*Judges 1-2
Psalm 38
*Acts 11
-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)
Today we enter the time of the Judges, one of the most turbulent times in the history of ancient Israel. I would like to point out that the preceding books of scripture are exceptionally important and critical, not just to us of the Christian faith but also to the Jews and the Muslims. If you don’t study these early books often, I would encourage you in the strongest terms to do so.
Most folks don’t realize it, but this portion of “The Book” we share in common with our Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy combined are the Jewish “Torah” (“Law”, called in Hebrew Bereishit, Shemot, Vayikra, Bamidbar, and Devarim), and called the “Tawrah” in the Islamic faith. Each of these religions shares this portion of scripture. All of the Children of the Book believe in them.
I am going to say something controversial here, but before you pick up a rock to stone me, consider it carefully: before we judge any of our fellow creation because they have theological differences, keep in mind that we are all children of the same God, we have all been given the scriptures as a guide, and that if we are being honest and scriptural that as gentiles we have the least legal claim to God’s mercy. We should be humble, and exist in a state of awe and wonder that God saw fit to include us at all. Simply put, the Jews are the chosen people of God according to scripture, but God made some very strong covenants with Abraham. Muslims are considered to be the spiritual descendants (and some to be the actual descendants) of Abraham through Ishmael as well. As Christians, we consider ourselves to be the spiritual descendants of Abraham through obedience, but most of us can’t claim a direct lineage.
So before we place ourselves in a position higher than we have earned or even have a right to: consider the character of God, who is the judge of all, who is the Most Merciful, the Most Gracious, and who extends His hand to all of His creation and offers salvation to those who will seek it, even the stubborn disobedient folks who have a hard time listenening (and thank God He does). Remember before we start to judge our fellow creation: we already have a judge, that position has been filled, and your services in that area are neither required or desired. Be humble.
Today, however, we have arrived at the time of the Judges in our reading, a constantly shifting political time, hugely turbulent in the Jewish history, and a very good template throughout it for “how not to act”. Keep in mind that prior to this book, from Exodus to Joshua, the Israelites had very strong leaders, Moses and then Joshua, leaders who God communicated with directly (usually through shaliah, see 1/27 devotional), and who unwaveringly did what God commanded. Then we come to the time of the Judges, and starting almost right away, things go sideways (as detailed here in Judges 1).
Judah started out pretty good (Judg 1:1-20), but then folks started making exceptions and taking the “easier” path. The sons of Benjamin didn’t dispossess the Jebusites (Judg 1: 21), the house of Joseph made deals with some of the inhabitants (Judg 1:24-26), and the sons of Israel seem to have decided largely at the time that free labor ( Judg 1: 28, 30, 33, 35) was pretty handy and forced a lot of the locals into “forced labor” (or, slavery). This was directly contrary to God’s instructions (see Josh 23: 1-16, among others).
Remember, that the covenenants that God made with the Israelites were in large part conditional. In Judges 2: 1-4, the angel of Yahweh shows up and chastises the people for not obeying, lets them know that since they have broken their promise and have not listened that the nations will become a “thorn in their side”, as promised. The people wept, made sacrifices, and then went to their own places and by the next generation had forgotten about God again (Judg 2:10).
Judges 2:11 starts a terrible cycle that is repeated throughout this book, “Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh and served the Baals...” and as a consequence (Judg 2:14) “… the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel…” (LSB translation). Then after a time of punitive distress for the nation, “God raised up judges who saved them…” (Judg 2:16, LSB). This happens throughout this entire book.
This cyclical dysfunction is repeated nationally 7 times at least by my count in this book alone. Over, and over again: Israel sins (by forsaking God), God allows oppression, Israel cries out, God mercifully raises up a judge to deliver them, there’s peace during the lifetime of that judge, then the judge dies and the people return to idolatry which restarts the cycle. This is a truly painful book to read, particularly when given the recent miraculous and amazing redemption and direct intercession by God on their behalf. What about you, though? Do you remember and celebrate all of the times that God delivered you, in loving awe and obedience? Think about it.
Moving forward to our awesome NT reading today, we find a landmark that you should never, ever, ever forget: for the first time, salvation is shown to have been given to gentiles (that’s most of us) in Acts 10, and then acknowledged in today’s reading (in Acts 11:18). When Jesus came to speak God’s word, he went almost exclusively to the Israelites (See the story in Mark 7:24-30 for clarification, and a good sense of how humble we should be), but we know from scripture that he was to be a light to all the nations (Is 49:6). THIS is the time when that prophecy is fulfilled, and praise God for it!
Before this point in history, as a gentile, things were not looking so great for you. “But God…” (I love that phrase), being merciful and gracious, and showing overwhelming forgiveness and equity for all of His creation, made a way. Know in your heart that if you should be favored enough to enter into God’s kingdom, the one Jesus came to tell the world about, then know that it is not because of your righteousness or birthright but because of the overwhelming love and mercy from Yahweh God, our Creator and Father of all. Nothing you have ever done or ever will do is enough to grant you this privilege, “but God”… He is the most merciful, the most gracious, the one who constantly seeks to bring us back to His fold, who cared enough to send His own son for our redemption. You are not your own, you were bought at a price (1 Cor 6:20): be humble and fearfully obedient, and know that none of us are worth the price that was paid for our salvation. “But God…”
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- In Judges, we can clearly see the cyclical dysfunction of the nation of Israel. Do you have any cyclical dysfunctions in your own life? Are they national, familial, or personal dysfunctions? How can you overcome them? (You should write these down).
- Why do we tend to forget God, and how can we break this cycle?
- Do we tend to judge our fellow human beings? Why?
- Have you ever thought about how lucky you are that God made a plan for YOU, especially if you’re a gentile?
PRAYER
Father God, thank you. You have been merciful to me without reason, and gracious to me without cause. Your love overwhelms me. Please, forgive me my shortcomings, and allow me to overlook the shortcomings of others. Let me be an example of your love and mercy to my fellow creation. Please grant me Your spirit, and teach me the way to reflect Your character, and to enter in to Your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Seek Grow Love 