Today’s reading is Judges 21:1-Ruth 1:22, John 4:4-42, Psalm 105:1-15, Proverbs 14:25.

In our passage today, we wrap up the story of the time of the judges, which led to the era with no king—a time when people did as they saw fit.  It was a dark, evil time period.  The book of Judges ends this way:

²⁵ In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

                                                                        Judges 21:25

This anarchical model may appear to be ideal, but in actuality leads to chaos and disorder.  We need a standard, we need boundaries.  We are all tempted to push the limits on those boundaries, but we need them nonetheless.  Psychologists confirm that from the earliest age, children are most content, happy, and secure when there are boundaries in place.  It starts with the swaddling clothes and ends with social, moral, and spiritual boundaries.  These margins give us comfort, rest, peace, and stability and without them, things would tend towards unrest. This sense of disorder defined that time period.

During the time of the judges, there arose a severe famine, symbolic of the spiritual and political famine of those days.  This is the time period of the story of Ruth and Naomi, a story defined by loyalty and redemption.

There was a man named Elimelech from Bethelehem in the land of Judah who left his home because of the famine and went to the country of Moab with his wife Naomi, and their two sons, Mahlon and Kilion.  It was there they settled.

Mahlon and Kilion married Moabite women, Orpah, and Ruth, and all seemed to be going well.  That is, until the waves of tragedy came forcefully upon this family.  First, Elimelech died, then both sons died, leaving three widows to fend for themselves.  In those days, widows and orphans were the absolute bottom of the social ladder.  They were completely destitute.  Hearing that the famine in Israel had ended, Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem, with hopes she could better survive among her own people in her own homeland.  One of her daughters-in-law, Ruth, insisted on going with her, leaving behind her land, her family, and what little security she still had.  She famously said to Naomi, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. ¹⁷ Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” 

And so, the destitute widows returned to Bethlehem.  We glimpse their despair in the following passage:

¹⁹ So the two of them continued on their journey. When they came to Bethlehem, the entire town was excited by their arrival. “Is it really Naomi?” the women asked.

²⁰ “Don’t call me Naomi,” she responded. “Instead, call me Mara,^[a] for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. ²¹ I went away full, but the Lord has brought me home empty. Why call me Naomi when the Lord has caused me to suffer^[b] and the Almighty has sent such tragedy upon me?”

²² So Naomi returned from Moab, accompanied by her daughter-in-law Ruth, the young Moabite woman. They arrived in Bethlehem in late spring, at the beginning of the barley harvest.

                                                                                    Ruth 1:19-22

This verse is the end of today’s passage.  We don’t know what will happen, we don’t know if they will survive.  All we know is that their despair is so great that Naomi wants to change her name to reflect the great changes in her life.  The name Naomi means “sweet, pleasant”.  She can longer fathom a sweet and pleasant life.  Her grief can only see the pain and the despair, and so she declares that her new name is Mara, which means “bitter”.  Her affliction is definitely a bitter pill to swallow, and it has changed everything.  She is no longer sweet and pleasant.  She is no longer who she used to be.  And she sees this bitter change as an endless, eternal lot which she can’t escape.

In the midst of grief, we often feel the same way.  We become bitter and full of despair.  We feel that we may drown in the grief.  Surely there is no way to survive, we think to ourselves.  But Naomi did do one important thing, which was a step toward redemption.  She headed home.  She headed to the place where she could freely worship God and be surrounded by others who worshipped God, unlike the land of the Moabites.  And that step of faith toward home set the stage for a huge redemption that would ultimately affect us, as well.

Are you Mara?  Is your name “Bitterness”?  Has life dealt you such a blow that it is hard to live life fully?  Do you feel abandoned, alone, disappointed, full of despair?  Take heart, my friend!  Take a step home, where Abba Father is waiting to rescue you and redeem your situation.

Today our reading includes Judges 19:1-20:48, John 3:22-4:3, Psalm 104:24-35, Proverbs 14:22-24.

Our reading yesterday set the stage for a disastrous situation.  It is wrought with wrong.  The times were confusing, and wrong seemed right and right seemed wrong.  It was a time of chaos.  The ungodliness continued to grow even more ungodly.  We realize that this is the theme of those times because of one sentence that is repeated over several chapters.  Chapter 18 begins like this:

In those days Israel had no king.

                               Judges 18:1

And then it continues to tell the historical account of idol worship, theft, and threats.  This led to unrighteousness battles, including attacks against a peaceful people who were ill-equipped to fight.  As we move on to Chapter 19, we see the common theme repeated.  Chapter 19 begins like this:

In those days Israel had no king.

                                    Judges 19:1

And the disturbing saga continues and becomes even more disturbing.  The ungodliness continues to grow even more ungodly.  This vile account includes perversion, gang rape, murder, and revenge.  As we end Chapter 19, there seems to be an awakening to the dramatic moral fall the society had experienced.  The chapter ends with this declaration:

²⁹ When he reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel. ³⁰ Everyone who saw it was saying to one another, “Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Just imagine! We must do something! So speak up!”

                                                                        Judges 19:29-30

The Lord was pleased that they were finally standing up to evil.  They were finally returning to seek his wisdom.  And the evil had to be eradicated.

¹⁸ The Israelites went up to Bethel^[b] and inquired of God. They said, “Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Benjamites?”

The Lord replied, “Judah shall go first.” 

                                                                                                           Judges 20:18

At the time, Bethel was becoming the worship center of the Promise land.  So, instead of inquiring of the household idols, as Micah did, they went straight to the source and inquired of God.  The Lord replied that Judah, the tribe of the coming Savior should go first.  First things first, right?  Though they found the evil and their enemy to be a difficult foe, they continued to inquire of the Lord, and the Lord continued to guide them through the difficult battle.

²² But the Israelites encouraged one another and again took up their positions where they had stationed themselves the first day. ²³ The Israelites went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and they inquired of the Lord. They said, “Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites?”

The Lord answered, “Go up against them.”

                                                                                                      Judges 20:22-23

Once again, the battle was difficult.  They appeared to be losing, but it sent them back to humbly seeking the Lord.  For the third time (see that holy number three!), they inquired of the Lord.  This time was marked by intense prayer, fasting, and humility.

²⁶ Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the Lord. They fasted that day until evening and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord. ²⁷ And the Israelites inquired of the Lord. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there, ²⁸ with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, ministering before it.) They asked, “Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites, or not?”

The Lord responded, “Go, for tomorrow I will give them into your hands.”

                                                           Judges 20:26-28

And so He did.  This tragic story continues tomorrow, but let’s look ahead to how this timeframe is summed up.  For the third time, we see the common theme of those days summarized.  Chapter 21 ends in this way:

²⁵ In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.

                                                            Judges 21:25

In the midst of the terrible details of that time period, we find the reason for the decline of society.  The reason was, they had no king.  All through their years of wandering through the desert, as difficult as those days were, they had a “king”.  Was it Moses?  No, it was the Lord, who led them by a cloud and a pillar of fire.  And when Joshua was the leader and they conquered the Promise land, they had a “king”.  Was it Joshua?  No, it was the Lord, as indicated by the piles of stones of remembrance throughout the land.  But the decline in this time period is marked by these simple words.

²⁵ In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.

                                                            Judges 21:25

What is the practical application for us?  We need a king.  Not a monarch in the political realm, but a King who sets up His kingdom in our hearts.  But in order for us to submit to the King of Kings, we have to put to death all other kings in our hearts.  Jesus taught us to pray saying,

“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

                                                                 Matthew 6:10

But for His kingdom to come in our hearts, our kingdom has to go.  If we submit to the King of kings, He will rule our life with love, justice, peace, and protection.

Today’s reading includes Judges 15:1-16:31, John 2:1-25, Psalm 103:1-22, Proverbs 14:17-19.

Our reading today wraps up the dramatic story of Samson.  What a character he was!  I am a rule- follower by nature.  Samson was not.  He was set apart to do great things for God before he was even born.  As we learned yesterday, part of his purpose was to “begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.”  Yet, as we read through his story, it appears at times that he didn’t get the memo.  He not only associated with the Philistines, he even married one of them.  That turned out very badly.  In anger, he left for a while and when he returned, his wife had been given to his best man.  And this was only one of the episodes of drama in the life of Samson.  He often appears arrogant, boastful, prideful, and wild.  There are times in the story where he flies off the handle and starts killing in revenge.  These are the times he got himself into great messes.  At one point, even his brothers, the men of Judah, turned him in to the Philistines.  But he escaped, and arrogantly boasted of his triumph with the jawbone of a donkey.

There are also times in the story we see that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he had great strength to defeat his enemies.  But even then, he seemed to take credit for his victory.  He actually said to God, “You have accomplished this great victory by the strength of your servant…”  (Judges 15:18)  As if God needed Samson’s strength to accomplish anything!

And yet, don’t we do the same?  We may not use boastful words, but our hearts believe the lie that God needs us.  He doesn’t need us.  He wants us.  He wants relationship with us, and He wants to use us.  But He doesn’t need to use us.  Why is this important to realize?  Because when we realize this, we don’t take credit for what He does through us.  Instead, we humbly point to the One who is the source of all strength and victory, and we give Him all the credit and glory.

We see that until the end of his life, Samson lived wildly.  His relationship with the Delilah was once again a disaster.  After she tricked and enticed him, he finally told her the secret of his strength.  Only his words to her were not totally accurate.

¹⁷ Finally, Samson shared his secret with her. “My hair has never been cut,” he confessed, “for I was dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else.”

                                                                                    Judges 16:17

What was inaccurate about his statement?  He believed his strength was in his hair, but his strength was from God.  His long hair was merely a symbol of God’s strength and power upon him.  His strength left him, not because his hair was cut, but because when the symbol of his dedication to the Lord was removed, God’s strength left him. This subtle difference of words, made all the difference in the situation.  There are other examples of Nazarites in the Bible, but none other are remembered for their long hair, though they too did not cut theirs.

When Samson was finally weak, then he became strong.  When Samson lost his physical sight, then his spiritual eyes were opened.  At last, he saw the truth about his strength.  It was from God and it was to be used for the glory of God.

²⁸ Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me just one more time….

                                                                        Judges 16:28

This time, Samson acknowledged from where his strength came, and asked God to give him strength one last time.  And with the strength from God, Samson was able to defeat more of his enemies in his death, than he ever did in his life.  And now, he truly reflected the mighty One to come—the One who would defeat our great enemy through His death and resurrection.

In the end, this wild and reckless judge, did indeed begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.  And in this final act of trusting in the strength of God and not his own, he made a godly name for himself.  In fact, he is listed in the faith Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11.

³² How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. ³³ By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions,³⁴ quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.

                                                            Hebrews 11:32-34

Yes, finally in death, Samson’s weakness was turned to strength.

On a practical note, where does your strength lie?  Do you trust in yourself, your abilities, your charm, your own strength?  Or do you trust in the One who gives you the abilities, charm, and strength.  Do you trust in God or you?  Let’s learn a lesson from Samson, and let God turn our weakness to strength—His strength, not ours.

Today’s reading includes Judges 13:1-14:20, John 1:29:51, Psalm 102:1-28, Proverbs 14:15-16.

Today we read a familiar story.  Most of us learned about Samson when we were children. We learned that he had long hair which gave him strength, he was tempted and betrayed by Delilah who cut his hair, and when his hair grew back he killed a bunch of Philistines.  End of story.

But there is a lot more to the story which we can learn.  First of all, as the story begins we see foreshadowing that this will be a big deal.  The chapter begins with these words:

Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years.

                                                                        Judges 13:1

Do you see the reflection of the process of God with His people repeated here?  The people did evil in the Lord’s sight, so He allowed them a time of cleansing and preparation—for forty years—just like in the days of Noah, just like the 40 years of wandering in the desert.  And then came a savior figure, just as Noah was, just as Moses and Joshua were.  And these savior figures were a reflection of the Ultimate Savior to come—Jesus.

Next, we see more clues that the story of Samson is an important one, as it reflects other important stories in the Bible.

² In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children. ³ The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, “Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son.

                                                                                    Judges 13:2-3

This process of longing for a child and being unable to produce one is a theme repeated in the lives of several important Biblical figures.  Hannah wept with longing for a child and God intervened and gave her Samuel.  She is famous for giving him back to the Lord in lifelong service.  This story line is also repeated in the life of Elizabeth, who gave birth to John the Baptist.

Samson, as well as all of these other important Biblical characters were also Nazarites.  What was a Nazarite?  A Nazarite was a person who was especially devoted and consecrated and set apart for God’s purposes.  A person could become a Nazarite in two ways:  first, if the individual made a vow to become a Nazarite for a specified amount of time; and secondly, as a lifelong devotion following a vow made on their behalf by a parent before their birth.

A Nazarite would typically be recognized not only by their apparent devotion to God, but also physically, as they did not cut their hair, come into contact with the dead, nor partake of any alcoholic products.  This type of vow made by the parent typically followed a revelation from God which announced the birth of the child.  Obviously, this was the case in the life of Samson.

However, for all the build-up before his birth, Samson disappoints as a savior-like figure.  You would think that he would be set apart as a holy, righteous judge, but instead seems immature at best.  He loves riddles to tease his opponents, casually and foolishly interacts with pagans who worship other gods, and even marries Philistines, whom he is supposed to overcome.  However, at the start of his story, we see a clue that his life will only be a beginning, an appetizer of greater things to come.  Look at what the angel said to Samson’s mother in verse 5.

⁵ You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.

He didn’t say that Samson would rescue Israel.  He said he would begin to rescue Israel.  There were other judges and kings to come who would build upon the work Samson started.

Tomorrow we will study more about this famous judge of the Israelites, but today let’s end with these thoughts.  Before the birth of Samson, the dramatic declarations on his life were given by “the angel of the Lord”. Who was this angel?  Throughout the Bible, we read about angels.  Sometimes we read of “an angel”, sometimes we read of “a host of angels”, and sometimes we read of the angel of the Lord.  When the word the is attached, we can assume it is not just any ole angel.  It is a specific, important, holy being.  Many scholars believe that in this case the angel was Jesus, God in human form.  Manoah confirmed this thought when he exclaimed:

²¹ The angel did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. Manoah finally realized it was the angel of the Lord, ²² and he said to his wife, “We will certainly die, for we have seen God!”

                                                                        Judges 13:21-22

We see further confirmation of the possibility that this angel was indeed Jesus when we see this account:

¹⁵ Then Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “Please stay here until we can prepare a young goat for you to eat.”

¹⁶ “I will stay,” the angel of the Lord replied, “but I will not eat anything. However, you may prepare a burnt offering as a sacrifice to the Lord.” (Manoah didn’t realize it was the angel of the Lord.)

¹⁷ Then Manoah asked the angel of the Lord, “What is your name? For when all this comes true, we want to honor you.”

¹⁸ “Why do you ask my name?” the angel of the Lord replied. “It is too wonderful for you to understand.”

¹⁹ Then Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered it on a rock as a sacrifice to the Lord. And as Manoah and his wife watched, the Lord did an amazing thing. ²⁰ As the flames from the altar shot up toward the sky, the angel of the Lord ascended in the fire. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell with their faces to the ground.

                                                                        Judges 13:15-20

The angel of the Lord requested a sacrifice rather than a supper.  This burnt sacrifice, as we have previously learned, would have been a sin offering.  This is a foreshadowing of the sins of the imperfect son, Samson, to come.  And as a reflection of what was to come, the angel of the Lord, Jesus, entered the flames of the sin offering and ascended into heaven. In the same way, when Jesus died on the cross, rose again, and ascended into heaven, he completed the work needed for the forgiveness of our future sins.

Yes, indeed, His Name was too wonderful to understand.  At His Name every knee will one day bow and every tongue will one day confess that He is Lord and Savior.

⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

                                                                        Philippians 2:8-10

I’m back!  I had to take a week off, but am excited about getting back to studying with you!

Today’s reading includes Judges 11:1-12:15, John 1:1-28, Psalm 101:1-8, Proverbs 14:13-14.

Jephthah was one of the judges of Israel.  He ruled for six years.  His situation was a unique one in that his background was questionable, and his people questioned his association with them until they realized they needed him.  His father was Gilead and his mother was a prostitute.  After Gilead died, his half-brothers disowned him and forced him to leave the area.  Later, they realized they needed him, as he was a great warrior.  Finally, he had a chance to redeem himself and overcome the shadow of suspicion due to his tainted heritage.  In his zeal for victory (and for proving himself), he made a hasty vow to the Lord.  He said that if the Lord gave him victory over the Ammonites, he would sacrifice to the Lord whatever came out of his house to meet him.  Surely, he envisioned a servant or slave being the first one to come out of the house.  But to his dismay, his only child, his beloved daughter, came out joyfully celebrating his return.

He was devastated.  He tore his clothes in anguish and cried out, “You have completely destroyed me!  You’ve brought disaster on me!  For I have made a vow to the Lord, and I cannot take it back.”

Her calm submission and her insistence that he keep his vow is surprising to say the least.  Her only request is for a two-month grace period, so that she and her friends could mourn the fact that she would die a virgin.

This passage is disturbing and confusing.  For Jephthah to offer his only daughter as a sacrifice to the Lord is a bit barbaric.  However, it is a foretaste of what God Himself would do in the future.  Like Abraham called to sacrifice his only son, so Jephthah sacrifices his only child, only this time God does not intervene.  The difference, however, is that Jephthah made a rash vow to the Lord.  This is warned against in several passages in the Bible.

As I studied this passage, I found that there are two main interpretations of Jephthah’s vow.  Some scholars say that Jephthah kept his vow to God (though God did not request that he make this vow) and killed his daughter.  Some scholars, however, bring up some interesting points about the translations of the wording and the customs of the day.  Some believe that Jephthah did not actually kill his daughter, but he killed the seed within her, thus killing her purpose and her future, by dedicating her to the Lord as a life-long virgin.  This view makes sense to a certain degree, as it explains why the daughter asked for two months to mourn the fact that she would die a virgin, rather than mourn the fact that she would lose her life.  In either case—through sacrifice or through dedication—she would die a virgin.  It would also make sense why Jephthah said, “You have completely destroyed me! You’ve brought disaster on me!”  He had worked so hard to overcome his illegitimate heritage.  Whether through death or dedication, his family would end without any future generations.

It is interesting to note that hundreds of years later, Jephthah was listed in the Faith Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11.  What did he do to be acknowledged in this esteemed listing?  We must conclude that he was a sinful man, just as we all are.  We must also conclude that God’s mercy and grace overrides our sinfulness and when that is washed away, he sees the true state of the heart.  That state of Jephthah’s heart was faithful, despite a tainted heritage, despite a sinful past.  Read what Betsy McPeak has to say on the website, www.ethosapologetics.com.

If Jephthah did sin either by making a rash vow or by sacrificing his daughter, he is still listed in Hebrews as one of the faithful.  But then so is Rehab who was also a prostitute.  But then so is Gideon who made a golden ephod with which Israel played the harlot.  But then so is David who took another man’s wife and then had her husband killed.  But does this not give us all hope that we can be considered faithful, even though we make huge mistakes?

We must also remember that just because the Bible reports events does not mean that it sanctions the events.  The narratives of the Bible describe what happened, but we ought not to treat the descriptions as prescriptions.  We find it difficult when particular acts are not commended or rebuked within the historical narratives of the Bible.  But when Scripture is silent in one place we must let the whole counsel of God speak.  The narrative in Joshua does not commentate on the immorality of Rehab’s harlotry.  But the law of God tells us clearly elsewhere that harlotry is wrong.  In Jephthah’s case, it is unclear exactly if and how he was sinful in his vowing, and since there is no internal commentary on those actions, we must look elsewhere for principles on vows.  The Biblical passage does not say that God was bloodthirsty or desirous of a human sacrifice!  Dawkins and other atheists attribute those qualities to God without textual support.

We certainly do not think that CNN approves of every murder it reports, or that historian Robert Leckie approves of every event he records in George Washington’s War.  We must treat the narratives of the Bible as narratives.

We must never be more clear than the Bible is.

UNCLEAR:  Did Jephthah make a rash vow? Did Jephthah’s vow contain an either/or element?  Did Jephthah sacrifice his daughter in the end or did he just devote her to the Lord in temple service?  Did Jephthah sin in making the vow?  Did Jephthah sin in keeping the vow?  What did God think of Jephthah’s post-war actions?

CLEAR:  God’s law prohibited child sacrifice (Leviticus 20:1-5; Deuteronomy 12:29-32; Deuteronomy 18:10). God’s law made a provision to deal with the guilt of rash or thoughtless vows (Leviticus 5:4-13).  Vows to the Lord are not required, but if they are made, they must be kept if lawful (Deuteronomy 23: 22,23).  When a person vows to give persons, cattle, houses, or land to the Lord, ordinarily, there is a way to redeem what was promised through a sacrifice, although the firstborn is not included in the redemption possibility, because the firstborn is already devoted to the Lord (Leviticus 27). Jephthah and other imperfect followers of God are said to be faithful (Hebrews 11).

So how do we make sense of Jephthah when in a conversation with an unbeliever?  Perhaps we could say something like this:

We  know that Jephthah was a valiant man, because the Old Testament tells of his bold leadership and trust in God in a battle defending against those trying to take Israel’s land.  Jephthah is also recorded as being faithful in the book of Hebrews.  But just because he was faithful, does not mean he was perfect.  Hebrew scholars and theologians disagree on the details of the Biblical account of Jephthah’s vow.  But whether or not Jephthah sinned regarding the vow and in whatever happened with his daughter, we can be sure that if he did do wrong, God did not approve of it.  We know this because of the clear passages that tell us what God thinks about vows and human sacrifices.  The Bible does not condone every event that it reports.  Narratives and histories do not always give moral analysis of the accounts they record.  We know from clear passages that God does not approve of child sacrifice or rash vows, therefore if Jephthah did either of those, God did not like it.  That God allows evil, whether that applies to this case or not, shows that God made man in His image – including the dignity of choice – not that He approves of evil.  If God approved of evil, He would not orchestrate such a costly plan to defeat it.