Judges 4:1-16; 5:1-5, 21 - Deborah and Barak

Judges 4:1-16; 5:1-5, 21

4 “Lord, when You went out from Seir,

When You marched from the field of Edom,

The earth quaked, the heavens also dripped,

Even the clouds dripped water.

5 “The mountains quaked at the presence of the Lord,

This Sinai, at the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel.

Message: Deborah and Barak

Time: Judges covers about 250 years from death of Joshua to birth of Samuel (1360-1110 BC). The people of Israel largely divided with different local triable judges. It was a period of stirring interventions by the Lord and also great disobedience on the part of the Israelites. Without a king, everyone did right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25). 

What the Lord is Saying: I am noticing a common phrase now in these passages of Judges, "Then the Sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord." I see this in 2:11, 3:7, 3:12, and now here in 4:1. This seems to be the purpose of this book - Israel enters a period of falling away from the Lord. They profess a faith in Him. God chooses them. They are to follow Him, but they have these periods of not doing that. It seems they lack a leader. God judges them in some way and will raise up a judge to lead them. That judge will pull them back to the life they are to live before the Lord. Left to their own ways and devices, they lose their ways. There is something needed - a leader for the people. 

It seems today we often look for this leader. It seems to be our pastor or Sunday School teacher or another leader we believe God has placed in our lives to lead us. I wonder if this was part of the reason of having the Pope for Roman Catholics. 

After 4:1 and the evil they did, "The Lord sold them in the hand of Jabin king of Canaan." Here it is again. The people do evil and before raising up a judge to deliver them that generally is preceded by they crying out to the Lord. Maybe the word that is said is that while they are doing evil in the sight of the Lord, they are fine with that and God sends them a wake up call hopefully, leading them through some sort of discipline through a man-made king that God orchestrates for his purposes. At this time, this lasted 20 years. 

Deborah is on the scene (v. 4), judging Israel, and the son of Israel come to her for judgment (v. 5). She summoned Barak (v. 6). She speaks to Barak stating that she give over to them the commander of Jabin's army (v. 7) - Sisera. Deborah and Barak go together, committed to one another. "And all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not even one was left. (v. 16)"

Chapter 5, verse 1 mentions now a song Deborah and Barak sing. It is a praise song in response to what God has done for them, in response of who God is to them. "I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of Israel (verse 3)." Plus we learn more about the judgement that begat Sisera. It included a storm sent to flood the Kishon River to help the advantage to Israel (v. 4-5). 

God uses Deborah to guide Barak. Barak doesn't seem to be a huge man of faith. Instead of waiting on God, he is waiting on Deborah's direction (4:8). Deborah is not a military leader but she is somewhat the guide in this whole judgment. She is a prophetess. 

Overall, God continues to work through people to carry out His purposes. Sometimes through discipline and judgment and sometimes through rescue. We need both. We need to turn to Him and direct our trust in Him. God wants a people that will follow Him and trust in Him. Not everyone will. Not everyone is on the Lord's side. For those that are, He has a deep care and concern for and as they get of course, he will judge them and use others that are not of His kingdom as well to act as judges. 

Summary: Once again, Israel does evil in the sight of the Lord. After being sold over to the king of Canaan, Deborah and Barak team up to deliver Israel from that king. 

Promise: God uses different people to address evil in His less than perfect people. 

Prayer: God, you are holy and true and you are a jealous God. You have a purpose with us, as your people and that is for us to follow You and trust You all of our days. As we do not, you sometimes will do things in our lives to get our attention. You judge those who continue to ignore you. You are pulling us back to You. And yet there are many in this world that are completely against You. That is not a popular message I know, but it seems to be a true one. What is important is for me to be one that stays close to You and honors You and seeks to glorify You in all I do. Help me to be the best person you have called me to be. Forgive me for my error. I am not a perfect man, nor even a good man. I am only good because of You. I need your help and I thank You for the people that you place in my life, friends to spur me onto love and good deeds and leaders that you place in my path. You are worthy of my praise. I praise your name. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

Judges 3:12-30 - Ehud and Eglon

Judges 3:12-30

So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land was undisturbed for eighty years. 

Message: Ehud and Eglon

Time: Judges covers about 250 years from death of Joshua to birth of Samuel (1360-1110 BC). The people of Israel largely divided with different local triable judges. It was a period of stirring interventions by the Lord and also great disobedience on the part of the Israelites. Without a king, everyone did right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25). 

What the Lord is Saying: In the previous lesson, something I saw and began to understand was that God used the poor choices of the Israelites for an opportunity to determine if they will rely on Him. I saw in that lesson that my life is really meant to glorify God, not so that I would get a reward but so that God would simply be glorified and receive the praise. The primary focus of our lives is on Him, not ourselves. And in this situation with the Israelites in Canaan, they are going to be challenged and tested with the hope that their lives will be lived in praise and honor of God. 

The Tabletalk lesson for today states, "God still used them (the subsequent judges after Othniel), but the judges tend to receive a greater focus than the Lord Himself." See, too often, I am thinking life is about me and what I want and what I need and my happiness and my joy - but life is about God and His glory. I am living in His World. I am created because of Him and for Him. This book - the Bible - is meant to be a story about God and who He is and what He is doing. And people in this story serve His purposes. I serve His purposes. It is more important for God to get the glory than for man. 

After Othniel dies, following 40 years of the land resting (v. 11), "the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord." In other words, the sons of Israel entered a time of apostasy. Apostasy is turning away from one's faith after declaring or making a profession of faith. In seeing this evil - "The Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel." Eglon's purpose is to discipline them. This is what God can do during a time of apostasy - turn people back to Him. Here, he is doing that through discipline. After this "the sons of Israel served Eglon...18 years." -- Eglon is not a Godly representative; He is not a righteous judge. He is a worldly ruler. Joseph Benson states, "As God raised up deliverers to Israel, when they became penitent, so he spirited up enemies against them, and gave them power to oppress them, whenever they revolted from his service."

Then "the sons of Israel cried to the Lord" and "the Lord raised up a deliverer. (v. 15)" Ehud is the next judge and the next deliverer to the people of Israel. Ehud will kill Eglon in a rather gruesome way, surprising him with a sword and thrusting it into his belly and then scurrying away. This is a story of what God did, but that doesn't mean this is a story that is to be emulated or repeated, but is describing what God has done. God steps in when His people are falling away from him, exchanging other gods for the God of Abraham. God sees this and uses a non-Godly man to turn people back to Him, but He does it through discipline. Then, at a point, that God determines, after the people cry to Him, He raises up a deliverer. 

After the death of Eglon, 10,000 Moabites are struck down. Moab is subdued. "And the land was undisturbed for eighty years." There were 18 years that the people were disciplined, but then this is followed by 80 years of living undisturbed or had rest (not the entire land, but the eastern part which had shaken off Moab).

Summary: For 18 years, God disciplines Israel under the hand of Eglon. After crying to the Lord, the Lord delivers Israel through Ehud and they have peace for 80 years. 

Promise: "Through every storm, through every fight, Your hand has held me, guiding my life." - Belle Ballesteros, "I am Chosen." 

Prayer: God, you are good. You are holy. You created me for your purpose. But even more than me, you have a purpose in people, to keep them with You. Yet, we as your people can get off track. We can turn from You and seek our own desires, our own ways. We erect gods that we seek and make a big part of our lives. We are impatient and in the process we start taking control of our own lives or we think we do. But you God still have your purpose, to be with You. O God - keep your people close to You. You will draw them back to You. I see this. Maybe I discover it greater than I have ever seen before. You are a God that brings your people home to You. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

I John 2:19b - The Church We Cannot See

I John 2:19b - But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. 

Message: The Church We Cannot See

Time: The author of this book never was identified but contemporaries have attributed it to John and its dating is estimated to be 90 AD. John focused on three issues: the zeal of the believers, standing firm against false teachers, and reassuring the Christians that they have eternal life. 

What the Lord is Saying:

Once again, the reason for these studies is from the context of celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation in 2017 and to look back at key doctrines from that time period. Justification by faith alone and the final authority of the Scriptures stand out, but the doctrine of the church and basically the reinvention of church and what it really means also stands out. As I looked previously at Joseph Benson's commentary of I John 2:19 I finish it out here:

but they went out — They were permitted to apostatize outwardly; that it (they) might become plain (be made manifest) — See 1 Corinthians 11:19. (This was made manifest by their going out;) that they were not all of us — Sound members of our body, really believing the same truths which we believe, and partaking of the same grace which we partake of.

One of the interesting points that I saw in the previous lesson is the church is really meant to be a place for all people for they can witness the work of the Spirit in people's lives, hopefully see the proper view of authority and hear the preaching of God's word - in hopes that they will be saved. Clearly the preaching of God's words is even recognized today by atheists as sound teaching. Many agree that it is good thinking for living out our lives today. But in this process there are people among us that are not saved or will move away from the truth of the Word. And this last section of I John 2:19b speaks of this. 

The idea of "they went out" explains to me the issue that we are seeing now and how people are being labeled now as deconstructing their faith. For example, Joshua Harris is one that comes to mind recently. A writer and pastor who is now saying it is not true. I think from these verses we can read that they were not really of us. In other words, their apostasy now shows that they were not really Christians. And yet this is expected and even part of God's plan. 

Perhaps we experience this expectation often that everyone within the church walls is saved and all following together. We think this and Benson's commentary states "that they were not all of us" meaning there are people of us practicing the same things and partaking of the same grace and yet not really of us.  Another great text Benson mentions earlier is I Corinthians 11:19 and I went back and looked at verse 18-21. The text speaks of disorders at the Lord's Supper. 

18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it. 19 For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you. 20 Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, 21 for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk.

What a compelling statement -- For there must also be factions among you. - We need differences. Differences show who the true believers are. Very interesting statement. And so God remains sovereign. A tough statement is "God saves" and yet God does not save everyone. He saves people in the church through the preaching of the Word but He does not save everyone. John 3:16 records those famous lasting words "For God so loved the world" but God does not save or call everyone to be His children. Just as he saves within the church walls, he also saves outside of the church walls. But the means in which he saves outside the walls has basically been provided by those inside of it. Tabletalk records:

...consider the businesswoman who finds a Bible in her hotel room while she is traveling, reads it, and comes to faith in Christ. Even in this instance, the visible church has played a role. Prophets and Apostles, members of the visible church, wrote the Scriptures under divine inspiration. Other members of the visible church translated the original text, paid for the printing, and placed the Bible in her hotel room. So, the visible church is involved even when people are saved outside of her walls.

There is a comparison of visible church and invisible church in the reading from Tabletalk. The idea is the visible church are the one's that we can see and those may include true believers and not. But true believers are members of the invisible church where only God can see the hearts of the people in the pews and whether they are really saved. Granted we try to set up systems to hopefully have people serving and doing the work of the church body that are saved, but there is no guarantee this is so. As always we look to God for He is the one that is omniscient and sees all and knows all. Only Him.  

Summary: In the church, we see true believers and those who are practicing but do not have true piety. Only God knows who is part of the invisible church for he only knows the hearts of the people. 

Promise: Those who refuse to join the visible church should have no assurance that they are part of the invisible church. If we love Christ, we will join the visible manifestation of His body in the visible church. 

Prayer: O Lord, what an exciting reading today. How exciting always it is to read your Word and understand that Your word speaks clearly about all that I see going on today. I had questions about those that have stated they have fallen away and deny Christ now, but your word is true in that in your sovereign will this happens and we can even call this your providence. You help me see and understand who are the true believers. You also let me know that those who have been with us are people that we can still learn from. So the music artist that now does not align with you, well his written music still ministers to me and this is fine and good. You are the author of all church whether people align with you ultimately or not. But we still need to be a part of the church body and we still need to belong to the Visible Church. Thank you for confirming these truths to me and helping me see the completeness always of the Word of God. You are to be praised and glorified always. 

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am now working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of August is about the Body of the Lord - the Church recovered in the Reformation; July was the right use of God's Law; June was justification by faith alone; May about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April, salvation by grace alone; March, the sovereign providence of God; February, the doctrine of revelation, Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January, the doctrine of God.  

The Body of Christ - The Church is the Body of Christ and Christ loves the church. We are to imitate Christ and see that the Church is how Christ carries out His purposes in the world. The Head of the Church - Christ is Head of the church and he only has final authority and gives life to the church. Life is found only in Jesus Christ our Lord. - The Church We Can See - Belonging to a church is not optional, for anyone. We are meant to live in a community with other believers, to hear the Word of God preached, and to grow.