When God Looks Twisted- I Kings 12

I Kings 12 is a pivotal point in the history of Israel and puts the covenant promises of God is seeming jeopardy. In 931 BC, just a grandson away from David, the given land of inheritance is split into 2 separate kingdoms. Ten tribes side with Jeroboam in the North and only little Benjamin stays with Rehoboam and Judah in the south.


Is God in control? What do we make of His providence? What do we make of His allowances?


When the dust of circumstances cloud His face, what do we do?


If I am honest, I have to admit to experiencing sometimes sadness and sometimes frustration when the paths of His providence take unexpected turns that seem to detour from His level paths and straight plans.


It has been so perplexing and somewhat depressing when I see the deep divisions that exist in the daily ministrations of men. Just in the study of this passage- the wide and differing applications of meaning and arguments over details are enough to throw it all down and scream in disgust.


But then the dust settles......


To me, the biggest point in all of the narratives of Kings and schemes is this:


God's providence is never foiled by man's free folly. In fact, His sovereign rule totally blows me away. What a KING! No matter how hard we fight or how far we run or how much we doubt or how much we fall or how much we yield- God's will and God's way are fulfilled. AND HE does it without compromising anything of His perfect nature.


Some glory in God's predestined providence. Others swim in His beautiful freedom. And yet, both bask in truth. Is God in control? YES Is man free? YES Is man trapped? YES Is God bound by His Nature? YES  Is He free? YES IS HE HOLY? YES IS HE LOVE? YES


God's ALLOWANCES never excuse sin. The only variable is time. It is not WILL HE but it is WHEN HE executes justice.


Let's look at this narrative as an example of these incomprehensible points.


It begins with the sad tragedy of Solomon. How hard to finish well. 

I Kings 11 Now wKing Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, x“You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3 He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. 4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and yhis heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, zas was the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon went after aAshtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after bMilcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for cChemosh the abomination of Moab, and for dMolech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. 8 And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because ehis heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, fwho had appeared to him twice 10 and ghad commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded. 11 Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, hI will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. 12 Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 However, iI will not tear away all the kingdom, but jI will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem kthat I have chosen.”
26 qJeroboam the son of Nebat, ran Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, also slifted up his hand against the king.
28 The man Jeroboam was very able, and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious he gave him charge over all the forced labor of the house of Joseph.  29 And at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet uAhijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had dressed himself in a new garment, and the two of them were alone in the open country. 30 Then Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, vand tore it into twelve pieces. 31 And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, wI am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and will give you ten tribes 32 (but xhe shall have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, ythe city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), 33 because they have1 forsaken me zand worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and my rules, as David his father did. 34 Nevertheless, I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of David my servant whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes. 35 aBut I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand and will give it to you, ten tribes. 36 Yet to his son xI will give one tribe, that David my servant may always have ba lamp before me in Jerusalem, ythe city where I have chosen to put my name. 37 And I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel. 38 And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, cI will be with you and dwill build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. 39 And I will afflict the offspring of David because of this, but not forever.’” 40 Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled into Egypt, to eShishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.
42 And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. 43 And Solomon gslept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And hRehoboam his son reigned in his place.

I am going to skip over the foolish ignoring of advice by Rehoboam- that was my last post

I Kings 12:12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king said, o“Come to me again the third day.” 13 And the king answered the people harshly, and forsaking the counsel that the old men had given him, 14 he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, m“My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” 15 So the king did not listen to the people, for pit was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord that he might fulfill his word, which qthe Lord spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16 And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. rTo your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David.” So Israel went to their tents. 17 But Rehoboam reigned over sthe people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah. 18 Then King Rehoboam senttAdoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehoboam hurried to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. 19 uSo Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. 20 And when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the house of David but vthe tribe of Judah only.21 wWhen Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22 But the word of God came to xShemaiah the man of God: 23 “Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the yrest of the people, 24 ‘Thus says the Lord, You shall not go up or fight against your relatives the people of Israel. Every man return to his home, zfor this thing is from me.’” So they listened to the word of the Lord and went home again, according to the word of the Lord.

I know I pasted a lot of Scripture here- but do you see the perplexity of providence? We fight in the foreground and God still rules in the background. AMAZING!

2 Chronicles 12:15  There was continual warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam.

So what do we make of all this? In war, the battle is chaotic but we serve at the pleasure of the King and He is trustworthy EVEN when things seem convoluted. When we get sad and want to despair... trust that God is moving to the day of victory.


How this narrative struck me:


1) Some of God's promises are conditional... "if you" but failed conditions do not undo His providential plan.


2) Sin is judged. If you think you have escaped the consequences, you have no clue how committed God is to justice. Who do you want to pay for your sins? This is why I plead the blood of the Lamb.


3) We can mis-judge because we don't see the whole. We are wrong and God is right. We are blind and He sees. And WHO do I want to trust? Blind ME or the God of the Universe?


I have to be honest- there is too much here to even attempt to put into words. I am speechless.

And the crazy thing here is that this is not the meat of what God wanted me to lean from this story. My next post will reveal my biggest struggle.......and still in I Kings 12.

Who Do You Listen To? I Kings 12

We live in a divided land in divided times. I have never seen a crazier explosion of opinions, information, and talking heads. The digital age has done more than just shrink the world, it has overwhelmed us in a Tsunami of information.

In this passage (I Kings 12) we have a sad narrative of another poor choice resulting in a further splintering of Israel. I have heard it quipped many times that, "Everything rises and falls on leadership" and we have so many examples in Scripture of how weak, self centered, and cowardly decisions grind on the glory of a nation.

Here is the son of Solomon, King Rehoboam, standing between two paths. The followers of Jeroboam made a request "Lighten the load and we will serve you."

As in any large decision, Rehoboam sought out counsel.

First was the elders. Those who has served with Solomon. Their advice? Rule as a servant. "...serve them and speak good words.. and they will be your servants forever."

Then his peers. The young men. Their advice? Say to the people "my little finger is thicker than my father's thighs (yeah, that's how I read it as well)" "My father beat you with a whip, I will discipline you with scorpions."

And we know what he did.... and the kingdom was divided... and the path to destruction was planted as an inevitability.

My thoughts on the choice?

1) In making big decisions, we basically choose what we want to do. Even our prayers often are a covering of manipulation.


2) In making big decisions, what our peers think is usually more important than what God thinks.


3) When making big decisions, we often pick a position of power and pride over humility and service.


4) When making big decisions, our tentacles are up to catch the information that supports our presuppositions and we are not dissuaded by countering arguments.

To do otherwise takes nothing short of a miracle.

I know I have mentioned this before, but I wish I had read the book, "The Call" by Os Guinness so much earlier in my youth. I don't know if I was mature enough to 'heed' the advice there as a 25 year old- but I would have chosen differently in some big decisions if I had.

Don't get me wrong..God's sovereign rule and love has still stood tall over the choices- just as He does here in I Kings 12- but the heart level submission to the King would have allowed me to do much more in the things that really matter.

So is there a point of application here is making a grid on how to make decisions and who to listen to.

Though I have had times where I did things my way- like a type of Jacob- scheming and pulling the strings- I did have a time where I can honestly say I did it right. And here is what I did:

It started with a 'DECISION GRID' that I sent to my wife. One that we could pray over AS A FAMILY.

We searched Biblical passages for HIS GENERAL WILL and the boundaries. A VERY helpful passage is I Thessalonians 4. It says:

1) God's WORD is my authority.
2) It sets my motive- To Please God by:
a- spending time in prayer
b-reading the Bible
c-fellowship- especially with my wife
d-practicing discipline which honors God
e- the priority of loving others (especially my wife and children)

I Thessalonians also tells me what to aspire to:

• A QUIET LIFE
• A LIFE IN WHICH I EVALUATE MYSELF INSTEAD OF OTHERS
• A LIFE WHERE I WORK WITH MY HANDS AND USE MY TALENTS
• A LIFE THAT IS NOT DEPENDENT ON OTHERS

I also had some great questions to ask:

• IS IT LOVING?
• WILL I BE A GIVER OR A TAKER?
• CAN I PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL?
• DOES IT PROMOTE ME OR GOD?
• IS IT RESPONSIBLE (PROVIDES FOR FAMILY)?
• WILL IT CREATE A DEPENDENCE ON OTHERS?
• WHAT DOES MY WIFE THINK?
• DOES IT CHALLENGE ME?
• WIL OUR FAMILY GROW?
• WILL I BE ABLE TO SERVE AND BUILD GOD'S KINGDOM?

Finally there were two big reminders:

God guides: But not like a horse or a mule (Psalm 32:8,9) He expects me to use common sense and my mind.
Be peaceful: I am His child and He will be with me...no matter what.

What if Rehoboam had done that?

For me... it meant I took a less prestigious road, one where I put it all at the foot of the cross and trusted in the King. And I haven't looked back since.

My prayer is that you will really listen to Him in your next big decision.

The biggest decision is to give your life to HIM!

A final warning from Os Guinness:

Those who transgress boundaries in their all-consuming life search for knowledge, riches, power, and prowess will overreach themselves until their pact with the devil destroys them.

or, as the Nashville musician, Rivers Rutherford said:

A man doesn't have to die to go to hell.

Choose wisely..........

At the Heart Level - Comments on II Samuel 12

This post is part of a series where I am reading and studying all the chapter 12's in the Bible in 2012.

II Samuel 12 is the famous confrontation, where Nathan rebukes David for his sin and David repents. There are an incredible amount of points and many cross referenced passages (ex: Psalm 51/32- CHRONICLES/KINGS) to study. But I am going to start in a rather unconventional way.

DAVID'S HEART

1 Samuel 13:¹⁴ But now your (Saul's) kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command. 
 1 Samuel 16:7- ⁷ But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
Acts 13:²² After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’
2 Chronicles 28:1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD.

So, it is clear that David is thought of by God to be a man after his own heart.

DAVID'S SIN

But we also have some clear evidence of David committing sin. In Psalm 51 David says, " Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me."

Just in this passage (II Samuel 12) look at the charges:

• "I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if this had been too little, I would have given you more. Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in His eyes?" (12:8, 9)

• "You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own." (12:9)

• "... because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah to be your own." (12:10)

Sin is personally against God.


The question is.. Do I see it that way? When I sin, I am more afraid of what someone else may think. But what does God think? I am in the same place as David, God has given me so much. How or why would I despise Him by doing what I know He does not want me to do? Even worse, when I don't do what I know He wants me to. It makes me question whether I really love God.

There is a famous story, before his discovery moment of Romans 1:17, that Martin Luther was struggling with the Eucharist. He was spilling wine and handling the elements in a sloppy and improper way. The bishop over him exclaimed in disgust, "Why man, don't you love God?!" Luther replied honestly, "Love God? Sometimes I hate Him!"

Lord, help me to grow in my personal recognition of Your presence and authority in my life. I need to see that when I disobey, I am personally letting You down and I ask for a heart that breaks in that failure.



The Consequences of Sin are Contained in the Acts Themselves.


We see this also clearly in Romans chapter 1. The judgement is contained in the activity. David is no exception. His sin of adultery/murder led to a wide web of deceit and destruction that impacted his household and his reign. The story of the house of David is a tragedy.


Forgiveness Does Not Necessarily Prevent Consequences of Sin



Notice what Nathan said: " The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die."
And we do have Scripture that David's heartbroken confession bore fruit. Read Psalm 32:

jBlessed is the one whose ktransgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord lcounts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit mthere is no deceit.3 For when I kept silent, my nbones wasted away
through my ogroaning all day long.4 For day and night your phand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up2 as by the heat of summer5 I qacknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I rwill confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.6 Therefore let everyone who is sgodly
offer prayer to you at a time when you tmay be found;
surely in the rush of ugreat waters,
they shall not reach him.7 You are a vhiding place for me;
you preserve me from wtrouble;
you surround me with xshouts of deliverance.8 I will yinstruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will zcounsel you with my eye upon you.9 aBe not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bbit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.10 cMany are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who dtrusts in the Lord.11 eBe glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,
and fshout for joy, all you gupright in heart!

BUT- We also know the terrible consequences that were the result of this sin:


David's son by Bathsheba dies.
Incest and rape within the family.
Premeditated murder within the family.
David's son flees.
Arson within the kings household.
Disloyalty and insurrection of David's throne by his own son.
David needs to flee his own home.
David himself is cursed and attacked.
Immorality in public by David's son.
Battle of King David's forces against his son Absalom's forces.
David's son is killed.

Sin will take you further than you want to go. It will keep you longer than you want to stay, and it will cost you more than you want to pay.

Strange/Shocking Parts of the Passage:

• God, through Nathan, said He gave David his master's house and wives. 

This has always interested me. God allowed his servants 'provisions' that stand contrary to His primary law or will. I liken it similar to Jesus saying that God permitted the certificates of divorce under Moses because of the hardness of man's heart but His desire if for one man and one woman to be together in marriage and inseparable. These are things God allowed, there are consequences for being outside His primary desire, but these are exceptions the Bible records without shame.

• Is it strange that, in the rebuke from Nathan, it does not condemn the deception that David tried to cover up the sin?

David tried to manipulate a cover-up. David got Uriah drunk. One commentator said that Uriah showed more honor in his drunken state than David showed when he was sober. We could say that all the evil is inferred, but it is an interesting omission. Doesn't justify it by any means, but seems strange to me.

• The Lord says, "I will bring calamity on you". The Lord says 'Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel."

And this comes true in II Samuel 16:20-22 when Absalom sleeps with David's concubines in a tent on the roof of the palace. Again, this is crazier than any episode of so called 'reality TV' and right in the household of God's chosen King. Nothing is sanitized here and helps me to see that just as God was in control then..... 'As the World Turns/ All My Children/ Jersey Shore' ..... He is in control now.

• Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and made love to her. She gave birth, and they named him Solomon. The Lord loved him; and because the Lord loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah (loved by the Lord).

Think about this! Here is Bathsheba, stolen from Uriah- After terrible sin - After the death of the child. David continues with her and their marriage results in the son who represents the covenant seed of faith!

But, we also need to consider that this child was a humble reminder of David's sin and the successor to build the temple, which David really wanted to do. Consider what David says to Solomon in I Chronicles:

⁷ David said to Solomon: “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God. ⁸ But this word of the LORD came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. ⁹ But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon,^[a] and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign.

Finally, the truth of David's heart on display.

"I have sinned against the Lord."


"Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight" (Psalm 51:4)


"David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth."


"Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live?"

Just as the Lord said to Samuel- People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.


We judge David by his actions. I judge David by his failure. But God sees it differently....


But all you have to do is read the Psalms and you see it. David had a passion for God. He feasted on God's Word. He knew God relationally. If you mocked David's God, you might have your head removed! David never played it safe. It was all out for the Lord.




MY HEART?


WHEN MY LIFE IS OVER AND I STAND BEFORE THE LORD. THANKFULLY, I WILL BE CLEAN BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST.


BUT MY QUESTION IS THIS- IS MY HEART ON FIRE? DOES IT BEAT FOR GOD AND HIS GLORY? DO I HAVE IT IN MY HEART TO DO GREAT THINGS FOR HIM? IS MY FAITH MORE SHOW? IS IT AUTHENTIC? AM I MORE WORRIED THAT PEOPLE WILL SEE ME AS GOOD OR THAT GOD WILL SEE ME AS HIS?


Bottom line: Where am I at the heart level?

'You Live Until You Die'- Judges 12

Judges 128 After him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. 9 He had thirty sons, and thirty daughters he gave in marriage outside his clan, and thirty daughters he brought in from outside for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.10 Then Ibzan died and was buried at Bethlehem.
11 After him Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel, and he judged Israel ten years. 12 Then Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried at Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.
13 After him Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel. 14 He had forty ssons and thirty grandsons, who trode on seventy donkeys, and he judged Israel eight years. 15 Then Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried at Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.

 I have to confess a huge frustration I feel as I am writing this because I have more to say than time or space will allow. I work hard to keep these posts short because all research is pointing to brevity as a key to being read.


Hard to believe that 8 verses about Judges mentioned as a 'flyover' would create such a problem- but it does. There is too much here to squeeze in one post- and proves that there is no insignificant Bible passage.


The more I read Judges, the more I get a feel that there is so much more going on here than meets the eye.


Here are some of my amateur comments as I react to Judges:


I- What DO Judges # 11, #12 and #13 Teach Us?


Here is what I get from these Judges... You live until you die. The tapestry of human experience is amazing. Some rich- some poor. Some Rulers and some servants. Some with children, some are barren. Some with health and some with sickness. Some successful and some who fail.


It is not WHAT the circumstances of life... but HOW to respond and WHO to believe in. But it is one shot and the next step is not predictable or guaranteed. You cannot guess with God. Anticipation and anxiousness is futile.

II- The Sad Testimony of Man in Judges:


Here is what Judges records:

2:11 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord  3:7 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.  3:12  And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord  4:1 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD  6:1 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD  10:6 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD.  13:1 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD

God made the great covenant promises on Mout Sinai. He proved His worth in the Exodus and reaffirmed all the instructions on the banks of the Jordan. But people always mess it up.


III The Beauty of God's Providence in Judges


In spite of man's failures, God keeps moving toward goodness and completion. He is not thwarted in His purposes. Even sinful choices are channeled in a way to fulfill God's glory. How? No clue. His ways are so deep and profound.


IV- The Key Implication of God's Providence in Judges


Men picked Judges based on the pressure of the times. Judges were selected in response to the current threat. Very similar to the tribal factions you hear about today in Afganistan when there is no powerful central government. In this cycle of Judges (6 cycles) the leadership comes from the northeast which corresponds to the threat of the Ammorites. The next chapter will be Samson in the southwest and the Phlistines. But the way the writer describes Abdon's burial ground (in the hills of the Amalekites) shows the failure of Israel's part of the campaign.


But God is still in control. Variety and chaos is clean and pure in His eternal plan fulfilled. It is like looking at a pencil in a glass jar. It 'looks' crooked because we see it through air and water. Sometimes God looks crooked because we see Him in spirit and frail flesh.


V The Inevitable Slide to 'Ichabod'

The Judges here in this section show less and less of godly pursuit and more and more worldly leisure. The numbers of children indicates multiple wives. These Judges are more king like, using a pseudo-peace to live in the lap of luxury. The land is NOT at rest, the work is NOT done.

This will culminate in I Samuel where the Philistines capture the Ark.  

  I Samuel 4:21 And she (Eli's daughter-in-law) named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

VI What all of this Means to ME

I need to make sure I don't label these brief sections as 'insignificant'. These were men appointed by God to lead His people. My trust in God puts me in the category of "Need to Know Basis". I'm OK living in the light of Deuteronomy 29:29 "The secret things belong to the Lord".

I wonder out loud if these last three Judges were anti-Jephthah rulers, who made sure to lead differently but did nothing of substance in the process- no risk...no reward?

Finally, in my failings... God is trustworthy. I am so thankful my salvation is secure in His WORK and not in mine.

In the give and tug, ups and down in life- God still sovereignly moves. 'Normalcy' provides a backdrop for the dramatic. Normal times are a baseline where we understand the joys of special days and the depths of dark days.

These 3 judges are benchmarks for other rulers and especially a coming King- David and .... Christ Himself.

But these men also seemingly represent 'status quo' living. Never underestimate the power of the status quo. It is a big disease in my heart.

Finally, do I doubt the King?

God works by the counsel of His will. Can I look at my providential circumstances and say, "The Judge of all the earth will do right"? Can we do that?

Jephthah: Mr. No Nice Christian Warrior

Before we get to Judges 12- we have to mention our main character in Hebrews 11... the faith hall of fame:

³² And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.

Is isn't likely that Jeph is credited with all of these- but he is a misunderstood and misrepresented hero. Indeed, my experience has been that any fighter of faith is often misunderstood.


Jeph was a mighty warrior. He had a troubled childhood as a son of a prostitute, run off from his family, and ran with a 'gang of scoundrels'.. getting the picture? (All of this is in Judges 11).


But when his tribe needed help fighting, they knew who they should call.


I love his response- "Didn't you hate me and drive me from my home? And so now that you are in trouble, you need me to fight your battle?"


The Gilead's response- Yep....but we have no other option... but do this and we will make you our leader.


And then an amazing response back from Jeph. "If THE LORD gives me the victory. Will I really be your head?"


And the Gilead's reply: "The Lord is our witness.... we will certainly do as we say."


In verse 11 we have another key verse "And he repeated all his words before the Lord in Mizpah."


He first tries diplomacy with the Ammonites. He has very articulate arguments. He offers peace. He always mentions the Lord. 


Then (to borrow a phrase from a recent new friend) - Jephthah 'opened a big ole can of Jesus on them'.

Verse 29: THEN THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD CAME ON JEPHTHAH.

And what did he do?


Did he sing kumbaya and hold hands?
Did he pray for them and say 'Oh Well.... God's will'?


NOPE... He went to fight and the Lord gave them into his hands- he devastated 20 towns!


#1 And this is my first point: We have lost the idea in this passive culture that faith is often a fight and men are often required to fight righteous battles against evil.


This week we have had Mr Paul Coughlin at our school teaching our students about bullying. One of his key points is that we have to expect our students to show courage... do the right thing, scared. It isn't enough to agree that something is wrong- we have to be willing to ACT.


When a stand beside bully protector (even 2 is better) goes up to a bully and aggressively says "STOP, leave him alone." It is powerful.


But to our parents, he lamented at how we have trained such passive kids in this culture. When our children don't fight or see us backing down.... they shrink in their capacity to have compassion and do justice and mercy.


I see more cowardice today than courage... and it is killing the church and not inspiring the next generation.


The bottom line: evil does not negotiate- it has to be killed.


#2 WARRIORS ARE VERY OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD- ADMIRED HEROES IN WAR AND DISLIKED IN PEACE.


I have blogged on this before. I will re-paste some of it here.


These quotes are from an excellent book by Max Hastings, Warriors

Every army, in order to prevail on the battlefield, needs a certain number of people capable of courage, initiative or leadership beyond the norm.” 

"Warriors are unfashionable people in democratic societies during periods of peace ... [But] in times of war, fighting men are suddenly cherished and become celebrities.“In civil life, people with a penchant for fighting are deemed at best an embarrassment, at worst a menace.”A greek or roman soldier was required to engage in hours of close quarter combat with edged weapons capable of hacking through flesh.Part of the nobility of the warriors calling stems from in part from his acceptance of the risk of losing his own life while taking those of others.In every society on earth, the most durable convention, from ancient times until very recently, has held physical courage to be the highest
human attribute.
 For thousands of years, in nations dominated by the warrior ethic, this quality was valued more highly than intellectual achievement or moral worth.
Many celebrated warriors are detested by their contemporaries.
 All armies need a handful of soldiers who possess an extravagant warrior spirit to fight alongside a majority of other soldiers who threaten the success of such army by their eagerness to preserve their own lives.
Successful warriors are often vain and uncultured- but their nations in hours of need have had cause to be profoundly grateful for their virtues, even if they have sometimes been injured by their excesses. For all their social limitations and professional follies, the warrior is willing to risk everything on the field of battle and sometimes to lose it, for purposes sometimes selfish or mistaken, but often noble."

Read my devotional on this topic here: Warning to Warriors

If you are a man's man and have grown up fighting for what you get- look out- this culture will not accept you with great comfort.


#3 Jephthah was a man whose bond was his word.


I hope you will spend some time studying the theories around the vow he made which resulted in him keeping a vow he made by sacrificing his daughter. It is about 50/50 among conservative scholars about whether this was a human sacrifice. I tend to believe it fulfilled as a vow of celibacy.


See an interesting video on the subject here: Jephthah's Daughter: William P. Holding


But the main point, regardless of the interpretation is that Jephthah was going to keep his promise and he expected others to do as well. How many of us are that committed to keeping promises?




#4 The Leader has Strength and TACTICS


Now we are finally in Judges 12. We have already looked at this in terms of the Men of Ephraim (my last post) but we see this warrior's tenacity and his blending of strategy and force.




#5 Brief but Significant Rule.


 Jephthah only lasted 6 years. A very short stint.


But he made his mark..... and it made it to the Faith Hall of FAME.






I wonder what I would choose?


A long, insignificant earthly life where I never stood for anything?


Or a brief, brilliant campaign where a man of faults blazed in glory for the King?


I want a nervous heartbeat with my hand on the sword and the danger of the dragon standing in my way.


That is the faith that will inspire the next generation!