Redwood Reformation Church

03/09/2026

Do you feel like your sin makes you a disappointment to God? But Psalm 149 tells us that he delights in us. There is no sweeter thing than to feel the pleasure of God shining down on us, and this is the reason given that we should praise him. Because God is glad when we come to worship, we sing anew the songs he has given us. Our window for praising God in the flesh is closing, so make the most of it!

Psalm 149

30/08/2026

We might expect that when Gideon leads Israel out of enslavement to Ba’al worship, he will reestablish true worship. But turning from worshiping false gods leads easily into the other ditch of worshiping God falsely. Scripture describes both errors as “wh***ng”—and this is not mere metaphor. Religious wh***ng leads naturally into marital wh***ng. Such whoredom is a seed that always bears bitter fruit, and so it is with Gideon, whose legacy will be civil war through his bastard son of a Canaanite slavewife.

Judges 8:22–35

26/08/2026

Despite God’s miraculous salvation through Gideon, Israel fails to recognize Yahweh as their true savior and lord. They therefore seek to establish a dynasty through Gideon. Though he rebuffs them, his nerve seems to fail. He won’t be king—but he will try to uphold God’s kingship in a way that God never commanded: through a new “office” of “priest-judge.” Thus he ultimately subverts and destroys God’s rule, leading Israel into a snare which still appears in many forms throughout the church today.

Judges 8:20–35

23/08/2026

Although Gideon’s actions seem impulsive and erratic, carefully comparing them to God’s law reveals that they are thoroughly moderated by spiritual wisdom. He responds to every challenge appropriately: to the Ephraimates with patience and love; to Sukot and Penuel with zeal and justice; to the kings of Midian as an avenger of blood. Rather than being driven by his emotions to enact cruel personal vengeance, he is driven by the Spirit to enforce justice as demanded by Torah.

Judges 8:4–21

20/08/2026

We know that God satisfies our longings…but how often do we think about this in terms of being satiated with fat? Reflecting on his experience of sacrificial worship, David longs for these ordinances—and for what they represented. Yet in the new covenant age, we are given a spiritual banquet of fat things that are even better than the table David shared in.

Psalm 63

18/08/2026

When Gideon’s success against Midian provokes Ephraim to contend jealously against him, he does not respond with rebuke, but with tenderness. Yet when the Israelite cities of Sukkot and Penuel contend against him, he has no mercy, instead promising to destroy them. Though the contrast seems jarring, his responses demonstrate his wisdom, insight, and righteousness, informed by the humility, subtlety, and holiness of the Spirit that is upon him.

17/08/2026

Reforming our nation seems impossible from a natural perspective, because the electoral system is rigged against God’s law. But the church has overturned kings and kingdoms in the past, when the levers of power available to it were even smaller. This is because our power does not come from political maneuvering, but liturgical action. It is through psalm-singing that we wield God’s sword to execute vengeance on nations and bind their kings.

Psalm 149

13/08/2026

Since we are lights shining in earthen vessels, and our worship is with instruments and singing to God, making a loud shout, there is a clear connection between our spiritual warfare, and Gideon’s physical battle. Like Gideon, we too must cross into the world to pursue the enemy, completing the victory Christ began by routing their camp at the cross. Like Gideon, we execute judgment at the waters of baptism. And, like Gideon, we must strike the heads of our enemies…

Judges 7:16–25

09/08/2026

God provides strict qualifications, which we must discern, before he permits us to set up any man as a judge for ourselves—whether in “institutional politics,” or “influencer politics.” But how can we obey his command to “perceive” and “know” that the men we choose really are fitting candidates, if we have no relationship with them? How can we tell if a man has substance, fears God, loves truth, and hates profit?

Exodus 18:21–22; Deuteronomy 1:9, 13

05/08/2026

God has pity on us because he knows we are like weak and foolish children. Thus, Christian fathers are “children raising children,” and should model God’s pity toward their own children. A father’s insight into his children’s weakness should make him slow to anger, and willing to put his desire for adult peace and orderliness to death. Though we must discipline, we must not be disciplinarians—rather, we should imitate our Father in heaven, saying, “This is my son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Psalm 103