God is so amazing – he thinks of everything! Read through verse by verse…
Deut 17:14-20 v14 “When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us”
ENTRY THIRTY-NINE – MARCH 14, 2008
39 – THE CYCLE OF APOSTASY AND REPENTANCE IN THE BOOK OF JUDGES
Joshua 13:13, 15:13-14, 15:63, 16:10, 17:11-13,24:32-33; Judges 1-3
This entry, which covers one and a half days’ reading, touches on the topics of DRIFTING, FORSAKING, and also contains a little history lesson about the BAALS, ASHTORETHS, AND ASHERAH POLES.
With the passing of both Joshua, Moses’ number one protégé, and Eleazar, Aaron’s son and the priest who has served the nation during the conquest, the last immediate links with Moses and Aaron were severed and a new era will soon find the Israelites in spiritual eclipse. Never again will they, as a nation, be this closely united, either among themselves or with their God.
Although some victorious things happen in the beginning of Judges, such as the exploits of Caleb’s family (note that his daughter Acsah is mentioned again in 1 Chronicles 2), the majority of the events in Judges highlight the slide of the Israelites down the slippery slope. (For a brilliant explanation of how all churches and even organizations are “destined” to go through such a cycle, I highly recommend the book, Historical Drift.) The Israelites’ downfall comes to pass largely due to the incomplete conquest of the land, which meant that pagan inhabitants were not completely driven out, which brought with it the inevitable intermarrying and worshiping of their gods. Their failure to drive out the inhabitants indicates not only the softness of Israel’s resolve but perhaps also a certain fascination with the pagan culture about them. Whatever the reason, God considered it a breach of covenant and knows that widespread idolatry will follow.
It is interesting to see that the people could be emotionally moved about their lack of repentance, (see 2:5 Bokim = “the weepers”) but they didn’t or wouldn’t have the strength to change permanently. The Israelites were only faithful during the time when the elders who had worked with and survived Joshua were still living, perhaps one generation younger than him. (2:7). However, that was it. When I read the “Book of Judges”, which could actually be called the “Book of Leaders” (see the note for 2:16 in the NIV at the bottom of the page), I am always reminded of how important it is that we keep hammering the basic principles of Christianity, because otherwise the next generation won’t get it! That is the nature of the beast, so to speak. It is crucial for our church and for our families!! Also, in my chronological bible, I like to shade with different colours for different themes. At times, I have used green for money issues, yellow for mention of angels, red for the apostles’ mistakes, blue for teachings about God’s character, etc. In the Book of Judges, I have used brown to signify rebellion and disobedience leading to a downward spiral -there is a lot of brown!!
Judges 2:10 is a scary verse, but we have no excuse – we have the tools. Let’s have a multimedia presentation with real sharing- we could highlight the old Christians, the victory stories, lift up fallen heroes, and invite back fallaways – basically a recounting of the old glory days, IN FRONT of the kids and new Christians! (this can be done on a church-wide basis, on a regional basis or even on a bible talk basis – if you like the idea, tell your leaders to organize it!!) And of course, we must be making NEW glory days!!
2:11-13 God SEES our sin. In the NIV, the word used is “forsook” – “they forsook the Lord”. “Forsook” brings to mind wedding language, as in the part of the vows when the couple swears to each other something like, “and forsaking all others, til death do us part.” God sees our “forsaking him” as spiritual adultery. We have all seen the sadness that comes when one marriage partner discovers that his/her partner has been cheating with someone else. Spiritual adultery makes God sad.
2:13 introduces the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and 3:7 refers to the Asherahs. See below for historical background taken from James B. Pritchard’s The Ancient Near East, which was one of my reference books in University, and from The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, written by Merrill F. Unger and edited by R.K. Harrison.
A little history lesson about the Baals, Ashtoreths, and Asherah poles:
Baal was the Semitic god of rain and fertility, Ashtoreth was the Canaanite goddess of fertility, and Asherah was the overall mother goddess and sea-goddess. The name for this goddess was sometimes interchangeable with Ashtoreth (above) and Anath. Baal was the common Canaanite word for “master lord”. The inhabitants of Canaan were addicted to Baal worship, which was conducted by priests in temples and also on hilltops, called the “high places”. Worship of Baal included lewd dancing, and was conducted near a sacred stone and an asherah pole (see below), both of which were signs of fertility. High places had chambers for so-called “sacred prostitution” by male prostitutes and sacred harlots. These are referred to in 1st and 2nd Kings. The gaiety and licentious character of Baal worship seemed to have an attraction for the Hebrews bound to serve a holy God under a rigorous moral code. Ashtoreth, also known as Astarte in Canaanite literature, was called Ishtar by the Babylonians and was associated with the planet Venus. She was the goddess of sensual love and fertility. “Sacred sexual worship” was conducted in her honour. She was also presented as the goddess of war in some literature. Asherah almost always appears by the side of Baal, as his “consort”. Most biblical references to her worship include a wooden pole or statue. These poles were set up at the “high places” beside the altars of incense and the pillars of stone. Frequently presented as a nude woman astride a lion, with a lily in one hand and a serpent in the other, she was called “The Holy One” in a perverted moral sense. Male prostitutes who were consecrated to her cult were known as sodomites and are mentioned in Deuteronomy and 1 Kings. She and her cohort specialized in sex and war, and her shrines were temples of legalized vice. One reference to her in scripture has the idolatrous Hebrews weaving at her shrine, next to the place of prostitution. NO WONDER THAT THE TRUE GOD WAS APPALLED AT THE PAGAN CULTURE!!
If there are two main lessons to be learned from reading the Book of Judges, the first is that “The Law of Sowing & Reaping” cannot be denied. When you obey, good things will eventually come. When you rebel, God’s hand will be against you, and SIN always eventually brings DISTRESS. The second insight to keep in mind is that as long as good leaders lead, God will be there even though the people don’t always listen to the leader. I suppose this is another example of God’s compassion. However, when there is no good leader, everything goes down the drain and the cycle starts again.
Judges 3:4-6 says that God tested the Israelites to see whether they would obey him, but they failed the test, inter-married & began worshiping their gods. What a sad time in the history of God’s people.
karenlouis@seachurches.org
ENTRY FORTY – MARCH 16, 2008
40 – ENCOURAGING STORIES DURING DISCOURAGING TIMES
Judges 3-8
This entry, which covers two and a half days’ reading, uncovers lessons from the lives of many different judges, including DEBORAH and GIDEON. Look out especially for insights on FAITH and LETTING THE GLORY GO TO GOD.
Judges 3
Othniel, both nephew and son-in-law of Caleb, led Israel and they had a time of peace for 40 years. Ehud’s degeat of King Eglon is too hysterically funny to pass up. Read this for inspiration as well as comic relief – this is the king who was so DEBAUCHEROUS and GLUTTONOUS that the sword sunk into his stomach! God really has a sense of humour! Israel then had peace for 80 years. Shamgar was another judge who did acts of FAITH & BRAVERY. Read these stories and be inspired. You can do acts of faith and bravery. Who knows what God will do through you? Never underestimate the impact of your repentance, the impact of your acts of bravery, or what one man or woman can do.
Judges 4-5
Sure enough, “After Ehud died, the Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the LORD.” Oppressed for 20 yrs? How long does it take for us to get humble and cry out for God’s help? Let’s not allow sin and doubt and cynicism and Satan himself to oppress us for twenty years – let’s cry out to God NOW for repentance!
One of the areas which Joshua’s forces had never been able to fully take over was the Plain of Esdraelon (later known as Jezreel) in the north-central region between Manasseh, Issachar, Zebulun, and Asher. When local Canaanite forces united under the command of Jabin and Sisera, it fell to a courageous woman named Deborah to take the initiative in repelling the Canaanites. Deborah was a prophetess and was leading (or judging) Israel. Since we haven’t seen any women leaders from Genesis til now, we might safely assume that there were no men with the faith to lead – but never fear, Deborah is here! At least that is what God must have said. What a compliment to HER faith! Even General Barak was so cautious and faithless that he wouldn’t go to battle without her. Fortunately,
Barak’s faith picked up, and God used him to route the enemy. There’s a second brave woman in this account – Jael had the faith and guts to hammer a sharp object into the bad guy’s skull…Yuk!!
THEIR SONG – Deborah’s and Barak’s victory song have some enlightening lyrics: Leaders must lead! And it helps if the people willingly offer themselves. Stories were passed down orally through songs – v10 makes note of this.She mentions the tribes who didn’t join in the battle – Look at the phrases…“With the tribe of Reuben, there was much searching of heart” (but not much action!).Some stayed among the campfires, also not joining their brothers in battle. What were they doing? Fellowshipping? Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan. And Dan, why did he linger by the ships? Asher remained on the coast and stayed in his coves. One lesson for us as a church – Do we rush into battle with our brothers and sisters in the fight against the Prince of this world or do we linger by the ships/campfires?
The Life of Gideon, Judges 6 – 8
Read about Gideon in Judges 6 when the angel first found him. He is like a lukewarm or very old and dull Christian, who hasn’t been close to God for years. When you are not close to God: You get discouraged, you forget He is powerful, you feel that HE left YOU, you question and blame God, and you make excuses about why you can’t repent. It takes a while to get your faith back, even with an angel talking to you! But Praise God there is still hope! Gideon was brave and tore down his dad’s idol! He was fearful enough that he did it at night but considering how people treated family members in those days… (see Judges 9). And his dad stood up for him, which was awesome. He still had a bit of fear but God was patient with him.
Chapters 7 – 8
This story of reliance on God’s power is a classic!
Gideon was finally convinced that he was a mighty warrior & assembled an army, but then God told him he had too many soldiers! “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce now to the people, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.'” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.”
If that weren’t bad enough, God thinned the crowd down further to 300, so that all glory would go to HIM, not to their military strategy.
We know God doesn’t allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear (I Cor 10:13) God understood that Gideon was struggling with fear so he arranged for Gideon to overhear some great news. God had made the enemy so scared that they attacked each other and then Gideon’s army chased them down until a final defeat! They punished the kings & cities who had been against them!
In 8:22,23 the people try to make him king, but Gideon nobly and emphatically declines, declaring, “The Lord will rule over you.” That should have been the case, but when Gideon died there weren’t many righteous men left! Well that’s the incredible story of Gideon.
This always reminds me of the first Women’s Day had in our Singapore church back in October 1988. I had been doing a quiet time series for myself on stories of faith in the Old Testament about mid-way through the year. There are many ways for faith to be expressed, but when a church planting is young, there is nothing quite so exciting as seeing a huge crowd of people coming to a service! When I began planning the Women’s Day, I thought of the story of Gideon. We had about 40+ women disciples by July, so I figured, since we were growing quickly, that we would have 50 by the end of September. Therefore, I calculated, being the math genius that I am (ha ha), that with a church of 100 (men + women), shooting for a goal of each member bringing one friend or family member, our Women’s Day should have an attendance of 200. (Told you I am a math genius!) However, when praying about this, I also thought that God didn’t want Gideon to route the enemy with a huge army because He wanted the glory to be HIS, not Gideon’s or the army’s. In the same way, I figured that God didn’t want us to have an easy victory, like one visitor to the Women’s Day for every member. He wanted us to go up against bigger odds, so that He would get the glory, not us. He wanted us to do something that we knew we could not do on our own, in our own strength. Therefore, I asked the women of the church, most of whom were very young Christians, how they felt about shooting for an attendance of 300, not 200. They were all excited, and we prayed and worked and fasted and prayed some more. Approaching the big day, some friends said, “Why did you set such a high goal? Now if you don’t hit 300, the women will feel like failures, but 280 or 250 or even 200 would still be great!” I agreed, but said that I believed that God wanted us to rely on Him for the victory and that He would do it. I had some nervous moments, and on the big day, when I walked into the ballroom at the Le Meridien Hotel, I had butterflies in my stomach, but imagine my overflow of praise and thanks to God when the final head count came in and we had 390 women!! Now THAT was a victory that only God could have brought. And to top it off, several of them became disciples, including our beloved Diane Seumahu. What a great day that was. And God took all the credit! (next entry in two days)
ENTRY FORTY-ONE – MARCH 18, 2008
41 – ABIMELECH and JEPTHAH
Judges 8:28-Judges 12
This entry, which covers two days of reading, touches on the topics of REAPING WHAT WE SOW and NOT LETTING YOUR PAST DEFINE YOU.
8:28-35
The land had experienced peace for 40 years under Gideon the faithful, but of course after Gideon died the people “prostituted themselves” to idolatry …the cycle was starting again.
Judges 9
Abimelech was one sleazy guy. Read chapter 9. The bottom line lessons – (1) sin always finds you out = You Reap What You Sow. (2) God has a sense of humour: He humiliated Abimelech even in death! (“Help, a woman killed me!”) (3) This is the end result of not valuing godliness, holiness & purity but rather valuing personal victory at all costs and position. May we, in the new era of the ICOC, be pure and united, valuing godliness, holiness and purity over personal victory and selfish ambition!
Judges 10
After some lesser known judges died, the Israelites once again “did evil in the eyes of the Lord” and were oppressed by their enemies. God became so fed up w their rebellion that he refused to help at first. Jepthah rose to the challenge! Jepthah is an interesting character – his mother was a prostitute, and he was looked down upon by others in the community, but he didn’t use that as an excuse to not serve or give his best! And he is mentioned in Hebrews 11 in the Faith Hall of Fame. His response to the Ammonite king in 11:14-28 is a hallmark of wisdom!
Sadly, the state of the family had declined (well, it hadn’t been great in Genesis, either!) such that Jepthah thought it was more important to keep his vow than to humbly apologize and save his daughter. He could’ve killed himself in her place, I suppose. The only redeeming feature of this part of the story is that the people with integrity took their vows seriously.
Chapter 12 contains an interesting truth- no matter how much someone tries to serve God, there will always be someone else ready to critisize! Oh yes! It is true now and it was true then! In the time of the Judges, it was the tribe of Ephraim. They moaned in ch 8:1-3 but Gideon calmed them down with his diplomacy. However, this (ch 12) was too much – this is disunity resulting from the classic complaint, “We’ve been overlooked!” Moan, moan, moan! How about being part of the solution instead of part of the problem?! 42,000 Ephraimites died as a result. Such a senseless waste!
NOTE: The term “Shibboleth” has come down as an idiomatic expression in English to mean anything that is used to identify or separate someone. (see v 4-6).
LESSONS
(1) If we ignore God during the good times, and don’t keep our promises, why should he listen to us during the bad times? Amazingly, he still does! What a God of mercy!
(2) Don’t worry about your background – Jepthah’s mom was a prostitute! How are you gonna top that?
(3) Don’t make rash vows!
(4) Don’t worry about your role or what recognition you are receiving – be ready to serve no matter who gets the credit and God will lift you up. God will smite us if we get involved in political mumbo-jumbo – we should love each other and fight for each other, not with each other.
karenlouis@seachurches.org
ENTRY FORTY-TWO – MARCH 20, 2008
42 – THE STORY OF RUTH
Ruth
This entry, which covers a day’s reading, touches on the topics of SPIRITUAL THINKING, HUMILITY, NOT NEEDING A “MAN” TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF, and GOD’S BLESSINGS.
In the midst of all the wars, violence, and bloodshed of these times, life proceeds rather normally for many Israelites. Like all people, the Israelites are primarily concerned with family relations and the eking out of a daily living. In sharp contrast to the national breach of faith in God on the part of the Israelites comes the account of personal faithfulness on the part of a woman toward her widowed mother-in-law. Of great interest is the fact that the woman is a Gentile – in fact, one of the hated Moabites. When her own husband dies, Ruth chooses to be with her mother-in-law, Naomi, and with the Israelites and their God, over going back to her own people. Her choice brings about the blessings of both a new husband and a son, through whom Ruth becomes the great-grandmother of David, who will be King of Israel.
1:1-5 This is an example of Romans 8:28 if there ever was one! Good grief – everybody died! But didn’t God turn it into something wonderful in the end.
1:6-14 Naomi is a classic example of a woman who thinks that life without a man is meaningless and bitter. What Ruth realized is that life without GOD is meaningless and bitter, and she helped Naomi to eventually get her faith back. Sisters, learn this lesson. It will spare you years of bitterness.
1:15-18 Ruth was determined to know God! This is how determined we should be to know God. Did you see the movie, “National Treasure”? an action movie starring Nicholas Cage about the Freemasons, a big treasure, and American History? If you didn’t, never mind. But one of my favourite scenes is when Nick Cage’s character is talking about his convictions about the Declaration of Independence out loud and his intelligent female co-star says, “Wow, people don’t talk like that anymore.” Anyway, when I read Ruth’s speech again just now (I used this for my wedding vow!), you know, the part where she said, “May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me,” I had the thought, “Wow, people don’t talk like that anymore.” What about in our relationship with God? Do we talk like this anymore? That is why I love some of the old hymns, like “Be Thou My Vision” and “I Vow to You My Saviour” and “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” and “O Sacred Head”, etc. The lyrics to these songs “talk like that”!
1:19-22 Now this had to be a blow to Ruth – they arrive in Bethlehem, Naomi’s home town, and Naomi tells her old friends that she has arrived back empty. I am sure Ruth was asking herself, “What am I? chopped liver?” Naomi was blaming God for all of her troubles, and couldn’t see the blessings because of her lousy attitude. Do we do this – not see the blessing because we are focusing on the negative and how we didn’t get our way? (Of course, I am not saying that we shouldn’t take time to grieve. But this seems more than that.)
2:1-16 Ruth was hard working. She wasn’t embarrassed to be poor, and to take advantage of the Mosaic teaching about gleaning (see Lev 19:9-10; Lev 23:22; Deut 24:19). She was willing to do humbling, “poor-people’s work”. Boaz fell in love with her – what spiritual man wouldn’t fall in love with an honest, humble, hard-working, loyal and God-fearing woman? Nothing is more attractive than genuine humility. And she loved God more than her family and her own traditions. Notice what Boaz says to her, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband – how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” THOSE ARE BEAUTIFUL WORDS. BETTER THAN ANY MODERN-DAY LOVE SONG, THAT IS FOR SURE. Sisters, let’s live lives that would inspire those words.
2:17-23 Ruth was also thoughtful, serving and considerate. And finally Naomi started to appreciate her. When Naomi mentioned that Boaz was one of their “kinsman-redeemers”, this was a reference to the law that stated that if a man died without leaving an heir, his brother or closest next of kin should marry his widow. Now what are the chances of that happening – of Ruth just choosing a field at random and happening by chance to pick the one owned by someone that should rightfully marry her? These things don’t happen by chance – God arranges them (if it is the right time for you) when you are putting him first!
In chapter 3 and 4, we read the very interesting account of how Ruth (at Naomi’s instruction) went about letting Boaz know that she was interested in taking up the unspoken offer of marriage. And Boaz, the rich older man, speaks to her with such respect and says that everyone knows that she is a woman of noble character. WOW! What a state to which we should all aspire!
Boaz had integrity and sorted out the matter openly and honestly, which a good spiritual man would have done (not being manipulative and taking things into his own hands…amen?!) In 4:11-12, the elders of the city of Bethlehem give a truly inspired blessing to the new couple, saying, “May you be famous in Bethlehem” (Yeah, David was their great grandson!) and “May your offspring be like Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah”. Well, that surely came true, seeing as how Jesus, the Lion of Judah, eventually came through this line.
And Ruth got some vindication – the same women Naomi had complained to in the beginning -“I am empty” – now said, “… your daughter-in-law…loves you and… is better to you than seven sons…” Go the women!!
What a great story! See ya tomorrow…
karenlouis@seachurches.org
ENTRY FORTY-THREE – MARCH 21, 2008
43 – THE STORY OF SAMSON
Judges 13-16
Now we head back to the book of Judges for the story of Samson, which has PARENTING INSIGHTS and also some tidbits on PURITY and WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A SPOUSE. (a day of reading)
The simple purity and love of Ruth is only a quiet interlude in the violent era of the “Judges”. While the average Israelite seeks to till his land peaceably, it is still necessary to contend with the marauding Philistines. From their highly civilized coastal cities, the Philistines have moved throughout Canaan with ease, perhaps due to their prolific use of iron, both in farming tools and weapons of war. Their unusually strong military arms seem to call for an unusually strong response, and it comes in the form of a Danite named Samson. Samson is unique among the judges in that he does not lead armies, but rather acts on his own, using the superhuman strength that God has given him. He is bound by a Nazirite vow, but is extremely carnal (worldly) and of a tempestuous temperament.
PARENTING INSIGHTS – Judges 13
Even though the people had drifted so far in the previous chapters of Judges, and now again in chapter 13 (verse one says that again the people did evil in the eyes of the Lord), there were still people around who feared God. Manoah and his wife were such people. They were childless and probably felt bad about their spirituality, as if a sin they committed made them sterile (which was not the case). But God had arranged for them to be the parents of Samson, the strongest man to ever live. An angel came to the wife and told her to raise her child as a Nazirite, (see Numbers 6 for instructions on taking a Nazirite vow) and that he would deliver the people from the Philistines. Not many people received such a pronouncement from an angel – John the Baptist’s parents did, Jesus’ parents did, anyone else? Obviously, Samson was something special.
What did the parents do well?
The wife took the angel at his word, even though she didn’t know he was an angel. She didn’t doubt. She took him seriously. The husband prayed to God for more instruction, feeling inadequate and yet honoured. They both wanted to know God’s rules for the boy’s life and work. What a sweet and pure hearted request! They were grateful and showed their gratitude by being hospitable and even wanted to honour the man by naming their son after him. They feared God and knew that by right they shouldn’t live since they had seen God, even in the form of an angel.
(Funny side point – Since most of us marry our opposites, it is normal that one spouse might be on the calm and laid back side and the other be a bit more passionate in nature. In this case, when the husband freaked out and said that they had seen God so they would surely die, the wife replied logically that if God had wanted to kill them, he wouldn’t have come and given them all of the instructions. I always crack up when I read this.)
Unfortunately, probably the only mistake they did make was to not teach their son to think spiritually and to know what KIND of women to be attracted to, but God was working through this, using Samson’s sinful nature to defeat the Philistines. You have to wonder, though, in the story of Delilah, if he hadn’t been so taken in by her sensual beauty, could he have defeated the Philistines and also remained alive? Who knows….
At the end of chapter 15, where it says that Samson led Israel for 20 years, I thought to myself, “Well, at least he was never boring!” It would have been like having Arnold Schwarzenegger lead your church!
Chapter 16 – the story of Samson and Delilah. This has been immortalized in song, music, opera and in paintings. What a story – of a beautiful and sensual woman who brought down the strong man of God. It is quite sad, and many young women dream of having this kind of power. I am reminded of the Proverb about a woman who tears down her house with her own hands. (Prov 14:1). Some women will do anything for money, power or fame. Samson was the fall guy, and he KNEW that she was bad news, but he hadn’t been training himself to be pure and self-controlled over the years, so he just gave in. Perhaps it was arrogance – he thought he would always be strong enough to get out of it before it was too late. However, his parents’ teaching bore some fruit in the end, and in his last statement on earth, he prayed that God would strengthen him just one more time and with one blow get revenge on the Philistines. God used an ungodly man to fight and defeat his enemies. Wow, just goes to show that God can use anyone!
The story of Samson is the tale of someone who was intelligent, creative, strong, and overall very talented, but just not spiritual, which eventually brought his downfall. How many times have we seen leaders who were just like this? They have some great victories, but their overall life ends in misery, unless they repent and become spiritual and humble. God, please help me to become more humble and spiritual as I get older, not the reverse. (next entry tomorrow)
ENTRY FORTY-FOUR – MARCH 22, 2008
44 – IDOLATRY AND CIVIL WAR
Judges 17-21
This is the tale of Micah and the Danites, along with the horrible Civil War with the tribe of Benjamin. It highlights the DANGERS of DISUNITY and IDOLATRY, and it is a sad example of what Paul later said about how “A LITTLE YEAST WORKS THROUGH THE WHOLE BATCH OF DOUGH” (I Cor 5:6) in the context of NOT ALLOWING ONE PERSON’S SIN TO EFFECT THE WHOLE CONGREGATION. (two days of reading)
The Israelites are still attracted by pagan idols and practices, and what follows here is an account of an Israelite who compromised and perverted true worship and even persuaded a Levite to participate. Wow, had they drifted by this time! Perhaps the greater significance to us is to realize how one man’s sin eventually led to the practice of pagan idolatry by an entire tribe.
Judges 17-18
Micah doesn’t start off as a very reputable guy – he confesses to his mother that he stole her silver! But his mother was even worse – she first says, May the Lord bless you, then she tells him to make an idol with the silver! Good grief! And it gets worse – Micah installs his own son to be a priest! No wonder the writer of Judges comments here that in those days Israel had no king and everyone did as they saw fit!
Micah and the Israelites have drifted so far that when he found a young Levite who he kind of adopted to be his private “real” priest, of his IDOL, he could still think, “Now I know the Lord will be good to me, since a Levite has become my priest.” When we read this, we are appalled. However, if you look at the corruption of Christendom since the first century, there are some similarities….. Anyway, in 18:5-6, the Danites inquire of the Lord through this guy. It reminds me of a story I heard recently of a man who is still living with his wife and children but openly committing adultery and he told her that he would wait and see what the Lord’s will is.
Go for it! (NOT!)
Why bother???????
It gets worse! Then the Danites steal the idols and the priest from Micah…what is going on here? Idolatry, lying, stealing, cheating, treachery….But it gets worse!! As idolatry increases, so do all types of sin, especially sexual immorality. The story in Chapter 19 is so graphic it almost makes C.S.I. look tame! This is reminiscent of the story of Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah – my how things can go from bad to worse when we are not careful to follow every bit of the law! I am glad that God let the poor woman die, so that she could just go to heaven and not have to see her creepy master/husband again after he allowed that to happen to her. What follows is a civil war started for all the wrong reasons, but at least there was indignation over some sin.
In Judges 20:11, all of Israel is finally united, against a common enemy, unfortunately, one of their own tribes. This is the inevitable outcome when we are not strong in unity and righteousness. At least God finally saw his people fasting and praying and begging for him to be with them again – verse 24-28. And He helped them to defeat the Benjamites. The book of Judges ends in such a bizarre way, with the story of how to get wives for the men. The last section, the kidnapping of the virgins at Shiloh, inspired a beautiful painting that I saw in London. And so the book ends with a repetition of the ominous verse, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.”
The Story of Samuel is so much more encouraging!! Stay tuned….
ENTRY FORTY-FIVE – MARCH 24, 2008
45 – SAMUEL BRINGS ABOUT TRANSITION
I Samuel 1-7
This entry, which covers two days’ reading, touches on the topics of PARENTING (a good mother and a not so good father), PRAYERS OF FAITH and HUMILITY, and THE INEVITABLE BAD END TO WICKED LEADERS.
With the period of Judges coming to a close, Samuel is born as a result of a barren mother’s pleas to God. He is the last of Israel’s judges, one of its many prophets, and the anointer of its first king. As seen in the Law of Moses, God has already anticipated the people’s desire for a king, and the time is drawing near for the new era to emerge. Back to Samuel’s mom…
1 Samuel 1 – It all starts with a praying mother! I wonder how many wonderful things have been accomplished because of a praying mother! Mothers out there – take note of Hannah’s attitude! She, like many women, was married to a man with two wives. Yuk!! I am so glad that we don’t allow that these days. (Would you believe there is a new show on HBO in the states about a man in Utah with two families? I guess they were trying hard to find something shocking after “Sex in the City” and “Six Feet Under”….what were we saying earlier about the slippery slope?) Anyway, what was sick about this arrangement was that the wife with kids would always make fun of the wife without kids. So unfair. At least she had a sweet husband who treated her well and with such kindness.
Look at Hannah’s Prayer in ch1 verse 9:
Hannah stood up. Sometimes (I’ve got tears in my eyes now) we’ve got to stand up! Going with the flow will not lead us to God’s will! Whether it is with our children, or with regards to our marriage, or something to do with battling worldliness, or some injustice at work, or whatever. She prayed to such an extent and with such emotion that the priest thought that she was drunk! Just goes to show that the priest wasn’t used to seeing such prayer. She wasn’t a push-over —- she told the priest her motive and stood up for herself. And when she prayed, God listened. This is how we need to pray. At different times since my daughter became a pre-teen (she’s now closer to 16!), I have prayed these kinds of prayers. In desperation, in fear, in anguish, I have cried out to God. (I guess I always think about the kind of teen years I had…) Hannah stopped praying when she believed and was no longer depressed! (It says that her face was no longer downcast.)
When God answered her prayer, she appreciated it so much cause she had really begged him for it. When we beg God for something, we do appreciate it more. And she didn’t change her mind when she got her wish – she still kept her promise and took him to live in the temple when he was old enough. (The child would have probably breastfed in those days til about 3 or 4 years old.) She gave him to the Lord for his whole life! Wow – that is a great attitude to have – understanding that our children belong to God. Please don’t drop your kids off at the church building when they are weaned, however…we’ll just all try to apply this to spiritually, as in giving our children to the Lord, amen??!!
Chapter 2:1-10 is a great and beautiful prayer for all of us. Please read that and then go to Luke 1:46-55 to read Mary’s prayer, known in days of old as “The Magnificat”.
Hannah’s prayer is similar to Mary’s. I looked up a Catholic website called “Women for Faith and Family” to get some interesting info.
About the Magnificat
The Magnificat [Latin: magnifies], also called the Canticle of Mary, is recorded in the Gospel of Luke (1:46-55). It is the Virgin Mary’s joyous prayer in response to the Angel Gabriel’s annunciation to her that she will become the mother of the Son of God. This great hymn forms part of the Church’s prayer in the Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours). When it is recited as part of the Divine Office, it is followed by the Gloria Patri (“Glory be”). The traditional sung Magnificat is Latin plainchant. One of the hymn’s most glorious musical renditions is the version of the Magnificat by J.S. Bach.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the Magnificat as “the song both of the Mother of God and of the Church” [CCC 2619], and explains this prayer’s significance:
Mary’s prayer is revealed to us at the dawning of the fullness of time. Before the Incarnation of the Son of God, and before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, her prayer cooperates in a unique way with the Father’s plan of loving kindness: at the Annunciation, for Christ’s conception; at Pentecost, for the formation of the Church, His Body. In the faith of His humble handmaid, the Gift of God found the acceptance He had awaited from the beginning of time. She whom the Almighty made “full of grace” responds by offering her whole being: “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be [done] to me according to Thy word”. “Fiat”: this is Christian prayer: to be wholly Gods’ because He is wholly ours. [CCC 2617]
The Catholic church adds the following to the end of The Magnificat: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen (Scripture text: Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition)
When I read these two prayers of Hannah and Mary, I think of how the God of the “arenots” (see 1 Cor 1:26) likes to turn the world upside down, of how human strength counts for nothing in the end and how God takes care of us.
1 Samuel 2:12f Eli’s sons sound more like the book of Judges – evil priests who took advantage of their position, extorted and ate the forbidden food of the temple sacrifice (remember God said not to eat the fat?) and even demanded sex from women at the place of worship! This is totally like the Baal and Asherah worship discussed in an earlier entry. Good grief! No wonder God was fed up.
Juxtapose that with little Samuel, wearing the cute robe from his mother, who was so pure hearted and righteous, and growing up in the presence of the Lord.
Eli tried to discipline his sons but it was too late! God told him that it was Eli’s fault as well and that when his sons sinned, he was participating himself. God told him that he was honouring his sons more than God. The curse that God gave to him and his family is so drastic – better be a good parent now when our children are still at home!
In chapter 3, Samuel has his first encounter with the Lord, and it is such a hard prophecy – but Eli guessed that it would be so and forced Samuel to tell everything. As Samuel grew into adulthood, God revealed himself to Samuel through his word, and Samuel developed a reputation around all Israel of being the Lord’s prophet.
Chapter 4 is the story of a people who have been deserted by God. They had the ark but without faith and obedience, the ark was useless. The Philistines captured the ark of God, Eli’s sons were killed in battle on the same day according to the prophecy, Eli himself died and his grandchild was born with the name of Ichabod, meaning “no glory”, in that the glory had left Israel. What a sad day in the history of God’s people. However, Chapter 5 and 6 are quite humourous! Read these chapters to see how the pagan’s treated the ark and how God had such a sense of humour with the whole thing. This reminds me of the movie, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”!!
In Chapter 7, twenty years passed and Samuel called the people to rededication, renewal and repentance. For those of us who are leaders, we must constantly call ourselves, each other and our people to the same. Samuel challenged the people to change their hearts, serve God only, and get rid of their idolatry! This was the first major repentance in all of Israel since the day of Joshua. Sure enough, after repentance, God fought for them and they had their first victory over the Philistines for a long time. The last end of 1 Samuel 7 is worth repeating here: “Samuel continued as judge over Israel all the days of his life….and he built an altar there to the Lord.” The next entry will be in two days and introduces us to Saul and the reign of kings in Israel.
For the introduction and index to this chronological series, see http://www.dtodayarchive.org/content/view/1224/240/.
