Judges 11:30a And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD….
The commentary on this chapter has given me much to ponder. I interpreted Judges 11:30 as a positive thing. Commentary suggests that Jephthah was bargaining with God instead of honoring Him. In Judges 11:35, I thought he was fulfilling his promise to God, even though it cost him greatly. Commentary suggests that he should have realized that it was a foolish vow and understood that it should not be kept because it was foolish.
Judges 11:30b-31 “If You give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”
So now I’m pondering whether I bargain with God while I’m telling myself that I’m honoring Him. I’m thinking about rash, foolish promises to God and whether it is more faithful to keep them or to say, “Lord, I’m sorry for being rash in my promise and I realize following through is not the right thing to do here.” I have many things to ponder based on this chapter.
Judges 11:34 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter…. She was an only child.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the ability to read and study and draw closer to You. I feel like I have more questions than answers right now, but I know that if I seek You with my whole heart, I will find You. Always. (Jer 29:13). Draw me closer. Amen.
Judges 11:35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, “Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated. I have made a vow to the LORD that I cannot break.”
Have a blessed day.
True, deep need…. (devo reflection)
Judges 10:6a Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and the gods of the Philistines….
Just yesterday I overheard a conversation about cleaning up and cleaning out, something I desperately need to do in my own home. The comment was along the lines that for the process to really work, really stick, you have to be ready to let things go. If you aren’t ready, even if you purge the stuff, you’ll just replace it with more stuff.
Judges 10:6b-8 …And because the Israelites forsook the LORD and no longer served Him, He became angry with them. He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites, who that year shattered and crushed them.
I was reminded of that exchange when I read today’s scripture. God loves the Israelites. They are calling out to Him (because they have turned away from Him and made a mess of things again). God wants to help them but knows they are not truly turning back to Him with their whole hearts…yet. He knows if He rescues them right now, they will just fill their lives with more stuff because they aren’t ready. So He gives them over to their desires (other gods) so they can realize on their own their true, deep need for Him.
Judges 10:14 “Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You are a loving parent who wants what is best for Your children, and that sometimes that means pain in the short term for greater good in the long term. Draw us closer, Lord. Help us to turn our hearts to You. Always. Amen.
Judges 10:15 But the Israelites said to the LORD, “We have sinned. Do with us whatever You think best, but please rescue us now.”
Have a blessed day.
Honorably and in good faith…. (devo reflection)
Judges 9:3 …they were inclined to follow Abimelek, for they said, “He is related to us.”
As I was reading Joshua 9, I was strongly reminded of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Abimelek, like Macbeth, showed leadership potential, but pretty quickly, it went south. It didn’t take long for both “leaders” to become consumed with power, to act rashly. Would it have changed things for either ruler if they had pondered Jotham’s question in Judges 9:16 “Have you acted honorably and in good faith…?”
Judges 9:4 They gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, and Abimelek used it to hire reckless scoundrels, who became his followers.
For that matter, how often do I, in my daily words and actions, ponder Judges 9:16 “Have you acted honorably and in good faith…?” Would I change what I say and do, how I act, if that were a question foremost in my mind? Could becoming and remaining cognizant of that question aid me in my daily, hourly, moment-by-moment quest to abide with Christ each day?
Judges 9:5 He went to his father’s home…and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the sincere question in Judges 9:16. Help me to remain cognizant of that question, to apply it to my thoughts, words, and actions, to use it to help me stay aligned to Your will and Your way. Draw me closer. Always. Amen.
Judges 9:16 “Have you acted honorably and in good faith…?”
Have a blessed day.
Rule over us…. (devo reflection)
Judges 8:22 The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”
Today’s reading and the Israelites behavior brought to mind 1 Cor 10:23 “You say, ‘I am allowed to do anything’—but not everything is good for you. You say, ‘I am allowed to do anything’—but not everything is beneficial.” It feels like the Israelites want someone to rule over them so that they don’t have to figure out for themselves what is good and beneficial for them. With someone to rule over then, that someone would make those decisions and all the Israelites would need to do is follow.
Judges 8:23 But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you.”
That puts me in mind of behaviors I sometimes see in my job—people who desperately want to fit in, people trying to push boundaries in an attempt to establish what boundaries are arbitrary and can be crossed without consequence and what boundaries are there for their good or the good of society. It can be a tricky balance, but ultimately, we have to decide for ourselves using our own moral compass, developed through pushing and testing, developed through our relationship with Christ.
Judges 8:33a No sooner had Gideon died then the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that we need to push and test boundaries to develop our moral compass in You. Help us not to seek outside forces to rule over us. Help us to draw closer to You, to seek more of You, always. Amen.
Judges 8:33b-34 …They set up Baal-Berith as their god and did not remember the LORD their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side.
Have a blessed day.
Not my own strength…. (devo reflection)
Judges 7:2 The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against Me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’”
As I read through Judges 7, I keep thinking, “But God,” as in “But God, why would you take resources away from Gideon?” I know the answer because He SAYS why, “Israel would boast against Me, ‘My own strength has saved me,’” but there is a part of me still sputtering, “But, but, but GOD….”
Judges 7:4 But the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there….”
There are many situations in my life I do not feel equipped to handle. Again, I’m sputtering, “But, but, but GOD….” My nature is to try to have all the answers before I begin, to have a plan for every contingency, but maybe God is telling me the same thing He was telling Gideon: “This has to be My victory. If I give you all the resources you want, you won’t realize your deep need for Me. You will be content in your own strength, which will not draw you closer to Me.”
Judges 7:7 The LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let the others go home.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that I need You, Your strength, Your wisdom, Your hope. Help me to move past the need for all the answers so that I can rely on Your strength and not my own. Draw me closer. Amen.
Judges 7:9 During that night the LORD said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands.”
Have a blessed day.
Calling and equipping…. (devo reflection)
Judges 6:12 When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, He said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
Gideon has heard stories about the Lord but feels the Lord has abandoned the Israelites. He doesn’t see that it is the Israelites that have moved away from God and not the other way around.
Judges 6:13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all His wonders that our ancestors told us about… But now the LORD had abandoned us….”
Gideon also, similar to Moses, tells the Lord why he is not a good one to send to accomplish His will. It brings me comfort that I am not the only one who questions because I don’t feel God’s strength in me for what He is calling me to do.
Judges 6:14 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder that what You call us to, You will equip us for—in Your strength, not our own. Help us, when You feel far away, to look at what we can do to draw closer to You. Give us strength and courage to shine Your light. Draw us closer. Amen.
Judges 6:15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
Have a blessed day.
Songs of Praise…. (devo reflection)
Judges 5:1 On that day Deborah and Barack son of Abinoam sang this song….
Judges 5 is a song about the events of Judges 4. It made me think of young children, who can break out in song, often made-up song about their experiences, at the slightest provocation. It also made me think about what it might be like if, instead of thanking God in spoken prayer, what if I broke out in songs of praise?
Psalm 98:2 Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for He has done marvelous things!…
It definitely brings a smile to my face to imagine what my songs of praise might be. And even though my singing voice is not the best, I know God would appreciate my joyful noise. Even though my songs of praise are in my head, my mental songs definitely bring a childlike sense of appreciation and creativity to my prayer life.
Psalm 40:3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this invitation to sing my praise to You. Thank You for recognizing my joyful noise for the praise that it is. Help me to praise You always and in all ways. Draw me closer. Amen.
Psalm 96:1 Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Have a blessed day.
Using all things…. (devo reflection)
Judges 4:1 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, now that Ehud was dead.
God knew, when the Israelites failed to drive out the Canaanites as He said, that the Israelites were still struggling with growth and maturity in their relationship with Him. So he used the Canaanites’ presence to increase the Israelites’s awareness of their need for Him. He used all things (to paraphrase Romans 8:28) for their good and His glory.
Judges 4:2 So the LORD sold them into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan….
The bottom line is that God loved the Israelites fiercely. They were His chosen people. They certainly weren’t perfect. They struggled often in their faithfulness to God. But He used even their bad decisions to draw them closer to Him.
Judges 4:3 Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the LORD for help.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that we don’t have to be perfect to be Yours. It is so easy to beat ourselves up when we fail, so easy to throw our hands up in defeat when we once again make a mess of things. Thank You for loving us so much that You use even our messes to bring us closer to You. Amen.
Judges 4:23 On that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites.
Have a blessed day.
His mercy endures…. (devo reflection)
Judges 3:7 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD and served the Baals and the Asherahs.
I am incredibly thankful that we are under the new covenant with Christ and not the covenant of Old Testament—love God, be blessed; turn your back on God, be cursed. Thankfully, God shows repeatedly in Judges that He is merciful, and I am beyond grateful that His mercy endures through the ages and covenants.
Judges 3:8 The anger of the LORD burned against Israel so that He sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishsthaim….
If I could stay in my recliner with my bible and my Savior (and my coffee!) by my side, I would never “forget the LORD,” but when life intrudes—annoyances and struggles, conflict, boredom, all the little things that make up life—I can be just as guilty as the Israelites of forgetting. I respond from my feelings and emotions (which lie. I know.) instead of from my Creator. Praise God for His mercy when I forget.
Judges 3:9 But when they cried out to the LORD, He raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel…who saved them.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder to take care of my own reactions instead of judging others. Help me, Lord, never to forget You, never to forsake You in my thoughts, words, and actions. Help me to be loving and merciful. Draw me closer. Amen.
Judges 3:11 So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel…died.
Have a blessed day.
A legacy and a reminder…. (devo reflection)
Judges 2:7 The people served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the LORD had done for Israel.
My faith is stronger because I have seen God work in my life firsthand. I know of His love, goodness, and faithfulness because I have seen them, received them. The LORD has done great things for me and for those I love. I can’t help but think this contributes to our faithfulness. I think the Israelites experienced this, too. Those who had lived through the settling of the Promised Land knew God’s role in it, contributing to their faithfulness to Him.
Judges 2:10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD nor what He had done for Israel.
So what happened to the new generation? Did the elders just not share stories of God’s goodness often enough? Was it a rebellious “younger generation” that had to find their own way? Could the straying of this generation have been avoided?
Judges 2:11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals.
Lord, Thank You for this day, this scripture, these questions for which I don’t have answers. Since I have seen Your presence, Your love, Your faithfulness, help me to praise Your name so that others may hear and know Your goodness. Let my stories of Your faithfulness be a legacy for others and a reminder for me. Draw us closer. Amen.
Judges 2:12 They forsook the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the people around them. They aroused the LORD’s anger….
Have a blessed day.