Bible in 90, Day 08: A Father’s Dilemma

Leviticus 1-14

*image courtesy of doriana_s at stock.xchng

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.  ~ Deuteronomy 6:4-9

One of the heaviest burdens I carry as a father is the spiritual state of my boys.  My wife is my first priority, but I know without a doubt where her faith lies, and that she is eternally saved by grace through her faith in Jesus Christ.  My boys, however, are not yet saved.  They are young still, but it haunts me daily that they do not yet know Jesus personally and are not yet Christians.

Every father worries about his kids in some way or another.  No doubt Aaron had great concern for his four sons.  But like all fathers, he had to come to grips with the fact that they stood before God on their own.  I’ve mentioned on this blog before that God has no grandchildren.  Every person must give an account of their own actions to God.  This is hard for a father to accept because we desperately want to protect our children and keep them from harm.  Most of us would gladly take the heat in place of one of our kids.

In a stunningly tragic passage from today’s reading, two of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, were punished for their sins against God (Leviticus 10).  We don’t know what exactly is meant by “unauthorized fire” (literally in Hebrew, “strange fire”), but it’s clear from God’s response that they had violated some aspect of the requirements recently laid out for the priests.  In a moment that is gut wrenching for any dad reading, Moses tells Aaron not to mourn the death of his two sons.  They knew what was expected by God, and they had sinned in some way.  They stood before God, and were judged according to their own actions.  Aaron could not allow this tragedy to cause him to sin and incur God’s wrath himself.

I can’t imagine how he must have felt.

It’s interesting that with the preliminaries of this article floating through my head, I sat down to dinner tonight and found myself in the midst of an intensely spiritual discussion with my boys.  We started out talking about Grandaddy and how he’s going to have to have another surgery in a few weeks.  We talked about how our bodies sometimes breakdown, kind of like our toys do when they get old or we don’t take good care of them, or sometimes they just break!  I saw a teachable moment for my boys, and went into discussing how illness and death are the result of sin being in the world.  I read Genesis 3 to them and we discussed Adam and Eve and the first sin and how it lead to their eventual death.  I read Romans 6:23 and talked about the payment we earn when we work hard at sin.  I asked Tripp (my 3 year-old) if what I was saying was making sense to which he quite enthusiastically said, “No!”

Somehow I wasn’t surprised.

However, Corbin (4½ year-old) my got a sad/scared look on his face and said that when he dies and Jesus makes him alive again he wants to come to his house, meaning our place here in Crewe.  So I read John 14:1-7 to him and talked about the many rooms in heaven that Jesus is preparing for all those who believe in him.  I read Romans 10:9 to him, and told him that we love him and Tripp very much and that’s why we teach them about Jesus because we want them to be in heaven with us one day.

It’s very hard for me to teach my 4½ year-old these hard and sometimes scary truths.  But I know that one day my little preschooler will stand before a righteous God (hopefully after a long, long life) and give an account for his actions and his faith.  I want him to be ready.  For an agonizing span of about 5 minutes, I began to think that tonight might be the night Corbin got saved.  He knows what sin is, and he knows he’s a sinner.  He knows (mostly) that sin leads to death.

I don’t think he’s got the rest yet, and it was painful to realize that the conversation had gone as far as it could tonight.  It’s that terrible dilemma that I find myself in, where I so desperately want someone to understand and believe the gospel, but I can’t make them do either.  I have to let the Holy Spirit do His work.   I am glad that he’s a few steps closer to understanding his personal guilt before a Holy God and his need for a personal Savior, Jesus.

I’m excited about the days ahead, and yet I’m still filled with that dread knowing that his eternity is not yet secured.  It pushes me to take advantage of every chance I get to tell my boys about Jesus, about their sin, about their need for Jesus, and about His wonderful gift of eternal life by grace through faith (Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-10).

Let’s always remember that no one lives on borrowed faith.  Each man and woman must stand before God in judgment one day.  Let’s let this spur us on to tell others about Jesus’ salvation, especially our kids.

Originally at Words of Reason

Bible in 90, Day 4: From well, to servant’s house, to dungeon, to palace

Genesis 41-50

*image courtesy of blary54 at stock.xchng

Poor Joseph.  I mean, all he did was tell people what he knew and stand for what’s right.  For that, he got thrown into a well, and then sold to slave traders by his brothers.  He got thrown into jail on trumped up charges by his new boss’s wife.  And when a ray of hope finally beamed into his dungeon after helping out the cup bearer to the king, the guy forgets him… for two whole years!

Finally, when Pharaoh needs some dream interpretation skills, the cup bearer manages to remember that guy that he left in the pit two years ago.  Now, if this were an action-packed summer blockbuster, this would be the part where a ragged, newly-muscled, scraggly bearded Joseph (who probably spent the two years learning kung-fu from some old blind prisoner who died on the day he was supposed to be released and whom Joseph swears to avenge) busts through the door with some good ol’ fashioned Hebrew justice in his fists!  But it’s not an action-packed summer blockbuster.

Thankfully.

Instead, Joseph shaves, changes his clothes, and continues doing what he’s been doing – telling people the truth as God leads him.  No matter what disaster or hardship befalls our hero, he stays true to what he knows is right.

He stays faithful.

If he’s a son, he’s the best son he can be to his father.  If he’s a servant, he works so hard at his job he’s put in charge of the whole household.  If he’s a prisoner, he’s a model prisoner, even put in charge of the workings of the prison.  If he stands before the Pharaoh, he is made Prime Minister of Egypt, second only to the king.  He stays faithful, no matter his environment or circumstances.

Second Thessalonians 3:13 urges us to never tire of doing what is right, and Philippians 2:14-15 tells us to do everything without grumbling or complaining.  What does it take to break us?  If someone treats us unfairly, do we stop serving or loving them?  If someone falsely accuses us, do we take the opportunity to seek revenge?  If someone forgets to acknowledge us, do we use it as an excuse to stop working hard?

We must never stop doing what is right, we must work hard without complaining.  We are where we are because God has placed us there.  No matter how difficult the task, know that God has assigned you for it and therefore you can get through it.

Someone once told me that we do what we’re supposed to do because we’re supposed to do it, not because of what everyone around us doing.  We must serve faithfully because we are servants of God.  If we serve for any other reason, we will eventually find an excuse to stop serving – the money’s not good enough, they don’t respect me, this is beneath me, the love is gone, it’s too hard.

Let’s never tire of doing what is right.  Let’s look at every circumstance as a mandate from God to act in the way that glorifies Him most.  Let’s always remember that there are no problems in life, only opportunities to glorify God!

Originally at Words of Reason

Bible in 90, Bonus 02: Heel grabber

*image courtesy of Lamprinh at stock.xchng

New question, same questioner:

Here is my question on Day 3.
Genesis 30:25 – 31:16. When I read this section of scripture Jacob comes across as trying to be deceitful, of trying to cheat Laban.  Specially beginning with 30:37.  Seems underhanded and sneaky of Jacob, how he “intentionally” had the animals mate in front of the branches.  31:10 does say he had a dream and an angel of God spoke to him, but it seems that Jacob was cheating Laban.  Am I totally off base here?  Reading something into this that’s not there?

Well, you’re basically right.  Recall from Genesis 25:26 that Jacob was born grasping the heel of Esau.  This is how he got his name, “Jacob” in Hebrew means “heel-grabber” or “he grasps the heel.”  This was a Hebrew euphemism for a deceiver.  Think of the modern day “you’re pulling my leg!”  Over in 27:36, Esau brings this point out when he says “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times.”  Jacob spent his life living up to his name.  He was a scoundrel, a conman if you will.  Think about how he weaseled his way into Esau’s birthright, how he conspired with his mother to steal Esau’s blessing from Isaac.

As for the dream, the angel said nothing about the sticks.  The angel pointed out that the livestock that mated were striped, spotted, and mottled.  Basically, I think that Jacob’s trick with the striped sticks was smoke screen.  I think he was trying to cheat Laban out of his flocks, but I don’t think the sticks did it.  The dream was to show Jacob that God was the one producing the right types of livestock, not Jacob’s schemes.

Jacob lived up to his first name.  (He eventually earns his new name, Israel means “he strives with God”).  He was a scoundrel and a schemer.  This is one of the wondrous things about the Bible.  It portrays its heroes/main characters as the fallen, sinful people they were.  There is little candy coating in the God’s Word.  God blessed Jacob in spite of himself.

Let’s live lives that deserve to be blessed.  May it always be said that God was working through us, not around us.  May our lives be blessed because of how we live, not in spite of how we live.

Bible in 90, Day 63: Lions and Fires and Prayers, oh my!

Daniel 1-8

image courtesy of memoossa at stock.xchng

So today we covered about a month’s worth of Sunday school lessons.  We read about Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refusing the king’s choice food so as not to defile themselves.  We saw Daniel interpreting dreams for Nebuchadnezzar.  We held our breath as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were throw into the fiery furnace.  Daniel had a sleep-over with some lions because he had prayed to God even though it was against the law.  We scratched our heads as the hand appeared and wrote on the wall.

What did that look like anyway?

What’s interesting to see is the confidence and boldness in these four Hebrew men throughout these various ordeals.  To refuse the king’s food was to take a serious risk of seeming defiant.  I’m sure that disobedient refugees were not treated well by the royal court.  Daniel made a bold claim that he could interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, and had he not made good on his claim we know he would have died for it.  The penalty for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s allegiance to the Lord and refusal to bow before the image Nebuchadnezzar had made was brutal, yet they survived.

Perhaps my favorite moment of brash on the part of Daniel is in chapter 5 when he responds to Belshazzar’s questions about his reputation and ability to interpret the handwriting on the wall.  Belshazzar promises Daniel a robe, a gold chain, and a position of high political power in the land if he can interpret the writing.  Daniel’s response is quite forthcoming: You can keep your stuff!  But I will tell you the meaning of the words.

Um… Daniel… that’s the king

This was not the first king Daniel had ever tangled with.  He’d had dealings with Nebuchadnezzar, as we read earlier, and possibly two other kings whose reigns were fairly short.  Belshazzar was also not the last king he would deal with on not-so-friendly terms.  However, Daniel knew that his true King was more powerful than any earthly king.  In truth, the Lord was the source of the authority and power these kings had attained.

We don’t have to fear people either.  If we are in Christ, then we are children of the King of the universe.  No earthly power holds any real sway over us.  What’s the worst they can do to us?  Kill us?  That didn’t seem to bother Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They figured that God could save them from the flames of the furnace, but even if He didn’t, they wanted Nebuchadnezzar to know that they would not worship anything or anyone but God, even if it meant death.  We should serve Christ regardless of the consequences, knowing that either God will save us from the consequences, or that the consequences are not enough to keep us from being faithful to our King.

Let’s remember the example of these Hebrew men who were surrounded by a pagan culture.  Let’s not fear man, but rather, let’s fear God.  For man can only kill the body, but God can kill both the body and the soul (Matthew 10:28).  Let’s honor God, trusting Him to either deliver us from the fire, or to deliver us through the fire into His presence.

originally at Words of Reason

Bible in 90, Day 56: Don’t name your kid Uriah

Jeremiah 24-33

*image courtesy of kirsche222 at stock.xchng

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.  When the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.”

~ Matthew 13:3-9

Jeremiah 26 tells a couple of interesting stories.  In 7:12, God commanded Jeremiah to go to Shiloh to see what He had done to that place because of the wickedness of the people.  It’s apparent from these comments that something bad had happened, and archaeological evidence tells us that the town was destroyed by the Philistines around 1050B.C.  Shiloh was the first dwelling place of the Tabernacle, along with the Ark of the Covenant.  The Israelites set up a graven image of  that Micah had made (Judges 17, 18:31), and so God destroyed that place.  In chapter 26, God commands Jeremiah to go to the Temple and preach a message that God would destroy Jerusalem like He had destroyed Shiloh, and for the same reasons.

This didn’t go over well.

The prophets and priests surrounded him and brought him up on charges of treason and demanded he be killed.  But the people and the officials sided with Jeremiah, saying that he had spoken in the name of the Lord.  Some of the elders reminded everyone of a time when the prophet Micah spoke a similar message (Micah 3:12).  In that case, King Hezekiah listened to his words and received them as God’s words, heeded them, repented, and avoided the disaster God would have brought had there been no repentance.

This is contrasted by an editorial comment by Jeremiah with the story of Uriah, son of Shemaiah.  Uriah prophesied not long before Jeremiah, also during the reign of King Jehoiakim.  He had the same message that Jeremiah and Micah had, but Jehoiakim threatened him, had him chased down, and killed him.  Same kind of prophet, same message, different results.  It’s interesting to note that another Uriah was killed even while faithfully serving God and having done no wrong (2 Samuel 11).

Don’t ever name your kid Uriah, it just won’t go well for him.

These little stories remind me of the Parable of the Soils (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23).  The same message is delivered to four different kinds of people, and with four different kinds of result.  The prophets & priests, as well as King Jehoiakim, heard a message that Jerusalem was doomed if they did not repent.  They didn’t like this.  They reject the Word of God, and do not accept it, much like the path in the parable.  The people, officials, & elders, as well as King Hezekiah heard a message that Jerusalem was doomed if they did not repent.  They didn’t like this, so they accepted the Word of God, repented resulting in blessing, much like the good soil in the parable.

Let’s always remember that when we are faithfully serving Christ, and we are rejected and hated by men that it is we who are being rejected.  Each hearer has to choose to accept or reject the Word of God.  If we proclaim the Word faithfully, and sow the seed as it truly is, the results are up to God and the hearers.  Let’s also remember that we have a choice every time we hear the Word proclaimed.  Many of us would never be the path, rejecting the Word as no truth at all.  We may, however, be the rocky soil.  When things get hard, the Word finds no root in our hearts and comes to nothing.  When obeying the Scripture isn’t easy, will we be good soil, or rocky?  Let’s choose to accept the Word, obey it, repent if necessary, and receive God’s blessing instead of His wrath.

*originally at Words of Reason

Bible in 90, Day 36: … and other four letter words

Esther 1 – Job 7

*image courtesy of ugaldew at www.sxc.hu

In Esther, we see a woman who is constantly having to decide whether she will do her own thing, or obey the authority God has placed over her.  Mordecai tells her not to reveal her heritage as a Jew (Esther 2:10).  He has done this, most likely for her protection.  Rather than being a brash young person, she obeys the wisdom of her elder.  Later in the story, this proves to be a key element in the salvation of the Jews.  It is her hidden ethnicity that ruins Haman.

When it was Esther’s turn to go to the king, she had a choice to make.  Each girl was allowed to take whatever she wished with her.  Esther chose to follow the advice of Hegai, one of the king’s eunuchs who had been placed in charge of her (2:15-16).  Who would know the king better, one of his long-time servants, or a young girl who had just entered the palace a year ago (2:12)?  She submitted herself to the authority placed over her, even preferring his wisdom to her own.

Later in the story (chapter 4), Mordecai urges Esther to intercede before the king on behalf of the Jewish people.  In this interchange, we see her recognizing and submitting to two authorities.  First, she recognizes the penalty for breaking the king’s law about approaching his throne un-summoned.  But, dangerous as this is, she submits to the authority of Mordecai and agrees to try.  There is, or course, the element of self-sacrifice that is always celebrated in this story.  But don’t forget that part of this is the continuation of the habit of being under authority and submitting to and obeying it.

As Christians, we should have the highest standards of integrity, and the best reputations as those who obey authority.

This is so counter-cultural.

It’s almost un-American.  We are a country founded on rebellion.  I may catch some flack for this, but the fundamental principle of our nation’s government is one of revolt against authority.  Originally, this was a revolt against authority that was seen as being tyrannical, but it has morphed into so much more.  It has been perverted to the point where anytime we disagree with authority, we feel we are not only permitted, but almost duty bound to rise up and throw off the shackles of oppression.  I’m not downing our country, I’m trying to expose a satanic tendency and mindset in our culture that says “No!” to authority whenever it can justify it.

Christians are called to submit to authority.  Whether this be federal, state, or local government, our boss, our parents, our pastors, our committee chairperson, our coach, our spouse, and even the brotherhood.  Peter tells us to love the brotherhood of believers (the church), fear God, and honor the king (the government).  Paul tells us in Philippians 2:3-4 that we are to consider others (specifically in the church) as better than ourselves and look to their needs first.  Ephesians 5:21 tells us to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

If I view myself through the lens of Scripture, I will see that I don’t have it all figured out and I am not perfect.  I may find that, perhaps, I’m not as smart as I think I am, and that I could stand to listen a little more and talk a little less.  I might just submit myself to those God has placed in authority, and not assume that I’m right and they’re wrong.

originally at Words of Reason

P.S. if this sounds familiar, it’s because I posted it back on Sept. 12, 2009 before I began the 90 Day Challenge

Bible in 90, Day 33: I would not say such things if I were you!

2 Chronicles 23-35

*image courtesy of bewinca at www.sxc.hu

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.”  (Galatians 6:7)

The story of Sennacherib has always fascinated me (2 Chronicles 32).  I’ve often wondered how a man could be so arrogant, so spiteful, and so blind.  While trying to intimidate the king and the people of Judah, he spews out blasphemy like few people recorded in the Bible.  He has the audacity to compare the God of the Jews to the false gods of the other nations he has conquered.  Of course, in his sin-warped mind, he probably saw no difference.  He probably thought of Yahweh as just another inferior god whose people would be easily enough subdued.  He says in v. 17, “As the gods of the nations of the lands have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand.”

I would not say such things if I were you!

The Chronicler tells us that Sennacherib was directly trying to insult the Lord and to speak against Him!  What boldness!  What arrogance!  If you read the account of this event in Isaiah 36-37, especially 37:21-38, you discover that God has a direct answer.  He informs Sennacherib that all his mighty exploits and conquests were the result of His doing, not the king.  God then lets him know that he will not enter the city, or even fire an arrow into it.  The battle belongs to the Lord, and He already knows the outcome!  As expected, the word of the Lord comes true when Sennacherib’s army is wiped out by an angel, he goes home, and is eventually killed by his own sons while worshiping his false god.

When Paul wrote in Galatians that God cannot be mocked, he meant more than just words.  Certainly, anyone bold enough to openly mock God, such as Sennacherib and his servant Rabshakeh did, will face His judgment.  But do we mock God with our lives, while claiming to honor Him with our lips (Isaiah 29:13)?  We may not stand before the people of God and openly blaspheme His character, but do we deny Him with our actions?

God cannot be mocked.

Paul goes on to tell us that we will reap whatever we sow (Galatians 6:7-10).  That is to say, whatever we plant in our lives, we will harvest later.  I have  a garden in my backyard.  This season, my wife planted all kinds of seeds – cantalope, tomatoes, green beans, corn, squash, and peas.  Guess what we collected for the next few months?  Yep – cantalope, tomatoes, green beans, corn, squash, and peas.

If you plant watermelon seeds, in a few months you will be eating watermelon.  If you plant corn, you will eat corn.  If you plant sin, you will harvest destruction.  If you plant to please the Spirit, you will harvest eternal life.  And here’s the thing, all those seeds didn’t really look like much to start with.  We put a little tiny white thing in some dirt, and for a few weeks, it didn’t do a thing!  But after a little more time passed, we knew what were the green beans and what were the squash.  It might not seem like there’s consequences for sin in this worlds sometimes, but give it some time.  If the consequences don’t come here on earth, they’ll come later.

Let’s not plant sin in our lives.  Let us plant that which pleases the Spirit of the Holy God.  He wants what’s best for us, and so we are best to heed His commands and warnings.  Let’s not mock God, in word, or in deed. Let’s not profess the name of Jesus with one breath, and curse our brother with the next.  Let’s not claim to be children of God in the morning, and live like children of Satan that night.  Let’s let our actions match our passions and so not deceive ourselves, God cannot be mocked.

originally at Words of Reason

Bible in 90, Day 26: Who ya gonna call?

1 Kings 16 – 2 Kings 4

*image courtesy of jazza at www.sxc.hu

On everyone’s short list of baby names, I’m sure, is the name of today’s hero: Jehoshaphat.  Aside from having a snazzy name, and apparently being known for his jumping abilities, Jehoshaphat had a remarkable characteristic that reveals itself in today’s passage.

Particularly in 1 Kings 22 and 2 Kings 3, Jehoshaphat shows his dependence on God.  In both these situations, Jehoshaphat finds himself allied with the king of Israel (Ahab and Joram, respectively) in a military situation that requires some guidance.  In the first instance, the question is whether or not the two kings should go to war against Aram.  In the second, the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom find themselves in the predicament of having run out of water in the midst of the desert.  In both situations, Jehoshaphat’s natural tendency is the same:

Let’s ask the Lord!

Whether it was seeking wisdom (yes!  three days in a row!  sweet!), or seeking provision, Jehoshaphat went to God.  He asks virtually the same question both times, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord that we might inquire of?”  He also affirms this sentiment further.  In 2 Kings 3, when told that Elisha is nearby, he says “The word of the Lord is with him.”  In 1 Kings 22, he mildly rebukes Ahab for not accepting the message from God through Micaiah just because he doesn’t like it.  Jehoshaphat valued the wisdom of God even when it wasn’t convenient for him.

Let us be the same!  When faced with a decision, let us always first think of asking God.  When faced with a need or some threat, let us always first think to go to God with our need.  As believers in Jesus Christ, we don’t even have to go through a prophet!  We have a new and living way into the presence of God, and because of this Way (that is, Jesus), we can enter His presence boldly (Hebrews 10:19-23).  If we ask anything in His Name and according to His will, He will answer us (John 14:14; 1 John 5:14).  So let us enter boldly, not on our own worth but Christ’s, and seek God.  We will find Him when we seek Him with all our hearts (Jeremiah 29:13)!

Bible in 90, Day 25: Stupid kids!

1 Kings 7-16

*image courtesy of jan-willem at www.sxc.hu

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you!”

How many times do we ignore this as kids?  How many times do we ignore it now?  We always think we know better.  And the younger we are, the more we think we know!

This was certainly true of Rehoboam.  Even though he was forty-one years old when he became king, he made a bone-headed move, typical of a man half his age (1 Kings 12).  He had just become king, and the people came to him seeking a bit of relief from the hard labor his father, King Solomon, had put them under.  Here was a great chance for the new king to gain favor in the sight of his people.  He consulted the elders, the men who had been Solomon’s advisers.  They counseled him to answer them favorably and so gain their allegiance.  He then made the mistake of rejecting this counsel and sought the advice of his friends.

Stupid move.

These were the guys he had grown up with.  These men were obviously not diplomats, or wise elders.  These were the guys he goofed off with all his young life.  They were not statesmen, they were not kings or king-makers, they weren’t even all that godly if we look at their response (check out the way some translations render 12:10! if memory serves me correctly, this is the gist of what they were saying! pretty crude).  These were the rough and tumble guys that had grown up as Rehoboam’s chums.  Not exactly the best place to go for godly counsel.  They give him terrible advice, and he follows it!  It goes quite badly for him, as you’ll remember, and ends up splitting the kingdom.

Thanks buddies!

One of the great ironies of all this is that, as we discussed yesterday, Solomon spent a lot of ink trying to teach his son to get wisdom (Proverbs 4:5, 7; 16:16; 23:23).  Obviously this pleading fell on deaf ears.  Perhaps this is why Solomon spent so much time reminding his son to get wisdom.  Perhaps he saw his foolishness early on in Rehoboam’s childhood.

But we do the same, don’t we?  We go to our friends “for advice” and really all we hope for is to hear what we have already decided to do.  Instead of seeking out those who have true wisdom, we go to those we know think like we do.  We may even read the Bible, but we bring our preconceived notions to it and read our desires into it instead of looking into the perfect law and letting it change our lives (James 1:22-25).

Instead, as we discussed yesterday, we should ask God for wisdom (James 1:5).  In addition, we should seek the counsel of godly people.  We younger folk need to be reminded that those older and more experienced than us have a wisdom we cannot yet even understand, a wisdom that comes from living life.  This is not to say that all older people are wise and all younger people are fools (1 Timothy 4:12).  Notice that we should seek the counsel of godly people.

Let us not be like foolish Rehoboam.  Let us seek wisdom from God and from those whom God has already gifted with wisdom through a long life of faithfulness to Him.  And then, by all means, let us heed this wisdom and not reject it!

• Sorry about yesterday’s post everyone!  I’m out of town for school this week and my wi-fi connection had a bad case of the hiccups last night.  I wrote the article for yesterday, pressed “Publish” and the only thing that made it was the title and the tags!  I’m going to go back and re-do it when I get back home and get a hardline connection again.

Bible in 90, Day 18: Finishing well

Judges 3-15

*image courtesy of benjoosen at www.sxc.hu

I hope you read before breakfast today!  There was some gory stuff today!  Can I just say that Ehud is one of my favorite Bible characters?  I mean, you have to be really determined to stick a guy so hard with your sword that it pokes through his back and the handle gets sucked in by his belly fat!  And how about Jael.  She nailed his head to the ground with a tent peg!

Talk about girl power!

One of the more well-known characters in the book of Judges is Gideon.  We read the story of his entire life today.  Now, most of us are familiar with the story of Gideon and his fleece (Judges 6:33-40).  But how many of us know about Gideon’s gold robe?  If you read Judges 6-7, you only get part of the story of Gideon’s life.  You see him start as a man in hiding, called out by God to be a mighty man of valor (Judges 6:12), testing the call with the fleece, and eventually leading his special ops team in victory against the Midianites.

But what is his legacy?

If you read chapters 8-9, you’ll find out.  Part of his legacy is Abimelech, his son who brought so much controversy and death in Israel.  In Judges 8:22-35, Gideon declares that neither he nor his son will rule of the people, but that God will rule over them.  It is interesting then that he names the son he has by a concubine “Abimelech.”  You see, Abimelech is Hebrew for “my father (abi) is king (melech).”

This is why you should learn Hebrew… just sayin’

He declared at first that he would not presume to rule God’s people in His stead, but then names his child as though he were already doing just that.  Years later, Abimelech takes up this trend by trying to make himself king.  The time of war and partial anarchy that followed is part of Gideon’s legacy.

Then there’s the gold robe…

Rather than taking the kingship, Gideon only took one earring from each soldier’s plunder.  They were glad to give it!  He used the gold to make an ephod.  An ephod was a priestly robe (Exodus 28:6-14).  Now, it’s not clear from the text exactly why he made it, or what he did with it other than put it in his hometown of Ophrah.  What we do know from the text is that later, the Israelites began worshiping the gold ephod and it was a snare to Gideon’s family.  Israel had a habit of doing such things (2 Kings 18:4, cf. Numbers 21:4-8).  It seems that until the Exile, idol worship was Israel’s most common sin.  Gideon, whether intentionally or not, did not help them in this.  We can infer from the statement in 8:35 that Gideon was still alive when the worship began, yet he did not stop them.  The man who had chopped down an Asherah pole at the Lord’s command (Judges 6:24-32) had set up his own idol for the people to worship.

As important as it is to begin your journey well by choosing to walk in the ways of the Lord, it is equally important to stay on that path till the end.  I have known a few men in my short life who walked faithfully with God right up to the moment of their death.  There have been others, however, who have fallen tragically, some late in life.  Unfortunately, a lifetime of God-honoring faith and action can be overshadowed and virtually erased by one bad choice.  In Christ, there is no more condemnation (Romans 8:1-3).  But this does not mean that we may not ruin our testimony and drag the name of Christ through the mud with our own (1 Corinthians 6:15).

Let us run with endurance the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1).  Let us not grow weary in doing what is right (2 Thessalonians 3:13).  Let us not be foolish enough to think that though we began this journey by the work of the Spirit that we can continue it under our own power (Galatians 3:3).

We have begun well, let us finish well!