March 2024 – PulpitPress

Dark times, Great God!

Today’s reading is the last for the Book of Judges. It begins with this phrase: “Now in those days, Israel had no king.” The reading ends with this phrase but adds, “…all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” So, what happened in today’s reading? First, we see an event eerily similar to what the angels of God experienced when they visited Lot in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Second, this event kicked off Israel’s first civil war.

Notice the similarities between what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah and what is now happening in Israel.

But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.” (Genesis 19:4–5, ESV)

As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, worthless fellows, surrounded the house, beating on the door. And they said to the old man, the master of the house, “Bring out the man who came into your house, that we may know him.” (Judges 19:22, ESV)

Israel has learned the evil ways of the Canaanites and is now trying them on for size! God’s chosen people, who were to cleanse the land of this evil, who were to destroy these pagan, idolatrous, grossly immoral practices, are now dabbling in them! These are dark times! Notice how far Israel has come in the wrong direction from the end of the Book of Joshua 325 years ago. Back then, God was their King! Now, they have no king. Back then, they were doing what was right in His eyes! Back then, they conquered the enemy, not killing themselves in a civil war as they are today. How sad that a people once so blessed by God is now so broken and wasted by sin!

Three things stood out to me this morning as I thought about this event and the Book of Judges as a whole:

Sin’s devastation is real, and God’s judgment against sin is certain. God had repeatedly warned Israel through Moses and Joshua how it would go if Israel failed to love and, through that love, obey God.
God’s forgiveness of sin and restoration of relationship are just as certain for those who repent. Though Israel rejected God, God didn’t abandon them! Throughout Judges, there were six major periods of oppression and deliverance. God raised up twelve delivers to help bring His people back to Himself. What a great God, faithful in both judgment and forgiveness!
Obedience to God: simple obedience—the victory, joy, and peace it brings and the turmoil, suffering, and destruction it spares is astounding!

As we wrap up the Book of Judges, remember that God loves us, the enemy hates us, sin destroys us, forgiveness is available to us, and obedience blesses us!

Thank you for joining with me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Judges 19:1-21:25.

Hope—to the end!

Who is this man standing in the center of the room, chained like an animal for sport? Where are his eyes, and why are they gouged out? What is this place where so many people are gathered, taunting and jeering at this blind, weak, hunched-over man? What are these people sacrificing, who are they praising, and why are they half drunk? This is Sampson, a shadow of the man he once was. These are his enemies, the Philistines, praising their god, Dagon, for victory over Sampson. This is their temple where they are holding a great festival, drunkenly mocking and making sport out of Sampson and the God of Israel.

Through their drunken stupor, as their mockery crescendos against the LORD God, they see Sampson lean over and whisper something in the ear of a servant. They watch the servant helping Sampson feel for the two pillars he stands between. What a hilarious sight, this once strong man who terrorized the enemies of God, now looking for something to support himself, or so they thought. They see Sampson look up and do something he hasn’t done in a long time, and he shakes himself. Sampson pushes against the pillars, and the party, the mockery, and the blasphemy come to a crashing end.

Then Samson called to the LORD and said, “O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. (Judges 16:28–30, ESV)

Is this the same Sampson, son of Manoah and his wife, who earnestly sought the Lord’s wisdom in raising him? Is this the same Sampson of whom the Scriptures say God blessed and stirred him in his youth? Is this the same Sampson who was a Nazarite unto God? Yes. What a difference, his beginning from his end! What a picture of Israel and their beginning compared to where they are now!

As I read Sampson’s story this morning, his use of the word LORD stood out. Prior, Sampson referred to God by his generic name, Elohim (Judges 16:17). Standing between the two pillars, Sampson used God’s personal name, Yahweh. This indicates a much different relationship with God than he had in the past. What a picture of redemption! That God should hear Sampson, blind, weak, defeated, at the end of a life wrecked by disobedience, and not reject him but answer his earnest prayer—what a picture of God!

Because of who God is, there is hope for humanity—all the way to the end! Glory to God when a sinner repents, especially at the end! Was there not a thief who hung on the cross next to Jesus? Did not Jesus, in answer to that man’s earnest prayer, say that he would be with Him in paradise that day (Luke 23:43)? Because of God, there is hope for us and others! Without God, there is no hope. Let us rejoice in God, our hope, our incredible Saviour!

Thank you for joining with me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Judges 16:1-18:31.

A bright spot in a dark time!

Israel is back at it again, doing evil in the sight of God. This time, the Philistines oppressed them for forty years! In the middle of this period, the Bible introduces us to Manoah and his wife, the soon-to-be parents of Sampson. Manoah and his wife stand out in stark contrast to the disobedience of Israel. While Israel has abandoned God for idolatry, Manoah and his wife, who are childless, are refreshingly reverent toward God! In the middle of these challenging times, both nationally and personally for Manoah and his wife, God tells them they will have a son. Notice the powerful response of faith from Manoah!

So Manoah asked him, “When your words come true, what kind of rules should govern the boy’s life and work?” The angel of the Lord replied, “Be sure your wife follows the instructions I gave her. She must not eat grapes or raisins, drink wine or any other alcoholic drink, or eat any forbidden food.” (Judges 13:12–14, NLT)

Two encouraging thoughts come to the surface. Manoah does not doubt God’s Word regarding the promise of a son. For Manoah, it’s when, not if. What faith in a doubt-filled, faithless time! The second thought relates to their obedience. They are careful to follow the instructions when society around them is disobeying the LORD’s instructions! The results?

When her son was born, she named him Samson. And the Lord blessed him as he grew up. And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he lived in Mahaneh-dan, which is located between the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol. (Judges 13:24–25, NLT)

Under the societal oppression of Israel’s sin and abandonment of God, here is a family that is blessed! In a faithless and disobedient culture, they love God! What a bright spot in the middle of some dark pages of Israel’s history!

Believers, are we not surrounded by a world of faithlessness and disobedience? Is not societal oppression from sin, evildoers, and the devil rampant around us? Is there not massive delusion today trying to crush any remaining pockets of godliness, sanity, and common sense? Yes! Can we be blessed in the midst of this? Are there others who have not “bowed the knee” to the wholesale idolatry of this present age? Is the Spirit of the Lord still stirring in the hearts of people, young and old alike? Is God still blessing people individually? Yes!

Then, it is time to rejoice that the impact of our light is the greatest when it is the darkest! Though conditions in this world may not be and have never been ideal for righteousness, righteousness, the Word of God and God Himself cannot be stamped out! Oh, how the devil has tried! This is not a time for believers to develop a fear-driven bunker mentality. In times like this, the following verse is all the more precious and powerful!

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18, ESV)

Have the gates of hell prevented the church, and will they? No! Can you and I still be blessed in a world filled with crookedness and perversion? Yes! Rejoice, no weapon formed against us shall prevail over us (Isaiah 54:17)!

Thank you for joining with me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Judges 13:1-15:20.

Extra-strength pain reliever!

Crisis after crisis, it’s starting to feel like Israel only wants God when they are in a crisis! And it is not like they want God out of love; they treat God more as a pain reliever! When the destructive sin cycle of idolatry becomes too painful, they cry out to God for immediate pain relief, not out of genuine repentance. Notice how God calls them out for this…

The LORD replied, “Did I not rescue you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites? When they oppressed you, you cried out to me for help, and I rescued you. Yet you have abandoned me and served other gods. So I will not rescue you anymore. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen! Let them rescue you in your hour of distress!” But the Israelites pleaded with the LORD and said, “We have sinned. Punish us as you see fit, only rescue us today from our enemies.” (Judges 10:11–15, NLT)

Uh-oh, the old pain reliever is not working like it used to, so Israel tries a different brand; his name is Jephthah. The irony of this choice is that Jephthah had previously fled his people because they hated him! Now, they are reaching out to him because he has the reputation of being a mighty warrior. Since the God-pill of relief isn’t working anymore, they try the next best brand of pain reliever. Notice how puzzling this is for Jephthah!

The elders said, “Come and be our commander! Help us fight the Ammonites!” But Jephthah said to them, “Aren’t you the ones who hated me and drove me from my father’s house? Why do you come to me now when you’re in trouble?” “Because we need you,” the elders replied. “If you lead us in battle against the Ammonites, we will make you ruler over all the people of Gilead.” Jephthah said to the elders, “Let me get this straight. If I come with you and if the Lord gives me victory over the Ammonites, will you really make me ruler over all the people?” (Judges 11:6–9, NLT)

Israel just doesn’t get it! God couldn’t have given Israel a better illustration of how they treated Him in Jephthah! But it flies about thirty-thousand feet over their heads! How pitiful a condition is this sin cycle of idolatry! Wasn’t this the nation of which it was said in Deuteronomy 4:6, “How wise and prudent are the people of this great nation!”

Delusion and pain are the nature and effects of unrepentant sin. Repentance is the only true pain reliever for Israel or for any nation or person. Indeed, repentance is not instant or convenient pain relief, but it is extra strength because it treats the sin, not just the symptoms. Repentance is honesty, calling out our sin for what it is and confessing it, taking responsibility for it, and a genuine change of mind wherein we turn our back on it. The results are truly extra-strength!

The call to repentance is a daily, personal, and needful one. It is protection against delusion! It is an extra-strength pain reliever! And here is what is incredible! The Great Physician is willing and faithful to step in and forgive the repentant—every time (1 John 1:9)!

Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord… (Acts 3:19–20, NLT)

Thank you for joining with me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Judges 10:1-12:15.

To know Him!

Uh-oh! This morning’s reading has a strange feel to it. Chapter eight begins with the people of Ephraim accusing Gideon of slighting them. The people of Ephraim are warrior people. They have fought some impressive battles and won them. Yet, they are upset they were not invited to Gideon’s battle with the Midianites! Isn’t it interesting that Ephraim was content enough to do nothing about the oppression of their enemy, that is until Gideon begins to conquer the enemy? Ephraim wants in on the glory of victory and gets upset that they weren’t invited! For Gideon, no good deed goes left unpunished!

Once the victory is secured, the Israelites ask Gideon to be their ruler. Gideon refuses! He says the LORD is their ruler! But in the same breath, Gideon does ask for some of the spoils of war. He ends up with 43 pounds of gold, not including royal ornaments, pendants, purple clothing, and the chains that go on the necks of camels. So, what does Gideon do with this wealth?

Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family. (Judges 8:27, NLT)

Oh no! Hadn’t Israel cried out to the LORD God for deliverance from the Midianites? Weren’t they living in caves and starving? Yes, and God heard their cry and sent them deliverance! And what do they do? They get bent out of shape over who gets credit for the victory. Gideon loses his sense and makes a golden ephod, and Israel worships it! Yes, Israel may have conquered the Midianites, but they hadn’t conquered themselves or their lusts.

This morning’s reading reminded me of what the Apostle Paul says to us believers as he speaks of Israel.

These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age. If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. (1 Corinthians 10:11–12, NLT)

Oh, how easy it is to be our own worst enemy, become the center of our own (very small) universe, and forget God’s daily mercies, just like Israel did! How we must die to ourselves daily! We must pick up our cross and follow Jesus’s lowly example. We must set our affection on things above. We need the grace of humility daily. If we don’t keep our eyes on Jesus, we will turn inward and implode from our pride, self-centeredness, and a sense of entitlement when it is He who has done so much for us!

Let us rejoice in Christ, share in His sufferings, and be made conformable to His death! Let it be our overarching desire to know Him and Him crucified!

Thank you for joining with me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Judges 8:1-9:57.