Judges 8

What stood out today:  

1 Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, "Why have you treated us like this? Why didn't you call us when you went to fight Midian?" And they criticized him sharply.

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen.

22 The Israelites said to Gideon, "Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian."
 23 But Gideon told them, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you."

27 Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.

 33 No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals.

My Response:  God You are amazing!  You defeated 135,000 soldiers with 300 Israelites.  Gideon is amazing to lead such an army.  Also, Gideon is flesh, weak, flawed and worships a gold Ephod and leads his whole family astray.  And what a legacy, no sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites went right back to idol worship.  Jesus, we so need you as a present day saviour.  Jesus, who am I compared to Gideon?  I am nothing apart from You, just a withered branch torn from the vine.  Jesus, You alone have the words of LIFE, You alone are the Word of LIFE.

Judges 7

What stood out today: 

3… 'Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.' " So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

 7 The LORD said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place."

15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped God. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, "Get up! The LORD has given the Midianite camp into your hands."

 22 When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the LORD caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath.

My Response:  This story and so many other stories show your faithfulness and your power, Your willingness and Your ability.  Lord Jesus, You fight for and with Your people.  We are engraved in the palms of Your hands; nothing and no one can snatch us out of your hand.  I, too, worship You!

 

Judges 6

What stood out today: 

11 The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.

15 "But Lord," Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."

22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, "Ah, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!" 

23 But the LORD said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die."

34 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him.

My Response:  Lord, You are so patient.  You engage and stick with Gideon till he gets it; till he gets You.  Jesus I love how you reveal Yourself, I so look forward to seeing you “face to face.”  To look into Your eyes, to see Your smile, to behold Your glory and beauty.  I love the parallel to the New Testament:  I am sending you, peace, I will be with you, You will not die, the Spirit will come upon you and be in you.  Jesus, You certainly are the same yesterday, today, and forever.  You are YHWH of Exodus 3:14. You are the Alpha and the Omega, the One who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty of Revelation 1:8.

Judges 4 & 5

What stood out today: 

4 Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.

9 "Very well," Deborah said, "I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will hand Sisera over to a woman." So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh,

21 But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.

5:2 "When the princes in Israel take the lead, 

       when the people willingly offer themselves—
       praise the LORD!

31 "So may all your enemies perish, O LORD!
       But may they who love you be like the sun
       when it rises in its strength."
      Then the land had peace forty years.

My response:  Lord God, this is an important passage!  The time of the Judges was a confused and dark time for Israel.  We live in a similar time.  Your church has lost relevance with the culture.  Leadership is weak, people are in chaos.  Yet you are still present and active and working through whoever You choose.  It does seem as even Deborah knows You want to work through Barak and not her, yet she is willing and braver than Barak.  I love vs 5:2;  it seems to resonate with what the leaders in the grassroots have been crying out for, “When will the princes lead?”  They want the elders/princes to lead as a team.  We all want to work together as the body of Christ.  We all want Your enemies to perish by becoming Your friends.  We all want to rise together in Your strength and shine like the Son – Lit up by Christ, Glorifying God – in all ways possible, in everyway imaginable.  Jesus, what is our redemptive potential?

Judges 3

What stood out today: 

1 These are the nations the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan 

2 (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience)

 7 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. 

8 The anger of the LORD burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim, to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years. 

9 But when they cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, who saved them.

12 Once again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and because they did this evil the LORD gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. 

13 Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms.

14 The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.

15 Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.

My response:  Lord God, You are so faithful and good.  You orchestrate battles that You might show Yourself strong, in fact, Almighty!  Even our enemies, even our disobedience you use for our good and Your glory.  You alone are wise in all your ways.  Lord Jesus, You are the ultimate deliverer.  I am so grateful that You are just a prayer away.  When anyone cries out - be they lost or saved - You move to rescue.  You raise up a deliverer.  You send “the Spirit of the Lord” to a leader.  When that leader steps out in your anointing we all see amazing things.  Mostly You displaying Your great power and love toward those whom You have placed Your favor.  Father God, would You give me more grace, would You fill me with Your Holy Spirit?  I am weak, I am dust, I am only a man.  You alone are my strength.  Jesus, you say “ask, seek, knock” and “how much more will your father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him?”  Father I am asking in Jesus’ name; fill me, anoint me.  Lord Jesus, I can do nothing apart from You…

Judges 2

What stood out today:

1 The angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, "I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I swore to give to your forefathers. I said, 'I will never break my covenant with you, 

2 and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.' Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? 

3 Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you." 

4 When the angel of the LORD had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud, 

5 and they called that place Bokim.  There they offered sacrifices to the LORD.

6 After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance. 

7 The people served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the LORD had done for Israel. 

8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 

10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. 

11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. 

22 I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the LORD and walk in it as their forefathers did." 

23 The LORD had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.

My response: God what a sad chapter.  But You are still in it.  You show up in the beginning and you are there in the end allowing the evil to be a thorn in their side and to test them.  This makes me think of Paul in 2Cor 12:7, “There was given me a thorn in my flesh a messenger of Satan, to torment me.”  It makes me think of Ed Welch talking about the alcoholic that the battle is believing a lie, a false God.  Worse, as we worship it – give it value – we are making an unholy alliance an unholy covenant.  Jesus, with your new covenant: a new heart, a new identity, a new purity, a new power; are we able to take all the land?  What is our redemptive potential?  It seems Paul could not go all the way…  In fact he was given a thorn in the flesh.  And You said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  So is that it?  Are we to walk as wounded people; leaning into You, Your power, Your grace; as Jacob walked with a limp?  It certainly keeps us in a posture of “we” with the lost.  One beggar showing another beggar where to get bread.  Jesus, You are the bread of LIFE…  You are more than enough…

 

Judges 1

What stood out today:

Judges 1:1 After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the LORD, "Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?"

2 The LORD answered, "Judah is to go; I have given the land into their hands."

28 When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely.

29 Nor did Ephraim

30 Neither did Zebulun

31 Nor did Asher

33 Neither did Naphtali…

My Response: Well God, they start out well by inquiring of You. They go and only take part of what you gave them; “but they never drove them out completely.” And the end of the chapter just echoes, clan after clan, city after city, they did not take all that you had given them. Why? Why did they not? Why do we not? “Rick, what is holding you back?” Jesus, is it that we do not believe You have given the whole land? Do we question your goodness, and hesitate to kill every person/sin? Do we get comfortable, complacent with most of the land and not work hard to get the whole thing? Jesus, You are the lion of the tribe of Judah; as You lead out first and I follow may we take the whole land. Let us rout out every sin, let’s take the whole LIFE, for Your glory!