16/01/2023
Dear Church Family,
This is the weekly recap for week 31. Last week we covered Judges 9-15 and Luke 14-15.
Judges 9-15: In these chapters the downward spiral continues. It begins with son of Gideon, Abimelech, killing all but one of his seventy brothers so that he can become King. Abimelech’s short reign is terror to many in Israel, and it only ends when an unnamed woman kills him by dropping a millstone on him. Thus, God delivered Israel, not from an outside nation, but from itself. Hence, after this point we see Israel become their own worst enemy.
Jephthah, a man who is a successful outlaw, is made a judge by the Gileadites. They go to him so that he can free them from the oppression of the Ammonites. His rash and self-centered attitude caused him to make a hasty vow that ultimately led to the sacrifice of his own daughter. Note, his keeping this vow was equally as rash as making it. Speaking of Israel, Jeremiah 9:5 says, “and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind”. God does not want us to keep vows that dishonor Him.
Jephthah did deliver Israel from the Ammonites; however, he in many ways he oppressed Israel more than the Ammonites. In fact, he killed 42,000 Ephraimites. Note, men often make war just to replace one tyrant with another.
Chapters 13-16 give an account of Samson. Samson’s life is a living parable of all that is wrong with Israel in the Book of Judges. He is born of a barren woman, dedicated to be God’s special servant, unbeatable when the Spirit of God is with him, but when he is disobedient and breaks his vows. Samson defiles himself by eating honey taken from a dead body, marrying a foreign woman, and lying with prostitutes. Ultimately, he loses his strength when his hair is cut, which was the only part of his Nazarene vow that was unbroken. After he realized that his hair was cut, and that his vow was broken, he was captured by the Philistines, blinded, and made a slave. In the end, Samson was delivered, but it cost him his own life. Next week, Judges will change its focus from the sins of Israel as a nation, to the sins of individual people in the nation.
Luke 14-15: This section of scripture focuses on the cost and gift of discipleship. In chapter 14, Jesus tells the parable of the great banquet. Here invitations go out, but those who are invited choose not to come because they are unwilling to part with the activities, they are engaged in. When this happens the master of the feast invites the poor, the blind, and all who realize they are undeserving of the feast to attend. This leads to Jesus telling those who would follow to count the cost. Know that there is nothing in this world that can compare to the invitation and feast that he offers.
Chapter 15 tells the parable of the prodigal son and loving father. Here a son ask for his inheritance and departs from his father. The world is unkind to him and he returns to his father’s house in humility desiring only to be a servant. However, when the father sees his son, he runs to greet him. The son apologizes as the father embraces him. The father then holds a feast for his son who was lost but now is found. Note, the father’s love is greater than we can imagine and undeserving.
The elder son, stands outside of the feast, unwilling to come in because he feels that he should receive a greater reward. Note, our jealousy of others can rob us of the father’s love and company.
This week we will read Judges 16-21, Ruth 1, and Luke 17-18.
In Christ,
Chris
