Week of 9/1/19 - Pages 65 - 80

After reading the book of Judges my first thought was Thank You Jesus. Having never really read the book of Judges, just small snippets for bible study here and there through out the years. I honestly thought it would be a book, like its title, about judges. Basically that we would see how the person that the Lord put in charge decides on matters or places judgement on others.

What I discovered is that this book is cyclical. What I mean by that is that we see over and over how the people of God continue to go back to their old ways. The people break their covenent with God. The people disobey His laws, by engaging in idolatry, disbelief and immoral behavior. We are told several times that there was no king but God was their King. The consequences of their behavior is that there is lots of lives lost, because God allows them to be oppressed by the Philistines. Until he raises up a judge, Samson. We continually see this pattern from the Israelites, they complain, say they will obey the rules, only to break the rules and then seek God to save them. They repent and turn back to God. Until the fall again and begin the cycle all over again.

Fortunately for us we also see who God is, his love for his people and how he chooses people for his good. Like he did when he chose Manoah and his wife, as told by the angel of the Lord of the impending birth of Samson. Judges 13:5 NIV - “You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

Samson was born to do great work for God. God’s gift to him was his tremendous physical strength. Judges 14:6a NIV - says, “The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat.” Sadly, we see Samson use his abilities unwisely. He was a jokester, fell for the pretty girls and misjudges who he could confide in. For example, when he tells Delilah where his strength comes from and then she uses against him. The Philistines, seized Samson, gouged out his eyes and imprisoned him because of Delilah’s betrayal. It is then that the Lord leaves him. We see that even the ones dedicated to God are flawed. Samson is a good example of the cyclical behavior. Samson is born dedicated to God, follows God, then walks away when Samson relies on his own strength, then to finally turn back to God. Judges 16:28 NIV - “Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died then while he lived.”

My take away is that God does hear our cries, our prayers. It’s never too late to start over. Our past fails are just that, in the past. Today is where we can start by putting our trust in Him, our King.

Week of 8/25/19 - Pages 52 - 65

A God Who Sees Us

After seven years of Israel being under the thumb of the Midianites, they cried out for God’s help. As a response, the Lord called Gideon to save Israel. At that moment we learn Gideon’s status within Israel’s tribes, his family, and even his view of himself. In verse 15, Gideon could not understand how he could save Israel . He is from the weakest clan of the tribe of Manasseh and the least of his father’s family. One of the most amazing things about God is that He sees us for who we are, apart from the labels placed on us by culture or society. God called Gideon a “mighty man of valor,” which from the outside seemed the furthest from who he was.

The first thing God required of him was to destroy Baal's altar and replace it with one for the Lord. So Gideon did this under the cloak of darkness, out of fear of his family and the people of the city. When discovered the people renamed him Jerubbaal, let Baal defend himself- yet God called him “a mighty man of valor.” Although God has already reassured Gideon he was with him, Gideon asked for confirmation through a sign using fleece, not once but twice. God patiently provided what Gideon needed to continue to move forward. Many would criticize Gideon for this action as a lack of faith, however, I see it as part of  Gideon becoming who he was, “a mighty man of valor.” God goes on to greatly reduce Gideon’s resources to do the very thing God is asking him to do. With a small army of 300, Gideon followed God into battle and defeated the Midianite army of thousands. God was very clear that the victory was His, bringing glory and honor to Himself. Through that process, Gideon became the man God always knew he was.

 When I think of this passage, I'm reminded of who the Bible says we are in the eyes of God, regardless of who others say we are. Our Father, Savior, Creator and Friend says we are sons and daughters of God. (Galatians 3:26) We are part of the body of Christ (1Cor 12:27), a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19), a priesthood, and we are His. (1 Peter 2:9) God sees who we really are.  Like Gideon, as we learn to trust God more and more, we become who we are meant to be, someone who God can use to do great things in His name.

Week of 8/18/19 - Pages 41 - 52

The period of the Judges marks a dark and difficult era of Israel’s history.  It covers the time between Joshua’s death to the time that Israel would later be ruled by a king (1 Samuel). There are several applicable themes within the book that are worth noting as you read Judges:

1.    Israel’s Disobedience and Forgetfulness of God leads to Disaster after Disaster.

Judges reveals a brutal cycle of disaster when God’s people fail to remember and adhere to His instructions.  So much of what God had shared with Israel in their covenant agreement was designed specifically for their own safety, protection, health, and prosperity.  But almost all these grace-filled parameters were ignored and replaced with selfish, motives and action – “in those days, everyone did what was right in his/her own eyes…” (Judges 21:25).

 2.    God’s Discipline is an Instrument of His Mercy.

 It’s amazing to consider that God at any point in these cycles of disobedience could have justifiably called it quits with a people prone to breaking their word, and embracing evil.  Instead, He uses each circumstance to underscore His faithfulness and love.  The Hebrew writer describes both this dynamic and its purpose well:

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son…No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed (Hebrews 12:5-6, 11-13).

 3.    Even in Disaster, Faith Rises

 The author of Hebrews interestingly enough, lists several characters from Judges as models of Old-Testament characters who gained approval through faith (see Hebrews 11). Though Judges highlights the consequences of unbelief in its brutal cycle of destruction, one can also see that even in such periods of darkness, unbelief, and cultural digression, men and women of simple trust and obedience can be a powerful, positive light whose effects can move an entire nation.

The period of the Judges has remarkable application to our own cultural context – meaning You and Me.  By reading both how God’s mercy works through discipline, and the dramatic pitfalls of following one’s own counsel without the guidance of God’s Spirit, Judges has much to contribute to our own relationship and walk with God.