Category Archives: Scriptural Thought for the Month

Heroes of Faith: An Interesting Interlude: Hebrews 11:13-16

At this point the writer of the letter takes a break in the narrative concerning Abraham. His thinking is probably: “I’ll return to Abraham in a minute, but first let’s draw together everything we can from these examples of faith so we can see how it helps us in our earthly pilgrimage.” So in verse 13-16 the writer draws three conclusions.

Firstly, the writer focuses on what would have been an issue for these Jewish Christians.  These people: ‘all died in faith, not having received the things promised’. The point is simple; the results of their faith were not seen in this life. But the second part of verse 13 he makes it quite clear that these believers did not doubt that they would see the results of God’s promises. It was almost as if they had had a glimpse of them: ‘from afar’ which confirm their reality! Secondly, these believers acknowledge the world was not their home. They were in fact: ‘strangers and exiles on the earth.’ The writer has clearly put this interlude at this point as the most visible example of this is Abraham who never put down roots anywhere, instead, living in a tent and moving to wherever the Lord directed him! Lastly, the behaviour of these examples of faith highlights that they were looking for a home of God’s provision, not their own.

 If that had not been the case, Abraham could have thought to himself: “well this isn’t working out!  I’m fed up of this extended camping trip, I’m going home!”  John Brown makes this comment: ‘From the call of Abraham to the death of Jacob was a space of 200 years.  During this period they might have easily return to Chaldea. The distance was no obstacle.  There does not seem to have been any external obstruction.  But they gave clear evidence that they were not disposed to return.’[1] What is clear is that these people and Abraham did not think remotely like that!

Verse 16 focuses us once again on the major theme of the book, everything God does or provides is better! These people of faith did not take pleasure in earthly things. No, their focus was on: ‘a better country, that is, a heavenly one.’ What is rather interesting about this is that when people take that attitude God delights in them!  The phrase: ‘Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God’ shows that God takes pleasure in being identified with such people despite their past failings. And what is more he has prepared a place for them. The thought of putting down roots must have been very attractive to Abraham, but God has so much more prepared for those who love him and live in the light of that.  Philip Arthur makes this observation concerning the nature of faith in this letter in relation to the letters of Paul. ‘If Paul emphasise faith in what God in Christ has done in the past, the author to the Hebrews compliments this by reminding us of another dimension of faith that launches out into an unknown future confident that God will provide.’[2]

What a challenge for us in our materialistic age where much in most people’s time is consumed with the acquisition of wealth and the materialism that goes with it. So far in this chapter the writer of the letter has introduced us to people who were heavenly minded but kept their feet firmly on the ground because they were focused on God. I can almost imagine the writer saying: “these people of faith from your spiritual heritage can be summed up in three words, ‘they kept going’ and I’d like you to make it your motto to ‘keep going’ because if you don’t you won’t see the wonderful rewards they did!”

[1] John Brown, An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews, (London, Banner of Truth Trust, 1961) 518.

[2]J. Philip Arthur, No Turning Back, An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews (London, Grace Publications Trust, 2002) 12.

Heroes of Faith: Sarah: Hebrews 11:11-12

‘By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore’ (Hebrews 11:11-12).

In verses 11-12 we get the first of the only two named women who are mentioned in this chapter. Rather interestingly Sarah, Abraham’s wife, is held up as an example of faith in relation to her bearing Abraham son, Isaac, in her old age.

This might cause us to raise our eyebrows, after all in Genesis 18:1-15 when the Lord revealed to Abraham that he would father a son in his old age, Sarah overhearing, found it laughable, was caught out and then lied to try and save face! So how is she seen as an example of faith?

The probable answer is far from spectacular, but that said, one that can provide believers with great encouragement. Over the period of time, and encouraged by Abraham’s belief in the promises the Lord made to him, she  grew in faith. After all she too was part of the Lord’s promise to Abraham which has been reflected in her change of name from Sarai to Sarah meaning Princess (Genesis 17:15).

There is some debate as to whether Sarah or Abraham is the main subject of verse 11 by how it is translated. Garth Lee Cockerill translates it: ‘By faith Sarah herself, although barren, receive power for the disposition of seed even though she was past the season for childbearing’.[1] Those receiving the letter would have known their Old Testament and would have known that Abraham had had no problem impregnating Hagar (Genesis 16:1-4), which then does not particularly make this an act of faith on his part. So in my thinking the emphasis is on the: ‘power to conceive’ which strongly suggests that Sarah is the main subject of the verse, particularly in the light of Genesis 18:11 which states: ‘Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah’ (a biblical way of saying she had gone through the menopause). So it seems likely that in the course of time she believed God would make her capable of bearing a son.

After all, when we look at the story of Abraham and Sarah it is a bit of a rollercoaster ride as they do not always act as faithfully as we might expect for people God has chosen. But how refreshing this is for us as believers today.  Very often our faith is not formed by bold steps but by stumbling, falling, picking ourselves up by learning the lesson to seek the Lord’s forgiveness and trust him! But in the end, what a faith this was! In verse 12 the writer makes it clear that this is a major miracle. It could not have been as hard as raising the dead yet: ‘from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sands by the seashore.’

[1] Garth Lee Cockerill, The Epistle to the Hebrews, The New International Commentary on the  New Testament, (Michigan, Eerdmans publishing company, 2012) 535.

Heroes of Faith: Abraham Part 1: Hebrews 11:8-10

‘By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going’ (Hebrews 11:8).

The writer of the letter now focuses on the example of Abraham in two sections with an interlude, that although it can apply to the others that have already been mentioned, applies particularly to him. So verses 8-9 basically give us the gist of Abraham’s story (Genesis 11:27-25:11).

In Genesis 12:1-3 we get the start of the story that these verses refer to. The Lord makes a promise to Abraham (as he will become known) that if he goes to the land that he will show him he will bless him and make him the father of a great nation. Not just that, the extraordinary part is that through Abraham: “all the families of the Earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).

Now that is quite a promise, but there are two things to note here.  Firstly, which is made very obvious in verse 8, Abraham has not got a clue where he is going! He is ‘flying blind’ with complete dependence on the Lord to fulfill his promises. Secondly, he was an unlikely candidate for God’s blessing. In Joshua’s address to the people of Israel in Joshua 24:2 Joshua makes it very clear that Abraham’s father, Terah: ‘serve other gods.’ He was a polytheist (one who worships many gods). But it is also strongly inferred that his family did as well with the use of the word: ‘they’. So that raises an intriguing possibility, was Abraham originally a polytheist? We do not know, but it seems very likely.

But what we do know is that Abraham’s introduction as a central character in Scripture is very abrupt in Genesis 12:1. Also, in Joshua 24:3 the phase: ‘Then I took your father Abraham’ gives the impression of a dramatic change in the narrative. Dale Ralph Davis writes: ‘Abraham rose out of the desolate pit and miry bog of paganism only because Yahweh touched him.’ He goes on to state that it was God who: ‘for no apparent reason, took hold of our father Abraham, the sinner.’[1] So, however you look at it, Abraham was a product of God’s grace! God reveals himself to Abraham and then Abraham is off on what could almost be described as an over-extended camping trip! Why did he do it?  Verse 9 tells us, it was because he believed in the Lord’s promise to him.  So he lived in a tent, living like a refugee: ‘in the land of promise’.

 But we might be tempted to say: “hold on, that sounds downright weird! After all it is not very settled living in a tent. What happened, did Abraham ever see the complete fulfillment of all these promises?” The answer is a definite no![2] The writer of Hebrews makes it very clear in verse 10 that Abraham realised that God’s promises had an element in them to be fulfilled in the future. This was bigger than inheriting the land and being the father of a great nation, as amazing as that might seem to us! The phraseology of this verse highlights everything that Abraham did not have in his earthly life, after all tents do not have foundations like a city does. But Abraham would have the fulfillment of this promise in God’s time and in God’s way. A: ‘city that has foundations’ denotes permanence. It is rather interesting fact that at the end of his life Abraham only owned a tiny piece of the land which he had bought (Genesis 23 and 25:9).

So in his earthly life the promise was only ever partially fulfilled. So the writer uses Abraham’s example as someone who never saw the full extent of the promise, which God was going to so graciously grant to him, in his earthly life. We even see this in his change of name from Abram, ‘father of many’, to Abraham, ‘father of a people’ (Genesis 17:5), which during his lifetime Abraham could not live up to! The point is real faith endures regardless of whether the Lord’s promises are fulfilled in a person’s life time or they are fulfilled later!

However, what is clear is by using the example of Abraham the writer clearly sees him as a believer other Christians would do well to model themselves on.  Andrew Reid makes these helpful comments concerning Abraham which should make believers think and but also encourage them in any age: ‘The true believer is like him – a sojourner, a traveler, a wander, a pilgrim.  ‘The true believer has no fixed focus for his or her security, except in God and his word and purpose.’[3]

[1]Dale Ralph Davis, Joshua, No Falling Words, (Fearn, Christian Focus Publications, 2000), 189.

[2] David. J. A. Clines argues that that ‘the theme of the Pentateuch is partial fulfillment-which implies also a partial non fulfillment-of the promised to all blessing of the patriarchs.’ David. J. A. Clines, The Theme of the Pentateuch. (Sheffield Academic Press, second edition, 1997), 30.

[3] Andrew Reid, Salvation Begins, Reading Genesis Today, (Sydney, Aquila Press, 2000), 95.

The Heroes of Faith: Noah: Hebrews 11:7

‘By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith’ (Hebrews 11:7).

At this point in the narrative the writer of the letter has a change of emphasis where the results of faith are concerned. The verses concerning Abel and Enoch were more concerned with what the faith of those men had achieved. For instance due to his faith, Abel’s sacrifice was more pleasing to the Lord than Cain’s, just as Enoch’s faith meant that he was blessed in his bypassing death as his lifestyle, that so pleased the Lord, was due to his faith. However, the next examples show a slight change in the writer’s agenda. What he now wants to do is to emphasise faith in the Lord even where things concerning his purpose for the individual were yet to come. In verse 3 of this chapter the writer had sown a seed to develop the idea that belief in the Lord’s creative power, which these Jewish Christians had not witnessed but accepted, was not so dissimilar to belief in the promises that the Lord had made to people of the past. This being even when their total fulfilment lay somewhere way off in a future that they would not live to see! This writer will now do this with the example of Noah and two more that would really get their attention. The father of the nation of Israel, Abraham and Moses the lawgiver!

There is a sense the example of Noah is slightly at odds with the latter examples, particularly when it comes to Abraham and Moses. However, there is a very definite similarity, which is why he is included as an example under what I have termed the ‘change of emphasis’ concerning the results of faith. Verse 7 highlights Noah’s faith in that he was warned by God of the coming judgement in sending a flood upon the Earth. This was shown in the action he takes as he: ‘in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household.’ The story of Noah is found in Genesis 6:9-9:29 and this verse illustrates much of it. Noah is seen as righteous by the Old Testament standard of righteousness (Genesis 6:9). By this it would mean that he was the kind of man who would have done ‘right by all’.  In other words, if you had lent money to Noah you would have got it back on time with appropriate interest or if you needed any help you would have got it from Noah!

But the writer of the letter’s agenda at this point is demonstrating faith. Noah took an immense step of faith in building an enormous boxlike vessel on dry land, hence effectively preaching to that wicked and unbelieving generation that judgement was coming (2 Peter 2:5). Just think how: “crazy old Noah” would become the butt of all the jokes of those who lived round him (there is much in extra-biblical sources which suggests this). But faith in the Lord’s Word kept him going in that he believed judgement was coming even if there was no other visible evidence to suggest it at that point!

John Calvin sums up Noah’s attitude thus: ‘Yet Noah paid such respect of the Word of God that he turned his eyes from the contemporary view of things and went in fear of the destruction which God had threatened as though it were present to him. Therefore the faith which he had in the Word of God prepared him for obedience to God, proof of which he afterwards gave by building the ark.’[1] But look at the results of this faith which was so powerfully proved in his obedience to God’s command. His family was saved, and he: ‘became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.’ 

Once again, Noah is one of those: ‘people of the old’ (v2) who are commended because of their faith in what was unseen. But in this sense, Noah sees the full results of his faith in that he and his family were saved. The next few verses show that seeing the results of one’s faith was not always the case in this life, a lesson that would have been very poignant to these wavering Jewish Christians.

[1] John Calvin, The Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistle’s of St Peter, Calvin’s Commentaries, (Edinburgh, Oliver and Boyd, 1963)  165.

The Heroes of Faith: Enoch: Hebrews 11:5-6

Scriptural Thought for the Month

‘By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God’ (Hebrews 11:5).

The next example of faith the writer offers can only be described as intriguing and almost totally unique!  The details concerning Enoch’s life and his extraordinary departure from this world are found in Genesis 5:18-24.

In verse 5 the writer draws attention to Enoch’s faith in that he mentions that: ‘Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him.’ That in itself is intriguing and it obviously requires we investigate somewhat further if we are to understand why this is seen as faith that pleases God to the extent that Enoch was taken by God. A clue is found in the Genesis passage where we are told that Enoch was 65 when he fathered Methuselah. What is notable is that it is only after this that we are told twice that he walked with God for the last 300 years of his earthly life (Genesis 5:21-22).

So it seems that something fundamental must have happened around the time that he became a father. Let me illustrate what is a possibility from a personal example. Tracy and I have never had children, but I realise that in my pastoral capacity I have the best guidebook in the world when it comes to issues concerning family and children, God’s Word! God’s Word gives expert advice in all areas whether we have experience of them or not. And, although I would not base a theology on it, I think the text infers that this may be the case here as at this point in Enoch’s life he realised that the quality of life, be it family life in raising a child or just wisdom for living life, is only found if one lives in a way that pleases the Lord. Philip Eveson notes the fact that Enoch was walking with God is really a descriptive way of saying he was living with God. In other words: ‘This was life for Enoch, fellowship with God. It did not stop him engaging in family life. He was no hermit or monk. On the other hand, he did not make the things of this world his life, not even his family. God was his life.’[1]

And I think that sums Enoch up nicely. Whatever the issues concerning his extraordinary departure from this world, Enoch was a product of faith that pleased the Lord because he looked to the Lord’s way in all things after the time he turned to him.

Some have seen significance in that the years of Enoch’s life totaling 365, the number of days in one year, hence concluding this represents a complete life. It is an interesting theory, but the text seems to suggest that only 300 of them were a prelude to his existence with God being really completed when he was taken from this world!

The hearers and readers of this letter would have known the details of Enoch’s life and his extraordinary departure from the world, indeed such a privilege was only granted to one other Old Testament saint and that was the great prophet Elijah!  So in verse 6 the writer of the letter builds on this.  How did these heroes of theirs from the primeval age before the flood please the Lord?  Well the answer was simply through faith as without faith there was no other way that Abel sacrifice would have been accepted or Enoch would have walked with God and been taken by him to spare him from death!  This illustrates faith and belief in God is essential.  Complete trust in him was to be the order of the day if people want to please him and see his blessing.

[1]Philip Eveson, The Book of Origins, Genesis Simply Explained, (Darlington, Evangelical Press, 2001), 145.

The Heroes of Faith: Abel: Hebrews 11:4

Scriptural Thought for the Month

 ‘By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks’ (Hebrews 11:4).

After his introduction, the writer of the letter now takes his readers back to what is often referred to as the ‘Primeval Prologue’ of Genesis chapters 1-11 with studies of the faith of the characters of Abel, Enoch and Noah all of whom  would have been very well known to those who receives this letter.

In verse 4 Abel is commended for his faith in that he: ‘he offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as a righteous.’ The rest of the verse basically summaries the story in that he was killed by his jealous brother whose sacrifice the Lord rejected. However, in the last part of the verse, the writer suggests that he acts as an example of faith to Christians of later generations.

There are many theories as to why Abel’s sacrifice was seen as acceptable by the Lord whereas Cain’s was not. Many commentators suggest it was because Abel’s was a blood sacrifice which somehow anticipates the redemptive element of later sacrifices. I guess that is possible, but there is a danger of stretching the text of Genesis 4:2-5 too far when it is not explicit where such a point is concerned.[1]  What seems far more likely to be the main point we should learn from the narrative is that the attitude of the givers was reflected in the gifts they gave.

 What is notable is that Abel’s offering was: ‘the firstborn of his flock’ and he offers: ‘the fat portions’ (Genesis 4:4).  His faith was such that he took his religion seriously, so he gave the best sacrifice he possibly could. However, there is no mention of this when it comes to Cain’s offering.  He did not offer first-fruits, which makes it very likely he was not offering the best of his harvest! So Bruce Waltke obverses: ‘Cain’s sin is tokenism.  He looks righteous, but in his heart he is not totally dependent on God, childlike, or grateful.’[2] Abel’s offering was costly (in more ways than one) and so demonstrates his real faith. The writer of the letter notes that his faith was confirmed by God accepting his sacrifice.

The fact that Jesus refers to Abel in relation to the blood of righteous and innocent servants of God being shed by those who are enemies of God’s people and his cause in Matthew 23:34-36 again testifies to Abel’s costly faithful attitude acting as a lesson to Christians in  latter generations. Faith can often be costly!

[1] We have to remember that the killing of livestock for food would not have occurred until after the flood (Genesis 9:1-5).  Indeed the first death occurs after the fall of man in Genesis 3:21 where God cloths Adam and Eve with skins, the need for this brought about by their sin!  So the idea of sacrifice connected with sin and redemption at this point is not totally far-fetched and is worth considering!

[2]Bruce K. Waltke, with Cathi J. Fredricks, Genesis, A Commentary, (Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 2001) 97.

The Heroes of Faith: An Introduction: Hebrews 11:1-3

Scriptural Thought for the Month

‘By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible’ (Hebrews 11:3).

I’m a complete sucker when it comes to all things historical. The reason I love history is there are a great many lessons to be learnt from it. Consequently, when it came to my theological studies, and my ‘Church History’ lecturer mentioned the church is still grappling with the same issues and heresies as it had in the past, I didn’t need any persuading to study it!  Consequently by the time we get to Chapter 11 of letter to the Hebrews the writer is telling his readers they can benefit from a little excursion into their religious history, but in this case it’s for their encouragement!

This is the chapter you are likely to know even if you do not know much about the rest of the book. My brother, when he first started at his church in Middlesbrough, realizing that they had not had much Old Testament teaching, did a sermon series based on this chapter to introduce them to some of the great characters of the Old Testament. Preached as such it can work very well! However, it is basically one example, and we should not forget that! It illustrates what the writer is determined that his hearers and readers should understand, and that is aspects and examples of faith!

So, why such a monumental example? A major theme of the letter has been that there is now a great high priest in the person of Jesus. Not just that, he has provided the perfect sacrifice that has not got to be constantly repeated as it fully satisfies God because after Jesus had made it, by his death on the cross, he sat down at the right hand of God, that part of his work finished. Because of this, the old covenant, had been superseded and there was now a new covenant.

But some of these Jewish Christians were considering going back to their previous faith. After all, they knew that there was a temple in Jerusalem where sacrifices were being offered each day. The problem with believing in Jesus’ sacrifice and priesthood was that they had only heard of the first and could not see the latter!  The writer of the letter realizes that his theological arguments, as good as they are, might have trouble competing with that sort of mind-set!  So what he is saying in this chapter is simply: “what I’m asking you to do in accepting Jesus’ sacrifice and priesthood, even though you can’t see it and have only heard of it, is take the promises of the new covenant by faith. After all, this is how people you most respect from your religious heritage acted. Their situation was really no different from yours.”

Verse 1-2 sets out the agenda for the rest of the chapter. Whether verse 1 actually constitutes an accurate definition of faith (which is often how it is often portrayed) is not the aim of the writer here. John Calvin notes that the writer: ‘is not discussing the nature of faith as a whole but he selects that part which fits his purpose, namely that it is always joined to patience.’[1]  So it covers certain aspects of what faith is, but more importantly it defines the faith and the actions of those who are often called the ‘Heroes of Faith’ rather than the nature of faith itself. That being the case, words like: ‘assurance’ and: ‘conviction’ are brought to our attention as they typify the actions of these Old Testament figures. But it is the phrase: ‘hoped for’ coupled with the phrase: ‘things not seen’ which is particularly important as it alerts us to the sentiment motivating these people of past times. This is especially important as this is what they were commended for. The fact that they were hoping for things that were promised is something we will be reminded of throughout this chapter.

 But before he goes any further, the writer makes a statement which illustrates something the receivers of this letter would have taken as unquestionable. The statement in verse 3 that: ‘the universe was created by the word of God so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible’ would have presented the readers and hearers of this letter with very little problem.  But that is the writer’s point!  They accepted it, based on their faith in God despite the nature of the not having witnessed it.  So was that really so different from the faith of those in their religious heritage who they so looked up to and respected?  The writer of the letter pretty much says to them: “well let’s have a look and see.”

[1] John Calvin, The Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews and the First and Second Epistle’s of St Peter, Calvin’s Commentaries, (Edinburgh, Oliver and Boyd, 1963) 157.

The Book of Judges: A Glorious Mess! Judges 21

Scriptural Thought for the Month

‘ In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.’ (Judges 21:25).

There’s a saying that, ‘history keeps repeating itself, it has to, no one ever learnt anything the first time round.’ That applies to the book of Judges as time and time again, Israel disobeys the Lord, the Lord delivers them into the hands of their enemies, they cry out to the Lord and he raises up a Judge to deliver them. They then have a few years peace before the whole cycle starts again!

But in the last chapters, with his focus on incidents that happened early in the occupation of the land, the writer alerts us that Israel’s problems were very deep rooted. Chapter 19 starts on the ominous note: ‘In those days when there was no king in the land’ (19:1). This lack of leadership sets up a messy story of religious and moral disintegration. Now we come to the climax of it in this final chapter.

The tribe of Benjamin has been almost wiped out, and the men of Israel have sworn they will not to give their daughters to them in marriage (v1). Whereas this might seem quite reasonable due to just having been at war with them, this could be put down to a knee jerk reaction on Israel’s part after their failure to consult the Lord. But what comes next you just couldn’t make up. It reminds me of the television cartoon ‘The Simpsons’ where Bart Simpson’s defense when accused of doing something wrong is, “I didn’t do it, no one saw me do it, you can’t prove anything.” Israel is in complete denial about what has just happened (vs2-3). The answer to the question: “why has this happened in Israel, that today there should be one tribe lacking in Israel?” is blatantly obvious. The Lord has been judging Israel, and they have made one bad decision after the other, which has brought about civil war! So it’s obvious why Benjamin is: ‘lacking’ as after fighting against them, they now won’t give their daughters to them in marriage! No doubt their religious oath sounded very impressive and spiritual when they made it, but in the end it’s a case of stupid religion (v4)!

But now we have some rather dubious religion. Israel decides it  can sort this out by itself. But how are they going to navigate around this stupid vow? The answer is simple, they’ll do it by making another one! In verse 5 we learn the vow they’d made is that anyone: “who did not come up to the Lord to Mizpah” should: “surely be put to death.” We might question why they made this vow in the first place? Was it to promote unity among the tribes, or to strong arm everyone into being there? Whatever the case, they now put it to use to get themselves out of the hole they dug themselves into. Jabesh- gilead are the unlucky recipients, as the inhabitants of the town are  massacred and 400 virgins are given to the tribe of Benjamin (vs5-15). However, that doesn’t prove to be enough.

Still sticking to their stupid oath, Israel must find another way to provide wives for the remaining Benjamites. This leads to the most insidious case of hypocrisy and religious legalism we will probably find anywhere in the Bible! Basically, the tribe of Benjamin is given permission to go and kidnap the young women of Shiloh. Any complaints from the families are easily dealt with as: “When their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Grant them graciously to us, because we did not take for each man of them his wife in battle, neither did you give them to them, else you would now be guilty” (v22). It’s a case of “it’s all in a good cause and we’re doing it with a thoroughly religious mindset. So you better comply or you’ll be guilty of breaking the vow we’ve made!” At no point is the Lord consulted. Why? Because religion is always driven by man (vs16-22).

So how does it all end? The extraordinary thing is in someways it ends quite well as we are told: ‘And the people of Benjamin did so and took their wives, according to their number, from the dancers whom they carried off. Then they went and returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and lived in them. And the people of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance’ (vs23-24). Despite the kidnapping of a large  number of young women, incidentally breaking a number of God’s laws, everything, that the Lord has promised to them, they still have. Maybe this tells us something, God’s people may not be consistent, but he is!

The Book concludes on an ominous note: ‘In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes’ (v25). In the end, the roller coaster ride through Judges  proves one thing, man made solutions are imperfect! Human leaders can be good, but eventually they’ll die, They can start well, but end badly. They can make stupid decisions and they can be thoroughly bad! In the end they are not the solution. Psalm 146:3-4 warns us : ‘Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish’

The book of Judges may end in a mess, but it’s a glorious mess as it tells us that human leaders, however good, are not perfect. In the end we need God’s King, one not corrupted by leadership or death. We need the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Book of Judges: The Danger of a Knee-jerk Reaction: Judges 20

Scriptural Thought for the Month

‘And the men of Israel turned back against the people of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, the city, men and beasts and all that they found. And all the towns that they found they set on fire’ (Judges 20:48).

Some years back I received a letter from the Christian institute. The Home Secretary had decided that Asbo’s were not an effective deterrent to stop re-offending. So the proposition was to introduce a new bill based on people causing annoyance. On this basis someone could see me on the High Street, doing evangelism and could go up to the nearest policeman and say “that guys really annoying me.” Not surprisingly the bill was quickly dropped. The police and magistrates didn’t want it as it was a badly conceived. Any charge would be almost impossible to prove as it was so subjective! But it shows the danger of a knee jerk reaction, which is what we encounter in this chapter of Judges.

After the shocking events of chapter 19, there’s a feeling that something ought to be done about the wickedness of the men of Gibeah. So: ‘all the people of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, and the congregation assembled as one man to the Lord at Mizpah. And the chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 men on foot that drew the sword’ (vs1-2). The Levite gets to tell his story, putting himself in the best light by omitting certain unfavorable details (vs4-8). Israel means business, it’s blood is up as they all feel the men of Gibeah must pay for what they have done (vs8-11). But no one is thinking clearly. On the good side, Israel is united and has come before the Lord. The bad side is they haven’t consulted him! Mob justice will get things done, but the question is will they be done in the right way? After all, not all unity is good unity!

But there’s an additional problem, not everybody is on board with this. When the men of Israel approach the tribe of Benjamin, they won’t play ball! Verses 12-17 have a sinister tone to them. The language Israel uses is undiplomatic leading to the Benjamites dismissing it. The tension in the text escalates with its description of the military prowess of the tribe of Benjamin.

But then Israel does something right by inquiring of the Lord. However, they then spoil it by ignoring the Lord’s command that: “Judah shall go up first” (v18) by deciding they will all go altogether. The result is Israel gets a major whipping for their presumption (vs19-22)! It may seem strange that the Lord allows them to go up against the Benjamites again (v23), but the point the text is making is Israel has already made-up its mind and their approach to the Lord is purely to get a spiritual sheen on their actions rather than seek his will in prayer. So, once again, they suffer defeat for the second time on a catastrophic level (vs24-26)!

Finally, Israel does the right thing. ‘Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. And the people of Israel enquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, “Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand” (vs26-28). This time the attitude is right as they humble themselves, seeking the Lord’s direction, which he now gives them in definite terms.

Two accounts of the battle follow, the second one being more detailed (vs29-48). Israel is victorious as the Benjamites suffer overwhelming defeat. But there’s a small detail we could easily miss. In verse 35 we read: ‘And the Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel, and the people of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin that day.’ Israel had been disobedient, but the Lord was still achieving his purpose through them despite this. This spiritual malaise is typified by the mention of Phineas the priest. He’d made such an impression with his zeal for the Lord during the exodus (Numbers 25:6-15), and was commended for it, but he’s strangely silent here making us wonder if he’d  lost the zealousness he showed as a younger man?

In the end, no one comes out of this very well. There’s huge losses on both sides. The thriving tribe of Benjamin is reduced to 600 men! So one can’t help think that the Lord is judging Israel, because Benjamin is harboring those who committed horrendous immoral acts, and Israel is suffering from a major spiritual malaise. This reminds us the church in any day and age can be subject to judgement when they depart from scripture. ‘For it is time for judgement to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?’ (1 Peter 4:17).

 

The Book of Judges: Leadership Needed, Apply Here! Judges 19

Scriptural Thought for the Month

‘In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a certain Levite was sojourning in the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, who took to himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah’ (Judges 19:1).

When my brother had trained for the ministry and was looking for a church, he worked at Co-op depot in Preston. He’d been witnessing to one of the lorry drivers, so he gave him a Bible. By the time the man had reached the end of Genesis, he was shocked by some of what he had read. The danger is we can be so familiar with the Bible we forget how shocking it can be! But be warned! What comes next in Judges registers as some of the most shocking incidents in scripture!

 At was start of chapter 19, we’re introduced to another wandering Levite. That should raise eyebrows as the Levites were required to do certain jobs connected with religious worship. But we then get the now familiar words: ‘In those days, when there was no king in Israel’ (v1). So the picture is that, even early in their history, Israel was in a bad way and lacking leadership. This kicks off a disturbing story that will take us to the end of the book! Verse 1 is supposed to make us feel uneasy. The best definition of: ‘a concubine’ would be a second class wife! She wouldn’t have the full rights of a married woman and children from such a union wouldn’t have any inheritance. So, to misquote Shakespeare’s Hamlet ‘there is something rotten in the state of Israel.’ Our unease increases when the text informs us that she’s unfaithful to him (how is not specified). Four months pass and he decides it’s time for a reconciliation. So he goes to her father’s house to reclaim her and the whole event seems to turn into a party lasting a few days! The conclusion, this Levite seems to have a lot of time on his hands for someone with a specified job to do (vs2-9).

If these events illustrate a breakdown in what God intended for the family, what happens next illustrates a breakdown in society. After deciding not to stay at Jebus (eventually to become known as Jerusalem) the man decides to stay among his kin in Gibeah. Waiting in the town square might seem strange, but that was where you would have gone if you were looking for hospitality as in Arab culture, then and now, to refuse hospitality would be unthinkable! Once again, there should be a feeling of unease when none is forthcoming but it’s an old man, not originally local to the area, who offers them hospitality (vs10-21).

But if all this wasn’t bad enough, we now get a complete breakdown in morality. What happens next (vs22-26) reminds us of events of Genesis 19 when God deemed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah  to be so wicked that they were fit for judgement. But we should be doubly shocked as this is among God’s people! There’s an ambiguity in the way that the old man reacts to the threat of homosexual rape being committed on his guest as he protests: “No, my brothers, do not act so wickedly; since this man has come into my house, do not do this vile thing” (v23). So, what would happen if the Levite wasn’t his guest? It also gives the impression that this wasn’t an uncommon occurrence! The Levite reaction is also ambiguous as he does nothing when the old man offers his young daughter to be abused and violated. Then he shows no hesitation in forcing his concubine to go out to the mob to be violently abused for hours!

Now let’s think about this. A Levite is someone who’s supposed to be acquainted with the law and spend his time teaching it, not someone who acts in a thoroughly callous and immoral way. It’s a sad thing when Christian leaders don’t set a moral example, but sadly it’s nothing new!

The Levite’s wicked and callous behavior continues as he: ‘rose up in the morning’ and we realized that he’d slept through the whole thing! His disgraceful behavior continues when he’s surprised when he gets no answer from his dead concubine after she’s been exposed to a vicious gang rape, but puts her on his donkey and goes home (vs27-28).

When we think it couldn’t get any worse we get a breakdown in leadership! The Levite’s grizzly delivery of body parts to the twelve tribes not surprisingly gets a reaction (v29). When a disturbing murder been committed, analysts theorize why it’s happened. Was it the perpetrators background, a disturbing influence in the home or peer pressure? We see the same kind of thing here with everyone trying to analyze what’s happened.  ‘And all who saw it said, “Such a thing has never happened or been seen from the day that the people of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day; consider it, take counsel, and speak” (v30). Quite rightly, everyone’s terribly shocked. But, rather than look to the Lord, Israel is basically saying “if anyone can help us understand this, tell us what to do?” No one’s prepared to take charge. It’s really a case of ‘leadership needed, apply here!’