April 16 - 1 Samuel 20:16-17

So Jonathan made a solemn pact with David ...

for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.

1 Samuel 20:16-17

 

One of the greatest stories in scripture is the friendship between David and Jonathan. Why? Because one of the greatest gifts in life is friendship.

 

Indeed, Jonathan exhibited the deepest kind of friendship. As Jesus said in John 15:13, "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends," and Jonathan exhibited that self-sacrificing willingness regularly when it came to his friendship with David.

 

Just a half chapter after these vows of friendship, Jonathan stood up to his father (King Saul) in order to defend his friend (David). As you might expect, this caused more than a little family tension! In fact, at one point, "30 Saul boiled with rage at Jonathan" and eventually "33 hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending to kill him." Jonathan, in turn, "34 left the table in fierce anger ... crushed by his father's shameful behavior toward David."

 

Now, we could mistakenly portray this as a choice of friendship over family ... or loyalty to a friend trumping family responsibilities. It's not! Since loyalty to family and loyalty to friends are both positive ideals, the difference in this case was choosing righteousness (David's noble side) over sinfulness (Saul's hard-hearted side).

 

We're all called to make that decision. Family and friendship are both very high ideals. But one ideal and one relationship supercedes both, and that's our relationship with God and our respect for his commands. Therefore, if anyone -- parent, child, or friend -- is encouraging us to excuse sin, we're called to be a Jonathan and stand up for righteousness.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants to be

known as Jonathan

(or better yet, I hope you simply call me "friend")

April 15 - 1 Samuel 17:38-39

Saul clothed David with his armor;

he put a bronze helmet on his head

and clothed him with a coat of mail. 

[But] David said to Saul,

"I cannot walk with these;

for I am not used to them."

So David removed them.

1 Samuel 17:38-39

 

My favorite part of the story of David and Goliath is Saul trying to clothe David in worldly armor and David taking it off. The only armor that the man after God's own heart needed was the full armor (and provision) of God!

 

We constantly clothe ourselves with worldly armor and earthly priorities. We think it will protect us. We think the things of this world will bring us joy. We'd do well to remember the words of David: "I cannot walk with these."

 

What worldly things might you need to quit walking with?!

 

In Christ's Love,

Jack

 

(as in ... Jack in the Beanstalk ...

get it ... giant-killer!)

April 14 - 1 Samuel 16:7

But the Lord said to Samuel,

"Do not look on his appearance

or on the height of his stature,

because I have rejected him;

for the Lord does not see as mortals see;

they look on the outward appearance,

but the Lord looks on the heart."

1 Samuel 16:7

 

It was time for a new king.

 

If you remember, Saul was chosen because he was the tallest, handsomest man in all the land (1 Samuel 9:2). He would look good at all the photo ops and in all press clippings.

 

That sounds so superficial, but we do it still today. Image is everything. That's the oh-too-frequent motto of our culture.

 

God has a different measure. "The Lord looks on the heart."

 

Who do you know that's beautiful from inside out?

 

And how would people describe you if they could only see your interior instead of your exterior?

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who'd rather show you his kidney

than some corners of his heart

(God, continue to heal me!)

April 13 - 1 Samuel 13:8-9

Saul waited ... seven days for Samuel ...

but Samuel still didn't come.

Saul realized that his troops

were rapidly slipping away. 

So he demanded, "Bring me the

burnt offering and the peace offerings!"

And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself.

1 Samuel 13:8-9

 

Is patience your virtue?

 

It's not mine. It's not many of ours.

 

Are you -- like me -- always anxious for our desires on our time and based on our schedule? Are you -- like me -- constantly tempted to judge things based on your own perception of your own circumstances? Are you -- like me -- continually needing to learn to wait for God's time ... and finding that an ongoing process?

 

We may think the consequences of being like Frank Sinatra and doing it our way in our time are small and insignificant. But they are not!

 

The hand of the Lord with with King Saul. But Saul did not wait for the Lord. He took matters into his own hand. He presumed the timing of God and the role of the priests. And God's blessing was withdrawn.

 

That's a convicting story. And the question is: Are you -- like me -- more convicted than ever to learn to listen and wait even better?! 

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who knows the blessing

(Jesus and his forgiveness)

and want's to wait until I discover

the fullness of his call and purpose and power

April 12 - 1 Samuel 8:7

The Lord said to Samuel ...

"They have not rejected you,

they have rejected me from being

king over them."

1 Samuel 8:7

 

Children have a way of wanting what they want when they want it. So imagine a house with six kids! It's a house with a lot of demands ... and it's a house that demands a lot of wisdom ... and a lot of self-sacrifice. I know a mother of six who, when her kids would "expect" and "demand" certain things, would say frequently, "Who's sitting on the throne of your life."

 

Israel could have used the Prophetess Kim -- Mother-of-Six -- as their mentor as Samuel grew old. Indeed, they absolutely could have used the wisdom of a good mom when they cried, "Samuel, you're old. Appoint for us a king so we can be like all the other nations."

 

Mom would have said, "First, it's not polite to point out a grown-up's age and wrinkles. Second, how many times do I have to tell you, 'Even if all the other kids are doing someting, that doesn't make it right.' If all the other kids are jumping off a bridge, would you jump off too?" Israel wanted to be like all the other nations and it would have two fateful consequence.

 

First, God, through Samuel, told the Israelites that if they insisted on having a king, the king would 1) take their sons and make them soldiers, 2) take their daughters and make them cooks and perfumers, take 3) the best of their flocks, 4) the best of their fields, and 5) a tenth of their vineyard (imagine, a government taxing them at the ungodly rate of 10%, a percentage initially designated for God -- first fruits and tithes).

 

But the Israelites literally said, "[We don't care!] We are determined to have a king over us, so that we may be like [all the] other nations." So they got as their first king. And it happened to be the man who was (9:2) the tallest, handsomest man in all the kingdom (think Brad Pitt's face on Shaquille O'Neal's body). Is that a recipe for success? 

 

Point one ... sometimes our worst fate is that we get what we ask for.

 

The second point is that Israel truly did get what they asked for. In asking for a king, they rejected God as their king. Now, their kingdom did have a few shining moments. King David, for the most part, followed God and expanded the kingdom. And Solomon did build the temple. But the heavy taxation began under Solomon's building spree, and when Solomon's son decided to tax them even more heavily, the kingdom split apart.

 

Eventually, the northern tribes were conquered and disappeared, and the southern tribes, while they had intermittent success, ultimately have spent most of the last three thousand years in various forms of dispersion, exile, and calamity.

 

On a smaller scale, that is our fate too. If any of us place me-myself-and-my-own-priorities on the throne of our lives, we can expect various forms of dispersion, exile, and calamity.

 

But if we want God to bless us, the path is clear: Bow to the King and he'll lift you up and give you the identity of prince.

 

In Christ's Love,

Prince Edward

(but only I know who the king is)

April 11 - 1 Samuel 6:2

The Philistines said,

"What shall we do

with the ark of the Lord?"

1 Samuel 6:2

 

I love the 1 Samuel 5 story of the Philistines bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the temple of their fertility god Dagon.

 

A huge statue of their chief god seemed to tower over the ark ... at least until morning.

 

Sometime during the night -- daggone it -- the statue of Dagon fell face-down at the "feet" of the Ark and God's mercy seat.

 

So they set it back up, and -- daggone it -- sometime during the night Dagon fell again. This time, Dagon wasn't just face down, he was face off! The statue's head and hands had broken off.

 

Soon the Philistines in the town of Ashdod began having boils and bumps and tumors all over their bodies. So they tried to ship the Ark of the Lord to other Philistine cities. But everyone was afraid -- not of a golden box, but of a God who was infinitely stronger than their daggone gods.

 

And that leads to today's verse, "What shall we do with the Ark of the Lord?!" Their pagan priests cried, "Give it back and give it back with interest! Give it back with offerings and sacrifice. And give it back quick."

 

Psalm 68 says, "35 Awesome is God ..., the God of Israel. He gives power and strength to his people."

 

If you want God's power and divine strength to be more manifest in your life, what do know that you might need to give back to God ... quick and with interest?!

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who needs to start

by giving thanks more frequently!

April 10 - 1 Samuel 3:10

And the Lord came and called

as before, "Samuel! Samuel!"

And Samuel replied, "Speak,

your servant is listening."

1 Samuel 3:10

 

I can't help but view this story in terms of a classic, old comedy. In fact, I can just imagine the Three Stooges playing out a very human version of a very godly event.

 

Imagine Larry up in the attic, calling, "Curly, Curly." And Curly waking up and hurrying into Moe, "Here I am, Moe. You called?" Moe, of course would slap him in the face, saying, "No, I didn't. Go back to sleep."

 

A half hour, Larry calls again, barely able to contain his laughter, "Curly, Curly." So Curly wakes up and hurries in again, "Here I am, Moe. Did you call?" "Wake up and go back to sleep," shouts Moe, pushing the heavier stooge who falls, trips, flips, and gets up, shuffling his feet comically and mumbling in a high pitched voice, "Why, I oughta ..."

 

Again Larry calls, "Curly, Curly."

 

Again God calls, "Samuel, Samuel."

 

Eli, who's been awakened for the third time, recognizes that it must be a voice from above. Therefore, the old priest instructs Samuel to respond, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening," when the Lord calls again.

 

How many of us hear God's voice?

 

God is speaking constantly, but we're usually too busy running carpools and watching shows like The Three Stooges to notice God's voice. As the title of an old book put it, we're "amusing ourselves to death."

 

I don't know about you, but I need to continually spend a few more minutes in the silence, (and maybe spend a few more minutes in the presence of a faith-mentor too), listen more clearly and follow God more nearly.

 

In Christ's Love,

a stooge

who'd rather be a Samuel

April 9 - 1 Samuel 2:12-14

Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels;

they had no regard for the Lord

or for the duties of the priests to the people.

When anyone offered sacrifice, the priest's servant

would come, while the meat was boiling,

with a three-pronged fork in his hand,

and he would thrust it into

the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot;

all that the fork brought up

the priest would take for himself.

1 Samuel 2:12-14

 

Tomorrow we're going to hear the story of the calling of Israel's next prophet -- Samuel. Soon Samuel would stand in the gap between Israel's line of Judges (of which Samuel's mentor, Eli, was the last) and Israel's line of Kings (of which Saul was the first). Today, however, we hear the story of why there was a job opening in Israel.

 

Indeed, this is the story of the three-pronged fork.

 

First, imagine a father running the family business. What's a father's natural goal as he ages? To pass the business along to his sons! In this case, Eli's family business was "running" the nation of Israel. Naturally he would have like to pass the "business" along to his sons. But his sons were "scoundrels" with "three pronged forks."

 

Second, the family business was the priesthood. In God's generous commands, our Lord devised a generous way to take care of the priests who were to devote their lives to him. When people gave offerings -- think sweet smelling barbeque as a fragrant sacrifice to the Lord -- certain parts of the meat were to be a tasty payment for the priest's service. But Eli's sons were "scoundrels" with "three pronged forks."

 

I would bet that a three pronged fork was sign of prosperity. In a poor and ancient culture, possessions were few and metals were fewer. But think about it ... how many times is it that it's actually the very things that are blessings (power and possessions) that actually trip us up? Think of the story of the rich young ruler who asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life (Mt 19:21). Jesus said, "Go, sell all you have (abandon your possessions), leave your home (leave your seat of power), and follow me."

 

What is your three-pronged fork? What's the thing that you find hard to leave behind in order to follow God more fully and discover His treasure in heaven?

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who used to have three-pronged silverware,

but our current flatware has four prongs

(Does that mean I'm free from temptation?)

April 8 - Ruth 3:4

Naomi said to Ruth

Be sure to notice where [Boaz] lies down;

then go and uncover his feet and lie down there.

He will tell you what to do.

Ruth 3:4

 

It's all too easy to misread a foreign custom. For example, how many of us read about the bathed and perfumed Ruth, lying down with Boaz, and assumed something seductive?!

 

However, servants lying at the feet of a master was actually rather common. They shared scarce resources (blankets) and kept the masters feet warm at the same time.

 

When Ruth -- a poor, widowed, family member (by marriage), rather than a true servant --laid at Boaz's feet, she was saying, "I'm placing myself in your care." The perfume signaled that she was open to a marriage proposal -- though not necessarily from Boaz himself. 

 

The prescribed custom in Israel was for family to marry their brother's widow to keep the property and the offspring in the family. Therefore, a perfumed Ruth lying at her kinsman's feet was signaling to Boaz that 1) she was ready to be remarried, 2) was placing herself in his care for finding her a family husband.

 

It wasn't seductice. It was communicative. 

 

But it turned romantic!

 

But not until Boaz was first noble and honorable. He appreciated Ruth's loyalty to her in-law family. But he also appreciated the law. Therefore he first offered her, as was the custom, to another in-law who was first in line to inherit the land of Ruth's deceased husband (a big bonus) but also a wife (something he didn't want). Thus, when the other guy turned down the "proposal," an opportunity unfolded for Boaz and Ruth to be together.

 

They did things the right way -- each honoring God, family, law, and custom. And all were blessed -- including you and me -- because their eventual romance produced the line that brought us King David and Jesus Christ!

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who likes

romantic comedies

April 7 - Ruth 1:16

Ruth replied,

"Don't ask me to leave you and turn back.

I will go wherever you go and live wherever you live.

Your people will be my people,

and your God will be my God."

Ruth 1:16

 

I love the simple short story of Ruth -- one of David's grandmothers ... which means, one of Jesus' great-great-many-times-great-grandmothers too.

 

And I love how God wove the path of salvation through other cultures like through Ruth's Moabite roots.

 

And I love most of all the way Ruth honored her mother-in-law, a widow. Naomi actually asked Ruth to separate and stay home in Moab. But Ruth said -- and I can't help but hear it through the Chris Tomlin song (click here) -- "Where you go, I'll go; Where you live, I'll live. I will follow you."

 

I covet that simple pattern of ... love ... trust ... obedience ... submission.

 

And here's the best part: We don't love, trust, or obey for rewards -- because often we'll never see their full fruit in this life. But sometimes, our faithfulness does get noticed!

 

Boaz, for example, took note of Ruth's character and responded to her -- a foreign woman -- with generosity. And Ruth replied, "2:10 What have I done to deserve such kindness?" And Boaz said, "2:11 I ... know about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband ... 12 May the Lord ... reward you fully."

 

God did!

 

And he rewarded kind-hearted Boaz too, with a wife ... and children ... and his own link to the Messiah through Ruth!

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's striving for simplicity

and its fruits 

April 6 - Romans 14:7-8

None of us lives to himself alone

and none of us dies to himself alone.

If we live, we live to the Lord;

and if we die, we die to the Lord.

So, whether we live or die,

we belong to the Lord.

Romans 14:7-8

 

Have you ever heard this lie: "I can do what I want. After all, I'm not hurting anybody but me"? In Romans 14, the Apostle Paul begs to differ, saying, none of us lives to himself and none of us dies to himself. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul puts it like this: He talks of one or two peoples sins ("1 sexual immorality"), and says even one person's actions, like a little leven, affects the whole loaf, the whole body, the whole church.

 

As we finish up reading the book of Judges, that's a piece of our story today. Judges 19-21 tell a horrific story on one person's sin cascading into a country-wide calamity:

• A Levite takes a concubine.
• Over the next few months, this priest abuses her a time or two.
• And then she leaves him a time or two.
• So the aggravated "husband" allows the men of his town to rape her repeatedly.
• Then he literally carves his concubine up into twelve pieces.
• He sends those twelve pieces to the twelve tribes of Israel.
• And then he starts lying.
• This murderous Levite tells the other tribes that the tribe of Benjamin forced themselves on his "wife," and, essentially, these pieces are what's left. 
• The rest of Israel's tribes -- rightly appalled, but believing a lie -- wage war against the falsely accused tribe of Benjamin.
• About 60,000 Israelites die in the insuing battles.
• Only about 600 Benjamite men are left.
• So Israel -- sad that they've essentially lost a whole tribe -- decides these men need wives.
• So the Israelites butcher the town of Jabesh-Gilead -- who didn't fight against Benjamin -- and give their 400 remaining daughters to the remaining Benjaminites.

Can you say horrifying?

 

Now ... few of our sins have seem to have such dire consequences. However, we don't know how our unfaithfulness will affect the next generation ... and the next ... and the next. We forget how it might affect our family, our community, and our church. Indeed, how often do we think of nothing but ourselves?

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who doesn't want to start a national calamity

(therefore, tell my wife I'm going to refuse

to take that concubine)

 

... actually a guy who doesn't want to excuse any sin  

April 5 - Judges 13:16

The angel of the Lord said to Manoah,

"If you detain me, I will not eat your food;

but if you want to prepare a burnt offering,

then offer it to the Lord."

(For Manoah did not know that

he was the angel of the Lord.)

Judges 13:16

 

Have you ever had a major physical struggle that turned into a major spiritual struggle? Have you fought, for example, with illness? Sometimes it is in the crucible of illness (or other physical struggles) that people's faiths are sharpened ... or defeated.

 

One heartaching physical struggle that rattles too many families is infertility. Month after month there is a physical grief as the hopes for a child are dashed yet again.

 

Some of the greatest heroes of scripture have come from the crucible of this physical trial and fire.

• Abraham and Sarah struggled to have Isaac.
• Jacob and Rachel struggled to have Joseph.
• Elkanah and Hannah struggled to have Samuel.
• Zechariah and Elizabeth struggled to have John the Baptist.
• And in today's story, Manoah and his bride struggled to have Samson.

In each case, their longsuffering obedience led to a spiritual breakthrough -- not just for them, but for all of God's people.

 

Three things shape the birth announcement of Samson

1. As in many of these stories, a messenger -- an angel -- appeared to the ones who were battling the physical -- Samson's discouraged parents.
2. We are tempted to honor -- or maybe even worship -- the messenger, but a godly messenger will always point to God: "If you detain me, I will not eat your food; but if you want to prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the Lord."
3. The messenger gave them a command of follow obediently -- "[Before your wife conceives,] she is not to drink wine or strong drink, or eat any unclean thing." 

Might God be using your physical crucibles to shape you or impact the kingdom? The next time you are physically struggling, try these three things ... 

1. Look for a messenger -- it could be God's Word, a sermon, a devotional, or a godly friend.
2. Test the messenger to make sure the message is from God -- a godly messenger will always point to God and not to themselves ... and their message will always be consistent with God's word.
3. Follow God's commands -- if you are convicted that God is calling you to act, then trust and act.

If you follow these principles perhaps some of your physical struggles might be redeemed, might be used for you and for others for mighty kingdom purposes.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's learned more from the

crucibles of life than the from the carousels

April 4 - Judges 9:14

So all the trees said to the bramble,

"You come and reign over us."

Judges 9:14

 

Judges 9 contains a parable:

• The trees want a king to reign over them.
• First they ask the olive tree to reign over them, but the olive is too busy producing oil "to sway over the trees."
• Then they ask the fig tree to sway over them, but the fig also is too busy bearing fruit.
• Next they ask the vine -- which is not even a true tree. But even the vine is too busy producing grapes and wine.
• Finally they ask the bramble ... who is honored. And the bramble invites all the trees to do the impossible: find shade in his shabby brush.

The point of the parable? In a literal sense, the "shabbiest" and least legitimate of Gideon's children, Abimelech, was seeking power by attempting to establish a monarchy. In a more figurative sense ... Why do we as humans constantly seek to sway over other trees? Why don't we simply go out, use our natural gifts, and bear good fruit.

 

Now, it should be mentioned that many governmental leaders do indeed do wonderful things! And often the beginning motive is indeed noble -- "I want to help people." But why do governments seem to have such an overabundance of brambles? Because power corrupts. The initial motives usually do begin as noble, but in trying to please all, compromises and half-truths seem to become a hazard of the job. So does the inflation of self-importance and ego. And soon the hearts of too many good leaders become thorny.

 

We need to remember two things:

1. First, why do we keep looking for human leaders to solve all our problems. God is our king, not the president, governor, or earthly king.
2. Second, we need a needle to keep deflating our own egos. Other people's opinions of us are not what matters. We play for an audience of One. And our gifts and talents and fruits are to be devoted to his glory. 

 

In Christ's Love,

a gooseberry

(an odd little fruit

but fully devoted to him)  

April 3 - Judges 6:15

But, sir, how can O deliver Israel?

My clan is the weakest in Manasseh,

and I am the least in my family.

Judges 6:15

 

Some people look at themselves and greatly over-inflate their value. But most of us are the opposite.

 

We've been abused, betrayed, and stabbed in the back. We've had peers advance much further than we. We've been told -- often by our own parents -- that we're incapable and irresponsible. Furthermore, we know our own weaknesses, shortcoming, sins, and failure. In general, most of us are a little insecure.

 

And guess what ... we should be!

 

Apart from God we're little people with little jobs and little influence in a little corner of a vast, vast world of six billion people.

 

But the whole point of the story of Gideon is that WITH GOD you are a champion! First your identity is -- Ephesians 1 -- blessed, chosen, holy, loved, destined, and God's good pleasure. You are a co-heir with Christ. Indeed you are adopted; you are the Lord's beloved child! And if you need more evidence, God loved you enough to die for you on the cross.

 

As Christians, we've got to get over this "poor-me" that the world has drummed into us. If your Father is the King, then you're a prince! Indeed, Romans 8:37, we are more than conquerers through him who loves us!

 

That's what Gideon was -- a conquerer through the Lord who loved him and his people Israel. And God proved for Gideon -- and for you and me -- what it means to advance wearing the armor of prince. Like David who stripped off the world's armor to go and conquer a giant, God asked Gideon to strip off the worldly armor of a mighty army and go fight 135,000 Midianites with just 300 men.

 

It's impossible for 300 men to conquer 135,000 ... unless God is on your side.

 

In what ways do you need to stop playing "poor-me" and embrace the identity, truth, and power, that God is on your side?

 

In Christ's Love,

a fellow prince 

April 1 - Judges 4:9

the road on which you are going

will not lead to your glory,

for the Lord will sell Sisera

into the hand of a woman.

Judges 4:9

 

Deborah was a prophetess. She was also Israel's only female judge -- another glimpse of how God used women in ministry.

 

During her time of leadership, Israel "1 did what was evil in the sight of the Lord." The consequence was that Israel was oppressed by the Canaanite king, Jabin of Hazor, and his nine-hundred chariots.

 

When the Lord commanded (4:6) that it was time to battle Jabin, Deborah delegated authority. If we say it incorrectly, we could contend that she sent a man out to fight for her. That was not the case. Her gift and role was discerning the will of God -- she was (4:4) a prophetess. And discerning the will of God, she knew that after Jabin "3 had oppressed the Israelites cruelly for twenty years," now was the moment that God -- not man -- would fight for Israel.

 

Nevertheless, humans occasionally like to take credit for their triumphs, and generals like to take credit for their victories. Therefore, Deborah made it clear to General Barak that it wouldn't be his hand that delivered Israel. The victory, in a human sense, would be won by a housewife -- Jael, wife of Heber.

 

But let's never misunderstand: The real victory -- like most of the true victories in our own lives -- comes from the Lord. And true faith comes from acknowledging God's influence instead of taking credit for our own successes.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants a credit card

in His name 

April 1 - Judges 2:11-23

Today, we're beginning a look at the book of Judges.

Joshua has died and the people are beginning

the next phase of their life in the land.

Judges 2:11-23 sets up the whole pattern of the book ... 

 

Israel forsakes God: 11 Then the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord ... 12 They abandoned the Lord ... who had brought them out of the land of Egypt

 

Israel Chases after Other gods Instead: 12 They followed other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were all around them, and bowed down to them.

 

God's Anger is Kindled: 14 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.

 

God Takes His Hand of Protection Off of Them: 14 The Lord ... gave them over to plunderers who plundered them, and he sold them into the power of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. 15 Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them to bring misfortune, as the Lord had warned them and sworn to them; and they were in great distress.

 

From their Pit, the People Cry Out to the Lord: 3:9 But when the Israelites cried out to the Lord ...

 

God Raised Up Heroic Leaders called Judges: 16 Then the Lord raised up judges, who delivered them out of the power of those who plundered them.

 

But as their Circumstances Improved, They Turned Away from God Again: 17 They did not listen even to their judges.

 

And the Pattern Repeats

 

Israel Chases After Other Gods: 17 They lusted after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their ancestors had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord; they did not follow their example.

 

From their Pit, the People Cry Out for Help: 18 the Lord would be moved to pity by their groaning because of those who persecuted and oppressed them.

 

God Raises Up Another Judge: 18 Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge.

 

Soon Their Circumstances Improved 18 The Lord ... delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge ...

 

And as Life Improved, They would Forget God Again: 19 they would relapse and behave worse than their ancestors ...

 

They Would Worship Other Gods: 19 ... following other gods, worshiping them and bowing down to them. They would not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways.

 

The Anger of the Lord would be Kindled: 20 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel ...

 

And God took His Hand of Protection Off of Israel: 20 And the Lord said, "Because this people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their ancestors, and have not obeyed my voice, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died."

 

Etc., Etc., Etc.

 

Here's the great irony of the book of Judges: The worse their life conditions were, the closer they were to God (crying out Him). The better their life conditions were, the farther they drifted from God (most likely giving credit to themselves for their success).

 

Spiritual Reflection: How often do we do the same thing?!

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who'd rather learn to

need God in the good times

(so I don't need bad times

to correct my waywardness!)