Heroes Don't Necessarily Beget Heroes...

Judges 17-18; Psalm 104:1-23; Proverbs 14:20-21

 

… But God does.

 

Moses was pretty amazing, right? So you’d think that his children and grandchildren, at least, would be amazing, too. Wouldn’t they want to maintain the family reputation? Wouldn’t they understand that the only way to do that would be by staying faithful to the Lord?

 

Well, in Judges 17-18, there’s this convoluted story where certain Israelites begin to mix idol worship in with their supposed love for the Lord. And a certain young man, a Levite, comes into the story and gets hired as one man’s personal priest. He’s supposed to be a priest of the Lord, but he’s serving as a priest among idols, too. Eventually a group of warriors from the tribe of Dan comes along and recruits him to be their priest. So he goes with them to their new home in Laish and serves as their priest.

 

Here’s the shocker of the story:

There the Danites set up for themselves the idols, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land. They continued to use the idols Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh. – Judges 18:30-31

 

This young man was Moses’ grandson! And he was willing to serve both the Lord and idols! If Moses’ grandson can fall away from the faith, anyone can!

 

Father, protect us from such a twisted life. Protect us from thinking we can be unfaithful to You and get away with it. Protect us from being so foolish that we don’t see how good it is to be Your servant, Your friend, Your child – and Yours alone! Drive unfaithfulness out of our hearts, our children’s hearts, our grandchildren’s hearts, and our descendants’ hearts. Please. Please. Introduce Yourself to each of us so that we know You firsthand. We need You.

 

Hair as a Measurement

Judges 15-16; Psalm 103; Proverbs 14:17-19

 

Did Samson have magical hair? Why did it matter that the hair on his head began to grow back again after it had been shaved (Judges 16:22)?

 

It mattered because Samson was a Nazirite, not because his hair had any special qualities of its own. When Samson finally told Delilah how to subdue him, he said, “No razor has ever been used on my head because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth.” – Judges 16:17

 

Nazirites were people who made a special vow, a vow of separation to the LORD (Numbers 6:2). Whatever vow they made, they had certain rules to follow. The most constantly visible mark of being a Nazirite was their hair. Here’s why:

 

Numbers 6: 5-8 During the entire period of his vow of separation no razor may be used on his head. He must be holy until the period of his separation to the LORD is over; he must let the hair of his head grow long. Throughout the period of his separation to the LORD he must not go near a dead body. Even if his own father or mother or brother or sister dies, he must not make himself ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of his separation to God is on his head. Throughout the period of his separation he is consecrated to the LORD. …

 

Numbers 6:18-21  … Then at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the Nazirite must shave off the hair that he dedicated. He is to take the hair and put it in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering. After the Nazirite has shaved off the hair of his dedication, the priest is to place in his hands a boiled shoulder of the ram, and a cake and a wafer from the basket, both made without yeast. The priest shall then wave them before the LORD as a wave offering; they are holy and belong to the priest, together with the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine. This is the law of the Nazirite who vows his offering to the LORD in accordance with his separation, in addition to whatever else he can afford. He must fulfill the vow he has made, according to the law of the Nazirite.

 

The hair was an exact physical representation of the number of days that a Nazirite had been devoted to the LORD. Nazirites turned their hair in at the end of their vows as a statement that they had been faithful to God for as long as the vow was in place. So what happened if, like Samson, a Nazirite lost his hair? Did that kill the vow? Was he doomed to failure?

 

Numbers 6:9-12 - If someone dies suddenly in his presence, thus defiling the hair he has dedicated, he must shave his head on the day of his cleansing--the seventh day. Then on the eighth day he must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. The priest is to offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to make atonement for him because he sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. That same day he is to consecrate his head. He must dedicate himself to the LORD for the period of his separation and must bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. The previous days do not count, because he became defiled during his separation.

 

So getting a Nazirite’s hair shaved off didn’t mean his vow was over. It didn’t mean God was done with a him. Instead, it was a time to start over, to re-commit to one’s vow and to God all over again. For Samson, it meant another chance to fulfill God’s plans for his life. What were those plans?

 

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. – Judges 13:5

 

So God had given Samson a lifelong vow to keep. Yes, most people get to make their own vows. But God had given Samson his lifelong vow before he had even been conceived. And that vow was that Samson would begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines.

 

When Samson lost his hair to the Philistines, it was evidence at the most basic level that he had broken his vow. But Samson served the same God we serve today, a God who has built grace into His system so that, even when we fail, we can look forward to serving Him another day. When Samson’s hair was shaved off, it showed that Samson had been unfaithful to God. And when Samson’s hair grew back, it showed that God was still faithful to Samson and would still give him a chance to fulfill his designated vow. Samson did more to deliver Israel from the Philistines after his hair had begun to grow back than he had ever accomplished while he still had his eyes and his braids as long as life.

 

God does not forsake His children forever.

 

Father, thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You for Your forgiveness, and for Your willingness to show me how fully I break Your commands while still giving me the chance to repent and call on You again. I am like Samson and like Paul; when I am weak, then I am strong, because Your power is made perfect in weakness. As I see my limitations and sinfulness in any and every area of my life, may I repent and start over with You as the constant source of all the wisdom, love and talent in my life.

 

God: The Reason for Despair, the Reason for Hope

Judges 13-14; Psalm 102; Proverbs 14:15-16

 

When you think of God, do you tremble or laugh? Do you cower or dance? Samson’s parents give us an example of both.

 

First, Samson’s dad: "We are doomed to die!" he said to his wife. "We have seen God!" – Judges 13:22.

 

This is a legitimate response. God is so immense, so powerful, so holy, that we ought to realize when we encounter the living God how comparatively worthless we are. His perfections highlight our deformities. We realize that our very lives offend His righteous standards, and that He has every right as God – the Creator, King and Judge of the universe – to strike us dead for our lack of obedience. If God did not exist, we could applaud ourselves as the highest, most intelligent, most creative, most thoughtfully moral creatures in the known world. But God is alive. And an encounter with Him shatters our lofty self-conceptions. We are not wise, good, or strong. Before God – when we compare ourselves with God, up close and personal – we see our twisted, weak, shameful, sinful selves. And despair makes sense.

 

But then there was Samson’s mom. I love her response: "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." – Judges 13:23.

 

Although despair is a legitimate response before our holy God, ultimately hope just makes more sense. Why? Precisely because in God’s presence we deserve so much to die that the only reason that we can have an encounter with the living God and still be alive is that He loves us. God has good plans for us. God has every right to be disgusted with us, but He cares about us and still wants a relationship with us. Have you thought about that recently? God exists, and you are not dead! There’s a reason for hope!

 

And what’s more, what Samson’s parents did not know, is that God loves us so much that He sent to us His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, so that whoever trusts in Him will never die, but will have life forever (John 3:16)! Jesus died for us! God would so much rather take care of us than destroy us for our sins that His own Son suffered!

 

God has come down among men. Jesus lived among us. And through His life and death and resurrection, we learned two enormous truths: 1) We deserve to die, and 2) God wants us to live.

 

Father, thank You that You love us so much! We definitely don’t deserve Your love. I know I don’t. Sometimes I want to obey You, but I fall short because I’m too exhausted to make the effort. Sometimes I get discouraged and become apathetic; I stop even caring about pleasing You. And sometimes I go so far as to decide that my needs, or even wants, are more important than people; I neglect others so that I can be comfortable. No, I certainly don’t deserve Your love. But I am so grateful that I’ve met You, that I’ve heard You speak, and that You’ve given Yourself to me rather than killing me off. You are my life! Forever! Thank You!

 

Just Plain Dumb. Period.

Judges 11-12; Psalm 101; Proverbs 14:13-14

 

Did he have a bad relationship with his wife? Was he hoping that some relative who had overstayed his welcome would be the first to walk out the door of his house? What was Jephthah thinking?

 

Things were going well. The elders of Gilead had promised to make Jephthah their ruler if he could lead them to victory against their enemies. This was settled before the LORD (Judges 11:8, 11). The king of Ammon was clearly in the wrong; he had no good basis for attacking God’s people (Judges 11:12-28), so Jephthah was standing on solid ethical ground. And the Spirit of the LORD was on him (Judges 11:29)!

 

Everything was lining up. God seemed poised to honor Jephthah and overcome the Ammonites through him. So why did he make this vow? 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. – Judges 11:30-31.

 

God hadn’t asked for this! He was already blessing Jephthah! He was already blessing Israel through Jephthah! Surely God knew that Jephthah’s daughter would be the first person out of the house to greet her dad! Why did God allow this vow? Why did God allow it to be fulfilled? What was God supposed to do—let the Israelites be defeated so that Jephthah’s daughter could be saved?

 

It is utterly important that we choose to worship God in the ways that He asks for worship! Otherwise we make destructive, terrible mistakes. We harm each other when we try to make an offer to God – as though anything we have to offer, besides our own faithful service (or even that!) is impressive enough to get God to do something He doesn’t want to do! God was already planning to defeat the Ammonites. Jephthah’s vow didn’t change that. Jephthah could have saved everyone a lot of pain if he had just responded to God with thankful, faithful praise and service.

 

Father, help me to follow You. Help me not to think that anything I have to offer can pique Your interest enough to make You do what I want. Instead, may I follow You in what You want done. And may I worship You as You ask me to. I trust You to keep me from Jephthah’s harmful ways.

 

Yesterday - Michael's 2nd Birthday!

I just have to take a moment to brag on my little boy. He’s smart, he’s cute, he laughs all the time, he’s speaking in rather long sentences that he shouldn’t be able to use for another 6+ months. He’s cunning and subtle, and he’s a load of fun. And now Michael’s two years old!

 

Amazing!

 

Ouch! So close!

Judges 8:18-9:21; Psalm 99; Proverbs 14:9-10

 

We need a better leader than Gideon. He has an impressive résumé, but not impressive enough.

 

Personally recruited the angel of the LORD. Check.

 

Be graced by nifty miracles that prove God is with me—fire burst from a rock, selective placement of dew twice in a row. Check. Check. Check.

 

Survive after demolishing father’s idols. Check.

 

Send 31,700 soldiers away. With the LORD’s help, still defeat the Midianites with only 300 men. Check.

 

Get invited to rule Israel. Humbly turn down the offer. Check.

 

Take a share of the plunder, melt it down, make an ephod. Worship it. WHAT WAS GIDEON THINKING? (Judges 8:27)

 

David sinned and was forgiven. But the story of his repentance is recorded for us. We don’t have that story recorded in Gideon’s case. Maybe it happened. I hope so. But here we have yet another story—from our own Scriptures—demonstrating that God’s grace is able to flow to His people even through deeply flawed men. During Gideon's lifetime, the land enjoyed peace forty years. – Judges 8:28. What a good God we have.

 

Father, I don’t even know where Gideon is now. He was a hero of the faith (Hebrews 11:32). But this is how his story ends—worshiping the plunder rather than the warrior God who captured the plunder—living in idolatry. Is he with You now? Is he crying out in misery? Father, be gracious, please. Lead us not into temptation. We are weak and stupid. We need your wisdom, your faithfulness, your strength. Thank You for being so gracious, even when You choose to work through such weak men as Gideon. How much more grace You have poured out through Your perfect, sinless, ever-faithful Son, Jesus Christ! Keep me in Your grace throughout His eternal life. Thank You for Jesus!

 

How to Stop an Attacker

Judges 7:1-8:17; Psalms 97 and 98; Proverbs 14:7-8

 

Fight or flight, right? Those are the only two alternatives when someone runs your way shouting, nostrils flaring, red-in-the-face. We prepare to rage or run.

 

But not Gideon. He had just finished a battle against Israel’s enemies. At the end, this is what he hears: Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, "Why have you treated us like this? Why didn't you call us when you went to fight Midian?" And they criticized him sharply. – Judges 8:1

 

But believe it or not, there is an alternative way to stop an attacker, a way that demands neither fight nor flight. It requires courage and humility. And it requires a real concern for peace.

 

Gideon answered them: "What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren't the gleanings of Ephraim's grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?" – Judges 8:2-3a

 

He honored them. He refused to defend himself, but he also refused to run away. No flight. No fight. But he stopped his attackers in their tracks: At this, their resentment against him subsided. – Judges 8:3b

 

Father, may I have the humility, love, and courage to absorb attacks and still respond with grace. May I care more about maintaining good relationships than about maintaining my own honor in the eyes of my family, friends, and community. Teach me how to stop an attacker the way Gideon did.