MAKE IT ALL ABOUT GOD

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman. When he returned, he said to his father and mother, "I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife."

His father and mother replied, "Isn't there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?"

But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me. She's the right one for me." (His parents did not know that this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.) Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done. Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her.

Sometime later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion's carcass. In it was a swarm of bees and some honey, which he scooped out with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion's carcass.

Now his father went down to see the woman. And Samson made a feast there, as was customary for bridegrooms. When he appeared, he was given thirty companions.

"Let me tell you a riddle," Samson said to them. "If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes. If you can't tell me the answer, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes."

"Tell us your riddle," they said. "Let's hear it."

He replied:

"Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet."

For three days they could not give the answer.

On the fourth day, they said to Samson's wife, "Coax your husband into explaining the riddle for us, or we will burn you and your father's household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?"

Then Samson's wife threw herself on him, sobbing, "You hate me! You don't really love me. You've given my people a riddle, but you haven't told me the answer."

"I haven't even explained it to my father or mother," he replied, "so why should I explain it to you?" She cried the whole seven days of the feast. So on the seventh day he finally told her, because she continued to press him. She in turn explained the riddle to her people.

Before sunset on the seventh day the men of the town said to him:

"What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?"

Samson said to them:

"If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle."

Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of their belongings and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle.

Burning with anger, he went up to his father's house. And Samson's wife was given to the friend who had attended him at his wedding.

Judges 14

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Despite a parent’s best efforts to raise their children properly and set the right example for them, there are times when the child chooses to reject everything they were taught and go their own way. In doing so, they often turn away from God and His expectations as well. Such is the case with Samson as we look at his life in Judges, chapter 14.

You’ll remember that in chapter 13, we saw how Samson’s parents, Manoah and his wife, were people who trusted and believed in God, obedient and faithful to His word and will. In return, God miraculously blessed them with a son who would deliver Israel from the oppression of the Philistines. Unfortunately, we see where Samson is nowhere near as faithful to God as his parents.

We see this right away as Samson becomes interested in a Philistine woman and commands his parents to “get her for me as my wife." His words were very disrespectful and dishonorable to his parents since custom dictated that they would be the ones who would select a wife for their son, making arrangements with the girl’s parents in advance of the wedding. Further, Samson was eyeballing a woman from the very people oppressing His people and worse yet, his demand to marry her was in direct violation of God’s command to not intermarry with any Canaanite. For all these reasons, we find Manoah questioning their son, asking:

“Isn't there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?"

As any good, loving parents would do, they were trying to persuade their son to think about his actions and realize his serious error in judgment but unfortunately, we find him persisting in wanting the Philistine girl, refusing to heed their sound and godly guidance. It was obvious that he was dead set on having his own way in the matter.

And so we read that Samson and his parents “went down to Timnah together” and, along the way, Samson was attacked by a young lion. The scriptures tell us that the “Spirit of the Lord came upon (Samson) in power” so that he could tear “the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat”. All this happened away from his parents who never knew what took place because Samson didn’t tell them as they carried on to Timnah where he “talked with the woman and…liked her”.

After this first meeting, Samson and his parents returned home for awhile only to eventually return to Timnah. As they traveled back, Samson passed by the carcass of the lion he had killed earlier, noticing there was a “swarm of bees and some honey” in the carcass. And so Samson “scooped out (some honey) with his hands and ate as he went along”. He would also give his parents some as well after rejoining them, never telling them where he had gotten it.

While this initially might not look like a big deal, it was. For in eating the honey from the dead carcass, Samson had once again shown his unwillingness to be obedient to God’s requirements since a Nazarite was to have no contact with anything dead. Further, he doubled down on the sin by sharing the honey with them both.

Again, we find Samson bent on doing whatever he wanted to do, regardless of whether it was against the will of God or not.

Once in Timnah for the second time, we see where Manoah, Samson’s father, “went down to see the woman” his son wanted to marry while “Samson made a feast” where “he was given thirty companions”, all Philistines. This feast was actually more like a party where drinking was prevalent and it’s believed Samson did partake in consuming alcohol at the festivities, yet another violation of the Nazarite vow. Over and over and over again, we find him rejecting the Lord and His desires to chase after his own.

Well…in the midst of the feast, we find Samson telling his companions a riddle but there were some strings attached. For if his Philistine companions could answer the riddle “within the seven days of the feast” then Samson would give them “thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes” (garments and clothes were highly valued in this day). However, if the Philistine companions could not answer the riddle, then they would have to give Samson “thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes." The companions agreed to the challenge and so Samson shares the riddle.

We see where his quiz is centered on two things: Samson’s victory over the attacking lion and the honey he would later find in the carcass. This made it so no one could possibly know the answer except for him as he was the only one present on both occasions. And so in essence, there was no way Samson could lose the wager without telling someone the answer. He had set everything up to have his own way and win the prize.

Well, the Philistine companions pondered the riddle for “three days” and “could not give the answer” and so on the fourth day, they began to worry that they would lose the bet and have to pay Samson. And so they went to Samson’s wife and pressured her to get Samson to tell her the answer, issuing the following threat:

“…we will burn you and your father's household to death”.

Further, they also accused her of inviting them there on purpose so Samson could rob them, thinking she might have been in on the riddle with him.

After receiving the death warning, we see where Samson's wife went to him and cried out saying:

“You hate me! You don't really love me. You've given my people a riddle, but you haven't told me the answer."

We should note how deceiving the wife was because she didn’t tell Samson the real motive for her wanting to know the riddle’s answer.

Well, Samson resisted this plea, telling his wife that he hadn’t “even explained it (the riddle) to (his) father or mother” and so he wondered why she would think he would tell her. And so he refused her request and this led to her crying “the whole seven days of the feast” after which Samson could take it no more. The scriptures tell us that he “finally told her” on the seventh day and immediately, she then ran and told the answer to the Philistine companions who had threatened her.

And so armed with the answer, the Philistine companions went to Samson “before sunset on the seventh day” and told him what they knew. This led Samson to immediately knowing that he had been betrayed for how else would they have known the answer except by his wife…the only one he had told. We see where Samson chastised the men before going to the Philistine town of Ashkelon and striking “down thirty of their men”. He “stripped them of their belongings and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle”. Ultimately, the Philistine men’s win came at the expense of thirty of their own who lost their lives.

Well, after paying off the bet, we read where Samson was “burning with anger” and “went up to his father's house”, abandoning his wife who had deceived him. And while this anger raged against her, it was more grounded in the fact that he hadn’t gotten his own way for once. Think of it as an adult temper tantrum.

We see the chapter ending with Samson’s wife being “given to (a) friend who had attended him at his wedding” since he had left her with no indication that he would ever return. We’ll see where this leads to more problems when we move into Chapter 15.

You know, I think we see a flaw in Samson that many of us have shown ourselves at one time or another. For too often want to have everything our way and this comes at the expense of submitting to the Lord’s will and way for our lives. We selfishly place our own wants and desires ahead of His and this has contributed to the prevalence of an “I and Me” mindset over the “we and us”.

So how can we combat the urge to make it “all about me” in our lives?

It’s pretty simple. We need to make our lives all about the Lord instead.

For if we center all that we do in thought, word, and deed on what God expects then we will always be led to the right and just ways…the ways that will always be centered on the needs of others over our own…just like Jesus did. For isn’t being Christ-like at the core of being a Christian?

Friends, if we would only selflessly change our daily focus on God over ourselves, we would find a life that is abundant in peace, joy, and contentment. And we can be left to wonder how very differently Samson’s story would have turned out had he not been so set on having his own way in everything. Today and every day, let us vow to learn from his mistakes and commit ourselves to do what the Lord wills, ever seeking to honor and glorify Him with everything we do. If we make our life all about Him and not about us, we can and will do just that.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

GOD'S WORD FOR PARENTS

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.

A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless. The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, "You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines."

Then the woman went to her husband and told him, "A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome. I didn't ask him where he came from, and he didn't tell me his name. But he said to me, 'You will conceive and give birth to a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from birth until the day of his death.' "

Then Manoah prayed to the Lord : "O Lord, I beg you, let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born."

God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her. The woman hurried to tell her husband, "He's here! The man who appeared to me the other day!"

Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, "Are you the one who talked to my wife?"

"I am," he said.

So Manoah asked him, "When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule for the boy's life and work?"

The angel of the Lord answered, "Your wife must do all that I have told her. She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her."

Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, "We would like you to stay until we prepare a young goat for you."

The angel of the Lord replied, "Even though you detain me, I will not eat any of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the Lord." (Manoah did not realize that it was the angel of the Lord.)

Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the Lord, "What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?"

He replied, "Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding." Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock to the Lord. And the Lord did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched: As the flame blazed up from the altar toward Heaven, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground. When the angel of the Lord did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the Lord.

"We are doomed to die!" he said to his wife. "We have seen God!"

But his wife answered, "If the Lord had meant to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this."

The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Judges 13

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Most everyone in life will have the opportunity to be a parent. After all, the Lord designed a man and woman to come together as one flesh, joined together in marriage and able to consummate their love for each other through sexual activity, sexual activity that is the impetus for procreation.

Now, having children is one thing. Raising them up is the challenge of a lifetime, full of ups and downs, successes and failures. No father or mother is given an instruction manual for parenting at the hospital when the baby is born and so thankfully, God has provided directions in His holy Word. One such place is in today’s passage from the 13th chapter of the Book of Judges.

There we find that the nation of Israel has once again gotten into trouble with God, this time resulting in the judgment of oppression at the hands of the Philistines for forty years. We know this has been an ongoing trend in this book and should note that the period of punishment increases every time after God’s people returned to reject Him and return to sinful living.

And once again, the Israelites found themselves in need of a deliverer who will soon be Samson.

As we go back to this chapter, we see the origins of Israel’s future judge by being introduced to a man named Manoah and his wife who were members of the Danite clan.

Similar to prior Old Testament women we have studied, Sarah and Rachel, Manoah’s wife was childless and sterile, something considered a sign of disfavor from God. This is because the Israelites viewed childbearing as one of the greatest blessings the Lord gave a woman.

It was into this space that we find God enter in to work a miracle in her life. For we read where an “angel of the Lord appeared to her”, saying:

"You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines."

Here we should note that Manoah’s wife was promised the gift of pregnancy but with strict guidelines to follow which modeled the required restrictions of a Nazarite. Nonetheless, what a blessed encounter this had to be for Manoah’s wife! For it was a distinct privilege to be singled out by God in such a special way and receive the news from His divine representative. Do a survey of the Bible and see how many women had this opportunity given to them and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Well, after receiving the angel’s visit, we see Manoah’s wife unable to keep it to herself as she races to her husband and makes the following report:

"A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome. I didn't ask him where he came from, and he didn't tell me his name. But he said to me, 'You will conceive and give birth to a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from birth until the day of his death.'"

How did Manoah respond?

His reaction is nothing short of fantastic for we see where he doesn’t question his wife or even start to doubt what she told him. Instead, he automatically turns to the Lord and prays, asking for Him to send His representative back in order to teach he and his wife “how to bring up the boy who is to be born."

The actions of these parents-to-be from this point forward offer all parents today a real primer for raising their own children. This is why I feel we all should feel blessed by this account and takeaway the following three points that can help us be the parents the Lord wants us to be.

First, a father and mother need to trust in God.

Manoah’s wife didn’t question the angel of the Lord when he brought her the holy guidance from God. Neither did her husband question his wife when she told him about the visit by the angel and what was to come. Rather, both believed in God so much that they never doubted that what He said would come true.

We should strive to do the same from the moment God blesses us to have a child through the many, many years that we’re blessed to raise them.

Second, we need to consistently and persistently communicate with the Lord.

In regard to the matter of communication, it’s critically important to remember that it requires a speaker and a listener to be done properly.

We first see Manoah’s wife demonstrate these skills as she first listened intently to God’s word from the angel and then shared that message with her husband. In turn, Manoah then listened to everything his wife said before bringing his petition to God in prayer.

Successful parenting requires these same communication skills, with a father and mother constantly talking and listening to one another on all matters relating to a child while allowing their conversations to be dictated by what they both receive from the Lord first. This comes by ever seeking His will for the child’s upbringing, the child He has entrusted to the parents’ care.

And this leads to the third point…

Parents need to always seek God’s guidance.

Notice that once Manoah learns that God was going to grant him and his wife a son, he immediately turns to God in prayer and asks how they should raise their son. We need to do likewise because it’s the only way that we can ensure we are parenting properly…doing the right thing every time because we will be doing what the Lord wants, no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in. We will never have that level of success if we try to rely on our own understanding and wisdom.

So again, we find three critical steps to always take as parents in the first part of this passage and they are as follows:

1. Trust in God

2. Communicate with Him and then one another

and

3. Always seek God’s guidance.

Well, after Manoah prayed to God and asked for parental guidance, we read where his prayer was heard as the Lord sends the angel back to his wife “while she was out in the field”. This prompted her to run and tell him this:

“He's here! The man who appeared to me the other day!"

And with that, we read where “Manoah got up and followed his wife” and “when he came to the man”, he asked him if he was the one who had come to his wife to which the angel replied he was. We then find Manoah inquiring about what the rule should be for his son’s “life and work”.

Of interest, instead of telling Manoah what his son should do, the angel tells him what the boy’s mother should do as she carried her son saying:

“Your wife must do all that I have told her. She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her."

The message from the angel let Manoah know everything that was expected of his wife, important because he would be responsible for helping her through the pregnancy in a way that adhered to God’s guidelines.

Now it was customary for an Israelite to show hospitality and so we see Manoah offering to feed the angel, unaware that he was talking with a divine, heavenly being. In response to this, we find the angel rejecting Manoah’s offer but he does propose that Manoah “prepare a burnt offering” and “offer it to the Lord." And so Manoah asked the angel for his name so they could pay tribute to him when his word came true.

Once again, we see there is a complete show of faith by Manoah as he fully accepted everything the angel said would happen with no doubting or questioning.

Going back to the scriptures, we see where the angel responds to Manoah’s question with one of his own, asking:

“Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding."

Indeed, Manoah still had no idea who he was speaking to.

So “Manoah took a young goat” and “together with the grain offering…sacrificed it on a rock to the Lord” and at that moment, the scriptures tell us that “the Lord did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched” the sacrifice burn. For “as the flame blazed up from the altar toward Heaven, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame”.

Put yourself in the place of Manoah and his wife for a moment as they witnessed an awesome display of the Lord’s power and wonder first-hand. We see them respond immediately by falling with their faces toward the ground, realizing that they had been engaged with a real angel of the Lord. It was an awareness that struck fear into Manoah’s heart as he cried out to his wife:

“We are doomed to die! We have seen God!"

To which his wife responded:

“If the Lord had meant to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this."

In other words, the wife asserted that they were both going to be fine. They had shown themselves to be obedient servants and the Lord still had much for them to do.

And so go on they did.

Manoah’s wife “gave birth to a boy and named him Samson” who grew and was not only blessed by the Lord but stirred by His Spirit “while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol”. Over the coming messages, we’ll see how his life played out but as I close this message, I would like to add three more points to add to the three previous ones regarding parenting:

Parents should always seek to honor and pay tribute to God.

Manoah and his wife didn’t hesitate to want to show their gratitude to the angel for what he had done, even though at first they didn’t realize who he was. After the angel turned down their offer of food and instead asked for a burnt sacrifice, Manoah and his wife honored him as he had requested…such was their sense of obedience and thanksgiving for what God was about to do for them.

As we parent today, fathers and mothers shouldn’t cease to honor and respect God in everything they do as well. For He and only He is the One who can assure we parent properly and produce a family that glorifies Him in all things and at all times. We also need to show our gratitude for his He blesses our families with every good and perfect thing from above in accordance with His will, ever working things out for our good (James 1:17, Romans 8:28).

Next, parents should expect the Lord to do amazing things in the life of their family.

When Manoah and his wife offered the goat to God in the form of a burnt offering, the Lord did an amazing thing before them as the angel ascended back to Heaven through the flame. This revealed to the couple that the Lord had indeed been in their presence, finding their offerings and sacrifice acceptable.

Today, we still serve the same awesome God of ancient Israel who never ceases to do amazing things each and every day. If the truth be known, the blessings He doles out are far more than can be humanly measured.

And so as parents turn full authority of their families over to the Lord and allow Him to lead and guide them in the way they should raise their children, they will see the manifestations of God’s amazing work over and over again in their lives and the lives of their children.

Finally, parents need to always remember that God keeps His promises.

When it was all said and done with Manoah and his wife, the Lord delivered on His vow to bless them with a son. For we read where Samson was born to them, just as the Lord had promised and would soon become Israel’s deliverer.

Indeed, we serve a God who never fails to keep every promise He has made and every parent needs to remember this. They need to always be in the scriptures, fully knowing and understanding all of the Lord’s assurances so they can recognize them when they come to fruition in their lives and the lives of their children.

Further, all parents need to teach their children about God’s promises so they know of them and can place their trust in them when they grow into adulthood…one day to have children of their own.

I would like to share one last observation on this passage, one I think makes it all the more incredible for I see this chapter as a sign of what’s to come for the Israelites and the world at large.

For soon a virgin named Mary will be also be visited by an angel of the Lord and be told that she conceive, bearing a son who will be named Jesus…a Son who would be born to deliver all mankind from the sure destruction of sin to the free gift of eternal life if they would just simply believe in Him.

And Mary, like Manoah’s wife in these verses, will simply accept what God is asking her to do in a display of incredible faith and trust. She submits to the angel’s message and gave birth to the Savior of the world, the long predicted Messiah who would live, die, be resurrected, and then ascend to the heavens, one future day to return to bring salvation to all Christ believers, just as God, His Father and ours, had promised.

Thanks be to God for His unmistakable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15).

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

PRIDE COMES BEFORE DESTRUCTION

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The men of Ephraim called out their forces, crossed over to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, "Why did you go to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We're going to burn down your house over your head."

Jephthah answered, "I and my people were engaged in a great struggle with the Ammonites, and although I called, you didn't save me out of their hands. When I saw that you wouldn't help, I took my life in my hands and crossed over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave me the victory over them. Now why have you come up today to fight me?"

Jephthah then called together the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. The Gileadites struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, "You Gileadites are renegades from Ephraim and Manasseh." The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a survivor of Ephraim said, "Let me cross over," the men of Gilead asked him, "Are you an Ephraimite?" If he replied, "No," they said, "All right, say 'Shibboleth.' " He said, "Sibboleth," because he could not pronounce the word correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time.

Jephthah led Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died, and was buried in a town in Gilead.

After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem led Israel. He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He gave his daughters away in marriage to those outside his clan, and for his sons he brought in thirty young women as wives from outside his clan. Ibzan led Israel seven years. Then Ibzan died, and was buried in Bethlehem.

After him, Elon the Zebulunite led Israel ten years. Then Elon died, and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

After him, Abdon, son of Hillel, from Pirathon, led Israel. He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. He led Israel eight years. Then Abdon, son of Hillel died, and was buried at Pirathon in Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.

Judges 12

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In Judges, chapter 11, we saw where God had given the judge Jephthah victory over the Ammonites but at a great cost after he made an unnecessary, foolish vow to the Lord. You’ll recall that before the battle, Jephthah made promised to commit to the Lord and sacrifice the first thing that ran out of his door to meet him upon returning home from victory. So as he returned home after gaining victory, his daughter…his only child…ran from the door to him, sealing her fate for Jephthah had to fulfill his vow, one that sinfully violated God’s command against human sacrifices.

Turning the page to chapter 12 opens, we still see Jephthah on center stage as he finds opposition from an unlikely source. For we read where the Gileadite is confronted by “the men of Ephraim” who imply that he went to fight the Ammonites without calling them to participate, an allegation that Jephthah vehemently denied saying that he had indeed summoned them but they had not responded or helped. Ephraim’s threat to burn down Jephthah’s house showed their commitment to conflict and as we see, conflict is exactly what they got.

The sad part about what was to come is that it didn’t have to be that way. The Lord had given the Ammonites into Jephthah’s hand and with that, it didn’t matter who did or didn’t fight with him because God had already guaranteed victory. Rather than being confrontational, the Ephraimites should have been in a spirit of thanksgiving, praising the Lord for His latest display of deliverance but they weren’t. Instead, they were upset over not getting the chance to glorify themselves in battle…jealous that Jephthah had been used in way that they hadn’t.

With this, I wonder how often we might be like the Ephraimites, displaying the same kind of envy when we see others succeed around us. Instead of just being happy for people, congratulating them on their accomplishment, we end up coveting what they have achieved.

The fact is that people are doing this way too often and aren’t even trying to mask it. We see them openly going out of their way to try and make others look bad so they might look good, just so they can gain recognition for themselves. It’s nothing short of personal and/or professional sabotage if you may and we need only look as far as politicians to see in on full display and at its worst. Frankly, it’s a constant display of disgusting, arrogant behavior...behavior that is far from God-honoring, that’s for sure.  

Going back to our passage for today, what happens between the Ephraimites and Gileadites, the men of Jephthah?

Well, we see where a bloody battle ensues with the Gileadites wiping out the attacking men of Ephraim (42,000 total) who would have been so much better off just giving credit where credit was due…to God. But instead, Ephraim let their pride get the best of them and ended up finding out the hard way that it can often lead to destruction (a truth that would later become a famous proverb attributed to the wise King Solomon…Proverbs 16:18).

As chapter 12 ends, we come to the end of Jephthah’s life as he died after reigning as judge over Israel for six years. He would be followed by Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon who would take the reins as judge over the next 25 years.

So what do we take away from these scripture verses?

I believe the Lord wants us to all learn a lesson from Ephraim and be on guard when we begin to feel jealous or covetous over what another person has attained. For God would want us to be satisfied and grateful for what He has given us, content like Paul was no matter his circumstances (Philippians 4:11-12). This allows us to avoid yearning for the things that others gain, whether that is work success or a special love with someone or material gain. It allows us to just be genuinely happy for people when the Lord provides blessings to them, sharing in their joy and thanksgiving to Him for His amazing goodness that is always on display.

When the enemy tries to take you down the road of pride, decline the offer and instead humbly accept what He has done for you while praising Him for the great things He is doing around you, showing Him that He and He alone is worthy of all honor and glory, now and forevermore.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When the Ammonites were called to arms and camped in Gilead, the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah. The leaders of the people of Gilead said to each other, "Whoever will launch the attack against the Ammonites will be the head of all those living in Gilead."

Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. Gilead's wife also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. "You are not going to get any inheritance in our family," they said, "because you are the son of another woman." So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a group of adventurers gathered around him and followed him.

Sometime later, when the Ammonites made war on Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. "Come," they said, "be our commander, so we can fight the Ammonites."

Jephthah said to them, "Didn't you hate me and drive me from my father's house? Why do you come to me now, when you're in trouble?"

The elders of Gilead said to him, "Nevertheless, we are turning to you now; come with us to fight the Ammonites, and you will be our head over all who live in Gilead."

Jephthah answered, "Suppose you take me back to fight the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me - will I really be your head?"

The elders of Gilead replied, "The Lord is our witness; we will certainly do as you say." So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them. And he repeated all his words before the Lord in Mizpah.

Then Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king with the question: "What do you have against us that you have attacked our country?"

The king of the Ammonites answered Jephthah's messengers, "When Israel came up out of Egypt, they took away my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, all the way to the Jordan. Now give it back peaceably."

Jephthah sent back messengers to the Ammonite king, saying:

"This is what Jephthah says: ‘Israel did not take the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites. But when they came up out of Egypt, Israel went through the desert to the Red Sea and on to Kadesh. Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Give us permission to go through your country”, but the king of Edom would not listen. They sent also to the king of Moab, and he refused. So Israel stayed at Kadesh’.

‘Next they traveled through the desert, skirted the lands of Edom and Moab, passed along the eastern side of the country of Moab, and camped on the other side of the Arnon. They did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was its border.’

‘Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, “Let us pass through your country to our own place.” Sihon, however, did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. He mustered all his men and encamped at Jahaz and fought with Israel.’

‘Then the Lord, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his men into Israel's hands, and they defeated them. Israel took over all the land of the Amorites who lived in that country, capturing all of it from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the desert to the Jordan.’

‘Now since the Lord, the God of Israel, has driven the Amorites out before His people Israel, what right have you to take it over? Will you not take what your god Chemosh gives you? Likewise, whatever the Lord our God has given us, we will possess. Are you better than Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever quarrel with Israel or fight with them? For three hundred years Israel occupied Heshbon, Aroer, the surrounding settlements and all the towns along the Arnon. Why didn't you retake them during that time? I have not wronged you, but you are doing me wrong by waging war against me. Let the Lord, the Judge, decide the dispute this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites.’"

The king of Ammon, however, paid no attention to the message Jephthah sent him.

Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites. And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord : "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."

Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into his hands. He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon.

When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of tambourines! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, "Oh! My daughter! You have made me miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break."

"My father," she replied, "you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised, now that the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites. But grant me this one request," she said. "Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry."

"You may go," he said. And he let her go for two months. She and the girls went into the hills and wept because she would never marry. After the two months, she returned to her father and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin.

From this comes the Israelite custom that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

Judges 10:17-18, 11

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

…the Israelites said to the Lord, "We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now." Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And He could bear Israel's misery no longer. Judges 10:15-16

These were the verses we ended up in yesterday’s message. You’ll recall that the people of Israel had done evil before God once again and as a result, found themselves in big trouble. They cried out to the Lord as they had done many times before but found that He was unwilling to save them this time. Instead, He told them to go to the false gods they had been worshiping and seek help from them, something that was never going to happen.

And so the Israelites sought to make amends with God through three key steps to seek reconciliation. You’ll remember that they first repented, then they submitted themselves to Him and His will, and finally they took action where action was needed to show the Lord that they were genuine in their commitment to Him.

Their return to giving God their devotion was effective for the scriptures told us that the Lord was unable to bear their misery any longer, willing to once again deliver them from their oppressors as we see in the remaining verses of chapter 10 and through chapter 11.

There, we read that those oppressors, the Ammonites, were “called to arms and camped in Gilead” while the Israelites “assembled and camped at Mizpah: and with a battle nearing, the “leaders of the people of Gilead” said this:

“Whoever will launch the attack against the Ammonites will be the head of all those living in Gilead."

Well, there obviously weren’t many volunteers because the scriptures tell us the “elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah”, asking him to be their commander when the “Ammonites made war”.

Jephthah was definitely qualified as we read how he was a “mighty warrior” but there was only one problem. For the very men who were now asking him (Jephthah) to lead them were the same ones who mistreated him and threatened to remove any right to his family’s inheritance. This was because Jephthah’s mother had been a prostitute, making him an illegitimate son in the eyes of his other brothers. They caused him to flee and settle “in the land of Tob” where “a group of adventurers gathered around” and “followed him”.

The people of Gilead were bitter with their elders for the way they had mistreated Jephthah and so they asked them to affirm that they would do what they said they would do…make Jephthah the head of Gilead if the Lord would deliver the Ammonites into their hands. In response to this demand, the elders replied:

“The Lord is our witness; we will certainly do as you say.”

And so Jephthah went with the “elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them”. Jephthah then “repeated all his words before the Lord in Mizpah” resulting in the Israelites once again having a judge to deliver them and as we see in our passage, Jephthah didn’t waste any time to address the problem at hand…the mighty, enemy Ammonites.

Things got started with Jephthah and the Ammonite king exchanging dialogue regarding the land under dispute, specifically over who had rights to it. And after Jephthah asked the Ammonite king why they had attacked Israel, we read where the king accused Israel of taking the land from the Ammonites after they had departed Egypt. A charge that brought an immediate rebuttal from the Israelite leader who set the record straight.

For the truth of the matter was that after the Israelites left Egypt, they had actually been rejected in their attempt to enter Moab and Edom by the kings of those lands. Eventually, this led to them battling King Sihon who had “mustered all his men and encamped at Jahaz” to fight Israel. During that battle, “the Lord…gave Sihon and all his men into Israel's hands” and “they defeated them”, taking over “all the land of the Amorites who lived in that country”. They land they took possession of ranged “from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the desert to the Jordan”.

In other words, the land they were on had been already given to the Israelites and the Ammonites were trespassing on it.

Jephthah goes on to mock the paganism of the Ammonite king saying this:

“Now since the Lord, the God of Israel, has driven the Amorites out before His people Israel, what right have you to take it over? Will you not take what your god Chemosh gives you?”

Further, Jephthah questioned the Ammonite king as to why he would just decide to challenge the Israelites now when Israel had occupied the land for the last “three hundred years. Finally, Israel’s leader seals his sharp rebuke toward the king of Ammon with this:

“I have not wronged you, but you are doing me wrong by waging war against me. Let the Lord, the Judge, decide the dispute this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites.”

Indeed the Lord would decide the matter, even if the “king of Ammon…paid no attention to the message Jephthah sent him”.

So what happened next?

The scriptures tell us that a “Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah” as he “crossed Gilead and Manasseh”, before passing “through Mizpah of Gilead” and advancing “against the Ammonites”.

This is where this story of Jephthah takes a weird turn because for whatever reason, he decided to make an unnecessary vow to God, even though he already had the assurance the Lord would be with him in battle. And as we see, the vow had tragic consequences.

Here’s what Jephthah promised:

“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."

And with that, he led the fight against the Ammonites with God giving them “into his hands”. Under his leadership, the Israelites devastated “twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim” before subduing Ammon. Victory was sweet for Jephthah and the people of Israel and after the war, he “returned to his home in Mizpah”.

We read that as he approached his home, out came his daughter…”his only child”…who was dancing to the sound of tambourines”, completely unaware of the promise that her father had made with the Lord. Well, we see where Jephthah was fully aware of what was happening as he immediately fell distraught, tearing his clothes and crying out:

“Oh! My daughter! You have made me miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break."

Jephthah knew that he would now have to offer up his only daughter up as a burnt offering...something that never had to happen...something that actually was in disobedience to God's command against human sacrifice (Leviticus 20:1-5).

In the moment, we find Jephthah’s daughter showing exceptional grace and poise despite her fate being sealed, telling her father:

“…you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised, now that the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites. But grant me this one request…Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry."

And so we find Jephthah honoring her request, letting her go for two months while “she and the girls went into the hills and wept because she would never marry” and “after the two months” concluded, “she returned to her father and he did to her as he had vowed”. His daughter died a virgin.

This story of the judge Jephthah is a bittersweet one, for sure.

For while he had great success in his life, he also had great tragedy as well due to his poor judgment which culminated in the sacrifice of his own daughter to fulfill a promise that never needed to be given.

As for the nation of Israel, we will see how they will continue their cycle of doing evil in the eyes of the Lord and finding themselves disciplined for it before crying out for God's deliverance and gaining it along with the associated restoration.

And then…they would do it all over again, leading to the Lord sending them into exile for seventy years.

This perpetual falling in and out of sin would have eventually led to the complete destruction of all mankind unless something was done to stop it, something of divine power to do what man couldn’t...save themselves.

And so God, unwilling to see anyone perish out of His deep love for them, sent His only Son Jesus from Heaven to earth to live and walk amongst His people to first show them how to live the holy, righteous life He expected before offering Him up as a living sacrifice to atone for the sins of all who would believe in Him, once and for all. Through the horrific suffering Jesus experienced on the cross of Calvary, we’re reminded that freedom, being delivered from the damnation of Hell to the glory of Heaven, wasn’t free. 

And since Jesus surrendered everything for us, willingly laying down His life, we should feel inclined to lay it all down for Him as well. Indeed, He gave up His freedom for ours…He sacrificed everything so we might not have to…and then He gave us the instruction we need to follow His lead.

What did He tell us?

We find the answer through His words in Matthew, chapter 28:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Vv. 19-20

Through Jesus’ death and victory over the grave, we too have received the assurance through Him that we would not perish but have eternal life. In other words, through our belief and trust in Jesus as Savior, our future is already set. This sets us free to focus on those who may not have their eternal future in Heaven secured, those who are lost and have not yet placed their belief, faith, and hope in Christ Jesus.

Will doing that require sacrifice?

Yes.

Will doing that mean that we need to lay aside our desires for the desires of Jesus?

Absolutely.

Should we ever complain or feel belabored by what we’re called to do for the cause of Christ?

We had better not.

For as Christians, we have avowed ourselves to Jesus Christ…to live as He lived…to think as He thought…and to act as He acted which included Him totally sacrificing Himself out of love and compassion for others. Settling for anything else than our total sacrifice and dedication toward loving and seeking to help others know and trust in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior is falling short of the mark.

For Christ died to set us free to live as a people with the sure hope of Heaven, showing us that freedom isn’t free but comes with a cost. And so as we enjoy the freedom Jesus died to provide us, the least we can do is sacrifice our freedom to help others find theirs. As believers, we should want to do nothing less for our blessed Savior and the Father who gave Him up for us.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.