeless principles: Even among the great heroes of the bible, it is often true that the children do not live up to the reputation of the father. Samuel was a good and just man who served the Lord through his entire life. As he was getting old and couldn’t continue to travel the circuit he used to travel judging Israel, he appointed his sons to be judges. His sons did not follow God’s ways, they took bribes, looked for dishonest gains and perverted justice to their own ends.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Christ tells us that his burden is light. Doing it God’s way is a lot easier than doing it our way. There is a way that seems good to a man but it’s end is destruction. No matter how politically, logically or seemingly correct our ideas may be they can never be easier or more successful than doing it God’s way even if God’s way seems insane, impractical or impossible. This is where faith really comes into play. God has left ample evidence so that proving the gospel is easy. It doesn’t take a lot of faith to look at overwhelming evidence and say, “I believe”. The real leap of faith is in saying, “I don’t know how your going to do this Lord, but you promised me you would and I believe.”
more to learn for in-depth study: As God had predicted centuries before, while giving the law through Moses in the wilderness, the people demanded a king. God told Samuel to warn them what it meant. A king would draft their children into the military. A king would appoint commanders at all levels to ensure his orders were carried out. He would take people to tend his fields, make his arms, cook his food, make his perfumes and bake his bread. He would take the best of the peoples fields, vineyards, olive groves and flocks and herds and give it to his servants. He would take a tithe of the grain and wine to pay his officers. The best of the peoples servants, cattle, pack animals, and young men would be put to work for the king. The people would be servants to their king and would cry out over the oppression of the king they demanded.
The people didn’t listen to the warning. Saul wasn’t a great king but he wasn’t a major oppressor. David was better but still continued to lead the armies to war. Solomon ruled in peace but held the largest army and the most wealth of any king of Israel. After Solomon, all the predicted evil of kings and more was visited on Israel by the various self centered and abusive kings that ruled.
tomorrow: First Samuel 12-14
Promises: God promised a draft and victory over the enemy. When those who didn’t trust Saul looked for a peace treaty on their own they were offered peace in exchange for mutilation and humiliation. When Saul heard of it he was still tending fields as a farm boy rather than leading as king. God changed that on the spot. Saul’s anger was such that he chopped up his own cows and sent the parts around all of Israel with word that the same would happen to all the cattle of the people who didn’t come out to join the fight against Israel’s enemies. (sound like a draft?) He then led the 330,000 man army into battle, divided into three companies. They started killing Ammorites at sunrise and continued until the heat of the day by which time the army of the Ammorites was on the run and so scattered that you could not even find two Ammorites running together. WHEN GOD MAKES A PROMISE YOU CAN COUNT ON IT.
Commands: This is implied through out the bible but never said directly. It’s God’s way or the Hard way. For some reason we are always prone to choosing the hard way.
Timeless principles: Even among the great heroes of the bible, it is often true that the children do not live up to the reputation of the father. Samuel was a good and just man who served the Lord through his entire life. As he was getting old and couldn’t continue to travel the circuit he used to travel judging Israel, he appointed his sons to be judges. His sons did not follow God’s ways, they took bribes, looked for dishonest gains and perverted justice to their own ends.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Christ tells us that his burden is light. Doing it God’s way is a lot easier than doing it our way. There is a way that seems good to a man but it’s end is destruction. No matter how politically, logically or seemingly correct our ideas may be they can never be easier or more successful than doing it God’s way even if God’s way seems insane, impractical or impossible. This is where faith really comes into play. God has left ample evidence so that proving the gospel is easy. It doesn’t take a lot of faith to look at overwhelming evidence and say, “I believe”. The real leap of faith is in saying, “I don’t know how your going to do this Lord, but you promised me you would and I believe.”
more to learn for in-depth study: As God had predicted centuries before, while giving the law through Moses in the wilderness, the people demanded a king. God told Samuel to warn them what it meant. A king would draft their children into the military. A king would appoint commanders at all levels to ensure his orders were carried out. He would take people to tend his fields, make his arms, cook his food, make his perfumes and bake his bread. He would take the best of the peoples fields, vineyards, olive groves and flocks and herds and give it to his servants. He would take a tithe of the grain and wine to pay his officers. The best of the peoples servants, cattle, pack animals, and young men would be put to work for the king. The people would be servants to their king and would cry out over the oppression of the king they demanded.
The people didn’t listen to the warning. Saul wasn’t a great king but he wasn’t a major oppressor. David was better but still continued to lead the armies to war. Solomon ruled in peace but held the largest army and the most wealth of any king of Israel. After Solomon, all the predicted evil of kings and more was visited on Israel by the various self centered and abusive kings that ruled.
tomorrow: First Samuel 12-14
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Weekly Assignment
Monday: First Samuel 8-11
Tuesday: First Samuel 12-14
Wednesday: First Samuel 15-16
Thursday: First Samuel 17-18
Friday: First Samuel 19-21
Saturday: First Samuel 22-24
Sunday: First Samuel 25-28
Tuesday: First Samuel 12-14
Wednesday: First Samuel 15-16
Thursday: First Samuel 17-18
Friday: First Samuel 19-21
Saturday: First Samuel 22-24
Sunday: First Samuel 25-28
First Samuel 4-7
God’s message to me: God is not mocked. The Philistines took the ark and put it in the temple of the false god Dagon. The next morning they found their Idol face down on the floor pointed toward the Ark as in Worship. The set up the Idol and the next day it was in the same position again with it’s hands and head broken off and just the torso lying there. They decided it might be a good idea to send the Ark elsewhere after that. Despite that, their offense against God was repaid with a plague of tumors and rats. Some think it might refer to the bubonic plague. Those who didn’t die were plagued by the tumors.
They sent it to Ekron where everyone panicked and said the people of Ashdod (where it had first been sent) were trying to kill them. They too, had the same plague and demanded the lords of the Philistines send the ark away.
The Philistines held the ark for 7 months during which time the plague did not let up. These leaders didn’t forget where the Ark came from or what God had done for His people. While the Israelites routinely turned from God and failed to give Him credit for all His miracles, the Philistines remembered the stories of every curse, plague, lost battle and miraculous destruction God had brought against Israel's enemies from the captivity in Egypt to that day. They had no intention of being as stupid as Egypt and continuing to keep the ark after it was clear God was punishing them for doing so.
Finally back in Israel at the Ark rested in Beth Shemesh. The locals had immediately broken the cart for firewood and used it to make a burnt offering to God out of the cows pulling the cart. Unfortunately for them, they decided to inspect the contents of the Ark. none but the High priest was supposed to do this and then only under certain rare circumstances. 50,000 people of Beth Shemesh died as a result of the offense and they demanded the ark be taken from them. It was there for 20 years.
It was taken to a neighboring city called Kirjath Jearim where they placed it in the house of Abinadab and consecrated his son Eleazar to take care of it.
Promises: Just as sin will bring destruction, Obedience will bring salvation. By putting away their false gods and turning back to the one true God, the Israelites were taken out from the oppression of the Philistines and their cities and land they had lost to them was returned.
Commands: Implied rather than explained. Our faith should be in God not in objects, even if they are of God. False worship and false gods including false versions of Jehovah are a surefire way to find destruction for yourself. Remember the first commandment.
Timeless principles: Once again there is a test of God. The false priests and diviners of the Philistines were no doubt inspired by God to give the answer they did when asked what to do about the ark. Two milk cows who had never been yoked would mean two milk cows(not the usual choice for pulling a wagon)who had never been hitched to anything(and wouldn’t easily accept the yoke let alone go somewhere on their own) and had their young locked in the barn(where instinct alone would make them want to go to the barn as well) and left to make their own path. Every rule of nature says these cows would head for the barn and probably overturn the cart in the process because they weren’t trained to pull one. Instead, as predicted, they headed strait for Israel and returned the Ark of the Covenant to God’s chosen people.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Trust in God alone for my needs for only He can provide. Separate myself from anything that works towards false religion so that I do not offend God.
more to learn for in-depth study: one of the roles played by the Ark of the Covenant was weapon. More precisely it was a bit of a super-weapon. God had ordered it to be taken into battle on occasion and in each case it had been the direct cause of a great many enemy deaths. This particular occasion was something like the battle of the Alamo. The Israelites lost the battle in a way that was a lot more damaging to the Philistines than to Israel.
Not ordered to do so, the Israelites decided they needed the Ark in battle because they knew what had happened in the past. They were placing their faith in a thing rather than in God directly. they had already lost 4,000 in battle and with the Ark on the battlefield they lost another battle along with the lives of 30,000 Israeli soldiers and the two sons of Eli who had taken the Ark to the battlefield. When word was brought to Eli about what had happened he didn’t have much reaction to the loss of his sons but “fell over” when he heard the ark had been taken. When he fell his neck broke and he died at 98 years old.
News of the defeat drove the wife of Eli’s son Phinehas into early labor. She gave birth to a son she named Ichabod because the ark had been captured, Eli and her husband and brother in law were all dead and she said, “the glory has departed from Israel for the ark of God has been captured.”
tomorrow: First Samuel 8-11
They sent it to Ekron where everyone panicked and said the people of Ashdod (where it had first been sent) were trying to kill them. They too, had the same plague and demanded the lords of the Philistines send the ark away.
The Philistines held the ark for 7 months during which time the plague did not let up. These leaders didn’t forget where the Ark came from or what God had done for His people. While the Israelites routinely turned from God and failed to give Him credit for all His miracles, the Philistines remembered the stories of every curse, plague, lost battle and miraculous destruction God had brought against Israel's enemies from the captivity in Egypt to that day. They had no intention of being as stupid as Egypt and continuing to keep the ark after it was clear God was punishing them for doing so.
Finally back in Israel at the Ark rested in Beth Shemesh. The locals had immediately broken the cart for firewood and used it to make a burnt offering to God out of the cows pulling the cart. Unfortunately for them, they decided to inspect the contents of the Ark. none but the High priest was supposed to do this and then only under certain rare circumstances. 50,000 people of Beth Shemesh died as a result of the offense and they demanded the ark be taken from them. It was there for 20 years.
It was taken to a neighboring city called Kirjath Jearim where they placed it in the house of Abinadab and consecrated his son Eleazar to take care of it.
Promises: Just as sin will bring destruction, Obedience will bring salvation. By putting away their false gods and turning back to the one true God, the Israelites were taken out from the oppression of the Philistines and their cities and land they had lost to them was returned.
Commands: Implied rather than explained. Our faith should be in God not in objects, even if they are of God. False worship and false gods including false versions of Jehovah are a surefire way to find destruction for yourself. Remember the first commandment.
Timeless principles: Once again there is a test of God. The false priests and diviners of the Philistines were no doubt inspired by God to give the answer they did when asked what to do about the ark. Two milk cows who had never been yoked would mean two milk cows(not the usual choice for pulling a wagon)who had never been hitched to anything(and wouldn’t easily accept the yoke let alone go somewhere on their own) and had their young locked in the barn(where instinct alone would make them want to go to the barn as well) and left to make their own path. Every rule of nature says these cows would head for the barn and probably overturn the cart in the process because they weren’t trained to pull one. Instead, as predicted, they headed strait for Israel and returned the Ark of the Covenant to God’s chosen people.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Trust in God alone for my needs for only He can provide. Separate myself from anything that works towards false religion so that I do not offend God.
more to learn for in-depth study: one of the roles played by the Ark of the Covenant was weapon. More precisely it was a bit of a super-weapon. God had ordered it to be taken into battle on occasion and in each case it had been the direct cause of a great many enemy deaths. This particular occasion was something like the battle of the Alamo. The Israelites lost the battle in a way that was a lot more damaging to the Philistines than to Israel.
Not ordered to do so, the Israelites decided they needed the Ark in battle because they knew what had happened in the past. They were placing their faith in a thing rather than in God directly. they had already lost 4,000 in battle and with the Ark on the battlefield they lost another battle along with the lives of 30,000 Israeli soldiers and the two sons of Eli who had taken the Ark to the battlefield. When word was brought to Eli about what had happened he didn’t have much reaction to the loss of his sons but “fell over” when he heard the ark had been taken. When he fell his neck broke and he died at 98 years old.
News of the defeat drove the wife of Eli’s son Phinehas into early labor. She gave birth to a son she named Ichabod because the ark had been captured, Eli and her husband and brother in law were all dead and she said, “the glory has departed from Israel for the ark of God has been captured.”
tomorrow: First Samuel 8-11
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Testing Spirits and KINGS
Testing the spirits is a complicated issue and one I am no expert on. Here are a few tips that I use in trying to understand what God is telling me:
1) God does not contradict Himself. If you believe God is telling you to do something His word forbids then you need to realize you are hearing from a false spirit (or even your own imagination trying to get what you want)
2) Your own imagination will tend to tell you what you want to hear. If your hearing what you already wanted it’s time to lay a fleece before God and/or study more in the bible to find God’s will.
3) False spirits (ungodly spirits trying to influence you) will not recognize Jesus as the Son of God and God incarnate. The answer to “Who is Jesus?” Should be an immediate “the Christ”, “The Messiah”, “The Son of God”. If there is any doubt whatsoever the question should be “I Jesus God?”. The answer should be “He is Lord”, “He is God”, “He is divine” or something similar. If you believe this is answered then the spirit is true. Ask God to block out the voice of any spirit but His and test the spirits. Then you may trust what you hear if it is not in contradiction with the Bible.
4) God isn’t big on repeating Himself. If the answer you seek could be easily found by reading the bible you are not likely to hear it in a disembodied voice. If you do it will probably be more like one of those nagging songs you can’t get out of your head. You will simply hear the verse that applies going over and over again in your memory until you are willing to comply with it.
5) Laying a fleece before God: This is taken from the story of Gideon and is a basic principle of finding truth. When faced with a big decision and you truly desire to find God’s will in the matter, test Him. Pray earnestly and believing that God will give you his sign. Be specific about the sign and do not make it something that would randomly happen. The example of Gideon is perfect. The dew would naturally be on everything on the ground so he asked that it be on the ground and not the fleece. The be sure he asked again that it be on the fleece but not the ground. Nature would put it on both but God could choose what stayed dry. Remember that Gideon was triple sure. His first test was to lay a sacrifice before the Angel of the Lord and he saw that the Angel brought fire out of the rock to consume the sacrifice supernaturally.
Endless testing while refusing to comply is sin. Testing to certainty is not. Once God has made His will clear it would be sin not to comply with it. If you have asked His guidance and tested His will you must comply with what He made clear or face the penalty of disobeying a direct order from God.
KINGS: For those who might be following the show notice a few things. The events take place in Shiloh, which is the city where the Tabernacle of Meeting was set up before Israel had kings. The Preacher who inaugurated the current king is Rev Samuels. Rev Samuels anointed David in the garage after he fixed the Reverends car. David killed a Goliath tank from the enemy nation of Gath. David gained position in the kings court because of his heroism. David is in love with the kings daughter. The king has an unreasoning hatred of David building after learning from Rev Samuels that the Lord has ceased to bless his house and that another will replace him as king that is not one of his children. These are all elements of the story of king David and King Saul. I’ll be watching to see how closely the story follows the bible and I’m sure many of you will too.
It is interesting to me that God leads me to things in perfect timing. The series began last week and this Sunday is the second episode. It’s Saturday morning and we are beginning our study of the books of Samuel which is the beginning of the study of the first kings of Israel. Over the next several weeks wee wil learn all about that time in history with 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles. I hop that you will join me in taking notes as you go along to keep the timeline in Chronological order. Each of these books tells parts of the story and you will find they retell the same stories from different views and with different details. Keeping notes will help you get the whole story and refresh the information you may be comparing to the TV Series.
1) God does not contradict Himself. If you believe God is telling you to do something His word forbids then you need to realize you are hearing from a false spirit (or even your own imagination trying to get what you want)
2) Your own imagination will tend to tell you what you want to hear. If your hearing what you already wanted it’s time to lay a fleece before God and/or study more in the bible to find God’s will.
3) False spirits (ungodly spirits trying to influence you) will not recognize Jesus as the Son of God and God incarnate. The answer to “Who is Jesus?” Should be an immediate “the Christ”, “The Messiah”, “The Son of God”. If there is any doubt whatsoever the question should be “I Jesus God?”. The answer should be “He is Lord”, “He is God”, “He is divine” or something similar. If you believe this is answered then the spirit is true. Ask God to block out the voice of any spirit but His and test the spirits. Then you may trust what you hear if it is not in contradiction with the Bible.
4) God isn’t big on repeating Himself. If the answer you seek could be easily found by reading the bible you are not likely to hear it in a disembodied voice. If you do it will probably be more like one of those nagging songs you can’t get out of your head. You will simply hear the verse that applies going over and over again in your memory until you are willing to comply with it.
5) Laying a fleece before God: This is taken from the story of Gideon and is a basic principle of finding truth. When faced with a big decision and you truly desire to find God’s will in the matter, test Him. Pray earnestly and believing that God will give you his sign. Be specific about the sign and do not make it something that would randomly happen. The example of Gideon is perfect. The dew would naturally be on everything on the ground so he asked that it be on the ground and not the fleece. The be sure he asked again that it be on the fleece but not the ground. Nature would put it on both but God could choose what stayed dry. Remember that Gideon was triple sure. His first test was to lay a sacrifice before the Angel of the Lord and he saw that the Angel brought fire out of the rock to consume the sacrifice supernaturally.
Endless testing while refusing to comply is sin. Testing to certainty is not. Once God has made His will clear it would be sin not to comply with it. If you have asked His guidance and tested His will you must comply with what He made clear or face the penalty of disobeying a direct order from God.
KINGS: For those who might be following the show notice a few things. The events take place in Shiloh, which is the city where the Tabernacle of Meeting was set up before Israel had kings. The Preacher who inaugurated the current king is Rev Samuels. Rev Samuels anointed David in the garage after he fixed the Reverends car. David killed a Goliath tank from the enemy nation of Gath. David gained position in the kings court because of his heroism. David is in love with the kings daughter. The king has an unreasoning hatred of David building after learning from Rev Samuels that the Lord has ceased to bless his house and that another will replace him as king that is not one of his children. These are all elements of the story of king David and King Saul. I’ll be watching to see how closely the story follows the bible and I’m sure many of you will too.
It is interesting to me that God leads me to things in perfect timing. The series began last week and this Sunday is the second episode. It’s Saturday morning and we are beginning our study of the books of Samuel which is the beginning of the study of the first kings of Israel. Over the next several weeks wee wil learn all about that time in history with 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles. I hop that you will join me in taking notes as you go along to keep the timeline in Chronological order. Each of these books tells parts of the story and you will find they retell the same stories from different views and with different details. Keeping notes will help you get the whole story and refresh the information you may be comparing to the TV Series.
First Samuel 1-3
God’s message to me: Listen for the voice of the Lord. Most of what God has to say to us can be found in the pages of the bible. Most, but not all. God did not tell us how to recognize profits and how to test spirits to know if they speak the truth just so we could decide neither existed anymore and we didn’t have to listen. God still speaks to us and, through the Holy Spirit, is more direct with Christians than He was with His people in the Old Testament. Learning to listen for His instruction and understanding how to recognize it is an important step of growth in our Christian life. I’ll add a supplemental entry on some basic principles.
Promises: God lifts up the lowly who look to Him for help. He strikes down the haughty who afflict others without cause and defy His commands.
Commands: Do not cause others to stumble and to sin by your actions.
Timeless principles: God can chose people from the most unlikely places. Samuel was not of the tribe of Levi and he wasn’t a descendant of Aaron. He was given to the high priest by a family from one of the sons of Joseph as an adopted son to serve the Lord. God raised him up to take the place of the priestly line which had become to corrupt to serve.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Look carefully for where God is working. You may find His handiwork in the most unlikely places. I heard people on the radio complain about the TV series KINGS. They think it’s propaganda leading to a one world government, a dictatorship, or something similar. They don’t see that, like Touched by an Angel, Promised Land, Second Noah and others, it is an attempt to tell the truths of the bible through entertainment. Whether it can stay on track or even on the air is questionable. Many shows based in Christian values are run off the air despite good ratings and others are corrupted to teach false doctrine.
Even something like Star Wars can teach lessons we should know. George Lucas was said to be quite upset when Ronald Reagan pointed out that his movie had created the environment the president used to overcome communism. It was a reminder that evil exists and must be overcome. It was a hopeful message of the ability of good to triumph.
more to learn for in-depth study: Samuel was an Ephraimite. His tribe was one of the sons of Joseph. He was not bound by law to be in service because the Tribe of Levi had been dedicated to serve the Lord in place of the first born. His mother vowed to make him a Nazirite in service to God for his entire life if she could have a child. His name means Heard by God. Notice also that a basic principle of prayer is demonstrated. The chief priest blessed Hannah and said, “may God grant your request.” Christ also mentioned agreement in prayer. Two or more agreeing before God for a prayer request will cause the request to be granted. Prayer is not meant to be solitary. Often it becomes a solo practice but whenever possible you should share the request and pray with someone.
The sons of Eli were abusive and unruly, ignoring the Law of God and causing people to hate going to the temple because of their abuse. The Evil they did was beyond contempt and would turn the stomachs of many who read of it. Samuel ministered as a priest from childhood and did so in accordance with the law as a priest should. God swore to kill both Eli’s sons in one day and raise up a faithful priest to lead so that the Israelites would not be driven to sin by the evil they encountered at the tabernacle.
Eli had not restrained his sons. He did not prevent them from interfering in the sacrifice. Because he treated them better than the sacrifice and showed more honor to them than to God, his house was cursed. He was still the high priest and so he was able to perceive the Lord was calling to Samuel in the night.
Eli knew the Lord wouldn’t call the boy in vain and asked him the next day to reveal what the Lord had said. Samuel knew it was a curse against the old man and didn’t want to tell him for fear of hurting him but, Eli insisted and Samuel told all. Eli replied by saying, “He is the Lord, let Him do what seems good to Him.” It was a wise and true saying worthy of the high priest. It also showed Eli understood his mistakes.
tomorrow: First Samuel 4-7
Promises: God lifts up the lowly who look to Him for help. He strikes down the haughty who afflict others without cause and defy His commands.
Commands: Do not cause others to stumble and to sin by your actions.
Timeless principles: God can chose people from the most unlikely places. Samuel was not of the tribe of Levi and he wasn’t a descendant of Aaron. He was given to the high priest by a family from one of the sons of Joseph as an adopted son to serve the Lord. God raised him up to take the place of the priestly line which had become to corrupt to serve.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Look carefully for where God is working. You may find His handiwork in the most unlikely places. I heard people on the radio complain about the TV series KINGS. They think it’s propaganda leading to a one world government, a dictatorship, or something similar. They don’t see that, like Touched by an Angel, Promised Land, Second Noah and others, it is an attempt to tell the truths of the bible through entertainment. Whether it can stay on track or even on the air is questionable. Many shows based in Christian values are run off the air despite good ratings and others are corrupted to teach false doctrine.
Even something like Star Wars can teach lessons we should know. George Lucas was said to be quite upset when Ronald Reagan pointed out that his movie had created the environment the president used to overcome communism. It was a reminder that evil exists and must be overcome. It was a hopeful message of the ability of good to triumph.
more to learn for in-depth study: Samuel was an Ephraimite. His tribe was one of the sons of Joseph. He was not bound by law to be in service because the Tribe of Levi had been dedicated to serve the Lord in place of the first born. His mother vowed to make him a Nazirite in service to God for his entire life if she could have a child. His name means Heard by God. Notice also that a basic principle of prayer is demonstrated. The chief priest blessed Hannah and said, “may God grant your request.” Christ also mentioned agreement in prayer. Two or more agreeing before God for a prayer request will cause the request to be granted. Prayer is not meant to be solitary. Often it becomes a solo practice but whenever possible you should share the request and pray with someone.
The sons of Eli were abusive and unruly, ignoring the Law of God and causing people to hate going to the temple because of their abuse. The Evil they did was beyond contempt and would turn the stomachs of many who read of it. Samuel ministered as a priest from childhood and did so in accordance with the law as a priest should. God swore to kill both Eli’s sons in one day and raise up a faithful priest to lead so that the Israelites would not be driven to sin by the evil they encountered at the tabernacle.
Eli had not restrained his sons. He did not prevent them from interfering in the sacrifice. Because he treated them better than the sacrifice and showed more honor to them than to God, his house was cursed. He was still the high priest and so he was able to perceive the Lord was calling to Samuel in the night.
Eli knew the Lord wouldn’t call the boy in vain and asked him the next day to reveal what the Lord had said. Samuel knew it was a curse against the old man and didn’t want to tell him for fear of hurting him but, Eli insisted and Samuel told all. Eli replied by saying, “He is the Lord, let Him do what seems good to Him.” It was a wise and true saying worthy of the high priest. It also showed Eli understood his mistakes.
tomorrow: First Samuel 4-7
Friday, March 20, 2009
The book of Ruth
God’s message to me: If family can’t take care of each other, who will? Many will scoff at the connection I make with politics but history backs me up. The key reason for the welfare state is to undermine this concept of family. By making the state the source of help the bond of family is loosened. Reading the books and writings of Marx, Lenin, Mao and other communist leaders you see that this was their purpose in creating such states. The old and honored system known as the widows and orphans assistance became the modern welfare system. One was designed to provide for people who had little or no help from family during harsh financial times and with the loss of young men in WWI and WWI. The latter was the attempt of the state to take over a roll traditionally held by family, church and private charity.
Don’t begrudge the family member who needs help. Even though it may be a hardship at times, it is an opportunity for you to gain the Blessings God has for those who will stand for their family. If God can’t trust you to take care of relatives how can He trust you with interests beyond your family?
Promises: God blesses those who care for their family. Marriage was established and ordained by God to form this bond between people. Fulfilling the obligations of this bond will bring favor upon you.
Each person here gained favor from God for taking care of family. Naomi and Ruth cared for each other like mother and daughter. Ruth worked to provide for her mother and Naomi saw to the strategy that would provide for Ruth. Boaz, took care of Naomi and Ruth as family. He not only ordered that she be allowed to glean in the field but that his men intentionally drop extra grain for her. When she came to him on the threshing floor he sent her home with 6 ephahs of threshed grain. This probably doesn’t mean much to many people without knowing what an ephah is. The ephah is a dry measure slightly larger than a bushel. She went home to Naomi with over 6 bushels of cleaned grain. When she had gleaned in the field he saw to it she drank from the water his men had drawn and ate with the workers from the food already prepared. she even took home some of the prepared food along with what she gleaned to her mother(in-law).
For their actions, Naomi got a grandson raised in the name of Ruth’s late husband, Ruth got a husband of means. Boaz got a family and children and a son named Obed, who became the father of Jesse who was the father of David the king of Israel whose line leads to Jesus the Messiah. That’s some serious blessings.
Commands: Honor thy father and mother that thy days may be long upon the earth. This commandment is only the beginning of the responsibility to family and the law is filled with rules for taking care of family though all the ups and downs. This is the story of family.
Timeless principles: God can bring blessing through the harshest of circumstances. Naomi moved, with her husband and sons, to a foreign land to survive a famine. While living in this land her husband died, her sons married and then her sons died. She had no more children, no grandchildren and felt herself to old to start a family. She sent her daughters in law back to their homes so that they could find a life for themselves. She wanted these young women to have a chance for love and happiness and another husband and children. She knew no way to provide these things herself.
Orpah, one of the daughters-in-law protested but eventually gave in and returned home.(yes that’s how it’s spelled, yes it’s where Oprah got her name and yes she has said her family didn’t know how to spell it.) The other daughter-in-law Ruth refused to leave her mother-in-law.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Help family when they are in need according to all that I can help. Providing for family is the first duty, if I can’t be trusted to help my relative how can I be trusted to help others.
more to learn for in-depth study: Consider the tradition of the time. The male children had their inheritance in the house of their father. What their father left as inheritance would go through the male line unless there were no males. The daughters had their inheritance in the house of their husband. Fathers and mothers made a point of finding good husbands for their daughters so that they would be taken care of. The husband would inherit from the father and the wife shared in that inheritance.
Elimelech sold his land and then died in a foreign land, His sons died having had no children and with nothing to their name. The right of redemption in Jewish law applied to the men so even the opportunity to redeem their lands in Israel was not available to Naomi or here daughters-in-law. Sending Orpah home was the kindest and most loving act Naomi could think to provide the young woman. Ruth, refused to abandon her new family. She had married into this family and felt her loyalty belonged to Naomi. Naomi, in turn, did everything she could to ensure a future for Ruth in Israel while Ruth, worked hard to provide for herself and her mother-in-law.
The duty of close kin was to become husband to the childless widow and raise a son in the name of her late husband. The closest relative refused this job for fear he would not have a son to raise in his own name. Boaz took the job with honor, marrying Ruth, bringing a son in the name of her late husband and several more as well.
GENEALOGY: The son of Jacob (also called Israel) was Judah. Judah was the father of Perez who was father to Hezron who became father to Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was father of Nashon who was father to Salmon the father of Boaz.
Boaz married Ruth and had a son named Obed who became the father of Jesse whose son David killed the giant named Goliath of Gath, and later became the king of Israel. From the family line of king David was born Jesus the Christ who died for our sins and rose from the dead to save us.
tomorrow: First Samuel 1-3
Don’t begrudge the family member who needs help. Even though it may be a hardship at times, it is an opportunity for you to gain the Blessings God has for those who will stand for their family. If God can’t trust you to take care of relatives how can He trust you with interests beyond your family?
Promises: God blesses those who care for their family. Marriage was established and ordained by God to form this bond between people. Fulfilling the obligations of this bond will bring favor upon you.
Each person here gained favor from God for taking care of family. Naomi and Ruth cared for each other like mother and daughter. Ruth worked to provide for her mother and Naomi saw to the strategy that would provide for Ruth. Boaz, took care of Naomi and Ruth as family. He not only ordered that she be allowed to glean in the field but that his men intentionally drop extra grain for her. When she came to him on the threshing floor he sent her home with 6 ephahs of threshed grain. This probably doesn’t mean much to many people without knowing what an ephah is. The ephah is a dry measure slightly larger than a bushel. She went home to Naomi with over 6 bushels of cleaned grain. When she had gleaned in the field he saw to it she drank from the water his men had drawn and ate with the workers from the food already prepared. she even took home some of the prepared food along with what she gleaned to her mother(in-law).
For their actions, Naomi got a grandson raised in the name of Ruth’s late husband, Ruth got a husband of means. Boaz got a family and children and a son named Obed, who became the father of Jesse who was the father of David the king of Israel whose line leads to Jesus the Messiah. That’s some serious blessings.
Commands: Honor thy father and mother that thy days may be long upon the earth. This commandment is only the beginning of the responsibility to family and the law is filled with rules for taking care of family though all the ups and downs. This is the story of family.
Timeless principles: God can bring blessing through the harshest of circumstances. Naomi moved, with her husband and sons, to a foreign land to survive a famine. While living in this land her husband died, her sons married and then her sons died. She had no more children, no grandchildren and felt herself to old to start a family. She sent her daughters in law back to their homes so that they could find a life for themselves. She wanted these young women to have a chance for love and happiness and another husband and children. She knew no way to provide these things herself.
Orpah, one of the daughters-in-law protested but eventually gave in and returned home.(yes that’s how it’s spelled, yes it’s where Oprah got her name and yes she has said her family didn’t know how to spell it.) The other daughter-in-law Ruth refused to leave her mother-in-law.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Help family when they are in need according to all that I can help. Providing for family is the first duty, if I can’t be trusted to help my relative how can I be trusted to help others.
more to learn for in-depth study: Consider the tradition of the time. The male children had their inheritance in the house of their father. What their father left as inheritance would go through the male line unless there were no males. The daughters had their inheritance in the house of their husband. Fathers and mothers made a point of finding good husbands for their daughters so that they would be taken care of. The husband would inherit from the father and the wife shared in that inheritance.
Elimelech sold his land and then died in a foreign land, His sons died having had no children and with nothing to their name. The right of redemption in Jewish law applied to the men so even the opportunity to redeem their lands in Israel was not available to Naomi or here daughters-in-law. Sending Orpah home was the kindest and most loving act Naomi could think to provide the young woman. Ruth, refused to abandon her new family. She had married into this family and felt her loyalty belonged to Naomi. Naomi, in turn, did everything she could to ensure a future for Ruth in Israel while Ruth, worked hard to provide for herself and her mother-in-law.
The duty of close kin was to become husband to the childless widow and raise a son in the name of her late husband. The closest relative refused this job for fear he would not have a son to raise in his own name. Boaz took the job with honor, marrying Ruth, bringing a son in the name of her late husband and several more as well.
GENEALOGY: The son of Jacob (also called Israel) was Judah. Judah was the father of Perez who was father to Hezron who became father to Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was father of Nashon who was father to Salmon the father of Boaz.
Boaz married Ruth and had a son named Obed who became the father of Jesse whose son David killed the giant named Goliath of Gath, and later became the king of Israel. From the family line of king David was born Jesus the Christ who died for our sins and rose from the dead to save us.
tomorrow: First Samuel 1-3
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Judges 20-21
God’s message to me: Political correctness can convince us to sin. It’s one thing to recognize peoples right to live in sin and foolishness. It’s something else entirely to condone it, defend it, or accept it. This country maintains freedom for all at the expense of tolerating some foolishness. Tolerance of each others views is what allows us to maintain our freedom. However; no one has the right to be accepted, heard or have their view promoted over others.
Homosexuals have the right to live in their sin and Christians have the right to call it sin. Those who would count our biblical view as hatred and intolerance and would write laws forcing us to condone them are the enemies of God. Those who force us to pay for the murder of children through financing abortion and paying for fetal stem cell research are the enemies of God. Accepting their views and their laws without a fight is no better then the Benjamites protecting the Sons of Beliel whose practices resulted in a murder that brought the entire nation against them.
Promises: God will always fulfill His promises. Cutting off the tribe of Benjamin entirely would have breached the promise despite their sin. God kept the remnant to let the promise to that tribe live on.
Commands: Do Not tolerate, condone, except, defend, or sanction perversion and sin. The tribe of Benjamin tolerated perversion and defended the perverts and were nearly destroyed as a result.
Timeless principles: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke) Christ "gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14). “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing” Albert Einstein
The sins involved in the worship of false gods and the activities tolerated throughout Israel led to a complacence that allowed evil to persist in the land for years. It was the murder of one woman and the very public and shocking act of her husband that finally made the Israelites wake up to the problem.
The same complacency and acceptance of evil led the tribe of Benjamin to protect those who had committed evil in their midst. These murdering fools should have been hung in the streets by their own tribe and the problem would have been resolved but, instead, the Benjamites protected them and their right to be perverts. The result was the near complete destruction of the tribe.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Fight against the politically correct with everything you have. While some of it may seem eminently good the evil hidden within will destroy the country and all who live in it from the roots. There is a way which seems good to a man but it’s end is death.
more to learn for in-depth study: 400,000 Soldiers from the other 11 tribes came to the council that sent the army against Benjamin. In the first two days of battle 26,700 Benjamites brought punishment on the nation for letting things get so bad and 40,000 Israelit soldiers died on the field of battle. The same number as the council had decided to send to punish Benjamin. After that the Israelites decided to give a whole hearted effort and the Lord promised deliverance. 25,100 Benjamites were killed and 600 sent into hiding. All their cities and all the non-combatants in them were destroyed.
Like the Benjamites the people of Jabesh Giliad failed to condemn what had happened and join the battle. They too were marked for destruction and from their destruction came the beginning of a new hope for the remnant of Benjamin.
tomorrow: The book of Ruth
Homosexuals have the right to live in their sin and Christians have the right to call it sin. Those who would count our biblical view as hatred and intolerance and would write laws forcing us to condone them are the enemies of God. Those who force us to pay for the murder of children through financing abortion and paying for fetal stem cell research are the enemies of God. Accepting their views and their laws without a fight is no better then the Benjamites protecting the Sons of Beliel whose practices resulted in a murder that brought the entire nation against them.
Promises: God will always fulfill His promises. Cutting off the tribe of Benjamin entirely would have breached the promise despite their sin. God kept the remnant to let the promise to that tribe live on.
Commands: Do Not tolerate, condone, except, defend, or sanction perversion and sin. The tribe of Benjamin tolerated perversion and defended the perverts and were nearly destroyed as a result.
Timeless principles: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke) Christ "gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14). “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing” Albert Einstein
The sins involved in the worship of false gods and the activities tolerated throughout Israel led to a complacence that allowed evil to persist in the land for years. It was the murder of one woman and the very public and shocking act of her husband that finally made the Israelites wake up to the problem.
The same complacency and acceptance of evil led the tribe of Benjamin to protect those who had committed evil in their midst. These murdering fools should have been hung in the streets by their own tribe and the problem would have been resolved but, instead, the Benjamites protected them and their right to be perverts. The result was the near complete destruction of the tribe.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Fight against the politically correct with everything you have. While some of it may seem eminently good the evil hidden within will destroy the country and all who live in it from the roots. There is a way which seems good to a man but it’s end is death.
more to learn for in-depth study: 400,000 Soldiers from the other 11 tribes came to the council that sent the army against Benjamin. In the first two days of battle 26,700 Benjamites brought punishment on the nation for letting things get so bad and 40,000 Israelit soldiers died on the field of battle. The same number as the council had decided to send to punish Benjamin. After that the Israelites decided to give a whole hearted effort and the Lord promised deliverance. 25,100 Benjamites were killed and 600 sent into hiding. All their cities and all the non-combatants in them were destroyed.
Like the Benjamites the people of Jabesh Giliad failed to condemn what had happened and join the battle. They too were marked for destruction and from their destruction came the beginning of a new hope for the remnant of Benjamin.
tomorrow: The book of Ruth
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Judges 18-19
God’s message to me: False worship, no matter how it is dressed, leads only to disaster. Micah hired a Levite as pries to his false gods and when the tribe of Dan entered his land to take their inheritance they took the priest and the false gods and the ephod(priests breastplate) made for the priest to serve the false gods. The Danites added to their own sin by setting the same priest up for themselves to serve the stolen false gods. Their false priest led them in false worship to false gods instead of respecting Jehovah who had given them the land they took as inheritance.
Among the tribe of Benjamin were worshipers of Beliel. Sexual immorality including homosexuality and rape were a common practice in this false religion. They took the beloved concubine wife of Levite and raped and abused her all night so that she died on the doorstep of the house in which he lodged. The Levite cut her body into 12 pieces and sent them throughout Israel as a message regarding the evil being done by the worshipers of Beliel in the tribe of Benjamin. The message would be received and acted on most dramatically.
Promises: God fulfills His promises even when we don’t. The tribe of Dan was promised territory in the promised land. They waited longer than they should have to take it but, when they went to take it God gave it to them easily. They went in with a small force and took the territory then promptly set up worship to false gods found there. They failed, pretty much, every part of their end of the bargain but, God did not fail one word of His end.
Commands: While not said specifically this passage demonstrates disobedience to the first two commandments. “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image -any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,”.
Timeless principles: Symbolism over substance. The tribe of Levi was chosen to serve God in the temple. Choosing a Levite to be your personal priest for false gods doesn’t change the false gods into real ones. symbols and lucky charms are still prevalent in society and in the church. They are false and have no place.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: I hear these things all the time. “my god is a loving god who could never send someone to hell forever.” “My god doesn’t make mistakes so how dare you judge my homosexual behavior.” “The bible is the flawed creation of man based on centuries of oral tradition. The real god wouldn’t behave the way it says.”
ALLOW ME TO BE VERY CLEAR. If your god is not the God of the bible you are worshipping a false god and have set up an image in your mind to worship as an idol. I have, in the course of this study, clearly established that the bible is and has been and was from the beginning a written record. It has been established that the words were given by God who ordered his servants to put them in writing. God, as described in the bible, is the only true and living God. There is no other. Worshiping some ideal that comes from your personal morality is idolatry, paganism, humanism, false worship.
more to learn for in-depth study: We see some of the results of false worship here. Tomorrows story continues with the results of Benjamin tolerating the sons of Beliel.
Rights, in the United States, are often misunderstood. You have the right to behave badly so long as it doesn’t interfere with the rights of others. You do not have a right to be accepted. When people demand that others stop praying because they are offended, when they demand that religious references be removed from public view and hearing, when they demand that we recognized their offensive actions as normal, they are demanding the right to be accepted. I don’t have the right to have Christianity accepted by all and they don’t have the right to have me accept abortion on demand, vegetarianism, bestiality, pedophilia, or any other perversion.
If you think you have an American or even a Christian responsibility to accept others as they are please read carefully tomorrows assignment and see the result of a tribe that accepted perversion as normal.
tomorrow: Judges 20-21
Among the tribe of Benjamin were worshipers of Beliel. Sexual immorality including homosexuality and rape were a common practice in this false religion. They took the beloved concubine wife of Levite and raped and abused her all night so that she died on the doorstep of the house in which he lodged. The Levite cut her body into 12 pieces and sent them throughout Israel as a message regarding the evil being done by the worshipers of Beliel in the tribe of Benjamin. The message would be received and acted on most dramatically.
Promises: God fulfills His promises even when we don’t. The tribe of Dan was promised territory in the promised land. They waited longer than they should have to take it but, when they went to take it God gave it to them easily. They went in with a small force and took the territory then promptly set up worship to false gods found there. They failed, pretty much, every part of their end of the bargain but, God did not fail one word of His end.
Commands: While not said specifically this passage demonstrates disobedience to the first two commandments. “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image -any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,”.
Timeless principles: Symbolism over substance. The tribe of Levi was chosen to serve God in the temple. Choosing a Levite to be your personal priest for false gods doesn’t change the false gods into real ones. symbols and lucky charms are still prevalent in society and in the church. They are false and have no place.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: I hear these things all the time. “my god is a loving god who could never send someone to hell forever.” “My god doesn’t make mistakes so how dare you judge my homosexual behavior.” “The bible is the flawed creation of man based on centuries of oral tradition. The real god wouldn’t behave the way it says.”
ALLOW ME TO BE VERY CLEAR. If your god is not the God of the bible you are worshipping a false god and have set up an image in your mind to worship as an idol. I have, in the course of this study, clearly established that the bible is and has been and was from the beginning a written record. It has been established that the words were given by God who ordered his servants to put them in writing. God, as described in the bible, is the only true and living God. There is no other. Worshiping some ideal that comes from your personal morality is idolatry, paganism, humanism, false worship.
more to learn for in-depth study: We see some of the results of false worship here. Tomorrows story continues with the results of Benjamin tolerating the sons of Beliel.
Rights, in the United States, are often misunderstood. You have the right to behave badly so long as it doesn’t interfere with the rights of others. You do not have a right to be accepted. When people demand that others stop praying because they are offended, when they demand that religious references be removed from public view and hearing, when they demand that we recognized their offensive actions as normal, they are demanding the right to be accepted. I don’t have the right to have Christianity accepted by all and they don’t have the right to have me accept abortion on demand, vegetarianism, bestiality, pedophilia, or any other perversion.
If you think you have an American or even a Christian responsibility to accept others as they are please read carefully tomorrows assignment and see the result of a tribe that accepted perversion as normal.
tomorrow: Judges 20-21
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Judges 14-17
God’s message to me: God invented “shock and awe.” Remember the flood. Imagine being one of the people outside of the ark. Noah had been preaching about the coming storm for about 100 years but, no one on earth had ever seen rain in 1,656 years. Suddenly there is a full out thunderstorm, earthquakes, water shooting out of the ground and dark clouds everywhere and these folks have never seen any of that before. Now the people of Gaza wait at the gates of the city to ambush Samson in the morning. Instead he comes out at midnight, takes hold of the barred city gate, rips up the doors of the gate, the posts they are attached to and the bar that is locking it and carries it on his shoulders to the top of a hill near Hebron while the dummies from Gaza sit around with their jaws on their chests.
(don’t forget, he was there to be with a harlot which is another violation of the Nazirite vow. I tend to get the impression no one ever explained that vow to him. If they did he certainly didn’t seem to care.)
Promises: Even on your worst day, God will ensure that your actions make Him look good. You can work up a powerful thirst killing 1,000 Philistines with a donkey’s jawbone. God quenched Samson’s thirst by cracking a rock and letting a spring erupt from it so he could drink.
Commands: God will use you no matter what. Whether or not you enjoy it or profit from it depends on your willingness to obey Him in the process. Samson was a mighty man who could have had a lot more enjoyable life. Unfortunately, he had no respect for the rules he was to live by. Even if you forget his drinking, eating from old animal carcass’ hanging out with the wrong crowd and demanding self indulgence, you can’t get away from his involvement with Philistine women. The Philistines are most known for Goliath of Gath. Goliath was a giant of the Nephilim. He had 4 brothers who were also giants and was among the last of the giants. These events occurred well before Goliath’s time and the Philistine bloodline was well tainted by the nephilim. Forget marrying outside his faith and nationality, Samson was, for all intents and purposes, marrying outside his species. First he married a Philistine, then he went to a Philistine harlot, then he moved in with another Philistine women.
While it seems Samson lived the party life, it should also be noted that the only homes he is shown living in are his parents house, his in-laws house, his girlfriends house and a cave. No mention of great fortune, he had to kill 30 men to pay off a gambling debt. No mention of a home, land, position, respect or anything. He judged Israel, when he wasn’t out doing something stupid, he killed a lot of Philistines, he got in plenty of trouble and when he died, his brothers came to collect the corpse and bury him. He accomplished a lot, but I don’t see where he enjoyed it nearly as much as previous judges did.
Timeless principles: Those chosen of God can and will be used by him, even in their darkest hour. After allowing himself to be weakened by Delilah Samson was captured, blinded and imprisoned. If you recall past studies, a Nazirite who becomes unclean goes to the temple for ritual cleansing including having their head shaved. As Sampson’s hair began to grow back in the prison, the power God gave him as part of the vow returned as well.
The Philistines decided to celebrate the idea that their false god had delivered Samson into their hands. with a temple full of revelers including all the lords of the Philistines, and another 3,000 people on the roof of the temple they brought Samson from the prison to be a spectacle for them. Samson asked God for one thing. He wanted his strength back just long enough to die taking revenge. God gave him what he asked for. When Samson knocked down the support pillars of the temple the roof caved in killing those inside and those on the roof. Samson killed more Philistines in his final, suicidal attack than all the others he had killed combined.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: I can trust God to use me no matter what happens. I know that even in my darkest hour He can use me for mighty things. This story should remind us all to be obedient to God and do things the right way. I see the stories of the other judges and most of them gained profit and position after doing mighty works for God. They obeyed God in their actions and enjoyed a peaceful life after the job was done. Some failed to continue in obedience after they retired but, they profited from doing so when they were called. Samson fought until he died and never got much out of it, His party lifestyle just kept him in position to get mad and kill bad guys. Most of us would love to have the power to defeat enemies so easily but, I would rather be able to have a good retirement when I was done. On the other hand, if I must go down fighting I want to be like Sampson and the Texans at the Alamo. Losing the battle but winning the war because my final act did enough damage to the enemy that they couldn’t win afterward.
more to learn for in-depth study: The battle between what young people want and what their parents think is good for them is as old as time. Overindulgent parents and temperamental, self absorbed teens are nearly as old.
Samson had been a Nazirite from birth. For those who have been following the study you will remember that this means more than just not cutting your hair. A Nazirite is separate from normal people and must remain ritually clean to an extreme level. Taking a wife from among the Philistines was not in keeping with that tradition, but the boy picked the girl he wanted and his parents indulged him. God put it in his heart to want her in order to set up Samson's first big fight, On his way to see her he killed a lion and later took honey from the carcass. Aside from avoiding dead bodies a Nazirite would be well outside the rules to eat honey that came from a dead carcass. Honestly, I love honey and that even grosses me out.
The next problem this indulgence brought was when Sampson returned a few months later deciding that he wanted his wife back. (He had abandoned her after she informed the men about Samson’s riddle) Finding out that his father-in-law had given her to his best man he decided to start a little fire. Burning down the Philistines crops gathered attention and they burned down his father-in-law’s house killing the father-in-law and Samson’s wife. Not enough that his wife had been given to another, killing her got Samson truly mad. The bible says he attacked them with a great slaughter but doesn’t mention how many men he killed at that time. When they came to arrest him he killed 1,000 with the jawbone of a donkey.
A nagging woman is also a timeless theme. Delilah pestered Samson for the secret of his strength. Sampson lied to her 3 times. Each time she tried to weaken him using the method he lied about and did so with Philistines hiding in their bedroom. You would think that would be a clue but, strong arms and strong minds don’t always come in the same body. Samson stuck around long enough for Delilah to nag him to the point where he finally told her the truth.
Samson Judged Israel fro 20 years. The story of Micah begins with his introduction to idolatry and his firing a Levite to act as priest for his false gods. It continues tomorrow.
tomorrow: Judges 18-19
(don’t forget, he was there to be with a harlot which is another violation of the Nazirite vow. I tend to get the impression no one ever explained that vow to him. If they did he certainly didn’t seem to care.)
Promises: Even on your worst day, God will ensure that your actions make Him look good. You can work up a powerful thirst killing 1,000 Philistines with a donkey’s jawbone. God quenched Samson’s thirst by cracking a rock and letting a spring erupt from it so he could drink.
Commands: God will use you no matter what. Whether or not you enjoy it or profit from it depends on your willingness to obey Him in the process. Samson was a mighty man who could have had a lot more enjoyable life. Unfortunately, he had no respect for the rules he was to live by. Even if you forget his drinking, eating from old animal carcass’ hanging out with the wrong crowd and demanding self indulgence, you can’t get away from his involvement with Philistine women. The Philistines are most known for Goliath of Gath. Goliath was a giant of the Nephilim. He had 4 brothers who were also giants and was among the last of the giants. These events occurred well before Goliath’s time and the Philistine bloodline was well tainted by the nephilim. Forget marrying outside his faith and nationality, Samson was, for all intents and purposes, marrying outside his species. First he married a Philistine, then he went to a Philistine harlot, then he moved in with another Philistine women.
While it seems Samson lived the party life, it should also be noted that the only homes he is shown living in are his parents house, his in-laws house, his girlfriends house and a cave. No mention of great fortune, he had to kill 30 men to pay off a gambling debt. No mention of a home, land, position, respect or anything. He judged Israel, when he wasn’t out doing something stupid, he killed a lot of Philistines, he got in plenty of trouble and when he died, his brothers came to collect the corpse and bury him. He accomplished a lot, but I don’t see where he enjoyed it nearly as much as previous judges did.
Timeless principles: Those chosen of God can and will be used by him, even in their darkest hour. After allowing himself to be weakened by Delilah Samson was captured, blinded and imprisoned. If you recall past studies, a Nazirite who becomes unclean goes to the temple for ritual cleansing including having their head shaved. As Sampson’s hair began to grow back in the prison, the power God gave him as part of the vow returned as well.
The Philistines decided to celebrate the idea that their false god had delivered Samson into their hands. with a temple full of revelers including all the lords of the Philistines, and another 3,000 people on the roof of the temple they brought Samson from the prison to be a spectacle for them. Samson asked God for one thing. He wanted his strength back just long enough to die taking revenge. God gave him what he asked for. When Samson knocked down the support pillars of the temple the roof caved in killing those inside and those on the roof. Samson killed more Philistines in his final, suicidal attack than all the others he had killed combined.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: I can trust God to use me no matter what happens. I know that even in my darkest hour He can use me for mighty things. This story should remind us all to be obedient to God and do things the right way. I see the stories of the other judges and most of them gained profit and position after doing mighty works for God. They obeyed God in their actions and enjoyed a peaceful life after the job was done. Some failed to continue in obedience after they retired but, they profited from doing so when they were called. Samson fought until he died and never got much out of it, His party lifestyle just kept him in position to get mad and kill bad guys. Most of us would love to have the power to defeat enemies so easily but, I would rather be able to have a good retirement when I was done. On the other hand, if I must go down fighting I want to be like Sampson and the Texans at the Alamo. Losing the battle but winning the war because my final act did enough damage to the enemy that they couldn’t win afterward.
more to learn for in-depth study: The battle between what young people want and what their parents think is good for them is as old as time. Overindulgent parents and temperamental, self absorbed teens are nearly as old.
Samson had been a Nazirite from birth. For those who have been following the study you will remember that this means more than just not cutting your hair. A Nazirite is separate from normal people and must remain ritually clean to an extreme level. Taking a wife from among the Philistines was not in keeping with that tradition, but the boy picked the girl he wanted and his parents indulged him. God put it in his heart to want her in order to set up Samson's first big fight, On his way to see her he killed a lion and later took honey from the carcass. Aside from avoiding dead bodies a Nazirite would be well outside the rules to eat honey that came from a dead carcass. Honestly, I love honey and that even grosses me out.
The next problem this indulgence brought was when Sampson returned a few months later deciding that he wanted his wife back. (He had abandoned her after she informed the men about Samson’s riddle) Finding out that his father-in-law had given her to his best man he decided to start a little fire. Burning down the Philistines crops gathered attention and they burned down his father-in-law’s house killing the father-in-law and Samson’s wife. Not enough that his wife had been given to another, killing her got Samson truly mad. The bible says he attacked them with a great slaughter but doesn’t mention how many men he killed at that time. When they came to arrest him he killed 1,000 with the jawbone of a donkey.
A nagging woman is also a timeless theme. Delilah pestered Samson for the secret of his strength. Sampson lied to her 3 times. Each time she tried to weaken him using the method he lied about and did so with Philistines hiding in their bedroom. You would think that would be a clue but, strong arms and strong minds don’t always come in the same body. Samson stuck around long enough for Delilah to nag him to the point where he finally told her the truth.
Samson Judged Israel fro 20 years. The story of Micah begins with his introduction to idolatry and his firing a Levite to act as priest for his false gods. It continues tomorrow.
tomorrow: Judges 18-19
Monday, March 16, 2009
the other resolution
I’m weighing in this week at 231.8. With warmer weather I’m walking more and My eating is a bit more on track. Still to many snack foods like Ice Cream but, I’m balancing that some. Water intake is still my week point and I need to correct that.
Judges 11-13
God’s message to me: Do not bargain with God. God desires our worship, love and obedience, not trade. Jephthah bargained that he would give up the first thing that came to him from home as a burnt offering if God gave him victory. God placed him in position to lead. God would have accepted tests like Gideon gave him. He would have sent him to victory regardless. His bargaining was a promise to God which he could not take back.
Promises: God will deliver you from oppression. The people of Israel were oppressed for their sin and God was mad enough to tell them they should try asking the false gods they had ignored Him for to rescue them. Even so, when they turned from their sin, God could not bear the misery of His chosen people and sent Jephthah to rescue them.
Commands: Say it with me folks. “I Am My Brother’s Keeper.” This concept is basic to the Special forces of the US Military. It goes along with “No Man Left Behind.” The law of God handed down by Moses includes a bunch of rules for being helpful and generous with fellow Israelites. When the Tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh settled on the other side of the Jordan they did so under the provision that they would stand with the other tribes in battle to take the promised land.
Not only did the people of Ephraim fail to stand with the other tribes in opposing their enemy, they turned against the other tribes for passing through their land in the battle. This disloyal show of ingratitude was well beyond reason. It not only showed the people of Ephraim wouldn’t stand with their brothers, it showed they wanted to disown them.
Timeless principles: God can use anybody. Whether it is the brave spy like Joshua or the trained generals he commanded, the farm boy from the weakest tribe who leads a tiny task force against impossible odds or the son of a harlot who lives as a raider and bandit in the mountains and has his home restored when he leads the army of Israel. God can and will use anybody to accomplish his purpose. A willing heart is all God requires for us to profit by being used by Him.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Never judge a person on their past when God is ready to use them. Never believe your own past make it impossible for you to be used. DON’T BARGAIN WITH GOD, JUST OBEY HIM.
more to learn for in-depth study: Jephthah is a favorite because he reminds me of the Scorpion king. A long haired wild man with his own private army of raiders living in caves in the mountains until others realize he is the best man to lead a war. He is also one of the more difficult studies.
The sacrifice of His daughter as a result of bargaining is difficult to reconcile. Detailed study of the nations that were wiped out in apparent genocide makes it clear they were associated with Nephilim. The bloodline tainted by fallen angels resulted in the destruction of the flood and of a great many nations after the flood. Those wars appear in the mythology of almost every nation including the Native American tribes. The death of Jephthah’s daughter has no apparent connection and the fact that God did not interfere as He did with Jacob is something I can’t explain.
Jephthah also fought a war against another tribe of Israel. Ephraim refused to help in the war against the Ammonites and when Jephthah attacked the Ammonites he went through Ephraim territory to do it. Acting as though they were an independent country the people of Ephraim took offense at the Jephthah leading the other tribes across their territory. (sounds a little like France when the US attacks sponsors of terror) The not only complained about his actions but turned on their fellow Israelites and attacked them for going through their tribal territory without permission. Jephthah led the army that had just defeated Ammon into battle against the people of Ephraim and with similar success.
The people of Ephraim should never have turned on their brothers and, given that they refused to fight for themselves and the other Israelites, they showed how ungrateful they were by attacking the folks that had just freed them from the Ammonite oppression.
For those without a study bible, the word Shibboleth was used as a test of dialect. People from the tribe of Ephraim had an accent that caused them to pronounce the word in a specific way that was recognizable. The Soldiers of Jephthah’s army used this test to determine whether the person in front of them was an innocent traveler or an escaping soldier for the attacking army.
Jephthah Judged Israel for 6 years followed by Ibzan who had 30 sons and 30 daughters. Ibzan found wives for all his sons and gave his 30 daughters in marriage. He judged Israel for 7 years. After Ibzan came Elon who judged Israel for 10 years. Then came Abdon who judged Israel 8 years. He had 40 sons and 30 grandsons riding 70 young donkeys (reminiscent of Gideon).
After him the Israelites returned to their sin and were given to oppression from the Philistines for 40 years before God began to raise Samson as their defender. One of the most famous Judges, Samson is believed by some to be the inspiration for the legends of Hercules.
tomorrow: Judges 14-17
Promises: God will deliver you from oppression. The people of Israel were oppressed for their sin and God was mad enough to tell them they should try asking the false gods they had ignored Him for to rescue them. Even so, when they turned from their sin, God could not bear the misery of His chosen people and sent Jephthah to rescue them.
Commands: Say it with me folks. “I Am My Brother’s Keeper.” This concept is basic to the Special forces of the US Military. It goes along with “No Man Left Behind.” The law of God handed down by Moses includes a bunch of rules for being helpful and generous with fellow Israelites. When the Tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh settled on the other side of the Jordan they did so under the provision that they would stand with the other tribes in battle to take the promised land.
Not only did the people of Ephraim fail to stand with the other tribes in opposing their enemy, they turned against the other tribes for passing through their land in the battle. This disloyal show of ingratitude was well beyond reason. It not only showed the people of Ephraim wouldn’t stand with their brothers, it showed they wanted to disown them.
Timeless principles: God can use anybody. Whether it is the brave spy like Joshua or the trained generals he commanded, the farm boy from the weakest tribe who leads a tiny task force against impossible odds or the son of a harlot who lives as a raider and bandit in the mountains and has his home restored when he leads the army of Israel. God can and will use anybody to accomplish his purpose. A willing heart is all God requires for us to profit by being used by Him.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Never judge a person on their past when God is ready to use them. Never believe your own past make it impossible for you to be used. DON’T BARGAIN WITH GOD, JUST OBEY HIM.
more to learn for in-depth study: Jephthah is a favorite because he reminds me of the Scorpion king. A long haired wild man with his own private army of raiders living in caves in the mountains until others realize he is the best man to lead a war. He is also one of the more difficult studies.
The sacrifice of His daughter as a result of bargaining is difficult to reconcile. Detailed study of the nations that were wiped out in apparent genocide makes it clear they were associated with Nephilim. The bloodline tainted by fallen angels resulted in the destruction of the flood and of a great many nations after the flood. Those wars appear in the mythology of almost every nation including the Native American tribes. The death of Jephthah’s daughter has no apparent connection and the fact that God did not interfere as He did with Jacob is something I can’t explain.
Jephthah also fought a war against another tribe of Israel. Ephraim refused to help in the war against the Ammonites and when Jephthah attacked the Ammonites he went through Ephraim territory to do it. Acting as though they were an independent country the people of Ephraim took offense at the Jephthah leading the other tribes across their territory. (sounds a little like France when the US attacks sponsors of terror) The not only complained about his actions but turned on their fellow Israelites and attacked them for going through their tribal territory without permission. Jephthah led the army that had just defeated Ammon into battle against the people of Ephraim and with similar success.
The people of Ephraim should never have turned on their brothers and, given that they refused to fight for themselves and the other Israelites, they showed how ungrateful they were by attacking the folks that had just freed them from the Ammonite oppression.
For those without a study bible, the word Shibboleth was used as a test of dialect. People from the tribe of Ephraim had an accent that caused them to pronounce the word in a specific way that was recognizable. The Soldiers of Jephthah’s army used this test to determine whether the person in front of them was an innocent traveler or an escaping soldier for the attacking army.
Jephthah Judged Israel for 6 years followed by Ibzan who had 30 sons and 30 daughters. Ibzan found wives for all his sons and gave his 30 daughters in marriage. He judged Israel for 7 years. After Ibzan came Elon who judged Israel for 10 years. Then came Abdon who judged Israel 8 years. He had 40 sons and 30 grandsons riding 70 young donkeys (reminiscent of Gideon).
After him the Israelites returned to their sin and were given to oppression from the Philistines for 40 years before God began to raise Samson as their defender. One of the most famous Judges, Samson is believed by some to be the inspiration for the legends of Hercules.
tomorrow: Judges 14-17
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Weekly Assignment
Monday: Judges 11-13
Tuesday: Judges 14-17
Wednesday: Judges 18-19
Thursday: Judges 20-21
Friday: The book of Ruth
Saturday: First Samuel 1-3
Sunday: First Samuel 4-7
Tomorrow: Jephthah. I added a picture from flicker that matches my mental image of this Judge of Israel. At least I thought I did, maybe it will load later.
Tuesday: Judges 14-17
Wednesday: Judges 18-19
Thursday: Judges 20-21
Friday: The book of Ruth
Saturday: First Samuel 1-3
Sunday: First Samuel 4-7
Tomorrow: Jephthah. I added a picture from flicker that matches my mental image of this Judge of Israel. At least I thought I did, maybe it will load later.
Judges 9-10
God’s message to me: My job is what God gives me to do. Pursuing other things because I can is a path to disaster. Attacking others to promote myself is completely wrong. If I am not enough on my own destroying others will not make me more. The trick is to use what I have to it’s best effect and let God ceal with others.
Promises: “Vengeance is mine”, says the Lord. “I will repay.” Abimelech was in the position of a king with the backing of the locals and his family plus a military at his disposal. Jotham didn’t have much chance of being the Avenger of blood for his family against those odds. Instead he put it in God’s hands to decide if Abimilech was where he belonged and to deal with him if he wasn’t. God fulfilled Jotham’s curse on Abimilech and his followers and kept Jotham safe in the meantime.
Commands: Don’t assume authority that God hasn’t given you. God intends us all to be priests and kings in his kingdom and he has jobs for us here but assuming authority He reserved for another can be real trouble.
Timeless principles: The fact that you can do something doesn’t mean you should. Even if you can find a lot of people who agree with your actions you need to be certain it is your job. Just as Abimilech got those around him to make him king I think we can all remember someone who got into elected office and didn’t belong. Likewise I have known a few pastors who did the job for a few years and wound up losing the position later because they weren’t meant to hold it. Most had bad experiences on their way out as a result of doing things they shouldn’t have because they weren’t supposed to be there.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: God places us in positions we are often uncomfortable with. Some of those positions involve leadership. We often find ourselves surprised at how well we do in positions we felt unqualified to hold.
By the same token, there are times when we feel we could do a job better than the person who is in it. Most often these are jobs with authority. The appropriate way to handle this is to add our support to the leaders and WORK WITH THEM (not against them or in spite of them) to help them accomplish the job they are doing. If they don’t belong there God will put the appropriate person there. In the meantime, doing what God has gifted us to do will attract the attention of those who need those things done.
Those who do their best with what they have find their abilities and responsibilities increased. Do well in a little and God will give you much.
more to learn for in-depth study: Gideon had 70 sons and many wives. He even had a son by a concubine in Shechem. Abimelech has his own part of the story later. With all his mistakes Gideon did a few things right besides leading the army. After defeating the Midinites the Israelites tried to make him king. He refused the job and told them God would rule them.
Abimelech, son of the concubine, decided he could be king and convinced the people of his town to make him king. He killed all but one of Gideon’s other sons so that none could take his place. The last son called a curse on him for the evil he did to his father and on the people that made him king for repaying Gideon’s valor with treachery. Abimilech was king 3 years before people started turning against him. He tried to reinforce his rule with force and destroyed the city that made him king and was killed trying to take another city. God fulfilled the curse brought on him by his act of murder and attempt to take power that wasn’t his.
After Abimilech came Tola who judged Israel for 23 years and then Jair who judged Israel for 22 years and had 30 sons who rode 30 donkeys and had 30 towns called Havoth Jair in Gilead. After Him the Israelites again began worshipping the gods of the surrounding peoples. They worshipped the Baals, the Ashtoreths, The Syrian, Sidonian and Moabite Gods as well as the Ammonite and Philistine gods.
God gave them into the Oppression of the Philistines and the Ammonites who oppressed them 18 years even crossing the Jordon to harass the tribes that were there. When they cried to God for help He told them to try calling the false gods they had served after he delivered them from each of the oppressors that had come upon them from Egypt until that time. The Israelites got rid of the false gods and idols and served God and begged His help until He could no longer ignore their misery. As the people of Israel prepared for war against their oppressors they asked “who will lead us as an army?”
Thus the passage ends just prior to one of my favorite judges. Whenever I read about Jephtha I get a mental picture of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the Scorpion King, striding out to defend Israel.
tomorrow: Judges 11-13
Promises: “Vengeance is mine”, says the Lord. “I will repay.” Abimelech was in the position of a king with the backing of the locals and his family plus a military at his disposal. Jotham didn’t have much chance of being the Avenger of blood for his family against those odds. Instead he put it in God’s hands to decide if Abimilech was where he belonged and to deal with him if he wasn’t. God fulfilled Jotham’s curse on Abimilech and his followers and kept Jotham safe in the meantime.
Commands: Don’t assume authority that God hasn’t given you. God intends us all to be priests and kings in his kingdom and he has jobs for us here but assuming authority He reserved for another can be real trouble.
Timeless principles: The fact that you can do something doesn’t mean you should. Even if you can find a lot of people who agree with your actions you need to be certain it is your job. Just as Abimilech got those around him to make him king I think we can all remember someone who got into elected office and didn’t belong. Likewise I have known a few pastors who did the job for a few years and wound up losing the position later because they weren’t meant to hold it. Most had bad experiences on their way out as a result of doing things they shouldn’t have because they weren’t supposed to be there.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: God places us in positions we are often uncomfortable with. Some of those positions involve leadership. We often find ourselves surprised at how well we do in positions we felt unqualified to hold.
By the same token, there are times when we feel we could do a job better than the person who is in it. Most often these are jobs with authority. The appropriate way to handle this is to add our support to the leaders and WORK WITH THEM (not against them or in spite of them) to help them accomplish the job they are doing. If they don’t belong there God will put the appropriate person there. In the meantime, doing what God has gifted us to do will attract the attention of those who need those things done.
Those who do their best with what they have find their abilities and responsibilities increased. Do well in a little and God will give you much.
more to learn for in-depth study: Gideon had 70 sons and many wives. He even had a son by a concubine in Shechem. Abimelech has his own part of the story later. With all his mistakes Gideon did a few things right besides leading the army. After defeating the Midinites the Israelites tried to make him king. He refused the job and told them God would rule them.
Abimelech, son of the concubine, decided he could be king and convinced the people of his town to make him king. He killed all but one of Gideon’s other sons so that none could take his place. The last son called a curse on him for the evil he did to his father and on the people that made him king for repaying Gideon’s valor with treachery. Abimilech was king 3 years before people started turning against him. He tried to reinforce his rule with force and destroyed the city that made him king and was killed trying to take another city. God fulfilled the curse brought on him by his act of murder and attempt to take power that wasn’t his.
After Abimilech came Tola who judged Israel for 23 years and then Jair who judged Israel for 22 years and had 30 sons who rode 30 donkeys and had 30 towns called Havoth Jair in Gilead. After Him the Israelites again began worshipping the gods of the surrounding peoples. They worshipped the Baals, the Ashtoreths, The Syrian, Sidonian and Moabite Gods as well as the Ammonite and Philistine gods.
God gave them into the Oppression of the Philistines and the Ammonites who oppressed them 18 years even crossing the Jordon to harass the tribes that were there. When they cried to God for help He told them to try calling the false gods they had served after he delivered them from each of the oppressors that had come upon them from Egypt until that time. The Israelites got rid of the false gods and idols and served God and begged His help until He could no longer ignore their misery. As the people of Israel prepared for war against their oppressors they asked “who will lead us as an army?”
Thus the passage ends just prior to one of my favorite judges. Whenever I read about Jephtha I get a mental picture of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the Scorpion King, striding out to defend Israel.
tomorrow: Judges 11-13
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Judges 7-8
God’s message to me: God wants the world to know He had a hand in my greatest accomplishments. Gideon called up an army of 32,000 men. God told him to send home those who were afraid, as the rules of engagement given in the law state. 22,000 went home and he was left with 10,000 but God said it was still to much. He wanted the men to drink from the nearby creek. 300 men lapped water from their hands and the rest got on their knees. God told him to send home the ones that got on their knees.
I’ve seen this taught as taking the least capable. The ones who got on their bellies to drink. The description the bible gives seems more to imply that the 300 he kept were the ones who kept their heads up and were vigilant. Whether God sent Gideon to war with 300 dunces or with 300 of Israel’s elite He still sent him to war against an army to large to count with only 300 men. The previous few books have numbered armies in the millions and been relatively specific about total troops. for this army to be innumerable they must have numbered at least 3 million or more. I would have to look back to be certain but I don’t remember a group larger than about 2.5 million being mentioned as countable so I assume they could count to at least that high or a little higher. This army spread across the land like a plague of locusts and with the same result on crops.
Promises: God will do the impossible for you to make Himself known. Gideon faced an army to large to number with only 300 men. God saw to it that those 300 men set the enemy on the run, chased them down over hill and dale until they were all destroyed and then came back to punish the cities which refused the army help and hospitality. When all was said and done the Midianites were completely defeated and all 300 men plus Gideon returned home unharmed.
Commands: Trust God to do the impossible. After bringing fire from a rock and manipulating the dew around a fleece I’m certain God knew Gideon needed reassurances. He told him to spy in the camp of the enemy where he heard them dreaming of destruction by the mighty Gideon, of Israel. Gideon knew there was no reason these people should even know his name let alone fear him. He was just a farm boy from a weak family who had never been in a fight before. That was enough to convince him that God would make him victorious because God had already put fear in the hearts of the enemy and had given that fear the name of Gideon.
Timeless principles: People fall into sin far to easily. Gideon decided to create his own ephod from the captured gold of the Midianites. In addition to being an imitation of the holy ephod of the high priest(something he shouldn’t have made in the first place) it also became an object of worship. The Israelites and Gideans own family “played the harlot” with it(worshipped it as an idol). This had been made from the earrings and ornaments of the Midianite kings. Much of their jewelry was symbolic of their Gods and should never have been considered for any thing that even looked like it belonged in the temple.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: What seems like a reasonable and proper method to a man has no bearing on what God can do. Coming against an enemy on the way into the promised land the Israelites decided to send only a small force rather than the whole army. The enemy city was small and not well defended. With sin in the camp and the failure to consult God’s plan they lost the battle. When the sin was purged God told them to use the whole army. In Gideon's battle it was the opposite. His army was under whelming and even recruiting the whole army of Israel would have left him with a force to small to accomplish the job in the eyes of man. Instead God told him to send home most of the army he had and sent him to war with a force of 300 men against odds of probably 30,000 to 1. No one would expect success in those conditions yet, God made certain that the tiny force destroyed the army to large to be numbered.
IF GOD SAYS IT CAN BE DONE YOU MAY REST ASSURED THAT IT CAN. The Israelites had left several nations in the promised land because they didn’t think they could fight them. God had told them they could win but they didn’t really try. This war proved what God had said but, it was too late. The Israelites had disobeyed God’s command to destroy the enemy and God left that enemy to be a thorn in their side and a tempting snare.
more to learn for in-depth study: “Confusion to the enemy” The old military toast certainly went into play here. When Gideon and his 300 men exposed their torches and blew their horns, the enemy lashed out in a blind panic and wound up attacking each other instead of the Israelites.
As the Midianites fled, Gideon sent runners ahead to tell the other Israelites and Allies to guard the watering spots and stop the enemy as it ran. The men of Ephraim had not been called up for Gideon's army. After killing Oreb and Zeeb, two of the Midianite leaders, they complained to Gideon about having not been called to join the fight. In a wonderful bit of diplomacy he asked which was better, the leftovers of their own vineyards or the whole crop from Abiezer? Being proud of their grapes the people of Ephraim recognized the complement and saw that they had gotten credit for dealing with two of the midianite leaders so they left it at that.
Along the way Gideon asked for food, water and a place to rest for his men at the cities he passed. Several refused out of fear of the enemy Generals. Gideon promised to repay their unkindness after he dealt with the enemy.
When Gideon caught up to the last of the Mideanite army they were down to two kings and 15,000 men. 120,000 men from this part of the army had already been killed by Gideon’s small force. That’s 400 kills per soldier on average although the Lord dealt with many of them through confusion which resulted in killing each other. Despite being exhausted from battle and chasing Gideon’s men went gladly to battle against 50 to 1 odds. They routed the army and chased down the kings to capture them.
With the battle over Gideon caught a man from Succoth and interrogated him to get the names of the leaders of that city. It was one of the cities that refused him help. He showed the city the kings they had feared then captured the 77 leaders of the city and punished them with wild briers. When he got to the city of Penuel he tore down it’s tower and killed it’s men.
Interesting note: The Crescent moon symbol is still a common symbol of middle eastern and Muslim countries. Here it is described as being a common ornament of the Midianites and Ishmaelites. Muhammad would not be born until 570 AD and would not begin writing the Koran until 610 AD. He would not begin preaching until 613 AD and Islam and the Islamic calendar begin when Muhammad and his followers move to Medina in 622 AD to avoid those who don’t like the new religion. The next 8 years are filled with war against the tribes in Mecca. The Religion of Islam, was effectively born in 613 AD, more than 1000 years (probably much more) after Gideon took those Crescent symbols from the enemy.
tomorrow: Judges 9-10
I’ve seen this taught as taking the least capable. The ones who got on their bellies to drink. The description the bible gives seems more to imply that the 300 he kept were the ones who kept their heads up and were vigilant. Whether God sent Gideon to war with 300 dunces or with 300 of Israel’s elite He still sent him to war against an army to large to count with only 300 men. The previous few books have numbered armies in the millions and been relatively specific about total troops. for this army to be innumerable they must have numbered at least 3 million or more. I would have to look back to be certain but I don’t remember a group larger than about 2.5 million being mentioned as countable so I assume they could count to at least that high or a little higher. This army spread across the land like a plague of locusts and with the same result on crops.
Promises: God will do the impossible for you to make Himself known. Gideon faced an army to large to number with only 300 men. God saw to it that those 300 men set the enemy on the run, chased them down over hill and dale until they were all destroyed and then came back to punish the cities which refused the army help and hospitality. When all was said and done the Midianites were completely defeated and all 300 men plus Gideon returned home unharmed.
Commands: Trust God to do the impossible. After bringing fire from a rock and manipulating the dew around a fleece I’m certain God knew Gideon needed reassurances. He told him to spy in the camp of the enemy where he heard them dreaming of destruction by the mighty Gideon, of Israel. Gideon knew there was no reason these people should even know his name let alone fear him. He was just a farm boy from a weak family who had never been in a fight before. That was enough to convince him that God would make him victorious because God had already put fear in the hearts of the enemy and had given that fear the name of Gideon.
Timeless principles: People fall into sin far to easily. Gideon decided to create his own ephod from the captured gold of the Midianites. In addition to being an imitation of the holy ephod of the high priest(something he shouldn’t have made in the first place) it also became an object of worship. The Israelites and Gideans own family “played the harlot” with it(worshipped it as an idol). This had been made from the earrings and ornaments of the Midianite kings. Much of their jewelry was symbolic of their Gods and should never have been considered for any thing that even looked like it belonged in the temple.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: What seems like a reasonable and proper method to a man has no bearing on what God can do. Coming against an enemy on the way into the promised land the Israelites decided to send only a small force rather than the whole army. The enemy city was small and not well defended. With sin in the camp and the failure to consult God’s plan they lost the battle. When the sin was purged God told them to use the whole army. In Gideon's battle it was the opposite. His army was under whelming and even recruiting the whole army of Israel would have left him with a force to small to accomplish the job in the eyes of man. Instead God told him to send home most of the army he had and sent him to war with a force of 300 men against odds of probably 30,000 to 1. No one would expect success in those conditions yet, God made certain that the tiny force destroyed the army to large to be numbered.
IF GOD SAYS IT CAN BE DONE YOU MAY REST ASSURED THAT IT CAN. The Israelites had left several nations in the promised land because they didn’t think they could fight them. God had told them they could win but they didn’t really try. This war proved what God had said but, it was too late. The Israelites had disobeyed God’s command to destroy the enemy and God left that enemy to be a thorn in their side and a tempting snare.
more to learn for in-depth study: “Confusion to the enemy” The old military toast certainly went into play here. When Gideon and his 300 men exposed their torches and blew their horns, the enemy lashed out in a blind panic and wound up attacking each other instead of the Israelites.
As the Midianites fled, Gideon sent runners ahead to tell the other Israelites and Allies to guard the watering spots and stop the enemy as it ran. The men of Ephraim had not been called up for Gideon's army. After killing Oreb and Zeeb, two of the Midianite leaders, they complained to Gideon about having not been called to join the fight. In a wonderful bit of diplomacy he asked which was better, the leftovers of their own vineyards or the whole crop from Abiezer? Being proud of their grapes the people of Ephraim recognized the complement and saw that they had gotten credit for dealing with two of the midianite leaders so they left it at that.
Along the way Gideon asked for food, water and a place to rest for his men at the cities he passed. Several refused out of fear of the enemy Generals. Gideon promised to repay their unkindness after he dealt with the enemy.
When Gideon caught up to the last of the Mideanite army they were down to two kings and 15,000 men. 120,000 men from this part of the army had already been killed by Gideon’s small force. That’s 400 kills per soldier on average although the Lord dealt with many of them through confusion which resulted in killing each other. Despite being exhausted from battle and chasing Gideon’s men went gladly to battle against 50 to 1 odds. They routed the army and chased down the kings to capture them.
With the battle over Gideon caught a man from Succoth and interrogated him to get the names of the leaders of that city. It was one of the cities that refused him help. He showed the city the kings they had feared then captured the 77 leaders of the city and punished them with wild briers. When he got to the city of Penuel he tore down it’s tower and killed it’s men.
Interesting note: The Crescent moon symbol is still a common symbol of middle eastern and Muslim countries. Here it is described as being a common ornament of the Midianites and Ishmaelites. Muhammad would not be born until 570 AD and would not begin writing the Koran until 610 AD. He would not begin preaching until 613 AD and Islam and the Islamic calendar begin when Muhammad and his followers move to Medina in 622 AD to avoid those who don’t like the new religion. The next 8 years are filled with war against the tribes in Mecca. The Religion of Islam, was effectively born in 613 AD, more than 1000 years (probably much more) after Gideon took those Crescent symbols from the enemy.
tomorrow: Judges 9-10
Friday, March 13, 2009
Judges 4-6
Today we begin to study two of my favorite judges who also happen to be among the most famous. Deborah and Gideon make two important points about how Christians should live and several minor points about things that may interest you. Hang on to your hat's, this one's a little long.
God’s message to me: Deborah, the wife of Lapidoth, was a prophetess and judge of Israel. As a Baptist, there are many in my faith who would disagree with women in leadership positions but, clearly, God does not ban them from such positions. While it is rare for women to fulfill these roles Deborah was a prophetess, a judge and leader, and, when forced to action by the inaction of men, she became a military commander.
Gideon asked for signs. First, he laid his sacrifices on a bare rock and when the Lord touched the rock with a staff fire came out of the rock and burned up all the offering. After calling together an army Gideon tested God again. He placed a fleece in the open and asked God to put dew on the fleece(Sheep’s wool) and not the ground around it. The next morning the ground was dry and Gideon squeezed a bowl full of water out of the fleece. Asking God not to be angry, Gideon reassured himself asking God to place dew on the ground but not the fleece. The next morning the fleece was dry and the ground around it was wet.
When facing a tough decision and asking God’s guidance, there is nothing wrong with setting a test and assuring results. Continued testing after a clear answer is wrong, as is ignoring the answer when you get it but, seeking a clear answer is never wrong.
Promises: The song of Deborah includes, not only praise for those who took part and great praise for those who played key rolls but also, curses on those who failed to join the war. Only two tribes contributed greatly to the victory and no allies came at all.
Commands: Do not tolerate false gods. I hate to repeat this but, the Taliban were right to destroy the idols to Buddha carved into their mountain. The Lord called Gideon to tear down the alter to Baal, build an alter to God, cut down the Idol of Ashteroth and use it for firewood to burn an offering to God. When people called for Gideon's execution for destroying the alter and idol his father called him Jerubbaal (let Baal plead) saying, if Baal and Ashteroth had power they could kill him themselves for his attack on them.
Timeless principles: Barak the son of Abinoam of Kedesh in Naphtali was the military commander charged with overcoming Jabin’s army. He refused to go to battle unless Deborah went with him. (apparently he didn’t have faith in a woman as prophet or judge either)
Deborah was quite willing to go but reminded him that, if she did, he would gain no glory for the win. Barak and his army defeated and killed all the army and chariots of Jabinand the General, sisera ran away on foot. Heber the Kenite was of the children of Moses’ father in law. His people were at peace with king Jabin. When Heber’s wife Jael offered Sisera a hiding place as he passed their tent.
He went in and she covered him with a blanket. He asked for water and she gave him milk. He fell asleep and she hammered a tent peg through his head “nailing him” to the ground. The Israelites continued their campaign against Jabin until he and his people were destroyed but Jael got credit for killing Jabin’s general and Deborah got credit for leading the nation to victory. After that the land had peace for 40 years.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Don’t be afraid to “test the spirits”. “Laying a fleece before God”, whatever form the test may take, is not only acceptable it is often the only way that you can be certain of God’s intent. Gideon met face to face with the Angel of the Lord and watched as he brought fire from a rock to incinerate an offering. Even so, God did not consider it improper for Gideon to set a test to be sure it was God’s will that he lead the Israeli Army.
more to learn for in-depth study: After Ehud died the Israelites fell back into sin against God were given to Jabin, king of Canaan ruling from Hazor and his general Sisera. With 900 chariots of iron the enemy oppressed Israel for 20 years.
Quick review: The children of Israel continued to serve God until Joshua and the other elders died who had seen the great works of God in the wilderness and in conquering the promised land. After that they began to serve the Baals and the Ashteroths and turn away from God. Before the turned against God they had consistently defeated the enemies they went against while those they allowed to remain were put under tribute. When the Israelites turned against God they began to lose their fights and their enemies became strong enough to oppress them.
The King of Mesopotamia became their oppressor for 8 years. Othniel the son of Kenaz, youngest brother of Caleb became the first judge of Israel. The spirit of the Lord was on him and he led the Israelites to victory in war against the king so the land had rest for 40 years. When Othniel died the Israelites turned back to false gods and Eglon, King of Moab gathered the people of Ammon and Amalek to defeat Israel. For 18 years he oppressed Israel until God raised the next judge, A man of the tribe of Benjamin named Ehud the son of Gera. The bible notes that this man was left-handed. Ehud made a double edged dagger around 18 inches long (for a look at something similar look up Arkansas Toothpick on the web). Ehud convinced Eglon he had a secret message for him and the king sent everyone out but him. Ehud told the king he had a message from God and he took the dagger out and buried it in Eglon. Eglon was a fat man and the blade and hilt were pushed all the way in so that they were hidden in the body and the king died. Ehud locked the doors and went out the window, meeting with the Israeli troops and leading them to battle against their oppressors. 10,000 Moabite died in the battle and the land had peace for 80 years.Shamgar, son of Anath killed 600 Philistines with an ox Goad (cattle prod) and only got one verse in the bible to cover his time as judge.
coming up: We won’t get to finish the story of Gideon today but we will start it. After the Israelites began to sin against God again The Midianites became their oppressors for seven years. The Midianites came in such numbers that the Israelites could not count them. The would loot their territory taking all the crops and livestock. The Israelites were forced to make their homes in the caves and rocks. This technique can be seen in the city of Petra which is entirely carved into the wall of a canyon. This was their defense but they could not protect their livelihood. God sent an unnamed prophet to remind them that his oppression was because they served a false god of the Amorites.
The Angel of God, came to Gideon, son of Joash the Abiezrite while he was threshing grain. He called Gideon a mighty man of valor and told him that he should go out and defeat the Mideanites because He had sent him.
Gideon was hiding in the winepress to thresh the grain so that the Midianites wouldn’t find it. He asked how he could be expected to accomplish this great feat. He was the least of his fathers house which was the weakest clan in one of the weakest tribes. The Lord said He would be with him and Gideon would be victorious. He asked for a sign. It is here that we get the name Jehovah-Shalom (the Lord is Peace)
tomorrow: Judges 7-8
God’s message to me: Deborah, the wife of Lapidoth, was a prophetess and judge of Israel. As a Baptist, there are many in my faith who would disagree with women in leadership positions but, clearly, God does not ban them from such positions. While it is rare for women to fulfill these roles Deborah was a prophetess, a judge and leader, and, when forced to action by the inaction of men, she became a military commander.
Gideon asked for signs. First, he laid his sacrifices on a bare rock and when the Lord touched the rock with a staff fire came out of the rock and burned up all the offering. After calling together an army Gideon tested God again. He placed a fleece in the open and asked God to put dew on the fleece(Sheep’s wool) and not the ground around it. The next morning the ground was dry and Gideon squeezed a bowl full of water out of the fleece. Asking God not to be angry, Gideon reassured himself asking God to place dew on the ground but not the fleece. The next morning the fleece was dry and the ground around it was wet.
When facing a tough decision and asking God’s guidance, there is nothing wrong with setting a test and assuring results. Continued testing after a clear answer is wrong, as is ignoring the answer when you get it but, seeking a clear answer is never wrong.
Promises: The song of Deborah includes, not only praise for those who took part and great praise for those who played key rolls but also, curses on those who failed to join the war. Only two tribes contributed greatly to the victory and no allies came at all.
Commands: Do not tolerate false gods. I hate to repeat this but, the Taliban were right to destroy the idols to Buddha carved into their mountain. The Lord called Gideon to tear down the alter to Baal, build an alter to God, cut down the Idol of Ashteroth and use it for firewood to burn an offering to God. When people called for Gideon's execution for destroying the alter and idol his father called him Jerubbaal (let Baal plead) saying, if Baal and Ashteroth had power they could kill him themselves for his attack on them.
Timeless principles: Barak the son of Abinoam of Kedesh in Naphtali was the military commander charged with overcoming Jabin’s army. He refused to go to battle unless Deborah went with him. (apparently he didn’t have faith in a woman as prophet or judge either)
Deborah was quite willing to go but reminded him that, if she did, he would gain no glory for the win. Barak and his army defeated and killed all the army and chariots of Jabinand the General, sisera ran away on foot. Heber the Kenite was of the children of Moses’ father in law. His people were at peace with king Jabin. When Heber’s wife Jael offered Sisera a hiding place as he passed their tent.
He went in and she covered him with a blanket. He asked for water and she gave him milk. He fell asleep and she hammered a tent peg through his head “nailing him” to the ground. The Israelites continued their campaign against Jabin until he and his people were destroyed but Jael got credit for killing Jabin’s general and Deborah got credit for leading the nation to victory. After that the land had peace for 40 years.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Don’t be afraid to “test the spirits”. “Laying a fleece before God”, whatever form the test may take, is not only acceptable it is often the only way that you can be certain of God’s intent. Gideon met face to face with the Angel of the Lord and watched as he brought fire from a rock to incinerate an offering. Even so, God did not consider it improper for Gideon to set a test to be sure it was God’s will that he lead the Israeli Army.
more to learn for in-depth study: After Ehud died the Israelites fell back into sin against God were given to Jabin, king of Canaan ruling from Hazor and his general Sisera. With 900 chariots of iron the enemy oppressed Israel for 20 years.
Quick review: The children of Israel continued to serve God until Joshua and the other elders died who had seen the great works of God in the wilderness and in conquering the promised land. After that they began to serve the Baals and the Ashteroths and turn away from God. Before the turned against God they had consistently defeated the enemies they went against while those they allowed to remain were put under tribute. When the Israelites turned against God they began to lose their fights and their enemies became strong enough to oppress them.
The King of Mesopotamia became their oppressor for 8 years. Othniel the son of Kenaz, youngest brother of Caleb became the first judge of Israel. The spirit of the Lord was on him and he led the Israelites to victory in war against the king so the land had rest for 40 years. When Othniel died the Israelites turned back to false gods and Eglon, King of Moab gathered the people of Ammon and Amalek to defeat Israel. For 18 years he oppressed Israel until God raised the next judge, A man of the tribe of Benjamin named Ehud the son of Gera. The bible notes that this man was left-handed. Ehud made a double edged dagger around 18 inches long (for a look at something similar look up Arkansas Toothpick on the web). Ehud convinced Eglon he had a secret message for him and the king sent everyone out but him. Ehud told the king he had a message from God and he took the dagger out and buried it in Eglon. Eglon was a fat man and the blade and hilt were pushed all the way in so that they were hidden in the body and the king died. Ehud locked the doors and went out the window, meeting with the Israeli troops and leading them to battle against their oppressors. 10,000 Moabite died in the battle and the land had peace for 80 years.Shamgar, son of Anath killed 600 Philistines with an ox Goad (cattle prod) and only got one verse in the bible to cover his time as judge.
coming up: We won’t get to finish the story of Gideon today but we will start it. After the Israelites began to sin against God again The Midianites became their oppressors for seven years. The Midianites came in such numbers that the Israelites could not count them. The would loot their territory taking all the crops and livestock. The Israelites were forced to make their homes in the caves and rocks. This technique can be seen in the city of Petra which is entirely carved into the wall of a canyon. This was their defense but they could not protect their livelihood. God sent an unnamed prophet to remind them that his oppression was because they served a false god of the Amorites.
The Angel of God, came to Gideon, son of Joash the Abiezrite while he was threshing grain. He called Gideon a mighty man of valor and told him that he should go out and defeat the Mideanites because He had sent him.
Gideon was hiding in the winepress to thresh the grain so that the Midianites wouldn’t find it. He asked how he could be expected to accomplish this great feat. He was the least of his fathers house which was the weakest clan in one of the weakest tribes. The Lord said He would be with him and Gideon would be victorious. He asked for a sign. It is here that we get the name Jehovah-Shalom (the Lord is Peace)
tomorrow: Judges 7-8
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Judges 1-3
God’s message to me: Finish the jobs God gives you. Don’t waste time with half an effort
Promises: If God gives you a job He gives you the ability to complete it.
Commands: There are tests before you. Follow God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. He will not look well on those who turn from Him. He will send salvation to those who ask for it.
Timeless principles: Peer pressure is the fastest way to trouble. Stay away from those who will not give themselves to God. Christ would often have dinner with sinners and spend a little time teaching them and encouraging them to turn to God. He never made a habit of hanging out with those who would not accept God. Neither should you.
By allowing some of the people in the promised land to remain the Israelites left themselves open to temptations and danger. The peer pressure from these enemy kingdoms led many in Israel to sin and turn to worshiping false Gods like their neighbors. They had married these foreigners and given their daughters in marriage to them. It wasn’t just a neighbor doing wrong, the Israelites had made these people a part of their lives and adopted their ways instead of following God’s ways.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Ignore the modern thinking of modernizing the church. Many have said that the church needs to change with the times and update it’s thinking on things like sex, homosexuality, reproduction, abortion, etc. Remember that these are not new things. These issues were a problem all the way back to the first five books of the bible. God didn’t change His thinking then and He won’t now. The people who insist on us changing to fit their views are NO DIFFERENT from the Canaanites that led Israel into worshiping false Gods. They must be ignored and we must follow GOD’S WAY.
more to learn for in-depth study: This passage begins with the list of those kingdoms the Israelites didn’t destroy. It wasn’t that they couldn’t it was that they didn’t. They made excuses(their chariots are iron, they refused to leave, they persist) and didn’t finish the job. In other words, they were lazy. They took the easy fights and ignored the difficult ones. God would have been with them in every fight but, because they refused to finish the job God left the others in the land to test them. They were there to offer false worship(which the Israelites did), to take the Israelites captive as punishment for their acts against God(which happened on a regular basis), and they were defeated only slowly and in small groups so that the Israelites would have them there as a test but God still got to eventually run the Canaanites out of the land for their transgression.
The third chapter begins the time of Judges. The Israelites would turn to false worship, God would punish them by letting a neighbor take them captive, they would cry for God’s help, God would send a Judge to lead them to victory. While the Judge was in charge Israel would normally continue following God, remembering their recent victory through Him. After the Judge died and memory faded they would turn back to false gods and the process would repeat itself.
tomorrow: Judges 4-6
Promises: If God gives you a job He gives you the ability to complete it.
Commands: There are tests before you. Follow God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. He will not look well on those who turn from Him. He will send salvation to those who ask for it.
Timeless principles: Peer pressure is the fastest way to trouble. Stay away from those who will not give themselves to God. Christ would often have dinner with sinners and spend a little time teaching them and encouraging them to turn to God. He never made a habit of hanging out with those who would not accept God. Neither should you.
By allowing some of the people in the promised land to remain the Israelites left themselves open to temptations and danger. The peer pressure from these enemy kingdoms led many in Israel to sin and turn to worshiping false Gods like their neighbors. They had married these foreigners and given their daughters in marriage to them. It wasn’t just a neighbor doing wrong, the Israelites had made these people a part of their lives and adopted their ways instead of following God’s ways.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Ignore the modern thinking of modernizing the church. Many have said that the church needs to change with the times and update it’s thinking on things like sex, homosexuality, reproduction, abortion, etc. Remember that these are not new things. These issues were a problem all the way back to the first five books of the bible. God didn’t change His thinking then and He won’t now. The people who insist on us changing to fit their views are NO DIFFERENT from the Canaanites that led Israel into worshiping false Gods. They must be ignored and we must follow GOD’S WAY.
more to learn for in-depth study: This passage begins with the list of those kingdoms the Israelites didn’t destroy. It wasn’t that they couldn’t it was that they didn’t. They made excuses(their chariots are iron, they refused to leave, they persist) and didn’t finish the job. In other words, they were lazy. They took the easy fights and ignored the difficult ones. God would have been with them in every fight but, because they refused to finish the job God left the others in the land to test them. They were there to offer false worship(which the Israelites did), to take the Israelites captive as punishment for their acts against God(which happened on a regular basis), and they were defeated only slowly and in small groups so that the Israelites would have them there as a test but God still got to eventually run the Canaanites out of the land for their transgression.
The third chapter begins the time of Judges. The Israelites would turn to false worship, God would punish them by letting a neighbor take them captive, they would cry for God’s help, God would send a Judge to lead them to victory. While the Judge was in charge Israel would normally continue following God, remembering their recent victory through Him. After the Judge died and memory faded they would turn back to false gods and the process would repeat itself.
tomorrow: Judges 4-6
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