2nd Evangelical Free Church

Blogging through Judges: A false holiness.

Judges 18

On the surface, there seems to be quite a bit of religious devotion displayed by the tribesmen of Dan. There was talk of the Lord, worship, a priest, as well as the seeking of divine counsel, all the elements of a holy war. Yet the portrait we get of Dan is of an idolatrous bunch of people as well as greedy bullies who prey on the weak and unsuspecting. This tribe had lost its inheritance to the Amorites. Rather than fight for what had been given them by God, they chose to take land that was not rightfully theirs. They used religion to justify themselves, yet it was idolatry. The priest, Jonathan went along went them because he saw this as an opportunity to promote himself into a place of prominence and leadership.

When we look at believers we often see them using religion or God to get approval for their own agendas, plans, wants and desires. Sadly we see it also in churches, both mainstream and evangelical. Churches justify all sorts of unbiblical practices and programs under the guise of doing the Lord’s work. Many take sides in worldly political issues claiming they know the will of God when they are just seeking to give the appearance of intelligence and godliness. 

In addition, many ministers and pastors use their office to advance their careers, gain power, influence, wealth and prestige for themselves claiming they are doing it for the Lord. Meanwhile their lives are marked by idolatry, lust and selfishness. Such behavior is a bad testimony that reflects badly on the whole church and on Christ Himself. Therefore we believers have an obligation to rebuke believers teaching false doctrine and engaging in sloppy self-centered worship.

 

Blogging through Judges: Another dysfunctional family.

Judges 17

T he rest of Judges depicts the sorry state of spirituality, morality and law as Israel sank steadily downward after the death of Samson. This family we see here, Micah and his mother, show us what family life was like during this time. Micah was covetous, greedy, disrespectful, and a thief just like his mother who was also a liar who had not properly raised her son. Both of them saw nothing wrong with worshipping idols, although in their case, the idols they worshipped were images of Yahweh.

Micah hired a Levite to be his personal priest. This Levite was looking for financial support. This is an indication that the Israelites were hoarding their money and property and no longer tithing. The tithe was the primary source of income for Levites. The priest did not rebuke Micah or his mother for their sin and idolatry nor did he teach them the Law of the Lord. In exchange for money he became a party to their detestable and abhorrent lifestyle. This is a strong indication of how far even the priesthood of the Lord had been corrupted.

 Micah was a disobedient and corrupt man, but he was just a reflection of his mother. This tells us that how we live our lives sets an example for our children to follow. We may teach them morality with words even from God’s word. Yet the greatest influence on them will be our actions and our attitudes. These have more of a direct affect on how they will live their lives. Therefore we must always practice what we preach or else our children can rightly call us hypocrites.  

 

Blogging through Judges: The deadly allure of sexual desire cripples leadership.

Judges 16

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have often wondered why Samson is even included in this book or even why he is considered so great. Perhaps it makes good entertainment, but Samson was a poor example of a godly man. He never prayed except once to satisfy his flesh. He never spoke godly wisdom for in fact he was quite stupid as we see here in the incident with Delilah. After the first three attempts he should have realized what she was up to. Perhaps he was blinded by his lust, a slave to sexual passions. Perhaps he began to think he was invincible, that the strength came not from God, or from his hair but from himself. When the hair was shaved, however, he had violated the last of his vows and the Lord left him.

None of Samson’s accomplishments freed the land from the yoke of oppression although the Philistines suffered serious setbacks especially in the end. One can only imagine what he could have accomplished if he had rallied the people of Israel and focused his attentions on doing the Lord’s will. Sadly, Samson learned these lessons at the end of his life. Only then he realized that he needed to depend on the Lord for strength, wisdom, in fact, for all things.

Many Christian leaders fall because they begin to forget they are servants of God not overseers. They begin to think they are special, in some way superior to the rest of believers. They rely on their own abilities to accomplish tasks and solve problems. Inevitably they fall and in the process damage the work of the Lord. All Christians, leaders or otherwise are called to be servants to obey the will of the Lord and seek His glory not their own. Many learn this lesson, like Samson, at a terrible cost.

 

Blogging through Judges: Lessons on poor leadership.

Judges 15

Samson is an example of a poor leader. While he possessed the great physical strength that is often an important asset for leadership, he was not able to properly utilize it. He reacted impulsively and with violent anger to achieve vengeance for personal wrongs. He was not able to inspire the armed men of Israel to join him in the battle, he did not enter into good relationships and so did not delegate responsibility to his subordinates because there were none. He took the whole job on himself. Yet he had no strategy or plan other than to hurt and kill as many Philistines as possible. He failed to follow up on any of his victories.

Samson is also an example of the wasteful and destructive nature of anger. People waste a lot of time and energy getting revenge and displaying fits of anger. They get angry because some one has shown them disrespect, rudeness or cheated them in some way. Their feelings are often just a matter of their own perception. They can choose to ignore insults because they really do not matter: the only person whose opinion counts is the Lord’s. Nevertheless, people choose to lose control. Their anger causes them to react on impulse, without thought, reasonableness, charity or clear-headedness. Anger escalates into violence. The Christian knows better than to take revenge. The Lord calls us to display peacefulness, mercy, and forgiveness even when we have been hurt.

Blogging through Judges: Samson is a good example of how not to live.

Judges 14

Samson was dedicated to the Lord as a Nazirite. If he was to wage a holy war on behalf of Yahweh, he was to remain pure and separated from sin. But as we read we wonder how he could remain filled with the Spirit of the Lord for it is obvious he was a man ruled by his sensual appetites. He desired a pagan wife for he was attracted by her beauty. He showed disrespect to his parents by desiring such a wife and by ordering them to make the arrangements for him. He went to a vineyard to eat grapes in violation of the Nazirite vow. He not only touched the dead body of the lion he slew, he ate honey he found in it. 

The story of the lion may seem to be incidental to us, as just an example of Samson’s great strength, yet it is essential to understanding Samson’s life. The incident became the basis for Samson’s display of violent anger that ensued at his wedding feast. In addition it provided the means by which the Lord began to unleash his wrath upon the Philistines. This does not mean the Lord condoned any of Samson’s sins. It does show us that the Lord can work through whomever he chooses and can use even their sins to accomplish His purposes.

Samson shows us that a person who indulges the flesh is a poor candidate for leadership of any kind: political, corporate or ecclesiastical. We should never excuse the sins and avarice of Church leaders and other Christians because they are the Lord’s “anointed” or “filled with His Spirit”. Christian leaders should be humble servants of God not overlords who bully people or boss them around. 

 

Blogging through Judges: An answer to a mother’s prayer.

Judges 13

Samson is perhaps the most well known of all the judges due in large part to his great physical strength. The Lord provided him as the one who would deliver the Israelites from the oppression of the Philistines. The people did not cry out to God in the midst of their oppression. Samson came in answer to the prayer of Manoah’s wife, who was barren. The people were apparently much too comfortable with their oppressors. There was a great benefit in serving the Philistines: the liberty to indulge the appetites of the flesh by serving the gods of fertility. The people forgot God and His law in favor of sensual pleasure.

So the Lord provided a deliverer to the people through Manoah and his wife. They knew who the Lord was and they knew His law although they were still influenced by the attitude of compromise that pervaded Israel. The Lord chose them because they were the among the faithful few in the midst of a people who had turned away from their God. We who live in the midst of a people who worship gods of materialism, power and ego should also remain faithful to God. We must be models of Christian humility and discipline so that our children will learn from us and not succumb to the temptations of the world. We must turn from sinful indulgence and set for them an example of simplicity, charity, restraint and godly discipline. 

 

Blogging through Judges: Don’t waste your life..

Judges 12

The Ephraimites chastised Jephtah as they had Gideon. Yet now they stubbornly refused to apologize. Their pride resulted in civil war. The interesting way the Ephraimites are distinguished is by their mispronunciation of the word “shibboleth”. This word has come into the English language to indicate a catch-word, slogan, language, philosophy or viewpoint that one group uses to identify its members and to distinguish them from other groups. 

After Jephtah there were 3 other judges each of whom appeared to have had lackluster careers. That is most unfortunate since the judges were called not to be kings or autocrats, but servants of the people. In fact the name Abdon means service or servant. Apparently his parents were godly enough to desire a son who would serve the Lord. But both Abdon and Ibzan were more interested in the fame, prestige and wealth that came from being a judge. Neither man displayed any desire to serve others or the Lord. They both were polygamists whose families flaunted their wealth. And as for Ibzan, he married his children off to non-Israelites probably for political reasons as marriages often sealed treaties and alliances. In essence these judges wasted their lives and their talents doing things for themselves rather than for the Lord. 

We believers should be careful not to waste the blessings of the Lord on ourselves or even our families. Everything that we have or own comes from God. He desires that we use it for His glory and honor. He desires that we bring our children up to love and serve Him. The purpose of life is to worship and serve the Lord. Apart from that life is without meaning.

 

 

Blogging through Judges: The mysterious fate of Jephtah’s daughter.

Judges 11

Jephtah was an outcast from Israelite society for he was an illegitimate child. He associated with similar men who were considered to be untrustworthy and dishonorable. One wonders how aware he was of the Law of God. He was an unlikely candidate for leadership, but as we have seen before the Lord chooses those who the world would not. The Spirit of the Lord was with him when he defeated the Ammonites.

In the process Jephtah made a rather rash and inappropriate vow even though he was filled with the Spirit. Theologians are divided on the issue of whether or not he actually sacrificed his daughter as a burnt offering. Human sacrifice by an Israelite would indicate how far the people as a whole had strayed from Yahweh. Jephtah could have been so tainted by Ammonite religion that he thought it an appropriate offering. Yet he would have to make it at a pagan altar. An Israelite priest would not perform such a sacrifice at the Tabernacle of the Lord. Yet since the sacrifice of a human being was an abomination that would displease the Lord, it appears more likely that Jephtah made a substitution to redeem the girl as allowed by the Law (Leviticus 27:1-8). The Lord would not have allowed continued victory if Jephtah had committed such a heinous sin. Although the girl was not slain, she would have been dedicated to lifetime service in the tabernacle and never married. This would have been a grievous sacrifice for Jephtah for it would leave him with no descendants. 

The lesson we learn is to watch what we say and be wary of the promises we make. We should never propose to do something that is contrary to the Scriptures even if it be a promise made to the Lord. The fact is millions yearly default on the promises that made in the presence of God through adultery and divorce. They can be sure that they will reap the Lord’s punishment (for unbelievers) or discipline (for believers) for sin.  

 2nd Evangelical Free Church of Brooklyn

 

Blogging through Judges: The allure of idolatry.

Judges 10

The next two judges, Tola and Jair are mentioned only briefly. The impression one would get is that they did not do anything that was impressive or important. Yet both men judged Israel for over 20 years each. But these periods were hardly a time of peace and calm, but of moral decay. Jair was influenced by pagan ways: he had 30 sons; he was a polygamist. His sons were fond of their position as they rode about like kings on donkeys. Israel nevertheless continued to deteriorate as she lapsed deeper and deeper into idolatry. The Israelites began to worship territorial gods, fertility gods, and those which demanded infant sacrifice. Rather than bringing them wealth, prosperity and pleasure these gods only brought slavery and oppression.

In the modern world we have seen a great turning away from the God of the Bible. People are running after other gods who endorse selfishness and immorality and promise wealth, fame, freedom and spiritual enlightenment. These gods allow people to fulfill their fleshly appetites and lusts without shame, accountability or fear. Unfortunately, like the Israelites, such people do not find liberation or enlightenment, but only slavery to their own passions and to the devil. 

This idolatry has also pervaded the church. The Jesus many Christians worship is a God of love and forgiveness but not a God who demands justice, sacrifice, commitment or repentance. Many Christians practice or promote fortune-telling, horoscopes. Many engage in or condone fornication, adultery, pornography and others sins of the flesh. Like the Jews under Tola and Jair, they think they are doing what they want, what will bring them happiness and contentment but they are enslaved to the world.

 

2nd Evangelical Free Church of Brooklyn

Blogging through Judges: How to be a leader without accountability.

Judges 9

The situation revealed here shows us how confusing and disorderly life became in Israel. After Gideon more and more people did not want to obey the Lord. In order to circumvent the Lord’s discipline, they sought a leader who would protect them from their enemies but not hold them accountable to the Law of the Lord. Abimelech was just the person. He was a fierce warrior and a murderer, filled with greed and lust. His ambition drove him to murder all his own brothers save one. That one, Jotham, placed a prophetic curse on the people for choosing Ablimelech. The story he told of the trees reveals that his leadership was like the bramble bush. It provided nothing that was essential to life as did the olive and fig trees and the grape vine. It gave some shade from the heat of the sun but this was a weak form of protection. The point was that as leader Abimelech offered nothing. 

The lesson we learn here concerns the results of unbridled ambition. Many people seek power, pleasure, fame and riches in life and do not care how they get it. They will emotionally (and often physically) hurt, cripple or destroy everyone who gets in their way. And such people are not only admired and emulated by our culture, they are rewarded. Unfortunately those who follow such people are trusting in the bramble bush. All such people will surely reap the results of their idolatrous folly in this life or the next.

 

2nd Evangelical Free Church of Brooklyn