Too Much to Take In...

I Samuel 9:22 Then Samuel took Saul and his young man and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited, who were about thirty persons. 23 And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Put it aside.’” 24 So the cook took up the leg and what was on it and set them before Saul. And Samuel said, “See, what was kept is set before you. Eat, because it was kept for you until the hour appointed, that you might eat with the guests.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day. 25 And when they came down from the high place into the city, a bed was spread for Saul on the roof, and he lay down to sleep. 26 Then at the break of dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Up, that I may send you on your way.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street.

Samuel had grown up and become the man of God people listened to and to whom God spoke. They had requested a king to protect them from the Philistine kings and God had come with an answer. What began as a wild donkey chase ends up at a banquet where Saul is seated as the guest of honor with a special portion of food set aside for him and given a cool place to rest for the night.  Overwhelmed is too mild of a word to describe Saul's reaction. He realizes he has been chosen as prince, to become king of Israel. In what ways has God overwhelmed you by choosing you? 

What a Contrast!

 

I Samuel 2:22 Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. 24 No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. 25 If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death. 26 Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.

Eli was very old; Samuel was young and grown. Eli's sons were carrying on the spirit of the time of the judges with their immorality and lack of concern for God's will.  The Lord was doing something in Israel, and it demanded men with a heart for God.  One cannot help but notice in the last verse above a description used of Christ Himself - the ultimate Man God has used for His plan and purpose.  May He do a thing in our lives and churches which is out with the old and in with the new. 

He Is Yours, Lord.

 

I Samuel 1:24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28 Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.”

The book of I Samuel comes like a breath of fresh air after all the immorality, self-centeredness and violence of Judges. One feels like he has been walking through mud for a few hundred years, but now is standing in the warmth and dry of the morning sun. Here who is finally someone who gets it, who is not out to get everything she can for herself, but to be a part of God's plan. She fully trusts in God and wants Him to be glorified. May we be such a contribution to our families, our people, our world. May we be a breath of fresh air in a dark and dirty world.

Turning On Each Other...

Judges 20:24 So the people of Israel came near against the people of Benjamin the second day. 25 And Benjamin went against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed 18,000 men of the people of Israel. All these were men who drew the sword. 26 Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 27 And the people of Israel inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28 and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, “Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.”

Things seem to go from bad to worse in the accounts of the judges.  The passage above was a response to the terrible things we saw in the last chapter. The cycle of disobedience spiraled downward to the point that the Israelites were turning on one another instead of driving out the pagan nations.  Many lives were lost. Three times Israel had to call out to God for direction. Finally, things came to a resolution, and all were set into the territories assigned, but many lives were lost and long-term distrust was created, which pops up again when a king was chosen.  How often do God's people turn on one another instead of the real enemy?

Things Can Get Worse...

Judges 19: 23 And the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not act so wickedly; since this man has come into my house, do not do this vile thing. 24 Behold, here are my virgin daughter and his concubine. Let me bring them out now. Violate them and do with them what seems good to you, but against this man do not do this outrageous thing.”25 But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and made her go out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until the morning. And as the dawn began to break, they let her go. 26 And as morning appeared, the woman came and fell down at the door of the man's house where her master was, until it was light. 27 And her master rose up in the morning, and when he opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, behold, there was his concubine lying at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold. 28 He said to her, “Get up, let us be going.” But there was no answer. Then he put her on the donkey, and the man rose up and went away to his home

The further we get into Judges, the darker things got. The unbelievable was going on: a Levite who was supposed to be a servant of God had a concubine; there was a lack of hospitality, which was supposed to be a characteristic of God's people; things looked a lot like Sodom and Gomorrah all over again. And if you read on, things got worse.  We are looking at a culture falling apart, and it's almost like looking in a mirror.  How much worse can things get?

How Far Will You Go?

 Judges 18:23 And they shouted to the people of Dan, who turned around and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you, that you come with such a company?” 24 And he said, “You take my gods that I made and the priest, and go away, and what have I left? How then do you ask me, ‘What is the matter with you?’” 25 And the people of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall upon you, and you lose your life with the lives of your household.” 26 Then the people of Dan went their way. And when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his home. 27 But the people of Dan took what Micah had made, and the priest who belonged to him, and they came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire.

A couple of times in this chapter we are reminded that it was a time when everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes.  The tribe of Dan was still wandering around trying to settle down. They finally found a place they wanted to settle, which they took from a quiet, unsuspecting people. They also took their own priest with their own ephod with their own idol and set up their own place of worship. They were not keeping with the original plan of the unity of Israel and not acting like a people for his name. How far will you go to get what you want?

Fighting for What Really Matters

Judges 16:24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said, “Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has killed many of us.” 25 And when their hearts were merry, they said, “Call Samson, that he may entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars. 26 And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.” 

Samson had quite a wild life.  Set apart and called by God to deliver His people from the Philistines, Samson usually made it all about him. His great feats were often driven by his personal desires and punishing those who offended him.  But now that he had forfeited his freedom and lost his sight, all he could hear were the jeers of his enemies against God and for their false God. Samson had this one last chance to be the deliverer God had always intended. As he pushed the pillars, the walls came tumbling down, and the chronicler concludes: So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. When you are fighting for what really matters - the Glory of God, you can really make a difference.

Listen to the Words...

 Judges 11:26 While Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, 300 years, why did you not deliver them within that time? 27 I therefore have not sinned against you, and you do me wrong by making war on me. The Lord, the Judge, decide this day between the people of Israel and the people of Ammon.” 28 But the king of the Ammonites did not listen to the words of Jephthah that he sent to him.

One of the most wicked peoples whom God wanted driven out of the promised land were the Ammonites. They, like several other peoples decided now was the time to strike against Israel, while they were floundering in their mission to take the land.  God sent a message through Jephthah to back off, but the Ammonites would not listen.  Jephthah then proceeded to make a rash vow to God if He would give him the victory over them. God did. God kept his word and made Jephthah keep his. Both the king of Ammon and Jephthah needed to listen to the works coming out of his mouth.

The History You Want to Forget

 Judges 9:26 And Gaal the son of Ebed moved into Shechem with his relatives, and the leaders of Shechem put confidence in him. 27 And they went out into the field and gathered the grapes from their vineyards and trod them and held a festival; and they went into the house of their god and ate and drank and reviled Abimelech. 28 And Gaal the son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who are we of Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him? 29 Would that this people were under my hand! Then I would remove Abimelech. I would say to Abimelech, ‘Increase your army, and come out.’”

Judges 9 contains a lesser-known account of the self-proclaimed king Abimelech. It is a twisted account of self-promotion, mass murder, failed revolt, and especially, the infiltration of idolatry.  It is a fitting account to follow what we observed in Gideon's rule at the end of yesterday's study. Because of the events of this chapter, the city of Shechem became a by-word for generations.  This chapter shows how far people can stray when they turn from God to idols and worldly leaders. May we not contribute to a history we regret.

Weak Spot

Judges 8:24 And Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you: every one of you give me the earrings from his spoil.” (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) 25 And they answered, “We will willingly give them.” And they spread a cloak, and every man threw in it the earrings of his spoil. 26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and besides the collars that were around the necks of their camels. 27 And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family. 

We have already seen that Gideon was one of those hesitant leaders called by God, yet he went ahead and obeyed and serves Him as a judge over Israel.  He became a hero. But God does not hold back from showing and sharing the shortcomings of His leaders. Gideon saw this as his "golden" opportunity. Notice that his act became an idol to the people and a trap for Gideon and his descendants. It came back to haunt them.  Beware the dangers of short-lived success.  Often dreams come true become nightmares for all.  They can bring out the worst in any man. 

Taking a Stand! Hesitantly.

 

Judges 6:25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take your father's bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it 26 and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night.

Gideon is an interesting study. He wanted to do something great for God, but he wasn't always so sure. He "put out the fleece" (literally) and questioned his call. He obeyed God no matter what others believed (as long as they were not watching) and showed other signs of hesitation.  But take a stand he did, and he not only made a difference; he left a legacy. To take a stand you do not need to be loud, obnoxious and brash; you don't even need a lot of courage. You just need to take steps of faith and obedience when God speaks. Almost every great leader did hesitate at first (and often more than once.) What stand will you take today?

One of Israel's Greatest Hits

 

Judges 5:24 “Most blessed of women be Jael,
    the wife of Heber the Kenite, of tent-dwelling women most blessed.
25 He asked for water and she gave him milk;
    she brought him curds in a noble's bowl.
26 She sent her hand to the tent peg
    and her right hand to the workmen's mallet;
she struck Sisera; she crushed his head;
    she shattered and pierced his temple.
27 Between her feet he sank, he fell, he lay still;
between her feet he sank, he fell;
where he sank, there he fell—dead.

The songs of Israel found in scripture are interesting summaries of historical events.  Judges 4 and 5 tell of Deborah, who stepped up when no men would, and of Jael, who struck the deciding blow, as well as Sisera's mother, who never saw him come home.  Women are not bystanders and make some of the best song writers. The show us what is really going on in culture.  What do the songs of our day tell us?

He Passed Beyond the Idols...

 Judges 3:26 Ehud escaped while they delayed, and he passed beyond the idols and escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was their leader. 28 And he said to them, “Follow after me, for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites and did not allow anyone to pass over. 29 And they killed at that time about 10,000 of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; not a man escaped. 30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years.

As we saw yesterday, the time after Joshua is filled with the word "but." The people of Israel had much success, BUT they did not fully obey God.  This passage talks about God allowing the Moabites to be a major problem for Israel. Ehud delivered Israel by sneaking in and killing their king. What may not be obvious is why God had allowed Moab to bother Israel, but twice it mentions that Ehud "passed the idols." Israel had allowed Moab's false idols to infiltrate their land, setting them up near Gilgal, a holy city. How much trouble do we bring into our lives by allowing the idols of this world infiltrate our lives and homes? 

Lasting Effects

 

Judges 1:21 But the people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites have lived with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day. 22 The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the Lord was with them. 23 And the house of Joseph scouted out Bethel. (Now the name of the city was formerly Luz.) 24 And the spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the way into the city, and we will deal kindly with you.” 25 And he showed them the way into the city. And they struck the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man and all his family go. 26 And the man went to the land of the Hittites and built a city and called its name Luz. That is its name to this day.

As we move into the book of Judges, Joshua dies and each tribe and clan takes responsibility for finishing the task of completing their allotment. Sometimes tribes worked together, and that was a good things. All was proceeding well, but... That is the key word to look for in this book, as seen in verses 21 and 25 above. They did not drive out all the wicked peoples as God had commanded them to. We need to recall that God was judging the peoples of the land for their wickedness and using the people of Israel to do so. Their refusal to fully obey was going to have long lasting effects.  The phrase "to this day" can be either good or bad, and often in Judges, and our lives, it is the latter. 

The Stone That Hears...

 Joshua 24:24 And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” 25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem. 26 And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.” 28 So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.

This is part of the final address by Joshua to the people of Israel. The most well-known verse of the chapter is earlier, verse 15: And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” The people respond by saying they will serve the Lord. Throughout this book we have seen numerous piles of stones as memorials to God's power and their promises. Here there is one stone - another reminder and witness of their promises. That stone would stay there and "remember" for them.  What promises have we made, heard by the walls, the sky, other people, and especially, God? Have we kept them? Have we forgotten them, intentionally or by accident?

Crossing the Divide

 Joshua 22:25 For the Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you people of Reuben and people of Gad. You have no portion in the Lord.’ So your children might make our children cease to worship the Lord. 26 Therefore we said, ‘Let us now build an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice, 27 but to be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we do perform the service of the Lord in his presence with our burnt offerings and sacrifices and peace offerings, so your children will not say to our children in time to come, “You have no portion in the Lord.”’

When some of the tribes of Israel settled on the eastern side of the Jordan, there was a natural divide between the tribes - such a divide that it seemed to divide into two nations.  When it came time for the soldiers of Israel to return home to that side, they wanted to make sure they stayed one united nation. So they build an altar of witness. In fact, they named it "Witness."  Much like the piles of stones they had been leaving along their journey, this was to serve as a reminder of who they were and how they had gotten there. They made it clear it was not a second or different Tabernacle, dividing them, but a reminder to unify them. May the things we devise do the same.

A Place to Call Home

Joshua 21:20 As to the rest of the Kohathites belonging to the Kohathite clans of the Levites, the cities allotted to them were out of the tribe of Ephraim. 21 To them were given Shechem, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasturelands, 22 Kibzaim with its pasturelands, Beth-horon with its pasturelands—four cities; 23 and out of the tribe of Dan, Elteke with its pasturelands, Gibbethon with its pasturelands, 24 Aijalon with its pasturelands, Gath-rimmon with its pasturelands—four cities; 25 and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach with its pasturelands, and Gath-rimmon with its pasturelands—two cities. 26 The cities of the clans of the rest of the Kohathites were ten in all with their pasturelands.

The one tribe without an allotted territory was that of Levi, as they had been called to serve God as priests and their assistants.  But God did give them cities scattered throughout the other tribal allotments. That did two things: it gave them the security of a place to live, and it gave a Levitical representation to each tribe. These forty-eight cities were scattered appropriately among the tribes by size and space, with each clan of the Levites having others in their clan in the same region, providing variety, yet unity. Wherever we are as God's people we need such balance.

To the Sea...

 

Joshua 19:24 The fifth lot came out for the tribe of the people of Asher according to their clans. 25 Their territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph, 26 Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal. On the west it touches (H)Carmel and Shihor-libnath, 27 then it turns eastward, it goes to Beth-dagon, and touches Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtahel northward to Beth-emek and Neiel. Then it continues in the north to (I)Cabul, 28 Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, Kanah, as far as (J)Sidon the Great. 29 Then the boundary turns to Ramah, reaching to the fortified city of Tyre. Then the boundary turns to Hosah, and it ends at the sea; Mahalab,[a] Achzib, 30 Ummah, Aphek and Rehob—twenty-two cities with their villages. 31 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Asher according to their clans—these cities with their villages.

After covering the more important tribes, Joshua assigns each tribe their territory and cities belonging to it. Again, it is easy to get caught up in the names of the places and how to pronounce and spell them, but some of the important details are in the plain simple English, like the boundary ends at the sea (verse 29), referring to the Mediterranean.  What becomes abundantly clear in the history of Israel is they never quite made it all the way.  The coastal cities (and other boundaries) were always a challenge.  How many of God's promises to we never fully realize because we never fully obey?

The Little Brother

Joshua 18:21 Now the cities of the tribe of the people of Benjamin according to their clans were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, 22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, Geba—twelve cities with their villages: 25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah and Kiriath-jearim—fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the people of Benjamin according to its clans.

After allotting the land designated for Judah, Joshua then allotted land for the largest tribes: Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph. The third tribe allotted land was Benjamin, the only full brother of Judah. It was land in the core of Israel and bordered by Judah, in a sense very well-protected.  It is no surprise that this was the one tribe that joined with Judah when the rest of Israel rebelled and withdrew in the divided kingdom.  Israel also chose their first king, Saul, from Benjamin, which is like many things we do in life - choosing almost what God wants. They should have known their king was to be from Judah (as mentioned yesterday).

First Dibs

Joshua 15:20 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Judah according to their clans. 21 The cities belonging to the tribe of the people of Judah in the extreme south, toward the boundary of Edom, were Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, 22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, 23 Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, 24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, 25 Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hezron (that is, Hazor), 26 Amam, Shema, Moladah, 27 Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pelet, 28 Hazar-shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, 29 Baalah, Iim, Ezem, 30 Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah, 31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, 32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon: in all, twenty-nine cities with their villages.

Last time we noted the areas allotted to the tribes of Israel east of the Jordan by Moses, and the areas yet to be inhabited west of the river by the rest of the tribes.  After giving a specific city to Caleb for his faithfulness, the first tribe listed is Judah.  You don't need to memorize all the names above for a spelling test, but do realize that Judah is mentioned first.  There is a reason for that. Judah had become the spokesman for the brothers and the promise of One to come someday was given through the line of Judah. It was never a pride or show-off kind of thing, but there was an understanding that Judah was first in line.