Judges 13:22 (ESV)
And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, for we have seen God.”
When God came to Manoah and his wife to promise the coming of Samson, the couple had a very fascinating experience. It was a terrifying moment when they realized that they had been speaking directly to the angel of the Lord. In fact, as the verse above indicates, they feared that they would die.
As we study Scripture, we find that a fear of death is a proper and common fear when a person sees God. It happened to Daniel, Ezekiel, and Isaiah. Why? Something about being in the presence of the Holy One is enough to make us feel as though we will fly apart and be destroyed.
What caught my attention with this today is the fact that such a response to the presence of God seems out-of-place and almost silly to so many in our culture. Whether it be people who are part of churches or people who are fully opposed to the things of God, it seems that most people in our world cannot imagine feeling any fear of the Lord. To lack that fear, however, is to lack a proper understanding of the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man.
Lord, help me to better grasp your holiness so that I do not ever treat you with less reverence than you deserve.
Bowing to a Bramble (Judges 9)
Judges 9:56-57
56 Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers. 57 And God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem return on their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.
In Judges 6-8, we see the story of Gideon. Many look at him as a hero, but we see in chapter 8 and in the life of his son that Gideon lacked character. In naming his son Abimelech, Gideon chose the name of a godless leader, just as Gideon himself became a godless leader after the victory over the Midianites.
Judges 9 shows us the rise of Abimelech to power. He violently destroys his brothers and uses evil men and deceptive and nasty tactics to become ruler.
Interestingly, the following parable is recorded in this chapter about the rise of Abimelech to power:
Judges 9:8-15
8 The trees once went out to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ 9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my abundance, by which gods and men are honored, and go hold sway over the trees?’ 10 And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go hold sway over the trees?’ 12 And the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 13 But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?’ 14 Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 15 And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade, but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’
The parable uses different kinds of trees as images for a ruler. The people could not get any sort of good and godly ruler to lead them. So, the people turn to a bramble, a harsh, nasty, and untrustworthy character, and they ask him to lead instead. This, of course is Abimelech.
A look at the rest of the chapter shows the consequences of the people following a man as leader who is nasty, immoral, and dangerous. Battles happen and people die.
Then, in the end of the chapter listed above, we find out that this all happened as a result of the judgment of God.
God judged the people for choosing a man without character to lead them. God also judged Abimelech, even though it appeared, for a time, that he was successful.
In observing this passage, we should first grasp that God is sovereign over all. God used Gideon and even Abimelech to accomplish his will. God was not surprised by the rise to power of these men, nor was he surprised by their lack of personal character, but he did use them to judge those who had already turned against him. God is mighty and able to accomplish his will in an amazing way, even if that way is one that people would never expect.
Also, of interest, is the danger that is clearly present when a people choose to follow a leader who lacks character. Such a choice by the people of a land indicates that the judgment of God is coming upon a people who are refusing to follow God’s ways. God can certainly judge such a people by giving them the kind of leader they deserve. Then, God can also judge that leader as a final display of his perfect justice.
Obviously, a look at this chapter rings in my mind because of where we are in the present election cycle in my country. The people of the USA are about to elect a leader. Is it possible that we have no strong trees left and are calling on brambles to lead us? Could it be that we are facing the judgment of God for our refusal as a people to obey his commands?
I must recall that God is in control. I must recognize that God’s judgment is a part of his sovereign will. I also know that God will always be right in how he handles the nation.
The truth is, our nation certainly deserves the judgment of God. Our morality as a people has disappeared in so many ways. Goodness, even if we were a basically moral nation, God has called all people everywhere to repent and to turn to Jesus for his mercy. We, as a nation, have been far from that for a long time.
I’ll not tell people how to vote. However, I will remind people that the character of a nation’s leaders matters. If we choose to support people without character, we are certainly bowing to the bramble and facing the judgment of God. And, if we are facing that judgment, it is right and God will be glorified through it.
Lord, I look at this season in our history, and I plead with you for mercy. We deserve your judgment. I ask that you would, instead of judging us, radically save our nation for your glory. I ask that you would turn people to Jesus and thus turn our desires away from sin and toward righteousness. Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done. I ask that, should it be your will to give our nation over to our sinful desires, that you will give your people the courage to stand in the face of persecution and be a true witness to the glory of Christ.
Enemy Dreams and the Sovereignty of God (Judges 7:13-15)
Judges 7:13-15
13 When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.” 14 And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.”
15 As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand.”
When Israel was under the harsh domination of the Midianites, God raised up Gideon to deliver the people. But Gideon was afraid, lacking confidence that he was truly being sent by God. Just before the major battle, God allowed Gideon to overhear at Midianite soldier describe a horrifying dream that he had dreamt, a dream that showed Gideon that God was most certainly going to give Israel the victory.
The thought that catches my attention here is the sovereignty of God over an insurmountable circumstance. There is no way that a band of 300 soldiers should have been able to have an impact on the massive Midianite force. There is no way, unless God was working behind the scenes. What happened? God moved to strike fear into the Midianite army. All Gideon and his men had to do that night was to make a lot of noise and shine their torches; the Midianites and their God-given fear would take care of the fighting. When Gideon and his men woke up the Midianite army, they fought amongst themselves and God gave the victory.
God moves in ways we cannot imagine. God is sovereign, even over the fears and dreams of enemy armies. Though we often look at circumstances believing that we must be able to understand how they will work out, God shows us here that he is at work behind the scenes accomplishing his will in ways that we could not imagine.
Where might this come to bear? Perhaps there is a friend who seems unreachable with the gospel. God works behind the scenes and beyond our vision to accomplish what only he can do. Perhaps our government seems beyond hope. But God is bigger than Washington. Perhaps our families seem unsalvageable. God is able to move in hearts in ways that we could never predict,.
God, in this passage, wants for us to praise him for his amazing sovereign power. We should see that he is mighty to accomplish his plan, even if the world around us would call that plan impossible. This should give us courage to pray boldly and to live faithfully in the midst of a very dark-looking world.
Vain is the Salvation of Man (Psalm 60:11-12)
Psalm 60:11-12 (ESV)
11 Oh, grant us help against the foe,
for vain is the salvation of man!
12 With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.
In this psalm, we see the prayer of a person in need. They know that there is no hope in their own strength. They cry out to the Lord, and they know that only in the working of God is their salvation.
This morning, I read a lot of gloom and doom in the social media posts of believers. Truthfully, I share in their feelings. It appears that the nation in which I live is making foolish choice after foolish choice. It is true that, in our nation, all forms of basic, common-sense morality have gone out the window. I cannot recall an election cycle where I was more personally disinterested in any of the candidates.
Yet, I recall, as the psalmist wrote, that our salvation, our victory, our protection is only in the Lord. Only God can accomplish his will in our nation. Only God can accomplish his will in my life. Only God, by his power, can build his kingdom. And God will, by his power, allow nations to rise and fall. My hope is only in him and his victory. And, by the grace of God and through the word of God, I know that this victory is assured.
Lord, I do not know what your plans are for me or for my nation. I often am tempted to despair of the nation ever turning to you and repenting of sin. Yet, I also know that you are Lord. Your right arm is strong and mighty to save. You can change the course of the nation. You can change the course of a life. I ask that you turn me from sin and to obedience. I ask that you turn my family and church from sin and toward obedience. I ask that you turn my city from sin and toward obedience. I ask that you turn this nation from sin and toward obedience. I acknowledge that only in your power is victory possible. I acknowledge that, should you will it, your victory is sure. Have mercy on us, o God, and display your glory.
Judging Another’s Gift (Mark 14:4-6)
Mark 14:4-6
4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.”
Not long before the death of Jesus, a woman poured out an expensive perfume over the Savior. This was an extravagant gesture, as the perfume would have been worth a great deal of money. Jesus’ disciples, at least some of them, could not believe what had happened. They wondered why the woman was allowed to be so wasteful.
Jesus, as usual, blows the minds of his followers. He commends the woman for what she has done. Yes, she poured out her financial future as an act of worship. No, that does not make sense in the way that many consider it. But, the Savior says that she has done a beautiful thing. He rebukes the pragmatic disciples and commends the extravagant gesture.
I can think of many times in my Christian life where I have been much like the disciples here. I have looked at the choices of other believers and determined where I thought they were making the wisest use of their resources. I can recall a particular time when I waxed eloquent on whether or not it was acceptable for a local church to spend the money to own a pipe organ—those are very expensive instruments. Of course, just like the disciples, I had in my argument all of the things that those tens of thousands of dollars could be used for. And, just like the disciples, I had my own preferences as to where the money of the imaginary churches should go. At that time, I was more into guitars than into high-church organ music, so of course, the idea did not even appeal to me—funny how things change.
What should I learn here? Jesus applauded an action of a woman, an action that his followers could not understand. He loved the woman’s willingness to pour out her very life-savings in worship. While I do not think that any of us is called to be foolish with our resources, it is most certainly true that God will give people different desires for ways to worship and follow him with our lives.
Some folks will give money to care for orphans, and that is good. Some will give money to plant churches, and that is good. Some will give to stop human trafficking, and that is good. Some will take a group of students to play paint ball and build discipleship relationships, and that is good. The truth is, there are going to be a lot of different ways that we spend ourselves for the Kingdom of God. May we know that Christ is honored when we pour out our best for him and his glory. May we hold nothing back from him and worship him with extravagance. And, may we be less quick to tell others how it is that we think they should spend themselves for the Kingdom.
Who Cares about Chariots (Joshua 17:16)
Joshua 17:16
The people of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us. Yet all the Canaanites who dwell in the plain have chariots of iron, both those in Beth-shean and its villages and those in the Valley of Jezreel.”
In the latter chapters of Joshua, we see that God is doling out the allotments of land to the different tribes of Israel. We are to see quite clearly that God has kept his promises and fulfilled his word.
In the midst of this very happy time, we come across something that seems utterly ridiculous. The people of the tribe of Joseph are complaining that their parcel of land is too small. That is no big deal. Joshua tells them to go take the surrounding hill country as well. But the people fire back that they cannot take that country because the inhabitants of the land have iron chariots. And Joshua responds by showing them that this complaint is ridiculous.
Remember what the people who are afraid of chariots have seen. They have seen God provide for the nation miraculous food in the desert. They have seen God miraculously stop the flow of the Jordan River to allow the nation to cross on dry ground. They have seen God miraculously knock down the massive walls of the city of Jericho in order to give it to the nation. They have seen the sun stand still in the sky at the command of Joshua as Israel defeated her enemies. They have seen God rain hailstones down on their enemies to give victory to his people.
Now, all the sudden, a few folks in the hills with chariots are too much to defeat? To risk a movie quote, “What in the wide wide world of sports is a’goin’ on here?”
Now, before we get too hard on the folks of the tribe of Joseph, let’s make the application. How many times have we seen God take care of us? How often has he provided? How often has he forgiven us? How faithful has he been to us? How victorious has he always been?
Lord, help me never to forget your faithfulness. Help me also never to allow my fears of supposedly big problems to keep me from obeying your commands in the here and now.
God Has Never Devalued Women (Joshua 17:3)
Joshua 17:3
Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, had no sons, but only daughters, and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
This verse reminds us of a situation that has been going on since late in the life and ministry of Moses. Four times—according to my quick search—the Old Testament lists the names of these five sisters whose father had no son. Repeatedly in the biblical account, these women are said to have taken their situation to Moses who took their request before God. God provided that these women would not lose their inheritance simply because there was no brother to protect them.
The reason this stands out to me is because it flies in the face of a very false statement that is often made about the Bible and specifically about the Old Testament. I have heard it said many times that women were seen as the property of men in biblical days, or at least during the Old Testament period. But those who make this claim fail to see passages like this one which actually show the great value placed upon women by the word of God. God elevates women to a position unheard of by other cultures of that day.
The proper response here is two-fold. First, it is appropriate to see that God has truly made both men and women in his image. It is good to see that we are to protect those who are often neglected in the world around us. It is good for men to remember that we are here to protect women and never to take advantage of or use them.
It is also good to recognize that such a view has been God’s way from the beginning. God was not late to the party when it comes to the issue of equal worth between men and women. While God defines differing roles for men and women, he most certainly shows that we both have value in his sight. So, please, let none of us make the faulty statement that God did not treasure women or elevate their value far above that of the culture surrounding Israel.
Daily Reading Notes 4/26/2016
Mark 10:43-45
43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The context of this passage is Jesus speaking with James and John. These two disciples had come to Jesus, just after Jesus announced his coming sufferings, and had the audacity to ask him to grant them the two highest positions of authority in his kingdom. In responding to them, Jesus showed them that, in the kingdom of God, we do not jockey for position and power. Instead, the ones who truly are great in his kingdom are the ones who are more concerned with serving others.
In verse 45, Jesus uses his own life as the example of perfect service for others. Clearly Jesus is the greatest in the kingdom. Yet, Jesus did not come to earth to be served by others. He did not come to live in comfort and ease, to boss people around and be taken care of by them. Instead, Jesus came to serve others. The ultimate act of Jesus’ service is that he gave his life as a ransom for many.
** Disclaimer – the following couple paragraphs are a theological pondering of mine that this passage led to. These are not always in my daily journaling. They are also quite reformed, so if that is not your position, please do not let them distract you from the things in the passage with which you can agree and from which you can benefit. **
In a quick theological side note, I find Jesus’ use of the word “many” here significant. Jesus could have said that he was giving his life as a ransom for all, but he did not. Only one place in the New Testament is it said that Jesus is a ransom for all, and that is 1 Timothy 2:6, the context of which appears to have more to do with all classes of people rather than with all individuals. Truly, it makes sense that the death of Christ is a ransom only for the saved, as it would make his ransom insufficient for the lost if Jesus died to pay their ransom and still they remained lost. Thus, it seems to me that Jesus’ words here affirm a particularity to his redemptive work.
Now, what does that mean? It means that the ransom of Jesus is perfect. Any person who comes to Jesus in faith has been ransomed by Jesus. That ransom is paid and perfect. This leads us to understand the security of our salvation and the sovereignty of God over our election. It helps us to praise God even more deeply for the fact that Jesus would be our ransom even though we could do nothing to earn it. It leads us to evangelism, as we can know that there are people out there who need to hear the command of Christ to come to him for salvation. It gives us confidence in evangelism, because we know that God will most certainly save those Christ has ransomed. It does nothing to deny human responsibility, as it is incumbent on all to come to Christ for grace—those who come do so because of the grace of God and those who do not refuse because of their own personal desire not to do so. It shows us the absolute perfection of the work of Jesus who fails in nothing.
** Excurses over **
While I find thinking about issues like the previous fascinating, I am not actually most drawn to this passage because of it. What got my attention most is the fact that Jesus makes it plain that the key to greatness in his kingdom is not success in this life. Big houses, recognition, and worldly success are not what make one great in God’s kingdom. Neither do church buildings and large congregations make a minister great in the kingdom of God. What makes one great in the kingdom of God is a willingness to follow God and to lay down our lives for the good of others and the glory of God.
Lord, I thank you for the fact that greatness in your kingdom is not about any measure of greatness that this world recognizes. I ask that you help me to love the family and flock that you have given me. Help me to serve you by giving of myself for your glory and the good of others. Help me to remember that nobody in the world needs to know my name so long as you know it.
I also thank you, Jesus, for giving your life to ransom me. I deserve judgment. You took it in my place and bought me into your family. Help me to be a part of taking this grace to others. I know that you have made it clear that all people everywhere are commanded to repent and turn to you for mercy. I ask that you will give me the chance to share this call with all I possibly can. I ask that you allow me to see people come to you in faith. And, I acknowledge that any success that I will ever see in evangelism is because you have already done the work and thus you are worthy of all of the glory.
Some Tips on Journaling
Journaling, writing something down about what you have read in Scripture, is thought by many to be a helpful spiritual discipline. It certainly is for me. Of course, all of us are different. Some will love writing while others will find it a chore. The Bible does not command that we journal, so this is not a spiritual requirement.
However, if you would like to give journaling during your time in God’s word a try, I want to share with you a model that is easy to learn and helpful to me. This is how I’ve been journaling for years, and I recently saw it defined with a nice acronym in the book Growing Up: How to be a Disciple who Makes Disciples by Robby Gallaty. Gallaty uses the word “H.E.A.R.” to help us to remember four categories of writing:
· H – Highlight
· E – Explain
· A – Apply
· R – Respond
Highlight – The first thing that I do when journaling is, after reading, highlight the one verse or passage that most got my attention during the reading. I write that verse down (well, copy and paste from my Bible program) at the top of the page for my journal for the day.
Explain – I will next write a paragraph or a few simply explaining the verse. I’ll try to give a little context and a little summarization of what is going on or being said. I may also point specifically to what made the verse stand out to me.
Apply – Once I have explained the verse, I will write about what major spiritual truth is coming through to me because of the passage. This is different than simply explaining what the author meant. Now I want to write about how this impacts believers today. Sometimes the application is obvious, the following of a direct command. Sometimes the application is more broad as I find a general truth in a passage.
Respond – Finally, I will try to write something of a response to the passage. It may be something I specifically intend to do or to think differently because of the passage. I might write a prayer that is a response to a truth that God has shown me in his word.
Truly, these categories are only there to be helpful. Sometimes explanation and application will blur. Sometimes sections will be longer or shorter. And, remember, God never commanded us to journal at all, much less did he command us to journal in a particular way. So, do not let yourself feel any requirement to follow this pattern or follow the categories slavishly.
If you would like to see examples of my daily reading journal entries, visit my personal blog site: http://pastortravislv.com . Most of the entries on that site are entries from my daily readings. I often will journal only on weekdays and leave weekend reading to be a little more restful, but others will find that they journal most on Saturday. Certainly do not think you need to do what I do. However, if any of this is helpful, take it and put it to use as you are helped.
A Glimpse of God’s Sovereignty in Joshua (Joshua 11:18-20)
Joshua 11:18-20
18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. 19 There was not a city that made peace with the people of Israel except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took them all in battle. 20 For it was the Lord’s doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
In this chapter, we see the end of the major battles between the Hebrews and the inhabitants of the land. God had commanded that his people drive out of the Promised Land all who lived there. And, over the past couple of chapters, we have seen that God miraculously worked with his people to bring about these victories.
Here, we see that all of the kings of the land eventually came out against the Israelites for battle. Not one of them thought to make peace with Israel except for the leaders of the Gibeonites who tricked the leaders of Israel in Joshua 9.
What stands out to me, however, is the fact that God is completely clear in this passage that the reason that all the kings wanted to war with Israel was because God hardened their hearts to lead them to do so. God, by his sovereign power and for his perfect and holy purposes drew these leaders of cities to war. God moved their hearts to do the things that God had planned for them to do, and God accomplished his plan.
It is, in my mind, significant that we see this clear depiction of God’s sovereignty at work. This is a passage that is more about the history of what has been done than it is about the theology of man’s free will or God’s sovereignty. Yet, in the very way that the Bible tells us the history of Israel, we see that God is sovereign over his creation, and that sovereignty includes the hearts of men.
Did God lead the kings to do something they did not want to do? Nothing in the text says that to us. There is no indication of a set of men who were, deep down, wanting to run away or make peace. There is nothing to indicate that they wanted to avoid a fight but just had an overwhelming desire to battle that they could not control. No, there is simply the statement that God hardened their hearts.
What, then, did God do? God worked in these men his will by strengthening or perhaps changing their desires. He can do that, you know. Were they all already aimed at fighting Israel? We do not know. What we do know is that God makes a claim here to have interfered with the workings of these men’s desires in such a way that their own actual desires were to battle against Israel in order that God might sovereignly oversee his plan’s accomplishment.
By the way, this is actually the same thing that I believe God did with me in order to bring about my salvation. I believe that, according to Scripture, I had a heart that was dead in sin and fully opposed to the things of God. I would not, on my own, have ever chosen God, as I lacked in myself the very goodness to do so. Yet God, because of his own will, moved my heart from death to life. God granted me the desire to come to him, drawing me to himself. Only he could have done this. And so, I, out of a strong desire to come to Jesus, confessed my sin, trusted in Christ, and asked for forgiveness and salvation. God granted that salvation. The desires were mine, yet I also know that those desires were ultimately given to me by God.
Some would now want to stop and judge the morality of God working his will by hardening or softening human hearts toward himself. But, as Paul said to the Romans, who are we to question God? His actions are right, because he is the Holy One. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. His actions are right by definition, because he is the Creator and Lord over all.
This passage is a strong reminder for me of the power and sovereignty of God. He is good and mighty. He can change the hearts of men, of kings. He can move entire peoples and entire nations. Thus, I need not fear that his will is ever to be thwarted. God is over all. He cannot lose.
This passage in Joshua encourages me, like Joshua, to continue the mission that God has given me. He calls me to preach the word, to love the church, to make disciples, and so much more. I can know that God will empower his work to be done. I can know that people will come to faith in Christ and will follow God’s plan because I know that God is sovereign even over human hearts. I also know that some will oppose the work of God, and such are the kinds of people God will use still to accomplish his plan as we see in Joshua. Thus, in all this, I am called to trust the Lord and press on for his glory.
Pastor Travis Peterson 