Tag: Stories Of Scripture

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Conquest and Judges – Ruth and Naomi

But Ruth said, “Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die— there will I be buried…” Ruth 2:16-17

Some of the most popular jokes in movies and on tv are about in-laws. Frustrations about in-laws in general are a common theme from shows like Modern Family and Everybody Loves Raymond, and movies like Monster-in-Law and Meet the Parents. Relatives are always a challenge, but even more so when they are not blood related. 

For this reason, it’s interesting that this passage is actually most often used in wedding ceremonies, the process through which families are united and in-laws created.

In the story, Naomi, a Hebrew, is the mother-in-law to both Ruth and Orpah who are Moabites. After the death of all three women’s husbands, Naomi begs her daughters-in-law to leave her and find new husbands. They were not born into the Hebrew clan, and they are young enough to start their lives over somewhere else rather easily. Orpah departs, but Ruth decides to stay. She selflessly vows to live with Naomi, travel with her, worship with her, and remain faithful to her God and people for the rest of her life. 

Ruth goes on to marry one of Naomi’s relatives in order to restore her claim on the family land. She even has a child with her new husband, Boaz, whom they named Obed. The baby grows up to become grandfather to King David. The book of Ruth is a story of conversion. It’s unique because it shows how foreigners joined the family of Abraham, and even contributed to the bloodline of kings.

Ruth and Naomi understood the selfless love of God. They worked for one-another and not their own personal interests, and together they triumphed. It is a selfless love which we are all called to model as people redeemed by God through Christ. Naomi and Ruth’s generous actions became the seed from which the Tree of Jesse flourished to bear the fruit of King David, ancestor of Jesus Christ. May all of our selfless actions give birth to something beautiful as we see the family of God grow.

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Conquest and Judges – Deborah’s Servant Leadership

Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. She held court under the Palm of Deborah …and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided.  Judges 4:4-5s

The Book of Judges runs in a pretty predictable cycle. Israel rebels against God, God raises up an enemy to punish Israel, the people complain and turn back to God so God raises up a judge to lead them in defeating the enemy. This happens about seven times in the Book of Judges, and the third judge is actually a woman named Deborah. At God’s direction, she commissions a man named Barak to the army in defeating an oppressive neighboring Kingdom. However, Barak says he’s too afraid to go without her. Together they go and defeat their dangerous neighbors, but the glory doesn’t to Barak because he is determined to be a coward.

Deborah is a powerful woman in the story of Scripture, and she breaks a lot of the stereotypes about what a Godly woman should look like. She is described as a prophet. She’s working as a judge and making wise decisions. The text says she’s leading all of Israel, and she understands politics and the military. Deborah also has a personal life. She’s married and might even have children.

Deborah is a woman who wears many hats. She has a lot of responsibilities. Which begs the question, what qualifies a person to serve God in a particular way? How do we know someone should be a teacher or leader or preacher in the church? According to Paul, the Holy Spirit equips each follower of Jesus with spiritual gifts to use in service of the Kingdom of God. We have a responsibility to discover and nurture these gifts within ourselves and other Christians.

Deborah would have spent time cultivating her gifts for leadership and prophecy before taking on a formal role. She was a wonderful leader and served Israel well. What spiritual gifts has God gifted you with, and how can be a servant leader in the church of Christ?

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Conquest and Judges – A Good Student

The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua (but)… another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. Judges 2:7; 10-12

Think back, do you recall learning to ride a bike? Who taught you ? Was it a friend or maybe a parent or grandparent? Wasn’t an easy task; did you learn it quickly? Or did you struggle? Maybe you fell down and skinned your knee. Maybe you needed encouragement to get the job done.

There was once a young boy whose dad was trying to teach him to ride a bike, but he was always terrified of falling over and hurting himself. After years and years, he finally just gave up because he was so embarrassed about it and it was a sensitive subject. Eventually, he grew up and became a father too. One Christmas, his wife decided to buy their son a bike. Suddenly, the man had to confess that never learned to ride one himself.

Growing up, there are a lot of things that we have to learn. Riding a bike is a pretty small thing, but there are big things too. If you don’t study cooking, then you could cause a fire. If you don’t learn to budget your money, you’ll ruin your finances. If you don’t develop a relationship with God, then you will drift through life without purpose. 

In the book of Judges, a new generation is born and grows up in the promised land. This generation never knew slavery in Egypt or wandering in the desert. Most importantly, they never learned about God. The entire nation of young Israelites began to drift away from the God of their parents. They never took time to learn about God, and, as you can guess, things start to go wrong for God’s people. Throughout the story of Scripture, the people of Israel will turn away from God again and again. When they do, God will send leaders to help put them back on the right track. These leaders are the heroes and heroines of the Book of Judges. As we reflect on this part of the story, how can you be a better student of God’s teaching?

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Conquest and Judges – Serve Sombody

Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of those in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

Who are you going to serve? It’s a simple question that Joshua asks the people of Israel as they settle into the Promised Land. The Lord rescued them from slavery, brought them through the desert, and conquered their enemies. God has provided them every step of the way, but Joshua knows that humans are fickle. Now that God is asking for their loyalty will they give it?

In 1979, Bob Dylan released a song entitled “Gotta Serve Somebody.” It won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, and the lyrics read in part: 

You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame

You may be living in another country under another name

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed

You’re gonna have to serve somebody

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

Maybe you’re on the fence about following Jesus. Or maybe you consider yourself a Christian, but you’re just not all-in. Joshua’s words and Dylan’s song both remind us that we are tempted to divide our allegiance. As Christians, we are supposed to put our citizenship in the Kingdom of God before everything. We are children of The Spirit first-and-foremost. We are servants of Christ above all things. But, there are so many things that try to make a claim on our loyalty, and these are not all bad things. Nevertheless, nationality, ethnicity, political affiliation, gender, sports team, popularity group, occupation, hobbies, even friends and family must all fall in line behind our devotion to God. Let’s face it, most of us struggle to serve God with an undivided heart. We want to serve God, but we fall short. Only Jesus served God perfectly, and we need the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome our divided allegiance. Invite the Holy Spirit into your heart to make you a better servant of Christ and shore-up your loyalty to the Kingdom of God.

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Conquest and Judges – Unwavering Devotion

No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Joshua 1:5-6

After forty years of wandering in the desert, God decides that it’s time for the Israelites to inherit the promised land. If you think back to the covenant made with Abraham and his descendants, there were two parts. The first part was that Abraham’s family would become so large it would be a nation. That part has happened, but the second part was that they would inherit the land called Canaan to live on.

Moses has been leading the people of Israel for a very long time. He’s an older man now, and God decides it’s time to transfer leadership to someone else. Joshua is Moses’ assistant, his right-hand man. He is selected to lead the people of Israel into the promised land.

With a new leader, the Israelites are ready to put down roots in the land of Canaan. However, there’s a problem. There are already people living there. God’s people must conquer the land, and that means war.

The book of Joshua presents difficulties for us modern-day Christians. Historically, the church has misused the story of Joshua as a justification for conquering other people. In the US, people used the story of Joshua to justify taking land from the Native Americans. In medieval times, the Catholic Church used the story to justify conquering rival Christians in the orthodox church. There are tons of examples of the misuse of Joshua, but there are plenty of good lessons to learn from this part of the story.

The book of Joshua demonstrates God’s unwavering devotion even in the face of Israel’s fear and uncertainty. Israel is promised again and again that they will never be forsaken or abandoned. God extends that promise to us today along with the command to be courageous, to live without fear. We are called to rest in God’s unwavering devotion before stepping out in courageous acts of faith. Consider what God is calling you to right now. Do you need to rest in God’s devotion, or is God calling you to step out with courageous faith?

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Exodus and Wandering – The Greatest Commandment

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:4-5

This verse comes to us during the period of the Exodus, a time when the Israelites were trying to become the people of the living God. It grows into an important Creed throughout the history of Judaism. It is known as the Shema, which is the first word of the saying in Hebrew. Shema means “hear” or “listen” in Hebrew. Observant Jews would recite this verse daily and teach it to their children as a bedtime prayer. They also made an effort to have the Shema be their last words before dying.

About 1300 years after the Exodus, a popular Jewish teacher decided to set up shop in the temple courtyard to preach to the people, and they were astonished at what he had to say. Massive crowds came to hear him talk, and the established teachers became jealous of his popularity. They didn’t trust he knew what he was talking about.

One of them, who was an expert in the Law, tested him with a question, asking which is the greatest commandment in the Law? The popular teacher replied by citing the Shema, the same thing he’d been taught to say since he was a young boy. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. However, he followed up the Shema with something unusual but profound. “’ This is the first and greatest commandment,” he said. “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus Christ, the popular teacher from the temple courts, knew that the core of God’s teaching has been the same for thousands of years. Generations have recited the Shema as a form of prayer and a way to remind themselves of God’s call for our devotion. But Jesus bound the truth of the Shema to another, but similar truth found in the book of Leviticus, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus teaches that the entire story of Scripture hangs on these two commands. As we conclude the story of the Exodus, consider where have you seen these twin commandments show-up in our devotions so far.

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Exodus and Wandering – A Blessing

This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ‘“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’ Numbers 6:23-26

The story of the Exodus does not stop with the book of Exodus. God spends a lot of time with the Israelites wandering in the desert helping to build up their faith. There’s a lot of instruction about how worship should be run, and different laws that the Israelites should follow. In the Book of Numbers, we find a beautiful passage sometimes referred to as the “priestly blessing”. God instructs the priests, the people who are supposed to lead worship, to offer a very specific benediction as part of worship.

This blessing is supposed to cultivate a sense of peace, or in Hebrew Shalom, for the people, and it is still used frequently in worship today, both in Christian and Jewish settings. What’s interesting about this blessing is that historically it was accompanied by a specific hand gesture called the Shefa Tal. It is made with two hands pointing up and connected at the thumbs with a large space in between the middle and ring finger on each hand.

You might have even seen this hand gesture before. Actor Leonard Nimoy was raised as an Orthodox Jew, and saw this gesture performed in worship accompanied by the priestly blessing. When he was awarded the role of Spock on Star Trek, he decided to work this gesture into the famous “live long and prosper” greeting known as the Vulcan salute, using a modified version with only one hand.

What we do with our hands in worship is actually pretty important. Our body language is an extension of our heart. Some people raise their hands in worship as a symbol of joy, some people pray with hands clench to represent humility. Traditionally, people in the church have held their hands open and flat out in front of them, ready to receive God’s goodness, whenever a blessing or benediction is being offered. As you spend time in prayer today, consider stretching out your open hands, eager to receive the which God wants to give you.

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Exodus and Wandering – Greatest Commandment

And God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:1-3      

Take a moment to think of your favorite board game or maybe your favorite sport. There’s probably a lot of rules involved, and it takes some time to learn all of them. If you had to pick the number one rule, the most important rule, what would it be? For a sport like soccer, it’s pretty clear what the number one rule is: don’t use our hands. If you’ve ever taken part in the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons, then you know the number one rule is the Dungeon Master is always right.

Not every game or sport is that simple, and these two examples are really deceptive. Things are always a lot more complicated than that.

After the Israelites were rescued from slavery in Egypt, God led them into the desert beyond the Red Sea. These people had spent generations as slaves in Egypt, and now they were in unfamiliar territory. God decides to set down some ground rules for their relationship. Most important among these ground rules were the Ten Commandments, and the number one commandment was “you shall have no other Gods before me.” The rest of God’s laws flow from this commandment because if you put God first, then you will put the  things God cares about first.

At that time, most people believed in lots of different gods and these gods were in charge of different things. Ancient peoples would worship the god that cared what was most important to them. If you were a farmer, you would worship the gods in charge of the harvest. If you were a sailor, you might worship a god that would give you calm seas.

The way the God of Israel works is the exact opposite. The Israelites didn’t choose God. God chose them and rescued them from slavery. Moreover, the Israelites are called to put God first and the things God cares about. The same is true for us today. God wants to be our priority and to order our lives according to what Jesus thinks is important. It turns out the thing that God cares about most is for us to love one another. How can we better order our priorities to be in line with God’s priorities?

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Exodus and Wandering – The Feast

Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. Exodus 12:17

Moses was sent by God to pharaoh, king of Egypt, to negotiate the release of the Hebrew slaves. Pharaoh wasn’t keen on releasing the slaves, so God sent horrible plagues to help change the pharaoh’s mind. The last of these plagues was the death of the firstborn children in Egypt. It was a very dark and scary time for the Egyptians and the Israelites. To distinguish themselves from the Egyptians, the Israelites were instructed to celebrate a particular kind of meal. This meal came to be known as Passover, Because the plague passed over the house of anyone who celebrated it.

It may seem strange to celebrate a feast during the middle of a plague. It’s like having Thanksgiving dinner in the middle of a hurricane. However, the Jewish people continued to celebrate the festival of Passover every year as a way to remember how God rescued them from Egypt. They take time to tell the story, and retell the story, so even the youngest members of the family may know it by heart. Even during the Holocaust, Jews found ways to celebrate Passover in concentration camps. They marked out calendars on the walls of their barracks so they could know the right day. They stored up precious quantities of flour so they could bake the right bread. They celebrated in secret, knowing if they were caught they would surely be executed.

About 1300 years after the Israelites’ departure from Egypt, a Jewish Rabbi will sit down to celebrate the Passover with his disciple for the last time. They will bake the same bread, eat the same food, and drink the same wine, in the same way as their ancestors. Nevertheless, when they finish their meal the festival of Passover will be forever changed. It will become the sacrament of communion.

Passover and Communion both prompt us to remember God’s salvation and give thanks. Fewer obstacles stand between us and the celebration of our redeemer than did for the Jewish people during the Exodus or under Nazi Germany. Today, make space to remember, celebrate, and give thanks for God’s gift of salvation.

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Exodus and Wandering – The Name of God

“So now, go (Moses). I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt…This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

Exodus 3:10, 14

One of the biggest mysteries in the Bible is the name of God. If you pay attention to the letters in your Bible, you’ll notice that the name of God is written in different ways. Sometimes you will see it as LORD with all uppercase letters. The Old Testament is written in Hebrew, and whenever you see all uppercase letters, the Hebrew word is actually Yahweh. Or, to be more specific, the four letters YHWH.

In Exodus 3, Moses is called by God to rescue the Israelites from Egypt. Before he leaves on his mission, Moses asks for a name. He wants to know what to tell the people of Israel about the God who’s coming to rescue them. What’s funny is that God sort of gives Moses a non-answer. He says, “I am who I am” or some translate it “I will be who I will be.” It seems like a bit of a smart-aleck response, but there’s a good reason for this.

At that time, people used the names of gods like magical spells. They would call on the name of a god in order to do their bidding. Also, a god’s name usually had something to do with what the god did. When Moses asked for God’s name, he’s trying to figure out if he’s the God of the sun or the desert or the storms. He’s trying to put the real living God in the right category.

God’s answer resists being put into a box. He’s way bigger than the sun or storms. God will be whatever God wants to be. We cannot control God or define God. We can’t even fathom the depth, the height, or the breadth of God’s power. We can only hope to know some little piece of God through our relationship with the Son of God.

For centuries, Jews have marveled at the power in God’s name so much so that they never say the word Yahweh. Instead, they use euphemisms such as words like “Adonai” meaning “Lord” or “hashem” which just means “the name.” There is so much power and beauty in the name of God. It is important to take time to meditate on it and be lost in wonder.