QT 12/27/2021 Judges 9, Doing things in our own strength

 

UPDATE: This is a repeat of a QT on 1 Jan 2013. The passage is long and I added a paragraph to the context. It is a story much like Esther (little mention of God except verses 23, 56-57), except no one is trusting God in this story.

 

Judges 9:1–6 (ESV) —

1 Now Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother’s relatives and said to them and to the whole clan of his mother’s family, 2 “Say in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal rule over you, or that one rule over you?’ Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.”

3 And his mother’s relatives spoke all these words on his behalf in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.” 4 And they gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless fellows, who followed him. 5 And he went to his father’s house at Ophrah and killed his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, for he hid himself. 6 And all the leaders of Shechem came together, and all Beth-millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.

Judges 9:26–29 (ESV) —

26 And Gaal the son of Ebed moved into Shechem with his relatives, and the leaders of Shechem put confidence in him. 27 And they went out into the field and gathered the grapes from their vineyards and trod them and held a festival; and they went into the house of their god and ate and drank and reviled Abimelech. 28 And Gaal the son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who are we of Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him? 29 Would that this people were under my hand! Then I would remove Abimelech. I would say to Abimelech, ‘Increase your army, and come out.’ ”

Judges 9:38–40 (ESV) —

38 Then Zebul said to him, “Where is your mouth now, you who said, ‘Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’ Are not these the people whom you despised? Go out now and fight with them.” 39 And Gaal went out at the head of the leaders of Shechem and fought with Abimelech. 40 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him. And many fell wounded, up to the entrance of the gate.

Judges 9:45–46 (ESV) —

45 And Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and killed the people who were in it, and he razed the city and sowed it with salt.

46 When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem heard of it, they entered the stronghold of the house of El-berith.

Judges 9:49–57 (ESV) —

49 So every one of the people cut down his bundle and following Abimelech put it against the stronghold, and they set the stronghold on fire over them, so that all the people of the Tower of Shechem also died, about 1,000 men and women.

50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez and encamped against Thebez and captured it. 51 But there was a strong tower within the city, and all the men and women and all the leaders of the city fled to it and shut themselves in, and they went up to the roof of the tower. 52 And Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it and drew near to the door of the tower to burn it with fire. 53 And a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull. 54 Then he called quickly to the young man his armor-bearer and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’ ” And his young man thrust him through, and he died. 55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, everyone departed to his home. 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.

 

NOTE:  Jotham's parable (Judges 9:7-20), the first in the bible, becomes a prophecy. Those who supported Abimelech are burned and Abimelech is judged at the hand of a woman. The story of Israel's first self-proclaimed king is an ugly story of sin, treachery, and cruelty. God's involvement in the story is in repaying the wickedness (Judges 9:56), but beyond that it is a story of men solving their own problems without the help of God. In fact, the people of Shechem hold a festival in the temple of their god, completely ignoring God who gave them the land. These are the same people who cry out to God when life is painful but completely forget him when life is good. And this is the message for us. When life is good, our response is to live in the world, forgetting what God has graciously given to us. And then, when tragedy or pain befalls us, we scream out or cry out to God for relief, as if it was his fault and not ours. Oh, when will we wake up from our delusions and recognize that we were bought with a price--our life is not our own (1 Cor 6:20).

 

PONDER:

1. When do I call upon God? Is it only when life goes bad or the situation is beyond my ability?
2. Do I every spend the good times in gratitude or do I wait for tragedy to begin seeking God?

 

PRAYER: Father, forgive me for a selfish narcissistic attitude toward life. I need seek you in the good times as well as the bad. I need to be grateful for the work that you are doing all the time. But most of all, I just need to seek you.

QT 9 Feb 17, Judg 10:10-16, It hurts God to see us hurting ourselves with our sin

Judges 10:10–16 (ESV) — 10 And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.” 11 And the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? 12 The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand. 13 Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. 14 Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” 15 And the people of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.” 16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel.

NOTE: The people of Israel had done much worse than just served the Baals, the earlier passage makes it quite clear they were worshipping gods of many of the surrounding nations. Did they really think they could deceive God? Do they even have a proper concept of the God of the universe? And why do they continually (and only) cry out to God when in distress? Is God only the God of the safety blanket? God answers them with a resounding "NO." God tells them to cry out to their idols. But they know that their idols aren't the answer--why or how do they know that since they continually turn back to them? Is it something about the world's culture and the idolatry that while we know it is not the true answer, we prefer it over obedience to God? Do we love our sin so much? They do get rid of all of their foreign gods and begin to serve God. The passage says that God became impatient over the misery of Israel. I'm sure the Hebrew word, qatsar, which means "be short," is difficult to translate when applied to God. It is an emotional response that is combined with perfect logic and perfect foresight. It hurts God to see his children suffer even when it is their own fault. Like a parent, he knows we need to learn a lesson, but he desires also to show mercy. The word is also translated "was grieved; could no longer bear; could no longer endure" in other versions. God loves us with a deep emotional love and it hurts him to watch us hurt ourselves. And yet, real change cannot happen unless it is deep within us, and sometimes pain is the only way to get a hold of our senses to make the changes that are required. God, thank you for your love, mercy, and wisdom. Keep my eyes alert to my sin. I do not wish to learn things the hard way.

QT 8 Feb 17, Judg 10:6-9, Our real problem is spiritual not political

Judges 10:6–9 (ESV) —

6 The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him. 7 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites, 8 and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9 And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.

NOTE: This seems a worthwhile but obscure point. Previously with Gideon, the problem was the Baals the Ashtaroth. Now, the list has grown exponentially, apparently, unless the two gods mentioned are the gods of Syria, Sidon, Moab, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. But we know from the story of Samuel, that the god of the Philistines was Dagon (or something like that), and so the author is making a point--the worship of false gods and idols is increasing in the land. The other thing that is increasing is the language, "… forsook the Lord and DID (emphasis mine) not serve him." Also, "… they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel … Israel was severely distressed." God's discipline of his people increases as the people pursue more and more outright sin. And one can argue, that the discipline is mercy, because the worship of false gods and the assimilation of the culture will only destroy the fabric of life. It is happening now in our own land. Our worship of false gods has blinded us to the moral depravity of our lives and the increasing failure of our solutions to life's problems. We believe in political solutions in the moral equivalent of evil and good, but our real problem is spiritual. Oh, what a hopeless people we are! Gracious Father, wake us up to our real issues of sin and not politics.

QT 7 Feb 17, Judg 9:55-57, We need to spiritual change more than government change

Judges 9:55–57 (ESV) —

55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, everyone departed to his home. 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.

NOTE: This very long story highlights the evil that Israel was plunging into. Abimelech uses his father's name, Gideon, to establish a kingship in Israel. He kills 70 brothers in order to achieve his goal. The period is an ugly time of greed, violence, and deceit, with almost no mention of God or his laws. It ultimately comes to an ugly end. Abimelech's attempt to establish a royal house is driven by pride and the lust of the eyes. God will set up a kingship (in another 100 plus years), partly in response to the failures in Judges, but also as a means of providing spiritual focus for the people, which is the real need right now. People need spiritual examples, not puffed up heads if we are to see spiritual change. Our country may see some real change in the months and years ahead because of good decisions, but we won't see spiritual change as a result of our new government (maybe Pence). Spiritual change has to start with us, and is apolitical, although lately the enemy is attacking government on an anti-Christian rhetoric. The enemy wants to obscure the message. We need to live loving, caring, serving lifestyles despite the rhetoric thrown at us. We know the truth and we have a future inheritance. We need to stand up for biblical truth, so that we might save our co-workers, friends, and neighbors.

QT 6 Feb 17, Judg 8:33-35, God repeats something for a reason! Especially when it is constantly repeated.

Judges 8:33–35 (ESV) — 33 As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. 34 And the people of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side, 35 and they did not show steadfast love to the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good that he had done to Israel.

NOTE: Why does God beat a dead horse? By that I mean, why does God continue to make the same point over and over again? Someone recently asked me that question, although it was asked a little differently, but it is the same question. While I might regularly make mistakes in communication, God does not. And when God repeats something, it is not because he forgot or that he is developing dementia, or he is beating a dead horse--there is purpose in God's repetition. Once again, the land had peace, the people did not remember God (Or Gideon) and the people fall back into the pattern of sin all over again, the sin of the culture and the peoples whom they lived around. There is something important that needs to be beaten into our heads. We will continue to follow the same pattern unless we break the cycle. The placer to break the cycle is to not forget, to remember God. One cannot remember a person unless one is regularly meeting with that person, at least at a deep level, which is the level required to walk in obedience to God. The absolute most important thing we can do is to meet with God every day to maintain our walk and to keep from forgetting God. That's the start. The next step is to start saying no to the culture and the people who pulls us away from God. We are witnesses to the world, not clones of our sinful culture.

QT 2 Feb 2017, Judg 7:6-8, Our fear of the culture causes us to compromise

Judges 7:6–8 (ESV) —

6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. 7 And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.” 8 So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

NOTE: The typical way to view this is that God used this test to get the very best warriors. There were 135,000 Midianites, I don't think how they drank water made any difference. No, this story is not about picking the best, but it is about courage, courage to stand up to enemies that seem far beyond our strength to resist. The odds were 450 to 1 against Israel. Gideon was found hiding in a wine press threshing wheat. Gideon destroyed the idols in the middle of  the night. Gideon tested God two times before agreeing to obey. Gideon's problem was fear. And that is our problem too. Our enemies seem too great. The culture seems too strong. We've failed far too long to change now. Whatever the argument, it is based on fear. God calls us to be obedient to Him, not to the world. Who are we going to obey? It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

QT 1 Feb 17, Judg 6:29-7:2, God uses our needs to refine his plan

Judges 6:39–7:2 (ESV) —

39 Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.” 40 And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.

7:1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’

NOTE: Gideon tests God with a fleece twice, using opposite conditions to avoid the possibility of happenstance. And God tests Gideon by taking his 32,000 soldiers and reducing them down to 300. If Gideon was nervous enough when he used a fleece to test God twice, he must have been really nervous when the force was reduced to 300. Sometimes we can outsmart ourselves. Would God have needed to reduce the force if Gideon hadn't tested him? God could use one man to defeat another army every single time if he wanted. At Jericho, he does the miraculous, but most of the other battles in Joshua were normal battles with a rare mixture of supernatural support at times (like hail that only fell on the enemy). God is not under any strictures or rules in how he goes about saving his people. Although, in the book of Judges, he always uses people. He never just eliminates a threat without involving a person or persons. There is one instance in Kings where he eliminates 185 thousand soldiers without any person's help, but that situation is rare indeed. God's preferred approach is to use people. And his solution usually revolves around needs of the person he is working through. Where does God find Gideon? He was hiding in a wine bath threshing wheat. Gideon is a fearful man. Even his one act of rebellion against the idols was done at night, in secret. God is building courage in Gideon by forcing him to face his fears, and to begin to trust in him. God is patient with the fleece episode, although it violates scripture, but God is determined to deal with the issues in Gideon's life. Gideon fights with 300, probably not because he tested God (although that was a symptom of his real problem), but because he was a fearful man who needed to finally, completely trust God.

QT 31 Jan 17, Judg 6:28-31, If we believe in God, then we know that he knows best

Judges 6:28–31 (ESV) —

28 When the men of the town rose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that had been built. 29 And they said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” And after they had searched and inquired, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.” 30 Then the men of the town said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has broken down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah beside it.” 31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been broken down.”

NOTE: There is a downward descent in Israel, during the period of Judges, that this passage highlights. The Israelites are no longer just being pulled in by the culture around them, but now they are defending what is evil. Someone might argue that this is the destruction of personal property, although it is property that God made clear should not exist in the land. Later on in the story of Judges (near the end), they will defend rape and murder, showing the final end of the slide. This is what playing both sides does to a person--we start losing our ability to recognize right and wrong, all the while justifying it with some supposed "intellectual" argument, as if we were smarter than God. There is a reason the Creator established certain rules. As the creator, designer, and builder of our bodies, he knows what is best for us. We imperfectly guess what is best for us, but God knows what is best for us. When we claimed that something God has prohibited is really a good thing, we are saying that we know what is better for us than the person who created us. It is far better to stop playing games that we believe in God at that point, because it makes no sense to believe in God and to also believe we know what is better for our souls.

QT 30 Jan 17, Judg 6:11-14, Knowing God is different from knowing stories about God

Judges 6:11–14 (ESV) — 11 Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14 And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?”

NOTE: The story of Gideon contains many ironies, but most of them revolve around strength and trust. The angel of the Lord, commonly understood to be the second person of the trinity, Jesus, appears sitting under a tree, while Gideon, hiding in a winepress, is beating out wheat, and God addresses Gideon as "O might man of valor," which hardly seems true at that moment. From Gideon's perspective, a material perspective, things do not look good, and the stories of God's work in the past only taunt him. On the other hand, Gideon probably gets one thing right, the Lord has given Israel into the hand of the Midians, though God never forsakes his chosen or turns from his covenant. Gideon's problem is that his focus is on what he can see and touch, and not on what God promises. God commands Gideon to an action, but Gideon commands God to prove that it is really him and that he really will do the impossible. I suppose it might make sense. I am not sure what the angel of the Lord looked like. Everyone seems able to recognize him, and yet he appears as a man. So maybe Gideon has an argument, but somehow that does not make sense. Abraham did not ask for proof nor did others. So, I think there was enough evidence for Gideon to know who the person was. Consequently, Gideon is afraid. He does not trust God. If he moves out, how does he know God will not pull the rug out and abandon him? After all, it sure seems as if God has pulled the rug out on Israel in the land. Of course, there are multiple problems with that hypothesis. One, God has told them why he has given them into the hands of their enemies--they chose that course when they decided to mix with the culture. And secondly, they have not clung to God as Joshua warned them. Consequently, they don't know really know God, they just know stories about God. We can fall into the latter trap quite easily--knowing stories, but not knowing God. To maintain that relationship, we must be in the word of God regularly. How are we doing?

QT 27 Jan 17, Judg 6:7-10, Suffering is a good time for personal reflection

Judges 6:7–10 (ESV) — 7 When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of the Midianites, 8 the Lord sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery. 9 And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 And I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice.”

NOTE: The Lord does not always give reasons for our suffering, unlike this passage or the book of Judge. There is a general explanation in Genesis that tells us that we chose to rebel against God as our king and consequently are getting what we desired, ruler ship of our lives and the unintended consequences of that decision. For God's people, God does at time provide additional explanation, as in this case. God tells Israel that the reason they are starving (the Midianites were raiding their food supplies), was simple, "… but you have not obeyed my voice." In this case, as in many other cases, God is trying to get their attention. This is not how God designed life and this is not how God designed Israel's existence in the land. But the people chose their own rules to follow and disobeyed what God said. I certainly would not want to suggest that all suffering is disobedience, but suffering should cause reflection. Suffering may be just part of the evil which is in the world because of the original rebellion, but it could be specific to an issue in our life, and it is worth addressing directly with God. I like to use David's prayer:

Psalm 139:23–24 (ESV) — 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts!

24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting! 

QT 24 Jan 17, Judg 4:17-22, God expects men to show courage in danger to protect their nation and family

Judges 4:17–22 (ESV) —

17 But Sisera fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18 And Jael came out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord; turn aside to me; do not be afraid.” So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. 19 And he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him. 20 And he said to her, “Stand at the opening of the tent, and if any man comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’ ” 21 But Jael the wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand. Then she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple until it went down into the ground while he was lying fast asleep from weariness. So he died. 22 And behold, as Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” So he went in to her tent, and there lay Sisera dead, with the tent peg in his temple.

NOTE: A strange story, but thematically it follows a thread. Not only does Barak fail to take the initiative to attack Sisera on the plain, he does not kill Sisera either. A woman, Deborah, gets him moving off of the mountain, and another woman, Jael, kills Sisera. The theme is pretty obvious, God is using women to do what the men are failing to do, take leadership and exercise courage. Jael took a huge chance. If Sisera had awakened as the tent peg brushed his temple, Jael would have been dead, since it almost assured that she did not have the strength of Sisera, an army commander (the very strongest women are equivalent to the lower 50 percent of men in strength--not bias, just well-established fact). Jael took a chance; she gambled with her life; Jael showed tremendous courage. In contrast is Barak, he wouldn't move off the mountain, nor would he consider attacking unless Deborah went with him. Men make lots of mistakes, and society is probably right to make fun of some of the stupid childish things that men do. But one thing a man ought to be able to do, is to protect his family and his nation, with his God given strength, courage, and aggressive nature. That is our role, and we must not shirk from it.

QT 23 Jan 17, Judg 4:14-16, The obstacles are not the problem, obedience is the issue

Judges 4:14–16 (ESV) —

14 And Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. Does not the Lord go out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him. 15 And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army before Barak by the edge of the sword. And Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot. 16 And Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left.

NOTE: So we find out that the problem was never chariots, just obedient men. The battles we face often seem impossible, like Israel facing Chariots with iron wheels on the plains. Deborah urges Barak off of the mountain into the plains, and … "the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots." Sometimes the problem is not the visible enemy or task at hand, but just getting up and being obedient to do the work God has called us to do. In this case, Barak would have failed by staying up on the mountain, but he seem to prefer that to potentially failing by engaging the enemy. He chose comfortable failure--"at least you are still alive." Barak was risk-adverse. But Barak was also obedient-adverse. If God has commanded us or called us to a task, we need to be strong and courageous and face the task before us. We cannot out wimp out on our role or responsibilities. What is my job? What am I supposed to do? What are the chariots with iron wheels that I face? What mountain am I hiding on?

QT 20 Jan 17, Judg 4:4-9, Men have the responsibility to lead spiritually, not because they are better (they are not), but because that is their role

Judges 4:4–9 (ESV) — 4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6 She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun. 7 And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?” 8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9 And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.

NOTE: I certainly have no problem with women in leadership and I find the passage above refreshing, but with hints that things may not be going so well. I do have a concern when women spiritually lead a nation or a body of believers, like a church. The problem is that men have a God-given role to spiritually lead their households, and when a man sees a woman leading spiritually in an approved setting such as a church, he concludes that the woman can lead the household spiritually as well and therefore he has no responsibility in the matter. There is no question that women can do the role, but is that what God desires? In this case, Deborah challenges Barak that God had "commanded" him to attack Sisera, but Barak has not gone. He refuses to go unless Deborah is with him. Deborah wants him to assume the leadership, but Barak timidly refuses unless Deborah accompanies him. Barak is making a lot of mistakes. For one, God commanded him to go. And secondly, he trusts in Deborah's presence more than God's presence. No wonder there are no men leading the nation spiritually--they are all spiritual cowards. What this suggests to me is that the family structure is starting to break down. Men are not taking the lead in the nation and probably not in the household as well. Surely God could find one men in Israel, but I think Barak represents the men of Israel in this region during this time.

QT 19 Jan 17, Judg 3:12-14, Cling to God!

Judges 3:12–14 (ESV) —

12 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 13 He gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and went and defeated Israel. And they took possession of the city of palms. 14 And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

NOTE: In another part of the nation, Moab attacks and actually takes a city from Israel. Last time, there was 8 years of oppression. In this region, there are 18 years of oppression. God raises up a left-handed man Ehud who would rescue the land. The pattern is similar. After times of peace, the people no longer cling to God. They are ensnared into sin. God allows them to fall into the hands of their enemies, who scourge them. But they forget, because they are blinded by their sin, and they will once again fall into the trap. Of note is that I do not think the whole land of Israel experienced every one of these stories. I believe they are somewhat regional in nature. That would also explain the problem with adding up the years, since the years refer to the specific region or area. Some were definitely repeated events, and the whole land probably knew of the individual judges, but the effect may have varied across the country. The application remains, do not forget God. Cling to God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. The consequences of forgetting God can remain with a person their entire life.

QT 18 Jan 17, Judg 3:7-11, The need for a quiet time daily

Judges 3:7–11 (ESV) —

7 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. 8 Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. 9 But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. 10 The Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. 11 So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

NOTE: And so begins the cycle. Forget God, sin (snares), pain and oppression (scourges), cry out (repentance), God provides a deliverer, victory, and peace. I would add to the "forget God" the parenthetical phrase "blind," because in verse 12 they do it all over again. Without a doubt, the place to break the chain is at the "forget God." And so how do we avoid the natural human reaction to enjoy pleasures and the world when everything is going good? How do we not forget God? First of all, we have to keep everything in perspective. Good comes from God and he should be regularly thanked. Second, a relationship with God must remain a priority in our life. There is no substitute in any relationship for time spent together. No marriage can last without regular and constant communication. Therefore, we must meet daily with God, not weekly (as some do). God speaks to us through his word and we speak to God through prayer. So that daily relationship should include some time in the word and some time in prayer. That is what I am doing now in this quiet time (QT). I am in a quiet place, free of distractions, and writing down thoughts from God's word. On the drive in to work, I spent time in prayer. I have to get up early to have a QT at work, otherwise there will be a lot of distractions. Right now, there is literally no one around me. Each of us need to find that quiet place to meet with God.

QT 17 Jan 17, Judg 2:20-23, The danger of compromise

Judges 2:20–23 (ESV) —

20 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, 22 in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did, or not.” 23 So the Lord left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.

NOTE: I like Constable's thoughts on this passage because it makes sense. From this point on, Israel does not conquer any more land, they just react to the oppression for a period of time. Essentially, they remain where Joshua's conquests left them. God did this in response to their failures to cling to him, and their adopting the culture of the land and the worship of its gods. So after, 400 years of slavery to Egypt, we enter 300 years of traps (the appeal of the culture), scourges (the scars left from disobedience), and thistles in the eyes (blinded to truth). They have opportunities where they repent and could begin to turn things around, but they fall back into a comfortable life living in the culture of the land. The interesting thing to consider is what God means by "test" since they have already failed. One possibility is that there remains an opportunity for a future generation to rise up and return the nation to God. The other option for the "test" is thinking of the word not in terms of an exam, but in terms of stress, that is to show Israel that its course of action is wrong and needs to be corrected. What is the application? Certainly, not all culture is bad, but when culture disagrees with God's word, we must take our stand against it. Of course, some things are not entirely clear. The culture has blurred many areas by moving toward the edge of decency and desensitizing us to the difference. I don't want to specify behavior, but each of us need to seek God and ask him to make us aware of how we are compromising truth with culture.

QT 16 Jan 17, Judg 2:18-19,We need to do what is right, not what is popular

Judges 2:18–19 (ESV) —

18 Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. 19 But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways.

NOTE: This is the worst part of the summary section for Judges. God provided judges to save them, but each time the danger was past, Israel went back to their sin, AND "were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods." The problem is that they never realized their problem, which is not the most profound statement in the world, but is accurate. God knew that the day of kings was coming. Judges exposes a problem with man that is caused by the corruption of sin. Men look to other men for their standard (or example) of living. Or they will look to their neighbor and match that behavior (the keeping up with the Jones' syndrome). Men seem uncomfortable standing up for truth. We are fickle. Israel's overriding problem was that they really didn't know God. I imagined they passed on some of the knowledge of God, but each generation seems to care less and less for that knowledge, so that by the time the book ends, Samuel is on a teaching circuit re-introducing the word of God to the people of God. Israel lacked good spiritual leadership to be their example of godliness. It is sad that they could not do that on their own, but for whatever reason, we copy the lives and examples of others. Today, our non-Christian, often non-educated, mostly emotional, actors and actresses are our example of how to live life. Their opinions, usually not well thought through and just a mimic of those they think are smart, are our opinions. Why? Because they are famous (popular)! America's problem today is that too many have stopped thinking and have accepted the opinion of so-called experts. Why? Because everyone else (seems) to have accepted them and they are famous (popular). We have the same need, to know God personally and to stand up for what is right, even if it is not the popular opinion of the time.

QT 12 Jan 17, Judg 2:11-15, The start of our fall begins with compromising with the world around us

Judges 2:11–15 (ESV) — 11 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. 14 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. 15 Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.

NOTE: This is the start of a repeated pattern in Israel. The people do not cling to God but instead follow the gods and practices of the culture around them. They assimilate to the point where you probably could not tell their were believers in God anymore. God uses suffering (plundering, slavery, defeat, and terrible distress) to bring them to their senses. Sin has the same effect today. It plunders us, taking away our resources. It ties us to it so that we become slaves to our sin. It defeats us again and again. And the end result is terrible distress in our life. God wants us to wake up, to return to him, to cling to him, to love him with all of our being. It cannot be a lukewarm love but must be a sold-out, go-for-broke love--a deep and abiding love in our creator and our savior. He cares so much for us, that he disciplines us in this way for our good -- oh, how we need to listen!

QT 11 Jan 17, Judg 2:6-10, This year, make God's word a priority

Judges 2:6–10 (ESV) — 6 When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. 7 And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. 8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years. 9 And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. 10 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.

NOTE: The first chapter appears to be a summary of the failures of Judges. Chapter 2 goes back to Joshua, repeating some of the verbiage and begins to make the case why Israel failed, as the rest of the book will then go into the details of the failure.

Israel fails because the second generation after Joshua did not know the Lord or the work he had done for Israel. While forgetfulness would certainly be contributory, I think lukewarm-ness is a better description. They do not know because they did not care to know. It is the same problem today in our churches. People don't know God because they don't care to know God. They want their appetites satisfied and they grab onto what they think will fulfill them and make them happy, not realizing that the creator has designed us in a special way that requires adherence to moral laws to enjoy our creation to the greatest extent. They fail because they ignore God. They fail because they no longer make him important. They fail because they do not spend time in the word of God. They fail because they disobey his commands. As the book of Judges reveals, the knowledge of God and his law progressively declines. In fact, I think that is why Samuel, near the end of the period of judges, starts a teaching circuit (because of how much of the knowledge of God that had been lost). The application to us is clear, we need to grow in our knowledge of God and make it a priority in our life.

QT 10 Jan 17, Judg 2:1-5, God remains faithful even when his children do not

Judges 2:1–5 (ESV) — 1 Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2 and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? 3 So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” 4 As soon as the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5 And they called the name of that place Bochim. And they sacrificed there to the Lord.

NOTE: This passage follows chapter 1 in an explanatory mode. God says that the reason for the Israelites failure to take the land is not chariots but disobedience. Even so, God makes it clear that he will never break his covenant with Israel. Discipline is not breaking a covenant. We discipline our children for their good (well, some do), and so God disciplines his people for their good. But he never stops loving them. In one sense, that is the message of Galatians. If you are a child of God by faith, God's love for you can never change. Nothing we do or fail to do will change that love for us. We can't earn God's love. God's love is his personal choice. Despite all of our failures, he remains faithful