Too Big For His Britches
Today’s Reading – 1 Chronicles 9 – 10 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – John 9 – 10; Psalm 41 – 45; Proverbs 9)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:6
Read the “0509 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a previous post from this passage – “Who are the Nethinims?“
“So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.” – (1 Chronicles 10:13-14)
“And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?” – (1 Samuel 15:17)
In 1 Chronicles, chapter 10, God tells us about the death of King Saul and his sons. God also tells us here the reasons that He took His hand of protection and blessing from the life of Saul; and when we compare this passage to some of the other passages in 1 Samuel that reveal the events of Saul’s life and reign as king, the picture gets a little bit clearer. Saul simply became “too big for his britches”. You’ve heard that expression before, haven’t you? My grandmother used to say that about me when I was a young boy. It simply means that your opinion of yourself is greater than the reality.
King Saul started out very well. He was always insecure, but in the early days he was a very humble man. When chosen by God to be the king of Israel, Saul’s life was dramatically changed, and though he was head and shoulders above the rest, he did not see himself as anything special. He was right to think that way because he really wasn’t special, and neither are we. However, in these early years of his reign as king, Saul trusted in God. As time went on, however, Saul became concerned with the opinion polls, and he was especially nervous about a young man in his kingdom by the name of David that was gaining popularity. Saul’s insecurity and pride caused him to make a lot of decisions completely independent of God; and he eventually got to the point where he was doing everything he could just to hold on to his power and throne: everything except humble himself before God.
The story of Saul serves as a good example to all of us who are in God’s service. God chooses us to serve Him, not because of anything we have to offer him. We have no intrinsic value, but God chooses to use us for his glory. The danger comes when we start wanting to steal a little bit of that glory for ourselves. We get too big for our britches just like Saul did. It is really a vicious cycle: we start out humbling depending on God to use us; God begins to use us and bless us in tremendous ways; we then begin to subconsciously think that those blessings were due to our own merit; then we begin to openly display our pride; then God has to pull away those blessings; and finally we fall on our faces back to the place of humility again.
Would to God we could just stay humble, realizing ”it is God which worketh in[us] both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” – (Philippians 2:13) God is the One who butters our bread, and we had better not forget it. Is God using you? – Praise God! But don’t get cocky, because God can pull away His hand of blessing from your life whenever He chooses.
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Chronicles by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
His Name Is “Mudd”
Today’s Reading – 1 Chronicles 1 – 2 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – John 1 – 2; Psalms 21 – 25; Proverbs 5)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 18:3 & 46
Read the “0505 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“And the sons of Carmi; Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed.” (1 Chronicles 2:7 )
I must be completely honest with you and state that it was a little challenging finding a thought to write about from today’s Scripture reading. The first few chapters of 1 Chronicles contain some very important and necessary, but also somewhat tedious information regarding the genealogical record of Israel. We really should not skip over passages of Scripture such as these because there is always a great nugget of truth hidden inside somewhere. So hang in there. By the way, eventually 1 Chronicles will become a very exciting book to read.
My thought this morning comes from chapter 2, and verse 7. In the middle of the genealogical record there is a comment made about one of the listed men, Achar. He is called here “the troubler of Israel’s.”8 The story behind this man can be found in Johsua 7. He is called Achan there and we find that he is the man that stole some gold and silver and a “goodly Babylonish garment” from the city of Jericho during Israel’s invasion of that city. The problem was that God told the Israelites that they were not supposed to touch anything in that city, but Achan could not resist. As a result, God’s judgment fell upon the whole nation of Israel and they lost the next military battle with many innocent men being killed in the battle. Later, when Achan’s sin was discovered, he and his family were all put to death. The bottom line to this whole story is that Achan was probably a good man who yielded to a temptation and the result was death and sorrow for a lot of people, and a reputation that will follow him for all eternity. His name will forever be “Mudd”.
I want to challenge all of us to consider for a moment our own reputation, and the affect that our reputation will have on our family members. I understand that none of us is without sin and I am certainly not trying to rub salt on old wounds, but I am trying to get us to carefully consider the affect that some future sin will have on our reputations. When people hear your name in the future what will they say about you? Will they say that you were a moral, honest, hard-working individual? Or, will there be negative thoughts that surround your reputation? By the way, if your reputation is less than perfect today, you still have time to change it.
Interesting side note on the expression “His Name is Mudd.” It seems to have become popular as a result of a doctor named Samuel Mudd (pictured above) who treated and helped John Wilkes Booth after he broke his leg jumping down from the balcony in the Ford’s Theater, after his assassination of President Lincoln. Mudd was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, though he was later paroled by President Andrew Johnson.
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Chronicles by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
A Space of Grace
Today’s Reading – 2 Kings 20 – 22 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – Luke 21 – 22; Psalms 11 – 15; Proverbs 3)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Joshua 1:8
Read the “0503 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read previous posts from this passage – “He Should Have Quit While He Was Ahead;” and “Have You Found the Book?”
“Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read: Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched. But to the king of Judah which sent you to enquire of the LORD, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard; Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the LORD. Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.” (2 Kings 22:16-20)
After the Word of God was discovered in the Temple while renovations were being made, King Josiah realized that the southern kingdom of Judah was far away from where she once was, and where she should have been. The king is a great man and desperately wants to get things right with the Lord, so he goes to a woman, named Huldah, a prophetess, who explained to him that judgment was certainly in store for Judah for the sins of her past. However, the good news is that the coming judgment would be postponed until after the days of King Josiah. Why? Because his heart was tender, and he was greatly humbled before God. He was determined to do what was right and lead the people of God to submit to whatever God commanded them to do.
Fast forward a couple of hundred years, way past the time of Josiah, and also past the horrible judgment that was prophesied by the prophetess as well as by others. Jerusalem had been completely destroyed, including the Temple, and the people of God had been living in captivity for seventy years, first in Babylon and then in Persia. God now opens up a window for the people of God to go back into the land of Judah, rebuild the Temple and the City of Jerusalem, and worship and serve the Lord as God had commanded them through Moses. Ezra the priest was leading a remnant of the people of God in worship, and explained to them that God had given them grace for a “little space.”
“And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.” (Ezra 9:6-9)
I believe that God will give America a space of grace as well, even though judgment is certainly warranted for our sins as a nation. We have forsaken God; we have tolerated, condoned and even promoted all kinds of vile immorality, and we have murdered the unborn by the millions. Our country certainly has judgment in its future, and it may be that we are experiencing some of that right now through the pandemic and all the hatred and division. But, we can also get that space of grace if we will simply humble ourselves and submit to the will of the Lord.
“If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-14)
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 5 comments.
Great Expectations by Misty Woodrum
Today’s Passage – 2 Kings 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 – Luke 9 – 10; Proverbs 27; Psalms 131 – 135
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Matthew 6:33
Read the “0427 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Today’s text contains several well-known children’s Sunday School stories. One of which is the story of Naaman, captain of the host of the Syrians, who was said to be “a great man,” “honourable,” and “a mighty man of valour.” We remember learning in Sunday School of the great faith of the little Israelite maid who had the courage and boldness to speak out.
Naaman might have been a great man, but he had a problem. Naaman was a leper. The little Israelite maid is often the key Sunday School character in this story for her being young, yet having such abounding faith that she spoke up and boldly proclaimed that there was a prophet of God that could heal her master. The other servants and Naaman were quickly ready to listen to this young girl, collecting a good sum of money and gifts as payment, and then Naaman headed out to find this healing prophet at the word of the maiden. What a testimony she must have had to convince him! This alone is a wonderful, inspiring devotional application; but, there also may be something in this simple children’s story you haven’t considered.
I really want to focus on the next portion when Naaman arrives at the prophet’s door. Elisha sends out a messenger (vs 10) telling Naaman to go wash in the Jordan 7 times and he would be clean, cured from leprosy. In verse 11 we see this is not what Naaman was expecting at all. He says, “Behold, I thought…”. He then turned “and went away in a rage.” This jumps out as a great conviction. How many times do I enquire something of the Lord and then end up upset because HE isn’t working the way in which I expect? “BUT I THOUGHT”… God doesn’t always work like we think or expect and that needs to be okay because HE is God and His ways are perfect.
“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.” Ps. 18:30
“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.” – Ps. 62:5
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” – Pro. 3:5,6
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.” – Is 55:8
How many times have I asked God for something, prayed over, was broken over, and then saw an answer but it wasn’t what I “had in my head”? We all have all kinds of great expectations in life and then are disappointed when it wasn’t what we imagined. We must be very careful. So much of the time, what we are given is much better; it just looks different than anticipated. We have great expectations: those we date, spouses, children, employers, government officials, friends, church leadership, and the list goes on.
Naaman had a different expectation and it almost cost him.
Thankfully the story doesn’t end there for Naaman. His servants come along and basically say, ‘Come on Naaman, it’s worth a shot. He didn’t ask you to do anything complicated.’ So in verse 14 he goes down into the Jordan as is commanded, and is healed. Here also lies a great doctrinal application. Leprosy is a picture of sin. Naaman, though a mighty man, was not able to fix his sin issue on his own. He HAD TO SUBMIT and do what God said. It really was an issue of faith, just like for us today. Often, like Naaman, people are willing and expecting to jump through all kinds of difficult, crazy religious hoops of works in order to be saved; yet God wants each of us to simply yield and be fully submitted to Him by faith and experience the healing (forgiveness) from sin. We cannot go to God on our own terms but must humbly submit to Him. In Romans Paul warns of Israel’s problem with this as well:
“For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” – Romans 10:3
In summary:
#1 Have a good testimony like the little maid and speak out by faith.
#2 Beware of your own “great expectations” and remember that God doesn’t work on our terms or like we always think.
#3 When we are able to submit to God, He is able to work. Yield to the Lord, first by salvation from sin, then for the rest of your life in daily decisions.
“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.” – Ps. 62:5
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
A Tale of Two Houses by George (the real) Deihl
Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 6 – 7 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Mark 7 – 8; Proverbs 18; Psalms 86 – 90)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 92:1 – 4
Read the “0418 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“38 And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it. 1 But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.” (1 Kings 6:38 – 7:1)
Reading I Kings, chapters 6 and 7, it never ceases to amaze me the intricate detail that the Word of God (King James Version) gives when describing various things throughout the Bible. In these is the construction of the Lord’s House (the Temple) and the house of Solomon (his palaces). When reading these two chapters, two verses really stand out to me, the last verse in chapter 6 and the first verse in chapter 7, and what stood out were the number of years that it took to construct the Lord’s House, which was 7 years and Solomon’s house, which was 13 years.
It’s interesting that the Bible in describing the House of the Lord and the house of Solomon mentions the number of years it took to build each house. It’s also interesting that it took 7 years to build the Lord’s House and 13 years to build Solomon’s house for a total of 20 years. Meaning Solomon started and finished the Lord’s house first and then he built his own house (I Kings 9:10 and II Chronicles 8:1).
7 and 13 are very important numbers in the Word of God and in the study of numerology. Numerology is the study of numbers and their specific importance in the Bible and how they are used to convey a meaning outside of the numerical value of the actual number being used. However, in order to understand these two numbers and what they mean we must first visit the Law of First Mention. What is the Law of First Mention? In order to understand a particular word or doctrine you must first find the place in scripture where that word or doctrine is introduced. So in order to understand the Lord’s placement of these numbers in these two verses we must first go back to where they originated in scripture.
The number 7 is first introduced in the Bible in Genesis 2:2 where it says: “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.” Because of this verse the number 7 is correlated to the Lord’s perfect work ending and because it was complete, He rested. Throughout the entire Bible you’ll be amazed how the number seven correlates to perfection, completion, and rest. For instance, it’s interesting that the word, “Saviour,” in the King James Bible is exactly 7 letters and word, “Baptist,” also happens to be 7 letters as well. I could go on and on with the use of the number 7 in the book of Revelation. Also, in Psalm 12:6, the word of God is said to be purified 7 times; in Proverbs 8:1, the Bible states that wisdom hath built her 7 pillars.
The number 13 is first introduced in Genesis 14:4: “Twelve years they serve Chedorlaomer and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.” The number 13 correlates with rebellion and wickedness because this is where Sodom and Gomorrah started their rebellion with the other Kings against king Chedorlaomer. 13 is also associated with evil and bad luck. For instance, Friday the 13th, the missing of the 13th floor in buildings, and Dan Marino never winning a super bowl because he wore 13 (Lol!). The second time 13 is mentioned in the Bible also has to do with result of rebellion: “And Ismael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin”(Genesis 17:25). Also, in the book of Esther, on the 13th day Haman was to have all the Jews destroyed. (Esther 3:12,13, 8:12, 9:1,17,18)
[A side note Genesis chapter 13, verse 13, has 13 words regarding the rebellion and wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah and their sin before the Lord.]
I. The 7 years it took to build the Lord’s House represents perfection, completion, and rest while the 13 years it took to build Solomon’s house represents rebellion, pride, and wickedness. The Lord gave Solomon the wisdom to physically construct His Temple and it was precise and calculated, down to the finest detail all cuts were made away from the house so that there was no hammer or any other tool of iron heard in the while it was in building (I King 6:7). While on the other hand it seems that Solomon was more consumed in achieving glory and status among the other kings on earth when building his house (palace), which took much longer to build and was extravagant and full of excess.
II. The numbers 7 and 13 are reminders to the nation of Israel the day they rebelled against God by placing a king to rule over them instead of the Lord. Since before the Exodus out of Egypt the Lord ruled over His people Israel. His rule was perfect, complete, and He gave His people rest when they followed Him. However the influence of the world always weighed heavy on Israel causing them to desire to have earthly kings to reign over them and not God. Therefore the Lord granted them their request because of their rebellion. Their kings would take to themselves the wealth of the entire nation and Israel would become servants to them (I Samual 8:7-22).
[Some would argue that the same could be said when Israel rebelled yet again by rejected Christ in the New Testament. Because of this they were set aside and Paul would be known as the 13th Apostle to the Gentile Church.]
III. Finally, Solomon was loved by the Lord and the Lord gave him wisdom above all that ever lived outside of Jesus. With this wisdom the Lord gave the blueprint that Solomon needed to build the Lord’s house. Solomon had a heart for the Lord and a great desire to serve and complete the Lord’s House. He started his reign on the right track and was pleasing to the Lord. Even with some of the faults he had Solomon was used mightily at the beginning, completing the house of God to exact perfection.
However, Solomon used that same God-given wisdom to glorify himself in building his own house and setting up his earthly reign. This fed his discontentment which would eventually lead to his demise. Because Solomon wanted to glorify himself in the eyes of the world he was never content with what he had. He literally had everything and yet having everything was still not enough.
Solomon had a heart like you and I – a heart to serve the Lord and at the same time a heart to please himself. And because he was not focused on the Lord`s Temple after he had completed it, he became prideful and discontented which lead in a downward spiral to destruction and ultimately caused him to rebel against the very Lord he once served.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 5 comments.
Almost Heaven
Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 3 – 5 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Mark 5 – 6; Proverbs 17; Psalms 81 – 85)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 89:1
Read the “0417 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a previous post from this passage – “Wisdom”
“Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry.” (1 Kings 4:20)
“And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.” (1 Kings 4:25)
This is about as close to heaven as you could possibly get while still living here on the earth. Notice that Israel had the complete protection of God; and the abundant provision of God. And in these early days of Solomon’s reign the people were busy serving God by building His temple, which took about seven years to complete. So it seems that God is on His throne and the people are dwelling safely. Unfortunately, we will see in the upcoming chronicles of Israel’s history that all of this prosperity, which was given by God, will eventually cause the people to forget about God.
This story reminds me of the history of America. We had to fight some battles in the early days, but God eventually gave us abundant provision and protection from our enemies. And, even though we still have our battles to fight today, we are still the most blessed nation in the world. However, just as Israel forgot about God, I think we can safely say that America has moved away from the God who has blessed her. The people in this “land of the free” have forgotten that it was God who gave them their freedom and all of the prosperity that came with it.
Christian, let us never forget that it is God that has protected us in the past, and it is God that has provided for us. Unfortunately, we are beginning to see that hedge of protection and provision torn down. But God could still bless this nation again, if we would simply turn back to Him. Pray that during this Covid-19 pandemic, America will repent, and put her faith in the Lord.
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Kings by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Check With God First
Today’s Passage – 2 Samuel 4 – 7 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 17 – 18; Proverbs 9; Psalms 41 – 45)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:1 – 4
Read the “0409 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee. And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?” – (2 Samuel 7:3-5)
In 2 Samuel 7, David comes to the prophet Nathan, and informs him of his desire to build a permanent dwelling place for the ark of the covenant: he wanted to build the temple. You will recall that up until this time the corporate worship of God took place in a portable tabernacle that God had designed for them while they wandered the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. But now it was time to build a permanent structure in the capital city – Jerusalem. It was a good thing that David wanted to do, and it was also good that he went to inquire of the man of God before he did it. The problem here is not with David, but with the prophet Nathan. He gave David the green light to “do all that [was] in [David’s] heart”, before he checked with God. In other words, he spoke on behalf of God, but did not say what God wanted him to say. He spoke prematurely. As it turns out, God had other plans. He did not want David to build the temple. That job was going to go to David’s son, Solomon.
There is a great lesson to be learned here for us. Before we offer our advice on a matter, we ought to check with God first. How we go about doing that is a little bit different today than it was in David and Nathan’s day. In their time God would speak directly to the man of God. Today, however, we have to discern the will of God in the following way:
1 We first go to the Word of God – check to see what the Bible says about what you want to do. Just about every possible scenario is covered by Biblical principle. Let’s say for example that a young lady wanted to know if it was OK to get involved with a young man who is not a dedicated Christian. She could look into the Word and see that it says that she is not to be “unequally yoked” together with an unbeliever. She would also see that the Scripture says that she can not “walk together” with someone whom she is not in agreement with. And there are many other passages of Scripture, which would advise her against what she wants to do. The bottom line is that if the thing we want to do is in violation of sound Biblical principle, we should not do it.
2 We go to God in prayer. We ask God to reveal to us personally His will regarding the matter. I believe that if a person is really concerned about the will of God, He will direct them. When I was praying about where to serve God after Bible college, God revealed to me precisely that He wanted my family to serve Him here in Galloway, NJ.
3 We get advice. The Bible is clear that there is safety in a multitude of counselors. Find some people with godly wisdom that you can go to for counsel regarding your decision, and give them some time to pray first before they give you an answer.
Nathan should have put David on hold until he had a chance to find out what God wanted him to do.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Right In Their Own Eyes
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.
“In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” – (Judges 21:25)
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” (Proverbs 12:15)
I hope that you are taking the time to carefully read these chapters in the Book of Judges. If you have, then you have noticed that there certainly is a lot of wierd stuff going on here in these passages; and you may be wondering if God is putting His stamp of approval on all that was happening. He certainly is not. The Bible here is merely recording honestly the condition of God’s people as they really were in this time period. They have certainly gone a long way away from the will of God. The concluding verse (above) to the Book of Judges seems to sum it all up: “every man did that which was right in his own eyes”. They could have sang the Frank Sinatra song, “I Did It My Way”. There was no earthly king, but the real problem was that they stopped submitting to the kingship of God. Israel was in a mess morally, and they had forsaken the system of worship that God had instituted for them as they wandered in the wilderness.
We can see this same problem in our country today. Our nation used to instill Biblical principles into the lives of her citizens. A lost heathen of 100 years ago knew more about the Bible, and could quote more verses than the average Christian can today. We are a Bible illiterate society, and the dearth of the Word of God is manifesting itself in every area of our society. We are in a mess here in America. We call “right” wrong, and “wrong” right. We tolerate, condone, and even support the vilest immorality imaginable; and it is getting worse by the day. As a nation, we know precious little about the Person of God, let alone the Principles of His Word. We need to have an awakening like the children of Israel had in these chapters in the Book of Judges. Maybe God will have to shake our world a little bit more in judgment in order to get us to wake up.
I hate to say this, but the problem is also huge within our fundamental churches. It amazes me that people will come to church; listen to the Word of God as it is preached, and sometimes even nod their heads or say “Amen” in agreement; and then go out into their lives, and do the opposite of what God just instructed. And the crazy thing is, they don’t even realize that they are doing it. We need to wake up. We need God to shake us back into an awareness of our utter dependence upon Him. We need to follow the Word of God wholly, and allow the Spirit of God to guide us into all truth.
The nation of Israel entered into the land of Canaan with full intention to live according to the will of God for the rest of their existence. If you were to somehow show them how far away they would get, they would think it absurd; but slowly, and very gradually they moved further and further away from the truth. Christians, we are doing the same thing; and it is happening so gradually that we do not even notice it. Let’s get back to the basics of loving God, winning souls, and living in and by His Word.
Posted in Thoughts from Judges by Phil Erickson with 8 comments.
Gideon’s Fleece
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 a previous post from this passage – “Deborah and Jael – Women of God”
Read the “0321 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.” – (Judges 6:36-37)
Three times in Judges 6, Gideon asks the Lord for a sign of some sort in order to assure him that it was, in fact, God that was speaking to him. The first time occurs when the angel of the Lord first appears to him in verse 17. Here he wants to be sure that it is the Lord. Maybe he was afraid that he was hallucinating, or perhaps being tricked. The Lord proves Himself to Gideon by consuming the kid and the bread upon the rock with fire.
The second and third time was regarding the fleece. He puts out the fleece twice: two nights in a row. The first night, he asked that the fleece would be wet with dew, and the ground dry. The second night, just to be sure, he asked that the ground be wet and the fleece be dry. God graciously proved Himself to Gideon on all of these occasions.
I have often heard people say that Gideon was not acting in faith because he kept asking for some sort of a sign. However, we must remember that God had not recorded in His word at this point anything about Gideon’s situation. Had God written through Moses or a prophet that there would be a man named Gideon that would deliver the children of Israel from the hand of the Mideonites, there might be a reason to accuse Gideon of lacking faith; but this was totally unpredicted, and unprecedented. I don’t blame Gideon for wanting to be sure that He was doing the will of God.
Today, we certainly are to walk by faith and not by sight. Most of what God calls us to do is clearly revealed in His Bible; but every once in a while, He reveals His will to us personally through extraordinary means. This does not happen very often, but it does happen. I have been saved for over thirty years, and I can only point to a few times where I put forth a “fleece” in order to determine God’s will. I will share one of these incidents with you. When I was in my senior year of Bible college, I was very burdened about what I was going to do after I graduated. There were a few opportunities offered to me in various places and capacities; but I wanted to be sure that I was completely following the will of God. In my heart, I wanted to come back home to New Jersey, but I was not sure that my heart was lining up with God’s will. I began to pray. I decided one day to call up Pastor Charlie Clark who pastored in south Jersey, in order to get some advice from him. I told him that I was praying about coming back to New Jersey to start a church, or work for a church. He recommended that I head back to New Jersey upon graduation, and we would begin to pray and work toward the planting of a church. I was very excited about that prospect, but God had a slightly different plan. You see, as God was working in my heart about coming to New Jersey – unknown to me – He was also working in another pastor’s heart about moving away from New Jersey. Just a few minutes after I got off the phone with Pastor Clark, He received another phone call from Pastor Dan Owens. Brother Owens was the man who started Jersey Shore Baptist Church. The Lord was leading him to go back into the military as a chaplain, but he wanted to make sure that he left his church in good hands. So Brother Owens called Pastor Clark in order to see if He knew of any pastor that was praying about coming to New Jersey. “Coincidentally”, Pastor Clark did know of someone. Pastor Clark has since shared with me that he has had very few phone calls through the years regarding people either looking for a church, or looking to leave a church; and to get two such calls within minutes of each other was definitely a “sign” that this was of God.
I am not saying that we should be tempting God, or asking God to prove Himself to us. If we are His children, we have already placed our faith in Him, and in His revealed will through the Word of God. I am saying, though, that it is OK to ask God to clearly reveal His perfect will for your life. If your like me, you want to be sure that you are doing exactly what God wants you to do. There are a lot of big decisions to make in life, and they are not all completely covered in the Bible. For instance: Who are you going to marry? Where you are going to live? What will be your life’s vocation? Where will you go to college? These are all important questions, and you want to be sure you are in the perfect will of God. I don’t think you are wrong to ask God to miraculously reveal His will to you personally, as He did to Gideon in our reading today.
Posted in Thoughts from Judges by Phil Erickson with 4 comments.
The “Vicious” Cycle of Judges
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,” and “Hold the Line.“
“And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.” (Judges 2:18-19)
The Book of Judges covers the period of time from the death of Joshua to the beginning of the monarchy when King Saul was anointed. (Approximately from 1380 BC to 1050 BC) Joshua had driven out most of the inhabitants of the land, but there were still enemies within the borders of Israel that needed to be removed. Throughout judges, we see the victories and, unfortunately, the defeats of God’s people as they contend with these Canaanites and others.
During this period, Israel was ruled by judges. These judges were not necessarily sovereign rulers over the entire nation, but were mostly regional military and civil rulers and some of the dates of their leadership overlapped other judges.
The Book of Judges was probably written by Samuel, as is suggested by the Jewish Talmud. It had to be written after the coronation of King Saul as the Book claims four times that “there was no king in Israel.” (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25) Judges would have to have been written after there was a king, but records history from before there was a king. It also had to be written before 990 BC, when David drove out the Jebusites from Jerusalem:
“And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.” (Judges 1:21)
There were fifteen judges in all: thirteen mentioned in Judges, and then Eli and Samuel who are revealed in 1 Samuel. There is one female judge, named Deborah.
Throughout the Book of Judges we see a repeated cycle:
- Israel in a right relationship with God receiving God’s blessing of provision and protection.
- Israel moves away from God and begins to worship idols and fall into sin.
- God drops the hedge of protection that was placed around them, and Israel’s enemies begin to conquer them.
- Israel cries out to the Lord.
- The Lord raises up a judge.
- Israel is delivered.
We see the same thing happening in Christian’s lives today. Oftentimes people are saved out of very difficult circumstances. For a time, people are afterwards very contrite and zealous in their faithfulness to the Lord. However, often after experiencing the wonderful blessing of God, people will forget all about the God who blessed them. What a shame! Why can’t we learn to appreciate the Lord and remain devoted to Him as much during prosperity as we were during adversity.
America and the rest of the world are certainly experiencing adversity today. Let’s pray that this trial will cause us to cry out to the Lord as the Israelites did in days of old. But then let’s also pray that after deliverance comes, that we remain faithful.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 6 comments.