On the Way to Wonder

This week we looked at the period of history called Judges in the epic story of the Bible.  It never ceases to amaze me how easy it is to forget how God has helped us is in the past.  The story of Exodus is told and retold throughout the Bible.  After the Patriarchs and the formation of a young nation in Egypt and now led into the Promised Land, a period of time passed where the people of Israel fell into cycles of forgetting God, getting themselves into trouble and God sending a judge to help them get out.  But invariably once the judge died, the people forgot and fell into the cycle again. Deborah, Gideon and Sampson were three of those judges, each with flaws but each choosing to obey.  Yesterday we looked at an outsider, Ruth, who joined the line of heroes.  It is amazing that God repeatedly comes to the rescue of his wayward people, not because they are good but because he is good and determined to bless that nation and all nations through them.

         As we end the week, it makes me think of one of the most favorite hymns, Amazing Grace, written by John Newton.  At age 11 he began the life of a hardened sailor and eventually was immersed in slave trade.  A fierce storm at sea put fear in his heart and he began to read Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis.  God used John and Charles Wesley and George Whitefield, famous preachers then to help change this slave trader into an Anglican pastor.  Newton introduced simple heartfelt hymns into the church.  Newton knew there was no person beyond God’s grace and that even evil slave traders could be redeemed.  Judges tells stories of Gods continual attempts to reach out and rescue his people when they call out to him in despair.  He sees, he hears and he cares.

Following the book of Judges comes the book of Ruth.  In Judges the Israelites “did what was right in their own eyes” rather than obeying God and thus fell into trouble. God would appoint a judge to help them rescue them and they would forget.  The book of Ruth is one of two books named after female heroines.  Ruth was not an Israelite!  She was a Moabitis, from across the border, distantly related to the Israelites, as Moab was the grandson of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. 

         Famine came to Bethlehem and a family fled to Moab.  Ruth married one of the two sons but her father-in-law, her husband and husband’s brother had all died.  There was no male leadership or protection in this little family.  Her mother-in-law, Naomi, decided to return to Bethlehem.  Ruth, in her famous speech, begged Naomi to be allowed to go with her.  As an immigrant to Bethlehem, living with a starving bitter woman, Ruth showed character but also showed that Naomi, even in her most discouraged, perhaps lowest time in life, lived a faith that inspired Ruth to follow her.  Perhaps we are not the best judges of the testimony of our life!

         Ruth followed Naomi back to Bethlehem, went to the fields to glean that is pick up fallen grain after the harvesters, followed culture by going to the threshing floor at night to signal Boaz, the owner, of her availability for marriage and was praised by the Bethlehemites as a woman of integrity and faith.  That’s a pretty good resume and a story worth reading.     Sometimes in the detours of our life, we learn and grow in ways that develop an epic life story unfolding and that impacts the direction of our life and the direction of the future.  Yes, Ruth marries Boaz and has a son who is the grandfather of King David.  Ruth is one of the four women listed in the genealogy of Jesus.

         Detours in life are so hard to understand at the time.  The Israelites keep falling into a cycle of forgetting God and then being called back to faith by the judge.  Ruth experienced death and loss of country.  So hard, but during the hard time Ruth had to reach inside herself and learn in a new way what she believed and who she could trust.  Perhaps today it would be helpful to reflect on a rough time in your life or perhaps you are going through a rough time.  What lessons did you learn and what might you be learning now?  Ruth aligned herself with a woman of faith and trusted God to bring about a blessing.  God is working to bless you today too even if life feels difficult.  Blessings as you stretch your spiritual muscles to trust him.

Judges 13-16 finds the Israelites again doing “evil in the eyes of the Lord” and so being oppressed for 40 years by the Philistines.  This time God chooses an old barren couple and blesses them with a son who is to be raised as a Nazirite, a child dedicated to God from birth.  This meant no fermented drink and no cutting of hair.  They named the boy Sampson and that name we associate with strength.  When the spirit of God came on Sampson, he could do great feats of strength and help the Israelites but Sampson had a temper and he became involved with the wrong women.  He lacked self-control in his passions.  The woman who brought about his downfall was Delilah.  Delilah managed to get Sampson to tell her that the secret to his strength as a Nazirite was his hair.  It had never been cut.  Delilah tells the secret and men come and gouge out Sampson’s eyes and make him work pushing a grindstone

         I think one of the saddest verses in the Bible comes as Sampson awakes, not realizing his hair had been cut in his sleep by his “love” and we read, “But he (Sampson) did not know that the Lord had left him.”  How many gifted leaders fall because of lack of self-control and moments of weakness?  In the midst of sinful self-indulgence they do not realize that God has left them.  An eternal relationship that is the source of blessing and power is traded for a moment of pleasure.  That which is sacred, his vow as a Nazirite, is traded to appease a momentary problem, Delilah’s whining.

         What lesson might we carry away from this story?  Most of us are not Sampsons.  But, perhaps we need to reflect on the source of our power.  We each are gifted as part of the body of Christ and we have a part to play.  Everyone is important.  We may not be a judge but we are part of God’s epic story that is unfolding.  Are we being tempted to trade the eternal relationship for a momentary pleasure?  In the end Sampson repents and we can repent also, but I wonder what might have been.  How sad to wake up one day and not realize that God has left you and you are weak.  Let us guard that which is precious and our source of strength.  Our relationship with God is eternal and he wants to use you! 

Judges 6 and 7 is about Gideon.  Israel is in trouble again.  They are living in caves, hiding from enemies and Gideon is threshing wheat in a winepress to trick the enemy. The angel of the Lord appears and blesses Gideon.  “If that is so, why are we struggling?” Gideon asks.  The angel says God is going to use Gideon.  “If that is so, I am the youngest, weakest, least respected – the runt of the litter.”  Have you felt that way?  How could God use you – old, uneducated, not so smart, poor, and the list goes on for why God can’t use a person like me.  But God had chosen Gideon.  Gideon asks for proof, a sign.  We call it a fleece because Gideon laid out a fleece from a sheep and asked for the fleece to be wet and the ground dry in the morning if it truly was God’s will to use him.  So it was the next morning.  Gideon realized that could be explained scientifically so then asked for dry fleece and wet ground.  So it was.  Gideon raised an army of 32,000 men.  This time God objected.  Too many men.  So Gideon sent home any scared, any just married, and unwilling and he was down to 10,000 men.  God objected again.  Too many men.  Gideon sent the men to drink water.  Only the 300 men who cupped their hands and lapped like a dog were chosen to go into battle.  Gideon had his men but he still had doubts so he snuck down to the enemy camp and heard a soldier tell his friend that he had just had a nightmare about Gideon defeating them.  Gideon was finally convinced and rallied his 300 men and defeated a vast army of trained soldiers!!!  40 years of peace followed.

         Doubt is a terrible crippling force.  I have often joked, “If only God would send me a fax!”  Discerning and confirming God’s will is often a genuine challenge.  Some decisions are fairly straight forward.  Breaking the Ten Commandments is not advised.  Other decisions like choosing a job or choosing a spouse is much harder.  Then there are those choices that confront my will like forgiving a wrong done to me by someone.  Tithing sometimes falls in this category.  Very few decisions truly need to be settled so urgently that we cannot seek confirmation.

         I note from our text that God is willing to work with Gideon so that Gideon is convinced God is speaking.  I also note that might does not necessarily make right and that God is willing to use a humble, ordinary person to accomplish his will.  It would seem that God had more confidence in Gideon than Gideon had in Gideon.  God has more confidence in us than often we have in ourselves.  As we step forward in obedience we often will see our faith grow and strengthen as we see God work.  Perhaps you are feeling a challenge – to share your faith with someone, sing in the choir, visit a neighbor, or forgive.  Seeking confirmation is ok.  Gideon had to rely on God’s Spirit and God got the glory.  That’s the way it ought to be.  Right?  Of course right!  Blessing as you step into your challenge!

Judges 4 and 5 tells the history of two remarkable women who were significant during the period of the judges.  “Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.”  The Israelites would go to her to settle their disputes.  Deborah sent for General Barak and told him that God wanted him to raise an army of 10,000 to take against their Canaanite oppressor, Jabin.  Deborah was obviously listening to God and willing to obey.  Barak was not so sure but agreed to go if Deborah went with him.  Her ability to hear God’s command and her presence made a difference and gave her the courage to go with Barak.

         In the battle, Jabin’s general, Sisera, escaped and hid in a tent of another woman, Jael.  Jael, of a tribe related to the Israelites through Moses, welcomed Sisera and gave him some milk and let him sleep.  While he was sleeping, she summoned her courage and drove a tent peg through his brain!  Ouch.  Chapter 5 is Deborah’s song praising the way God used these two women, both courageously.  The chapter ends, “Then the land had peace forty years.”

         “Nine hundred chariots fitted with iron” were defeated by the Israelite army with few weapons, yes, but mostly because two women were listening to God in overwhelming circumstances and acted courageously.  I suspect it was not their gender that counted but that they were in tune with God.  Barak is mentioned in Hebrews 11, the faith chapter that lists heroes in the Bible.  Sisera did lead an army but was ultimately defeated by a woman obedient to God when the chips were down.

         We all face challenges.  It may just be the eternal battle with the bathroom scale.  It may be a wayward child.  It may be a problem at work that needs the wisdom of Solomon.  Our leaders are facing decisions that need to be made in our polarized political world regarding immigration, environment, voter rights, or what.  None of these are easy answers.  It is easy to become discouraged and passive.  Our passage today encourages us to listen for God’s voice as we deal with our problems and encourages us to be courageous in doing what needs to be done.  But likewise we need to remember to pray for our leaders whether they “sit in court” making difficult decisions, lead armies, or are busy at home but sensitive to the moment when it presents itself.  Let us pray for our leaders today in whatever field God lays on your heart that they will be listening for his voice, and may be wise and courageous.  Blessings.

After the fireworks of July 4^th comes the hard work of creating a democracy that continues on July 5^th.  Our epic hero, God, has created a young emerging nation despite the efforts of our epic villain, Satan, to defeat it.  Joshua leads the Israelites into the Promised Land and assigns portions to each tribe.  Joshua passes, though, and a new generation grows up who has not experienced the mighty works of its ancestors.

         The history of the Israelites under the leadership of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and Joshua is called the time of the Patriarchs.  Between them and King David and King Solomon is a period called the Judges.  The tribes are conquering their territory and “becoming.”  Two major problems face this young nation.  Comparisonitis: the established tribes around them have kings for leaders, not some unseen God who identifies himself as “I AM.”  Second, the other tribes worship idols that are concrete statues and have fun rituals like temple prostitutes.  Can the laws given on Mt. Sinai forge a nation loyal to “I AM”?  Can any law create relationship?  True relationship requires true freedom.

         Judges 2:6-3:6, our reading for today, tells how the people would be faithful for awhile, become lazy in caring for their relationship with God, slip into idolatry, get themselves in trouble until they would cry out to “I AM” for rescue.  God would raise up a judge to lead the people for a period but if left to themselves they would forget God once the problem passed.  I suspect we are similar.  We pray hard when we have problems and would like miraculous rescues from God but when times are good, we are more likely to be slack on our spiritual disciplines. 

         God left the raiders and enemies to harass the Israelites so they would learn to do battle with evil as they had “not had previous battle experience.”  I have heard it said, don’t pray for patience because you will then get trials that teach you patience!  Perhaps the saying is, “Necessity is the mother of invention.”  God was training his nation to depend on him as they defeated their enemies and to worship him alone.

         As we think about the cycles we go through in our spiritual walk, we might ask ourselves what phase we are in.  Are you in a dry phase when God feels distant?  Perhaps you are learning to go deeper in prayer.  Are you feeling frustrated in your relationship with God?  How might that be resolved from your side ie not what God needs to do to make you happy but what you might need to do to ease the tension – more prayer, more reading, journaling, time with music, or perhaps call a friend to talk it over with.  C. S. Lewis in his book, Screwtape Letters described human beings as beings ruled by the law of undulation, always going up and down.  He offers that it is like a child learning to walk and says, the parent is never happier than when that child takes those tottering steps not sensing the parents presence.  I like that picture.  The parent, God, is so proud and the child, me, is learning.  We will see how this works for the Israelites this week.  Blessings.

As we come to July 4^th celebrations and hear about all the tensions in our world today, the story of Joshua assuming leadership in the shadow of Moses’ memory, leading the Israelites across the Jordan River, and then leading them into battle at Jericho reminds us that things like troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and all the uncertainty on the news is not new news.  The search for peace seems to be a universal quest.  We are comforted by John 16:33 where Jesus says, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”

         The hymn “Peace, Perfect Peace” was written by an English Anglican minister, Edward Bickersteth, Jr while vacationing in 1875.  He was deeply touched hearing a sermon on Isaiah 26:3.  “Thou wilt keep him in peace, peace whose mind is stayed on Thee.”  Isaiah repeated the word “peace” twice so Bickersteth emphasized this repeat by coining “peace, perfect peace.”   That afternoon he visited a dying relative and read the lyrics he had jotted down which take the form of five questions with five answers.

• Peace, perfect peace — in this dark world of sin?  The blood of Jesus whispers peace within.
• Peace, perfect peace — by thronging duties pressed?  To do the will of Jesus, this is rest.
• Peace, perfect peace—with sorrows surging round?  On Jesus’ bosom naught but calm is found.
• Peace, perfect peace—with loved ones far away?  In Jesus’ keeping, we are safe, and they.
• Peace, perfect peace—our future all unknown?  Jesus we know, and He is on the throne.

As you celebrate this weekend and ponder the realities of our world, may you find perfect peace in trust that God is with you.

Joshua 5:13-6:27.  The Israelites cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land but the first challenge is Jericho.  The Battle of Jericho presents two facts that are not so comfortable.  Achieving our dream does not mean that challenges and trials will not come.  We get married but in fact, we do not live happy ever after.  We discover the spouse is not perfect – nor are we.  We get that perfect job but our coworker has rough edges and there are deadlines to meet.  We buy that beautiful house of our dreams but we have to pay the mortgage.  In this world, crossing into our dream experience is often a rude awakening.  It will only be perfect as we cross into heaven and we live totally under God’s rules.  We believe life then will finally become “happy ever after.”  For now we face two realities.  God does not tolerate idolatry and God forgives.

         Joshua and the Israelites must defeat Jericho.  Our epic hero is building a nation to bless all nations and perhaps it is not surprising that God does not tolerate idolatry.  He did not tolerate it in Egypt or with the Golden Calf.  In our age of tolerance and the tendency to believe all religions lead to a god, we may find this story a bit challenging.  We do not like to separate things into right and wrong.  The areas the people of Israel were moving into, though, served baals or deities that used women as temple prostitutes, that offered human and child sacrifices and did not acknowledge “I AM.”  In God’s kingdom idolatry is not tolerated.  “I AM” is God and not our senses. It will be an ongoing theme throughout the Bible and an ongoing battle for people.

         Secondly, we meet Rahab, the prostitute.  She is the second woman listed in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus.  Rahab sees reality, God is on the Israelites side, and pleads for mercy for herself and her family.  Colloquially we would say, Rahab sought forgiveness. Rahab and family are spared.  Rahab marries Boaz’s father and Boaz marries Ruth who becomes the great grandmother of King David!  In the midst of the ugliness of life with all its challenges exists a beautiful example of what happens when we seek mercy from God.  God is just and God is merciful.

         So perhaps we need to ask ourselves today if we have become sloppy and compromised our values, trusting that God is love and will turn a blind eye.  While we believe in God’s presence, we live as if God is preoccupied with “the other guy.”  That sneaky side of our human nature is so easy to ignore and we convince ourselves we will do better tomorrow.  In truth, we lie to ourselves and compromise the faith in a God who guards our lives.  Now is the time to “come clean”.  1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  That seems easy but is so hard to come to the point of doing.  Let those walls of self come tumbling down, CRASH. God give you the strength to seek his face today.  He is merciful.  Blessings.

Joshua 3 and 4.  According to Webster’s Dictionary “crossing over” is the name for receiving genetic material from mother and father in the forming baby at conception.  We often speak of death as crossing over the River Jordan.  For Christians, we would believe we are still the same being but somehow through the death experience receive our spiritual, eternal bodies to live in the Promised Land, heaven.  A bit heady but the reading today talks about the crossing over the River Jordan experience for the people of Israel and Joshua.

         We first note that this experience is very similar to Moses leading the people through the Red Sea.  The water parts and the people walk across on dry ground and then the water returns.  The text today has some differences, though. 

• Joshua does not extend a rod like Moses did but rather orders the priests to carry the Ark of the Covenant into the middle of the river.  Our epic story with an epic hero is beginning to show the start of a young nation.  There is now a clan of priests to lead worship.  There is now an Ark of the Covenant symbolizing the presence of God in the midst of his people. A mass of people is taking on structure.
• The Israelites are not fleeing an army but embracing a promise.
• The priests stand in the middle of the now dry river as the people pass and representatives from every clan brings back a rock to stand as a memorial to God’s deliverance.

In spirituals, Jordan is thought of as the reality of receiving liberty either from slavery or from the burdens of this life.  If Jordan represents death then the priests in the middle holding the Ark represent the presence of God in the midst of our journey through death when waves do not touch us.  Isaiah 43:2 promises,

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you.”

         The river parts, the Ark is in the middle to remind us of God’s presence with us, but thirdly, the people of Israel built a memorial to tell future generations.  “When your children ask…”  Memorials are important.  We keep scrapbooks, picture albums, mementos and memories of important life events.  What are the important symbols that help you remember God’s presence in the midst of hard times and his promise to be there with you when you cross over?  Perhaps that is why the cross is such a strong symbol for Christians because it reminds us that Christ conquered death and will go with us and receive us as we cross over, so we do not need to fear.  Having symbols in your home to remind you of God’s presence is good.  Also when children ask, “What’s that for?” you can tell them about the value of God’s presence in your life.  Thank you Lord!

Joshua 1.  Do you remember the 1962 DDB (Doyle Dane Bernbach) commercial for Avis?  “When you’re only No. 2, you try harder.”  “Or else.” Within one year, Avis went from loosing 3.2 million dollars to profiting 1.2 million dollars!  In the 40’s Air Force officer Warren Avis had the vision for renting cars to people who flew to cities for meetings and only needed a rental.  This commercial shot Avis into view and ran for over 50 years around the globe.  Wow.  I wonder if Joshua, who took over for Moses, didn’t feel like the number 2 man now having to replace that charismatic leader to take the people into the Promised Land?  We sing, “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho” to remember Joshua but that has not happened yet in his life. As he faces stepping into big shoes, God’s promises to Joshua found in chapter one, must have encouraged him.  God promised that he would fulfill his promises to Moses through Joshua and be with Joshua.  The gift of presence!  Joshua was not alone.  Four times in chapter one Joshua is told, “Be strong and very courageous!”  God will be faithful but we must be strong and courageous.

         That was good advice for Joshua, but “I’m not following Moses,” I hear you saying.  Perhaps yes but many of us know what it is like to be the second wife after the first good or bad wife.  We know about being a step mother.  We hire on to a new job that was handled so well by the previous person, or at least that is how the stories go.  There is always an Olympic record to break, someone to impress, and someone to compete with.  The desire to be valued for yourself, just as you are, to belong, I suspect is a driving dream for many of us.

         God does not promise to be with Joshua “only if,” but he does warn Joshua to meditate on the Book of the Law and to be careful to obey.  God does not promise automatic success that will be orchestrated by God behind the scenes.  We are not robots.  Success is work and partnership between Joshua and God, between God and us.  God promises to be present and helping Joshua.  But likewise Joshua must be brave and courageous.  Perhaps we call that faith when we act on what we know to be true from God’s word.  Obedience is hard but God is faithful to be present, helping.

         So where is the challenge to step forward in faith and obedience today, the place in your life where you need to be brave and courageous and trust God?  Perhaps there is someone to forgive.  Perhaps there is someone who is tough to love.  Perhaps there is a wayward child you need to hang in with.  Joshua stepped in to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land.  God went with him and God will go with us.  Let us be brave and courageous.