I Samuel 4:1 – 5:12

June 18, 2010

Even though Eli himself didn't submit to God, he knew it was the right thing to do and he advised Samuel to say, "Speak LORD, I am your servant and I am listening." Eli knew what to do, he just didn't do it. Every one of God's messages to Samuel came true.

Israel went out to battle the Philistines. Nowhere in this passage does it say God told them to go to battle. It also doesn't say they inquired of God whether they should go into battle. Israel was used to doing things her own way. God's instructions were not being followed. So they decided to do battle, and were defeated. After they lose the first battle they decide they better bring God along for the next battle. So they send for the Ark of the Agreement. They again did not inquire of God if this is what they should be doing. They decided. So the Ark is brought. And who is with it? Hophni and Phineas, Eli's sons who have ignored God's instructions and dishonored God by their actions. And the Israelites dare to think that some how God will bless their disobedience and arrogance? 

This time they are soundly defeated. Hophni and Phineas die (as God said) and the Ark is captured. A soldier escapes and runs home. The soldier tells Eli what has happened, and Eli falls over and dies (again as God said). 

The Ark is captured. All it does is bring trouble to the Philistines. They put the Ark in Dagon's temple beside their god Dagon. The next morning they find Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the Ark. They set Dagon (their god) back up. The next morning they go back in and the same thing had happened. Dagon had again fallen on the ground before the Ark. This time only the torso of Dagon was left. The head and hands were broken off. 

It says, "the LORD was hard" on the people of Ashod and their neighbors. Tumors grew on their skin. They knew God was angry with them and they wanted the Ark gone. So the Ark was sent to another town. The same thing happened. Tumors began to grow. "The LORD was hard on that city also." The people panicked and the Ark was sent to a third city. "All the people were struck with terror because God was hard on them there."

Moral of the story: God cannot be used and manipulated to do what we want when we want it done. Acting on our own selfish desires, getting into trouble, and then bringing God along side to fix things won't work. And, if you don't have a relationship with God, being in His presence can really mess up you. You cannot just add God to your life.  He has to be Lord of your life. 


 Next Entry: I Samuel 6:1 – 7:17

I Samuel 2:12 – 3:21

June 17, 2010

I Samuel 2:16 - "No, give me the meat now. If you don't, I'll take it by force."

It wasn't enough for Eli's sons to be provided for in the way God designed. They wanted to do things their way, and if you didn't oblige them? Then they would take it by force. God's plan was that the meat would be cooked, then the priests would stick the three-pronged fork in, and what came out was theirs. That simple act showed submission to God.  Eli's sons choose selfishness, pride, and control instead. They demanded raw meat from the people so they could take more and have the choicest pieces. And, if you didn't give in to their selfish desires they would take it by force. 

It strikes me that the sins of old are the same sins of today. Only the names have changed.  

What is disturbing is why Eli's sons behaved this way. I Samuel 2:12 - "Now, Eli's sons were evil men; they did not care about the LORD." Eli was warned several different times about his sons behavior, but he did nothing to stop it. Oh, he said something to the equivalent of, "Now sons...you really shouldn't be doing this," but he did nothing. Obviously, Eli refused to submit to God as well. Hmm, wonder where his sons learned it.

A man of God came to Eli, and made it very clear to him, "You honor your sons more than me. You are getting fat off of what should be mine." I Samuel 2:30b - "This must stop. I will honor those who honor me, but I will dishonor those who ignore me." He warned him that future generations would be impacted and that both his sons would die on the same day, and Eli still did not reverse course and change his ways.

The LORD calls out to Samuel during the night. Samuel thinks it is Eli. Eli, after the third time realizes it is God and tells Samuel that if God calls to him again to say, "Speak LORD, I am your servant and I am listening." (Something Eli, by his actions, showed he wasn't doing.) God calls again. Samuel listens. God reveals to Samuel what is going to happen to Eli and his family. Samuel tells Eli, and Eli's response is, "He is the LORD, let him do what he thinks best."

I do not understand that response. He has just been told AGAIN what was going to happen to his family and his answer seems so cavalier. Why didn't it bring him to his knees? Why didn't he cry out for forgiveness? Why didn't he seek God's mercy? Why didn't he change? Instead he says in effect—Oh well... He is the LORD. Let Him do what is best. He was stubborn until the end. 

Addendum: 12/27/13 ~ The man of God told Eli what was going to happen. He said, "I will give you a sign. Both your sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will die on the same day. I will choose a loyal priest for myself who will listen to me and do what I want. I will make his family continue, and he will always serve before my appointed king." (I Samuel 2:34-35) God's promises ALWAYS come true. Eli's sons died and the rest of his family was stripped of their position of leadership. Zadok was chosen (See Ezekiel 44:15; 48:11) and it was he and his descendants who served the Lord. You cannot escape God's punishment and others cannot prevent you from receiving God's blessings. God honors faithfulness and He judges disobedience.   

I Samuel 3:1 - "In those days the LORD did not speak to people very often; there were very few visions." There are times in our lives that the LORD speaks clearly and more often than in other times in our lives. Our job is to wait on Him, to listen, and to obey. When the LORD first spoke to Samuel he did not recognize that it was the Lord who was speaking to him. In the same way, we need to learn to hear His voice. We need to be still. We need to listen. When Samuel realized it was the LORD he said, "Speak, LORD.  I am your servant and I am listening." And God's first words to Samuel? "Watch, I am going to do something in Israel that will shock those who hear about it"... and He did. 


Next Entry:  I Samuel 4:1 – 5:12

I Samuel 1:1 – 2:11

June 16, 2010

The story of Hannah. "Peninnah would upset Hannah." For years Peninnah would lord it over Hannah that she had children and Hannah didn't. It wasn't enough for her to be thankful for what she had, she instead made sure that everyone around her knew, and she belittled Hannah over and over for years.

Pride.

Hannah took her sorrow to the LORD, and asked Him to remember her, and not forget. Hannah told Eli, "I am a deeply troubled woman, and I was telling the LORD about my problems... I have been praying because I have many troubles and am very sad." THEN she got up, ate something, and was not sad any more! She had not yet seen the answer to her prayers, BUT she had given her problems to the LORD and she left them there. God did hear and God did answer and Samuel was born. When Samuel was weaned Hannah did as she promised and took him to the temple for life long service to God.

Then Hannah prays a prayer of thanks. "There is no one holy like the LORD. There is no God but you; there is no Rock like our God." Hannah's prayer is full of wisdom for us all:

• The LORD has given me joy and strength
• Don't continue being proud
• The LORD knows everything
• He will be the Judge
• Your own strength won't work
• God is the One who gives strength
• Don't trust in your own riches or possessions
• God is the One who sustains and provides
• God is the One who gives life or takes it away
• You aren't "self made"
• God is the One who gives honor, wealth, and glory
• God is the One who created the heavens and earth
• God protects those who are loyal to him
• Evil people will be silenced
• Power is not the key to success
• The LORD will destroy those who are against Him
• The LORD will decide
• The LORD will judge

The LORD—He is the One! Blessed be the name of the LORD. HE is the One who gives us a song in our heart even in the midst of "the storm." HE is the One who has sustained us. HE is the One who has given us the strength to carry on. He is the One who has blessed us. HE is the One who has protected us.

The LORD—HE is the One. Our faith is in God, and God alone. HE is the One!


Next Entry: I Samuel 2:12 – 3:21

Ruth 4:1–22

June 15, 2010

The wedding.

Naomi's life looked disastrous. She lost both her husband and her sons. She had no one left to take care of her. Ruth (her daughter-in-law) steps in. She travels with Naomi when she returns to her land. She works in the fields, and she marries Boaz. Ruth (through her marriage with Boaz) gives Naomi a grandson who just so happens to be the grandfather of David, who just so happens to be the ancestor of Christ—the Savior of us all. What looked like disaster was God's plan.

God's plan WILL prevail. 

What has happened to us ("the storm") looked disastrous. But! There is a plan, GOD has the plan, and His plan WILL prevail. We are still waiting ... but the wedding will come. 

One of the things that stood out to me in this chapter was the attitude of Naomi's close relative. Boaz goes to him, tells him about Naomi's land that is for sale and offers him first dibs. The close relative jumps at the chance and says, "I will buy back the land." Then Boaz tells him that with the land goes Naomi and Ruth and that the land will eventually go to the sons of Ruth. The close relative suddenly changes his mind and says, "I can't buy back the land." Greed. If it was something he could buy to raise his bottom line he was all for it. Jackpot! Look what this is going to do for me! But when he finds out the land would remain and be passed down to Ruth's family and that it wasn't going to be his, the answer was no. The interesting thing is that he didn't say that he couldn't take on the responsibility. He said he couldn't do it because, "I might harm what I can pass on to my own sons." Again—greed. How does buying Naomi's land and making a profit off of it for years, then years later IF there were children turning the land over to Ruth's heirs, "harm" what he could give his own children? The close relative had no interest in doing the right thing. His only interest was himself, what he owned, and what he could gain.

Greed.


Next Entry: I Samuel 1:1 – 2:11

Ruth 3:1–18

June 14, 2010

Ruth 3:18 - "Wait here until you see what happens."

Wait here. Naomi and Ruth had done everything they knew to do. Now they had to wait.

We have done everything we know to do. We are in the waiting stage. We know of nothing that remains for us to do beside being faithful and continuing to serve Him while we wait. 

It's been almost three years since "the storm" hit. "Now wait here until you see what happens." I can't wait to see what God is going to do. I don't mean by that, that we are impatiently waiting. What I mean is we are excitedly and expectantly waiting because there is a wedding coming (Chapter 4) and God had/has something special in store for Ruth and us.

Everything God has done since "the storm" hit has just been incredible to watch. The hand of God has moved in amazing, unexplainable, only-God-could-have-done-this type ways.  I absolutely believe this is going to end in a knock-your-socks-off way. I can't wait to see how God does it. 

The wedding is coming.

Addendum: 4/18/18 ~ It's now been almost eleven years and we are still waiting. We are still believing God will end "the storm" and HE will get the glory.   

2020 Update:  God did it! Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow!


Next Entry: Ruth 4:1–22 

Ruth 2:1–23

June 12, 2010

"It just so happened..." (Verse 3)

"It just so happened"... Ruth decides she is supposed to get up and do something. She is to go to a field and try to collect grain so they will be able to eat.

"It just so happened"... the field was Boazs', a good man who was a distant relative of Naomi's.

"It just so happened"... Boaz, who was in another town, stopped by the field that day.

"It just so happened"... Boaz took notice of Ruth, inquired about her, fed her, protected her, and made provisions for her.

"It just so happened"... Boaz blessed Ruth.

"It just so happened"... Ruth returned to those fields to gather the spilled harvest.

And, "it just so happened" the ground work was laid for the salvation of Naomi and Ruth, and later the birth of Christ, and the plan of salvation of mankind.

"It just so happened..." 

There is no such thing as "it just so happened" as the world views that phrase. We know the "just so happened" circumstances or situations in our lives are actually divine appointments of God. When I think of the "it just so happened" instances that we have encountered during these last three years, it just makes me want to weep as I realize they were not co-incidences; they were God-incidences. The prayer of Jabez, "May we see God's hand working in our lives," is our heart's prayer.   

We have seen HIS hand in so many ways. I sit here reminiscing. We have been blessed with so many God-incidences. My encounter with Jane (Her Name Was Jane) immediately comes to mind and would have to be at the top of the list.Hmm.  Maybe I should start a list. I almost hate to write a list because I know important things are going to be inadvertently left out, but at the same time I know how important it is to bear witness. So here goes.

• Jane—first and foremost
• Jane's amazing prayer of blessing over my life
• Jane's God-given spoken words
• Meeting Jane's Power of Attorney
• Jane being removed from Hospice in early 2007 so her life would be extended
• Our Pastor's prayer for us at a special communion service in late 2006
• Meeting long ago acquaintances at a local restaurant and sharing our story with them
• Divine appointments with random friends
• Sharing HIS story with our neighbors
• Many friends coming along side of us
• God blessing our business in 2007 providing us with a double gross income year
• The opportunity to move from teaching 6th to 7th grade and having a second year with a very special group of young ladies
• Blessed by participating in our Church Board Meetings
• New truths learned at leadership retreats and meetings
• Attending Sammy Tippit meetings on prayer
• Being able to share hope with a friend on the exact anniversary day of his daughter's death
• Blessed by going to the nursing home on Christmas mornings for five years
• Reading in Job 6 and sent to Matthew 10:36-39 with God's promise for giving us the words to say just days before a critical meeting  
• God's timing in having us read Psalms 7 & 8 and then being sent to Psalm 140:12 at a pivotal time
• Running into a business acquaintance from another city at a local bakery and sharing our story
• The privilege of helping my husband's brother with his medical needs and finances
• Strained relationships with family members restored
• Many, many opportunities to share our story with business associates, friends, and strangers

And the list goes on and on.....

Next Entry: Ruth 3:1–18

Ruth 1:1–22

June 11, 2010

Naomi and Ruth. Naomi who felt like God had turned against her, and Ruth who was faithful and loyal.

Ruth 1:16 - "Where you go I will go. Where you live I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God."

Jane (Her Name Was Jane) has written in her NIV Bible:

When in difficult circumstances you can decide to:

• Cover up (Naomi)
• Give up (Orpah)
• Stand up and believe God (Ruth)  

She also has written:

     Chapter 1 - weeping
     Chapter 2 - working
     Chapter 3 - waiting
     Chapter 4 - wedding

When you keep the focus on God instead of self the rewards will come. It's the 90% verses the 10% we spoke about in our Sunday School class. Naomi felt she had been betrayed by God and was in the 90%. Ruth trusted God and was in the 10%. 

I choose the 10%. My focus is on God and who He is, and not us or our situation. We've done the weeping and working. We are in the waiting stage now. Some day soon there will be the wedding, when we see and celebrate all GOD has done. 


Next Entry: Ruth 2:1–23

Judges 19:1 – 21:25

June 10, 2010

A Levite and his concubine are returning to their home. It is late. They choose not to stay in a city of strangers. They keep going to Gibeah, a town that belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. They thought they would be safe among "family." An elderly man takes them into his home. He knows they wouldn't be safe in the town square. During the night a group of men come to the house. They want to have sex with the man. (Sounds like Sodom and Gomorrah.) The man's concubine is sent out instead. They rape and abuse her all night. She dies, lying on the door step with her hand on the threshold. The Levite cuts her into twelve pieces and sends a piece to each tribe so they would know what evil had taken place.

The Israelites gathered to find out what happened. They sent men to the tribe of Benjamin. "What is this evil thing some of your men have done?" Hand over the ones who have done this so they can be held accountable. "We must remove this evil from Israel." But the Benjaminites wouldn't listen. They instead gathered their men and prepared to fight. What arrogance! They were just one tribe, yet they would not listen to the eleven other tribes who tried to correct them. No. They were going to fight. 26,000 verses 400,000. They were wrong, but they were not going to give in. They were stubbornly going to rely on their skill and go against the insurmountable.

The people of Israel wanted the guilty people held accountable and the evil purged from the tribe. They weren't interested in fighting the whole tribe of Benjamin. But the people of Benjamin were stubborn and refused to hand over the guilty parties.

Now what would the Israelites do? They gathered together and asked God who should lead the way. God answered—Judah. On the first day of battle the Benjaminites killed 22,000 Israelites. The Israelites were doing what God had told them to do, yet 22,000 died the first day. It sure looked like evil was winning.

The Israelites gathered together again and went before the LORD to inquire of him, "Shall we go to fight our relatives, again?" God answered, "Go up and fight them." So they got together again, encouraged each other and went and took the same battle position as they had done before. This time the Benjaminites killed 18,000, even though the Israelites were doing what God said to do.

The Israelites retreated. They sat down and cried out to God, going without food all day. They again inquired of God, "Should we go fight our relatives again, or shall we stop fighting?" And God answered them again, "Go, because tomorrow I will hand them over to you."

So the Israelites went back out to their same positions. When the Benjaminites came out to fight Israel began to back up. The Benjaminites started to kill some of the men and they thought, "We are winning as before." What they didn't know was this; a trap was being set. They were tricked into thinking they were winning and they totally exposed themselves. 

The Israelites were doing exactly what God told them to do, but 36,000+ of them were killed. They were doing what God said, but "the battle was very hard." (Judges 20:34) It wasn't an easy fight, even though they were doing what God said. The Benjaminites were so proud. They were boasting, "We are winning." They had no idea the predicament they were in. Not until they turned around and saw the smoke rising from the city, did they realize that they were surrounded. Judges 20:41 - "...(they) were terrified because they knew disaster was coming to them."

Judges 21:25 - "Everyone did what seemed right." What a dangerous way to live. We cannot depend on what "seems" right. We MUST depend on God's will.

Addendum: 12/12/13 ~ Judges 21:15 - "The people of Israel felt sorry for the Benjaminites because the LORD had separated the tribes of Israel." This wasn't some sort of retaliation on the Israelites part. They felt sorry for the Benjaminites. It was the LORD who separated them. Some of the Benjaminites chose to do evil. When confronted with the truth of what some of their tribe had done, the entire tribe decided to stick together and they chose NOT to hold those who chose to do evil accountable. Instead of choosing to do the right thing, they instead chose to dig in, ignore what was right, and they stubbornly refused to change their hearts and minds. It was the LORD who separated the Israelites from the Benjaminites.  It was the LORD who demanded justice. It was the LORD who directed the Israelites. It was the LORD who ultimately held the Benjaminites accountable.

It was the LORD.


Next Entry: Ruth 1:1–22

Judges 17:1 – 18:31

June 9, 2010

"Everyone did what seemed right." (Judges 17:6) Micah steals money from his mom. He returns it when he finds out she is putting a curse on whoever took it. Micah's mom "gives the silver to the LORD" and THEN makes an idol out of the silver for her son to have. Offer to the LORD... and then make an idol. The two don't go together! But, it "seemed" right. Because they first offered it to the LORD they felt it was then "holy" and they were "permitted" to do with it as they pleased. It doesn't work that way!

Micah set up an altar in his home and chose one of his sons to be his priest. God appointed only the Levites to be priests and here Micah was deciding to appoint his son a priest. Later, a Levite walks by and Micah offers him the role of priest—for money. Judges 17:10-12 - "Live with me be my father and my priest. I will give you (money)... Now I know the LORD will be good to me because I have a Levite as my priest." See the problem? I... I... me... me... my. Micah was doing things his way. After all, the silver was given to the LORD before the idol was made, and Levites are supposed to be priests, aren't they? The Levite had left the area where God had put him to find a place of his "own" to live. Obviously he was living outside of God's will. And who does he find? Micah—who is living outside of God's will. Isn't that amazing how that works?

The people of Dan go to find a place of their own. They come across Micah and recognize that he has a Levite living with him as a priest. So, they ask the Levite to ask God if their journey will be successful. He obliges them and tells them what they want to hear, "Go in peace. The LORD is pleased with your journey." The people of Dan find where they want to live, return for the rest of the tribe, and as they pass by Micah's house they take Micah's idols. The Levite asks, "What are you doing?" They ask the Levite/priest to come with them. Judges 18:19-20 - " 'Come with us and be our father and priest. Is it better for you to be a priest for one man's house or for a tribe and family group in Israel?' This made the priest happy." He had no loyalty towards Micah. He was out to best serve #1, himself, which is what took him to Micah's in the first place.

Micah finds out what happened and pursues them. The people of Dan stop and said to Micah, "What's the matter with you?" Micah responds, "You took my gods that I made and my priest. What do I have left? How can you ask me, 'What's the matter?' "

Incredible. People who lie, cheat, and steal, and people who do "what seems right" are shocked when someone has the audacity to use the same tactics on them. They are also the first to accuse others of using underhanded methods even if the other person is innocent.

The core of the problem was "everyone did what seemed right" in their eyes! They did not inquire of God what He wanted them to do. They took God's prior instructions and distorted them to fit what they wanted to do. It does not work that way. You cannot live the double standard. Doing what appears to honor God (here is the silver LORD) on one hand, and then do whatever you want on the other (make an idol).


Next Entry: Judges 19:1 – 21:25

Judges 14:1 – 16:31

June 8, 2010

Samson chooses to marry a Philistine woman. His parents don't understand this and ask him why he can't marry an Israelite woman. What they didn't know was Samson marrying a Philistine woman was part of God's plan. Judges 14:4 - "Samson's parents did not know that the LORD wanted this to happen because he was looking for a way to challenge the Philistines, who were ruling Israel at this time."

"Because he was looking for a way." Sometimes the difficult situations we face are ordained by God for a higher purpose.  

Judges 15:14 - "The Spirit of the LORD entered Samson and gave him great power."
Judges 16:17 - "I have been set apart to God."
Judges 16:20 - "But he did not know that the LORD had left him."
Judges 16:28 - "God, please give me strength one more time."

Samson had been set apart. But when he gave up what set him apart God was no longer with him. When we turn away from God we are on our own. What a scary place to be.

Delilah hounded and hounded Samson until he felt he was going to die. When Samson called out to the LORD for physical strength, the spirit of the LORD entered Samson and gave him great physical strength. The spirit of the LORD would have given him great emotional strength IF Samson would have called out to him because of Delilah's nagging. Delilah had given in to the desire of wealth. She attempted to trick Samson over and over in order to further her own agenda. First using deceit, then manipulation, guilt, and relentless pursuit. Samson in a moment of weakness literally became weak. He did not seek God's help. But God wasn't done. In the end God's will prevailed. Samson killed more Philistines in his death than in his life. 

Lord, help me to stand strong. I will not bend. I will not bow. I will not break. Hold On! Finish strong. Don't give in and don't give up. I want to finish strong. God used Samson even after he failed, but I don't want to fail. The key? Keep going to the LORD for His strength.


Next Entry: Judges 17:1 – 18:31

Judges 13:1–25

June 4, 2010

This chapter contains a verse I have marked as a promise of God. The story is about the birth of Samson.

Manoah and his wife couldn't have children. An angel appears to Manoah's wife and tells her she will have a son and what she should do. Manoah's wife tells him what the angel said. Manoah asked God for the man to come again and, "Teach us what we should do for the boy who will be born to us." The angel/man appears to Manoah's wife again. She runs to get Manoah, and Manoah says, "When what you say happens..." Manoah doesn't say IF it happens, he says when! Manoah doesn't say when he may be born, he says will be born. Now, Manoah and his wife had not been able to have children. The man/angel even confirmed this. The man/angel didn't say you haven't had children yet, he said you can't have children. He gave Manoah and his wife instructions for their part in this miracle.

There was no earthly reason for Manoah and his wife to believe what the man/angel said. But Manoah and his wife chose to believe. Their response was not IF. It was when and will. 

Manoah asks the angel/man his name so he could be given honor. "When what you have said really happens." Again, saying when. The angel said, "Why ask my name?" As Manoah offers a sacrifice to the LORD, the angel ascends to heaven, and Manoah finally gets it. This is an angel of the LORD. His next response was, "We have seen God, so we will surely die." And then comes the verse I marked on 9/11/08. Manoah's wife said:

"If the LORD wanted to kill us, he would not have accepted our burnt offering or grain offering. He would not have shown us all these things or told us all this."

Later, just as the man/angel said, Manoah's wife gave birth to Samson. He grew and the LORD blessed him.

God miraculously* spoke to us through Jane. (Her Name Was Jane)  Through Jane's lips, God promised us His protection, literally saying He would defend the needy in court (Psalm 140:12). He promised He would give us direction (Isaiah 30). We chose to believe His promises, but then time drags on and "the storm" continues to rage. A month passed... another month... a year... and then more years passed with no end in sight. Then on 9/11/08 I read (my paraphrase), "Look, if God wanted to kill us, if He wanted to take from us our home and business, He would not have accepted our submission of everything to Him, He would not have shown us all the things He has, and He would not have told us all He did through the most unlikeliest of sources. So—HOLD ON! God will do what He has promised to do. It is NOT if—it is WHEN! It is NOT maybe—it is HE WILL.

It's now been over a year and a half since 9/11/08. We will continue to believe and hold on. God's promise came true. Samson was born.

*I love the Dictionary.com definition of miraculous. 2) "Highly improbable and extraordinary and bringing very welcome consequences." A perfect description of what happened with Jane E. Wolfe.

Addendum: 12/16/13 ~ It has now been five years and three months since 9//11/08. Wow! :) Our faith has not diminished, it has grown. We will continue to believe and hold on.   

4/18/18 ~ It has now been nine years and seven months since I first marked Judges 13:23 as a promise of God, and "the storm" continues. We continue to believe. God has a purpose and a plan. We will hold on and wait for HIS plan to be fulfilled.

1/16/20 ~ Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow!

Next Entry: Judges 14:1 – 16:31

Judges 10:1 – 12:15

June 3, 2010

The Israelites again leave the LORD and follow their own will. When trouble came (again) they cried out to the LORD. This time God has had enough. He listed for them the times He saved them. "But now you have left me again... so I refuse to save you again. You have chosen those gods. So go to them for help. Let them save you when you are in trouble." 

Isn't it amazing that they/we leave God and choose to do our own will, yet they/we instinctively know that those other "gods" can't save us so they/we call out to God for His help. That ought to tell us something!! If Baal (money, power, prestige, self, etc.) is god then serve him/it and let him/it save you. If not, then TURN and serve the One and only God. What is so hard to understand about that? The Israelites turned and God sent Jephthat to save them.

Jephthat was an outcast in his family. His family had nothing to do with him until they needed him. "Why are you coming to me now that you are in trouble?" Why should I trust you? Jephthat went and met with the enemy. The Ammonites wanted the land God had given the Israelites back. Jephthat explained that God had given the land to the Israelites; the Israelites did not take it. (How can you argue with that?) Take the land your god gave you, we will live in the land God gave us. It's a little late to be bringing up this argument now. Why did you wait until now to try to take from us what God has given? Then Jephthat says, "I have not sinned against you, but you are sinning against me by making war on me. May the LORD, the Judge, decide whether the Israelites or the Ammonites are right."

But the King of the Ammonites ignored his message.

Addendum: 12/6/13 ~ Reminder of who the Ammonites were. They were descendants of Lot, conceived in sin when Lot's daughters got him drunk and slept with him so they could have descendants.


Next Entry: Judges 13:1–25

Judges 8:1 – 9:57

June 2, 2010

The LORD gives the victory, but that does not mean that we get to sit back, do nothing, and wait for the LORD to do it all. We have to listen. We have to obey. And sometimes, we have to go into battle. Going into battle can be exhausting and a very hard thing to do.

After Gideon and his 300 men surrounded the camp, God gave the victory. But look at what it says in Judges 8:4 - "When Gideon and this three hundred men came to the Jordan River, they were tired, but they chased the enemy across to the other side." Gideon asked the people of Succoth and Peniel for some bread for his soldiers, "because they are very tired."

Tired. It can be exhausting to go into battle, even when the LORD has promised victory. It wasn't Gideon's work and skill that gave them the victory, and it isn't ours either. It is the LORD and obedience to Him that gives the victory. God never promised an easy road, but He did promise the victory. Tired? You bet. Discouraged or defeated? No.

The people who refused to help Gideon were held accountable and destroyed. Not only did they refuse to help, they were critical and condescending. Dealing with critical people can be exhausting, but hang on! Accountability for attitudes and actions WILL happen. 

After Gideon did so much good he started to do things on his "own." He asked the people to give him the gold earrings that were taken in the battle. Listen to what Gideon said.  "I want you to do this one thing for me.  I want each of you to give me..." God did not ask him to collect the gold. Gideon decided to do it on his own. He made it into a holy vest which he hung in his hometown. The Israelites began to worship it instead of God and it became a trap for Gideon's family. Often it is after the battle that we (like Gideon) put down our guards and run the risk of becoming self-sufficient instead of remaining God-reliant. 

It was the attitude that was wrong. God asked the Israelites to pick up stones from the Red Sea and Jordan as a reminder to them and future generations of what God had done. Gideon wanted the gold and vest to show what they had done. Look what we did. Look what we took from them. The focus was not on God and His power. It was instead a focus on what they had done even though it was God who gave the victory.

We have recognized that the time we are going to need to protect our hearts and minds is after "the storm" is over and life returns to normal. We don't ever want to view God's protection as "our" victory. As I've written before, we feel a memorial of stone should be built as a reminder to us and the generations that follow of what GOD has done. All praise, honor, and glory belong to Him. What Gideon did would be equivalent to us "winning" the battle, taking the spoils from the battle and using that to have on display as if to say "look at us and what we did," instead of look at God and what HE did.

The battle isn't ours, the battle plan isn't ours, the battle victory isn't ours, and the battle spoils aren't ours. All praise, honor, and glory belongs to Christ and Him alone.

Abimelech, one of Gideon's sons by a servant woman decides that out of Gideon's 70 sons HE should be the king after Gideon died. He starts campaigning among his mothers family and gets them to support him. He kills all of his brothers (70) except the youngest who ran away. He was willing to do anything and everything to gain power and have full control. He knew what he wanted and nothing was going to stop him. Jotham (his youngest brother who escaped) talked to the people about what they had done. He said to them, if you've been honest and fair in what you've done then be happy with Abimelech. But if not, then may fire come out of Abimelech and destroy the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo. And may fire come out from them to destroy Abimelech. That is exactly what happened. Destruction came to all of them from within. When Abimelech destroyed the city of Shechem, he threw salt over the ruins making it useless for producing crops. The destruction was complete. Judges 9:56–57 - "In that way God punished Abimelech for all the evil he had done... God also punished the men of Shechem for the evil they had done... so the curse spoken by Jotham... came true."

Evil actions will be punished. Accountability will happen.  


Next Entry: Judges 10:1 – 12:15

Judges 6:1 – 7:25

May 28, 2010

The Israelites again turn their backs on God. The Midianites controlled them treating them cruelly and taking from them the toils of their labor for themselves. When they cried out to God for help he raised up another judge—Gideon.

Gideon couldn't believe God chose him, a simple man from a less-than-average family. He wasn't a big important man with power and prestige. It wasn't Gideon's power and skills God needed  He just needed Gideon. His availability, not his ability. Gideon's like, are you sure God? Me? Maybe I'm dreaming this. Gideon asks for proof. He asks God to, "Please wait here until I come back" with my offering to set in front of you. And God says, "I will wait for your return." I just love that. The picture I see in my head of God saying—I'll wait. And God sends fire down and it burns up Gideon's offering. Gideon cries out, "LORD God." He is shocked that it truly is God and that he has seen the angel of the LORD face to face. And again, I love God's response. "Calm down!  Don't be afraid. You will not die."

God asks Gideon to tear down his father's idols. Gideon obeys God and tears down the idols, at night, because he is scared. This is not a man that is overly-confident in himself. He is on the edge, where God either shows up or he fails. He asks God for additional proof. He puts out a wool fleece and asks God to make the ground dry and the fleece wet. God does, and he can wring out a bowl of water. But technically, that could have just "happened" since fleece would hold water. Maybe the morning dew on the ground had already dried. So, Gideon asks God to do the opposite, make the fleece dry and the ground wet. Now that would be impossible to accidentally happen and that would prove that God was truly behind this. And, "that night God did that very thing."

We didn't ask God to show us a sign, but in His mercy and compassion He gave us Jane, and oh how grateful we are that He did. (Her Name Was Jane)

So, they get ready to go into battle and God says they have too many men. The exact opposite of typical war time thought but exactly correct in order for God to achieve His agenda. Judges 7:2 - "You have too many men to defeat the Midianites. I don't want the Israelites to brag that they saved themselves." They started with 32,000. 22,000 went home, leaving just 10,000 men, but God said that was still too many so the number was pared down to 300. Just 300 men! God tells Gideon to go down and attack. "I will give them to you." But then, God does an amazing thing. God tells Gideon that "if you are afraid" go down to the enemies camp and eavesdrop on what they are saying, "then you will not be afraid." So, Gideon and his servant goes down and Gideon overhears the dream, how a loaf of barley (the very thing the Midianites had been stealing from the Israelites) rolled down the hill and crushed them. Gideon overhears the interpretation of the dream which meant that he (Gideon) would conquer the land which God was going to hand over. 

Get this picture. 300 men—verses—"so many of them that they seemed like locusts. Their camels couldn't be counted because they were as many as the grains of sand on the seashore." There is no way "man" could win with those kind of odds. BUT with God nothing is impossible. Gideon had his 300 men surround the camp and then smash their jars to expose their light and blow their trumpets. 300 men with jars and trumpets surrounding an enemy that was too large to count and what did they do in their vulnerable state? Judges 7:21 - "Each of his men stayed in his place while the Midianites panicked, began shouting and running to escape." They stood strong, totally in the open, dependent only on the LORD to save them.

The Midianites fought each other and ran away.

With God nothing is impossible. Without God there is confusion, panic, and fear. We can't, but God can—and that is all that matters. 

Addendum:  12/4/13 ~ The Lord called Gideon to save His people from the Midianites. The Lord called him a "mighty warrior," but Gideon sure didn't feel mighty. Before God could use him to save the Israelites from the cruelty of the Midianites he first asked him to do something else—take care of the sin in his father's house. He was asked to destroy the Asherah idol and altar his own father had built to Baal. He was to destroy them using his father's bulls. After he had destroyed the idol and altar he was to build a new altar—this time an altar to the LORD—and he was to use one of the bulls as an offering to God. Gideon's obedience in destroying the sin in his own family was singularly the most important step in winning the battle against the Midianites and freeing the Israelites. It is easier to go into battle against an enemy then it is to stand up against sin in your own family. Gideon's obedience saved his family. His father Joash, who built the idols, recognized that they were worthless and turned from his worship of Baal and challenged the people who came after Gideon to do the same thing.

Before we can be used of God, and before we can accomplish His will in our lives and in the lives of others, the LORD requires one thing—our OBEDIENCE. 


Next Entry: Judges 8:1 – 9:57

Judges 4:1 – 5:31

May 27, 2010

After Ehud died the Israelites turned their backs on God again. Deborah is now judge. She calls for Barak and tells him the LORD would hand Sisera and his 900 chariots over to the Israelites. What just amazes me as I read this account is how God had every detail worked out, years ahead of time, for HIS plan. Here is what God prepared.

Heber left his group and pitched his tent near Kedesh, the same area Barak was from and near the Kishon river. (God is putting his plan in place.) Barak follows Deborah's (God's) instructions. Heber and his wife Jael are friendly with the enemy King Jabin. They let him know that Barak is planning a battle. (Again, God's plan.) Sisera the commander of Jabin's army prepares his 900 iron chariots and his men and goes out to meet Barak and his ten thousand men. Deborah tells Barak, "Get up! Today is the day the LORD will hand over Sisera. The LORD has already cleared the way for you." So Barak approached the enemy, and when he did, the LORD confused Sisera and his army and the LORD defeated them. Not one was left alive except for Sisera—and he ran away. Where did he run to? Heber and Jael's tent. Remember, they were friendly with King Jabin. Sisera goes into the tent thinking he would be perfectly safe. He asks for water. Jael treats him like royalty and gives him milk, calls him my Lord, covers him up, and while he was sleeping she drives a tent peg into his head and kills him. God had everything in place. For years His plan was being put into motion.

I love Judges 4:23 - "On that day God defeated Jabin... in the sight of Israel." Verse 24 says they "became stronger and stronger against Jabin... until finally they destroyed him." It was over in their eyes before it actually happened.

We feel the exact same way. We are still technically trapped in "the storm" lawsuit, but in our hearts and mind, it is over. We understand there is no logic in that statement, but faith is believing the things that you cannot see, and we believe. (Hebrews 11:1) We still believe that today. It is over. The battle has been won even though "the storm" is still ongoing. God has promised us, and we believe Him. We have done everything we feel God has led us to do. We believe God, by HIS great power, will free us from "the storm." Not man, not happenstance, and not luck. God and God alone, so only HE gets the glory for what He has done.

Addendum: 12/4/13 ~ We still believe that it will be God alone that frees us from "the storm." The LORD—He is the One.


Next Entry: Judges 6:1 – 7:25 

Judges 3:7–31

May 26, 2010

The Israelites would periodically cry out to the LORD for help but they didn't change the core of the problem—their hearts.

Israel kept getting defeated in their battles against their enemies because they chose not to obey God's commands. They forgot (Judges 3:7) about God and served the gods of the land. When they cried out to the LORD, He would send judges to lead them and all would go well again. For a time. But, after each judge died, they would revert back to their old behavior and the cycle would begin again. There was no heart change. 

The story of Eglon is an interesting story played over and over again throughout the Old Testament. Same story. Different characters. Eglon was the king of Moab. He was not a God follower, yet God gave him great power and he ruled over Israel. Can't you just picture the pride and ego as he gathered other kings to join him and rule over Israel? Everything appeared to be going his way. He was successful, fat, and in charge. God raises up a judge by the name of Ehud and Ehud takes Eglon the payment he demanded. Imagine the feeling of power and control Eglon felt as he could demand payment and submission. Ehud took him the payment, and then before he leaves he tells Eglon he has a "secret message" for him. Eglon is impressed and he tells everyone to be quiet. God has a message for me, look at how important I am! He sends everyone away so he can hear this message from God. 

Eglon and Ehud (sent by God) are alone in Eglon's summer palace. Ehud is an enemy. Yet Eglon is so proud and arrogant and he is so cocky and confident in who he is, that he totally lets down his guard and is alone in a room with an enemy because he thinks God wants to talk to him. Ehud pulls out a sword and drives it through him. Eglon is so fat that the fat closes in around it and covers the handle. Ehud leaves the room locking the doors behind him. Eglon's servants think he must be using the restroom so they stay out to give him privacy. So Eglon lies there helpless and dying while his servants are outside the door. Eglon thought he had power, but the truth is he had none. What power he had was God-given and temporary, but he didn't know it.

Eglon is dead. Ehud and Israel attacked the Moabites killing 10,000 strong and able men. Not one escaped.

The story that is often told is this: people think they are in control; everything seems to be going their way; but then they are blindsided and accountability happens. It wasn't their skill. It wasn't their power. It was God allowing them to do those things, for a season. When God decides that He has had enough and that judgment should fall—judgment happens! You cannot outwit, outlast, or outplay God. He is God! God's discipline or consequences don't always happen immediately. When it doesn't happen immediately man often "thinks" he is in control and what he is doing has been either accepted by God or under the radar and no one knows. But! There will come a day when "man" understands who is in control.

Every knee WILL bow. Oh, I want to learn this and live this! How much better to submit ourselves to the all-powerful, all-loving God willingly, then to be forced to recognize who He is. 


Next Entry: Judges 4:1 – 5:31 

Judges 2:6 – 3:6

May 25, 2010

When Joshua and the elders died the people quit following the LORD. They were following the faith of Joshua, not their own faith in the God of Joshua. There was no ownership in their faith. It wasn't theirs, it was Joshua's.

You can know the words to say. You can quote scripture and sing the songs. But if the faith you are expressing is only words and actions you've learned, then it is no faith at all. 

It is heartbreaking to see what happened to the Israelites after Joshua and the elders died:

Judges 2:10 - they grew up and did not know the LORD or what He had done
Judges 2:11 - they did what the LORD said was wrong
Judges 2:12 - they quit following the LORD
Judges 2:17 - they did not listen
Judges 2:17 - they were not faithful
Judges 2:17 - they quickly turned away
Judges 2:17 - they did not obey
Judges 2:19 - they sinned and worshiped other gods
Judges 2:19 - they became worse than their ancestors
Judges 2:19 - they were very stubborn
Judges 2:19 - they refused to change their evil ways

The result of their choices? God was no longer with them. When they went into battle they lost. Judges 2:15 - "The LORD had sworn to them this would happen. So, the Israelites suffered very much." They would not and did not listen, and they paid the price. 

Addendum: 12/27/2018 ~ As I was reading in Judges 3 this morning, a phrase I never noticed before jumped off the page and grabbed my attention. When the Israelites went into the Promised Land the Lord told them to rid the entire area of the people who lived there. Yet, there were some areas where they were not successful in forcing the people out.

Judges 3 begins with this statement, "These are the nations the LORD did not force to leave. He wanted to test the Israelites who had not fought in the wars of Canaan." In the next verses it lists the nations that were not forced out. But what caught my attention was the "why." Immediately after saying there were some nations the LORD did not force to leave because He wanted to test the Israelites who had not fought in the wars of Canaan, the writer of Judges puts into parenthesis the reason "why" the Israelites were not successful in forcing out all the nations.

Judges 3:2 - "(The only reason the LORD left those nations in the land was to teach the descendants of the Israelites who had not fought in those wars how to fight.)"

Wow. Let that sink in for a minute. IF the Israelites were successful in everything they tried to do, THEN the next generation would have totally missed out on learning for themselves what it meant to be dependent upon the Lord. It was because of the LORD's great love for His people that He did not coddle them and allow the road to be easy. The descendants of Moses, Aaron, Caleb, Joshua and all the Israelites, needed to learn for themselves the lessons their ancestors learned first hand. They needed to learn about faith and total dependence on the Lord. They needed to know how to face their own battles and how to persevere in trials. The faith of their fathers needed to become their own faith. The battles they faced were God-ordained not as an obstacle of harm, but as opportunity for growth and development of character. The Master Teacher was allowing lessons to be learned. 

This is yet another reason why we are so grateful "the storm" has been going on for over eleven years now. Not only have we grown in our faith and knowledge of who HE is, our children and grandchildren have grown in their faith and understanding as well.

LORD, I am so thankful for your written Word and how it just comes alive and teaches us new things when we spend time reading it. Thank you, LORD. LORD, I pray that you will continue to guide me, direct me and teach me your ways.


Next Entry: Judges 3:7–31 

Judges 1:1 – 2:5

May 25, 2010

There are consequences for our choices. Always! We may not see them right away but they will come. Guaranteed.

The Israelites won many battles because they were obedient and God was giving the victory. Now they couldn't drive all the people out and it was because they were disobedient and God was not giving them victory. Judges 2:2–3 - "But you did not obey me. How could you do this? Now I tell you, 'I will not force out the people in this land. They will be your enemies, and their gods will be a trap for you.' "

Oh, the importance of daily choosing to follow hard after Christ. I want to make sure I am daily doing that by daily reading His Word and asking Him for His guidance in my life. I want to make sure that the biggest change "the storm" brought about in our lives (praising God and inquiring of God) remains even after "the storm" has passed. It's ALL about Him. Our lives should not be about what He can do for us. Instead our lives should reflect an attitude of servant-hood and the desire to learn what can we do for HIM.

I just love reading the Old Testament. The coming of Christ in the New Testament means so much more when you understand the history of the Old. We want to be faithful. We choose to believe and obey. We choose to trust. We choose to wait on the LORD.

Consequences and accountability happens. What happened to the king (Judges 1:7) that cut off 70 kings' fingers and toes? The exact same thing.  Judges 1:7 - "Now God has paid me back for what I did to them."


Next Entry: Judges 2:6 – 3:6

Joshua 23:1 – 24:33

May 24, 2010

• The LORD gave
• The LORD fought
• The LORD forced out
• The LORD promised
• The LORD fights for you  

"You know he has not failed to keep any of his promises. Every good promise that the LORD your God made has come true..."

Stand strong. Carefully obey His commands. Do exactly as He says. Don't compromise. Don't join others in doing wrong. Continue to follow God. Be careful to love and follow the LORD your God. God has helped you defeat your enemies. With God's help one can defeat thousands. Don't turn away from God. If you do, you will no longer have His help. You will be caught in traps. You will suffer, and none of you will remain. The LORD—He is the One!

When we obey God provides.

Joshua gathers the people together. He is old and will soon die. And, just like He did with Moses, God recounts to the Israelites all He has done. When you look back and see all God has done, you just have to say—Praise the LORD. Only HE deserves the honor and praise for the things HE has done.  

The choice is ours. Serve God—or—Serve ourselves. To serve God we choose to respect Him, love Him, obey Him, serve Him, and follow Him. Joshua 24:15 - "As for me and my house we will serve the LORD." It is not a one time act. It is a continual choice of "doing" and "being."

If we decide to serve ourselves, whether it be by a conscious decision or a "falling away," we lose God's blessings. Oh what a dangerous way to live. Joshua 24:20 - "If you leave the LORD and serve other gods (self), he will send you great trouble. The LORD may have been good to you, but if you turn against him, he will destroy you." We choose how we are going to live our lives, but we do not get to choose our consequences if we turn from God. God has promised there will be consequences and those consequences can impact generations to come.

Joshua 24:23 - "Love the LORD...with all your heart." We choose to serve God.


Next Entry: Judges 1:1 – 2:5