Bible in a Year – Day 80: Sudden Change in Attitude
Mar 20th
As I mentioned yesterday, Gideon was the Braveheart of his time, and, as such, he discovered and stepped into a snare that has been the undoing of so many heroic-types. As you know, Gideon initially marched into battle with Midian under God’s authority. Gideon didn’t really have confidence in his own abilities or even in God’s faithfulness. However, the more God showed himself faithful, the more confidence Gideon had…in himself.
Watch how his attitude morphs over the course of just a few chapters:
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” (Judges 6:!5)
But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you?” (Judges 8:2)
Then Gideon replied, “Just for that, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers.” (Judges 8:7)
So he said to the men of Peniel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower.” (Judges 8:9)
Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, “Kill them!” But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid. Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Come, do it yourself. ‘As is the man, so is his strength.’” So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments off their camels’ necks. (Judges 8:20-21)
“I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.” (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.) (Judges 8:24)
Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family. (Judges 8:27)
From verse to verse, the shift is subtle, but for a man to go from “weakest and least” in chapter 6 to building an ephod as a monument to his conquests in chapter 8, suggests that there was an even greater transition occurring in Gideon’s heart.
Unfortunately, I think it’s too easy for us to fall into the same snare that Gideon fell into – commandeering God’s work and calling it our own. If you remember, Moses made the same mistake when he struck the rock with his staff in a dramatic display of what “he” needed to do for the people of Israel. As a pastor, it can be really easy to take credit for God’s work (and to blame him when my ideas fail). If the church is growing and things are going well, then it must be because of something I or we are doing. But if people start leaving, pastors like myself are sometimes way too quick to start grumbling to God like the ancient Israelites.
That is why it is so important for us to look back at the historical record of God’s faithfulness and our unfaithfulness – both in the Bible and in our own lives. As we read of the perfection of God and the mistakes of humans throughout the ages, we are reminded that, chances are, the same is playing out in our lives right now. Then, hopefully, our eyes are opened, our perspective is changed and we are able to get off our high horse and bow before our King.
Bible in a Year – Day 79: A Little Clarification
Mar 19th
It seems innocuous enough – that little Bible sitting in the hotel room drawer. “Placed by the Gideons,” is what the inscription reads. Most people assume that some sweet old guy named Gideon donated a bunch of money to buy Bibles and place them in hotel rooms. But if you happened to pick up one of those books and flip over to the book of Judges, chapter 6 and 7, you would quickly realize that the namesake of the free Bible people was actually the William Wallace of his day – the “Braveheart” of Israel.
Gideon, of course, like so many Biblical heroes, was somewhat of a reluctant leader at first. The story of his calling seems to echo the calling of Moses. He had an incredible encounter with God, and yet he still needed a little more convincing that what he was being told was the truth. For Moses, it was a matter of arguing with God about Moses’ qualifications for leadership. For Gideon, it was an argument about God’s qualifications, as well as his own:
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” (Joshua 6:13)
The thing that struck me as I read this passage was Gideon’s lack of first-hand experience with God. “Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about?” he asked. In other words, he had heard about the greatness and the power of God, but he hadn’t witnessed it. God, of course, reassures Gideon and even gives him two signs that what Gideon is hearing are truly the words of God. And, eventually, Gideon’s eyes are opened and he is terrified (because he had heard that no one could see the face of God and live.)
Armed with the kind of confidence that comes from hearing from and seeing the angel of the Lord, you would think that Gideon would be immediately ready to go and take the land of Midian. And yet, God would have to give Gideon another little nudge:
During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. (Judges 7:9-11)
You see, it should have been enough for God to say “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands.” But Gideon latched onto the next sentence: “If you are afraid to attack, go…and listen to what they are saying.” Gideon needed one more assurance from God and God gave it to him. Which begs the question: how much patience does God have regarding our obedience when he calls us to something.
I thin the short answer is that he has as much patience as he needs to have. I know that in my own life, there have been times when I have been a little slow to respond to God’s calling. Sometimes, I think he simply moved on from me and had someone else accomplish the task. Other times, I think he waited on me, ever so patiently, and continued to call me to be part of his plan. The one thing I’ve never felt, though, was that God was angry with me or punished me for seeking clarification from him (like Gideon did.)
Let’s face it, there are a lot of thoughts that run through our minds and maybe only a fraction of them are from God. For me, my constant prayer has to be, “God, I’ll do whatever you want me to do. I just need you to make it clear.” Then, when I begin to feel God tugging at me to embark on some part of his plan, I pray a version of that prayer again. “God, if this is what you want, I’ll do it, but I need you to make it clear.” In praying that prayer, I’m also often encouraged by Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he prayed that God would take another course of action. It is the same kind of prayer – one of submission and clarification of mission while also voicing human concerns. I don’t believe that those kinds of prayers fall on deaf ears. Gideon’s prayer was heard and answered affirmatively. Jesus’ prayer was heard and answered with an unfortunate, “no”. In both cases, God was definitely listening.
Bible in a Year – Day 78: Strong Women
Mar 18th
Today’s Reading: Judges 3, 4 & 5
Ancient societies didn’t really have much regard for women. Most women were treated more like possessions than human beings. Marriage was an economic transaction (between two men), intercourse was a one-way affair and childbirth was a means to an end – to populate the land with more people that carried the same name. Still, then just as today, there were some women who rose above those cultural glass ceilings. In today’s reading, we discover two of those women – one who made an “official” rise to a position of leadership and one who’s personal motivation and conviction thrust her into the spotlight.
In the time of the judges, Israel was hard-headed as always. Their cyclical behavior of worshiping foreign gods, being oppressed, crying out for mercy, being delivered and then living in peace is seen throughout the book of Judges. Those who rose up as judges were seen as deliverers – as saviors – of the people. In a sense, these “little Messiahs” were responsible for “little salvations” much like the sacrificial rituals brought “little atonement” for the people’s sins. They judges served, like so many people, places and things in the Old Testament, as prophetic placeholders for Jesus.
Given the cultural bias against women and the importance of the role of judge, it seems interesting that Deborah, a woman, would rise to such a prominent role. She was obviously a special woman and one that had the respect of those around her – probably more respect than would have been required for a male who aspired to the same role. To be sure, Deborah was a force to be reckoned with and she would answer God’s call to topple the army of Sisera and the king of Canaan.
In the process, Deborah’s commander, Barak, would stumble across another strong woman. Jael, the wife of a man who had made an alliance with Jabin, the king of Canaan, gladly welcomed Sisera into her tent. Now, we’re not quite sure about her motives. Perhaps she held a grudge against Sisera or against the king. Maybe she just didn’t have much love for the people of Canaan. Or, maybe she understood God’s blessing of Israel and, like Rahab the prostitute before her, sought to find favor in God’s eyes by assisting his people.
Whatever the case, Jael went all “soap-opera” on Sisera’s hiny. First, she gave him curdled milk (in a fancy bowl), then she hammered a tent peg through his head. That’s some good made-for-TV stuff. Whether or not she was a “woman scorned,” I don’t know, but one thing’s for sure: Hell hath no fury like Jael!
Two women – one leader and one “commoner” – who were used by God in military conquests to benefit the people of Israel. I have to wonder how, in more modern times, “good Christians” could argue against women in leadership, women in the military or any other women’s issue, knowing that God had ordained strong women for his purposes throughout the Bible. In Rahab, Deborah, Jael, Esther and others, God used a system that offended the powerful, empowered the oppressed and freed the people. Just glimpses of God’s upside-down kingdom, but what great glimpses they are!
Bible in a Year – Day 77: Be Inspired
Mar 17th
One generation. Only one generation kind of got it right – the one that lived at the end of Moses’ tenure and the beginning of Joshua’s. Remember, the previous generation was denied access to the promised land and forced to roam around in the wilderness until they all died off. And now we read that the children of the “one generation” went off and did exactly what Joshua (and Moses before him) said that they would do.
It only took one generation for the people to completely forget about God. You have to wonder how in the world we can be so self-destructive. Forget about the spiritual side of things for a moment. This was the God who had allowed them to absolutely route some of the largest cities around. This was the God that threw hail stones at their enemies. He was a good friend to have! And yet, within one generation, the people of Israel were looking elsewhere for their inspiration.
Inspiration, it seems, is what we’re all looking for and we’ve become convinced that we can only find it in something brand new. Shiny objects distract and attract us, drawing us away from the tried and true. Like a mosquito flying into a bright light, we are mesmerized by that which is unfamiliar. We are sucked in by the mystery and wonder of it all. Everything else seems boring.
And yet, what we fail so often to realize is that the ultimate mystery and the only truly mesmerizing force in the universe lies “back there” where we came from. Hopefully, as you read along with me, the Holy Spirit is opening up these Scriptures to you and reminding you of the vastness of God and his story. I mean, there’s so much in this book that we should never get bored. If I’m bored by the Bible, it’s because I am a boring reader, not because it’s a boring story.
The Israelites failed to understand that. They got what they wanted from God and moved on. I don’t want to do the same. For you and I, it is imperative that we keep the mystery in front of us, that we recognize the vastness of God and that we allow ourselves, everyday, to be inspired and utterly amazed by him.
Bible in a Year – Day 76: Highly Effective (Ancient) Leader
Mar 16th
Today’s Reading: Joshua 22, 23 & 24
There are certain truths about leadership that are constant, no matter if you’re talking about 2012 A.D or B.C. and as I read the words of Joshua, I’m reminded of the wisdom that he possessed as a leader. There are a few leadership lessons that rise to the surface in this reading:
1. Leaders honor their word
Chapter 22 of the book of Joshua opens with Joshua keeping his word to the Eastern tribes and letting them return home. I think it would have probably been easy enough for Joshua to keep them around longer. All he had to do was say, “I need you to stick around because we might have to fight somebody else.” Instead, he sent them away, loaded up with treasure to take back to their new home.
For any leader, it’s absolutely essential that you keep your word. Do what you say you’re going to do and don’t do what you say you aren’t going to do. That can be a hard thing when you’re dealing with changing circumstances, but dealing with the tough stuff is what leadership is about.
2. Leaders inspire others to be honorable.
Not much is said about Joshua’s involvement in the miscommunication regarding the replica alter at the Jordan River, but you have to think he played some part in the sequence of events. My guess is that it went something like this: Somebody started spreading word around town that the Eastern tribes had built an alter and the assumption was that they wanted to worship some foreign god. Joshua, then, probably dispatched some people to find out what the deal was. And, of course, in their zeal, these men went down to the river ready to pick a fight.
But something happened when they got there. They discovered that the Eastern tribes weren’t actually doing anything wrong. In fact, they had been so inspired by God that they simply wanted to be sure that their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren remembered their history – where they came from and who got them there. And I have to think that Joshua’s humility, integrity and wisdom enlightened these tribes to the reality of the God they served.
3. Leaders know where they came from.
It must have been quite a site to see Joshua, now old and battered, reciting the history of the people of Israel. You see, Joshua had a different perspective than the others. He had witnessed so much that they had only heard about. But more than anything, Joshua lived that history. He had it in his bones!
A good leader is well-aware of his or her own strengths, weaknesses, successes and failures. They know about those who came before them and they offer wisdom to those who will follow in their footsteps.
4. Leaders call it like they see it.
Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.” (Joshua 24:19-20)
He knew they couldn’t do it. He knew that without him there to lead them that they would fall away. He knew that the more time that passed and the more generations removed they were from the time spent in Egypt, the more they would slip up. In fact, in verse 23 of the same chapter, he points out that they are already serving foreign gods, even as they claim allegiance to the Lord:
“Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” (Joshua 24:23)
A good leader who lived a good, long life. And one who taught us lessons that we can use in our own leadership challenges today.
