Contemplative Bible Reading

Judges 6:13 (New Living Translation)

13 “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”

This is part of the (hi)story of Gideon defeating the Midianites with only 300 soldiers and the trumpets and pitchers holding torches. Gideon here has one of his many moments of doubt.

Why has all this happened to us?

My grandparents told me all these stories about the miracles that God performed when our people left Egypt. There were all those miracles and miraculous battle victories as our people entered this land promised to us. What happened to us? What about all those things my grandparents told me?

Grandparents tell things to grandchildren. That seems to be the way of things since the first grandparents appeared on earth. Some, maybe most, of the things grandparents tell are true. Gideon, however, had not seen the tales of his grandparents come true.

Up until now.

Now, Gideon would become one of the things that grandparents would tell their grandchildren. Now, Gideon would become one of the (hi)stories adults told children for several thousand years. Now, Gideon would inspire people for a thousand generations to believe in the power of God and to allow God to show power through little powerless people.

God hasn’t asked me to take 300 soldiers and battle an army outnumbered a hundred to one. Well, maybe not in those terms, but maybe so. God asks each of us to do things that are beyond belief and human power and the laws of nature. God asks each of us to be the mechanism for God’s miracles in everyday life.

I believe that the miracles our ancestors told us about are still happening everyday right in front of us. We simply need to be like Gideon. He believed all those things his grandparents told him. He allowed God to act miracles through him. God, please help me in my unbelief.

Joshua 23:7-8 (New Living Translation)

7 Make sure you do not associate with the other people still remaining in the land. Do not even mention the names of their gods, much less swear by them or serve them or worship them. 8 Rather, cling tightly to the Lord your God as you have done until now.

Here are a few emphasized instructions to the people as they are about to enter the land promised to them by God. There were many peoples and cultures in the promised land. There would be many occasions to be led astray by those peoples and cultures.

God’s people were told clearly to not even mention the names of the gods of the peoples in the land. Instead, they were to cling tightly to Jehovah their God. Jehovah their God was the Creator, the all-supreme God.

Cling tightly. I find this two-word instruction to still hold for me today. There is nothing else. This is pretty simple, but we tend to make things complicated. Cling tightly.

Judges 10:13-14 (New Living Translation)

13 Yet you have abandoned me and served other gods. So I will not rescue you anymore. 14 Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen! Let them rescue you in your hour of distress!”

Sometimes life is tough. Sometimes we stray from the people who truly love us and care for us. We go elsewhere for “fun.” Then we have troubles. And who helps us in trouble? These elsewhere places?

This is a tale of woe as old as the time of the Judges. The people turned away from the loving Jehovah who was their God. They turned to other gods for fun. Then the inevitable trouble came. “Help me, somebody.” Where to turn? Where did these gods go? They provided fun, huh? Why won’t they help me, now?

When will we learn? We are an odd lot. How does God tolerate our endless folly? Thank you God. Please help me in my unbelief.

Deuteronomy 28:47-48 (New Living Translation)

47 If you do not serve the Lord your God with joy and enthusiasm for the abundant benefits you have received, 48 you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you. You will be left hungry, thirsty, naked, and lacking in everything. The Lord will put an iron yoke on your neck, oppressing you harshly until he has destroyed you.

This is part of the (hi)story of the people receiving the old law from God through Moses. There are blessings for obedience and curses (we don’t like to use that word much these days) for not obeying.

God wants service. As we read hear, not just service, but service out of joy and enthusiasm. Whoa. Must be something lost in translation here, huh? Serve with Joy? Serve with Enthusiasm? I mean, wait, there isn’t much that I do these days enthusiastically. Huh?

Right here in front of me in black and white. Clear as day. Not just obedience and service to check the boxes on some checklist of boxes, but with joy and enthusiasm. Please God, help me in my unbelief.

Judges 9:22-23 (New Living Translation)

22 After Abimelech had ruled over Israel for three years, 23 God sent a spirit that stirred up trouble between Abimelech and the leading citizens of Shechem, and they revolted.

This is part of the (hi)story of the Judges who ruled Israel before the kings. The fellow named Abimelech ruled three years—a pretty good run. Then there was a revolt. Why?

God sent a spirit that stirred up trouble between Abimelech and the leading citizens of Shechem.

Let’s see, God sent a spirit into the people of the land. Things turned out badly for Abimelech. God influenced politics and political rulers. Should God be doing things like this? I mean, let politics be left to the politicians, right? And who am I to question what God does? And who am I to say, “Well, God was in politics in that time and place, so I should be in politics here and now and start a revolt just like God.”

Uh, er, we can take this too far in many directions and cause more unrighteous trouble. Let’s be careful here folks.

Still, right here in black and white in front of us are the words, “God sent a spirit.” God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform. At some times in some places with some people, God guides political movements. We, or at least I, cannot judge when it is God acting or God allowing people to act or whatever other possibilities there are. We, especially I, can live a Christian life no matter what happens. That is my choice.

Deuteronomy 26:5 (New Living Translation)

5 “You must then say in the presence of the Lord your God, ‘My ancestor Jacob was a wandering Aramean who went to live as a foreigner in Egypt. His family arrived few in number, but in Egypt they became a large and mighty nation.

God is speaking to the people as they are about to enter the Promised Land. When they enter the land, “they must then say…”

Jacob entered Egypt with fewer than a hundred people. Later, 400 years later, they exited with a million or so people, i.e., a mighty nation.

This is the ultimate rags to riches story. Perhaps it is a rags to bigger rags story. Sure, the people who exited Egypt did so with valuables earned over the 400 years as well as riches given to them by the Egyptians (good riddance).

Did the people, however, retain the riches or just become a much bigger group of rags? Did the experience lead them to righteous living? Did the people fall into injustice and unrighteous living? History shows that it didn’t go well with the people as they turned away from God. They became a much bigger group of rags.

What was wrong with them? What is wrong with me? I am blessed far more than these descendants of Jacob were. What am I doing with the blessings? Oh, well, sure I’m a good guy and all that. Really? Am I rich in justice and righteousness? Well, on my good days, but I have too few of those and too many of the other kind (if I am being honest with myself). And thank you God for your grace, and please help me in my unbelief.

Judges 10:11-12 (New Living Translation)

11 The Lord replied, “Did I not rescue you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, 12 the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites? When they oppressed you, you cried out to me for help, and I rescued you.”

This is a long list of rescues. God is talking to the people and reminding them of all the times God rescued them from peoples who wanted to kill them—literally wipe them from the face of the earth.

Me? No one has tried to kill me. God has never rescued me. Well, uh, er, there was the time when I was about to do something really stupid and something stopped me just in the “nick of time.” Well, uh, er, that was my good judgement, right? And there was the time when things seemed really bad and then the next morning it was alright. Well, uh, er, that was the way of life or something, right? And there was the time when I was almost in a car accident, but my quick reflexes saved the day, and it was all my good skill, and, uh, er, well, was it?

Rescue? Has God ever rescued me? Well, uh, er, how about, “Certainly, yes.”

Yes, God has rescued me many times. Lots of bad things happen in this world. Gravity pulls things down. Mechanical things fail. Fatigues closes my eyes. Anger clouds my judgement. The list of calamities is long. The list of rescues is also long. Thanks be to God. Please God, help me in my unbelief.

Deuteronomy 24:5 (New Living Translation)

5 “A newly married man must not be drafted into the army or be given any other official responsibilities. He must be free to spend one year at home, bringing happiness to the wife he has married.”

These are the regulations to people were to follow. From time to time, the leaders would draft an army. Exempt from the army were newly married men. The newly married many was also exempt for any other official responsibilities. Wow! The Marriage Leave Act or something like that! I like the sound of that. And the newly married man was to spend the year at home bringing happiness to the wife.

Time’s up. After a year, join the responsibilities of all men of the people. Still, there would be plenty of time later for responsibilities and official duties. Plenty of time.

Have we forgotten something in our time? Would a Marriage Leave Act work in our world or our nation or our town? What if I got married, divorced, married every year? Would that all work? Would someone catch on and write exceptions to the law?

Did God know what He was doing by giving this to the people? Probably so as God seems to have always known what He was doing. So, what are we doing?

Deuteronomy 21:18-21 (New Living Translation)

18 “Suppose a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or mother, even though they discipline him. 19 In such a case, the father and mother must take the son to the elders as they hold court at the town gate. 20 The parents must say to the elders, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious and refuses to obey. He is a glutton and a drunkard.’ 21 Then all the men of his town must stone him to death. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you, and all Israel will hear about it and be afraid.

This post is a bit unusual as I am included several verses above. These verses are from THE LAW the people were to observe. This specific law is about a stubborn and rebellious son. The parents of this son are to take him to the elders at the town gate when the elders hold court. The charges against the son include “glutton and drunkard.”

Ooh. Gluttony seems to be the national pastime in America today as we over eat all the time. Okay, drunkard is pretty serious as it impairs judgement and brings dangerous drunk driving and the like.

So what do they do with a son who indulges too much on a Friday night? Surround the son and have the men throw rocks at the boy until he dies.

Whoa! Wait a minute. That’s a bit harsh, huh? Why? To purge the evil and bring fear into the community.

Whoa! Wait a minute. Sure, this was in ancient times and all that and surely we know better today, right, huh? I mean, capital punishment for too much to eat and too much alcohol? And, by the way, this regulation is not rescinded in the New Testament. Hmm. Well, it must have been negated at the Council of something-or-other in some century long ago, right? Hmm. Well, nope, it wasn’t.

Whoa! Wait a minute. Where are we? When are we? What are we to do? I am not advocating this punishment for these offenses. What should we do with such a stubborn and rebellious son or any person who is a glutton and a drunkard? I will leave suggestions to the readers. I pray for the parents of such a son. I pray for all who know any such person.

1 Samuel 16:18 (New Living Translation)

18 One of the servants said to Saul, “One of Jesse’s sons from Bethlehem is a talented harp player. Not only that—he is a brave warrior, a man of war, and has good judgment. He is also a fine-looking young man, and the Lord is with him.”

And so begins the (hi)story of Saul and David. It ended with a civil war when David became King. David from Bethlehem is recommended to King Saul because the King has a tormenting spirit. I’m not sure what we call that today, but I don’t think we use the word “tormenting.”

Note, this advice comes from trusted insiders. These folks knew what they were saying, right? Yes, they give other attributes to David from being a warrior to having good looks (and also the LORD is with David), but they begin with this harp playing stuff.

Can you imagine someone telling the President of the United States, “You need to calm your torment. I know this harp player who could do that for you.” How about telling the leader of Russia, China, North Korea, etc. something like that?

Perhaps that is what we all need to be telling everyone we know who seems to be tormented.

“Relax, listen to some live music from someone playing a harp.”

As long as the harp player also had the LORD with ’em, that might be the best advice anyone could offer. We could be on to something here.