Judges 21: Happily Ever After

"The people had compassion on Benjamin, because the Lord had made this gap in the tribes of Israel."

Judges 21:15

The book of Judges ends with a reconciliation within the nation of Israel, when the eleven tribes made peace with the Benjaminite refugees and found wives for them to continue the tribe's heritage.  Then, each tribe returns to his inheritance and lives happily ever after... or wait, does it really say that?

"In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever he wanted."

Judges 21:25

This is literally how the book ends.  Talk about your happy ending!  For most of this book, we've read about various kings ruling over Israel, how badly the kings treated the Israelites, and how far from God's discipline the nation fell whenever they were led by a king.  This verse has been repeated in several chapters throughout Judges, and it obviously relates to individual liberty.

Does this mean there was total anarchy?  Not quite.  Of course, the Levite priests would serve as judges for their local areas while the whole community would act as jury.  However, there were no legislators making laws about what people can and can't do (they just stuck with the Word of God on that) and there was no executive branch in charge of military or police.  When these concerns arose, the people filled the needs much like a neighborhood watch.

We call America the freest nation and we talk about our grand experiment with democracy and freedom, but really Ancient Israel had our modern freedom beat completely.  Sure, they had the death penalty for adultery and homosexuality.  Sure, they were strict on how close of a relative men were allowed to marry.  Sure, they allowed slavery.  The difference, though, is that they didn't have any governing body truly enforcing those laws, so the morality of the people was the deciding factor in legal issues.  If the community agreed that a behavior was okay, they just didn't throw stones any more.

Question of the Day:

What can we do to ensure that our United States of America return to our original model of freedom, which was based on these holy books?  How can we change the morality of our leaders to reflect the morality of our people?  What is your role as an individual citizen?

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, guide the hearts and actions of the United States executives, legislators, and judges.  Help them work together towards recreating a nation of freedom.  Teach this nation's citizens about Your freedoms and how far we've fallen from them, so that we might make better Spirit-led decisions when voting for our leaders at every level of government from the most local all the way to Washington.  Don't let us give up any more of our You-given freedoms, but instead help us to stand up for Your principles.  Amen.

Judges 20: Civil War in Israel

"They went up, wept before the Lord until evening, and inquired of Him: 'Should we again fight against our brothers the Benjaminites?'  And the Lord answered: 'Fight against them.'"

Judges 20:23

Long ago, the Lord had ordered all Israel to strike down any Israelite who engaged in certain types of sinful behavior - a list which included rape and murder.  After the men of Benjamin collectively did both to a woman of Judah, the rest of Israel gathered and ordered that the city send out the men involved in this crime.  Instead, the rest of Benjamin gathered to protect the offending town.

Eleven tribes of Israel strike down the twelfth at the Lord's command.  Yet even though they outnumber the Benjaminites by more than 15 to 1, they lose the first two battles.  On the third day, the Lord wins the fight for them.

Question of the Day:

Have you ever tried to take the Lord's vengeance for Him?  How did that work out?  Did you turn around and call to Him for help?  How did things change when you let Him do the fighting?

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, teach me to stand up for righteousness and speak out against iniquity, but do not let me forget Your role in these fights.  Help me to follow Your Spirit instead of trying to remove the speck in another's eye while I have a whole plank in my own eye.  Do not let me block Your ability to communicate through me, but instead use me as a tool for spreading Your worship.  Amen.

Judges 19: Speaking Up

"Everyone who saw it said, 'Nothing like this has ever happened or been seen since the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt to this day.  Think it over, discuss it, and speak up!'"

Judges 19:30

A man's concubine was unfaithful to him and then she went back to live at her father's house.  The husband went to Bethlehem to find her, speak kindly to her, and bring her back home.  On the journey home, they stopped in Gibeah (a town of Benjaminites) and stayed in the home of a generous local man.

Before dark, the perverted men of the town came mobbing to the house, wanting to have sex with the unknown man.  Instead, they end up raping his concubine all through the night and leaving her dead at the doorstep when the sun rose.  The man cut her into 12 pieces and sent her to the 12 tribes, opening their eyes to the depths they had fallen to as a nation.  His message shook the hearts of God's people, who remembered their heritage and spoke out against this atrocity.

Question of the Day:

What kind of vile act would it take to shock you out of your complacency with what you've become?  Are you willing to stand up and speak out against evil before such an atrocity is allowed to occur?

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, do not let me be complacent with the horrors around me.  Spark a fire within me which will speak out against all sin, no matter how small it may seem.  Strike first at the sin in my own heart so that my hatred towards sin will not be hypocritical.  Amen.

Judges 18: Ignoring God's Calling

"The Danites set up the carved image for themselves..."

Judges 18:30a

Instead of taking the land the Lord set apart for their tribe, the descendants of Dan bully Micah, steal his idols and his priest, and overtake the unsuspecting and defenseless land of Laish.  They set up Micah's idols for worship and became a Godless people.

Question of the Day:

Have you ever chosen to ignore God's Calling?  Did you notice that, after ignoring it once, your whole Spiritual track was then thrown off completely?  How did you get back on track?

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, take me back (again) and help me to follow Your Calling.  Don't let my whole life be ruined because of yesterday's mistakes, but help me to focus today on the life You have prepared for me.  Amen.

Judges 17: A Priest from Bethlehem

"Then Micah said, 'Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, because a Levite has become my priest.'"

Judges 17:13

The priest was from Bethlehem in Judea, and he was looking for a place where he could live.  The symbolism here may not have made much sense at the time it was written, but looking back we know of another Man from the little town of Bethlehem who was looking for people who would take Him in.

Question of the Day:

Have you invited Jesus into your life for one meal per week, or have you invited Him to stay and live in your heart with you always?

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, I know that You will be good to me, because Your Son has become High Priest in my soul.  Hallelujah!  Amen.

Judges 16: The Power of Women

"Because she nagged him day after day and pled with him until she wore him out,"

Judges 16:16

This is a power that all women have over their men, whether the man admits it or not.  "Nagging" is often portrayed as a horrible occurrence, and in cases like this (Delilah's betrayal of Samson) it is.  But I would venture to say that nagging is only as horrible as the motive behind it, and in many everyday cases it is actually a powerful tool which women could put to productive use.

As an example - I've been taking on extra hours at work lately, which has meant less time spent with my family.  When I get home late, I'm tired and just want to relax for a little bit before I go to bed.  However, my wife insists that I spend some time with her and my son.  She lets me have a little relax time, and I do almost always play with my boy while I'm changing out of my work clothes, but my wife's insistence on family time has led to some enjoyable play-time before bedtime lately.  It doesn't happen every night, but it leaves all three of us happy and sleeping better when it does happen.

Question of the Day:

If you are a woman, do you use your "nagging" for your man's benefit?  If you're a man, do you give in to your woman's nagging when it's for a good purpose?

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, use my wife as a tool to help mold me into the man You made me to be.  Guide me by Your Spirit to know when I should give in to nagging and when I should stand firm against it.  Help me to lead my wife as well, by example and by setting aside my own needs and desires in order to provide for hers.  Help me to lead my son (and any future children) in the same ways.  Amen.

Judges 15: Revenge and Forgiveness

"Then 3,000 men of Judah went to the cave at the rock of Etam, and they asked Samson, 'Don't you realize that the Philistines rule over us?  What have you done to us?'  'I have done to them what they did to me,' he answered."

Judges 15:11

Samson took revenge against the father of his bride because he had given her to another Philistine man after the ceremony.  After he burned the fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and after he slaughtered many Philistines, the Philistines sent 3,000 Israelites to capture him and bring him in for justice.  The Lord overtook him again and killed a thousand men with a donkey's jawbone.

I have heard many people say that God doesn't get angry with us.  While I like the sentiment, and agree that He does forgive us (if we turn back to Him), the bible is quite clear (in both Testaments, I believe) that the Lord does get angry with us... and not just a little bit!  "For the wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23a)  Does it get any more explicit than that?  That's not talking about consequences.  It's talking about wages.

Wages are what you are given for your work, not the benefits that come naturally with the work itself.  I am a teacher.  One of the consequences of my job is that I constantly see children who know me any time I go out in public.  My wages, however, are the money that I earn for doing my job.  The wages of sin is death - meaning that when you sin, you are earning death.  God wants sin to die!

The good news: Jesus was willing to die for us.  He is always willing to be our scapegoat.

Question of the Day:

Is the Lord angry with you for opposing Him?  Will you allow Jesus to be your whipping boy?  How does your outlook on Salvation change when you remember that He is taking the punishment for your crimes?

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, thank You for providing me a way to steer clear of our Father's vengeance!  I am eternally indebted to You, and I owe You my life!  Take my life, and make it worthy of Your Sacrifice.  Help me to live in a way that doesn't bring any more nails into Your hands, nor thorns into Your brow, nor whips upon your back.  Amen.

Judges 14: Betrayal

"The Spirit of the Lord took control of him, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed 30 of their men.  He stripped them and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle.  In a rage, Samson returned to his father's house."

Judges 14:19

Samson was preparing to marry a Philistine woman, and he gave the Philistine men a riddle.  There were 30 men, so he offered 30 changes of clothes as the ante for the riddle.  If they could answer it in seven days, he would give them 30 garments, but he would expect them to give him the same if they could not answer it.

The men couldn't understand the riddle, so they threatened the woman Samson was to wed.  She begged, pleaded, and nagged Samson to give her the answer, which she promptly gave to the 30 men with her.  When they answered it correctly, Samson responded in a fit of rage, with quite an interesting analysis of the betrayal:

"If you hadn't plowed with my young cow, you wouldn't know my riddle now."

Judges 14:18b

Question of the Day:

Does the Philistine woman's betrayal seem better when you understand that her life was at stake?  Do you think that anything, even the threat of death, is worth betraying your spouse (or soon-to-be in this case)?  The Lord doesn't think it's okay.  He overtook Samson and slaughtered 30 men to get vengeance for this betrayal, and then gave the woman to one of the Philistines instead of taking her for Samson.

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, give me the strength to stand for what is right, no matter the cost or the threat.  Help me to remember Your loving faithfulness, Your promise of safety and eternal life.  Give me the faith to stand by You and Your Word, even in the face of seemingly inevitable death.  Give me the integrity to stand by my friends and family, and my fellow believers, in the same way.  Amen.

Judges 13: He Started a Good Work

"But his wife said to him, 'If the Lord had intended to kill us, He wouldn't have accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from us, and He would not have shown us all these things or spoken to us now like this.'"

Judges 13:23

When Manoah realized that he had seen the face of God, he feared death.  His wife, however, was smarter than that.  She knew the folly of such thoughts.  The Lord had just given them a task to fulfill, and had just accepted their burnt offering, ascending into Heaven through its flame to show who He was.  If He had planned on killing them, He wouldn't have wasted His time giving them a Calling first and telling prophecy about their future child (Samson).

Question of the Day:

Have you ever gotten so close to the Lord in your walk with Him that you began to fear being too close?  In those situations, it's vital to remember Manoah's wife - if God has started a work in you, He intends for it to continue to fruition.

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, draw me close to You.  Give me the assurance of Manoah's wife - the assurance that You have a plan for me which has already been set in motion and cannot be stopped.  Do not let me act against this plan, but guide me through it one day at a time.  Amen.

Judges 12: Faith is the True Shibboleth

"they told him, 'Please say Shibboleth.'  If he said, 'Sibboleth,' because he could not pronounce it correctly, they seized him and killed him...

Judges 12:6a

I had never actually read this chapter before, but only heard of it from an episode of The West Wing, in which President Bartlet was testing the faith of some Chinese men seeking asylum in the US.  He wasn't going to turn them away even if they failed the test-of-faith, but he kept telling his staff that he was going to ask the Chinese group's chosen spokesman to say the word, "Shibboleth."

He meant this metaphorically, but after answering the President's questions the Chinese Christian boldly told him:

Mr. President, Christianity is not demonstrated through a recitation of facts.  You are seeking evidence of faith - a wholehearted acceptance of God's promise of a better world.  "For we hold that man is justified by faith alone," is what Saint Paul said... Justified by faith alone.  Faith is the true... uh... I'm trying to, Shibboleth.  Faith is the true Shibboleth.

After reading this chapter, I couldn't agree more with this assessment.  "Shibboleth" was a password used to ensure that only Jephthah's followers could cross the Jordan.  Anybody who couldn't pronounce it correctly was killed on the spot.  Faith is the password which allows us to enter the gates of Heaven.  It is the one and only, the true, the ultimate Shibboleth.

Question of the Day:
When you reach the Pearly Gates, will you have the correct password to get through to the other side, or will you be eternally locked out?

Prayer of the Day:
Lord, grow my faith and do not let it falter.  Keep me on the straight and narrow path, as only true faith in You can do.  Amen.

Judges 11: Sacrificing Virgins

"Then she said to him, 'My father, you have given your word to the Lord.  Do to me as you have said, for the Lord brought vengeance on your enemies, the Ammonites.'"

Judges 11:36

So this is how it all started...  I always wondered where the idea of sacrificing virgins came from...

This is a classic example, though, of a man making an oath which he later regretted.  Jephthah promised the Lord that he would sacrifice whatever came out of his door when he returned from war, so long as the Lord delivered all the Ammonites to him in battle.  He completely eradicated his enemies and came home to see his virgin daughter - his only offspring - exit his home dancing and rejoicing.

The daughter, of course, shows wisdom in encouraging her father to fulfill his promise to the Lord.

Question of the Day:

Have you ever made a promise you knew you couldn't keep?  What about a promise you thought you'd be able to keep, but hadn't thought through all the way?

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, give me wisdom to make promises only when I will not regret their outcome.  Do not let me come to the point where I must sacrifice the proverbial virgin.  Instead, let me sacrifice my own self for You, not as a burnt offering but as a living offering from now until eternity.  Amen.

Judges 10: I've Done it Again...

"'Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen.  Let them deliver you in the time of your oppression.' ... So they got rid of the foreign gods among them and worshiped the Lord, but He became weary of Israel's misery."

Judges 10:14,16

Question of the Day:

How weary is the Lord of the misery I bring upon His house?  How many more chances will He give me for the same sins?  How long will His patience last before He loses faith in me and leaves me behind with the false gods and idols I prostitute myself to?  How can He trust me after I have treated Him so poorly?

Answer of the Day:

As my wife puts it, He does have a responsibility to love us and care for us.  We are His Creation, after all.  In the same way I have the responsibility to raise my child and look after him until adulthood (and even then some), so also the Lord has the responsibility to raise me and discipline me until I am Raptured into Heaven with full Spiritual maturity and the new, promised, glorified body.

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, teach me and discipline me.  Do not let me fall any further away from the proverbial apple tree.  Instead, shade me under Your branches and protect me from harsh winds.  Prune me so that only righteous and pleasing fruit is borne on my limbs.  Completely separate me from the rotten fruits I've dropped in the past.  Don't let me keep my fruits to myself, but let it be plucked while it is ripe and ready, so that all who enter my shade may be blessed and see Your hand in my growth.  Amen.

Judges 9: Killing a King

"He quickly called his armor-bearer and said to him, 'Draw your sword and kill me, or they'll say about me, "A woman killed him."'  So his armor-bearer thrust him through, and he died."

Judges 9:54

Abimelech, the son of Gideon's slave, has killed his brothers and become the first king over Israel.  He doesn't last very long.  In the end, a woman on a rooftop drops a millstone on his head, fracturing his skull.  He's so ashamed of it, he has to ask his bodyguard to do him in before he dies from the head-trauma.

What a shameful way to die - gutted by his own man because he's too ashamed of being taken down by a peasant woman who was simply protecting herself and her neighbors from her own king...  With this first example of kingship in Israel, I'm amazed that any Israelite ever wanted a king afterward.

If you're interested in a little political parable, take a look at verses 7-15.  They pretty much describe the whole problem with our world's political structure - the people who would do a good job are busy bearing their own fruit and bettering the world in their own way, so we're left being ruled by the brambles...

Question of the Day:

Thankfully, we live in a society in which we get to overthrow our government on a fairly regular basis without having to kill anyone.  What part can you play in reforming our government and ensuring that the brambles are not allowed to rule over us?

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, as I have prayed many times lately, raise up Godly men who will hold their oaths seriously, and guide them into leadership roles locally, statewide, nationally, and globally.  Don't let me miss my own Calling to leadership, whether it be a change from my current career or simply moving forward in the one You've already Called me to.  Move the hearts of Your people to wisdom and understanding where our political choices are concerned, and help us vote with conviction.  Help us to make an impact on every level from the smallest families and communities to the global scale.  Amen.

Judges 8: Lacking Wisdom

"The Israelites did not remember the Lord their God who had delivered them from the power of the enemies around them.  They did not show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) for all the good he had done for Israel."

Judges 8:34-35

It is quite possibly the most common trait among humans - the inability to pay homage to those most deserving. Every day, we give ourselves up for people, causes, and gods who have never served us at all.  We bow before a perceived fame, power, or purpose without any understanding of its true meaning.  This is the sway that lack of wisdom brings upon us.

When we give up our own right to decide who/what is worthy of our praise, and instead praise only the Lord God Almighty, He grants us wisdom to see past the folly of the world around us.  We see that our favorite Hollywood sleazebags are, in fact, sleazebags.  We see that our most revered political leaders are puppet-masters, brainwashing us into believing that they're actually accomplishing what we want them to accomplish.  We see that the causes we've so avidly advocated cause more problems than they solve.

Thus begins maturity.  Thus begins wisdom.

Question of the Day:

When you look through the eyes of the Lord, do you see the folly in your own heart?  If so, you are ready to begin maturing, ready to begin the path to wisdom.

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, I give You the entirety of my mind, body, and spirit.  Replace me with Your thoughts, Your glorified body, and Your Holy Spirit.  Let Your wisdom overwhelm my own and destroy what I "know" to be right.  Let Your maturity wrap around me so that I may truly understand how young and childish I still am, but more importantly how to move on towards Your likeness.  Make Your wisdom so strong within me that it totally overpowers the urging desires of my flesh, radically transforms my thoughts, and leads my spirit to Yours.  Amen.

Judges 7: Interpreting Dreams

"When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship.  He returned to Israel's camp and said, 'Get up, for the Lord has handed the Midianite camp over to you.'"

Judges 7:15

Many people that I talk to believe that the Lord has stopped giving dreams and visions, that He no longer speaks with an audible voice but rather uses the mysteries of His creation or some such to "speak" to us.  These are the same people who preach that the bible is the complete set of God's Word, and that every word He ever said is compiled in the bible.

I disagree vehemently with this sentiment.  I would argue that we all hear the voice of God on a regular basis, but simply don't recognize it.  I would argue that we see visions and have dreams constantly, which would point us towards God's path for us if only we had someone to interpret them for us.

Challenge of the Day:

Listen for the Lord's voice in your conscience, as the Spirit guides you from within.  Look for His will in your most lifelike daydreams and sleeping dreams.  Whenever you have trouble interpreting the meaning of His words and His visions, go to a person of strong faith and character (such as a spiritual leader or accountability partner) and ask for his/her interpretation.

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, speak to me through Your Spirit which lives within me.  Open the ears of my heart so that I may understand Your words.  Use my inner eye to show me the Way.  Open the eyes of my soul so that I may understand the visions You give.  Give me faith to believe that these instructions are from You, and reach out to me through Your other believers when I have trouble understanding their meaning.  Do not let Your Calling for my life go unnoticed or disbelieved.  Amen.

Judges 6: What it Means to be Called

"Gideon said to Him, 'Please Sir, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened?  And where are all His wonders that our fathers told us about? ... The Lord turned to him and said, 'Go in the strength you have and deliver Israel from the power of Midian.  Am I not sending you?'"

Judges 6:13a,14

Nearly every day, I hear people discuss problems they see, wondering why God doesn't do something to fix them.  Whether I hear this from the radio, my students, my coworkers, my family, my friends, or even from strangers, I always get the irresistible urge to smack some sense into them.

Gideon asks the Lord for a sign that it's really His Calling...  I believe that this was entirely unnecessary.  If you have such a strong conviction about something being wrong that you wonder why God isn't doing something about it, that's a pretty good sign that you are being Called to do something about it.

A perfect example in my own life is that I was forced to take physical education instead of art for my first three years of high school, until my parents intervened and insisted that my schedule was changed for my senior year.  I grew up without art classes, and that was something I really wanted someone to change.  Now, I'm teaching art at the elementary school age, doing my part to ensure that children have that opportunity.

Challenge of the Day:

Next time you find yourself asking God why He doesn't take care of a certain issue, ask yourself what you would do if you had unlimited resources and time to devote to that issue.  Then, ask yourself whether you trust the Lord to provide the necessary help (hint: reading verse 16, and the rest of the chapter, and you'll discover that His answer is "I will be with you.").

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, thank You for making Your Callings clear in my life.  Help me to keep my eyes, ears, and heart open to recognize future Callings as well.  Do not let me ignore Your Calling, and do not let me walk away from it for fear of failure.  Give me the strength each day to carry out Your plan for my life, and give me the focus to stay on Your narrow path.  Amen.

Judges 5: Great Mothers

"Villages were deserted in Israel until I, Deborah, I arose, a mother in Israel."

Judges 5:7

Mothers love.  Mothers encourage.  Mothers teach.  Mothers have compassion.  Mothers give and give until they have nothing left to give, and then they give some more.

Mothers lead.  Whether the mother is the "head of the house" or not, she is obviously the brains of the house, knowing the details of each individual family member's needs, schedules, etc.  Without her, the father would be hopelessly unable to bring his family together.

Mothers bring prosperity to the whole family.

Question of the Day:

Is there a mother in your life who you need to thank for all she gives, for all she loves, for all she ever does?

Prayer of the Day:

Thank You for bringing such wonderful mothers into my life!  My own mother, my friends' mothers, my wife's mother... my wife herself!  Thank You for structuring the family unit with such care and dedication that You included the idea of a mother.  Thank You for blessing my son with such a wonderful example of a mother.  Thank You for blessing my wife and myself with excellent mothers as well.  Thank You for all the mothers who help take up the slack for motherless families.  Thank You for the example that Your mother set for us in faithful obedience under fire.  Help me, my son, and all of Your children live up to our mothers' greatest desires for us, and help us to honor our mothers in our every action!  Amen!

Judges 4: A Woman Leads Israel

"Deborah, a woman who was a prophet and the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time."

Judges 4:4

I've heard all the arguments on both sides about whether or not women should be allowed to lead.  There have been times in my life when I have leaned in both directions of the argument.  This chapter confirms the position I've held for the last several years:

If the Lord chooses to Call a woman into leadership, she had best accept that role, and let no man stand in her way!

Here, we behold Deborah - a woman who essentially held the role of the sole ruler over the nation of Israel.  She was a prophet, and therefore Called by the Lord to take this position.  She even led Israel to another military victory.

Question of the Day:

If the Lord chose a woman for this role, what role would He not be willing to Call a woman into service for?

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, thank You for Creating men and women with such obvious physical, emotional, social, and even spiritual differences.  Thank You for Creating them in a way which compliments us (the men).  Thank You for the Calling which You have given to each individual, regardless of gender (or any other factor).  Help all of Your people to understand and accept Your Calling not only for ourselves but also for each of Your other followers, without prejudice.  Amen!

Judges 3: Godspeed to Us All

"The Israelites cried out to the Lord.  So the Lord raised up Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's youngest brother as a deliverer to save the Israelites."

Judges 3:9

The Lord tested His people, and they failed.  He sold them as slaves to the king of Aram of the Two Rivers.  When they finally cried out to Him after eight years of servitude, He lifted up Othniel as a judge, who battled for and won the Israelites' freedom.

Again, the Israelites failed the same test...  and again He let His people be overtaken.  The Israelites served the king of Moab for 18 years.  Again, they eventually cried out to the Lord, who sent Ethud as a second judge, who assassinated the king of Moab and led Israel to victory again.  (If you enjoy detailed battle scenes, I strongly recommend reading Judges 3:15-30)

The Lord continues to test His people to this day.  Each of us goes through this cycle of judgement on a rather regular basis.  The beauty of it all, though, is that we can trust God to respond when we call out to Him.  When we recognize our failures, when we are truly repentant, when we fall before Him and recognize that only He can save us from ourselves - the Lord comes rushing in so swiftly to rescue us that the sonic boom following Him shakes the foundations of all the lives around us.  This is what I imagine when I hear the term, "Godspeed."

Question of the Day:

Have you ever been close to a person and noticed his/her transformation as he/she called out to the Lord and received Salvation, whether for the first time... or the first time in a long time?  Have you ever been that person who called out to the Lord and felt that fire burn in your own life?

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, I know that only You are mighty enough to rescue me from my own flesh.  Come, light a fire in my soul and burn away all impurities!  Never let Your fire be extinguished within me, but let it be a shining beacon for all those whose paths cross my own.  Let me be the bringer of joy who You created me to be.  Amen!

Judges 2: A Covenant Broken... Again

"That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors.  After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works He had done for Israel."

Judges 2:10

Only a single generation after the death of Joshua, Israel turned from the Lord and worshiped the false idols of the land they had taken, the very idols they were supposed to destroy in their conquest, the gods of the people they were supposed to drive out during their conquest.  Because of this, the Lord lifted His protection from His people and allowed marauders to enter their territory and ravage the people.

One of the reasons I refused to become a believer during my high school years (over a decade ago) was that the "Christians" who tried to witness to me were some of the worst people imaginable, and when I asked them why they continued to be so horrible they simply responded that Jesus forgave them so they're allowed to do anything they want.  This outlook, which we all have from time to time, seems to mimic that of Israel throughout all the parts of the Old Testament that I've read so far.  We think, as they did, that God will protect us no matter what and we have no responsibility whatsoever.

There are many Scriptural references which back this notion.  Particularly in the New Testament, it is made perfectly clear that God is the one who started a good work inside of us, and only He has the power to change us from our earthly ways.  However, both the Old and New Testaments are explicit one the notion that we must choose to allow Him into our lives.  If we reject Him, He does turn His back on us and remove His blessings and protections.  The good news, though, is that He is also always willing to take us back, so long as we are truly repentant and devote our lives to Him.

Question of the Day:

Are you a believer who feels like God has turned away from  you?  Are you one who wants to believe but hasn't yet made the commitment to follow?  Are you a non-believer who is weary of the oppressive forces at work in your life?  I would challenge all of you, whether you fit into one of these categories or not, to fully and honestly analyze your life to see where you're going astray from God's commands.  All of us need to rebuild our broken covenant with God - the covenant He wrote for us, that He would protect us and give us everlasting life if we give up our all and follow Him faithfully.

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, I know I have broken my end of Your covenant uncountable times.  However, I also trust Your love to overcome my failures.  Take me back into Your comfort and reignite Your covenant, which I have torn asunder so often.  Help me to remember that this covenant is Yours, not my own, and that I have no right to go against it in any way.  Send Your Spirit to guide me away from temptations that You know I can't or won't handle properly, and help me to recognize the Spirit's guidance and accept it.  Amen.