Today's Reading: 1 Samuel 2

 The Otherness of God

In Chapter 2, the Holy Spirit records for us the prayer-song of Hannah after the birth of her son, Samuel. Hannah’s prayer begins on a high note with personal expressions of pure joy and enthusiastic delight in the Lord and His salvation.  In verse 2 she declares, “there is none holy like the LORD.”  By these words, she is declaring the distinct and utter uniqueness of God. 

The root word for “holy” in the original Hebrew language is, “qodesh.”  It means “apartness” or “set-apartness.” It is a word that describes the matchlessness and exclusiveness of God.  Someone has rightly said that this word means “otherness,” thus describing the total exceptionalness of God.  This word applies to God because He is – in His person and substance – totally “other than” anyone or anything else.  The Oxford Dictionary defines “otherness” as “the quality or fact of being different.”  The LORD is exceptionally rare – in fact, so rare that He is other than anything or anyone else.

Hannah goes on in her prayer-song to point out some of the rare qualities of God that make up His “otherness.”   For the Lord alone is a God of knowledge - God knows what’s going on. He alone takes into account everything that is going on. Even mighty people can be defeated – and their weapons destroyed, but not the LORD, who is not feeble in any way. God is the only One who can bring life out of barrenness.  He alone has the power of life and death.  The LORD is the One who controls poverty and wealth.  He makes some poor and some rich. He alone can put poor people on their feet again. He rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope. 

Hannah goes on to say the “otherness” of God extends to His creative acts and His care for His faithful ones.  The very structures of earth are within the realm of God, and God alone. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world.  He will guard the feet of his faithful ones but will leave the wicked to stumble in the dark.  The strength of the mighty warriors is insufficient to defeat God’s purposes - for not by might shall a man prevail.

God is not like any human.  He is other than us.  God is not like any “superhero” or “champion.”  He is other than them in every way.  God is not like any so-called “god” or “deity” which has been fabricated in the minds of men.  He is other than them.  He is holy.  He is apart.  He is other than anyone or anything ever conceived. There is none holy like the LORD; for there is none besides You; there is no rock like our God!

Today's Reading: 1 Samuel 1

 

Lent to the Lord

In deep distress, Hannah cried to God, asking him to give her a son. She promised that if God answered her prayer, she would give her son back to God to serve him as a Nazirite for life.  The priest Eli encouraged Hannah to believe that God would answer her prayer. And sure enough, in due course, she gave birth to a son, whom she named Samuel.  The Hebrew name Samuel, was “Shaulme’El” – a contraction of “shaul” (lent) and meEl (to God). When the child was two or three years old, Hannah took him to Shiloh, where she dedicated him to God for life.

When verse 28 says she “lent” him to the LORD, it doesn’t mean that she ever expected to receive him back again. This was no temporary “loan.” She “gave” her son to God.  Whatever we give to the Lord may said to be lent to him, because, though we may not get it back, yet He will certainly repay it to our unspeakable advantage.   Hannah realized this truth and gladly gave her son to God in deep appreciation for the blessing He had bestowed upon her.  In reality, Hannah realized that Samuel belonged to God and it was God who had “lent” him to her for a brief period.

As Christian parents, it should be our number one priority to “lend” (give) our children to the Lord.  We are exhorted throughout Scripture to bring our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  To impart God’s truth into their hearts and minds.  To guide them to lives devoted to the service and worship of their Creator.  It is wonderful when parents put their children’s welfare ahead of their own.  It is wonderful when parents sacrifice their time and resources to support their child’s intellectual, emotional, and physical growth.  But it is a tragedy if, while doing so, they neglect their spiritual development. This should never be.

As parents, we must always keep in mind that our children are God’s and they are on loan for us to raise for His Kingdom purposes.  If you are a parent, know that you were created, called, for this task. Probably the single most important thing you can do for your children is to constantly pray that they would have a personal encounter with God, Himself, and wholeheartedly dedicate their life to serving and worshipping Him. Never underestimate the power of your prayers on this matter.

As the Apostle John said, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” (3 John 1:4) The inverse of this is also true, “I have no greater sorrow than to hear that my children don’t.”  Hannah could live her life in blessed peace knowing that her “loan” to the Lord was reaping eternal dividends.

Today's Reading: Judges 21

 

Weeping at Beth'El

The people came to Bethel and wept before God.  Weeping over the moral degeneracy that had invaded their land.  Weeping over the loss of so many lives in the battle with the Benjaminites.  Weeping over the shattered condition of their nation and their fellow tribesmen from Benjamin.  Weeping is the inevitable end for...

Today's Reading: Judges 20

 

Weeping Before the LORD

The people of Israel were rightly offended by the atrocities of rape and murder that had occurred within their borders.  Brutal acts performed by their own countrymen from the tribe of Benjamin.  They weren’t going to stand for it any longer. They knew something had to be done. 

So, they gathered together and considered the situation, took counsel with one another, and sought the LORD.  They confronted the tribe of Benjamin and demanded an explanation for the great evil that had taken place. They insisted that the men guilty of this crime be brought forward and punished.  But the people of Benjamin refused. Instead they mustered their armies and gathered to battle their fellow tribes.

That’s when the people of Israel went up and wept before the LORD. They fell on their faces and sobbed about sin and evil and the terrible predicament they now faced. Their prayer meeting lasted all day and into the evening. 

There are many times in Scripture that we find people weeping before God in an act of intense prayer and questioning. Weeping – the shedding of tears – is a uniquely human method of expressing emotions such as pain, despair, remorse, and disappointment.  In this case, the people are weeping for three reasons: (1) because of the moral degeneracy of the men of Gibeah; (2) because of the division that has occurred between their fellow countrymen; and, (3) because they are acutely aware that more blood is about to be shed.  They don’t take this situation lightly or enter into it impetuously.  They fall on their faces before the Lord and inquire of Him. They wanted to make sure that going up against their fellow countrymen was the correct action to take.

These were holy tears. Tears of remorse. Tears of repentance. Tears of heartfelt dependence upon God. The God of all comfort keeps watch over your weeping. He gathers up all your tears and “puts them in his bottle” (Psalm 56:8).  God marks every cry of discomfort and pain. No matter how much of your anguish has gone unnoticed by others, not one moment has escaped the attention of the God who neither slumbers nor sleeps. In 2 Kings 20:25, God says to Hezekiah, “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears.”

Many of us feel ashamed of our tears, especially if others see them. In a culture that prizes strength and grows uncomfortable with prolonged grieving, many of us respond to our own tears with a hasty wipe of the sleeve and a quick, “Get over it.”  Not so with God, whose fatherly compassion compels him to draw near to the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds (Psalm 147:3). The God who said, “Blessed are you who weep now” (Luke 6:21) will not reproach you for the tears you shed as you walk through the ruins of our broken world.

Today's Reading: Judges 19

When Atrocities Lead To Action

There is really no way to soften the hard ugliness of this chapter.  The Bible is not a book of “fairy tales” and “unicorns.”  It tells of real human struggles and tragedies.  And it never hides the truth about sin.  Judges 19 describes clearly and graphically the horrible atrocities and violent consequences of human behavior when “everybody does what is right in their own eyes.”  We don’t like reading of such things, but the reality is that human nature is corrupt and perverted. Left to our own impulses, human beings are capable of the lowest forms of evil and violence.

As followers of Christ, we look around at a human race which is not following after God and we are sometimes shocked and dismayed at the atrocities we see.  Murder. Terrorist beheadings. Mass shootings. Suicide bombings. Murder of innocent babies. Genocide. Political corruption. Rape and sexual abuse. Drug trafficking. Homosexual perversion. Human trafficking. Racial hate crimes.  Abuses of human rights. Ethnic cleansing. All of this is real, and the list goes on.

What should be our response to such horrendous things?  Should we simply shrug our shoulders and say, “O well. There’s no way to fight such things”?  Or, should we do something to curtail such atrocities?  In verse 30 of Judges 19, the people who saw the atrocities of rape and murder in Israel came to the consensus that something must be done.  Collectively, the people concluded that the Nation must “consider it” and “take counsel” and “speak.”

To “consider it” means to deeply contemplate the evil in our society.  Don’t ignore it or pretend it isn’t there. Think about it!  Pray about it.  Seek God’s wisdom about it.  To “take counsel” means to consult with others about what to do. Ask one another, what should we do about this?  And to “speak” means to stop your silence and speak up and fight against such horrible behavior. Think about it! Talk it over. And do something!

The global fight against atrocities is long and hard. Fighting it requires courageous engagement by God’s children who believe that genocides and crimes against humanity are not behaviors that should be tolerated and allowed to pass unchallenged.  While it is true that evil will never be fully eradicated from our world until the Son of God comes and establishes His kingdom, it is also true that we should not tolerate such horrible atrocities without speaking out against them.  God knows that standing for truth is not easy.  But He promises to stand with His people. So, Think about it! Talk it over with others. And speak out!

Today's Reading - Judges 18

 

Israel: The Land of No Lack

Today’s Israel, the only Jewish nation in the world, is a small country on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. For its relatively small size, the country has played a large role in global affairs. The country has a strong economy, vibrant farming, and is still known to this day as a land of plenty.  It truly has “no lack” of anything that is in the earth.  This is no mistake or chance happenstance.  This is by the design and hand of God. God has blessed this Nation above all others – just as He said He would.

Israel is the only country in the world that has succeeded in reviving a dead language (Hebrew) and using it as a national language. Because their land produces so bountifully, Israelis consume more fruits and vegetables relative to the population than any other nation in the world.  Israel is the only country in the world that has more trees today than it had 50 years ago.  Life expectancy in Israel is among the highest in the world at 82 years.  Coffee and cafés are so good in Israel that it’s the only country where Starbucks failed trying to break into the local market.

Despite the tough neighborhood they live in, numerous studies rank Israelis among the happiest people among the nations of the world. If you mail a letter addressed to “God”, it will be forwarded to Israel and placed in the Western Wall where over one million notes are placed every year.

Israel is also a fertile place for human achievement.  Cell phone technology was invented in Israel.  So was voice mail. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has the most sophisticated technology in the world and is a leader in saving people trapped by natural and man-made disasters including earthquakes, train wrecks, collapsed buildings, and terrorist attacks. Israel’s “Iron Dome” air defense system is the most advanced military defense system in the world.

This amazing country has something for everyone.  Israel offers scenic desert landscapes, lush forests, breathtaking beaches, majestic rivers, and some of the most important Biblical and historic sites in the world.  Travelers from around the world visit Israel every year, visiting such places as Old Town Jerusalem, Via Dolorosa, Bethlehem, Masada, Caesarea, the Jordan River, the Dead Sea, The Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, and the Sea of Galilee.

Today’s Israel is confirmation of the words in Judge 18:10, that it is a place where there is “no lack of anything that is in the earth.”  It was a place of plenty back in the times of the Judges, and it is a place of plenty still today.  Another assurance that God’s word is truth and can be trusted.  God does not change, and His word does not change. Because it comes from God, who Himself is Truth, His word is true.

Today's Reading: Judges 17

 Right In Their Own Eyes

The ways of the LORD are right.  When we follow His ways, we are right and we are doing rightly.  The prophet Hosea told us, “Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them” (Hosea 14:9).  Psalm 19:8 says, “The precepts of the Lord are right.”  And Psalm 33:4 says, “For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. ... the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just.”

Those who follow the word of the LORD are right.  Inversely, those who follow the ways of man or humanity are not always right.  Even when those ways may “seem” right in their own eyes.  Tragically, the Israelites had forsaken the word of the Lord and everyone began doing what was right in their own eyes.  And, tragically today, this is the story of so many who choose the ways of humanity rather than the ways of God.  Our society has brainwashed millions/billions of people into thinking that everyone has “their own truth” and can decide for themselves what is “right for them.”  They teach that there is no real objective standard of right and wrong.  There is not a single “right way.” 

Jesus vigorously disagreed with this “existential” philosophy when He said, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”  Judges 17:6 is an insightful verse, giving us a look behind the scenes of Israel’s failure as a nation.  This verse is an insight into the moral degeneracy of a Nation. They had lost the fact that God was to be their king. They had lost the consciousness of that fact that God’s ways were the right ways. And everyone, rather than being ruled by God, was doing that which was right in their own eyes. It was a period of anarchy. And this was what led to Israel’s downfall and defeat at the hands of their enemies. And, if our society doesn’t reverse course, it will lead to the same for us. 

How about you?  Is there an area of your life where you have let humanity set the standard of “right” rather than letting God’s word prescribe the true standard.  Is there some attitude in your heart or action in your life that is “right in your own eyes” but truth be told, God is not on board?  Take some time today and seek God on this matter. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you any area of your heart or life that needs to be brought under His rulership.  Give that area to Him.  Turn from it.  Always keep in mind that God’s ways are not man’s ways.  “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” (Proverbs 14:12) Be sure to rid yourself of any such way.