Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Apr 7th, 2025 Encouragement from the Lord

Today’s Reading – 1 Samuel 28 – 31 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers read – Matthew 13 – 14; Proverbs 7; Psalms 31 – 35)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Ephesians 4:32 (Fast)

Read the “0407 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” – (1 Samuel 30:6)

In our passage this morning, we see David and his men returning home to Ziklag where they discover that the city was burned to the ground and their wives and children were gone. At this point they have no idea what these Amelekites had done to their families but I am sure that David and his men suspected that they were either being slaughtered or, at the very least, abused. The men were naturally distraught. At times like these people want to blame somebody, and since David was their leader, he bore the brunt of their wrath. Remember, these were men that loved David and risked much by following him. This was certainly a great test of David’s leadership. But how was David supposed to help his men when he was also distraught due to the loss of his family. It is very hard to encourage and lead people when you yourself are discouraged, and David is perhaps at the lowest point of his life here.

The last sentence in verse 6 tells us what David did to get back up so he could do something to help these people who were relying on him for leadership. “David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” It is not easy to turn to the Lord for encouragement when you are down. Honestly, I can speak from experience when I say that sometimes I want to just wallow in the mire of discouragement; have a little pity party, so to speak. But that will not help anybody. David didn’t stay down; he got back up. He received encouragement from the only Source available at the time. Remember, his loyal men wanted to stone him at this time. David went to the Lord and the Lord gave him the answers that he needed, and in a very short time, they had recovered their families, not to mention their possessions. However, none of that would have happened if David would have just stayed down.

This passage is a great encouragement for us today. Personally, I have  battled with discouragement. I guess, like David, I needed to get up, go to God, and get back in the battle. And, when I got encouragement from the Lord, then I was be able to give some encouragement to the people around me.

Apr 5th, 2025 Avenge Not Yourselves

Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 22 – 24 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 9 – 10; Proverbs 5; Psalms 21 – 25

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Matthew 6:33

Read the “0405 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “I’ve Got Your Back.“

“4 And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe privily. 5 And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt. 6 And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD’S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD. 7 So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.” (1 Samuel 24:4-7)

In today’s reading, we saw that King Saul is becoming increasingly unstable in his insecurity and obsession with David. In chapter 22, Saul had all the priests of Nob and their families killed because he thought that they had intentionally helped David. In chapter 23, Saul pursues after David in Keilah, a city that David had just delivered from the armies of the Philistines. It was revealed to David by God that even though David had saved the people of Keilah from the Philistines, they were still going to turn him over to King Saul. It is sad to think that people will do whatever is necessary to protect themselves, even betray a good friend.

In chapter 24, Saul and three thousand of his men pursued after David in the wilderness of  Engedi. In Engidi David had a perfect opportunity to kill Saul but refused to do so. He spared his life and stated that he would not “stretch forth [his] hand against [Saul].”  David is still thinking clearly and he is following the will of God even though he is under tremendous pressure to react in the flesh because of Saul’s insane and unwarranted obsession and jealousy of David. David chooses not to act in vengeance against King Saul and instead turns him over to the Lord. David trusts that God will take care of Saul in his own time. Note – David will have another opportunity to eliminate Saul in chapter 26, but will again refuse to do so.

This willingness to restrain himself from vengeance that David exemplified in the Old Testament was also taught by the Lord in the Sermon on the Mount.

“43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)

It was also taught by Paul in his Letter to the Romans:

“19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:19-21)

If you and I are living for God, there will be people who the Devil will raise up to attack us. Not everyone will applaud us for doing the right thing. There may even be carnal believers who will oppose what we are trying to do. Worse yet, there you may have friends that will turn against you like the people of Keilah did to David.

When we are persecuted for righteousness sake, we need to follow the example of David and not attack back. Hopefully, our enemies will turn to the Lord in repentance and faith, but even if they don’t, we can be sure that God will always do what is right regarding our enemies. He will take care of the situation. We just need to leave it in the Lord’s hands.

The Lord said when He was being crucified: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

Martin D. Niemöller once told of his incarceration at Dachau. His cell was in plain view of the gallows. Day after day he watched men and women go to their deaths. He could hear their cries, curses, and prayers. He declared that the gallows became his best teacher. Through that horrible experience he was haunted by two questions: “What will happen on the day they lead you there and put you to the test? When they put that rope around your neck, what will be your last words? Will they be, ‘Father, forgive them’ or will they be ‘Criminals! Scum?’ ”

Niemöller said that if Jesus had cried out in vengeance, there would have been no New Testament, no church, and no Christian history.^[1]

^[1] G. Curtis Jones, 1000 Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1986), 95–96.

Mar 29th, 2025 The Saturday Morning Post – Have You Heard God Today?

Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 1 – 3 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Revelation 10 – 12; Proverbs 29; Psalms 141 – 145)

Read the “0329 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD. And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.” (1Samuel 3:19-21)

Good morning. The LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the Word of the LORD. Have you heard God today?

“And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.” (1Kings 22:19)

Have you heard God today?

“As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.” (Psalm 18:30)

Have you heard God today?

“For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.” (Psalm 33:4)

Have you heard God today?

“And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.” (Acts 13:44)

Have you heard God today?

“The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.” (Ezekiel 37:1-10)

O ye dry bones, hear the Word of the LORD. Have you heard God today?

Peace.

Mar 27th, 2025 The Craziest Story in the Bible

Today’s Passage – Judges 20 – 21 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Revelation 4 – 6;  Proverbs 27; Psalms 131 – 135)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Psalm 89:1

Read the “0327 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from today’s passage – “Right in Their Own Eyes.“

Judges 19 – 21 is really one very long and very strange story, a saga really, involving a civil war within Israel. All of Israel set out to destroy the tribe of Benjamin, all because of a bizarre event that was described in chapter 19. The root cause of the problems within these chapters is the same as what caused the problems in the previous chapters. The first verse of the story and the last verse say it all.

“…there was no king in Israel…” (Judges 19:1)

“In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25)

Not having an earthly king in Israel was not the problem. The problem was that God had been dethroned, and his Word was not being used as the ruling principles to govern life. People were doing what they wanted, instead of what God in His word said was right to do. There was no king, but there was no godly leadership in the land pointing people in the right direction. The result was that the nation divided and drifted further and further away from the will of God.

Practical Point – Whenever a nation drifts away from the principles found in the Word of God, it will devolve into a selfish, immoral, and idolatrous disaster.

“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34)

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” (Psalm 33:12)

Whenever a family, or even an individual Christian, drifts away from the Bible, he will wander on a sea of uncertainty, and will find himself far away from the blessings of God.

In chapter nineteen, we saw the bizarre provocation that instigated the civil war that breaks out. A woman from Israel had been brutally gang raped left to die by the men of Gibeah, a city that belonged to the Tribe of Benjamin. This took place only after the woman’s husband had refused to allow the men to have sex with him, which was what they really wanted.

The man sent word to all of Israel about what had happened in Gibeah by sending to each of the tribes a part of the body of his concubine.

In chapter twenty, we will read about the problem that was caused in Israel because of what took place in Gibeah – a civil war, and a bloody and brutal civil war at that.

All of this happened because Israel is operating outside of the teachings of God. They are doing their own thing. They are making it up as they go.

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)

Here in chapter twenty, we will see Israel wake up and realize how sinful their nation had become, and they come out against Gibeah and Benjamin to purge out this heinous sin from within her borders.

I        Israel Combines Forces to Confront Benjamin (vs. 1 – 17)

Verse 1 – Notice that Israel was finally unified again. (“all”, “as one man”) Instead of everyone doing their own thing, now Israel is doing one thing together. (See also vs. 8 and 11)

“Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;” (Philippians 1:27)

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)

Notice the phrase, “from Dan even to Beerheeba.” Dan was the northernmost part of Israel and Beersheba was geographically the furthest south. You may remember that Dan was formerly called Laish but was conquered by the tribe of Dan in Judges 18.

Notice also that all of Israel is gathered in Mizpah, which was only about five miles to the north of Gibeah.

Verse 2 – Notice there were nearly a half-million soldiers from all the tribes, which is a large army. It took this heinous act from chapter nineteen to wake the nation out of their slumber and move them into unified action.

Verse 3 – Notice that the Benjamites were aware of the impending attack. I am certain that the Levite whose concubine was killed sent out a piece of her body to Benjamin as well. Besides that, an army of 400,000 could not possibly be gathered 5 miles away from Gibeah without the Benjamites being aware of what was going on. Mizpah itself was a city within the borders of the territory of Benjamin.

The leaders of the tribes that were assembled all investigate further the crime that had taken place in Gibeah.

In vs. 4 – 7, the Levite rehashes the story, but does not embellish. It states concisely what had been done.

Notice in v. 7 that he asks the same question that was asked in the last verse of chapter nineteen: “consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.” Apparently, Israel had considered what had happened and was still considering it here and were now counseling among themselves as to what they should do.

There were many violations of the Law within Gibeah in this case, and each was punishable by death:

1. The Men of Gibeah were guilty of Sodomy.

“If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” (Leviticus 20:13)

2. They were also guilty of adultery. Even if adultery was consensual, it was punishable by death.

“If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.” (Deuteronomy 22:22)

3. They were also guilty of rape.

“But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die: But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter: For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.” (Deuteronomy 22:25-27)

4. They were guilty of being “sons of Belial.” (Judges 19:22 – see Deuteronomy 13:12 – 18) Belial means “worthless, good for nothing, or wicked.” Basically, it means that they have completely abandoned God.

In vs. 8 – 17, the people of Israel are determined to go up against Benjamin. They first attempt to get Benjamin to turn over the guilty men, but Benjamin refuses to do so. Though Benjamin is grossly outnumbered (16 to 1), they are dug in and determined to fight. Note – it is hard to believe that there were not at least some people who would want to do the right thing and turn over the guilty parties. Yet, it seems that they are just as unified in their defense of the wicked, and the Israelites were to condemn them.  

Notice that among the soldiers of Benjamin there were seven hundred left-handed stone slingers that could hit “at an hair breath, and not miss.” This would be an extremely powerful force. David took down a nine-foot giant with a sling and a stone.

II        Israel is Crushed Twice Even After Consulting with the Lord (vs. 18 – 25)

This part of the story is very difficult for me to wrap my head around. Twice, the Lord is consulted by the Israelites, and twice the Lord answers in the affirmative, but still the Israelites lose two big battles, and thousands of men are killed.

Perhaps they did not consult with God soon enough. Maybe they should have sought God before they made their plans. Perhaps they didn’t ask God the right questions.

Verse 18 – the house of God is likely a reference to the Tabernacle, which was in Shiloh. (Judges 18:31; 1 Samuel 1:9 – See Map) Some say, the reference here is to Bethel, and claim that the Tabernacle was located there at this time. The phrase, “house of God” is translated from the Hebrew words, “bayith ‘elohiym.”

First, they ask God which tribe should go up first. The answer is Judah. The Levite was originally from Bethlehem, which is within Judah.

Verses 19 – 21 – The Israelite’s lose the battle and 22,000 men.

In verses 22 – 25, the Israelites ask, “shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin, my brother?” The Lord tells them to go, but they lose again – this time eighteen thousand men.

The Israelites lose 40,000 men in the first two battles, where the Benjamites only lose 1,000.

Why would God allow them to lose, especially after consulting with Him?

1. He wanted them to remember just how bitter the consequences of sin are. Remember, the Israelites were just as much to blame as the Benjamites were. They had gotten away from God also.
2. He wanted them to feel the pain and experience the terribleness of a civil war.
3. It took several hard steps for sin to get into Israel, and it will take several hard, costly, and painful steps to get the sin purged out.

III       Israel Finally Conquers Benjamin After Conferring with the Lord a Third Time (vs. 26 – 48)

This time, Phinehas consults God at Shiloh, and asks: “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease?” (v. 28) This not likely the same Phinehas as is mentioned in Exodus, Numbers, and Joshua, unless this story is chronologically out of order, and occurs very early in the time period of the Judges. There were probably many men named Phinehas that descended from the line of Eliazar. Remember, the period of the Judges was a period of approximately 330 years from 1380 BC. To 1050 BC.

This time, the Lord tells them to go, and promises victory, which He did not do previously.

The Israelites use the same battle plan that they used in their final battle against Ai. They draw the men of Gibeah out of the city, and when they are out of the city, another army enters the city and sets it on fire. When the men of Gibeah see the fire, they turn around to help the city, but now they have attacker in front of them and behind them.

Illustration – Colonel Joshua Chamberlain of the 20^th Maine at Gettysburg, at the Battle of Little Round Top. He had to hold the flank, because if the enemy broke the flank, they would have gotten behind the Union Lines.

The Men of Gibeah lose 25,000 in this battle, and with the 1,000 that they lost in the first two battles, they were down to 600 men, who hid up in the rock Rimmon for four months.

All the men (and apparently, the women) of Benjamin, besides these 600 will be killed.

In chapter 21, we will see how the people will rebuild the tribe of Benjamin. The story in chapter 21 is almost as bizarre as the story so far in chapters 19 and 20.

However, the people are still doing their own thing – they are following that which is right in their own eyes. You see, there was no king in Israel – not even God.

Mar 22nd, 2025 The Saturday Morning Post – As The Man Is, So Is His Strength

Today’s Passage – Judges 7 – 8 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – 1 Peter 1 – 5; Proverbs 22; Psalms 106 – 110

Read the “0322 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

(Judges 8:18-21) Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king. (19) And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you. (20) And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth. (21) Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.

Good morning. The two kings of Midian were in the custody of Gideon. They had killed Gideon’s brethren. Now Gideon”s son Jether was there: the beginning of Gideon’s strength. Gideon ordered his son to kill the two kings, but he would not because he was a youth and was afraid. Gideon had to kill them himself.

Jacob, (Israel) even had problems with his firstborn: Reuben…

(Genesis 49:2-4) Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father. (3) Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: (4) Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

Let’s check out another youth: David. He obeyed his father’s request, but above and beyond those.

(1Samuel 17:17-23, 40-52) And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren; (18) And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge. (20) And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. (21) For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army. (22) And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren. (23) And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them. (40) And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. (41) And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him. (42) And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. (43) And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. (44) And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. (45) Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. (46) This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. (47) And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands. (48) And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. (49) And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. (50) So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. (51) Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled. (52) And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron.

Who would you rather have for your firstborn? He will be the beginning of your strength.

(Proverbs 22:6) Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

(Ephesians 6:1-4) Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. (2) Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) (3) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. (4) And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Peace!

Mar 21st, 2025 Reluctant Leadership

Today’s Passage – Judges 4 – 6 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – James 1 – 5; Proverbs 21; Psalms 101 – 105

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Psalm 34:6

Read previous posts from this passage – “Deborah and Jael – Women of God,” and “Gideon’s Fleece.”

Read the “0321 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. … 15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house. 16 And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. … 25 And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father’s young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it: 26 And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down. 27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father’s household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.” (Judges 6:11-12, 15-16, 25-27)

Before we get to the main thought for today’s devotion, let me point out two things that we have already discussed regarding the Book of Judges:

• Notice in our reading today, the pattern in the Book of Judges:

“And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead.” (Judges 4:1)

“And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.” (Judges 6:1)

After being delivered from their enemy, Israel would always go back to doing “evil in the sight of the Lord.” Here, we see the spiritual ups and downs of God’s people. They do well spiritually for a while, but when things get prosperous and safe for them, they forget about God. However, when God allows some of their enemies to gain strength and oppress them, they once again cry out to God for help. See a previous post that I did on this repeated pattern in Judges – “The Vicious Cycle in Judges“

• Notice – “the angel of the Lord” who appears to Gideon. He was discussed extensively in yesterday’s devotion – “Do As You Are Told.“

My thought this morning is about the fact that Gideon was not exactly who we might think would be the best choice to lead the people of God to victory over their enemies, which in this case was the Mideanites. We first meet him in verse eleven where he is hiding his wheat by the winepress. In verse fifteen, we hear Gideon telling the angel that he is not qualified. He kind of reminds us of Moses who also offered many excuses as to why he was not the best choice to lead Israel. He also needs a lot of reassurances from the angel. He asks for a sign in verse seventeen, and then for two more signs in verses 36 – 40 (see “Gideon’s Fleece”). Reluctantly, however, Gideon obeys the Lord and leads the people in battle against God’s enemies.

Why would God use a man like Gideon who was very fearful and unsure of himself? There are probably a few reasons, but two came to mind as I was reflecting upon this. First, if God chose a person with natural leadership ability and great human wisdom, the people might be tempted to praise the leader instead of God. In the following chapter, we will see that God also culled down the size of Gideon’s army from thirty-two thousand to a mere three hundred. God brought the victory and he wanted Israel to know that there was absolutely no earthly reason for their success.

Second, if a person with great charisma or natural talent was chosen, he might rely on those abilities instead of wholly following God. He may have even rebelled against God’s strange military tactics. Gideon, however, did exactly what God had told him to do.

“5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Sometimes the best leaders are developed because of great needs. David responded to “the cause” of the Philistine giant who was challenging Israel and mocking their God (1 Samuel 17). Nehemiah was motivated into action because of the great need within the City of Jerusalem. Neither of these men were looking for a leadership position, they were just driven into action by the need. They were reluctant, unsure of themselves, and more than a little fearful, but they each had faith that God was leading them into their leadership roles.

You may not think that you are qualified to be a leader of God’s people, either, but maybe God will also use you to inspire, encourage, and organize others in some great work for the Lord.

Mar 20th, 2025 Do As You’re Told!

Today’s Passage – Judges 1 – 3 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Hebrews 10 – 13;  Proverbs 20; Psalms 96 – 100

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Psalm 34

Read the “0320 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from this passage – “God Sent Them A Deliverer,”  “Hold the Line,“ and “The Vicious Cycle of Judges.”

“1 And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. 2 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? 3 Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. 4 And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. 5 And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD.” (Judges 2:1-5)

In Judges 1:22 – 25, God lists the people who were supposed to have been driven out of Canaan by the Israelites, but were allowed to remain in the land. It seems that in most of these cases, the Israelites were in a position of power over these Canaanite people because the text tells us that the Israelites made them tributaries, meaning that they had to pay tax money to the Israelites. If the Israelites had enough power over these Canaanites to force them to pay tribute, then why didn’t they just drive them out of the land as they were told by God to do? They simply did not obey God. 

In our text, in chapter 2, God sends the Angel of the Lord to come and rebuke the Israelites.

This event seems to have happened when Joshua was still alive, and possibly before the Tabernacle was moved from Gilgal to Shiloh. Gilgal was where Israel first camped when they crossed the Jordan and entered the Land of Israel. (Joshua 5:10). Later, the Tabernacle was moved to Shiloh:

“And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.” (Joshua 18:1)

The Angel of the Lord is believed by many to be a theophany (an appearance of God), or perhaps, a Christophany (a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ). At the very least, this Angel is a spokesman for God – God is speaking through him. The Angel of the Lord appears throughout the Old Testament and even in the New Testament.

Note the following appearances of the Angel of the Lord and his purpose for appearing:

• Appearance to Hagar: Proclamation (Genesis 16:7-14)
• Appearance to Abraham: Proclamation (Genesis 18:1; 22:11-13)
• Appearance to Jacob: Proclamation (Genesis 28:13; 32:24-32; 48:16)
• Appearance to Moses: Proclamation (Exodus 3:2-6; 23:20; 33:18-23)
• Appearance as Pillar of Cloud/ Fire: Protection (Exodus 14:19-21)
• Appearance to Joshua: Proclamation (Joshua 5:13-15)
• Appearance to Balaam: Punishment (Numbers 22:22-35)
• Appearance to Gideon: Proclamation (Judges 6:11-24)
• Appearance to Manoah: Proclamation (Judges 13:2-23)
• Appearance to David: Punishment (I Chronicles 21:15-18)
• Appearance to Elijah: Proclamation (I Kings 19:5-8)
• Appearance to the Assyrian Army: Power (II Kings 19:35)
• Appearance to Isaiah: Proclamation (Isaiah 6:1-13)
• Appearance to the Three Hebrew Children: Protection (Daniel 3:25)
• Appearance to Daniel: Protection (Daniel 6:22; 7:9-14)
• Appearance to Zechariah: Protection (Zechariah 1:8-13; 2:8-11; 3:10)

On at least one of these appearances, the Angel of the Lord seems to receive worship from the people involved (see Judges 13:20), which is why he is believed to be Christ in the flesh. Angels don’t receive worship (Revelation 19:10; 22:9). The problem with the theory that the Angel of the Lord is pre-incarnate Christ is that he also appears in the New Testament:

“But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 1:20)

“And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.” (Matthew 2:13)

“And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.” (Luke 2:9)

See Also Acts 5:19; 8:26; 12:7; 12:23

There are two more appearances of this angel in Judges (6:11 – 18 in connection with Gideon; 13:3 – 23 in connection with Samson)

This Angel in our text moves from Gilgal (possibly when the Ark was encamped there) to Bochim, which means weeping. The actual location of Bochim is unknown, though some believe it was near Bethel.

The Angel reminds them of God’s explicit warning regarding expelling all the Canaanites. (See Exodus 23:20 – 30 and Numbers 35:50 – 56)

At this time, the people expressed their remorse over their failure. They wept. Weeping is a good start, but it must lead to a permanent repentance.

In Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians, he expresses the fact that the Corinthians were sorry for their sins, and that their sorrow led to repentance:

“Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.” (2 Corinthians 7:9-11)

Unfortunately, even though the Israelites expressed their remorse and repented at this time, their repentance was short lived. Throughout this Book of Judges, we will see the people of God doing that which is right in their own eyes and forsaking God. True repentance will yield more than just the offering of sacrifices, it will produce obedience:

“And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22)

When will we learn that God knows what is best for us? We need to obey what He tells us to do.

Mar 19th, 2025 Living with the Canaanites

Today’s Passage – Joshua 22 – 24 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Hebrews 5 – 8; Proverbs 19; Psalms 91 – 95)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Psalm 25

Read the “0319 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from this passage – “Keep Choosing the Lord,“ and “Don’t Jump to Conclusions.”

“11 Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God. 12 Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you: 13 Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.” (Joshua 23:11-13)

When the children of Israel entered into the land of Canaan after spending forty years wandering in the wilderness, they were commanded by God to drive out all the inhabitants that were within the borders of their new nation. They mostly obeyed that order from God, but for whatever reason, they failed to get everybody out that God wanted removed (see Joshua 15:63; 16:10; Judges 1:21 for examples). Because these people were allowed to remain in the land, they would be a continuous problem for the people of God. They would be, “snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes” (v. 13). The Canaanites that remained in the land would never convert to Judaism nor conform to the laws of Israel, and eventually their worship of false gods along with their immoral practices would influence the Israelites, causing some of God’s people to follow them and become idolatrous and immoral. 

This is a picture of what we see in the lives of many Christians today. We are living in this world but are not supposed to be “of the world” (John 15:23; 17:14 – 17). We are supposed to be “sanctified” through the truth of God’s word. Sanctification means that we are set apart or separated from the world. The problem is that we are living in the midst of a “crooked and perverse nation,” but if we were fully yielded to God and filled with the Holy Spirit, we would also “shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15). Unfortunately, just as the world within the land of Canaan negatively influenced the Israelites of Joshua’s day, the world around us is also influencing us. 

Think of all the worldly influences that enter into our lives on a daily basis. We watch television programs that are filled with the practices and philosophies of the world, and we are interacting with people on a daily basis that are clueless about the ways of God. Social media also contains many mixed messages. While we are using it to connect with many of our saved friends and family members, we are also being influenced by those who are lost. Many of our children are walking in the counsel of the ungodly through their unsaved teachers and worldly curriculums within the public schools. 

I don’t think the solution to this problem is isolation. The Amish and others like them have tried to practice that form of extreme separation for years but have been unsuccessful in completely shielding their children from the attractions of the world. I do believe that we need to be more separated than we are. After all, it is biblically commanded:

“15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1 John 2:15-17)

“1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2)

“14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)

However, we will never be able to completely separate ourselves, our families, and our churches from all of the worldly and sinful influences that are all around us. Therefore we will need to make sure that the worship of God and our service for Him is so much more exciting, fulfilling, and even alluring than the temptations that this world has to offer. God is awesome, and living the Christian life is the best life anyone could live, but unfortunately our churches have done a poor job of manifesting that truth. Many of our church members feel that they should live for God because it is right to do or maybe because there will be a reward some day for doing so, but they also feel that they are missing something, sacrificing some of their temporal enjoyment. They feel the world is having more fun than they are. The world does a much better job of making its system look attractive than the churches do in glorifying God and making the Christian life appealing. If Christians were able to do start really enjoying their relationship with God and their worship of Him, they may just convince a few of the Canaanites that live around them to join with them.

Being a Christian means much more than just a future happiness in eternity, it is also a wonderful, enjoyable, purposeful and abundant life today. We need to do a better job communicating that truth to our world.

Mar 18th, 2025 God Is a Promise Keeper

Today’s Passage – Joshua 19 – 21 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Philemon – Hebrews 4; Proverbs 18; Psalms 86 – 90

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Psalm 19

Read the “0318 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Mar 17th, 2025 Ephraim and Manasseh

Today’s Passage – Joshua 16 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Titus 1 – 3; Proverbs 17; Psalms 81 – 85

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 18:3 & 46

Read a previous post from this passage – “Get to Work”

Read the “0317 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near unto him. 14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.” (Genesis 48:13-14)

Today’s post is a little longer and a bit more involved than usual. Today, we will do a Bible study on the half tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim. Chapters 16 and 17 deal with the land distribution for the Tribe of Joseph, which was made up of the two half tribes of Ephraim (Chapter 16) and Manasseh (Chapter 17).

See also Genesis 48 to help make sense of Joshua 16 and 17. I will highlight a few verses from that portion of Scripture here:

“4 And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession. 5 And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.” (Genesis 48:4-5)

Note on Genesis 48:4 – 5 – Joseph’s two sons were adopted by Jacob here, and were given the right of the firstborn, but Ephraim traded place with Manasseh as the firstborn among the sons of Joseph:

“Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright. For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph’s:)” (1 Chronicles 5:1-2)

“19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.” (Genesis 48:19)

Note on Genesis 48:19 – After the kingdom splits in the time of Jeroboam and Rehoboam, Ephraim becomes the more dominant tribe in the northern kingdom. Also, Shiloh would be the city within the borders of Ephraim where the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant would stay for approximately 300 years. Joshua, the great leader of Israel, was from the tribe of Ephraim.

“22 Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.” (Genesis 48:22)

Note on Genesis 48:22 – Genesis does not mention this conquest, but the parcel of land that he referred to here is mentioned in John 4:5:

“Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.” (John 4:5)

I        The Distribution of Land

         A       The Distribution for Ephraim (Joshua 16:5 – 9 See map)

Note on v. 9 – apparently Ephraim was also allotted some cities within the territory of Manasseh, perhaps because their total land area was small.

        B       The Distribution for Manasseh (Joshua 17:1 – 2; 7 – 11)

Note on Joshua 17:1

“And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorite which was in it. And Moses gave Gilead unto Machir the son of Manasseh; and he dwelt therein.” (Numbers 32:39-40)

II       The Dereliction of Duty

“But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth: But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee: That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.” (Deuteronomy 20:16-18)

         A       The Disobedience of Ephraim (vs. 10)

They failed to drive out all the Canaanites. This was slightly different from the situation with the Gibeonites, who made a peace treaty with Joshua. This was also different from the situation in chapter 15 where we are told that Jebusites dwelled with the children of Judah. Here there was no treaty, nor was there a peaceful coexistence, but the Canaanites were apparently conquered and made slaves. This was against God’s explicit command:

Disobedience is part of our fallen human nature – We won’t get it right all of the time.

Disobedience will cause long-term problems. The Canaanites that Ephraim allowed to remain in the land would eventually cause problems for them. Idolatry was part of Canaanite culture, and eventually would become a big problem in Israel.

The things that we disobediently allow in our lives today, may one day destroy our children or grand-children.

            B       The Disobedience of Manasseh (Joshua 17:12 – 13)

Manasseh’s situation was slightly different yet. They at first could not (vs. 12); then they would not drive the Canaanites out. (v. 13)

III       The Daughters of Zelophehad (Joshua 17:3 – 6)

See Numbers 27:1 – 11

The five daughters of Zelophehad brought a unique problem before Moses that Moses took up with God. Their father had no sons to give his land inheritance to and the daughters were afraid that they were going to lose their portion of the land. The Lord said that they were entitled to the inheritance. This caused Moses to write an amendment to the Law.

But this caused another potential problem. If the daughters of Zelophehad inherit land and then marry outside of their tribe, then the land would transfer to another tribe. (See Numbers 36:1 – 13) God stated that any women receiving a land inheritance would only be permitted to marry within her tribe.

IV      The Dissatisfaction of Manasseh and Ephraim (Joshua 17:14 – 18)

Here we see presumably the two half tribes complaining to Joshua regarding the portion of land that they received. They said it was too small. They said that they were far too “great” a people to be confined to such a small piece of land. Together, their population was 82,500, which was large. Manasseh had increased in size dramatically (by approximately 20,000 men) during their wandering in the Wilderness. Ephraim had decreased by 8,000 men.

            Joshua stated that what they had was enough, but they weren’t making the most of it.

            They would have to work for it.

            They would have to fight for it.

Many times, God’s people are dissatisfied with their lives, causing them to covet things that belong to somebody else. God wants us to appreciate what we have and make the most of what we have.

Don’t covet somebody else’s home – make the most of the home that God gave you. Don’t covet somebody else’s marriage – work hard and fight to make yours the best it can be.