Value

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

VALUE

Judges 18:7-31

7 So the five men left and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living in safety, like the Sidonians, unsuspecting and secure. And since their land lacked nothing, they were prosperous. Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no relationship with anyone else. 8 When they returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, "How did you find things?" 9 They answered, "Come on, let's attack them! We have seen that the land is very good. Aren't you going to do something? Don't hesitate to go there and take it over. 10 When you get there, you will find an unsuspecting people and a spacious land that God has put into your hands, a land that lacks nothing whatever." 11 Then six hundred men from the clan of the Danites, armed for battle, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. 12 On their way they set up camp near Kiriath Jearim in Judah. This is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is called Mahaneh Dan to this day. 13 From there they went on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's house. 14 Then the five men who had spied out the land of Laish said to their brothers, "Do you know that one of these houses has an ephod, other household gods, a carved image and a cast idol? Now you know what to do." 15 So they turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah's place and greeted him. 16 The six hundred Danites, armed for battle, stood at the entrance to the gate. 17 The five men who had spied out the land went inside and took the carved image, the ephod, the other household gods and the cast idol while the priest and the six hundred armed men stood at the entrance to the gate. 18 When these men went into Micah's house and took the carved image, the ephod, the other household gods and the cast idol, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?" 19 They answered him, "Be quiet! Don't say a word. Come with us, and be our father and priest. Isn't it better that you serve a tribe and clan in Israel as priest rather than just one man's household?" 20 Then the priest was glad. He took the ephod, the other household gods and the carved image and went along with the people. 21 Putting their little children, their livestock and their possessions in front of them, they turned away and left. 22 When they had gone some distance from Micah's house, the men who lived near Micah were called together and overtook the Danites. 23 As they shouted after them, the Danites turned and said to Micah, "What's the matter with you that you called out your men to fight?" 24 He replied, "You took the gods I made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you ask, 'What's the matter with you?'" 25 The Danites answered, "Don't argue with us, or some hot-tempered men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives." 26 So the Danites went their way, and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him, turned around and went back home. 27 Then they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and went on to Laish, against a peaceful and unsuspecting people. They attacked them with the sword and burned down their city. 28 There was no one to rescue them because they lived a long way from Sidon and had no relationship with anyone else. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there. 29 They named it Dan after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel — though the city used to be called Laish. 30 There the Danites set up for themselves the idols, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land. 31 They continued to use the idols Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh.

This is a lot of text, but it's one complete story that is difficult to separate. There is one thing that bothers us. The Danites were looking to take the land that was assigned to them under the direction of Moses, and these are Israelites who have a history with Yahweh. Of course, they did not personally cross the Red Sea or see the pillar of fire and the pillar of smoke that led them through the wilderness. Those who crossed the Red Sea were their forefathers, but certainly they passed on the stories of how God delivered them from Egypt and brought them into the land of promise. However, when they came to the House of Micah, they took his idols and the Levi priest; in essence, they were no better than their forefathers when they wanted Aaron to make a golden calf to worship. Why would the chosen people of God want to take idols? Once again, we are faced with the concept of being God's people because we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior, and yet may very well have things that would be considered an idol. God was very specific when he said that we are to have no other gods before him. Although an idol may not be considered a god, it is something that we may place value on. If we are Christians, the only thing that we should place value on is our relationship with God. Yet, we find ourselves still placing value on many material things. We lock up all our homes to protect our possessions within. We place our money in a bank and maybe even invest in some worldly venture to increase our wealth because we place value on it, while all the time, Jesus said that we cannot serve two masters. Another point of interest is that although the Danites had been assigned a lot of land, they needed to destroy those living in it before they could take possession of it. They attacked the city and burned it to the ground. We think that was rather self-centered as it does not appear they counseled with God nor asked him to lead them. Once again, we know that these graven images or idols have no eyes to see, no ears to hear, and no mouth to speak, so why would they want them when the God almighty would simply give the Danites the land that was promised? Although they were successful, it was by their own hands, their own large numbers who overpowered the unsuspecting people who were living peacefully and had no relations with others, which means they had no allies to help defend them. It would seem the strong win, and the weak are the losers. We should not confuse being weak with being meek, in fact, we are in the Lord's army and dressed in his armor so that we can take our stand against the evil schemes of this Dark World and the forces of evil in the spiritual realm, for our battle is not against flesh and blood as the Danites fought against. Let us not look to our strength or our abilities, training, education, or wealth to win some worldly prize, whether that be success, power, or authority. When we humble ourselves before the Lord, he will lift us up, not that the reason we humble ourselves is so that He will lift us up. We are told, as far as it is up to us, we are to live in peace with all men. If we could do just that, there would be no conflicts, no envy, no jealousy, or bitterness. Because we are followers of Jesus Christ, we live in peace and harmony with each other, which means we do not live a self-seeking or self-centered life. In addition, because we follow Jesus, we have no need for idols. The only person we put value on is Jesus.

Seek First

DEVOTION

JUDGES

SEEK FIRST

Judged 18:1-6

18:1 In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 2 So the Danites sent five warriors from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and explore it. These men represented all their clans. They told them, "Go, explore the land." The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night. 3 When they were near Micah's house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they turned in there and asked him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?" 4 He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, "He has hired me and I am his priest." 5 Then they said to him, "Please inquire of God to learn whether our journey will be successful." 6 The priest answered them, "Go in peace. Your journey has the LORD's approval."

NIV

Now the descendants of Dan needed their own place where they had not yet taken the territory assigned to them. As they approached the House of Micah, we don't know how they recognized the voice of the Levite priest. Perhaps the different tribes or sons of Jacob, as they took their inheritance, developed a certain dialect that may have been different than some of the other sons of Jacob and their dialect. In either case, they understood that he was a priest. However, I am not sure that Micah wanted him to be a priest for his idols or for the LORD. However, the Danites, when they asked the priest to inquire of God to learn whether their journey would be successful, the word used in Hebrew was Yahweh, not Elohiym. There is a major difference between those two names, as Yahweh means the existing one. The Danites wanted to know whether Yahweh would bless their journey. They were not interested in what the idols had to say. It is also interesting that the Levi priest, being from the tribe of Levi, knew the history of their tribe being the priests in the Tabernacle during their sojourning in the wilderness. Whenever Yahweh, as either the pillar of smoke or fire, moved, it was the Levites who disassembled the Tabernacle, packed it up, and carried it, reassembling it whenever Yahweh stopped moving in front of them. We take our lesson from the question the Danites inquired of the priest. “Please inquire of God to learn whether our journey will be successful.” Therefore, we should learn not to move by our own will for we do not know if we will fail or be successful however, the Lord God knows all good things and so we should always inquire of the Lord regarding anything that we do, whether that is where we live, where we work, and where we worship together in church. When we take the words of Jesus as he taught his disciples the pattern for prayer, he included, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The “on earth’ phrase implies explicitly us, as we are on earth. It might be possible that we consider our will all too often by either forgetting or ignoring God's will. We are aware he has a plan for our lives, and the only way we can live according to his plan is to always inquire about what he wants us to do or not do. This is not to be confused with the list we generate about the do’s and don'ts, which usually differ depending on various denominational biases. The key we know this is our lists and not God's is that over time our lists change, and we know God never changes or does his will. We may even look back and laugh at some of the old hard lists the church tried to live by. Yes, it would be behoove us to always inquire of the Lord about anything, then we will know whether our journey will be successful. When we inquire of ourselves, we cannot be sure whether we will be successful or fail. Always seek first the Lord and his righteousness.

Worship Who

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

WORSHIP WHO

Judges 17

17:1 Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim 2 said to his mother, "The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse — I have that silver with me; I took it." Then his mother said, "The LORD bless you, my son!" 3 When he returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, "I solemnly consecrate my silver to the LORD for my son to make a carved image and a cast idol. I will give it back to you." 4 So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into the image and the idol. And they were put in Micah's house. 5 Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some idols and installed one of his sons as his priest. 6 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit. 7 A young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, who had been living within the clan of Judah, 8 left that town in search of some other place to stay. On his way he came to Micah's house in the hill country of Ephraim. 9 Micah asked him, "Where are you from?" "I'm a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah," he said, "and I'm looking for a place to stay." 10 Then Micah said to him, "Live with me and be my father and priest, and I'll give you ten shekels of silver a year, your clothes and your food." 11 So the Levite agreed to live with him, and the young man was to him like one of his sons. 12 Then Micah installed the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house. 13 And Micah said, "Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest."

NIV

This is wrong on so many levels, we wonder why God wanted this recorded for us to know about, other than to make sure we do not try to emulate Micah. The first wrong we see is his mother wanting to have the silversmith cast an idol. Micah and his mother are Israelites, and they have to be aware of their history as a people. We are told that his mother used, "The LORD bless you, my son!” Yet she wanted an idol cast from her silver. Why would she think the LORD would be pleased with her having an image, or idol, and then for Micah to have a shrine, or in Hebrew it means a house of gods. However, the worst thing we notice is that everyone did as they saw fit, for Israel had no king. When people do not worship the Lord God, the maker of heaven and earth, then they do whatever is fit in their own eyes. We can see that in our culture because so many have no moral compass; they are, in fact, living in darkness, hiding in the dark so they can do whatever they see fit. They could even be aware of God, in some sense, but refuse to acknowledge his authority in their lives, because they want to do whatever they want to do, being their own authority. We, however, are not like that, for we know God has absolute authority in our lives. We should not even say that we are going to go here, or go there, do this, or do that, without counsel from our Lord. The Apostle James warns us that we should not say, or decide today or tomorrow, we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make money. The fact is, our lives are but a mist, here today and gone tomorrow. We should be thinking correctly and saying, “If the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that”. We cannot do what is right in our eyes, because we have a King, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, and he has given us life, and it is to worship him. We cannot build any shrine or make anything an idol in our lives, including our lives in the church. If we make “good deeds” or some special position or title, or even our giving into an idol, we are missing the mark. We have one God, and we worship Him and Him alone. Sure, our works may follow as a result of our worship for our Lord, but that is all it is; first and foremost, our worship is to our Lord, so that we do what is right in His eyes. 

The Proud and the Humble

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

THE PROUD AND THE HUMBLE

Judges 16:21-31

21 Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison. 22 But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. 23 Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, "Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands." 24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, "Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands, the one who laid waste our land and multiplied our slain." 25 While they were in high spirits, they shouted, "Bring out Samson to entertain us." So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them. When they stood him among the pillars, 26 Samson said to the servant who held his hand, "Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them." 27 Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. 28 Then Samson prayed to the LORD, "O Sovereign LORD, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes." 29 Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, 30 Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived. 31 Then his brothers and his father's whole family went down to get him. They brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led Israel twenty years.

NIV

So the Philistines praised their dead god, not because they overpowered Samson, but because a woman used her womanly prowess to get him to tell her the truth of his strength. In their pride, they made a mistake that would cost them their lives. It wasn’t good enough to praise their little useless god, but they had to celebrate and have Samson brought to them so they could watch his subjectiveness. But that is not what happened, for God did not forget Samson, and he strengthened Samson one more time so he brought the house down, so to speak. Solomon, known as the wisest man, said, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall”. We see this played in all the rulers of the Philistines, plus a crowd of men and women who filled the temple, as well as thousands more on the roof, which must have overlooked an open-air portion, or courtyard, of the temple. They were so proud of defeating Samson, they did not know what was about to happen. Pride is an awful thing to hold within the heart, which will do more damage to the prideful than to anyone else. Humbleness is opposite to pridefulness, and we are told by Jesus to take his yoke upon us and to learn from him, for he is gentle and humble in heart. The apostle James tells us to humble ourselves before the Lord; it is He who will lift us up. When we try to lift ourselves up, proclaiming our accomplishments, whether they be success in either the world or in ministry, our educational level, our titles, or whatever we think makes us better or of higher standings then others, pride not only is lurking at our hearts, but is has taken over and we are simply destroying ourselves from within. Even if we confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior, that pridefulness causes a division within our hearts, and we simply cannot serve both God and self. Because we profess our service to God and desire to serve the Lord with our whole being, we should be servants to others, as Jesus said he did not come to be served but to serve. We believe it is impossible to serve both God and people without first having a humble heart. Samson humbled himself before God and was given his strength one last time. We should not humble ourselves just to get strength from the Lord or to be lifted up, but simply because we should be humble. 

Weaken by the World

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

WEAKENED BY THE WORLD

Judges 16:15-19

15 Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when you won't confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven't told me the secret of your great strength." 16 With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was tired to death. 17 So he told her everything. "No razor has ever been used on my head," he said, "because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man." 18 When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, "Come back once more; he has told me everything." So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. 19 Having put him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him. NIV

Although Samson had defended himself against thousands of men, striking them down even with the jawbone of a donkey, he could not defend himself against that nagging, prodding woman, Delilah. Once again, she was not interested in the love of Samson, but took advantage of his love for her because she had a love for that silver she was promised if she could find out how to subdue or weaken Samson. On the surface, the woman won, and Samson told her everything. We might think he was a dope for giving in to her nagging and telling her the truth about his strength, yet we know God would expect honesty from His people. The fact that Samson was a Nazarite, one set apart for God, we could call Samson a “Man of God”, which all of us are in some sense. We are either a man or a woman of God, a brother or sister of Jesus, co-heirs with him, children of God. We are the sheep of the Great Shepherd, belonging to God, and have been set apart for and to God. Samson was set apart to deliver Israel from the rule of the Philistines, but we see the Philistine woman accomplishing what thousands of men could not. We will know the reason he began to weaken was not just a razor being put to his head, but the LORD left him.

20 Then she called, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and thought, "I'll go out as before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had left him.

Was Samson true to the LORD, or did he allow himself to be deceived by his own desire? Because we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and are now called children of God, set apart for him, and seeing Israel always turning to some other god, or idol, and now even Samson, a man set apart from birth, turns to a foreign woman, or turns to his own desires and thus, away from God, and as a result, God left him, and Samson was weakened. We should know better than to turn to anything or anyone other than God. The question we have to ask ourselves is, have we? Have we put our trust in anything other than our Lord? Of course, we would confess we can only trust him for our salvation, but what about the rest of life? Do we look to our own abilities, skills, talents, education, profession, or wealth for our success or security? Maybe we don’t turn away from the Lord, but just get distracted by all the things of this world. We know God’s intent is not that we are rich or poor, but that we seek him, and his righteousness first and foremost, and he will add whatever we need to our lives, and that can include all the things those who trust in the world chase after. Let us not be like Samson, allowing ourselves to become weakened by the world, but let us remain strong because we are in Christ and He is in us.

 

True Love

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

TRUE LOVE

Judges 16:4-14

4 Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. 5 The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, "See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver." 6 So Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued." 7 Samson answered her, "If anyone ties me with seven fresh thongs that have not been dried, I'll become as weak as any other man." 8 Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh thongs that had not been dried, and she tied him with them. 9 With men hidden in the room, she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" But he snapped the thongs as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered. 10 Then Delilah said to Samson, "You have made a fool of me; you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied." 11 He said, "If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I'll become as weak as any other man." 12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then, with men hidden in the room, she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads. 13 Delilah then said to Samson, "Until now, you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied." He replied, "If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric [on the loom] and tighten it with the pin, I'll become as weak as any other man." So while he was sleeping, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric 14 and tightened it with the pin. Again she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric.

NIV

This is a one-sided love, for we can clearly see from this narrative and the rest that will follow that Delilah was not in love with Samson, but was motivated by her own self-interest. She wanted that twenty-eight pounds of silver from each of the rulers of the Philistines. She had no commitment to Samson, and we would think that he could see right through her constant asking, or nagging, what his secret that gave him such strength. At first, he seemed wise to her persistence in wanting to know his secret, and with each time having the Philistines come upon him. He had to know by now that she was not interested in his well-being, but her own. Yet she kept on nagging, and he kept on keeping his secret, at least for now. We know what is going to happen, but our lesson today is about this one-sided love. We have often thought that within a relationship that is not established with mutual or equal love, the person who loves less controls the relationship. However, when love is mutual or equal, each is looking for the benefit of the other, giving instead of taking. Yet, while both give, each receives, and both are benefited by a union that is established by God. Samson would give in to this one-sided love he had for Delilah, as we are never told that she fell in love with Samson. Perhaps because the times were different and it was not necessary for a woman to love her man, but to obey him, yet Delilah didn’t obey Samson either, but had her mind on all that silver. In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he tells him that the love of money is the root of all evil. There is no question that Delilah’s love for that silver drove her to evil deeds against Samson. When we are in perfect harmony with each other because of mutual love, and our lives are dedicated to the Lord and not to this world’s wealth, we then see the absence of evil within our relationships. However, if we look to the ways of this world, if we desire the things of this world, the wealth, positions, power, looking for the esteem of men, rather than from God, evil lurks at the door of our hearts. When we take to heart the definition Paul gives, under the inspiration of the Spirit, of love in the letter to the Corinthians, then we see the love of God that we should emulate in our relationships with each other. Then we will know true love. 

The Gate

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

THE GATE

Judges 16:1-3

16:1 One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her. 2 The people of Gaza were told, "Samson is here!" So they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They made no move during the night, saying, "At dawn we'll kill him." 3 But Samson lay there only until the middle of the night. Then he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.

NIV

It would appear that everyone who is not an Israelite is out to kill Samson. Are they just jealous because of his great strength, or is it out of fear that he will destroy them? He has a reputation for killing thousands of men, as we just saw with one jawbone of a donkey. Whatever the reason for their wanting him subdued or killed, he needs to be smart or listen to the Spirit. Although this could be seen as the world’s conflict with us, that is as long as we take our stand against the forces of evil, speaking up for the gospel. In fact, the enemy of our souls is always roaming about seeking whom he can destroy, tempting believers to have an affair with the world. But our story is about those city gates that Samson tore right off the hinges and then carried large, heavy wooden gates up a hill. There is another city where the gates are only open to those who have accepted the key to that city, which is now in the heavenly realm. This is the new city of Jerusalem, and Jesus is the key, the way into that city. It is just the same as when he died upon that cross, the curtain in the temple, keeping the people away from the Holy of Holies, the presence of God, was torn in two, giving the people a way to God. Jesus is the truth, the way, and the life. He is the way into the new city of Jerusalem. He threw open the gates, all twelve of them, each made from a single pearl. Jesus said that he was the gate, the one true gate into the presence of the Lord God Almighty. When John was given the revelation, he was shown an open door, or gate into heaven, and Jesus told him, “Come up here”. We cannot tear down that gate nor carry it alone on our shoulders. What we can do is accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and He will throw open the gates to heaven for us. In Addition, we do not even have to carry the burdens of this world alone, for we can take his yoke upon us and learn from him. He will lift the load; he will carry us through. No amount of our strength, abilities, knowledge, education, wealth, works, titles, or anything else of ours can carry us through the burdens of this world, or through the city gates of that new city. Only our faith in Jesus will get us access to the city of God. Samson may have carried those gates, but we have Jesus, the Gate, and he will carry us through. 

He Provides

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

HE PROVIDES

Judges 15:9-20

9 The Philistines went up and camped in Judah, spreading out near Lehi. 10 The men of Judah asked, "Why have you come to fight us?" "We have come to take Samson prisoner," they answered, "to do to him as he did to us." 11 Then three thousand men from Judah went down to the cave in the rock of Etam and said to Samson, "Don't you realize that the Philistines are rulers over us? What have you done to us?" He answered, "I merely did to them what they did to me." 12 They said to him, "We've come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines." Samson said, "Swear to me that you won't kill me yourselves." 13 "Agreed," they answered. "We will only tie you up and hand you over to them. We will not kill you." So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock. 14 As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. 15 Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men. 16 Then Samson said, "With a donkey's jawbone I have made donkeys of them. With a donkey's jawbone I have killed a thousand men." 17 When he finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone; and the place was called Ramath Lehi.   18 Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the LORD, "You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?" 19 Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore, and it is still there in Lehi. 20 Samson led Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

NIV

Although the narrative is about the rest of the story about Samson and his revengefulness, and now after Samson burnt down all the Philistine wheatfields, vineyards, and olive groves, they readied themselves for war against Israel, there is a nugget of truth we need to focus on. We could spend time pondering those new ropes becoming like charred flax because of the power of the LORD. We could focus on Samson finding a donkey's jawbone and striking down a thousand men. But what our attention is drawn to us after everything was said and done, Samson is now thirsty and cries out to the LORD. God did not disappoint, for he opened up the hollow place, which in Hebrew was like an opening in the jaw after a tooth is pulled, and water came pouring out. Elohiym provided for Samson and, of course, Samson was a special man, who had the power of God upon him. God had a special calling for Samson, as even before he was conceived, his mother was told he was never to taste fermented wine, or a razor was never to touch his head, that he was to be a Nazarite. Interestingly, the Hebrew word translated as Nazarite means a consecrated or devoted one, but also is used as an untrimmed(vine). This is why his hair should never be trimmed. Yet, our story is about how God provided water for Samson. Even with all the times the LORD came upon him, God took care of the basic need for him, water. We might experience the hand of the LORD upon us from time to time, having some supernatural happening in our lives, which could be seen as those mountaintop times in life. But it is those quiet times, those moments when all the hoop-ta-la is over, the Lord is still there with us, providing everything we need. Of course, we have seen how Israel turned elsewhere for their needs and paid the consequence of being overpowered by some foreign power. Samson always looked to the LORD, and his life reflected the power of God in providing his needs. We cannot turn to looking at our abilities, skills, education, wealth, or our flesh, thinking it is up to us to make our way in the world. We must always cry out to our Lord, looking to him for everything in our lives, as we worship the Living God who provides. 

Revenge

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

REVENGE

Judges 15:1-8

15:1 Later on, at the time of wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat and went to visit his wife. He said, "I'm going to my wife's room." But her father would not let him go in. 2 "I was so sure you thoroughly hated her," he said, "that I gave her to your friend. Isn't her younger sister more attractive? Take her instead." 3 Samson said to them, "This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines; I will really harm them." 4 So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails, 5 lit the torches and let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the shocks and standing grain, together with the vineyards and olive groves. 6 When the Philistines asked, "Who did this?" they were told, "Samson, the Timnite's son-in-law, because his wife was given to his friend." So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death. 7 Samson said to them, "Since you've acted like this, I won't stop until I get my revenge on you." 8 He attacked them viciously and slaughtered many of them. Then he went down and stayed in a cave in the rock of Etam.

NIV

There is more to this encounter with the Philistines, however, within this action by Samson against the Philistines, because his father-in-law gave his wife to one of his friends. Why did he walk off and leave her, and that revengeful act against those thirty men? Now he wants this wife, but she has been defiled by being given to another man, so Samson takes out his fury on the crops and vineyard of the Philistines. Samson is supposed to be a man set apart for God, a Nazarite, and it seems he acts out of anger and revengefulness. Israel was indeed being ruled by the Philistines, which was done by the hand of God because they did evil in his sight. Israel had a problem with being faithful to God; although he was always faithful and made a covenant with Abraham, however, his descendants turned to other gods. We know that God wanted Samson to lead Israel, and eventually he would, but for a man of God to act so angrily and strike out against a whole people because of the actions of one man does not seem Godly. We can take our cue from this portion of the story. First, we know God would not approve of us having any anger against anyone. Jesus said that anger is equal to murder. It also seems to us that the reason anyone who even considers any revengeful action would be due to self-centeredness. The fact that Samson had those hurt feelings about the actions of his father-in-law was that Samson thought it was his right to act anyway he wanted with his wife, marry her, leave her, come to her. It was all about Samson. When our feelings get hurt, it may not be about the other person being wrong for acting in some way or saying or not saying something, but we get our feelings hurt because we are centered on self. Sometimes, we may strike out a little bit, sort of a “tit for tat” action, so to speak. We might even just go silent, cold, when our feelings take over, getting hurt, which could be seen as an act of revenge. Should we not treat others as we would want to be treated? That is the golden rule, but it seems we ignore it at times. Lord, help us love first, and all our relationships will fall in line, and revenge will never be part of our lives. 

Who Benefits

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

WHO BENEFITS

Judges 14:8-20

8 Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion's carcass. In it was a swarm of bees and some honey, 9 which he scooped out with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion's carcass. 10 Now his father went down to see the woman. And Samson made a feast there, as was customary for bridegrooms. 11 When he appeared, he was given thirty companions. 12 "Let me tell you a riddle," Samson said to them. "If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes. 13 If you can't tell me the answer, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes." "Tell us your riddle," they said. "Let's hear it."

14 He replied, "Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet."

For three days they could not give the answer. 15 On the fourth day, they said to Samson's wife, "Coax your husband into explaining the riddle for us, or we will burn you and your father's household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?" 16 Then Samson's wife threw herself on him, sobbing, "You hate me! You don't really love me. You've given my people a riddle, but you haven't told me the answer." "I haven't even explained it to my father or mother," he replied, "so why should I explain it to you?" 17 She cried the whole seven days of the feast. So on the seventh day he finally told her, because she continued to press him. She in turn explained the riddle to her people. 18 Before sunset on the seventh day the men of the town said to him,

"What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?"

Samson said to them, "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle."

19 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of their belongings and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he went up to his father's house. 20 And Samson's wife was given to the friend who had attended him at his wedding.

NIV

First, we should note that this woman was not Delilah; however, she still used her feminine persuasion on Samson to reveal the answer to his riddle. He may have been a physically strong man, but his weakness toward women would bring only harm to him. Yet, because the people and his wife deceived him, the LORD was not pleased either, so His power came upon Samson to strike down thirty men and gave that plunder to those who solved his riddle, and then, burning with anger, he left his bride behind and went home. We do not understand why the woman’s father, after playing a part to deceive Samson, gave his wife to another man. But what can we glean from this narrative? What truth is there that we can apply to our lives? First, we would think that making a wager for personal gain is not the best life course. Samson was trying to deceive them with an unsolvable riddle to gain thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes. They deceived him by using his wife to get the answer to the riddle. Deception, especially for personal gain, should never be part of our lives, but truth should reign within us, as the Spirit who dwells within us is truth. This personal gain may not be for some physical thing, such as thirty linen, however, it could be for self-edification, self-gratification, an upper hand in a relationship, or a variety of personal self-oriented reasons. Anything that resembles that kind of thinking or action is the opposite of living in humility, being humble before God and men. Instead of breaking others down, we are to build each other up, looking for ways to encourage and exhort others to be better, to strengthen their faith, and walk with the Lord. This kind of living would look more selfless than the other way of life would be selfish. Let us always look for ways to benefit others, rather than how Samson looked for ways to benefit himself. Whatever we are faced with, we should always ask ourselves, who will benefit? 

Move with Power

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

MOVE WITH POWER

Judges 13:24-14:7

24 The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the LORD blessed him, 25 and the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

14:1 Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman. 2 When he returned, he said to his father and mother, "I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife." 3 His father and mother replied, "Isn't there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me. She's the right one for me." 4(His parents did not know that this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.) 5 Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. 6 The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done. 7 Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her.

NIV

Samson is one of the special men of old, and we know the Spirit of the Lord began to stir within him. Within all the scripture, we see the Spirit of the Lord moving on and within people. This is the same Spirit who was there in the beginning and was hovering over the deep. Many only think the  Spirit showed on the day of Pentecost, or is a New Testament experience. However, here we have the Spirit stirring within Samson as he grew under the blessing of the LORD. Of course, Samson was no ordinary man, for he had the strength to tear a lion apart with his bare hands. Although we know the whole story, we should let it unfold moment by moment, so we can find those nuggets of truth that can apply to our lives. First, as we have noted, it was the  Spirit who began to stir in Samson, then we see it was the Spirit of the LORD who came upon Samson in power, so he tore a young, furious lion apart bare-handed. However, he kept that a secret from his parents. We do not know why he would not want them to know about the Spirit coming upon him with power. We do not keep silent about either the Spirit stirring within us or coming upon us in power. Maybe we do stay silent, not giving any verbal testimony about the indwelling Spirit that endows us with various gifts, including miracles, or miraculous powers, not to tear a lion apart, but perhaps to tear apart the forces of evil around us. When the Spirit moves within us, He could give us power in some area of ministry that we have no human abilities in whatsoever. We wonder how open we are to Him moving within us, manifesting His power within us so we can do mighty things for the benefit of others, and thus, the kingdom of God. Samson did not quench the Spirit, but moved in His power, tearing that lion to pieces. We must be aware of the Spirit and allow Him full access so that we will be able to move with power, doing that which we are called to do, which means some kind of action. However, when the Spirit comes upon us, watch out, for we will move with power. 

The Ascension

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

THE ASCENSION

Judges 13:6-25

6 Then the woman went to her husband and told him, "A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome. I didn't ask him where he came from, and he didn't tell me his name. 7 But he said to me, 'You will conceive and give birth to a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from birth until the day of his death.'" 8 Then Manoah prayed to the LORD: "O Lord, I beg you, let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born."  God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her. 10 The woman hurried to tell her husband, "He's here! The man who appeared to me the other day!" 11 Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, "Are you the one who talked to my wife?" "I am," he said. 12 So Manoah asked him, "When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule for the boy's life and work?" 13 The angel of the LORD answered, "Your wife must do all that I have told her. 14 She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her." 15 Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "We would like you to stay until we prepare a young goat for you." 16 The angel of the LORD replied, "Even though you detain me, I will not eat any of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD." (Manoah did not realize that it was the angel of the LORD.) 17 Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the LORD, "What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?" 18 He replied, "Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding." 19 Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock to the LORD. And the LORD did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched: 20 As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground. 21 When the angel of the LORD did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the LORD. 22 "We are doomed to die!" he said to his wife. "We have seen God!" 23 But his wife answered, "If the LORD had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this." 24 The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the LORD blessed him, 25 and the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

The rest of the story, page two, so to speak. We just could not stop anywhere in the middle as this reveals the whole story about the angel of the LORD, the ‘I AM”. Although Manoah wanted to prepare a meal for the angel of the LORD, he told him that he would not eat it. He was a spiritual being of the heavenly realm, although he appeared in the physical realm and talked with both Manoah and his wife. Here too is where Manaoh asked the angel of the LORD his name, and the only answer was, “it is beyond understanding,” but in the Hebrew text, it means wonderful, which Isaiah spoke. This can be none other than Jesus before he came as one of us. This was Jesus in his creator form, in the glory of heaven, only appearing like a man so as not to overwhelm them, yet when the angel of the LORD agreed to allow Manoah to offer the goat and a grain offering to the LORD, the Hebrew word is Yahweh. Now Yahweh did an amazing thing for them. With the goat and grain on a rock, a flame rose to the heavens, and the angel of the LORD ascended within the flames. We cannot be sure if Manoah set the fire, as would be the custom for a burnt offering, but we wonder how can a burnt offering be done on a rock, instead of something with wood, unless the LORD caused the flame so Jesus, in this appearing form” could ascend back into heaven. We do not think this is just a coincidence, the language used ascends, in the same sense as after His resurrection and appeared to many, He ascended back into heaven. The fact that after they watched this supernatural ascension in the flames, Manoah said they were doomed to die. We are told he thought that because he realized who the angel of the LORD was. How can a man see God and live? Everything about this encounter brings us another picture of the power of God and how Jesus was present in the Old Testament. We are not surprised to see Jesus throughout the scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments. He was in the beginning of time, in fact, He created time, and will be there after the end of time. Jesus is the Alpha and Omega. However, after His ascension, we wonder if He would make another appearance to someone in our lifetime, even to ourselves. But then it would not be faith if we actually saw Jesus appear before us. However, we have the Holy Spirit, the third person of the triune God, who testifies within us to the truth about the Father, the Son, and Himself, the Spirit. Just as Manoah realized he came face to face with the angel of the LORD, who was Jesus, and thought he would die, someday we will see Jesus, face to face, and live. How can we not worship to our fullest before the everlasting God all the days of our lives? How can we not fall face down before our Lord?

 

He is Able

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

HE IS ABLE

Judges 13:2-5

2 A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless. 3 The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, "You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. 4 Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, 5 because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines."

NIV

This is the most wonderful story about the mother of Samson and her encounter with Jesus. Although the narrative does not give us this truth in the beginning, we know from later in this story that when the angel of the LORD appears to him, he asks him what his name is. In Hebrew, the name given is “wonderful,” and we know that is one of the names of Jesus. In the prophetic words of Isaiah, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, “and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”. Therefore, we have a woman who is not just barren, but sterile, as the Hebrew is obvious in the distinction between sterile and not bearing young, or barren. This means it would be absolutely impossible for this woman to ever conceive. There is so much within the whole narrative. We want to bring it all into this truth about Jesus appearing to first this wife of Manoah and then to both of them in order to see this wonderful fact the it is Jesus who heals not just her womb, but her entire reproductive system, so that she is no longer sterile, or that Jesus caused a child within her miraculously, just as he would be conceived in Mary. Yet, this is the narrative about Samson, his birth, and that he would begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines. Interestingly, as Samson was to be set apart to God from birth, Jesus was set apart to God, but then Jesus is God. Once again, we are faced with God doing what is impossible with man and only what is possible for Him. Yet, we suffer from ailments, or hurts within our bodies, and it would seem our Lord is silent, although he told us to ask the Father in his name and He would heal us. Is our healing to come from the hands of man, or from the hand of the Lord, or is the medical man a hand from the Lord? Has the Lord given this knowledge, wisdom, and skills to be able to heal many infirmities in our bodies? Yet, all throughout the scripture, in many cases, Jesus just spoke a healing, or a miracle, without lifting a hand, yet in some cases he just touched them, but he always healed them completely, and instantly. They had no need for some time to recover or therapy. Yet, we must always submit to his will, whatever that means in our lives. Yes, we want, but what does He want? Unless he appears and makes it clear, we live by faith, and that is enough to follow our Lord, whatever comes our way. This woman lived with no hope of bearing a child, yet she did because of the hand of God. We are not hopeless, for we know our Lord is able, he is able, He is able, I know my Lord is able to carry me through, He has healed the broken hearted, he has set the captive free, he made the lame to walk again, caused the blind to see, he is able, I know he is able, I know my Lord is able to carry me through. 

Without Leadership

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

WITHOUT LEADERSHIP

Judges 12:7-13:1

7 Jephthah led Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died, and was buried in a town in Gilead. 8 After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem led Israel. 9 He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He gave his daughters away in marriage to those outside his clan, and for his sons he brought in thirty young women as wives from outside his clan. Ibzan led Israel seven years. 10 Then Ibzan died, and was buried in Bethlehem. 11 After him, Elon the Zebulunite led Israel ten years. 12 Then Elon died, and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun. 13 After him, Abdon son of Hillel, from Pirathon, led Israel. 14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. He led Israel eight years. 15 Then Abdon son of Hillel died, and was buried at Pirathon in Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites. Judges 13:1 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, so the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.

NIV

Here we are made aware of thirty-one years of leading Israel by four men. The only one whom we are told something significant is Ibzan. He began something that may have started the end of the clan system by giving his daughters in marriage outside his clan and taking daughters from outside his clan for his sons. However, Addon had those forty sons and thirty grandsons who rode seventy donkeys. We know the importance of a donkey when Jesus entered Jerusalem, so he could go to the cross, with the donkey signifying a man of peace. Were those forty sons and thirty grandsons men of peace, and what did they do during the eight years of Abdon’s reign? It does seem that during those thirty-one years led by those four men, Israel was still worshipping the LORD. However, after the last one, Abdon died, it seems none of his sons or grandson stepped up to continue leadership of Israel, and without a leader or judge who kept Israel bent toward the LORD, they turned again and did evil in the eyes of the LORD and therefore he delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years. We believe that without leadership, people will soon go astray. This can happen in the body of Christ as well. When a believer stops attending a solid church that stands on the Gospel, they could begin to fall back into old patterns of life, even without being aware of what they are doing. We believe that is why we are admonished not to forsake assembling together, so we can spur each other toward love and good deeds, as well as encourage one another. The preacher of Hebrews admitted that some of the people he was writing to were in the habit of not meeting with others. When a believer stays away from church or other believers, they might listen to many voices, all with a different agenda, that may even be opposed to the pure gospel, being deceived by wolves in sheep’s clothing. It is important to gather for worship and fellowship, being together for the benefit of the rest of the church. There may be some who experience certain physical limitations that prevent them from coming to their local assembly of believers, but then the church should find some way to include them in the fellowship of worship. Some tried to do that during the COVID era and have kept that media presence. We think that is helpful for those who are considered shut-ins, but having a media presence might also keep the healthy away from the assembly of believers. Yet, we should press on gathering together, as Israel should have, under the leadership of their judge, us under a pastor, so we can be helpful to each other, keeping ourselves from doing evil in the sight of God. 

Division not Unity

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

DIVISION NOT UNITY

Judges 12:1-6

12:1 The men of Ephraim called out their forces, crossed over to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, "Why did you go to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We're going to burn down your house over your head." 2 Jephthah answered, "I and my people were engaged in a great struggle with the Ammonites, and although I called, you didn't save me out of their hands. 3 When I saw that you wouldn't help, I took my life in my hands and crossed over to fight the Ammonites, and the LORD gave me the victory over them. Now why have you come up today to fight me?" 4 Jephthah then called together the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. The Gileadites struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, "You Gileadites are renegades from Ephraim and Manasseh." 5 The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a survivor of Ephraim said, "Let me cross over," the men of Gilead asked him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" If he replied, "No," 6 they said, "All right, say 'Shibboleth.'" If he said, "Sibboleth," because he could not pronounce the word correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time.

NIV

What is wrong with people? Why would the men of Ephraim be so upset because they were not called to war against the Ammonites, that they would burn down the house of Jephthah while he was in it? Then, finding out that Jephthah did call them and they did not answer is more confusing for those people. Was it because they were not going to share in the plunder because they did not fight? We just don’t know the thinking of the men of Ephraim, but it seems that the hearts of men are bent to evil more than we want to believe. Of course, they got what was coming because of their arrogant thinking that they were stronger than the fighting men of Gilead, under the leadership of Jephthah. There must have been some difference in the dialects of the Gileadites and the Ephraimites regarding the word “Shibboleth,” which means a flowing stream, but leaving that “h” did not sound the same as the Gileadites sounding that word, thus revealing their true identity. Was it just over the difference in dialect that caused such a division, as they all were of Israelite descent? Could that be our lesson? Paul tells us in his letter to the Galatians that we are all in Christ, whether Jew, Gentile, free or slave, male or female. However, it seems there might be some division within the body of Christ because of our language or our pattern of speech, or cultural differences, as well as our doctrinal preferences. We have witnessed an almost hatred of certain Pentecostal churches by certain Baptist churches, and then heard Pentecostals voice dissent against the Catholic beliefs, even when there was a great Charismatic movement within the Catholic church, with many being filled with the Spirit. On and on we heard such division instead of a unity in Christ. When we consider the immense number of different Christian denominations, all because of some slight difference of beliefs in the scripture, to even cause arguments and disdain for one another is not what Jesus approves. We should be building each other up until we all reach unity in the faith. If we all love the Lord and have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, no matter how we voice that language, if in our hearts we love Almighty God, the Father, Son, and the Spirit, we are brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us not be the cause of division, but of unity in Christ.

 

Yes

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

YES

Judges 11:29-40

29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites. 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD: "If you give the Ammonites into my hands, 31 whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering." 32 Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the LORD gave them into his hands. 33 He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon. 34 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of tambourines! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, "Oh! My daughter! You have made me miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow to the LORD that I cannot break." 36 "My father," she replied, "you have given your word to the LORD. Do to me just as you promised, now that the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites. 37 But grant me this one request," she said. "Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry." 38 "You may go," he said. And he let her go for two months. She and the girls went into the hills and wept because she would never marry. 39 After the two months, she returned to her father and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin. From this comes the Israelite custom 40 that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

A vow is a vow, and when it is to the Lord, it cannot be broken. This narrative is not easy to consider, as Jephthah had to sacrifice his only daughter as a burnt offering. In fact, that is a horrible act that we want to ignore and move on to another narrative where God does some mighty deed for the people. However, God did a mighty act for Jephthah by giving the Ammonites into his hands. This narrative also shows us that when Jephthah made a vow, he kept it no matter what. This is not a lesson to take to heart, for the Lord has told us not to make an oath by any means, but let our “yes be yes and our no be no” that anything else comes from the evil one. However, we have said ‘yes’ to the Lord, accepting Him as our Lord and Savior. So then, because we have said,  ‘yes,’ our ‘yes’ means ‘yes’ and that carries all sorts of implications. It is not a vow, or an oath, but it is our ‘yes’ and that means we will do what the Lord tells us to do, for He is our Lord. He holds the key to life, although He also holds the keys to death and Hades. He opens a door for us that no one can shut. Literally, He has our lives in His hands, doing with us according to His promise. Because we said ‘yes’, His promise is eternal life. But that also means we are to obey His word, and we wonder how successful we are in following His commands, or being that overcomer He told John about in the revelation He gave him. Certainly, that cannot mean an overcomer is one who is sinless, for as long as we are in this flesh, we have not attained perfection. To overcome is to never turn away from the Lord and look to anything or anywhere else. Therefore, we have said ‘yes’ and we mean ‘yes’. 

Resolution or War

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

RESOLUTION OR WAR

Judges 11: 12-28

12 Then Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king with the question: "What do you have against us that you have attacked our country?" 13 The king of the Ammonites answered Jephthah's messengers, "When Israel came up out of Egypt, they took away my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, all the way to the Jordan. Now give it back peaceably." 14 Jephthah sent back messengers to the Ammonite king, 15 saying: "This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites. 16 But when they came up out of Egypt, Israel went through the desert to the Red Sea and on to Kadesh. 17 Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, 'Give us permission to go through your country,' but the king of Edom would not listen. They sent also to the king of Moab, and he refused. So Israel stayed at Kadesh. 18 "Next they traveled through the desert, skirted the lands of Edom and Moab, passed along the eastern side of the country of Moab, and camped on the other side of the Arnon. They did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was its border. 19 "Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, 'Let us pass through your country to our own place.' 20 Sihon, however, did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. He mustered all his men and encamped at Jahaz and fought with Israel. 21 "Then the LORD, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his men into Israel's hands, and they defeated them. Israel took over all the land of the Amorites who lived in that country, 22 capturing all of it from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the desert to the Jordan. 23 "Now since the LORD, the God of Israel, has driven the Amorites out before his people Israel, what right have you to take it over? 24 Will you not take what your god Chemosh gives you? Likewise, whatever the LORD our God has given us, we will possess. 25 Are you better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever quarrel with Israel or fight with them? 26 For three hundred years Israel occupied Heshbon, Aroer, the surrounding settlements and all the towns along the Arnon. Why didn't you retake them during that time? 27 I have not wronged you, but you are doing me wrong by waging war against me. Let the LORD, the Judge, decide the dispute this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites." 28 The king of Ammon, however, paid no attention to the message Jephthah sent him.

NIV

Although Jephthah endeavored to resolve the conflict peacefully, the king of Ammon paid no attention to the message sent to him. He wanted what he wanted, and he wanted it now. Isn’t that our story at times when we have some conflict with someone, even if it is over some petty little thing? No matter how the other person tries to bring the disagreement to a peaceful conclusion, we just want our way, and that is that, and we are not willing to listen or pay attention to their idea for peace. Jephthah did not even want his way, but only wanted the LORD to judge the dispute. Of course, the king of Ammon had his own little gods of his own making and couldn't care less about the God of Israel, for he did not know him personally, but perhaps only through reputation. Nevertheless, the king of Ammon did not care as he only wanted his way. However, we know the Lord, and we know that conflict, especially between believers, is not His way, although He did fight for Israel against its enemies. But we live in the realm of grace, and Jesus told us to live in peace and harmony with each other. We have been told to build each other up and to live in harmony with one another. We should not be proud or conceited, but do what is right in the eyes of everyone. We have been instructed that as far as it depends on us, live in peace with everyone, to be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate, and humble. If we have any kind of conflict, we are to fix it right away so it does not cause any friction. If we do not resolve any conflict, no matter how small or great, it will only cause harm within the heart of at least one who cannot come to terms with a resolution, but only wants what they want. Let us never allow any disagreement to fester, but resolve it immediately so we can do what is right in the eyes of our Lord. Let us get on with learning from Jesus, and being humble in heart and always wanting His will to be done on earth, that is in our hearts, as it is in heaven, where He is completely sovereign, where His will is always done. We cannot have war, but we must have a resolution. 

The Commander

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

THE COMMANDER

Judges 10:17-11:11

17 When the Ammonites were called to arms and camped in Gilead, the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah. 18 The leaders of the people of Gilead said to each other, "Whoever will launch the attack against the Ammonites will be the head of all those living in Gilead." 11:1 Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. 2 Gilead's wife also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. "You are not going to get any inheritance in our family," they said, "because you are the son of another woman." 3 So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a group of adventurers gathered around him and followed him. 4 Some time later, when the Ammonites made war on Israel, 5 the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6 "Come," they said, "be our commander, so we can fight the Ammonites." 7 Jephthah said to them, "Didn't you hate me and drive me from my father's house? Why do you come to me now, when you're in trouble?" 8 The elders of Gilead said to him, "Nevertheless, we are turning to you now; come with us to fight the Ammonites, and you will be our head over all who live in Gilead." 9 Jephthah answered, "Suppose you take me back to fight the Ammonites and the LORD gives them to me — will I really be your head?" 10 The elders of Gilead replied, "The LORD is our witness; we will certainly do as you say." 11 So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them. And he repeated all his words before the LORD in Mizpah.

NIV

It is strange how one day the brothers of Gilead were so concerned about their inheritance, driving away a half-brother, and then the next day, everyone in town wants the half-brother to be their commander, because their lives are in jeopardy. War had not yet broken out, although the Ammonites were called to arms and camped in Gilead. It was inevitable that war would happen, and the Israelites were without strength, for we do not see them calling on the LORD to be their leader, but they looked to the strongest warrior among them, the one they once drove away. Now they were in trouble of losing a war against the Ammonites, so they went and got the son of Gilead, a mighty warrior. Once again, we see men looking to men for the solution to their troubles instead of looking to the LORD. Had they turned to God and asked Him for a solution to their predicament, He would have raised his hand against the Ammonites. We do know what the LORD would have done, yet through their fear, they looked to a man who looked to the LORD. We will see that Jephthah was a mighty warrior because he was a man of God. Men will always look to men, and they are bound to lose their lives, perhaps not in a physical war, but certainly in a spiritual war against the forces of evil. However, when we look to the Lord, we may lose our life in this world, but we will prevail against the forces of evil, and have the victory because we are mighty warriors of God who have Him as our commander, our Leader, and He will give the enemy into our hands. Sometimes it may seem difficult not to look to our own resources, for we can see them, having been raised to expect them to be pursued as the normal part of life. We may have many resources at our disposal to gain the world, so to speak, but they will do nothing for us against the forces of evil in this dark world, or the principalities or evil in the heavenly or spiritual realm. Only the Lord or God will defeat evil, although He has clothed us, if we put it on,  with all his armor so that we can take our stand, stand firm against those forces of evil, and become an overcomer. When we take our stand, we are being empowered by our Lord, and not by our resources, and we have victory. Let us always be that mighty warrior of God, looking to him and him alone as our commander. 

Deliberately

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

DELIBERATELY

Judges 10:1-16

10:1 After the time of Abimelech a man of Issachar, Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, rose to save Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim. 2 He led Israel twenty-three years; then he died, and was buried in Shamir. 3 He was followed by Jair of Gilead, who led Israel twenty-two years. 4 He had thirty sons, who rode thirty donkeys. They controlled thirty towns in Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth Jair.   5 When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon. 6 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and the gods of the Philistines. And because the Israelites forsook the LORD and no longer served him, 7 he became angry with them. He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites, 8 who that year shattered and crushed them. For eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites on the east side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites. 9 The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin and the house of Ephraim; and Israel was in great distress. 10 Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, "We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals." 11 The LORD replied, "When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, 12 the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands? 13 But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. 14 Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!" 15 But the Israelites said to the LORD, "We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now." 16 Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the LORD. And he could bear Israel's misery no longer.

NIV

Two different leaders of Israel, or judges, led Israel for a combined fifty-five years, and there was peace and prosperity in the land. But after the last one died, and it appeared there was no other leader raised up, the Israelites again turned to other gods. This time they worshipped seven other gods, forsaking the LORD completely. We are seeing that perfect and complete number of God used here to demonstrate how totally or completely they turned away from the LORD, doing complete evil in his eyes. Therefore, he sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites, who crushed Israel. Why is it, at least it seems, that people cry out to God when things are not going their way, but when everything is good, and they are healthy and wealthy, they are not all that interested in serving the Lord? Over the years, we have seen various Christians who are church attenders, pew fillers, so to speak, but it seems their main interest is in the prosperity of this world. It may be true that God blesses people with wealth, but when we consider a world view rather than just a Western, or American view, there may not be as much material prosperity as we Americans enjoy. However, even in our country, there are the materially poor, yet they may well be spiritually blessed. It should not matter our physical or material situations in this life, to obtain the life to come. What matters is that we worship the Lord our God first and foremost, accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior in our lives, loving Him with all our mind, soul, spirit, and strength. Of course, He is concerned about our needs, in fact, He has told us to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and He would add, or give us all the stuff the pagans run after. Yet do we try to run after God and after the things of the world, and maybe not even in that order? Yes, we live in the age of grace, but we are also warned not to take advantage of our liberty and go on deliberately running after the things of this world. Could it be that running after the things of this world is the same as deliberately sinning, much like the Israelites deliberately chased after other gods, who had no ears to hear, no eyes to see, or mouths to speak? We pray we will never forsake our God for anything in this world, or allow our hearts to be deceived by lies, but are constantly focused on truth. Let us deliberately serve our Lord. 

The Proud and the Humble

 DEVOTION

JUDDES

THE PROUD AND THE HUMBLE

Judges 9:46-57

46 On hearing this, the citizens in the tower of Shechem went into the stronghold of the temple of El-Berith. 47 When Abimelech heard that they had assembled there, 48 he and all his men went up Mount Zalmon. He took an ax and cut off some branches, which he lifted to his shoulders. He ordered the men with him, "Quick! Do what you have seen me do!" 49 So all the men cut branches and followed Abimelech. They piled them against the stronghold and set it on fire over the people inside. So all the people in the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women, also died. 50 Next Abimelech went to Thebez and besieged it and captured it. 51 Inside the city, however, was a strong tower, to which all the men and women — all the people of the city — fled. They locked themselves in and climbed up on the tower roof. 52 Abimelech went to the tower and stormed it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, 53 a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull. 54 Hurriedly he called to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and kill me, so that they can't say, 'A woman killed him.'" So his servant ran him through, and he died. 55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home. 56 Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelech had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers. 57 God also made the men of Shechem pay for all their wickedness. The curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal came on them.

NIV

How evil can one man become because of pride, selfishness, that motivated him to burn women and children to death while they were taking refuge in a temple to their false god El-Berith. Of course, it was still a false refuge because the temple or stronghold had no power to save them. The LORD, God Almighty, is the only true refuge, fortress, and strong tower.  After burning all those in the temple of Shechem to death, he advances on to besiege another city where all the men, women, and all the people of the town, which would include the children, fled and locked themselves in a tower and climbed onto the roof. Here is the end of Abimelech, where the LORD exacts his revenge on a man who has turned his back on the LORD and done despicable things. For a man who believes he is a warrior, a fighting man of strength and courage, to be harmed to the point of death by a woman was too much for him; he had his man thrust a sword into him. How pride ruins the very fabric of a person's character. How horrible to be under the influence of such pride that motivates that kind of selfish ambition to exact revenge on the townspeople. Of course, they also were worshipping a false god, so that no one paid any attention to the LORD and thus were not able to take refuge in Him. Nevertheless, pridefulness is our lesson, as we know the Lord is displeased with it. When we are prideful, it shows we consider our strength to be in our abilities, education, knowledge, talents, skills, wealth, or whatever else we think is due to our own efforts. Pride turns to boasting in ourselves, always making sure others know about our achievements or accomplishments both in the world and in the church. We believe God humbles the proud and lifts up the humble. However, the motivation to be humble should not be so that God would lift us up, but rather because God desires humility over pridefulness. The Apostle James quotes a proverb, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble”. Jesus tells us to learn from him, for he is gentle and humble in heart, and if we are gentle and humble in heart, we will find rest for our souls. Opposite to that would be the prideful will not find rest for their souls. We think the prideful would always be striving to find more to boast about, never content, but always looking for the next level of achievement, the next level to boast about, such as Abimelech, never finding rest, however, death knocked on his door, but not in his soul. Because we humble ourselves, God will lift us in due time. There will always be the proud and the humble. 

Forgiveness and selflessness

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

FORGIVENESS AND SELFLESSNESS

Judges 9:34-45

34 So Abimelech and all his troops set out by night and took up concealed positions near Shechem in four companies. 35 Now Gaal son of Ebed had gone out and was standing at the entrance to the city gate just as Abimelech and his soldiers came out from their hiding place. 36 When Gaal saw them, he said to Zebul, "Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains!" Zebul replied, "You mistake the shadows of the mountains for men." 37 But Gaal spoke up again: "Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and a company is coming from the direction of the soothsayers' tree." 38 Then Zebul said to him, "Where is your big talk now, you who said, 'Who is Abimelech that we should be subject to him?' Aren't these the men you ridiculed? Go out and fight them!" 39 So Gaal led out the citizens of Shechem and fought Abimelech. 40 Abimelech chased him, and many fell wounded in the flight — all the way to the entrance to the gate. 41 Abimelech stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem. 42 The next day the people of Shechem went out to the fields, and this was reported to Abimelech. 43 So he took his men, divided them into three companies and set an ambush in the fields. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he rose to attack them. 44 Abimelech and the companies with him rushed forward to a position at the entrance to the city gate. Then two companies rushed upon those in the fields and struck them down. 45 All that day Abimelech pressed his attack against the city until he had captured it and killed its people. Then he destroyed the city and scattered salt over it.

NIV

Revenge is just another word for self-centeredness. This narrative starts with Abimelech chasing Gaal from the city of Shechem because Gaal questioned his authority as king over the land, and the people of Shechem lost their confidence in Abimelech and went over to Gaal’s side. However, Abimelech would have nothing to do with that, and he drove Gaal from the land and killed many of Gaal’s army. Then, the very city where the people crowned him king, he took up a position against it and struck down its people. Then he destroyed the city and scattered salt over it. We wondered about salt, so with some research we found that sowing the town with salt was to express permanent desolation and abhorrence. There were other instances in history when a man’s house in France was sown with salt after the king had him killed because the man was declared a traitor to the king. The people of Shechem became traitors to Abimelech by putting their confidence in Gaal. Abimelech was motivated by his self-importance, which caused this act of revenge against the very people who had crowned him king. He could have been corrective and told them to seek his forgiveness for losing their confidence in him and turning away to put their faith in another. However, only God gives us the chance to repent and return to putting our faith in Him. But mere men cannot forget nor forgive because they think too highly of themselves, in other words, being self-centered, because they want their way no matter what. Living in harmony means living without demanding self, but thinking about others instead. Living in harmony means constant forgiveness when we fail or fall short of expectations, although having expectations may be a result of self-centeredness. One thing we know for sure is that we can never sow a relationship with God or people with salt. If we say we want to be like Jesus, then we should take on his trait of forgiveness and selflessness. 

His Hand

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

HIS HAND

Judges 9:26-33

26 Now Gaal son of Ebed moved with his brothers into Shechem, and its citizens put their confidence in him. 27 After they had gone out into the fields and gathered the grapes and trodden them, they held a festival in the temple of their god. While they were eating and drinking, they cursed Abimelech. 28 Then Gaal son of Ebed said, "Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should be subject to him? Isn't he Jerub-Baal's son, and isn't Zebul his deputy? Serve the men of Hamor, Shechem's father! Why should we serve Abimelech? 29 If only this people were under my command! Then I would get rid of him. I would say to Abimelech, 'Call out your whole army!'"   30 When Zebul the governor of the city heard what Gaal son of Ebed said, he was very angry. 31 Under cover he sent messengers to Abimelech, saying, "Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem and are stirring up the city against you. 32 Now then, during the night you and your men should come and lie in wait in the fields. 33 In the morning at sunrise, advance against the city. When Gaal and his men come out against you, do whatever your hand finds to do."

NIV

First, we should see how easily the people of Shechem were deceived by this man, Gaal. They had confidence in Abimelech; in fact, they had helped him kill seventy-two of the sons of Gideon, and now a new guy moves into town and they forget about their co-conspiracy against the sons of Gideon and crown Abimelech their king. So they made some wine, had a feast, and cursed the man they made king, just because a new guy shows up and questions who this Abimelech is. But the lesson for us is in the suggestion of Zebul that he sent via messenger to Abimelech, “do whatever your hand finds to do”. We remember they were not serving the LORD but some false god of their own making, and the hand of God was against Abimelech because of the evil he committed against the sons of Gideon. So when Abimelech went out to fight, all he had was whatever his hand found to do. He did not have the LORD on his side, nor did he consult with the LORD about what he was to do. When men are not with the LORD, He is not with them; all they can do is what is within their limited human abilities. However, when we serve the Lord and love him with all our mind, soul, spirit, and strength, and also love others, the Lord then does mighty things for us, in us, and through us. We will do things above our own normal abilities. We have witnessed that within the book of Acts, for example, when Peter and John were on their way to the temple and Peter gave the lame man Jesus, and raised him up, to go jumping and leaping and praising God. We can have that same power when we take our eyes and faith from our own hands, and give our all to Jesus. We sing, There is power in the blood, but what is that power? Of course, the power is in the forgiveness of our sins, so they if we are declared holy and blameless in the sight of God, we should also be able to use the powerful name of Jesus, as He is our King, our Lord, and we can watch Him do mighty things through us. Let us not look to our weak hand, but to the mighty hand of God.