Sin is So Beneath You

Synopsis     Judges 9:11-22     6/24/2018

Jotham, Gideon’s sole surviving son, spoke an allegory to the leaders of the city of Shechem. The allegory described how the cedars of Lebanon were looking for a kind of plant to rule over them. In the allegory, all of the noble trees refused to rule. The olive tree, the grapevine, the fig tree; they all recognized that ruling was not their purpose. Finally the cedars elevated a thorn tree to rule over them.

Jotham condemned the injustice of the Shechemites in supporting Abimlech. And he anticipated that the leaders of Shechem and Abimelech would mutually destroy one another.

The Debasing of Nobility

Jotham was astounded and disappointed with the community leaders who embraced Abimelech’s rule. Shechem was a noble city that was the scene of much biblical history. But even during the time of the Judges, Shechem was renown. Though technically located in Manasseh, it was a Levitical city filled with priests and ministers of the tabernacle. Also, it was a City of Refuge. It was a city held by all in great esteem.

Jotham had an educated and creative mind. His allegory expressed not only his bitter disappointment at the injustice done against Gideon in the murder of his brothers. But it also expressed the pitiable circumstances that the leaders of such a renown city would make such utterly ignoble choices.

His prediction anticipated that such moral failing could not long stand. Eventually, he believed, Abimelech and the community leaders would somehow destroy one another.

Sin is So Beneath You 

I’ve sinned. I was born in sin. But that doesn’t mean that God hates me. Rest assured, He doesn’t.

He is love.

He sees me first and foremost as a benefactor of His love. There is no issue of my deserving it. I couldn’t deserve it. Yet by God’s grace it is given – even to me. And, as a beneficiary, my purpose is to take the love, (and grace and mercy) that I receive and manifest this goodness to others.

But when I sin, He can’t help but pity my moral failure. I am pitiable. In my moments of sin, I can’t be what I was born to be. Sin is so beneath God’s purpose in creation – in creating me. It is utter waste.

So, perhaps the key to ending the reign of sin in my life is to use God’s grace; to begin valuing as God values. Remember, the ordinary circumstances of life aren’t designed to be tests to see if I’ve “made it” to moral purity. Rather, they are intended to give me opportunity to meet the challenge of loving this world in the same way that God loves this world. His hand extended – in all my failure and imperfection, this remains my calling.

And so maybe the question of life is: Will I choose to meet this challenge?

I declare: “Gods though you be, offspring of the Most High all of you, Yet like any mortal you shall die; like any prince you shall fall.” Psalm 82:6-7

Jesus King of Authenticity

Synopsis     Judges 8:35-9:10     6/23/2018

Gideon had seventy sons from his many wives. Abimelech was also a son but from Gideon’s concubine who lived in the neighboring city of Shechem. After Gideon’s death, Abimelech convinced the leaders of Shechem to come under his rule and disavow Gideon’s other sons.

The leaders of Shechem gave Abimelech seventy pieces of silver. So, he took the money and hired outlaws to follow his commands. He took these men to Ophrah and killed all but one of Gideon’s seventy sons – only Jotham, the youngest, survived the massacre.

Then the leaders  of Shechem made Abimelech king.

The Authentic versus the Synthetic

These two approaches to community fight. Not always. And usually not obviously. But they are essentially at odds.

Abimelech desired exactly the opposite of what his father Gideon wanted. He wanted to be king. And, he wanted power and authority and the honor of men. He wanted everything that can only happen when men get together and choose for themselves the best way to live without giving recourse to God’s way.

Jesus King of Authenticity

Jesus refused to made king over a synthetic community. He refused not only because He was already king over the Authentic Community, but also because synthetic communities never endure – they do not persist.

Eventually we all make the choice of how to live. Abimelech chose the synthetic. He chose power in the most stark and Machiavellian terms. In so doing, he validated every Hobbesian belief about fundamental human depravity. He chose that which is destined to fail. And, of course, he wasn’t the last person to make this choice.

But the same, one, Authentic Community does persist. Jesus rules the Authentic Community. And to the extent that I have chosen the Authentic, I am eternal with Him.

Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants [would] be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.” John 18:36

God is Sovereign over the Authentic Community

Synopsis     Judges 8:23-34     6/22/2018

Although he had been offered kingship over Israel, Gideon refused to form a dynasty. And, he reminded the Israelites that God alone was to be their ruler.

Gideon requested and received a gold ring from each soldier’s battlefield spoils. With this, he made an ephod and placed it in his hometown of Ophrah. Reportedly, all the tribes of Israel worshipped before it.

Gideon lived on in his hometown and had seventy sons from his many wives. He also had a son named Abimelech from his concubine who lived in Shechem.

Gideon lived to be very old before he died. After Gideon’s death, the Israelites once again began the worship of Baal.

God Alone Shall Rule Over You

Gideon’s refusal to be made king and to form his own dynasty showed his understanding. He recognized the difference between the Authentic Community and synthetic communities. He recognized that God’s rulership was not subject to human demands or any kind of social contract. Instead, it was given as a covenant relationship between God and His chosen people.

The Authentic Community persists. It’s the same now and forever. It remains, the same community to which Gideon counted himself a citizen.

God is Sovereign Over the Authentic Community

So should I refuse to pay taxes because I count myself a member of the Authentic Community?

“Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.” Jesus said. “And give to God what is God’s.”

The two communities cannot be reconciled. Neither can one be reduced to the other. They are separate. Though I find myself contractually subject to the one with little choice, to the other I choose only to accept or reject. In the authentic, I embrace the most important opportunity of my life.

Yes, I’ll pay the tax. But more importantly, I’ll follow Jesus.

“Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.” John 6:15

The Israelite Search for a Savior

Synopsis     Judges 8:12-22     6/21/2018

In the midst of battle with Midian, the Midianite kings fled from Gideon. But Gideon pursued the kings and captured them. Then he then returned to the cities that had denied him support during the battle in favor of the Midianites. Here, Gideon exacted revenge for their faithlessness in front of the two captured kings.

Afterward, Gideon questioned the kings. His questioning implied that he would have shown mercy to them if they had shown mercy in the past. But they admitted that they had shown no mercy. He ordered his young son to kill them with a sword. But the boy was afraid. Then Gideon executed the two kings of Midian; Zebah and Zalmunna.

After this, the Israelites asked Gideon to be king. 

The Israelite Search for a Savior

The Israelite’s were not satisfied with the arrangement they had inherited from Moses. And the cycles of war and lawlessness had increased their dissatisfaction.

In a moment of exaltation at Gideon’s victory, they seemed to recognize what they really wanted. They wanted to become a kingdom with a dynastic family to lead them. Israel desired not to have to feel worry about protection and rulership again. They wanted a savior. And, they wanted a savior whose reign would never end. This was their vision for national and personal salvation.

Fully expressed as a desire, the want for a permanent savior was perhaps first articulated in pressing Gideon to become king.

Salvation and Eternal Life

I’m like an ancient Israelite. When I say I want eternal life, what I really want is for the good of my life to go on as long as possible.  I want those things to persist.

So, this anticipation of future good is what we call hope. We can do nothing without hope. And if I want for others what I would want for myself – well that’s called love and that’s the foundation of community.

And the belief in the person who can deliver these extraordinary goods into our lives is faith. Faith in a savior. For us as Christians, faith in the savior.

So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Cor 13:13 

Would You Rather Be Right or Successful?

Synopsis     Judges 8:1-11     6/20/2018

After the route of the Midianites army, the Ephraimites complained to Gideon that he should have called them to fight sooner. But Gideon reminded them that Manasseh and the northernmost tribes had borne the worst of the Midianite oppression and felt an urgency to fight that the tribe of Ephraim did not.

So, Gideon and his men continued their pursuit of the fleeing Midianite kings. Along the way, Gideon asked the people of Succoth and Penuel for bread to feed his men. But, fearing reprisal from the Midianites if they helped Gideon, the leaders of both cities refused. Gideon swore to return and punish both cities once his victory was complete.

The Difference Between Victory and Success

The Ephraimites complained that Gideon did not include them in the battle sooner. Gideon rebuked them because the Ephraimites had not suffered as greatly under the Midianite oppression.

Gideon complained that the cities of Succoth and Penuel refused to give him food. The elders were afraid to take a chance on Gideon. So Gideon vowed to get vengeance.

What’s going on here?

Gideon seems to have forgotten God. In the midst of his extraordinary, God-given victory, he obsessed over a city too frightened of reprisals to give him food. And so the vow to “pay them back”. Somehow this is justice?

It’s wasn’t justice.

It was force. It was the signal that Gideon had lost track of God’s will. Only a few short hours from the height of success with God, Gideon was relying on his own fierce interpretation of justice. His behavior betrayed evidence of an attitude of entitlement. He felt entitled.

When he was hiding in the winepress, he blamed God for his problems. He communicated an entitlement expectation. When he was pursuing the kings of Midian he threatened cities that were afraid to help him. He was still entitled.

Would You Rather Be Right or Successful?

A man once asked me, “Would you rather be right or successful?” I was perplexed. “Well”, I said, “if they’re not the same thing, then I’d rather be right.”

He replied, “Then it will always be hard for you to find lasting success. You will win many arguments but few souls”

“All your ways may be straight in your own eyes, but it is the LORD who weighs hearts.” Prov 21:2

So It’s Not Your Turn

Synopsis     Judges 7:19-25     6/19/2018

So Gideon and his three-hundred men approached the Midianite camp just after the changing of the guard. They stood fast, shouting and blowing their horns. The Midianites and their allies were so panicked that they fled. And they  fought with one another as they attempted to get away. They ran south and east toward the river Jordan.

The Israelites from the northern tribes were called to arms, including men from Ephraim. All of the Israelite forces pursued the broken Midianite army. The Ephraimites captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, and killed them.

Remaining Ready

Not all the soldiers could remain with Gideon. If there were more than three-hundred in the original assault, then God’s will would have been frustrated.

But the forces that Gideon had sent away remained ready to answer the call. As a result, the men were assembled quickly into forces that pursued the Midianites over the next day.

So It’s Not Your Turn

Not everyone can be a missionary in an exotic, foreign nation. Not everyone is called or gifted to speak to multitudes. Not everyone gets the consolation or satisfaction of seeing the fulfillment of their work. Here’s what the saint said:

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.

Saint Teresa of Calcutta

“but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope” 1 Peter 3:15

Divine Foretaste and The Eucharist

Synopsis     Judges 7:9-18     6/18/2018

At God’s direction, Gideon reconnoitered the Midianite camp, getting close enough to hear the Midianite soldiers talk. The soldiers had heard that a mighty warrior had emerged in Israel and assembled a formidable army. The whole Midianite army was afraid.

Because of this, Gideon knew with certainty that God had delivered the Midianite army into his power. He prepared his army of three-hundred men with instructions on how to engage. And then, he led them down to the edge of the Midianite camp.

A Word in Season

Sometimes God gives a foretaste of victory. He doesn’t have to. But He did this for Gideon in order for Gideon’s experience to have its most profound and transformative effect. Imagine how differently the story would read, and Gideon’s experience would have been, if God had not directed Gideon to the enemy camp.

Gideon most likely would have obeyed God’s instructions. And the outcome of the battle would most likely have been exactly the same. Gideon would have separated his men according to God’s plan. He would have given the signal and shouted and blown the trumpet. The enemy soldiers would have panicked and fled. The enemy would have been routed.

But Gideon would have never known that the victory was determined before he made his assault. He would have never known that the enemy was actually far more afraid of him than he was of them. He would not have known how God had worked behind the scenes to assure his victory. Even in victory, he would have been tempted to interpret his success as either a matter of luck or his skill. As a result, God’s role in his success would have been unclear.

And so, without this foretaste, his understanding of his own experience would have been limited.

The Transfiguration

It makes me wonder how differently the apostles would have experienced Jesus Christ had He not revealed Himself on the Mount of Transfiguration. Without this foretaste of his utter divinity, the rest of the gospels would be poorer and subject to misinterpretation. Even if everything else about Jesus’ life and ministry with His disciples had been exactly the same, who He was and the certainty of His success would have been interpreted differently.

As so, without this foretaste, the Apostle’s understanding of their own experience would have been limited.

The Eucharist As a Divine Foretaste

Eucharist literally translated means “thanksgiving”. We celebrate the mass and participate in the Eucharist – the Thanksgiving. It is given as a foretaste of heaven. The beatific vision. And whatever else heaven might mean, it’s interesting to think that without this foretaste, heaven itself might not be fully accessible.

And so, without this foretaste, my understanding of my own experience of heaven might actually be limited.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” John 6:51

The Meaning of Quirks

Synopsis     Judges 7:2-8     6/17/2018

God paired down the army that Gideon had assembled. He did not want the men of Israel to wrongly conclude that the coming victory was due to their own power, but instead He wanted them to understand it was the power of God working through them.

So God had Gideon send away anyone who was fearful. He then performed a test by having Gideon lead the men to water. He then observed how they drank. The men were separated into two groups: those who drank like dogs, and those who didn’t. Through this, three-hundred were chosen to remain for the assault on Midian. There were three-hundred chosen from over thirty-two thousand men who initially showed up.

Lapping Like Dogs

There are lots of theories about the distinction between those men who lapped liked dogs and those who didn’t. Perhaps a caution on not reading too much into the story. For example, it’s specifically not clear from the story  that anyone was more or less righteous because of the way they drank water. It’s also not clear that someone who drinks water in a certain way is more likely to be a better warrior than someone who drinks water another way.

So what’s going on?

It’s tempting to think that the story can be read in a way that gives insight into a universal principle of human nature. I sometimes want to believe that a single point of reference like “water drinking” can give some deep insight into the soul of another person. It’s like I want to believe that “drinks water from a river like a dog” is one of the top three ways for a leader to know that his soldiers will follow him. But knowing another person doesn’t really work like that.

In fact, for this example, it could be a statistically valid fact that only 1 in 100 human beings happen to drink water from a river by lapping like a dog. So, God may have chosen this test simply as a convenient way to reduce the number of men – which was his stated purpose in conducting the test in the first place. It didn’t necessarily make the men who remained more suitable for the fight.

So the behavioral quirkiness of drinking water from a river like a dog might not signal anything more than a somewhat arbitrary personal mark (like a birthmark) that happens to be common in 1 in 100 people.

The Meaning of Quirks

For most human purposes, a well-established reputation is far more important than some arbitrary personal mark.

Hence that old expression, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

“So, by their fruits you will know them” Matt 7:20

Testing the Lord, Testing of Your Life

Synopsis     Judges 6:32-7:1     6/16/2018

Gideon was renamed Jerubbaal because he had dismantled his father’s altar. And the spirit of God was evident on Gideon by those who knew him.

Gideon began to form an army from the northern tribes of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali. Then Gideon asked God for a sign to ensure that God was with him. He lay a piece of wool fleece on the ground and asked God to make the dew fall on the wool fleece but not on the ground, which God did. He then asked that the dew fall on the ground but not on the wool fleece, and God did this also.

The next day, Gideon moved his army into position.

Testing of the Fleece

Gideon was past the point of demanding a sign in order to believe. Yet he felt the weight of responsibility for the thousands of men who were miraculously willing to follow him. He didn’t want to risk making a mistake in his understanding of God’s command.

Testing of Your Life

There is a difference between testing God, as though He should prove himself to me and testing God to verify that I am rightly responding to His will. There is no sin in asking for clarity if the disposition of your heart is to obey.

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, That there may be food in my house. Put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, And see if I do not open the floodgates of heaven for you, and pour down upon you blessing without measure!” Mal 3:10

Don’t Find Yourself Fighting Against God

Synopsis     Judges 6:22-31     6/15/2018

Gideon became fearful after the encounter with the angel, thinking that seeing an angel face to face might be a harbinger of his imminent death. God assured him that he was safe. He gave Gideon specific instructions on his first mission, which was to destroy the idols in his father’s house.

He destroyed his father’s idols in the night, when he could not be easily observed. The desecration brought an uproar to the village. Upon discovery that Gideon was the culprit in destroying the idols, the villagers demanded his death for offending the so-called gods. However, Gideon’s father Joash protected Gideon from the wrath of the clan. Joash famously said, “If he [Baal] is god, let him act for himself”.

Joash Recognized God in Gideon’s Actions

When someone is following God there is a discernable difference about their behavior. They are motivated with a  surety that is beyond confidence. In this angelic visitation, Gideon had seen into a world that most people only ever speculate about.

Joash recognized that something had changed for Gideon and that it had to do with God. He deferred the wrath of the people by pointing out that if Baal were truly a divine, then he wouldn’t need people to defend him.

Don’t Want to Find Yourself Fighting Against God

It was similar in the time after Jesus’ ascension. His disciples had experienced the realm of the unseen. They had been filled with the Holy Spirit. And so they preached, proclaimed and healed fearlessly. At one point, the Sanhedrin debated how to respond to the growing movement of Christ followers.

A wise member pointed out to the other members of the council that persecuting the disciples would do not good. If God was not with them, the movement would die out. But if God was with them, then the council might actually find itself resisting God’s plans and purposes.

It’s so easy for me to think my understanding of God is all there is – that is, of course, why it’s my understanding God. It’s limited.

But the thing I can’t know is how limited. It’s a dangerous thing to think I have a hammerlock on the truth. It’s a new day. I need to leave room for God to show me a little bit more today and each morrow.

“But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” Act 5:39