A Few Good Men

Judges 7:1-25

Gideon received his signs and was encouraged, so he gathered his army to attack the Midianites, 32,000 men in all. As they were moving out, preparing their attack, God told him to hold up. The Israelites were God's people and he knew them well. They were already stubborn and disobedient when it was obvious that God was taking care of them. So, he knew they would be no good at all if they gained a victory under what seemed to be their own ability.

That being the case, he told Gideon to drawn down his forces, so there would be no mistake that God deserved all the glory for the ensuing victory. All the men who were afraid to fight were sent home, leaving only 10,000 to forge ahead. That's right; 22,000 men who had been called and were en route were so afraid to actually accomplish the mission that they willingly turned back at the first opportunity! And that is how people are today; they will say they will go, help, support, whatever, even give the appearance that they will do what they say, but at the first sign of trouble or opportunity for exit, they are nowhere to be found. And that's okay. Usually, when that happens, that's just the way God wants it; let them go, they would have only been a hindrance.

Now down to 10,000, Gideon thought he and his army were ready to roll, but God said no. That was still too many. It, obviously, didn't take much to give the Israelites the big-head. So, God sent them down to the spring to drink. He told Gideon to divide the men into two groups, those who drank from their hands and those who put their mouths in the water. Of the 10,000, only 300 drank from their hands and were allowed to stay to fight the Midianites. The 9,700 were the folks who are with you, they really are, willing to stand shoulder to shoulder and fight the good fight, but they go about doing it the wrong way. They have good intentions, but poor means or methods. So, while they could get the job done, they wouldn't necessarily bring glory to God in the process.

The 300 remained; the willing and properly able. There were just enough to get the victory, but not so many that they could reasonably take all the credit. And that was just the way God intended. But now, Gideon's fear started creeping back in. Everyone likes to feel prepared when embarking on some great undertaking, especially something like war. That is perfectly understandable. So God had already made provision to help Gideon build his confidence now that his army had been whittled away. In the middle of the night, God told him to get up and go attack. But knowing he would be scared, he also told him he could take his servant with him down to their camp to be encouraged by what he heard there.

So, of course, Gideon chose door number two. He took his servant with him down to the Midianite camp and listened in on a conversation. They heard one man telling his friend about a dream where a loaf of bread rolled into a tent, knocking it over and flattening it out. The friend interpreted the dream to mean on;y one thing, that God had given Gideon and his army the victory over the Midianites. Now, I probably would have had trouble believing that wasn't a set up, but Gideon's faith was increased and he worshiped God and was eager to attack, just as God had promised.

So he gathered his men and divided them into three groups. He gave everyman a horn and a torch and spread them out around the camp. He instructed them to do as he did when the got to the edge of the camp. They approached just after midnight and Gideon and his crew blew their horns and ignited their torches and shouted. The other two groups followed suit. At that moment, God through the Midianites into a panic, so that they were attacking themselves. All Gideon and his 300 had to do was chase those who were escaping.

To assist with that, Gideon summoned his fellow tribes in the area to cut them off on their way out. And God gave them the victory...again. The kings were captured and killed and their heads presented to Gideon as confirmation. And all it took was a few (hundred) good men.

Thank you, Lord, for the ability to do so much with so little in you. Thank you for providing the increase when all I have is not enough. Thank you for being more than enough to cover what I lack. God, help me to always recognize my shortcomings as an opportunity for you to reveal your glory and power in my life. Give me the humility to always praise you in good times and bad; knowing that you will always give me the victory as long as I am faithful to you. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Give Me A Sign

Judges 6:1-40

So the Israelites went, again, through their vicious cycle with God, this time being handed over to the Midianites and plagued by their constant bullying and domination. They were left without so much as food to eat at the hands of this nation. So, once again, they cried out to God and he heard them. Once again, he had to remind them of all he had done for them and the little that he asked in return and how they failed to do it.

I really, really, really am amazed by and thankful for God's patience and mercy. I would have started over so many times with a brand new group of people by now. But God is great and greatly to be praised! Instead of completely giving up on them and  abandoning them, he showed his eternal love for them by raising up Gideon as the next judge.

But Gideon had the Moses complex. You know the one where God calls you and you come up with every excuse in the book as to why he shouldn't have or you can't? I know I've been there a few times in my life. When the angel of the Lord showed up to call him out, he blamed God for the current malady of the Israelites; claimed he wasn't even around. But the angel insisted that he was the one.

So he protested again with something like, 'Okay, let's say God hasn't completely abandoned us, how am I supposed to lead these people? I'm the least of the least amongst them all. There's no way they'll listen to me, much less follow." But, again, the Lord insisted and promised to be with Gideon and fight for him so it would seem as easy as fighting against one person rather than a whole nation.

But Gideon still wasn't completely convinced. He needed more proof - a sign or two or three. So he asked the angel to stay there while he went to get a sacrificial offering, if in fact he was truly of God. So he did, and Gideon brought his offering and made his sacrifice. When it was consumed by fire from the rock on which he had laid it and the angel disappeared, Gideon believed...and was afraid. But the angel reassured him that he would not die (a real possibility for looking upon the Lord directly), so he built an altar called Jehovah-shalom, or the Lord is peace.

God instructed Gideon to tear down his fathers idols, including an altar to Baal and an Asherah pole, and use their pieces as a burnt offering. He did it, but only under the cover of darkness for fear of what others in the community might think. I've been there to; God says do something and I feel the need to sneak and do it because people might think I'm crazy or weird. Sure enough, when it was discovered the next morning, the people were angry and ready to kill Gideon. But, Gideon's father, Joash, stood up for him. It was his stuff that Gideon destroyed, he had been doing the wrong thing in the sight of God, but when the time came, he did what was right. He stood behind his son's leadership and challenged the mob to let their god defend himself against the true God.

That seemed to be convincing enough for the angry mob to just let it go. But, Gideon was still struggling with this whole hero thing. When the other nations formed an alliance against Israel, Gideon sounded a call to arms and readied the troops for battle, but he still had his doubts. He asked God for another sign that he would be with him - a wet fleece on dry ground. God did it. Yet, Gideon doubted and knew he was wrong for it. But at least he was honest with God about it. He asked for one more sign - dry fleece on wet ground - before he went, begging the Lord not to be angry with him in the process. So God did that too, and he was not angry.

God has so much patience with us and mercy on us, when we disobey, doubt and everything else. He is always ready to forgive and care for us as though we had done nothing wrong. He understands us in ways we'll never understand ourselves and loves us more that we could ever love him (or ourselves). He truly is amazing! I love you, Lord, as much as I can. Help me to love you even more. Thank you for your patience and forgiveness. Thank you for your love. Please continue to be a beacon of encouragement and hedge of protection. Increase my faith, so I will follow you willingly and without protest. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

A Woman's Touch

Judges 4:1-24

After Joshua died, the Israelites were ready to go about conquering their remaining land. God gave the tribe of Judah the go-ahead to attack the Canaanites first; and they did, with the help of Simeon's tribe. Together, they fought many battles and God gave them victory, though some tribes were more successful than others, taking the inhabitants as slaves rather than driving them completely out of the land.

Of course in true Israelite style, though that was not what God had told them to do. So, their disobedience caused God's anger to be kindled against them and he vowed not to drive their enemies out of their lands anymore. They would remain there and tempt them just as the Israelites seemed to demonstrate they wanted. They followed after other gods and turned away from God. So, instead of victory, they were constantly met with defeat.

That caused them to cry and complain and beg God to save them. Sound familiar? It does to me. Isn't it funny how some things get passed down through generations while others don't? By this time, all the first generation Israelites who had come out of Egypt and through the wilderness had died. These Israelites were the new generation; what they knew of God had been passed down to them. Yet, they managed to pick up the rebellious habits of their forefathers rather than the faithful ones.

But of course, when they cried out for help, God, with his infinite patience and grace, did just that. He sent them judges - to whom they didn't listen - but who would ultimately be their only saving grace from the enemies God left in place because of their disobedience. He had to teach them directly since they didn't learn from the mistakes of others before them.

Othniel, nephew and son-in-law of Caleb is the first judge mentioned. Through God, he conquered the king of Aram, bringing peace for 40 years. He died, Israel turned, God punished, Israel cried and God sent Ehud. He was left-handed, which was very rare back then. He used that to cleverly kill the King Eglon of Moab, bringing peace for 80 years. It's really a great story in Judges 3. After Ehud was Shamgar then, eventually, Deborah.

Her time to judge came after Israel's sin-punish-cry-save cycle that left them oppressed under King Jabin of Hazor by Sisera, his army commander. Deborah sent for Barak to lead the Israelites in battle against Sisera and he did, but only with her help. Because he wouldn't go on his own, she told him the victory would come at the hands of a woman and he would not get any of the credit.

So, they fought and won, but Sisera escaped. He went to his buddy Heber's house to hide and his wife, Jael, took him in. She gave him some warm milk and put him under a blanket and waited. Sisera fell asleep and Jael used that opportunity to take a tent peg and hammer to his temple, pinning him to the floor. Oh, the wiles of women!

God can and will use anyone and anything to accomplish his mission. Here Sisera thought he was running to the safety of a friend, but this woman did what she felt was right. She obviously disagreed with her husband about this guy and she was right [big surprise! ;-)]. So, Barak came looking for him and she showed him what she had done. That was the catalyst for Israel to eventually defeat Jabin.

Lord, let me not use my femininity as an excuse to not do your will. Let me, instead, use the wisdom and cunning you have endowed me with to do what you need me to do; even when you called a man to do it first. When the time comes and you bless me with a husband, help me to follow you when he cannot see your will clearly just as Jael did. Thank you, Lord, for finding me worthy to be used in your great plan. Continue to use this willing vessel. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.  

The Choice Is Yours

Joshua 24:1-31

After giving his guidance and wisdom to the leaders of Israel, Joshua called all the people together for some final words. In most situations like this, where a leader is leaving for whatever reason, he or she will give some words of encouragement, tell everyone how much they'll be missed, perhaps even what a good job they've done. But, as we're all well aware by now, this group was special, so they needed a little something extra.

Given their on again-off again history with obedience to God, Joshua took the time to remind the Israelites, specifically of all he had done for them. He started way back at Abraham's father, Terah, speaking of how they worshiped other gods, but through Abraham, they were delivered from that. He talked about how he was made the father of many nations through Isaac, and eventually Jacob and Esau. He reviewed how Jacob's descendants, who had migrated to Egypt, were delivered from oppression there by Moses and Aaron. Then, how they finally made it out of the wilderness and to the land they were promised. Joshua highlighted how God drove out all their enemies before them - even causing some of them to bless them - and made them victorious in battle.

To be sure that they did not take these things for granted, Joshua pointed out how the land they live on, they had never planted or plowed; and the food they ate, they had not grown. God had provided it all for them; sure, he provided some input and effort on their part, but he was really the one who had done all the work. That being the case, Joshua told them to make their choice, right then and there.

He told them to either choose God, or idols and false gods. It was totally up to them. They were familiar with both. Their ancestors had worshiped the false gods; they had dabbled in it every now and then. But they also knew the only true and living God; the one who had saved them and kept them and provided for them in ways none of those other gods could. Joshua stated, in no uncertain terms, that he and his family would serve the Lord.

With that all the people declared that they would serve God, of course. Now even their memories were refreshed of his goodness and mercy toward them. They recalled very clearly how he freed them from Egypt and defeated their enemies, the Amorites, as they entered their Promised Land. They were excited about serving God, and God alone.

But Joshua knew exactly to whom he was speaking, so he also issued a warning to the stiff-necked bunch. He knew they wouldn't last long before their devotion grew stale and the allure of other gods and religions lured them away. Or, perhaps, some difficult time would come and they would convince themselves that God had abandoned them, and so abandon him. So he warned them that if they did that, turn away from God, he would turn away from them. That would not only mean ceasing to bless them further, but also destroying the blessings he had already bestowed. (I hear Exodus 20:2-6)

But they insisted, their choice was made. They would serve the Lord! So Joshua told them to put their money where their mouths were - so to speak - and get rid of all their idols (yep, they still had them) and really devote themselves to worshiping God alone. He even made a monument as a reminder of their agreement (as was the case with most covenants during that time). With that, Joshua sent them all away and he  died in peace in the land he was given.

God, you have reminded us - of all the wonderful and wondrous things you have done for us. You have warned us - of the consequences of forsaking your love and following the lusts of the world. You have given us a choice today; one choice for the rest of our lives. So today, like many days before, including that first one so many years ago, I choose you. I choose to worship only you; serve only you; love only you as my God. Be a constant reminder for me; establish your Holy Spirit in my life as a monument to our covenant through Jesus. Open my eyes when I blindly wander away from you. Continue to draw nigh unto me as I draw nigh unto you. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Rest For The...Faithful

Joshua 23:1-16

 After many years for warring against the various nations of Canaan, God finally gave the Israelites peace. They had conquered many peoples and inhabited the land God promised to them. In the process, Joshua had grown old and was nearing his final days. So, he gathered the leaders and elders around and gave them some final words of wisdom.

Now there was nothing particularly profound, or exciting or even new about what he told them, but it was exactly what they needed to hear. He reminded them, once again, of all God had done for them through the years. He told them again that the land conquered, and yet to be conquered, belonged to them. And, he told them that the Lord would be the one to make it happen. Most importantly, though, Joshua told the people that they had to be very sure that they adhered to God's commands.

He warned them not to follow the traditions and habits of the people left in the lands that they took over; that included worshiping their gods. In fact, he told them not to even mention their names! Joshua emphasized that if they did turn from God to follow the customs of the other nations, intermarrying with them and such, God would remove his covering from them. He would no longer protect them and drive their enemies out of their Promised Land. Even worse, the very people and things they turned their backs on God for would be the same to cause them grief and cause God to wipe them out completely from the land they battled so long and hard to gain.

This important advice is what Joshua shared as his days diminished. God has been with you in your battles, and now has given you rest. But, you must remain faithful to him, or he will take away all that he has given you and let you suffer the consequences of your actions.

So, Lord, I pray that I will forever remain faithful to your will for my life. I pray that I will follow whatever guidance you give me, regardless of how I feel about it. I thank you for my times of rest from the troubling of the wicked. Let me not take those for granted and turn away from your love. Let me not be blinded by the temporary pleasures of this world and wooed away from your miraculous favor. Help me to not forsake the covering of your grace for the hidden snares and traps of sin. Thank you, God, for my life in you. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Victory By Association

Joshua 10:1-15

Now that they were cleansed again from the sin within their ranks, the Israelites could get on with the business of taking control of their Promised Land. They were back in God's good graces and could now carry out the next assignment. This came in the form of a combined attack with their recently formed allies, the Gibeonites, against the Amorites of southern Canaan.

Having heard of the Israelites great success against other armies, which were larger and stronger, the king of Jerusalem decided to go on the offensive; but, of course, not alone. He gathered up as many nations as he could convince to help him to attack Gibeon. So, his and the armies of the four nations he recruited set out to destroy Gibeon simply because they had learned the lesson - if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

Well, when Gibeon was attacked, messengers were sent to ask their new ally, Joshua, for help. What a novel idea; surely those other kings had no idea that would happen. (Hopefully, you can hear my sarcasm there.) Honestly, they must have heard about how God fought all of Israel's winning battles for them; and how he favored them against their enemies. And, as a general rule of war, when nations become allies, they assist each other when called upon. So, I wonder how, exactly, these five kings thought they were going to come out on top.

But, I digress. When the call came, Joshua and the Israelite army sprung into action, attacking the Amorite armies by surprise at night. They continued the slaughter into the day, chasing them out of the town; their efforts surpassed by a hail storm that God sent to kill even more of them. Joshua even prayed for the sun and the moon to stand still, and it they did until their enemy was soundly defeated. Look at God!

They were just allies. They were not even the chosen nation. But the Gibeonites were saved, by God, through their relationship with the Israelites. Even though the Gibeonites made peace with Israel and became their allies through deception, their motive was similar to the one that caused them to be attacked by the Amorites. They heard about Israel's success in battle and they were afraid; of course, God also told them directly that they were doomed because Israel had been promised their land. But they did the smart thing, the wise thing, and joined with Israel.

They may not have fully understood why Israel was so successful, but they certainly learned that day. Joshua prayed in front of the people, so they could see from whence this victory came; directly from God. And, I'm sure the Gibeonites were grateful for the choice they made - to align themselves with greatness, with favor, with God - as they were defended.

That reminds me of Jesus. When we make peace with him and become his ally, all we have to do is call on him and he'll step right in on our behalf. Come to think of it, once the Amorites attacked, there was no mention at all of the Gibeonite army, even though they were known as strong warriors. Israel stepped in and completely took over. That's how Jesus is with us, too. Though we may be tough and give it our best shot in life, when trouble comes and we call on the Lord, he will completely fight our battles for us; until the bitter end.

Thank you, God, for Jesus; my ally and defender. Thank you for you love, favor, grace and mercy - by proxy - through him. Thank you for allowing me to simply call on his name and be saved. God, you are so awesome! I love you, Lord. Thank you for being a provider and way-maker. Please continue to keep me in your will and on your side. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen

One Bad Apple

Joshua 7:1-26

Have you ever been in a situation where you were with a group of people, having a good time without a care in the world and then somebody gets out of hand? They mess up the whole atmosphere and ruin the good time for everybody. Well, that is exactly what happened in this part of the story for the Israelites.

God had tested their faithfulness to conquer Jericho and they were successful. They had followed his instructions to the letter, and they were rewarded with inhabiting the land. Their faith and confidence were high, their doubt and fear were low, and they were ready to go on to the next town in Canaan - Ai. As had become his custom, Joshua sent his spies to the land and they came back with their report.

They essentially told him, "we got this!", because there were so few inhabitants of Ai. In fact they told Joshua that they wouldn't even need the whole army to take them out. So they sent a small group, about 3,000 soldiers in, expecting to defeat them soundly and make way for further movement into that land.

Little did they know, there was a bad apple in the bunch. So they went to Ai to crush the few people who were there, only to be overpowered and run out by them, losing about 36 men as they retreated! Of course, Joshua was extremely disappointed and all the people were shocked and their fear returned to them. The Lord had been with them, making them victorious and now all of a sudden he wasn't. What happened?

Well, in the midst of Joshua's pity party, he asked God that very thing. How did that happen and what was going to happen next? Everyone would hear about how they were defeated by such a small troop and they would become easy prey, sitting ducks. They would bring shame to the name of the Lord! But God told him to pull himself together and stop his crying and complaining. They had brought it on themselves because not everyone in the group had followed all the instructions concerning the taking of Jericho.

Can you imagine how Joshua must have felt, or what he must have been thinking? Here he was doing the right thing, leading the people, following the plan and somebody in his group was sabotaging everything! To put it in the terms of some of my friends, he must have been 38 hot! Not only did God tell him what was done, he told him exactly how to go about finding the one who did it, so he could be destroyed and Israel could be saved.

So, at the Lord's direction, Joshua called everybody together, lined up by tribe. The tribe of the guilty man was called forward, then his clan, then his family and finally him - Achan. Then came the 'I know you did it, just admit it' moment, and sure enough he did. He had stolen a robe and some silver and gold that was supposed to consecrated to God and hidden it in his tent. The search team went and found it just as he described. And so he was punished.

But, not so fast. Remember that whole 'one bad apple' thing? Yeah, so just as his sin had caused Israel to lose a battle (and some confidence), his punishment would cost him his life. If only that were all. But wait, there's more! It also cost the lives of his entire family...sons, daughters, livestock...everybody and everything (including the things he stole)! They were all taken out to the valley of Achor and stoned, then burned them.

My, oh my. So the next time you feel like watching someone do the wrong thing and not saying anything, think about this story. Everybody was doing what was right, except one individual man; and his disobedience and greed caused so much turmoil and trouble for the entire group. We are our brother's keepers. We cannot be constantly surrounded by sin and not expect to be affected by it; especially when it is that of a fellow believer. We, first have to recognize it, then get rid of it. Otherwise, we stand to face the consequences of having done it ourselves. Fortunately for us, Jesus already died as the ultimate sacrifice, but that does not excuse us from our responsibility of holding each other accountable for our actions.

So I pray, Lord, please keep me from sin for the sake of my brothers and sisters in Christ, if not for my own. Help me to recognize sin in others and give me a heart of love and patience to confront them about it. Give us all a repentant heart, Lord, when sin does make its way into our lives, so that we will not dishonor your name. Help us to always be obedient to your will and not let the riches and lusts of this world take over. Keep us pure in your sight and set apart for your service. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.