September 16 -- "Bitter Weeping at Beth'el"

 Today’s Reading: Judges 21

"Bitter Weeping at Beth'el"

It was a sad and bitter end for the period of the Judges. 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 a people that disregards the Lord and builds a society where everyone does “what is right in their own eyes.” (Judges 21:25)

The nation came together at a national historic site, known as Bethel.  This was a place in Israel located about 10 miles north of Jerusalem.  It seems that every nation on earth has its own historic sites and national monuments. Places where decisive battles were won.  Places where monumental decisions were made.  Places where people banded together and forged a new country.  The United States has many of these historic sites that have become national monuments.  Places that stand to tell the story of our founding as a nation.  Places like the Battlefields of Gettysburg, Independence Hall, Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, the Alamo, and many others.  It is in these places that we remember the battles, the struggles, the countless lives lost, and the hand of God enabling the birth our nation.

For Israel, one of these places was Bethel.  The word “Bethel” is the contraction of two Hebrew words, “Beth” meaning “house” and “El” meaning “God.”  Thus, Beth’el was the “house of God.”  The history of Bethel goes all the way back to Abram who, when he entered Canaan, formed an encampment between Bethel and Hai (Genesis 12:8 ); and on his return from Egypt he came back to it, and again "called upon the name of the Lord."  Later on, Jacob (Abram’s grandson) had an encounter with God at this same place.  Genesis 35:15 tells us that “Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken to him, Beth’el.”

At times of national tragedy, it is not uncommon for the people of a nation to reach back to their history.  Perhaps this is humanity’s way of attempting to find its roots and returning to a more glorious day.  For Israel, the nation had been struggling for 400 years to find its way in their new Land.  For 400 years they had repeatedly gone through the cycle of falling away from God, being defeated by their enemies, then returning to God in tears of repentance.  Now, after 400 years, they are weeping bitterly before God once again as they have drifted so far from Him.

It is time for all of us to get “back to Beth’el” and weep bitterly before our God.  We need to recognize the shattered condition of our nation and return to the House of God and seek His forgiveness.  Our nation – without God – is not invincible.  If we don’t return to Him in weeping and repentance, we cannot long stand. Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.” (Luke 11:17)  A society without divine blessing cannot prosper; a nation without faith cannot endure because justice, goodness, and peace cannot prevail without the glory of almighty God.

September 15 -- "Holy Tears"

 Today’s Reading: Judges 20

"Holy Tears"

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.

September 14 -- "Atrocities!"

 Today’s Reading: Judges 19

"Atrocities!"

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!

September 13 -- "Israel: The Land of No Lack"

 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” missile 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.”  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.

September 12 -- "A Broken Moral Compass"

Today’s Reading: Judges 17 

"A Broken Moral Compass"

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. Rather than following the moral compass presented in God’s word, they follow the wrong moral compass: their own opinion. 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.”  Sadly, their moral compass is broken.

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.  

September 11 -- "When The Spirit Departs"

Today’s Reading: Judges 16

"When The Spirit Departs"

Yesterday, we read of the amazing moment when the Spirit of God miraculously and powerfully came upon Samson. Today, we read of the tragic moment when that same Spirt left him.

In spite of Samson’s amazing gift from God, he had little respect for either his Nazirite vow or the Israelite law. He handled a dead lion, married a Philistine woman and joined in the customary wine-drinking feasts of the Philistines. As a result of his carelessness with the things of God, the Spirit’s power was removed from him.  “But he did not know that the LORD had left him.”  He was blind to the departure of God’s Spirit.  And it ended tragically for him.

This presents us with a powerful life lesson about presumption - a self-confidence that can cause a person to presume that God is still with them when, in fact, He has departed. There is a spiritual kind of a blindness that afflicts people especially if they are fooling around in the enemy's territory, trying to play around with sin, playing games on the enemy's field. It is possible for you to stray from God and to get out and isolated, away from God. You can get so caught up in your activities that you're not really aware of the fact that anointing, that power of God is no longer upon your life.

Samson was blind to his own spiritual state. It is possible to be self-deceived about your own spiritual state. Samson had the potential of going down in the history books as one of the mightiest and most glorious of all the deliverers of Israel. His name could've been alongside of David's and Samuel's, the marvelous deliverers of Israel. But he could not conquer his own passions, his own lust.  And it led to the LORD removing His anointing.

This is why we are exhorted repeatedly in Scripture to humble ourselves before God and constantly be on the lookout for pride and presumption creeping into our lives. “Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23) Never presume upon God.  And never handle the gifts and callings of God carelessly.

September 10 -- "When The Spirit Rushes In"

 Today’s Reading: Judges 15

"When The Spirit Rushes In"

Verse 14 says, “The Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him.”  In other translations, this phrase “rushed upon” is translated as “came powerfully upon” (NIV); “came mightily upon” (KJV); “took control of” (HOL); “came over” (GW).  No matter how you say it, this was a phenomenal and powerful move of God’s Spirit upon Samson granting him astounding physical strength.

When the Spirit of the Lord rushes upon someone, some pretty amazing things begin to happen.  Here in Judges 15, the Spirit enabled Samson to break the ropes off his hands like they were powder and strike down an army of Philistines with a donkey’s jawbone.  Elsewhere in Scripture, we see the Spirit’s rushing power enabling people to do amazing supernatural feats: Saul mustered three hundred thousand Israelites for battle (1 Samuel 11:6-8); David was anointed as Israel’s king (1 Samuel 16:13); Azariah preached a powerful sermon (2 Chronicles 15:1); Balaam prophesied (Numbers 24:2); Jahaziel pronounced great words of encouragement (2 Chronicles 20:14). Every one of these actions were beyond the “natural” abilities of the person. Every one of these actions were enacted by a supernatural power that can come only from God.

Everywhere in Scripture where we read of the Holy Spirit coming upon people, we see unusual and unexplainable events take place.  In the New Testament we read, “And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:2-4)  Unusual and unexplainable - the sound of rushing wind. Wildfire. Speaking in tongues. And an unexpectedly bold Gospel presentation by a coward, the Apostle Peter.  Wow! What unusual and unexplainable phenomenon. 

That’s what happens when God’s Spirit comes upon a person.  They are enabled to do things that they could not do in their human strength.  This is how God enables people to accomplish His great purposes. And when His Spirit rushes in – watch out!  Unusual and unexplainable events will arise.

What is that “thing” that God has put on your heart to accomplish for His kingdom? What ministry is calling you? Don’t attempt that thing in your own strength or human effort.  Instead, listen to what Jesus told you to do, “wait for the promise of the Father.”  Wait upon Him and in His perfect timing “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8). You, too can experience the Spirit rushing upon you resulting in unusual and unexplainable power happening in your life.